Past projects 30
Organized Artists
Funded Apr 21, 2022Thank you so much for your donation to this project. I am beyond excited to have this art center in my classroom. We started using it immediately! It is gorgeous and all of our materials are now neatly organized so students can find what they need quickly. It has also helped them take ownership of the materials as they feel responsible for taking care of everything. What a wonderful addition to our classroom. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for contributing to public schools, students, and teachers!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by MillerKnoll and one other donor.Focusing on Learning
Funded Nov 10, 2021My students are in love with their new fidget toys!! Each student received their own and have been using them while on the carpet during instruction. They are very responsible and keep them in their desks and take them out only when they feel they need to use them as a tool. I have also used some of the fidget toys for specific students. These students have been thrilled to have a way to keep their feet busy doing desk work. Other students are also able to use them during various parts of the day and love them as well.
These fidget toys are extra expenses that I would not be able to get on my own. Thank you so much for making it possible to give them to my students. We are all so thankful for your generosity and support of public education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by #TeachHealthy with Nature Made.Inspire and Create!
Funded May 18, 2021Thank you again for your generosity! Like I stated in the grant proposal, read aloud books have been critical for engaging my students during distance learning this past year. They have access to an endless number of books online but really go nuts over a "real" book! They were so thrilled to see the books I chose for them in this proposal.
They especially liked learning about an artist we were not familiar with yet, Ruth Asawa. Her work is stunning and the students were captivated by it. They also loved the book about artist Yves Klein. The book has some pretty hilarious parts and we were all in stitches while reading it together.
Your donation brought so much joy to me and my students. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by Equitable and one other donor.Windows & Mirrors
Funded Jan 19, 2021This year has been quite an experience! We have had ups and downs but through it all, my students have shown up. I am constantly amazed at their resiliency.
We wanted to thank you again for these beautiful books. When I showed them all of the books that we received, their eyes just lit up. One of them even said, "Real books!!" We have read all of them and they have led to great conversations and questions about the world. Reading books to them is usually the highlight of their day.
Not having access to my classroom library has really been difficult for me. I have spent 20 years gathering quality children's books that I use in all subject areas. The gift of these books has been such a blessing for me and my students. Thank you again for your generosity. Wishing you the best!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by Amazon Business and 4 other donors.At Home Must Haves!
Funded Dec 18, 2020This has truly been a difficult year to say the least. However, every day I am amazed by the resiliency of my little first graders. They show up ready to learn and full of fun! They have really loved all of the materials from this project. Every time a box arrived at my house we opened it together and I showed them all of the great items that you all purchased for them. Their faces just lit up!
One of my biggest battles has been keeping the students engaged despite so many distractions at their houses. The white boards and new markers have been the easiest way to get my students motivated. No matter what the subject is, when I ask them to get their white board and show me their work, they do it! It has been a priceless tool for them this year and I am deeply grateful.
Again, thank you so much for your generosity. Our school year has been a little sweeter because of you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 10 other donors.Stay-At-Home Stories
Funded Sep 20, 2020I just wanted to thank you again for buying these resources for my students. Writing is always a challenging subject to teach young people. At the beginning of this distance learning year it was even more difficult. Students didn't have paper to write on and had to scramble to find something to use. They would also lose those papers from one day to the next. It was a nightmare!
Since getting the journals things have been so much better! Students know where all of their writing is every day and we don't have to waste precious learning time searching for materials. We have been able to use the journals for many different subjects like Science and Social Studies as well.
Thank you so much for making this year a little better for my students and me. We all appreciate your generosity and kindness!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and one other donor.One World, Many Stories
Funded Jun 26, 2020I still can't get over the amazing stack of books that I received in this project. The variety of quality literature that I now have available for my students is fantastic and I look forward to picking out what book we will read each day!
During this pandemic we are not teaching in person. I am allowed to teach from my classroom and have all of the books you bought us there to read to the students during class. When I first showed them the stack and explained how a generous "stranger" bought us all these books they were speechless. But minds were blown when I said that one of the donors was the author of the book!
We have used the books not only to read and enjoy but to study as writers. I am able to point out things that authors do so that my students can try those things out in their own writing. We have also used some of the books to discuss social-emotional learning that is so important during these stressful times. My students have made connections to the characters and found new ways to cope and manage the stress of their lives.
Thank you again for this beautiful gift. We appreciate it more than you know.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 2 other donors.Small Moments for Big Writers
Funded Nov 22, 2019During the year I teach three different writing genres - narrative, informational, and opinion. This year I have been fortunate enough to have grants for all three genres funded! This means that I have mentor texts for all three units! This is unbelievably exciting to me!
Mentor texts are crucial to the success of young writers. The narrative texts that you bought for my students will give them ideas on how they might write their own narratives. It will show them what authors do to make their stories more interesting and exciting for the reader. My students love it when I point out all of the great things that authors do like speech bubbles and pop-out words. They love trying these things in their own writing too. And I love seeing how proud they look when they write like "real" authors do.
These books really are a critical part of my writing instruction. I am deeply grateful for your generosity and commitment to public education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
Elements of Art in Elementary
Funded Oct 10, 2019I wanted to take a minute to thank you again for your generous gift to my class and my students. We are now in our second year as a visual arts magnet and really starting to get things going. Part of building a strong magnet program is making sure that we have quality literature for our students to read. This project has improved our classroom library dramatically. The students love these books! Each student has their own book bag and gets to choose books for the week. The new art books have been a big hit! I love walking around during Reader's Workshop and seeing them engrossed in art books. They are constantly running up to me to tell me things they have learned!
Thank you for supporting the arts and public education. Please know that my students are so happy because of your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
What Do You Think About Opinion Writing?
Funded Aug 21, 2019One of my favorite genres to teach is Opinion writing. As you can probably guess, first graders have a lot to say about a lot! However, they don't always know how to share those opinions in convincing ways. That's where these mentor texts come in.
I use these books to teach my students the tricks of the trade - the things that published authors do to make their opinions stronger. I read them the books and we study all of the author's "craft moves". We try them out together and then they try them independently in their own writing. You would be amazed by how inspired students are by these mentor texts.
I want to thank you again for your generosity. Having this amazing collection of mentor texts makes an enormous difference in the quality of my students' work.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by Montgomery Family Foundation and 5 other donors.