I get to grow a mustache for charity. Talk about feeling good about doing good--this is the summit. I’ve wanted to grow one for years, and now I finally have a way to justify it. I may not reach Wilford Brimley status, but I’m definitely going to try. Please say a silent prayer for my wife, but more importantly, please help support the programs below. The kids will benefit almost as much as I will. I only have a month, but it will be a glorious month. Please support me. Please support the ... more
I get to grow a mustache for charity. Talk about feeling good about doing good--this is the summit. I’ve wanted to grow one for years, and now I finally have a way to justify it. I may not reach Wilford Brimley status, but I’m definitely going to try. Please say a silent prayer for my wife, but more importantly, please help support the programs below. The kids will benefit almost as much as I will. I only have a month, but it will be a glorious month. Please support me. Please support the kids. Please support the 'stache. Thank you. (FYI, DonorsChoose.org is a 501(c)3 charity. See below for approvals from Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.) hide
When I revealed the cameras in their little boxes to my students and explained the projects, my students' eyes lit up. When I put the cameras in their hands and let the students experience being both in front and behind the camera, they either grinned from ear to ear or, as they played with the camera settings, furrowed their brows in deadlocked concentration. It was a beautiful sight to see interest and creativity pique in such a way.
As a classroom our hearts are racing to get started on this project, which would not have been possible without your help. Thanks to you, each of these students will get to use their minds and their hands to build story comprehension like they have never seen before in an experience that they will never forget.
I can't fully describe my excitement, and thanks for your donation to my project. It is great to see that you share my vision for reaching children. This new technology is a great asset to my classroom.
The mimio interactive tool now gives my students a chance to use and learn new technology on a regular basis. We've been able to do several vocabulary activities and Standards of Learning practice too. It's a great asset.
I also hope to share this tool with my colleagues and enhance their knowledge as well.
Again Thank you so much! We greatly appreciate your donations.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Katrina Sanders
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 13 other donors.
Thank you so much for supporting our busy classroom. I want to provide my urban students with as many opportunities as possible.
Many of my students come to me without a preschool experience. Because their experiences are limited I try to provide them with many opportunities. In this case, I want to expose them to the joys of pretending and the gift of the imagination.
We start by reading a fairy tale such as The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The students will read this for several days to become familiar with the story. Then, we introduce the puppets. The children take turns acting out the story.
This basic opportunity helps my students have a creative outlet to express themselves but also to have multiple ways to demonstrate comprehension of the story.
Thank you so much for providing my students with this wonderful gift!”
Thank yo so very much for the activities! The materials are being used in our stations. They have been a tremendous help in reviewing and learning skills like beginning sounds, ending sounds and middle sounds. Those vowels are so tricky for us in this class!
We have enjoyed all the puzzles the most so far. These students are loving the "puzzle" time we have during choice play. They always want to take out a puzzle but who could complain about that!!
Again we appreciate your generous gift to our class and your help to make these students "Fabulous" First Graders!”
My class and I thank you so much for the opportunity to explore the wonderful world of ceramics. We have been busy making all kinds of clay pieces and glazing them. The children have learned the impact that a simple material like clay has had on civilizations for centuries and why it was important to those societies to make these functional "everyday" clay pieces beautiful through artistic techniques such as glazing and etching. They have found a connection with the past and enjoy the idea of the pieces they have made surviving for centuries to come! As a teacher these are great lessons for my students to make connections with. As a faculty member the tools you have supplied my classroom with gives me the flexibility to reach out into the classrooms and make these relevant connections to the curriculum the students are learning outside art. As art shapes the world we live in, this integration plays an invaluable role in making art a seamless and natural part of our students education. My students, my colleagues and I thank you for you generous support in making our school a better, more fun and educational place.”
We can never thank you enough for the gift that you have given us. You have given us the gift of reading. You have provided us with books that we could not have on our own. Our students come in every day wanting to read. The books have built their confidence in reading. The children's self esteem has been boosted by having books that each child can read on their own. Their are no words to describe how grateful and happy we are. Thank you for helping us to read and to learn. Without your generosity this would not have been possible. You are all very special to us, and we will never forget your generosity. ”
I don't know where to begin! It's been a crazy couple of months with so much snow. My ESL caseload has changed so much with students moving away, and new ones arriving. The children were so excited when the shipments started to arrive. My little ones were anxious to play the Eric Carle games. Having to wait to play them until AFTER we read and discussed the books was difficult for them! These games not only help with their communication skills in English, but they really bring the books to life.
The older students are enjoying the "older" games, as well as the Caught Ya! Grammar With a Giggle activities. Their excitement is contagious. It's amazing to watch older ESL students...they enter whatever grade is appropriate for their age. So several are on their way to middle school next year, but do not know the difference between a noun, a verb, or an adjective. But what's amazing is how thirsty they are for me to teach them with these awesome new tools. They arrive early to my classroom and actually ask if we can work on grammar some more.
Your donations have truly made a difference in the lives of many children. You share in the responsibility and privilege of giving them a lifelong love of learning.
Again, thank you. Your generosity is very much appreciated.”
The students have had multiple chances now to use the new microscopes. They were so excited and amazed. We looked at cheek cells, onion skin, shed gecko skin and even snail eggs. They could see the little tiny snail crawling around in the egg and even see the snails heart beating. They couldn't wait to get their turn.
We used them in an activity looking at the properties of three mystery substances and they didn't know how many substances were in the mix. They had to use the properties of what they saw with the naked eye and the microscope to determine how many substances were in there. They were captivated. The microscopes are truly a benefit to these kids. Most of them got the number of substances correct. Thanks so much for helping out.”
Thank you so much to ALL of you for the books that make my students' brains look big! :)
My students LOVE the books that came with the leveled library, and with the bins and stickers, it is so much easier to organize my other books by level. I especially love that the leveling stickers have pictures in addition to letters. The stickers for level A books have apples on them, the B stickers have beach balls, etc. So I can tell kids to choose "goat books" or "dog books" instead of saying "You're a level D, and he's a level G." It sounds strange, but it makes them less aware of the alphabetic progression, and they are less concerned with their reading level relative to the other students and more excited to read books that are a good fit for them individually.
To use sticker parlance rather than letters of the alphabet, I am excited to report that since we received the books, my students who were reading Apple and Ball books are now reading Cars and Dogs! And students who were reading Cars and Dogs are reading Footballs and Goats! As you can see from the pictures, the students LOVE their good-fit books. They take them home to read at night, and they choose books from the bins to put in their individual reading boxes. It is also a BIG treat when we finish the guided reading lessons early and the students get some extra time to read from the good-fit books. When we first received the books, more than one student remarked happily, "This IS a good-fit book!" It was especially gratifying to hear it from students who had had real difficulty finding good-fit books before when I didn't have enough books on their level.
Thank you so much for the gift you have given my students. Because of your generosity and these books, my students are becoming confident readers. Their brains are looking bigger every day! ”
I would just like to thank each of you so very much for your generous donations. Your contributions made it possible for our classroom to receive a new table, stools and play food set for our active play area. The materials and furniture have already been put to good use. The minute we got the table and stools together and the play food opened, the children were jumping at a chance to play in out shiny, new active play area.
As many schools, our school is facing a budget shortfall so, without your help, my students would have never gotten a chance to have such wonderful materials in their classroom this year. So, thank you again. Without people like you, I would have never gotten to see such joy on the faces of my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lee
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