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Mrs. Montera's Classroom

  • Dawes Elementary School
  • Chicago, IL
  • Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

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Current requests

Preschoolers Learning "How To" Read!

Help me give my students a variety of 'How to Catch' books to add to our Lending Library such as 'How to Catch a Dinosaur,' 'How to Catch a Dragon' and 'How to Catch a Mermaid.'
Mrs. Montera
Dawes Elementary School•
Chicago, IL
  • $164 still needed
  • Be the first to support this project

A, B, "C" Me Learn!

Help me give my students an Alphabet Zoo, Alphabet Rockets, and Mini Stickers to utilize during small groups!
Mrs. Montera
Dawes Elementary School•
Chicago, IL
  • $165 still needed
  • Be the first to support this project

Bins for the Win!

Help me give my students Storage Bins with Lids, so my students can practice organizational skills during Clean Up Time.
Mrs. Montera
Dawes Elementary School•
Chicago, IL
  • $161 still needed
  • Be the first to support this project
show projects from all time

Past projects 196

  • We Would Love Pete the Cat, Stat!

    Funded Feb 14, 2025

    Wow! What a difference these Pete the Cat books have made for my students. One of my preschoolers was holding the book, and the mom got so excited they were able to take home another Pete The Cat Book. Pete the Cat books are one of the most beloved books for our lending library, and thanks to you, we cannot keep them on our book shelf for long! We truly would not be able to have access to these brand new, vibrant and colorful Pete the Cat books unless it was for the wonderful, kind, and generous donors like you! As you can tell from the pictures my students absolutely LOVE the new Pete the Cat books. You have no idea how much of an impact you are making on my students and their families by donating to our classroom lending library. We truly cannot thank you enough! You are the BEST! :)”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Montera

  • Let's Think!

    Funded Feb 14, 2025

    Wow! What an impact the replenishment of ink has made for our classroom. Since the ink was delivered, we have been able to print a variety of emotions and feeling visuals for our students, have been able to continue to talk about making green choices and red choices, as well as updated our center signs by adding more color, making it more visually appealing to our students to place their name tags on it during centers. Not only have we been able to use it to focus on our preschoolers emotions and feelings as well as following directions, but it has now made it easier to progress monitor my students by printing out a variety of learning activities/packets and it has helped me stayed a little more organized by doing so especially when it comes to making sure my students are meeting their learning goals. We truly cannot thank you enough for the amount of support, generosity and kindness you have shown our classroom by donating to our classroom project, because of you are students have access to even more fun learning and hands-on activities! THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU ROCK! :)”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Montera

  • 5 Minute Reads to Help Students Succeed!

    Funded Apr 9, 2025

    Wow! What a wonderful email to receive stating that my DonorsChoose project was fully funded! I cannot wait to see the look on my students' faces when the new books arrive! The 5 Minute Reads are a huge success in our classroom, especially because there are multiple stories the parents can read with their child! We truly cannot thank you enough for the amount of support you have shown our students! THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Montera

    This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and one other donor.

  • "Weighting" is Hard

    Funded Mar 27, 2025

    Wow! What a wonderful email to receive stating my classroom project for new sensory vests was funded! I cannot wait for them to arrive! We truly cannot thank you enough for the amount of support you have shown my students and I. It's incredible how such a simple clothing item can make such a huge difference for my students. Thanks to you, my students will now be able to attend to instruction for a little longer. THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU ROCK! 😀”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Montera

  • Book Bins for The Win!

    Funded Mar 26, 2025

    Wow! What a wonderful email to receive stating that my classroom project was fully funded! We truly cannot thank you enough for the amount of kindness and generosity you have shown our classroom. Returning to school after Spring Break just got a little easier, all thanks to you! THANK YOU SO MUCH! 😀”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Montera

  • If You Give a Preschooler Some Books

    Funded Feb 17, 2025

    As you can tell from the photo's, my preschoolers absolutely love the new book series they can take home and read with their families! The best part is, thanks to you we have a variety of "If You Give" books to lend to our preschoolers, that way when our preschoolers and families enjoy a certain book theme so much, there are plenty more to lend out!

    We truly cannot thank you enough for your more than generous donation and the ongoing kindness you show our students by donating to our classroom projects! It truly would not be possible to have access to so many varieties of themed books, unless it was for the kind and generous donors like you! You truly are the best and we cannot thank you enough! THANK YOU! :)”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Montera

  • Let's Get "Toned" for the New School Year!

    Funded Dec 29, 2024

    We cannot thank you enough for your more than generous donation towards the funding of new toner for our preschool classroom. Thanks to you, we are now able to print out take-home learning activities as well as name tracing sheets for our preschoolers to take home with them and working on them at home with their parents. Not only were we able to print out new activities and name tracing sheets but we were also able to print out new learning objectives and visuals for around the classroom as well as a classroom newsletter, keeping parents updated and informed! It truly would not be possible to have access to these necessary materials unless it was for the kind and generous donors like you! We truly cannot thank you enough for all your support! THANK YOU! YOU ROCK! :)”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Montera

I am currently a Pre-K Special Education Teacher in an inner-city, low poverty elementary school. My students are in a Full-Day Blended Classroom that consists of a diverse crowd of special needs students, English Language Learners, and students from the general education population. Their age range is from three to five years old. The students I serve are predominately African-American and Hispanic. Many of my students come from low socioeconomic circumstances, therefore, it makes it harder to get the supplies/materials needed to promote my students' success. I can serve up to 14 Special Needs students in a day who require differentiated curriculum, guided instruction, and many verbal cues and directions to stay on task. These little learners inspire me to be a better teacher and person, and I learn from them daily. The uniqueness each of my students brings to the class on a daily basis is unimaginable.

About my class

I am currently a Pre-K Special Education Teacher in an inner-city, low poverty elementary school. My students are in a Full-Day Blended Classroom that consists of a diverse crowd of special needs students, English Language Learners, and students from the general education population. Their age range is from three to five years old. The students I serve are predominately African-American and Hispanic. Many of my students come from low socioeconomic circumstances, therefore, it makes it harder to get the supplies/materials needed to promote my students' success. I can serve up to 14 Special Needs students in a day who require differentiated curriculum, guided instruction, and many verbal cues and directions to stay on task. These little learners inspire me to be a better teacher and person, and I learn from them daily. The uniqueness each of my students brings to the class on a daily basis is unimaginable.

About my class

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