Past projects 4
Our Books Are Ancient Artifacts - Help Us Replace Them!
Funded Aug 14, 2019The 7th graders of Pittsburgh Arlington and myself would like to extend our gratitude to all of you who donated to our project. With your donations we were able to get "new" textbooks for the 2019-2020 school year. Can you believe that we have not had new textbooks in over 12 years?
The current text used for the 7th grade Social Studies curriculum has not been updated in over a decade. In addition the texts we use currently use are no longer in print. Finding a way to supply the students with books that were suitable for learning was challenging. Thanks to all of you my students now have wonderful new textbooks to learn about Ancient World History.
The students are all so very happy to have "good books". It really makes such a difference in the quality of student work. How can you expect a child to want to learn from a torn up book? This is not longer an issue for the 7th graders of Pittsburgh Arlington thanks so all of you!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Simko-Zeminski
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 6 other donors.Hot Off the Press! History Papers from Our New Printer
Funded Nov 26, 2018The printer that we received has helped my students in their learning so very much. My students not longer get computer classes, so their knowledge of using computers is limited. We have now been able to use Google Docs to create papers and print them. They have been able to print information for projects and essays in this class, as well as in other content areas.
My students have been most excited about this printer because they can immediately have the work that they completed, and take home a copy. They are so proud of the professional work they create, and they love to take it home to show it off.
The students that have really gotten excited about this new technology have been my 8th graders. They have really started to gain independence and get ready for high school. They can log in, create their writing piece and print it. Overall we are just so grateful to have this asset in our classroom. Before we had our own printer we did not have a way to print ANY of our work. It was a cumbersome process, and very unreliable. Your generosity has taken that all away. Thank you again from all of my students!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Simko-Zeminski
This classroom project was brought to life by Atlantic Coast Conference.WANTED: Document Camera for Our History Research!
Funded Mar 27, 2018I just want to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to you all for your generosity. Your donation has helped us replace technology items that were broken and outdated. We were also able to get items that our school district no longer provides us with.
The most important item that was funded was a new document camera. For us older adults , theses are the new overhead projectors. Document cameras show in real time what you are writing on a paper and project it for the whole class to see. This device assists all of my students so they can see me model classwork before they begin a task on their own. Other times students bring their finished work products to the camera to "show off" what they have done. This helps students "see" what advanced and proficient work should look like. The document camera also provides great assistance to my students with learning disabilities.
My students were so excited for all of the new supplies - their favorites where the markers and colored pencils! They could not believe that STRANGERS would just GIVE them money to get the supplies that they need. So thank you again for generosity, and for teaching my students about giving to others.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Simko-Zeminski
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.Technology to Enhance Learning
Funded Aug 23, 2014I am writing to once again say thank you for your generous donation. It means so much to know that others value what we are doing in our schools to help students prepare for their future. My students were extremely excited when I informed them of the donation we received. I think many of my students often feel forgotten by others. When they heard that people they had never met would give such an amazing gift to them, the looks on their faces were priceless. One student said, "You mean people we don't know just donated money so we could get our supplies?" I hope that the experience of receiving such a donation gives them hope, and also inspires them in their actions in the future.
My students are using the resources we received to create a successful classroom environment. It seems simple, but we don't always have things like pencil sharpeners and three-hole punches to use. Many times if we do have these supplies they don't work adequately and this hampers the way I teach and the way students learn. The ability to quickly sharpen a pencil makes an amazing difference for my students. Had I not started this project, the laptop is something we could not have dreamed of ever having. The students were in awe when I brought it in and showed them how it worked. This tool will help them become knowledgeable with technology, a skill they can carry with them into their high school and college careers. This is especially helpful as we no longer have a technology teacher on staff, and students get very little personal time with computers.
We are primarily using the laptop to access Google maps so we can see the far away places we study. In past years, students have only had the pictures in old text books to see the wonders of the world. Now they can see ground views of the Great Pyramids, and see how the Nile River provides life and resources to the people of Egypt. Some of my students have never left the city of Pittsburgh, so trying to visualize the geography of a desert, or the Himalaya Mountains is extremely difficult. Your gift has helped many students get past this conceptual barrier, and opened their eyes to the world that is beyond Pittsburgh.
I truly can not express how much my students and I appreciate your support! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Simko-Zeminski
This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation Back To School and 14 other donors.