Past projects 9
A Place to Sit for Learning
Funded Nov 15, 2018Thank you so much for our much needed supplies and our NEW CARPET! Our students have been loving the new, large working space the carpet provides. Now, more students are able to sit comfortably on the rug for a lesson or independent reading time.
When our students first saw the materials, especially the rug, they could not believe it's size! They could not wait for us to unroll it and have it set up in the classroom. They were also eager to have more pencils, Post-Its and even the chart paper, as they are items used every day during lessons.
Next year, I hope my students enjoy using the rug and that it becomes one of their favorite spots in the classroom!
Thank you, again, for your generosity and support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.Technology for All Learners
Funded Oct 3, 2017Thank you so much for your generous donation of new Chromebooks to our classroom. The new technology is helping our students learn in many ways. We are very fortunate to now have enough Chromebooks so that each student has one. In addition, the new Chromebooks allowed for our students without access to technology at home, to "rent" them for the school year. This has helped our students in such a great way.
About 98% of our students now have a device to use at home, thanks to your donation. Having a device at home allows our students to have access to our school programs, which helps with reading and math skills. In addition, the students have access to platforms, such as Google Classroom, which we use for our class assignments.
Our students are most excited that they are able to take these devices home if needed. They are also excited to learn more about how to use technology, including basic computer skills, such as formatting text, and typing skills.
The technology has been a great help to our students with special needs. They are able to use software for dictation when writing. Also, they are able to listen to novels and look at pictures to help them with their understanding of texts.
We are extremely grateful for your generosity. You are making a huge impact on the learning of our students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino
Going Paperless With Google Classroom And Chromebooks!
Funded Feb 23, 2017Wow! What can I say? I literally have no words to describe how amazing this has been to have the Chromebooks in our classroom. At the start of the school year, I started a coaching cycle with my Technology Coach with the initiative to make my classroom completely paperless. With limited resources, I launched Google Classroom and have never looked back! Even with the small amount of working laptops, my students became more engaged in their work and became more productive. I knew I had to do something to get them more technology.
I have created Donors Choose projects before that have been funded. I am a Language Arts teacher, so most of these projects focused on novels and useful tools for a Language Arts classroom. Once I started discovering all the ways technology could be incorporated into Language Arts, I knew that's what I wanted for my middle school students. So, there I was, creating this project for the Chromebooks. I felt like this project was a reach, considering how many devices I had asked for. When I got the e-mail confirming that our project had been funded, I was over joyed. I told all my classes right away, and I've never seen them so excited.
Having these Chromebooks has made a huge difference for my students. They complete their work in a timely fashion. My students create literacy centered projects with an abundance of creativity. Even their typing skills, which is extremely important for state testing has improved. The addition of 10 Chromebooks has led to my classroom running more smoothly, and is helping my students transition into true 21st Century learners.
Thank you for your generous donation, and for giving my students a chance to learn in a way that would have not been possible without your help. We are forever grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 2 other donors.Jump Start to Middle School Reading 2016-2017
Funded Oct 10, 2016Thank you so much for choosing our project for funding! Starting a new school year in a new grade level can be very difficult. However, with your donations, the transition was a lot easier than expected! For this project, I requested basic materials that would help my students get organized and prepared for their school year. These materials included pens, highlighters, white board markers and folders.
When these materials arrived, my students were excited to find that these were resources that would help them get the the school year started. In particular, my students were excited to have erasable pens and folders to keep their Small Group assignments organized. I was particularly excited to have the whiteboard markers for our brand new whiteboards. They have helped with differentiating instruction, and making note taking more vibrant!
With all of these resources, my students continue to get organized and use the materials as part of their instruction. They use the highlighters and post-its for close reading strategies. The file folders are used to keep their work as building portfolio. While these resources may have seemed basic, they have truly helped with carrying out daily activities in the classroom.
Thank you again for your generosity. My students are forever grateful!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino
Continuing To Build A Love For Reading
Funded Feb 12, 2016Dear Donors,
Yet again, my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders were lucky enough to have another project funded for our Language Arts classroom! This time, we added some new titles to our ever-growing class library. This year, I wanted to focus on building a strong reading community in the classroom, and encourage enough time for independent reading. My students have a vast range of reading levels, therefore, it's important that I continuously update the class library to meet the needs and interests of my growing readers.
Our new books helped us surpass the goals I set for my students at the start of the school year. These books are high interest books, and my students shouted for what seemed like forever, when they saw our new additions. From The Hunger Game Series to Big Nate, my students literally got in line for their chance to get their hands on our fresh books!
When you walk into my classroom, you will see independent and shared reading. You will see students on the carpet, in bean bag chairs, and every other nook in the classroom with a book of their choice. Some students have even formed their own mini book clubs.
These books have been a great addition to my classroom and my students have certainly grown into independent readers because of them. Thank you for giving my students the opportunity to love reading.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino
Much Needed Materials for Our Language Arts Classroom!
Funded Dec 30, 2015Wow! I cannot believe the students in my district have once again been so lucky to receive classroom materials thanks to a generous donor. My students are very fortunate to have people willing to give back to the schools in our community. With our new resources, my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders are more engaged during their classwork assignments, and enjoy their Language Arts block. My 3rd Graders enjoy using our new communicators to practice close reading strategies and annotating when we are using our textbooks. In 4th Grade, we have used the clipboards, highlighters and mini magnifying glasses to read like detectives and annotate our thinking. The 5th Graders have used our chart papers and new marker set to create their own anchor charts around the classroom. The students and I cannot get enough of all our new materials!
When the boxes of materials were delivered, the students couldn't wait for me to open them. They really didn't know what to expect, as I didn't share the good news of having all these new materials donated to us until that day. When I opened the boxes, they were beyond thrilled to see the communicators, new clipboards (now we had enough for everyone), and the markers, of course, were enough for loud cheers. However, the mini magnifying glasses stole the show. My students couldn't wait for me to open them all up and place them on our reading table to use for close reading and DEAR time.
Moving into the 4th marking period of the school year, my students are preparing to enter the next grade level. We are reviewing and sharpening reading and comprehension skills taught throughout the school year. The students are also improving their writing skills so that writing literary essays becomes second nature in the schools years to come. All of these new materials, and any we may be lucky enough to receive in the future helps to make learning in the classroom better. Mr. Zelnick, we greatly appreciate your generosity and are forever grateful for your donations.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino
Yay For New Beginnings! We Need A 4th-Grade Class Library!
Funded Nov 24, 2014What can I say? My students and I are completely overwhelmed with joy and excitement due to the generous donations of new books for our classroom library. For the first time since September, I saw my students' eyes light up when they finally got to see the new stories that will be available to them at all times. They literally crowded around the boxes as I opened them, and cheered as each book was presented. I couldn't have asked for a better reaction from my 4th Graders. They are beyond eager to get their hands on the books.
I was eager to create this project because I started the school year in a district with high poverty and minimal parent involvement. The students often do not realize the importance of a good education, and give up very easily when things get difficult. I noticed the books that had been left behind were old, and didn't offer a variety of genres that may get the attention of the students. I overheard some of my students talking about Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, and realized that I didn't have any of these books to offer them. This is what they were asking to read and I couldn't provide them with that opportunity. These books are a blessing. They will be used for marking period reading, close reading activities, and D.E.A.R time. I hope to create fun and engaging activities aligned with the Common Core State Standards and PARCC assessments by using the materials they enjoy reading.
Using these books for reading-centered activities will definitely boost my students' learning. They will be more engaged and become more apt to using higher order thinking skills. Their reading fluency will increase, and they will be able to apply literary elements that are necessary for them to succeed with the Common Core and PARCC. Being that they will be working with material they like, they will have more confidence in their reading abilities. I cannot wait to see just how much these books are going to change my students' attitudes towards reading and school in general. I have no doubt that they will all be better prepared for their future by giving them the gift of a favorite book. Thank you all, again, from the bottom of our hearts, for your generous gifts to our classroom. We will succeed this year because of you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino
This classroom project was brought to life by Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation and 4 other donors.A Diverse Classroom Library For Second Graders: Part 2
Funded Aug 13, 2013I want to extend my thanks to all of you fabulous donors on behalf of my Second Grade class. Starting my school year in a new grade level, I was so worried my students would not have the proper books to build a sufficient class library. Even more so, I knew this was a critical year to build their reading fluency, comprehension skills and interest in reading. I just did not know how this would be possible without grade-level appropriate books, along with "cool" enough books for them to read. As I set up this Part 2 to my first Donor's Choose project, I was elated to learn that my second project was funded and that my class would be receiving even MORE books! Your donations have truly sparked an interest in reading throughout the classroom and we could not be more grateful.
My students could not be more thrilled with the collection of new books we have in our library. As soon as our boxes arrived, a roar of cheers swept through the classroom. Screeches of excitement poured out as I pulled the books from the boxes, one by one. I believe the overwhelming response was "This is AWESOME!" Judy Moody overjoys the girls in class and the boys love the totally cool adventures of Fly Guy. My students were particularly intrigued by the bilingual / cultural books in class, since the majority of them speak Spanish as their first language. They are always asking to go to the library when they have free time, and I even catch my special education students sneaking in to read a book more and more, which leaves me ecstatic.
Our books are located in our class library. The new books have become useful to us in various ways. We have used the books to tie in Science and Social Studies lessons, or even to strengthen upon a targeted skill during our guided reading groups. More so, these books are used as "Free Reading Books." When the students have completed all of their classwork, they earn time with a class library book for free reading. The kids LOVE when they have this opportunity during the day. They will sit and read to themselves, or even read to each other. I have not even seen chronic book changing, as the books are keeping them engaged the entire time! These books are really building their reading and comprehension skills, and even helping them make real world (text-to âself) connections!
Thank you, donors, so much, for your generous donations to our classroom. It is truly appreciated more than you know. My students are learning and growing intellectually all because of a few good books. We will be forever grateful, and please know that your generosity will never go a day unnoticed.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino
A Diverse Class Library for Second Graders
Funded May 15, 2013I want to extend my thanks to all of you fabulous donors on behalf of my Second Grade class. Starting my school year in a new grade level, I was so worried my students would not have the proper books to build a sufficient class library. Even more so, I knew this was a critical year to build their reading fluency, comprehension skills and interest in reading. I just did not know how this would be possible without grade-level appropriate books, along with "cool" enough books for them to read. As I set up my Donor's Choose project, I was not prepared for the home-run that was hit as I received my "Project Funded" confirmation. Your donations have truly sparked an interest in reading throughout the classroom and we could not be more grateful.
My students could not be more thrilled with the collection of new books we have in our library. As soon as our boxes arrived, a roar of cheers swept through the classroom. Screeches of excitement poured out as I pulled the books from the boxes, one by one. I believe the overwhelming response was "This is AWESOME!" Judy Moody overjoys the girls in class and the boys love the totally cool adventures of Fly Guy. My students were particularly intrigued by the bilingual / cultural books in class, since the majority of them speak Spanish as their first language. They are always asking to go to the library when they have free time, and I even catch my special education students sneaking in to read a book more and more, which leaves me ecstatic.
Our books are located in our class library. The new books have become useful to us in various ways. We have used the books to tie in Science and Social Studies lessons, or even to strengthen upon a targeted skill during our guided reading groups. More so, these books are used as "Free Reading Books." When the students have completed all of their classwork, they earn time with a class library book for free reading. The kids LOVE when they have this opportunity during the day. They will sit and read to themselves, or even read to each other. I have not even seen chronic book changing, as the books are keeping them engaged the entire time! These books are really building their reading and comprehension skills, and even helping them make real world (text-to âself) connections!
Thank you, donors, so much, for your generous donations to our classroom. It is truly appreciated more than you know. My students are learning and growing intellectually all because of a few good books. We will be forever grateful, and please know that your generosity will never go a day unnoticed.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marfino