Past projects 37
With Your Help, We Can Do It!
Funded Dec 20, 2016Thank you so much for your generous donation to my class project to help motivate my students. The Google Chromebooks and iPod shuffles really helped push my students to bring their best everyday. Students were thrilled when they learned that they could win a technology prize for participating in class activities, doing their homework, being on time, bringing their class supplies and for following the Theatre Arts class agreements.
We are currently rehearsing and designing technical elements for a school-wide production of a play that helps students learn about healthy dating practices in order to stem domestic violence in our community. Students are diligently working on designing scenes for digital projections and learning their lines. The fact that they could win one of these great prizes is what kept them focused.
We are so excited to present this play to our community and we couldn't have done it without your generous support! Thank you for all that you do to help students and for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
Motivated to Graduate!
Funded Jul 13, 2016Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom! These awesome incentive prizes helped to motivate my students to succeed and pass my Theatre classes.
Because students were working in groups to win the opportunity to have a raffle ticket for one of the prizes, they remained on task in class, brought their supplies, were on time, and treated their classmates with respect and kindness. They improved in their self-confidence, cooperation skills, imagination, and ability to solve problems creatively. They truly accomplished a lot in just one year!
I wouldn't be able to have the results that I do in my class without these powerful incentives. I am so grateful for your contributions and for your willingness to make a difference in the lives of my students. I know that this is going to be powerful influence for them to continue to succeed and to reach their goals in the future.
Thank you so much!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
Technology Prizes Equal Our Success!
Funded Dec 9, 2015Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom of two Chromebooks and an iPod Shuffle!
I am so grateful that we had these amazing prizes as rewards for our class raffle to help encourage all students to do their best.
Because students had to work together for points to win a raffle ticket by being on time, bringing their supplies, participating in class activities, and following our classroom behavior expectations almost all students passed with a C or better in my class last semester! It was by far the most successful semester I've had with students at our school.
This kind of success would not be possible without your generous donation. Students were motivated to do their best and pushed their teammates to also do their best in order to get a chance to win. It truly helped motivate students who otherwise may not have someone pushing them at home to do well in school.
I am so grateful for these awesome prizes to help ALL students succeed. Together we are helping students build life-long learning skills that will help them do well in high school and help close the achievement gap. I truly believe that we are helping more students to continue on to higher education and achieve their goals and dreams. This would not be possible without your support.
Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
Theatre Arts Can Change Lives
Funded May 20, 2015Thank you so much for your generous donations to my classroom!
These fabulous prizes helped to motivate over 200 students to do their best in my classroom and beyond. The prizes helped students work in collaborative groups to be on time to class, follow our class agreements for Theatre, create and perform in various projects, and complete their homework.
Every student participated in using 21st Century technology skills and pantomime skills to create music videos about Human Rights issues. They took on various roles (director, performer, research and development, and editor) to create videos about bullying, domestic violence, improving the environment, police brutality, and poverty. The videos were shared at lunch time screenings with the entire schooled gave students a sense of empowerment and agency.
They also participated in improvisational activities and projects to improve their improvisational skills. Improvisational skills are something that will help them in the future in a variety of areas including public speaking, interview situations, and with personal communication. They studied plays and other media that enhanced their knowledge of various social justice movements; past and present.
By the end, students conveyed in class evaluations that they had greatly improved their self-confidence and their ability to speak up about social issues. And who knows...perhaps a few artists were inspired to pursue the arts in the future.
None of this would have been possible without you. Thank you so much for contributing and making a difference in the lives of these students. Your gift will have a lasting impact and will help to close the achievement gap.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
Inspire Us To Stay In School!
Funded Dec 22, 2014Thank you so much for your continued support of my projects and generous donations. I'm extremely grateful that you see these projects as a way to help me motivate my awesome students.
This year was a little different and provided a challenge for me to help my students become even more successful. For the first time I gave daily homework for students to read for 30 minutes every night. Students and parents understood that my purpose for this was to help elevate their reading levels in order to help them become more successful. Every year I have returning students who visit after they've moved on to high school, and every year they tell me how hard it is for them. I have relayed this sentiment to my current classes and the importance of practicing these important reading comprehension skills now, in order to be successful when they themselves get to high school. They all understood my intentions and seemed willing to give it their best effort.
For the most part, students were very consistent in doing this homework. However, many of my students do not have someone at home who motivates them. The collaborative groups helped to push and motivate some of these students who needed reinforcement and outside motivation. I truly believe that the fantastic prizes purchased by DonorsChoose with your donations are what helped many students to be motivated and helped them to read for 30 minutes every night all year long! What an amazing accomplishment! I couldn't have done it without your help in providing my students with these awesome incentives. I believe that together we are helping to close the achievement gap and are helping to make these kids successful and prepared for the future.
Thank you so much for caring enough to continue to give and be a part of helping my amazing students. You are awesome!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
We Can Succeed With Your Help
Funded May 27, 2014Thank you so much for generously supporting my students with your kind donations!
When I first tell students about the awesome opportunity that they have to win an iPad Mini or an iPad Shuffle in my classroom, just for following our agreed upon "Theatre Expectations", I am usually greeted with an array of wide eyes, gaping mouths, and a few "Wow!"s and "Seriously?"s. They are usually only convinced that I'm telling the truth by last year's students reassuring them that it's true; they too can win a prize by working together with others in a positive way. It's awesome how these prizes have continued, year after year, to motivate so many students to be successful by working together to achieve their goals.
Students worked together and pushed each other to make sure that they:
1) were present in class as much as possible
2) were seated before the tardy bell rang and working on their dispatch work
3) brought their Theatre Notebooks and other supplies every day
4) completed any homework assignments
5) completed the days work and participated in our Theatre activities
6) followed the behavior expectations that we had outlined to make our class successful
The positive support of the group allowed for each student to be motivated in a positive direction that ultimately made them all successful. Knowing that they were earning points which could lead to winning a raffle ticket that gave them a shot at winning one of these great grand prizes is what made that success possible.
I know all of this is working because I've had former students who have come back to visit and tell me how much they miss being in my room and how grateful they are to have learned all the things they did while they were with me. Thank you for helping me make a positive impact in the lives of my students. I couldn't do it without your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
iPods For Our Success
Funded Feb 17, 2014Thank you so much for your generous donation! Because of these wonderful prizes I was able to help even more students succeed; not only in my class, but in all of their classes.
Each semester, students work together in cooperative literacy groups to earn the points that will hopefully get them a raffle ticket for these fantastic prizes that this project funded. When they find out that they have the opportunity to win and iPad Mini or an iPod Shuffle their eyes pop open wide and I always get the same reaction - WOW!!
Without such fantastic prizes, they wouldn't be as motivated to do their best. My colleagues often wonder what it is that I do to get the same students that they have to arrive on time to class, consistently bring their supplies and do their homework, and behave and follow directions and instructions for our class activities. The secret is that I have you! They are really great kids but they just need to have something that helps motivate them to do well in school. I am so fortunate to have such caring supporters as yourself to help them.
Thank you so much for making a difference in the lives of my students. We couldn't do it without you!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
Theatre Students Seek Supplies for Success
Funded Dec 3, 2013Thank you so much for your generous donations to my classroom! With your help we were able to have a very successful production of our school play. The copy paper helped us to organize rehearsals and back stage responsibilities. The chart paper helped us to brain storm ideas and was used for signage during productions. Students were able to feel motivated by the stickers on their individual assignments that they had throughout the process. The large rolled paper and color copy paper helped us to advertise to our student body and attracted large audiences for our performances; which turned out to be a HUGE success!
Students selected the play that they wanted to produce this year; a collection of funny and poignant scenes and monologues depicting life outside of the middle school classroom. The entire production was supported through the students' leadership and contributions both onstage and behind the scenes. They worked very hard and it paid off. The production was met with accolades from their teachers, peers,their families, and the community.
My students have been transformed! In a post production reflection, students shared how they overcame their fears by working hard and relying on each other for support. They feel so proud of the work that they have done. They have made new friends, built self-esteem, and know now that they conquer anything that they put their minds to. Is there any better lesson than that?
I'm so humbled at how this experience has affected them. It is truly moving to see them so excited about their experience. We are all a little sad it is over, but so grateful for people like you who help to make these types of experiences possible. Thank you for keeping the arts alive and for helping to make my students successful!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 7 other donors.Help Us Stay In School
Funded Apr 7, 2013Thanks again for your wonderful, generous donations to my classroom. It made such a huge difference to have the incentive of an iPod Touch and those two iPod Shuffles for students to work for. I had a fantastically successful semester thanks to all of you amazing donors. You helped over 220 students pass my class and stay motivated to succeed with each of the projects that we created.
This past semester, students worked on movement and choreography through the creation of flashmobs and by learning yoga. They planned and created their own music videos that were shown in school-wide viewing parties. They learned improvisation, pantomime, and participated in activities that helped them to understand and appreciate Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. They created videos about why the arts are important that were then sent to their representatives in Sacramento. They adapted local elementary school students' short stories into plays and then performed them for those same students and their classes. All in all, it was an extremely productive and successful semester!
When I read the Thank You letters that they wrote, they all expressed how the incentives and point system helped motivate them to come to class, get there on time, bring their supplies,participate, and follow our class expectations. Many went on to explain how this helped them to learn that if they work hard they can be successful. I can also tell you that each of them gained a lot of self-confidence, became adept at working with a group of people to solve problems, and got better at their communication skills in general. Lessons that I know will serve them well in life.
At the beginning of this school year, my classes sizes had increased by more than 10 students per class from the year before. I was afraid that the large class sizes would be difficult to manage (my class sizes have almost doubled in the past four years from 25 to 48). Thanks to your help though, this was the most successful year yet! It would not have been possible without your help.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr
Higher Learning...Here We Come!
Funded Nov 16, 2012Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. Because of your donation of an iPod Touch and two iPod Shuffles for fantastic prizes for our class raffle, my students were all successful this past semester. Not one of them failed the class. They all worked hard to be present as much as possible,come to class on time,bring all of their class supplies,stay on task, and complete their homework. Students behavior was exceptional and made teaching that much easier. This incentive helped students to develop excellent work habits which will enable them to be more successful in their other classes as well.
My students would not have been as successful this semester without your help. I am so grateful for people like yourselves who care enough to make a difference in the lives of my students. Thank you for all that you do.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Tarr