Jason Mandell's Mustache

Edit title

Thank you for your donation to support Physical Activity/Education for my class! We have been laughing, getting our heart rates up and engaging in more strenuous activity than ever before!

Since receiving the SPARK Kit I feel more confidence in delivering fun, engaging, and effective physical education lessons. For example, the games included in the kit are clear, concise, and easy to implement with limited materials. The kids cheer when I tell them it is time for PE!

In particular, I had one student who has been reluctant to engage in many of the traditional PE activities presented in the past. Now, when the student sees the big blue binder come out, his eyes widen and he asks with glee, "Are we going to learn a new activity today?"

This has changed the way I deliver instruction with regards to PE and I am thankful for your contribution. But more importantly, the students thank you for the increased physical activity, health, and FUN!”

With gratitude,

Ms. O'Donoghue

Thank you for your generous donation to my classroom. It is wonderful to know that you are concerned about providing a quality public education to all students in our state.

My students will be so excited to have these new resources to create a cozy, clean book nook. At this time in the year, students are reading independently for longer periods of time and this spot will help them develop their reading stamina. What second grader could resist curling up in a cozy place to read a great book?!

Thank you again for your generosity.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Costello

Thank you for supporting our students to read and analyze challenging texts. Your gift of class sets of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys was the foundation for two of the most highly-engaging, thought provoking units our class explored this year.

Many of our students, even as they choose the additional challenge of Advanced Placement courses are struggling to catch up with their more affluent peers in reading and writing skills. Exposure to meaningful, literary texts like these two works helps our students improve in leaps and bounds.

There is no greater thank you I can provide than the mental image of our twenty-two students sitting in a Socratic Seminar, with their copies of these texts filled with post-it notes, discussing "conformity" in Diaz's novel, or the links between Wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre.

Thank you for making moments like these possible, and supporting our students as they reach for more.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Sheffer

Words can not express how thankful I am for your donation to my classroom! You have shown me and my students that people still believe in the power of public education. By donating to fund this project, you have not only helped my students learn in the classroom, you have also given them pride in their school and in their ability to learn.

This document camera has helped me in ways I never would have thought possible. Because I have it in the classroom now, I no longer need to make transparencies and use those ridiculously thick wet erase markers to try and show my students the steps required in Algebra and Geometry. Now, as I go through the steps, my students can copy them down exactly as I write them. If there is a question, I can easily point to the step or direction that will answer that question. This document camera also allows me to show my students exemplary student work without having to pre-plan it or fake it. I can simply grab the work of a student in the class, and hold it under the document camera for all students to see!

Your donations have not only given me and my students an incredible teaching tool, you have also given us a greater feeling of self-worth. The high school that I currently work for has been in danger of closing for the past few years. Because of this threat of closure, very few people have invested time, energy, or money into resources for this particular school site. By donating to this project, you have shown my students that they are worth it and that their education deserves some investment.

”

With gratitude,

Ms. Barbero

Thank you so much for all of your support of our classroom project! All of my students were so excited to see the boxes of magnetic letters and letter tiles arrive in the classroom. They couldn't wait to start using them right away!

In our reading groups, we have been able to do so much more word-work now, and the kids get so excited when I get the letters and whiteboards out to start using them. Having the magnets to manipulate around seems to make learning more fun and enjoyable. What used to seem like boring work, now is exciting! All of my students are benefiting, as will all of my classes in years to come.

We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of Donors Choose donors this year, and are so grateful for your help in providing new materials to us. It really has helped the kids with their spelling and phonics skills. Thank you so much again! ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Dixon

I cannot thank you enough for the amazing impact my projector has had on my classroom! It has been incredibly inspiring to me and my students, as we explore together through the use of such a valuable tool.

In just a short time with the projector, I have been able to connect it to my computer to:

Project useful websites such as google maps as we explored the world in our "World Explorer" unit; Learn about the world wide web by learning how to craft an email to a real-life scientist that we met; Watch incredible films such as March of the Penguins to conclude our penguin unit.

I am also extremely excited that I have been able to connect the projector to a document camera, which magnifies in real-time what is shown under the lens. This enables students to project their inspirational writing, and be live teachers to their classmates, as they craft their writing plan into a draft, or edit and revise their piece.

Nothing has been more moving to me than the look on my students' faces when they see content in larger-than life form through the projector. They light up each and every time we use the projector, and I am so humbled to have received such a gift that has inspired my students to embark on exciting new ventures!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Montoy-Wilson

Thank you all so very much for your generous donations! My students were very anxious to begin using these materials once they had arrived. Both the alphabet books and alphabet tubs were especially helpful tools for my growing readers. They were used with much love and care during our guided reading portion of the day. The students were excited to have materials that supported their language and I loved having them as colorful resources. As for the picture cards, all of my students greatly benefited from their use during our writing portion of the day. They really helped to inspire my students to create interesting writing.

Thank you all so much for your love and support of all students in need!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Zarraga

Thank you very much for all the supplies, bean bags, and organizational shelf that you donated to our classroom. Students in the classroom enjoy taking breaks or reading on the bean bags. They also use the management signals to help create additional structure to the classroom. The organizational shelf adds to keeping two of their major subjects in an area that is visible and easy for them to access independently. You have all helped to create a great environment that really promotes learning.

The most engaging game that students really enjoy is the Eggspert Game System that you all donated. We play this game to test math skills, spelling, and vocabulary skills. Everyone enjoys buzzing in to be the first person to answer. They also like how the game system can randomly select a person to answer a question. This game has really kept students engaged in academic instruction in a fun way. We can all play it for long periods of time without getting bored.

We really appreciate everything that has been donated to our classroom. Our students are really benefiting from your generosity. Again, thank you very much!”

With gratitude,

Ms. C.

Thank you for your generosity. Your donation provided my students a positive math classroom atmosphere. The math posters provide students references and the butcher paper provided students with a medium in which they can present their mathematical ideas to share with others. Their posters are hung on the wall and students feel proud that their ideas and work are part of the classroom and are among the reference posters. Further more, the mini white boards provided students with a tool to jot down their ideas and work, which increase their participation and engagement because it doesn't feel as permanent and risky as putting it on the board in front of the classroom. They were also useful during group work when students wanted to explain ideas to each other. Thank you again.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Bui