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Mrs. Szczecinski's Classroom

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Past projects 108

  • Brain Based Learning

    Funded Nov 23, 2020

    I could not be more grateful for the materials you have provided for my school. Our student population has been in a hybrid model since August and while it's been wonderful to be around others during this stressful year, it has also been very challenging for our students. Having the books you provided as well as the brain models has been a great way to teach students about their emotional states. I have been able to create really meaningful lessons on emotions and brain awareness using the materials you funded for us which has given classroom teachers a much needed break from planning. We're so thankful for your generosity.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

    This classroom project was brought to life by Allstate Foundation.
  • Teachers Need to Learn, Too!

    Funded May 29, 2018

    I cannot truly describe how grateful I am that I received the giant package of books for my own professional development! It is summer so I do have more time on my hands to read, but I am also currently teaching Special Education Summer School, so I can apply my learning almost immediately! Though I just got the package, I already dove in and started completing the Onward Workbook. This has been a very stressful school year for me and I am admittedly very burned out. The exercises in the workbook are educator-focused and help build resiliency and focus on positive goal setting. I look forward to continuing this professional development this summer, and then handing off the books to my coworkers so we can eventually discuss techniques, theories, and ideas with one another. It's really hard to express my gratefulness, thank you.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

  • Emerging Artists in Special Education

    Funded May 17, 2018

    Hi! I am writing with the most grateful heart that you donated these amazing materials to my deserving students. Right now, we are ending our traditional school year and gearing up for our summer school session to begin. We do not have fine arts classes in summer, so it is so wonderful that we now have access to these materials for the next few weeks. My students will be learning about careers as a theme this summer, and we discussed how we will create our own social stories and behavior visuals for our classroom when we learn about writing and publishing. This will be using the clip art you have donated to us. How great that we will actually be able to use what they create every day. Thank you so much for believing in us.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

  • Zentangle Art for Special Education

    Funded May 17, 2018

    I am so honored that you even considered donating to our project! The books that we received are perfect. In June, we begin our ESY (extended school year) programming. It is a shorter day, and therefore my students receive no fine arts classes during the summer hours. They LOVE art and thrive on creating. I learned about Zentangling and knew that it would be so fun to teach my students and give them some art lessons! I have introduced it by showing YouTube videos of zentangle artists creating, and so far, they are amazed! Each child has their own Zentangle workbook that we will learn out of, including me, so I can model! We are going to have such an impactful summer thanks to your generous donation. Thank you so much.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

  • Flexible Seating For EVERYONE!

    Funded May 1, 2018

    It is hard to describe how grateful I am for the materials you have provided to our classroom. The table and the soft seats from Lakeshore Learning have been incredibly helpful and useful. Each day a student has a "day" to use the table for learning activities, and it is used during free time for block and Lego play. Having extra seating options is so essential to our classroom functioning well. I also LOVE my new desk chair! It truly makes all the difference. While I am on my feet most of the day, as a special educator in a therapeutic setting, I have SO much paperwork to complete - so I am at my desk quite a bit. Having the right chair is so much more meaningful than you could imagine. Thank you so much.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

  • Mindfulness Matters in Special Education

    Funded May 1, 2018

    I truly can not thank you enough for your generous donation of essential oils, room spray, and an essential oils diffuser to our classroom. We busted it out the moment it arrived, and my students were amazed! They love trying out new oils, and each day we talk about what the benefits are of each oil. It has definitely helped with "buy in"! Truly, it is the small, little things that make our classroom more of a special and safe environment for my students. They require so much attention, love, and individual care due to their life circumstances. Thank you one million times for helping us grow.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

  • Positive Rewards for Positive Behavior

    Funded Mar 11, 2018

    Thank you so much for your generosity towards our class and school. Teaching intrinsic motivation is incredibly challenging, and unfortunately starts with extrinsic rewards to build pride in each student. The little toys and treats you have provided are just what we need to start on this road. Every day my students get to choose one from our class treasure box if they have earned enough points on their daily behavior points sheets. Right now, the fidget spinners and mini chocolates are the biggest hit! Thank you for stepping in the gap for us to ensure we have what we need for our programming.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

  • Movement Matters in Special Education

    Funded Mar 27, 2018

    We just started using our Gonoodle Plus subscription this week and - WOW! My students are obsessed! Thank you so much for helping to provide this resource for us. My students at first did not quite understand what the extension activities really were, but they now are making sense of the games and new videos/songs. Lately our end of the day routine has been really tough and full of challenging behaviors, but this is the perfect way to distract them from the end of the day chaos in a meaningful way. They love the learning games and the competitive nature of it. We are doing our calming "MeMoves" exercises after each transition. While they haven't bought into it completely, I know once they do, it's going to have a great impact. Thank you.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

    This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 3 other donors.
  • Teaching Empathy and Understanding Through Social Studies in Special Ed

    Funded Feb 1, 2018

    Thank you so, so much for your incredibly generous donation to our special education classroom. My students really thrive on projects that are exploratory and hands on in nature. These social studies units are just that. Having these materials to engage my students in social science DAILY has been so helpful, fun, and meaningful. My students are thriving with these activities, and I see how much they enjoy learning about aspects of our world that actually matter to them. It is huge for them to see school as a place where they learn, like it, and succeed. Thank you one million times.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

  • Making It Real: Culturally Relevant Books for Special Education Students

    Funded Jan 25, 2018

    Thank you so, so much for your incredibly generous donation to our special education classroom. My students really thrive with a well stocked library. My students come from very unique backgrounds, and many of them are people of color. Children's literature is notorious for only including white characters, which many of my students just simply cannot relate to on a personal level. Having books that reflect their faces makes all the difference. My students are thriving with these books, and I see how much they engage with a book about a character that looks like them. These books about black leaders were so important for our Black History unit, and I love that I have them for all year around, not just February. It is huge for them to see school as a place where they learn, like it, and succeed. Thank you one million times.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Szczecinski

    This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 3 other donors.
Our school is a therapeutic day school program whose task is to provide emotional support and academic opportunities to children who have been unable to succeed in community school settings due to emotional, learning, and behavioral difficulties. The majority of our students live at a residential children's home and are wards of the state. Our school runs as a trauma-informed program, aiming to help our students grow from their pasts and learn how to cope in effective ways. Despite the challenges that our students face, they are incredible children. Their resiliency, love for learning, and curiosity are truly inspiring. I strive to make my classroom a welcoming and safe community and to help my students explore learning and grow into independent and productive citizens.

About my class

Our school is a therapeutic day school program whose task is to provide emotional support and academic opportunities to children who have been unable to succeed in community school settings due to emotional, learning, and behavioral difficulties. The majority of our students live at a residential children's home and are wards of the state. Our school runs as a trauma-informed program, aiming to help our students grow from their pasts and learn how to cope in effective ways. Despite the challenges that our students face, they are incredible children. Their resiliency, love for learning, and curiosity are truly inspiring. I strive to make my classroom a welcoming and safe community and to help my students explore learning and grow into independent and productive citizens.

About my class

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