Midwest Glam A Classroom

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All too often resources are not available for classrooms that need them the most. I posted my project because I wanted to create more opportunities for my students to experience learning fractions with "hands-on experiences". Unfortunately, the tools were not available. Thanks to you, it is a reality for the students in my classroom. I cannot thank you enough for your contributions and support. When the fraction tiles arrived, the students were so excited to get started. We opened them and started using them right away. No matter what math unit we are working on, the fraction games are always being used as a part of the game rotation. My students are fully engaged in activities that help them feel more comfortable with comparing and finding equivalent fractions, and having fun at the same time! Using fraction tiles has helped to develop a very important foundation that must be there in order to prepare students for the next level. Recently, I asked my students to respond to a writing prompt that asked them to do the following, "Write about a good habit that your teacher has". One of my students wrote: "Ms. S has a habit of letting us play math games instead of doing boring seatwork."

I just want to thank you for making it possible! It is truly making a difference.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Sand

This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to the students and families of my classroom. The Weekly Readers that you have donated have helped my students become interested in reading non-fiction text. Each Wednesday we read a Weekly Reader together to learn about the world around us and then they get to take them home to share with their families.

As budgets continually get downsized each year, without your donation my students would not have had the resources to fund these Weekly Readers and build their home libraries. These Weekly Readers connect students to real-life experiences outside the classroom and are especially helpful for my English Language Learners to develop vocabulary.

I thank you because with donors like you, classrooms throughout the United States get a chance to provide a great learning opportunity that students otherwise would be without.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Mattson

Thank you so much for the various games that we have been able to use at our weekly after school game club. We allow K-5 grade students to attend, so it is very nice to have a range of games to meet their needs.

We have purchased some of the basic board games in the past. Your donation to our project allowed us to purchase games that were more in the "specialty" category. The kids enjoy using the hands-on games where they could build-such as the logs/cars/marble runs. We have found when the younger students play with the animal figures they will make up stories, so we are able to tap into their imaginations!

Your donation has helped expose many students to games they have never seen or played with and has created excitement in wanting to attend our game club!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Dorr

I can't begin to express my gratitude for your generous donation to my classroom for the purchase for a LCD projector. The projector is helping all my students learn every day in so many different ways. We are able to view artworks from around the world, create power point projects and display student work. The projector is now hooked up to a document camera so I have been able to model art processes and techniques allowing students to better view the methods.

With the zero percent allowable growth in state aid for K-12 schools in Iowa, budgets are tight. Without your help, my students would never have this vital resource. The LCD projector has enriched the curriculum and allows students to actively engage in the learning process.

Technology has and will continue to have an impact on how we live our lives. In art education, technology will continue to have a profound effect on the teaching of art. Thank you for making that possible in my classroom.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Bebout

I apologize that this letter is coming to you so late. We have been having a very busy year, and the students are working extremely hard!

Our first science unit of the year focused on life cycles, and my students were able to use the resources that you provided in order to make connections between science and literacy. They used the beautiful photo cards to put the parts of the life cycles in order, and explain what happens during each phase. What's so great is the cards not only showed the life cycles of butterflies, but frogs, plants, and mice as well!

This inspired the children to want to plant seeds. Because they also read a book on trees, my class was able to predict the order in which the seed would germinate! They had a fantastic time!

Again, I apologize that this letter is getting to you so late. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and thank you again for helping me make connections between science and literacy with my students.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Hopkins

Thank you very much for the donation you made to help us receive a brand new easel. The kids and I were ecstatic when our project was funded and have been so grateful each day for the new classroom edition. We are so grateful that you took the time to read about our project and made a contribution to help us gain an amazing classroom tool.

We begin each day by reading and correcting our Morning Message on the whiteboard. The kids love the wide space that allows them to contribute their own writing. During Word Works the kiddos use each side of the easel to manipulate magnetic letters into words on the whiteboards. At Math we can finally use our magnetic manipulatives during whole group instruction on the easel. During Science and Writer's Workshop the kids love being able to see me model an example while it is held to the board. We store big books and chart paper in the middle of the easel, as well as learning materials and tools in the storage bins below. The kids and I adore how clean and organized the easel looks and how easy it is to find and put away our items.

Your thoughtful support and kindness has helped student learning and my instruction tremendously. Generous donors like you help to provide children with quality learning tools that make learning fun and exciting!

”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Parenza

Again, I want to experience my sincere thanks for your donation to our project "Just Hanging Around." We have used the pull-up bar to complete our fall Presidential fitness testing and will use it again in the spring for testing, amongst other activities throughout the school year.

Before we had a pull-up bar we used one out on the playground, which worked, but wasn't ideal. It was especially hard when physical education classes overlapped with recess and there were 100's of kids outside when we were trying to test. Not to mention the weather. Now thanks to your generosity we can test in the luxury of our own gym!

The kids would like to extend their appreciation as well, asking that I thanked you from them, so from my Elementary Physical Education classes, "Thank you!" ”

With gratitude,

Ms. O.