David Gabriele's Mustache

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Thank you so much for your support of my students academic achievement and success. You have no idea how much is needed to bridge the educational gap that exists in America. My students are sincerely grateful and my future students will be as well. The netbook will be used by my future students to come.

Since receiving the netbook, we have spent countless hours using the netbook to access information and data via the Internet. The netbook has allowed our lessons to come alive. The netbook has also allowed me to use it for individualized studies for group members in areas of reading and math since we have limited technology in the classroom.

Once again, we are thankful that you care and grateful for your support of THEIR future which will greatly impact OUR future as well!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Abbott

Thank you so much for your generous donations to fund a student on our New York trip. Words do not describe what an amazing experience this was for the students. Without your help and generosity, my student would not have experienced this life changing trip. So much was learned on this trip; she will carry the experiences with her forever.

One of the most memorable stops on our trip was our stop at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Many of our students, including the student whose trip was funded, are passionate about the topic of immigration. Seeing the sight where our country's ancestors passed through was a very powerful experience. The children were very impressed by the struggles and experiences of those coming to this country with the hope of a better life. Many lessons of American history were learned first hand.

More current American history was learned, as we visited the site of the Twin Towers site. Our tour guide did a fantastic job describing what 9/11 was like from a New Yorkers perspective. Our students learned a lot about how caring and generous people can be as they toured St. Paul's Church and learned when how people from around the world can to the aid of people in need.

Also, our students quite enjoyed the architecture of New York. The views of the sky scrapers and city lights from the Empire State building were amazing and our children will remember that beauty forever! We also learned many things about how the buildings were constructed and the people were walked the beams to make them. Also, many churches were toured on our trip and I have many pictures of my students staring up open mouthed and wide eyed at these sites.

There were so many memorable experiences during our five day trip, it is hard to describe on one thank you note. Please know how grateful we all are at this school that you made the trip possible for a very deserving student! You truly did give her memories that will last a lifetime! Thank you for your generosity.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. B.

Thank you again for your donations towards my classroom computer! We received the computer a few months ago and my students were SO excited. It is definitely the new favorite classroom activity.

I use the computer in many different ways. Sometimes I let 4-5 students watch an educational video on the computer. Other times, 1-2 students play spelling or math games. They also practice their typing skills by choosing a fun and colorful font and typing our sight words. A few weeks ago the computer teacher told me that our class was the first kindergarten class she had ever taught that could log on to the computer without help!

This computer has really brought a lot of excitement into our classroom. The kids have to much fun with it that they don't even realize they are learning. I can't say it enough- THANK YOU! ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Mays

Thank you for your generous gift to our 5th grade classroom. I commend your commitment to improving literacy for students with learning disabilities. Your donation has already impacted our classroom and is benefiting students everyday. Thanks to you, my 31 students have tools to assist them in learning. Your donation will enhance the educational experience for students in the future as well.

The Netbook, Leapster, and Franklin Spellers that were donated have immediately helped improve students' quality of writing and reading fluency. Kenneth is a student that reads and writes at a 1st grade level due to his dyslexia. On the netbook, we installed a program called Write: Outloud that reads the words as they are typed. This provides auditory, spelling and grammar support. While Kenneth started the year writing only one to two sentences, he is no longer reluctant to write. He is now writing over one full page! Not only have his skills improved, but his confidence in his academics has sky rocketed! When I give a writing assignment, he begs me to put it on Elmo (projector) so all the students can see what he wrote. This confidence has carried over to his reading. He now frequently volunteers to read aloud. I could not be more proud, and you are part of his success and the achievements of the entire classroom!

We are thankful for people who believe that all students can achieve despite obstacles that may stand in the way. We are grateful for your dedication to improving literacy for less fortunate, inner-city students. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Putnam-Hallman

I want to thank each of you again for your generous donations to my classroom. The students are enjoying all of the books that were sent to us. They love "checking out" a new book each day to bring home and read with their family. The greatest impact that this donation has made on my students is the availability of Spanish books. Some of my students' parents speak only Spanish, so to give them the opportunity to bring books home in their native language to share is a very special experience for them all.

As you can see from the pictures that I posted, the students love to use the book buddy bags to bring their books home. We have talked about how to keep our books clean and safe by using these bags because all books are special. The pictures also show how excited my students are to read all of the new books. I love having them come into our room in the morning and say "Can I check out a new book"? or "Look, I brought my book back"!

Please know that each of your donations has impacted a child here in Chicago in the most positive of ways. It couldn't have been done with out you and for that I am very thankful.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Coubal