Past projects 9
What the Tech?!
Funded Nov 30, 2021Thank you so much for the brand new computer. When one of my students saw it, she said, "Wow, that's beautiful!" It was so wonderful to see my students' excitement when they saw the new technology, especially after having been out of the classroom for so long due to the pandemic.
It is so amazing to have my students back in the classroom, and observing them see the new computer for the first time, seeing their eyes light up, warmed my heart. Many of my students really struggled through learning remotely, and it's wonderful to see them be excited about learning experiences once again.
Many of my students with special needs really benefit from using computers. Some benefit from typing instead of writing by hand while others benefit from using technology to watch and interact with videos and audio. My students were so thrilled to be able to use this new piece of technology for our classrooms, and it would not have been possible without your support. Thank you so much once again.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 7 other donors.Projecting Another Wonderful School Year
Funded Sep 24, 2019Thank you so much for this wonderful projector! Due to funding limitations at my school this year, the school was unable to pay to install it in my classroom. My co-teacher was able to have another DonorsChoose project funded to install the projector. However, once we were able to get that funding, we had to leave the school building for the remainder of the school year due to COVID-19.
The students were so excited when the new projector came! It is really difficult to see the board from the back of the classroom, so the possibility of seeing it closer was so exciting to them! Especially for my students with special needs, the new projector will give my students the opportunity to work more closely (one-on-one) with a teacher. The new projector, which is going in a separate part of the room than our current projector, will give my students space to see and learn at their own pace, rather than have to keep up with the speed of the rest of the class.
I am so grateful for all of your help in ensuring and optimizing my students' learning. Hopefully we will return to the school building in the fall and be able to install and use this wonderful technology. My students this year are telling the incoming students that they are so lucky to be able to use this!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess
This classroom project was brought to life by Young Sheldon on CBS and 20 other donors.Bench for Elementary "Stool"
Funded Aug 22, 2018I cannot thank you enough for your generous donations! My class uses our bench and stools every single day. The bench provides my students with additional seating, especially since our class is too big to all fit on our rug. We have a rotating schedule so that every student gets the opportunity to sit on the comfortable bench. They love it! Also, the bench is a great place on which students like to work when they need a separate place to focus.
The stools are wonderful! The students are so proud to sit upon them to share their beautiful work with their peers. They all clamor and volunteer to share with the class knowing they will get to perch on these stools.
Once again, thank you so much for donating this wonderful seating to enable my students' learning!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.Back to Basics: Supplies for the Start of School
Funded Sep 5, 2018Thank you so very much for the essential back to school supplies! Thanks to you, my students have had a very successful start to their year in third grade. Having all of these supplies has enabled them to feel comfortable in their new classroom.
They loved seeing brand new pencils at their tables once school began. Their eyes lit up! The students are able to see their daily schedule posted on the board due to our new magnetic dots. The laminating pouches have been a life saver! My students took selfies and wrote how they can be their "best self-ies" in 3rd Grade. I was able to laminate these first portraits and pieces of writing, and now they will last on our classroom door for the whole school year! The laminating pouches also allow me to laminate math games so the students can reuse them and use dry erase markers on them to record their math thinking. The address labels allow me to give the students prompts in their various notebooks, and they help my students stay organized as they respond in all their subjects.
Thank you so much once again for supporting my classroom and making sure my students are in the best learning environment possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess
This classroom project was brought to life by Neukom Family Foundation and one other donor.Ro, Ro, Ro Your Bot (Building and Programming Robots!)
Funded Jan 25, 2018Thank you so very much for the two Lego Boost kits! My students absolutely love them! Because of your generosity, everyone in my class has been able to explore these kits by building and programming the various robots. The two kits allow us to have two groups of children using the materials at the same time! My students started by building the starter robot in the kit, and then they programmed it to move along a mat, dodging obstacles on the way to the finish point. My students squealed with excitement when they first saw the boxes for Lego Boost, and they keep begging me for more time with the robots!
My students have also gotten to build another robot with the kits...a guitar! Students got to work in pairs or groups to program the Lego guitar to play an original song. They discovered that they could play different tones or a different number of notes by coding a program using the Lego Boost app on an iPad. They changed the notes by moving a slider up and down the neck of the guitar! They were so enthralled!
These kits were a wonderful addition to my computer science program I started this year! Thank you so much for your kindness. My students and I are so lucky to have your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 7 other donors.A New Math Center Will Make a Great Addition !
Funded Sep 9, 2017Thank you all so very much for your generosity and support! My students' faces lit up when our school custodian wheeled our brand new math center into our classroom! They were so excited to have a beautiful piece of furniture in their classroom, and they couldn't wait to start exploring!
The new math center is one of the first pieces of furniture my students see when they enter the classroom. The bins for the math center have been a huge help in organizing our math materials. My co-teacher and I labeled each one of the bins with a title and an image to help our students navigate the new center. The bins are clear and translucent, and my students can easily see into them without having to pull every bin out. The bins and the math center have been wonderful for all of my students, but especially the visual learners!
Among my students' favorite math materials are snap cubes and place value manipulatives. These are the materials from our new math center that my students use most frequently. Currently, we are exploring equal groups and multiplication. The well-organized math materials, thanks to all of you, have been invaluable resources for my students.
Thank you all once again for enabling my students to succeed!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess
Just in CASE (Cases for our iPads)
Funded Dec 22, 2014I know it has taken a while to get accustomed to using the iPads with my students, so thank you for your patience. My students LOVE the iPads and constantly ask to use them. They have helped with reading, writing, math, and research in the classroom.
These iPads have made a huge difference in engagement and access in my classroom. I use an app called RAZ Kids (Reading A-Z) on the iPads on a daily basis. Students can access exciting reading options at their own independent levels, so everyone is reading something just right for him or her. Even the most reluctant readers couldn't wait to get their turns to read on the app. My students also used math apps to aid them with skip counting. For children who struggle to rewrite draft after draft of their writing, I recorded them speaking their stories into the iPad and printed them. This way, they only had to rewrite their final drafts.
These iPads have been such a wonderful part of my students' classroom experience. I am so very grateful.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia and one other donor.Need a Rug! Got it "Covered"?
Funded Sep 25, 2014Thank you so very much for the green rug for our classroom. We use it every single day multiple times throughout the day. We would not be able to have our classroom run smoothly every day without your support.
My students were so excited when the new rug came! They always say how cozy it is, how comfortable it is, and how much they want to work on it. Many students often ask to read on the rug, seeing as it is surrounded by our classroom library! We have a lesson on the green rug multiple times a day for math, literacy, and small group instruction. Every one of my 30 students gets to have a lesson on this rug almost every day. It is so nice to have a second teaching space, especially for many of my kids who need a smaller, quieter space.
With this rug, I am able to give my students more one on one attention and support! My students are so excited when they can learn in a small group!
Thanks so much again for making learning possible for all students in my classroom! It makes my students and me happy to come in every day and see our comfortable classroom all set up for the best learning experiences possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess
Give the Teacher an Apple (iPad)
Funded Oct 21, 2014Thank you all so much for contributing to getting a set of iPads for my classroom! I am so excited to deliver this wonderful news: the project has been fully funded! This surely would not have been possible without all of your help! I am so excited to use the iPads with my students on a daily basis! We will be using them for practice in math, reading, writing, speech, and social skills lessons! Thank you all again! Your donations truly mean the world to my kids and me.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hess