Past projects 7
Materials and Manipulatives for Fun Learning Experiences!
Funded Sep 6, 2023First, I'd like to take the time to thank you for your kindness and generous donation for our school and our students. Our Multilingual learners have already benefited so much from using these resources! They were beyond excited when they opened the boxes to find all of the wonderful fun activities and games inside. And not just the students but also the educators were very delighted to find they'd be using these resources in their classrooms with our multilingual learners.
These resources are being used across all grade levels, but in particular, in my classroom of Newcomers (students who have been new to the country for 12 months or less) because we use them everyday! Specifically, we use the alphabet manipulatives tub to teach phonics and seeing our students build background knowledge and make connections to real-life things has been the best way for them to remember the alphabet in order to learn how to read. I've tracked increased retention of knowledge and increased student progress since using these resources.
Truly, I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and I'm very excited to see how our Multilingual learners continue to make growth in English language acquisition using all of the resources and fun games donated by you. Thank you again for making a huge difference in their lives!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cardona
Help Me Send My Students Books!
Funded Apr 17, 2020First, I want to thank you so much for helping me provide my students with what they needed at the beginning of this pandemic. What an unprecedented time this is with everything that is going on in our world, yet you found it in your heart to give to those who needed it the most. I submitted this project at the very beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-March. I was looking for books to send to my students' homes and for technology for those students who really needed it before falling behind.
This donation came at the perfect time so that my students wouldn't fall behind. With all schools and libraries closing the question that came to my mind was, "how are my students going to continue to read?" Thankfully you helped and we did manage to get the computers for students who needed the technology the most to keep advancing in their learning. So far you have helped students from the 2019-2020 school year as well as students during their summer learning. I cannot thank you enough. What a difference you have made in these unprecedented times of virtual learning at home.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cardona
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In.In Need of Bilingual Books for Newcomers!
Funded Sep 17, 2019I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful impact you've had on my students and in my classroom. These texts have made my diverse students excited to explore bilingual stories and be inquisitive about different languages. As for the students who only speak Spanish, it has made them feel accepted and welcomed into our class especially when it comes to independent reading. Before, these students were just looking at English texts and guessing based on the pictures (if any), now they are able to read in their language and show their comprehension skills. These books and stories will allow English Language Learners to transition into reading English smoothly and give them the chance to read fun stories in their own language. You have truly made a difference in my students' lives this year and for many years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cardona
This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and one other donor.LEGO Technology and Engineering - STEM
Funded Dec 13, 2018We were able to purchase four LEGO sets geared for science and engineering projects. Two of the sets applicable for students in 2nd grade. Although my original club name was the LEGO Technology and Engineering Club we realized that these club activities closely followed the Department of Education's STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) goals allowing our students to reach their full technical and creative potential, and now we call this activity is also referred to as the STEM club. Currently we initiated the activities as an after school club and the students are loving it. Lesson plans and projects are provided to the students at their appropriate age groups to learn about engineering principles and applying the mathematics that they have already familiar with.
The LEGO Education WeDo Core Set is designed for use by teachers of grades 2 to 5 and was created to enhance students' curiosity and science skills. They also started and they have been engaged in learning about gears, motors, sensors, and coding. Their first project in the "Milo the Science Rover". The next steps for the K-2 LEGO Engineering Club is to discover mechanical principles, by building, creating, discussing, writing, and testing their next project (s): How to make a lever and test the fulcrum that provides the adequate balance; How to make a spin top connecting two gears; How to connect the gear to the 'ice hockey' robot player. As the students develop the models and activities which will become more complex and challenging, more learning is taking place. In performing the projects students demonstrate the following steps: Preparation, Exploration, Creating, and Sharing including documentation (journal writings).
Thank you so much for the difference you have helped make with our students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cardona
This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and 5 other donors.iPads for Diverse Learning
Funded Aug 30, 2018First and foremost thank you so much for your generous contribution. The impact that this project has had on my students has been tremendous. We are now able to use the iPads to aid and contribute to each student's learning progress. Since I am a second grade English to Speaker of Other Languages teacher I use this newfound technology to download applications that helps them learn English but also meets students where they are. I also use these programs to add to their learning by helping reinforce concepts that they learn in class. For example, when I teach them different phonics skills, they can practice them with applications like "Lexia." Due to this reinforcement, my students have already moved from middle of kindergarten reading levels to end of kindergarten reading levels. I believe that if this year continues like this then my second grade students will grow enough to be on level with their general education peers not to mention it would be a huge accomplishment for my English learners. Words cannot explain how grateful I am because you truly will impact my students for years to come. Again, thank you so much for your contribution.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cardona
This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and 2 other donors.We Need Books to Meet Us Where We Are
Funded Sep 12, 2017I am so grateful for the impact your donation has made in my classroom. It is very important to have books on various levels so that students may read a book they are comfortable with reading and can grow from there. These books have promoted independent reading block in my classroom; slowly but surely students have been able to read more independently for longer periods of time (improving stamina) and also improving reading levels. As the students become familiar with the words and read the books several times their fluency (how smoothly they read) also improves as well as gaining and expanding their vocabulary. Many students have already moved up two or more levels with their reading and I'm very happy to provide them with the books they need as they grow. These books have also given my students the opportunity to choose a book they WANT to read and, as an educator, giving students choice is very important because they are more involved and motivated to want to read. Thank you so much, words cannot express the difference you have made in my students' lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cardona
Learning With Technology!
Funded Dec 13, 2016Thank you so much for the positive change you have provided for my students this year. I can't even begin to thank you enough for your generous donations for this great cause. I'm already seeing a great impact on my students. I have downloaded many reading and math applications on the tablets and am seeing so much progress in my students' vocabulary as well as math fluency. Recently, for our mid-year exams, 76% of students have moved up in reading levels and most have improved their mathematical skills. These supplemental applications provide fun interactive activities that make the students feel so positive and excited about learning. My students are also able to have their own blog accounts where they type or draw a response to daily prompts; this alone has helped my students writing and communication skills. Several of my students used to say they "hate" reading because they struggled with it, but with the new technology and the interactive applications they now feel much better and more positive about reading. I am so excited to keep up the progress and see how my students end the year. We will succeed! Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cardona