Joe Romanelli's Awful 'Stache

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Your generosity has been received by very happy students! We have enjoyed using the rug as a gathering place each day and so much more. Students use it for partner work when their table becomes too crowded for them; students say things like, " Let's meet in Asia." Students now ask, "Should we sit on the perimeter or the area of the rug?" These unexpected learning opportunities are due to your willingness to give my class a gift of a classroom rug.

Thank you!

Sincerely Yours,

Ms. Buck (and all the first graders!)”

With gratitude,

Ms. Buck

Thank you very much for your generous contribution to my classroom. Although the materials themselves (paper in various sizes) was not exciting, the work completed with their aide was! Students were able to use the large easel paper to chart their group work. One such assignment was about the cause & effects of wind. The young scholars enjoy using the big paper because it allows them to work cooperatively. In addition, it is usually used by the teacher...so this makes it extra special. I used the paper to chart the ideas we shared in mini-lessons. For example, we listed antonyms and synonyms. The chart hangs in the class today, as a reminder to the class.

The small-sized word strips are used for the key vocabulary that is displayed on our word walls. The copy paper was used to make mini- readers, practice test booklets to help us to prepare for the MCAS and copies of mini-books the students wrote themselves.

English Language Learners thrive in language rich classrooms. So thanks a million for your help.”

With gratitude,

Teacher

Thank you so much for your generous gift to our classroom. Using the paper you donated, I often adapt lessons from our book to add in clarification and give students more room to work. I truly believe this allows my students to be more successful and better understand the concepts embedded in our math lessons. The paper you donated has been especially helpful for my students with learning disabilities. Since our textbook's language is difficult to understand, I am able to adapt the language and the lessons so that all of my students can access the curriculum and learn the important ideas. Thank you so much for your generosity.

Your donation also made possible the purchase of green paper which I use in another successful classroom structure, the "classroom economy". This is a system where students can earn math money by doing classroom jobs, working successfully during class, exhibiting positive behavior, and turning in homework. At the end of each week, students can use this math money to buy pencils, free homework passes, stickers, a plastic egg surprise, or put their math money into a raffle to win prizes such as pencils, markers, and pencil pouches. This is always a positive note to end the week on and something that students look forward to.

Thank you so much for your generous donation. My students and I sincerely appreciate the help your donation has given to make our classroom a more positive learning environment.

”

With gratitude,

Mr. Ulrich

It is hard to express in words my excitement and thanks for your donation to our project. It is so great to have the support of others who share my vision for reaching students through athletics and extracurricular activities. As a math teacher it is important to have students who are engaged and feel a part of our community. Flag football is one of many ways we can offer students a chance to be outside, active and excited about coming to school! It is healthy, safe, builds community and most of all lets our students "be kids!" The equipment you have funded will enable our students to actually start a flag football program that they have been asking about all winter long! The students will be involved in the planning and implementation of our league. Once the weather permits we will be on the field, exercising for a few hours per week.

I wish you could all share in my students excitement when the league begins. I can already hear them discussing the play by play recount of every game! What you have made possible is really special and will create many years of positive experiences for our students. Thank you so much”

With gratitude,

Mr. Cain

It's so important for my elementary school students to have quality goggles to use during swimming class. All of my students go back to class right after swimming. If they went back with red and itchy eyes they would have a hard time focusing on their books, essays and math lessons. My colleagues say that the students come back focused, after being physically active, and are ready to settle down and learn.

My students have shown a lot of enthusiasm for swimming this year. Your donation have helped my swimmers become competitive swimmers! Twelve swimmers committed to coming after school for seven weeks to work on strokes, do laps, and learn the racing dive. Five kids developed their skills and confidence to the point that they raced in a swim competition. We used your donated goggles during this program.

At the end of the year I like to ask my students what they will be doing in the summer/ Quite a few go to a summer camp. and they tell me they will be able to pass the swimming test at their camp this year because they practiced all year long in the pool. I love to hear that they will be able to join their camp friends and enjoy all the adventures of summer camp. Your donation helps make this possible. Thank you for your generosity!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Stolper

Thank you so much for your kind donation. The maps are beautiful and when the box arrived, the students could not wait to open it! We have traveled the world and back with the maps. The students have loved being able to see where in the world the countries are located and how close each country is to us. It has really enhanced our social studies learning and has allowed the students to visualize the changes in our world over the course of history. I look forward to sharing this map with my new students in the fall!”

With gratitude,

Teacher

I am so grateful for your donations to my project. It is great to see so many that share my vision for creative teaching.

The equipment that you have funded will enable students to create their own news broadcasts, which will fuel a creative learning environment. They can also show them to other classes or even their parents.

I hope to share with my colleagues a this technique in learning. Thank you so much. I can't wait to show the children! They will be so excited! ”

With gratitude,

Teacher

Dear Donors,

I would like to thank you for your support of my project – funding 2 cameras for use at my school. The children who are diagnosed with autism have individual learning styles but most often respond to visuals. The use of digital pictures helps support their ability to communicate and learn by supporting their school experiences with real pictures. We have been using the camera to take pictures in many ways; some pictures that have been taken are included. We label the environment with pictures to support transitions. We label materials with pictures to help children learn to gather things that they need to work. Pictures of choices of equipment available in the therapy room are available to help with making choices as well as following sequences in obstacle courses. A picture of child holding pencil correctly can help remind them to position without needing adult assistance. We have used pictures during activities like yoga to provide the "scene" cues, supported with the "element" cues (language cues) to help learn starting positions, movements and then putting it all together to get into yoga postures. Pictures of the children doing activities helps to engage them and add meaning. These are only a few of the ways that we have been using the donated cameras.

Again I thank you for your generous contribution that made this possible.

”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Lopes-Yorio

Our once-new multicultural crayons have lost their crisp newness, and now are just apart of our daily landscape. It's great to see the children choose colors based upon need, not availability. They are pleased to be able to select the color to use, comparing it to their skin, or thinking about the tone of the person they are drawing. By providing them with more options for creative expression, they begin to think with more options. For years I have wanted to provide the brown color spectrum for my students, and now I finally can, thanks to you. I truly appreciate your generosity, and the opportunities you have created for my students with just a click of your mouse.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Ellis