Past projects 8
Creating On A Carpet
Funded Oct 18, 2023I am so thankful for your generous donations which led to gaining our classroom carpet! The change I've seen in my students' attitude about class work and projects has been immense! They LOVE the nontraditional work space of having a carpet to stretch out on and work.
At first, they were infatuated with the idea of having a carpet in Gateway when their other classes don't. Once the new wore off and ground rules were established, it became part of our routine. The students sit with clip boards to complete written work, lay with laptops to complete typing essays, and even walk the square pattern when reading! We have also danced on our carpet, shared a lunch on our carpet, decorated stockings on our carpet, and even learned to play dreidel on our carpet!
Having the freedom that traditional classrooms don't have to work , create, and play in a comfortable space has made my classroom feel much more homey and inviting for my students. This wouldn't have been possible without your generous donations and I so appreciate you! This rug will last for YEARS and will ensure I have dozens of gifted students come through and enjoy our classroom rug!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Holbert
This classroom project was brought to life by A Donor Who Loves Teachers and 7 other donors.Flexible Seating for Gifted Guys and Gals!
Funded Dec 26, 2023WOW! Thank you so much for your generous contribution to my classroom and bettering the educational opportunities of my gifted students! These materials will allow them to have a full flexible seating classroom and learn in the way that best serves their learning styles! My heart is bursting at the seams with your generosity and I cannot wait to see the smiles on my students’ faces when I tell them after the Christmas Break! Thank you kindly for your generosity!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Holbert
This classroom project was brought to life by College Football Playoff Foundation and one other donor.Holbert's Scientists Need Headphones!
Funded Jan 13, 2021Thank you so much for your donations to our headphones project! We were able to end the year doing individual lessons and individual enrichment, but also the students were able to create and record themselves quietly!
The students enjoy being able to do work on their won and create on their own. The biggest successes for us with headphones were: 1) practice LEAP testing and 2) their planet research projects. They truly enjoyed researching on their own and creating a short voice recording about their planet!
This coming year I am moving to 3rd-5th grade ELA Gateway and I can't wait to discover even more ways to creatively use our headphones! I know the students will enjoy creating their own work samples and being able to quietly voice record! :)
Thank you again for your generosity and I look forward to using these headphones with my students for many years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Holbert
Holbert's Heroes Need Headphones
Funded Nov 12, 2018Thank you so incredibly much for the wonderful new Sony Headphones my 4th graders received! Now, everyone has headphones to do their daily Zearn lessons and between my 2 groups of kids, we are hitting 96% of students completing 4 or more lessons per week! That's a huge improvement from where we started before we had our project funded! Some students are even able to complete 5 lessons, so they're truly getting 1 lesson per day!
Thank you again, for choosing to fund my classroom's project of needing headphones! Now that they are able to hear their lessons, my students have flourished before my eyes and I am so proud!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Holbert
Holbert's Heroes Need Headphones!
Funded Jan 26, 2018Firstly, thank you so incredibly much for choosing to make the selfless donation in donating to my classroom, and making a difference in my student's lives. My sweet students were so excited to receive these headphones for our classroom, and seeing their excited faces now that we can HEAR our lessons was beyond priceless!
Since receiving our headphones, the students have been very busy getting their "Zearn On" using our chromebooks, only now they can use headphones and not have to quietly listen in. I'm able to have every student finish a minimum of 1 math lesson a day, but nearly half of my class is finishing 2 a day! In addition to math, we have been using our chrome books to read online stories, look at different places on Google Maps, watch interesting videos about how things work, and so much more!
Now that we have headphones, our Math block is definitely more quiet, and the kids are able to focus on their work with much less distractions. It's also nice when they can listen to online stories and take quizzes, because other students don't have to listen to other stories or questions while they work. These headphones have truly opened doors for my students, and allows them to do their very best on whatever chromebook work they need to do.
Your donation towards my students and their future is already making such an impact. I'm beyond excited to see what other listening activities and applications I can find for my students to enjoy! I know that these headphones will last for my next few years of classes, and I know that they will continue to make a difference in my future student's lives. As a teacher, all I want is for my student's to succeed and have every opportunity that they can to succeed, but realistically I can't provide that to them alone. I'm so grateful and touched by all of the love and support we have received this year, and from the bottom of my heart I thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Holbert
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 5 other donors.Zearning with Chromebooks!
Funded Dec 13, 2017Firstly, thank you so incredibly much for choosing to make the selfless donation in donating to my classroom, and making a difference in my student's lives. My precious kids were so excited to receive 2 more chrome books for our classroom, and seeing their joy and the countless possibilities they will all have now is priceless!
Since receiving our chrome books, the students have been very busy getting their "Zearn On"! Now I'm able to have every student finish at least 1 math lesson a day! Since I posted this project in the fall, our school is also now apart of an online reading series, so in addition to math, we have been using our chrome books to read! My group this year is also very interested in places around the world, so any chance I get I allow them to look at far away places on Google Maps, watch short National Geographic videos, and more!
Now that we have 1 chrome book for every 2 students, the dynamic for partner work has shifted significantly. Before, we had to either have partners take turns or make small groups, which hovering over a laptop with multiple people is not an easy task. My kids handles it like pros most of the time, but it was definitely still a challenge. Currently, I'm proud to say we have smoothly transitioned into partners working on chrome books all at the same time for science and social studies projects!
Your donation towards my students and their future is already making such an impact in the month since we've received our chrome books. I'm beyond excited to see where they are able to go by May! I know that these chrome books will last for my next few years of classes, and I know that they will continue to make a difference in my future student's lives. As a teacher, all I want is for my student's to succeed and have every opportunity that they can to succeed, but realistically I can't provide that to them alone. I'm so grateful and touched by all of the love and support we have received this year, and from the bottom of my heart I thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Holbert
Moving and Grooving through 2nd grade!
Funded Feb 28, 2017First off, thank you so very much for choosing to make the selfless donations towards my classroom project for flexible seating. I feel honored that you chose my classroom to donate to and to make a difference in, and we are forever grateful. The students have been using our new seats daily, and each day they are allowed to pick their seat and space for the day, which has allowed them to find which seat works best for them.
After receiving our balls, stools, cushions, mats, and chairs, and introducing them to my students, it was astonishing to me the difference that I saw in them. My students who had to stand and walk to work, were able to sit on a stability ball or a wobble cushion and move to get out their fidgets while they worked. I've had students who were CONSTANT movers and falling out of chairs, who are now able to sit through a lesson, work independently or within a group, and can focus on their work more efficiently.
The overall atmosphere in my classroom has shifted from over-excited movers and wigglers, to (sometimes) an eerily quiet workspace. I feel more confident as a teacher knowing that these seating choices have changed my students and my classroom for the better. My students can move in small or large ways - depending on what they need for them - and pay closer attention to the task or lesson at hand. Their attention is more focused, but they are academically achieving as well! Test scores have risen, the students are talking and recalling more of the material we have covered, and the students are more interested and engaged in topics. Somedays I am still in shock over the change I have seen within our room! It's truly astonishing to see! Other teachers at my school have also jumped on board with the flexible seating train, after seeing the success that I have had.
I am truly blessed and will forever be grateful to you for choosing to donate to my classroom, and helping change the lives of children you have never even met! From myself and my students, THANK YOU for choosing to help us and better the lives of my current and future students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Holbert
Math & Reading Small Group RTI
Funded Jul 12, 2016Dear Donors:
Thank you SO much for choosing to make the selfless donations towards my classroom project for iPads. I feel honored that you chose my classroom to donate to and to make a difference in, and we are forever grateful. The students have been using them daily in our small group Math and Reading RTI times, and already I can see a change in them. My lowest students are more confident in class, because they are receiving positive feedback from the games they play. My students who are on the middle cuff are being challenged where they need it, but also supported in their low areas. My high students are able to be challenged with more difficult readings, but also are being exposed to more difficult math challenges that we have not yet reached in 2nd grade.
Firstly, let's look at my lowest group of students. These students, for the most part, have difficultly with things they should've mastered in 1st grade, so the skills in 2nd grade are even more challenging. Because of the technology we now have, I can comfortably place them with a partner or alone on an iPad during small group centers, and I know that they will a) learn and practice skills, b) work on exactly what they are having difficulty with - even if it's not what we're learning in class, and c) they will have fun doing it! The first few weeks of school before I received the iPads, these students were struggling in class, and I was having a difficult time as a teacher finding different websites to meet their needs. With the iPads, I have been able to purchase reasonably priced or free download games, where the students have variety and they don't even realize that they are learning!
My middle and on grade-level students are able to practice skills that are on level where they are, but also they can go above or below, based on their individual needs. Again, I cannot stress enough the variety I have found within iPad games, compared to commonly used websites that don't adapt or individualize for students. If one student is on grade level for math, but below in reading, I can have them work on the iPad solo or with a partner of closely matched level, and they can work on end of 1st grade reading and comprehension. I don't know how I got along last year without these!
My highest students have also been able to work on 3rd grade skills using the iPads. I have been able to download the exact same games of 2nd grade skills that I like, also in 3rd grade skills. So it may look like to students that they are playing the same game, but my low and medium groups are doing the 2nd grade version, while my highest kids are working on the 3rd grade version. The iPads also allow my higher students to explore skills we won't hardly touch in and grade such as: states in our country, multiplication, reading higher level texts, and different types of informational texts.
The overall atmosphere in my classroom is different this year than it was the last. When we are doing small group rotations, I'm able to meet more students with technology, which they yearn for in today's world. I also had problems in the past with keeping students on task during small groups, but that is no longer an issue because they can't wait for their technology rotation and will do anything to keep it! My students and I are blessed beyond belief with our newest technology, and I've already seen boosts in their attitudes about learning, as well as their abilities and grades. I can; t wait to see how far we can come by the end of the year! Thank you, again, for choosing my class to make a change in!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Holbert
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 11 other donors.