Past projects 13
Little Listeners
Funded Oct 23, 2020We are so pleased to announce that we are writing this thank you note on our new and very amazing headphones! Our new headphones have changed our classroom (both at home and in school) completely. We are able to hear one another as we share ideas no matter where we are! No more feedback! Our school's curriculum programs offer websites that support our learning and keep us engaged, and with our new headphones, we are able to keep up with all of them!
We can't wait to find more "stuff" to do with our new headphones! They have endless potential and possibilities in the classroom and beyond! We now have the tools to be the great little listeners Ms. Young always knew we could be.
We cannot begin to tell you how lucky we are to have you, donors, in our lives. You have changed our classroom and learning for good, and we will always remember this! One day, we hope to be just like you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
iTouch, iLearn, iGrow With iPads!
Funded Aug 13, 2020Thank you so much for your generosity! My students have been EXTATIC to get their hands on brand new iPads! By investing in these iPads, you have invested in opening so many opportunities for learning for my students. We are now connected!
With everything going on in the world today, the ability to have access to one another is priceless. My students will now be able to access google classroom, google meets, and engaging videos and apps with ease. As you can tell, we are all eager to get our hands on these special additions to our classroom! We wouldn't have been able to do this project without your donation, love, and support! Our classroom has changed for the better and will continue to improve our skills throughout the rest of the year.
Thank you so much for your support in my mission to help my students succeed this year. I want to make learning fun for my students and these iPads have opened a world of endless possibilities for all of us. Not only my class this year, but in all of the years to come. We are forever grateful for this gift!"”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex Brand and 3 other donors.Time For Kids: To Learn!
Funded Aug 11, 2017At first, when our sealed bundle of joy arrived the children were perplexed. They had never heard of "Time for Kids" before and were intrigued to explore the world around them. Once they realized they were kid versions of real life adult newspapers, they were hooked! It has been truly amazing watching them flip through the pages taking in all of the facts about the world around them. When we line up and are walking around the building, they are now bringing up things they learned in the articles! They love making these connections just like adults do! They were also astonished to learn that there are games on the back of the newspapers that connect to what we are actually learning in the classroom! These people are smart and really know what first graders love! Thank you so very much for allowing my students the ability to explore the world around them by putting these fantastic newspapers in their hands each month. This will truly be a special text-enriched year thanks to each of you! I am certain that these Time For Kids will help to foster their love of reading and learning this year and in all the years to come. Thank you so very much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by TIME and 2 other donors.Chromebooks: Our Window to a Whole New World!
Funded Jun 2, 2017We are some very lucky first graders! I can't begin to describe the excitement my students expressed when a big brown box arrived to our classroom last week. One table rushed over to help me rip open the box and then declared that you are all some very generous people! I couldn't agree with them more! They absolutely loved the different colored Chromebook cases that were their favorites! Also, they were very excited to learn that they would be able to practice their reading and math skills on these new computers through different websites and games that I downloaded to the devices. After all, the students know that this is the year they will all learn how to read and they are taking this exciting milestone very seriously!
The children decided that since these Chromebooks are so special, we needed a responsible student to have the class job of setting up this new classroom center and powering them down each afternoon. The young man who has stepped up to the plate is taking his job very seriously and has even requested a Computer Helper nametag! It has been precious to watch them begin to take ownership for their learning. So far, the children have been exploring fan favorites such as Starfall and ABC Mouse on their new computers. They are excited to learn how to engage themselves in more learning opportunities throughout the year. They are now also motivated to finish their writing pieces because they know that when it is time to publish we can now type our work on our brand new Chromebooks! With these new windows, the possibilities to explore and grow as learners are endless! Thank you all so much for your generosity. My students and I are extremely appreciative for the opportunities you have now provided us with! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
Fostering a Love for Literacy
Funded Feb 16, 2017We are all completely blown away by your generosity! Words cannot fully describe the looks on the children's faces when they were informed that so many fantastic people were sending boxes of books, reading materials, and reading games for them to enjoy both in school and at home! Ever since our big brown boxes arrived, that is exactly what these wide eyed bundles of enthusiasm have been doing! They were so excited to have new books and games in their hands.
The children have been eagerly signing out different learning kits to take home and enjoy with their families each week. Many of the children have explained that they are teaching their siblings to read at home too! During our student-led conferences, families also enjoyed taking home brand new sight word books and games to keep and enjoy! As a result of having the tools to become little teachers at home, our reading levels are sky rocketing! We are on track to meet our reading goals now by the end of the year and we couldn't be happier. Without all of you, this wouldn't have been possible. Each of you have played a valuable role in helping my rocket readers shoot for the moon and I am forever grateful. I am blessed to now say that I am in a classroom filled with reading super stars!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.Books, Books, They're Good For Your Heart!
Funded Dec 14, 2015THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! The holidays were a very special one this year for all of my second graders thanks to each of you. They were given the most precious gift: books. Big books, small books, fiction books, nonfiction books, and a class favorite...the ability to make our very own books! We are so incredibly lucky!
The day that our big box arrived each of the children crowded around for the big reveal. Ever since, they simply cannot keep their hands off of them! We have been using the National Geographic sets during small group guided reading lessons and then the children take turns sharing them to learn about the world around them. Each of the other stories have been added to our growing classroom library and each day different children have the opportunity to check them out. A new classroom favorite are the ones from the "A Little Bear" series. Now that we are all hooked on books, we have been using the new paper and sheet protectors to print EVEN MORE books and make them last! We have even begun writing our own literature that we publish, print, and protect to add to our classroom library. Oh what fun it is to read!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for thinking of my students. You have made a huge impact on all of our lives. We are forever grateful for the most amazing gifts you have given us.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.We Can...R-E-A-D! Read! Read! Read!
Funded Dec 14, 2015They say it takes a village to raise a child, and each of you truly are part of one powerful village. My class and I are so incredibly humbled by your generosity and kindness in helping us to obtain the tools that we have desperately needed to be able to learn how to read.
My children were in awe when the big brown box full of goodies arrived. They all crowded around and begged to touch and use our brand new gifts. One of my students asked, "Who are these nice people?". I explained that they are people who care about them and their learning which brought smiles to their faces. To hear so many people care about them and want to help them read was touching to all of us. After working out how to take turns, my students have begun using the Elephant and Piggie books for partner reads to practice expression and fluency during our independent reading time. As a challenge, some of the students have begun using the partner fluency cards which has been a read treat for me to watch! We have also started small groups at this time where some of my English Language Students use the sentence building center and are thoroughly engaged to be reading at their just-right level! Our classroom favorite read alouds have also been getting a great deal of use in the reading center! After Ms. Young reads a story, the class is now able to practice with it! On our own!
We are all so excited for the new additions to our classroom. None of this could have been possible without all of you wonderful people! You have touched each of our hearts in such a powerful way. Thank you so much for believing in my rockstar readers in the making!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 4 other donors.Keep Us Reading Right Along With Read-Alongs!
Funded Dec 2, 2015They say that some people come into our lives and quickly go, while other leave footprints on our hearts and stay forever. Each one of you have left footprints on the hearts of my students and I with your generosity and kindness. I cannot begin to thank each of you enough for your generous contributions. I am overwhelmed with joy by the support that my students and I have received from each of you. When our big brown box of goodies arrived, the children all asked me if Santa delivered the goodies early! I told them that this came from people who are even more special. These people believe in us and want us to learn how to read! The kids all cheered as we opened the box together and saw all of our new materials. The looks of joy on their faces were priceless. They immediately wanted to begin listening to all of the brand new colorful books and read-alongs!
The following days in class we spent some time deciding how we would take turns. Each group wanted a chance to use all of the new books each day. This was easier said than done with 29 second graders! It was a bit chaotic at first because everyone wanted a turn and only 8 headphones can be used at one time. However, we are learning that the new books and read-alongs were well worth the wait explain my excited scholars. The children decided that each period a table would take a turn hearing a new book! How exciting! So far, the Amelia Bedelia books are our favorite because we notice rhyming words! Each day, we are enjoying discovering new favorites as we explore different words and stories. Now that some reliable children know how to work the listening center, other children will get to practice with books they have already been exposed to in our guided reading groups!
I developed this project to help provide my students with the materials needed to develop successful life-long lovers of reading. I am pleased to say that these materials have done just that! The read-alongs have sparked an interest in some of my most resistant readers and it has been a great way to provide a change of pace in our daily routines. Our new listening center materials have also kept more students busy and engaged so that I can make even more progress in my small reading groups. Additionally, it has made my students more motivated and excited to learn. I can now say that my students absolutely are having fun while they are learning how to read and are becoming more fluent in the process! One cannot put a price on this, and I am forever grateful for your support. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 9 other donors.Easel Problems
Funded Feb 27, 2015Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity!!! Due to your contribution to our classroom, my first graders are now able to interact and create classroom charts and posters without the fear of something falling on them!
My students were so excited when they came to school and saw a huge red easel in the classroom! One little girl went running up to it right away and was intrigued by the shelf below the easel. She squealed with excitement that it would be a perfect place for us to put our homework folders each morning! As you can see, the children have come up with more ways to use the easel that I had ever originally anticipated. We use our easel every day! In all subject areas, the easel has enhanced our learning opportunities. Thanks to all of you, this has been possible.
This project has impacted our learning tremendously! It really is the focus of our classroom each and every day. Having wheels on our easel has been a whole new world! It has provided my students with a way to interact with important visuals and information from all angles of the classroom. The students and I especially appreciate this during our writing block. I am already seeing improvements in their work due to the fact that I can now capitalize on every teachable moment. We wheel our easel all over the room so that each child can be reminded of writing expectations and exemplar pieces!
Thanks to all of you wonderful people we all now have a reason to smile and squeal when we walk through our classroom door. My students and I will be forever grateful for your generosity. THANK YOU!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
iTouch, iLearn, iGrow With iPads!
Funded Feb 27, 2015Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
In just a few short days, our classroom iPads have made a WORLD of a difference! Each period of our day has been even more engaging than the next with these exciting new tools. The children have been busy practicing math facts and sight words on some of their favorite apps such as Starfall.com, Sight Word Ninja, and Reading Rainbow. The children also decided that since the iPads are so special, they wanted it to be a reward during our class special time at the end of the day with free time to explore new educational apps and websites on the iPad (pre-selected by Ms. Young of course!). As you can tell, we are all eager to get our hands on these special additions to our classroom! We wouldn't have been able to do this project without your donation, love, and support! Our classroom has changed for the better and will continue to improve our skills throughout the rest of the year.
Thank you so much for your support in my mission to help my students succeed this year. I want to make learning fun for my students and these iPads have opened a world of endless possibilities for all of us. Not only my class this year, but in all of the years to come. We are forever grateful for this gift. Thank you Hagedorn Fund! We love you!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young