Past projects 3
Courtyard Umbrellas
Funded Nov 29, 2022We have been so excited to use the umbrellas these past few days. We put them up on Tuesday, our week of EOC and MAP testing and students have enjoyed going out to the courtyard and eating lunch, or just relaxing after testing. Many students have commented on how nice they are, and how homey the courtyard/patio area now feels!
As we finish up the school year, we are truly going to enjoy having them! It is a joy to see our students interacting with each other, socializing and laughing and smiling together under the umbrellas. We plan to host a small cookie and punch reception on May 4th at 5:00 pm on the Courtyard - right before the Art Show and Kaleidoscope! Please feel free to join us that evening if possible so that we can thank you in person!
As we head into the next school year then, we can use the umbrellas in the early fall days (August and September) for students to become reacquainted. One's environment truly does matter - students need to take pride in their surroundings and feel a sense of ownership of their school, classrooms, and education!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gardner
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 20 other donors.Alphabet Soup: Materials for Reading & Writing
Funded Oct 20, 2014Our students have been very happy with the materials that we recently received in the mail! We can only thank you deeply from our hearts.
Our students learn in a variety of ways - and having these wonderful educational tools, and being able to learn through sight, sound, touch, and sensing has impacted our classroom greatly.
It is also nice not to just put "another worksheet" in front of a student, but rather allow them to use photo tiles, letter tiles, or play alphabet bingo as they learn their letters and letter sounds. Their faces light up as we take out our new materials, and they enjoy the learning process. We are also taking good care of our new materials, and making sure that we respect our new things.
Finally, it is sometimes hard knowing how to teach a concept to students who struggle, and being able to have these items in my "toolbox" is an essential part of any Special Services classroom. I can already attest to the fact that my students are learning better because of your help. Thank you again for funding our project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gardner
Empowering Special Education Students With IPads
Funded Oct 22, 2013My students were absolutely enthralled when we received our IPAD in the mail! We enjoyed unpacking it together, and we had fun just looking at it - building the excitement of actually getting to use it. I told them they would have to wait a little until we could load the applications we would need and could use for our classroom. After spending time looking up different apps and downloading them for our classroom, I introduced the IPAD into our learning setting. We went through some simple rules and have been using it ever since!
Our students respond well to rewards - treasure box items, small candy items, stickers, and now - we can reward them with IPAD time! It is so beneficial and comforting to be able to allow them to work on the IPAD by playing an educational game, such as phonics review, letter review, or math games - knowing that we are using our precious time wisely. Teachers must utilize every minute to teach their students - and enabling a student to learn independently while having fun is extremely rewarding. Our students are also very tactile and kinesthetic learners - they learn through sight, sound, touch, and sensing. An IPAD is a great tool to utilize a variety of learning styles - my students use their fingers to explore and answer questions, they listen to the directions, or music, and they can keep on track by watching and seeing how they do with certain applications.
Finally, the IPAD has been a great motivator. Our students love to use the IPAD after working with paper and pencil - and it is a great tool to integrate a break for students who have been doing a lot of writing or testing for the day. Our class has also been focusing a lot on handwriting - and one app has been very good in confirming what we are teaching. The students see the same directions on the IPAD, and can use the IPAD to reinforce what we've been teaching.
Your support is greatly appreciated! We are not a wealthy district; in fact, our students do not own IPADS in general - so the opportunity to learn with an IPAD will be a rewarding experience as they grow. Teaching them how to use an IPAD will aid them in their futures.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gardner