I'm proud to say that my students grew tremendously as a result of the latest STAAR 6th Grade Reading results for our campus. We just got our subscription in April. We used them for poetry and paired text weekly.
My students' reactions to the magazines were of amazement and surprise especially when I showed them the 10 years old paper copy set I had from 2008 (the year they were born).
I encouraged my students to continue to log in to the platform now that we are out of school for the summer.”
With gratitude,
Ms. C.
This classroom project was brought to life by Harold Simmons Foundation and 2 other donors.
It has been great have a projector for my class. We use it almost everyday. When the weather is bad we use the projector for indoor recess showing just dance video's. I have used the projector to help enhance or to introduce new lesson.
By having the project we have been able to host three different movie night to help build school community. One movie night was a reward fro the students who brought pajama's to donate to these in need. Another movie night was a fundraiser to help raise money for our field trip.
The students were very excited that we got the projector. The projector allowed the students to share presentation that the made with the class. t greatly improved the class students were able to share and learn from each other, videos and form engaging lesson from me.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mirsky
This classroom project was brought to life by Harold Simmons Foundation and 2 other donors.
Let me start by saying thank you so very much for donating towards our Ipad project. The students were very excited when the Ipad came in the mail. Some of them knew what they could do on the Ipad such as games and exploring on the internet. A few of them were even suggesting things we could do using the Ipad.
We are using the Ipad all of the time. We use it to take pictures for different subject areas like the different sizes of rocks we found around the school. The students use it to create slideshows of math problems they can do. We used the Ipad to scan QR codes. Our most recent QR code hunt was all about Martin Luther King Jr. I printed off QR codes with links to information about MLKJ. They looked at pictures, articles, facts, videos and even his "I have a dream" speech." They learned so much in a short amount of time thanks to QR codes and the Ipad. I did not have to spend time getting the students logged into the computer and typing in a hyperlink on the internet. They were able to "visit" many places to learn about why MLKJ was such and important person and why we have a holiday
The Ipad has so many more uses available for us to put to good use. I am excited about the potential it has to help my students succeed.
Hot off the presses, the inaugural issue of The Tiger Journal for the 2013-14 school year is being finalized by our eager 4th and 5th grade students at Truett Elementary for distribution, and our budding journalists could not be more excited about sharing their work. In their own words, the roving tiger reporters would like to thank each of you for your donations. Especially pleased was our editor Janet, who eagerly watched contributions come in via the Donor's Choose website.
Our Tiger Journal staff meets weekly to plan, interview, write, and edit stories for the student newsletter. The toner cartridge gave our students ample material to see their vision of a student paper come to fruition. Together, they plan to produce 800 copies for the publication for distribution throughout the Truett community. January's issue will include information about our championship basketball teams, the upcoming school-wide science fair, the spelling bee, and after-school drama clubs as well as highlighting a teacher from each grade level.
The school-wide newsletter project did much to boost both Reading/Language Arts instruction and student learning for our newspaper staff - particularly as our students learn the value of writing to inform and entertain outside of the reading/writing classroom. It is a skill they will continue to refine throughout their education, and I'm pleased that Donor's Choose could help to provide the resources to instill a love of journalism and writing for our students.”
My students and I are so grateful that you chose to donate the funds for my students to learn how to work with resin! I assigned my Sculpture II and Sculpture III class the task of creating an organic, ceramic sculpture with cavities to hold layers of painted resin or resin with embedded objects. Students were to come up with a common theme to paint or embed objects in the layers of resin. As layers dry or their ceramics are fired, students have created resin pendants for jewelry in the meantime. So your donation funded two different projects.
As a teacher, it has been so gratifying to see the students' reactions to the material. They are amazed that resin dries to a solid with just a few drops of the catalyst! Students projects vary as much as their personalities; I love to see how different each student's project turns out. One student decided to sculpt a cloud. In the center of the cloud where the cavity is, she plans to paint a sun in layers. Another student researched the coral reef. She sculpted an abstracted version of the coral reef. She plans to paint sea creatures on the layers of resin.
This project has been such a success that when other students see the results, they want to enroll in the class. Without your funding, my students could not have had the opportunity to be as innovative as they have with this assignment. They have thoroughly enjoyed it and are so proud of their work. It has helped improve their self esteems as artists and given them confidence in their craft. Working in layers of resin has also helped students develop an understanding of background, middle ground, foreground, and space.
Your donation has helped to make some incredible sculptures that will make my students more competitive for college admissions and for contests that offer scholarships. We thank you so much for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hamidou
This classroom project was brought to life by Harold Simmons Foundation and 2 other donors.
My third grade class squeals with excitement when I announce, "Let's use the laptops and our new headphones for this activity!" Now that you have provided us with our own class set of headphones, I am able to hear that squeal a lot more often! The students are so happy they no longer have to wait and take turns with the few pairs that were previously available to us.
We are now using the headphones for many computer based learning activities across the curriculum. Students are able to work on individualized computer programs that help them progress at their own levels. They can access programs for math, reading, science, and spelling. It is exciting for both them and me to track their progress and see improvement.
Being able to have my entire class engaged in a technology based activity helps me to utilize our class time so much more effectively. The students are eager to jump into learning when they are using tools and resources that make it seem like play time! Many of my students come from economically disadvantaged families and do not have access to technology in their homes. Watching them learn, discover, and participate using the laptops with our new headphones is an amazing privilege for me!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Withrow
This classroom project was brought to life by Harold Simmons Foundation and 4 other donors.
I would like to say, "Thank you," for your generous donation to my Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities. Every one of my students has benefited from the colorful hands-on learning manipulatives. My class ranges from lower cognitive skills to average cognitive skills. This vast
spread of cognitive abilities makes it difficult for any teacher to teach without hands-on manipulatives. The Early Math Activity Center has allowed my lower students to grasp the concept of size - large, medium, and small. This particular activity center also allowed (and will continue to allow) students to sort by color or by a single size.
The Know Your Colors Sorting Baskets has allowed my students to sort by color. A unique characteristic of the sorting baskets is that it teaches students to differentiate shades of colors. Initially, some of my students were not able to sort by the entire shade of colors. Within several weeks, almost every student was able to sort by shades of colors.
All of my students will continue to benefit rom your generosity and I would like to say, "Thank you," again on behalf of my class.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chan
This classroom project was brought to life by Harold Simmons Foundation and 15 other donors.
Thank you for your donation to my project. I am extremely excited to introduce these new resources to my students. It is great to see that you share my vision for reaching the individual needs of each student. Writing is essential and technology often provides an alternate way of learning that can alleviate frustration.
The iPad keyboards that you have funded will allow my students to better organize their thoughts throughout the writing process and lessen the frustration that handwriting often causes students with ADHD. My hope is that my students will enjoy writing through this technology.
Thank you so much for your support. I look forward to introducing this technology to the children.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Oehlschlaeger
This classroom project was brought to life by Local Dallas/Ft. Worth Kia Retailers and 3 other donors.
Thank you so much for the resources you provided. I can not describe to you how insightful the students became in their journal. To see the progression of cognitive language and insight into how they are thinking is phenomenal. One non-explicit but much anticipated feature of the writing described how much the students believe in their own abilities now that they are learning how their brain works and explicit problem solving! The self-esteem of each of the students rose like I cannot describe using mere words.
It was funny how often the students use the model of the brain not just in serious conversations but to "scare" their parents. It was amusing how comfortable they became handling it and how proud they were to be able to describe features of the brain using the poster and models.
It is with a grateful heart that I report a great impact on such deserving students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Contreras-Barrientos
This classroom project was brought to life by Harold Simmons Foundation and one other donor.
I am forever grateful for your help in funding this project for my little learners. The day we received the packages my students didn't want to leave our class for lunch or specials because they were so excited. For many of them they were more excited that people cared about them and their education then what was actually inside. When we opened our packages they kept saying "awesome" or "really Mrs. Nelson for us?".
My students have been able to use these resources in almost everything we do. A few of their favorite things to do include using the stamps and ink pads to stamp their site words during Word Work and playing the ABC, CVC, and Phonemic Awareness games in centers. The box set of magnetic letters has helped my Tier 2 students have hands on opportunities to spell out words and see how the different letters help make a word.
This project helped my students see how loved they are and that there are people who want to help see them succeed. The students are so excited to have hands-on learning opportunities and take more pride in their work. The materials have given more better opportunities to make learning fun and excited. I absolutely believe the more excited and engaging we make learning, the more opportunities for success we are giving our little ones!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nelson
This classroom project was brought to life by Harold Simmons Foundation and 6 other donors.
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