Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation: Earth Day 2014

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My students were excited when they walked into the classroom and saw resources on the big table. They were full of questions about the resources. I explained to them that they will be completing a recycling project. We discussed the process as I explained the resources. They were fascinated by the idea of turning water bottles into soap dispensers.

My students and I are used the resources to help the environment. I noticed they worked well together and used their creativity to produce great products. The recycling activity promoted higher order thinking and problem solving skills. My students were engaged and happy to help the environment. They took their time and created great items. I facilitated and observed them collaboratively working together.

This project has boosted my students love for learning and helping our environment. They spent valuable time collaborating, discussing and planning other ways to help the environment. They were flexible and supportive of each other. My students' grew confidence as they tackled the task and allowed their creativity shine. This funded project motivated my students to be innovative and active recyclers. Not to mention, it prompted me to incorporated more hands-on activities that require recycling and resources in and out of school. Thank you again for supporting learners by funding this project.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Golden

Thank you so much for your contribution to my project, "We Want To Speak For Our Planet Earth!" The materials included in this project helps me make my topic interesting and easy to understand for my students who are in this age level. Once I introduced this topic with the new materials my students understood the importance of keeping our planet earth beautiful and free of pollution for all future generations.

I have 24 students of a very young age who in order to grasp important information as this one they need visual prompts and very vividly images and materials they like in order to get their attention or retain it in their long term memory.

My students love The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Because of the limited budget to our program most of our books are very old or are missing pages, so I only own a couple of books that are in good condition .One of our precious book is 'One fish, Two fish..." that it does not matter how many times I read to my students they love it.

My students were delighted when I showed them the new materials. They love the books, the white boards and the floor puzzle. They enjoy sitting in the quiet area and share the books. They like the white boards and the writing books which they use daily. They are learning to care and develop the love for books. They are using their fine motor to develop their writing skills. They are learning to concentrate more and take pride of their work. They are not afraid of making writing mistakes because they can erase and try as many times as they like. This is what they like the most. They are learning to build their self-esteem.

All the materials in this project has helped me very much .I am able to teach my students about recycling and how to save trees by reducing paper use or waste. Even though they are very young they have an understanding of the importance of keeping our planet earth healthy, clean, and to conserve energy. It also helps me to teach them the importance of taking care of all our educational materials that are very essential for our daily learning. Thank you again for your kind and useful contributions to our education .”

With gratitude,

Ms. Torres

Thank you again for your amazing donation to help my second graders get what they need and deserve! I was absolutely thrilled to have this project funded! My students were so excited when our new books, water bottles, clip boards, and dry erase boards arrived to allow us to learn in new and exciting ways!

We use our clip boards and white boards almost daily. Students use clip boards to sit around the classroom and complete work. We also use clip boards when we do class outside or when we are doing an activity where there is a lot of moving around. Clip boards have transformed our classroom so we are not sitting at desks all day! Our wonderful white boards are used for whole class work, especially math, as well as small group instruction. Additionally, my students have loved reading our books about recycling and composting. These books have found a new home in our Garden and Nature book bin!

Thank you again for making this generous donation that has impacted my students for years to come!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Ball

With your donations my students will be able to use a variety of books to learn how to recycle and take care of the Earth. On Earth Day we will use these books to see what others do and brainstorm how we can contribute in our school and community. We currently use the plastic book boxes to keep our books in. They replaced our cardboard boxes that have to be replaced every year. I have showed the students one way to recycle is by taking care of these new book boxes so they can be used over and over again. These resources have made a big impact in my classroom and will help students year after year understand the importance of taking care of our world. Thank-you for your help on my project. We love the new materials!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. McEwen

The water bottles you have provided for us have been a lifesaver! The students immediately were gracious for the chance to have their own bottles, as this is a privilege many of them cannot afford. They were thrilled when I told them they were all going to get their own water bottle to keep. Being in a portable classroom, it is very time consuming for us to leave the room to get water, and staying hydrated is essential.

My students have each gotten their own water bottle that they take home each week, wash, and remember to bring back. This has given them a sense of ownership in their water bottles and responsibility for taking care of them. They have used these bottles to make healthy drink options and learn about health and recycling. Without these bottles, students would be wasting much unnecessary time out of class getting water.

Getting these water bottles have given us a great chance to learn about the importance of using reusable water bottles instead of one use bottles, and we have been able to connect that to recycling in general. My students are much more aware of the impact that single bottles have on the Earth, and how we play a huge role in preserving our Earth and the materials it provides us. In addition, students are more aware of the importance of recycling paper goods from our classroom and are more accurately able to recycle the correct items. Finally, students have learned the importance of drinking water in health and the benefits of staying hydrated and choosing healthy drink options. Thank you so much for your contributions! These water bottles have been essential in our day to day lives.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Dupras

The students were so excited to see all of the items your donations helped acquire. Their little eyes were as big a saucers. Your generous donations have inspired our students to become more globally involved in composting in school and some have also started at home. If they are unable to compost at home, they bring items to school. Students understand how easy it is to use everyday items to make compost. They show an appreciation for the Earth. They understand that small impacts add up to make big contributions. Students have to calculate the temperature of the compost with the thermometer donated. They also have to account for the right percentage of items going into the compost bins. Students have to be mathematically involved with this project. Lastly, the compost they help create will be added to our garden. Then they will enjoy the various vegetables that are grown at school.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Gomez-Ramsey

I have to confess that until last year, I was a self-described theoretical gardener. Even though I am aware of how plants and gardens works, I had never grown anything and did not have much interest in the whole business until last year.

The community and the School Board did not like the overgrown mess that the former "Serenity Garden" had become. No one wanted to take this on; however as a lifelong student of science, I could only see the potential for learning for my students. I really did not know where to start. I went to workshops and joined Green Teachers Network. We still had many obstacles with unseasonably cold weather.

Then a group of students picked a day to clear out the garden in January. It started sleeting. Well they were not willing to give up, even though it soon became obvious that we could not clear this area without help. As we tried to find the help we needed we were able to get some raised beds, seeds and dirt. We planted in the Spring with some success, but we still needed a lot of things. Two things that we needed were compost container and rain barrel; this is where you came.

The students were so excited when the rain barrel and composting materials arrived. They jumped on it putting everything together and putting it outside. Perhaps the best thing receiving the items did was get others excited and let them know that this group was serious about our garden and we were not going anywhere. The cascade effect was wonderful! One parent in particular led the clearing and donated soil. The PTO got on board to help with grants that would help us get other material.

It does not nearly say it well enough but The AMS Gardening with Science thanks you!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Bridges

A huge thank you for donating to our class project. All of my students were so excited when they heard that the materials were on their way. Everyone was anxious to help assemble the recycling containers and get them distributed to the other classes in our school. In the weeks since beginning the school wide recycling project, it has been amazing to see the students come together and take ownership of the project.

Every Friday, a different group of students makes the rounds from class to class, gathering the recycling to be weighed and sorted. It has been a valuable learning experience for all. No more ounces or pounds, what's it matter? They know why the units matter. The big impact has been on our school culture. Our district has since installed a water refill station to support students/staff using refillable bottles.

As a math teacher, I do not usually get to see our students passionate about what we are learning. With our recycling, they are always ready to work on next steps. We haven't solved the challenge of building a volume model yet, but I am confident that they will. This experience has turned my students into real-world problem solvers. One Friday when 7th graders were in charge, a boy said, "Wow, I didn't think that it would make a big difference," We are very grateful for your generosity. It has made a big difference!

My Best,

Mrs. Leveroni”

With gratitude,

Ms. Leveroni

Thank you so much for your support and I apologize for my late letters to you all. This project was set up for my 6th grade art classes, unfortunately they did not assign any 6th graders for me to teach until the New Year and I didn't want to send boring photos. I have posted photos of the supplies and 1 of my students who were drawing design ideas to then etch into the foam sheets and begin the print making process. They are so excited about doing this project, the idea that they can make these blocks and then print them on paper we actually made in class is amazing to them. These tools and supplies tie in perfectly with our focus on the Elements of Art/Design (lines, color, value, shapes etc).

Thank you so much for your support and trust in the Arts!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Hargadon

Thank you so much for donating these items to my students! They were so excited for the materials to arrive in our classroom. The water purifier has been a great resource to use in the class. Students are able to have a healthy refreshing drink and are conserving water. The refrigerator has been a great addition as well. The students love having snacks, and even better, healthy ones! Once again thank you so much for donating to my class! You are truly making a difference in my class and in their lives!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Harper