Making a Difference for Michigan Children 2009 Again

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Thank you so very much for the kindness and generosity you extended to my class when you supported our need for a classroom printer. It is an awesome printer! I have been using technology to support learning in the classroom for years, but this printer brought so much right to our own classroom fingertips. The children just love being able to print in color. And everything comes out so vivid and clear. It's also amazingly fast. Though our black and white printer of five years is still hanging on, the image writer ('end of life') message still pops up with every print job. We are grateful that it still works, but thanks to you, we can now print from our laptops -- and in color -- quickly!

I have to admit, I didn't even know who Justin Bieber was when I first wrote this proposal, but it was one of the most delightful moments of the year, when two of my young girls were able to earn 'JB mini-posters.' We were able to print them right in our classroom. Of course, the girls were most excited about their new pictures, but I am most thrilled with the technological understanding they were motivated to gain and the progress they made to earn the photos.

This printer has already done so much for our learning. We were able to use it in so many ways throughout the school year and during summer school as well, that its exciting to imagine what my future students will be able to do for many years to come. Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart. You've blessed us incredibly!

”

With gratitude,

Ms. H.

Thank you for your donation of listening center materials to my classroom. I have enjoyed watching the children learn to share and work cooperatively with their peers as they use the

listening center. You have given my students the opportunity to work independently as they

enjoy listening to their favorite stories.

The children have gained a confidence in their ability to follow the stories on tape. I truly believe that my student's will have greater success with reading fluency due to the exposure to different modes of reading styles. I was excited to see the student's smiles as they enjoyed the listening

center.

Thank you for helping to make my classroom environment a positive learning experience for all.

Your donation will not only help this years students but many more to come”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Troxell

Thank you so much for the donation of money for our science activities. We are very thankful that science activities could continue throughout the year. Having materials readily available make the learning process much easier. Students are encouraged to explore when doing science activities. Reading out of a text book is not always the best way to learn. Getting hands-on experiences brings reality to many students. It is nice to know that people in this country are still concerned about children's education and want children to succeed.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Wolodkin

I want to thank-you wholeheartedly for your generous donation to our school. Because of your generosity, we were able to start a "Healthy Body, Happy Me" reading buddy program. Every Monday afternoon the 4th graders read to the 1st graders. The students choose from a wide variety of books, some more informative, such as "Where does your food go", and some more lively, such as "I will never, not ever, eat a tomato". The books reinforce the health tips I give every Monday morning at an all school assembly. As a school nurse, I know how important it is for children to understand what they need to do to be healthy.

Without your help, the students would never have had these wonderful books. It is such a pleasure to watch the younger students learning from the older students, and to see the pride and confidence growing in the 4th graders. We plan to continue the "Healthy Body, Happy Me" reading buddy program every school year. We are deeply grateful to you.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. McCabe

My entire Class is incredibly grateful for the rug that was purchased for our classroom. It makes our classroom someplace special to be. Everyone has their own space to sit without confusion or needless bickering over rug space. My kindergrtners immediately created phonics games to play with our new rug. They love to make up games during play time and it is interesting to watch what can happen when children are allowed time and supplies to be creative with learning.

I am grateful for the rug and would like to give a heartfelt thanks to those who took their time and money to support us and inspire us! Every bit of joy that is brought to our classroom adds to the incredible environment that exists when teachers and students truly care!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Trombley

Thank you so much for your generous donation. Our students are thrilled with the result. As you can see from the photos, our activity has been a great success. The fifth grade class set up stations in an unused classroom. Our six stations included 1) food chains - the swimming pool was used to show predators, prey and how living things find food. 2) life cycles - we had two puzzles at station 2 and a cut and paste project at station three showing the life cycles for frogs and butterflies, 3) station 4 was our painting station, students painted the life cycles of one of animals we discussed, 4) station 5 was our fossil/classification station - students sifted through sand and placed what they found into groups, 5) our final station was a reading table - our fifth graders helped read stories about animals.

Both the older and younger children were impacted with this project. The younger children enjoyed the attention and were introduced to important concepts they will study later on. The older children had the opportunity to design and implement lessons. As you know, we remember 90% of what we teach and this was a time of learning for all children involved.

After each group (and we did the entire pre-school - first grade) we had a "debriefing". One student was selected to facilitate and another was chosen to write. The children discussed what went well, what required improvement and what we could do in the future to make our project better and more effective. The teachers and children involved in this project enjoyed themselves as they learned and, hopefully, developed positive attitudes toward both school and science. Thanks!

LInda Keteyian, Priest Elementary.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Keteyian

Thank you so very much for blessing my students with these wonderful books. The children love the illustrations, but also how the words on the page come alive through the author. Patricia Polacco usually writes from her experiences, so there is often a revealed connection. My students can also relate to many of the stories which are about family, traditions, exciting events, overcoming challenges or almost anything. The author writes in a manner that stirs emotion and pulls the reader into the story. She also inspires. In "Thank You, Mr. Falker," a little girl is very bright, but struggles to learn how to read. She is encouraged by Mr. Falker who sees her strengths and talents. My students appreciated "Pink and Say," as it shared two very personal and connected stories from the Civil War. One of the characters had actually shaken the hand of Abraham Lincoln. The author is in fact a descendant of that real person and describes how she has touched the hand of someone who touched the hand...all the way back to her ancestor (and main character) who shook Abraham Lincoln's hand. When I had the honor of meeting Patricia Polacco years ago, I insisted that she shake my hand. Now, when I read this story, I make a point of shaking each child's hand so carry that connection on.

You have delighted my students and enlightened their lives by bringing these wonderful books into our classroom. I never could have afforded to do this without your help. The children love to read the books and take Accelerated Reading quizzes on the computer. I love to see them captured by the wonderful stories and illustrations. And I will be able to share them with all of my future classes as well.

Thank you so much for your generosity. You have truly blessed us.”

With gratitude,

Ms. H.