The 2011 Contest: Superpage

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Thank you so much for the donation of a new xylophone to our classroom. It's exciting to see the students get excited about playing instruments, especially since we are able to share one instrument for two students now! I wish you could have been here today as students were discovering for themselves how chords and triads work. Using xylophones gives the students a visual representation of chord structure they can hear, see and feel, addressing all three modalities of learning. The cries of "I get it!!" and the big smiles are so rewarding. You would have loved seeing (and hearing) it!

Having enough materials to go around is a huge improvement from where we were when I started teaching here. When I started, we had three instruments for 24 students. Now we have enough to share one xylophone for every two students. We're playing more complex music from many different cultures. Students are also discovering how to play songs they hear on the radio on xylophone, which can translate to keyboards when they go to high school.

Victor Hugo said, "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to keep silent." Thank you for giving my students, many of whom have difficulty expressing themselves in English, an outlet for expression, discovery, and a way to connect with something that makes us truly human. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Schramke

Thank you for your generosity and support of our project! Because of your donation, my science scholars are now able to enjoy hands-on science instruction rather than simply talking about it or looking at pictures that do their best to portray science concepts. "Bob", the name we have given our skeleton, has become an important part of our classroom. Almost every day students stop by Bob to shake his hand or give him a hug. Bob has so far only been used once for official instruction. During a Forensic Science skit, a group of three young men decided to use Bob as a victim of a violent crime. There was quite a bit of excitement from the other students who were concerned about Bob and his situation. The young men were able to describe various imaginary injuries to Bob's bones caused by knife wounds. This required them to conduct research on the human skeleton and on knife wound evidence. Although we have not yet used the resources you've helped fund to the fullest extent possible, I am confident that they will enjoy learning about the human body using the item you've so graciously donated to our classroom. My scholars and I thank you for supporting our classroom. Without generous donors such as yourself we would not be able to have such a lively, hands-on, interactive classroom environment.

”

With gratitude,

Ms. Estilette

I want to thank each of you for donating to our project. Your generosity goes beyond ordinary kindness. You have chosen to enrich the learning environment of students you have never met and, as a teacher working in a high needs district, I can only begin to tell you what a difference you have made.

The Nooks that were purchased with your donations are used every day by my students. They are struggling readers who generally avoid reading at all costs because it is difficult for them and they think there is nothing interesting for them to read. The Nooks have allowed me to present classic literature to them through a modern vehicle. The increase in their enthusiasm was immediate. When a student has read something they liked by a particular author or in a particular genre, we are able to download a similar book for them to read from the public library. All of a sudden, reading for pleasure is a possibility for students who never saw it as such. New door have been opened for them and you were all an integral part in that. My students and I can not thank you enough.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Calvi

Thank you again for your generosity enabling us to spend another year exploring the mathematical wonders of origami!  Our kids really take to this project, especially when they see the amazing geometric forms created by students from previous years.  Through our paper folding and structure-building, kids learned about perimeter, surface area and volume; properties of 2-d and 3-d figures, and the importance of following instructions and being patient.  They shared their geometric origami with friends and family, and their works decorate much of our school.  All in all it's been a complete success”

With gratitude,

Mr. Kapasi

February 1, 2011

Dear Jennifer,

A sincere "thank you" for the rockets purchased at Sargent-Welch Cenco Products for the donation to our sixth grade students. I can say that I have officially watched seventy six eleven and twelve year old students gasp with excitement as they watched their rockets blast into the sky. Because of your generosity and willingness to donate, we were able to supply all of our students with an individual rocket to build and launch.

The school is located in a rural area and many of our students receive free and reduced lunches. Clearly, without your donation, we would not have been able do this exciting project. My students are hard working, intelligent, and want to experience science in real and meaningful ways. Your donation enabled the students to experience first hand the joy of learning science.

Again, thank you for your support as an educational leader and for everything your donation did to encourage the students and staff at our school. Projects that enhance learning rockets are essential keys to the success of any school, and I thank you for your donation which has enhanced the lives of each and every sixth grade student.

Sincerely,”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Speagle

Thank you so much for your kind donation to my project. From the moment our supplies arrived, my students were so excited to begin making jewelry. I make jewelry and brought in several examples of my own work, which I hope inspired my students. My students were allowed to make a necklace, a bracelet, and a few of them made additional pieces. It was really interesting to work with them in selecting their types and colors of beads. My usually busy, noisy art room became place of tranquility while my students were engaged in making their creations. They loved the results, and some of them want to continue learning more about this craft.

Most of my students have experienced hardship in their young lives, and most of them do not have the means to purchase quality supplies. Sadly, my budget usually only covers basic materials, so these supplies were precious to us. I wish you could meet my students. They are amazing, delightful, hard working, and truly deserving of new artistic experiences. Thank you for sharing my belief that arts education can change the life of a child. You are all "jewels"!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Robinson

Thank you so much for the book set! My students are enjoying The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson immensely. They enjoy it so much that they can't put it down! My reluctant readers, especially, want to read all of the time now!

The author's use of figurative language is not only entertaining, but it helps me to illustrate important concepts we have learned in reading. Also, since many of my students are second-language learners, they can relate to the main character's struggle to adapt to life in the United States.

With so much testing and reading from anthologies, it feels like novel reading has become a thing of the past. But, thankfully, not in our classroom and grade level! I already have a "waiting list" of other teachers who want to use the book when we are finished!

Thank you again and again for providing us with such wonderful books!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Wegis