The Justache

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I would like to begin by just simply saying thank you. It took over 20 donors to bring this project to life-each one of you! Thank you! It is so refreshing to know that people like you are out there ready and willing to support students and their education in these difficult economic times. Basic classroom supplies are hard to come by let alone the things that are considered extras. I consider the camera and flip camera essential and I am so grateful for your donations. With out you they would not be a resource in my classroom.

Since receiving the cameras, they have been used in may ways- documenting student work, for photo time lines of our spring expedition, for a class book on how to build a raised garden bed, to record a performance for families from our celebration of learning, and more. Children love seeing themselves on film and in photos and it can be a real motivator. I was thrilled at the end of the school year to send home DVDs of student photos and our performance.

I am most grateful that I will now always have these resources. The materials don't just impact one class for one year. Thank you for taking the time to read about this project and for helping us. The photos that I took for my thank you packages now and also for future projects will be taken with our new camera.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Kristen Flaherty

Since receiving the library carts you generously donated to our classroom in February, our classroom transitions have become much more efficient, giving us more time to devote to learning.

Given the budget constraints at my school and in our district, this kind of investment would not have been possible without your help. Your gift has sent a message to my students that many people care about investing in their education.

Thank you so much for making a difference in the lives of these students. You are truly appreciated!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Anderson

On behalf of my entire class of 3rd graders, I would like to thank you all for being so generous with your time (using this website) and money (donated to my project). Thank you is certainly not enough to express my gratitude, but it is a small token.

The reading and writing supplies (flash cards, magnetic word boards, talking phones) are a great addition to my classroom. The students have really enjoyed using the talking phones during the writing process. They allow the students to hear their own writing and they help them proceed through editing and revising. The other supplies are being used with a variety of students in small groups, individual activities and centers (self-guided activities done while the teacher is working with small groups).

Many schools, including ours, are facing many challenges. It's people like you that ease those challenges and help out our future as well.

Thank you again for all your generosity. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Lipp

There aren't enough words to express how grateful I am for your generous donations! Having physical education equipment in the classroom has made a huge impact in my classroom. Before your donations our classroom equipment consisted of one flat rubber ball, a Frisbee, and one small plastic jumprope. That combined with a teacher who doesn't have knowledge of that many PE activities made having PE a real challenge. Now having PE isn't challenging, and is something Iook forward to doing.

Our states current economic crisis, and my own financial crisis would have prevented me from ever even thinking about having any PE equipment. My students now have access to "special" equipment. Your generosity has helped to make their days at school a little brighter. It is great to know that there are people out their who care about the well being of others. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Pipkin

This project was a dream for me. I never thought it would come to be true. The first thing I did with the iMac is have my students use photo booth to take self-portraits in any way they'd like to. They loved it. The day we were able to Skype with The Ocean Doctor was such a great day. My students all huddled in so they could be seen and heard while he was on a ship near Antarctica. They were absolutely silent as he played sounds from penguins and even listening to the air popping through thousand year old icebergs. They got to ask questions and feel completely involved with someone who loves what they're learning about. I have plans to Skype with other people who work with ocean animals.

We've begun using it to put all our pictures together for the end of the year. We're able to manage our listening centers and classroom music. Even the screen saver puts my students into a trance when it starts. The possibilities are endless with this iMac and we're still finding things to do with it. Thank you!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Francis

I can't explain my students delight! In all honesty I am just as excited to have this amazing tool in our classroom. I have yet to learn all that it does and my students are showing me cool new things that they have learned!

With this one small tool their small world is limitless! They are not only to read, be read to, and study what is being read to them, but they can find any books that suit their needs/liking.

I can't thank you enough for what you have done for my students. Without you I would not have been able to supply my students with such an amazing tool!

Thanks again”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Stanford

Whew! I just finished putting together the three new bookcases and wanted to take pictures immediately to show how great they look in our classroom! I included a photograph of the unused space before the bookcases arrived; you will be able to see how much these three short bookcases brighten up our classroom.

A new collection of books about tigers has begun arriving this week. We've tucked these new books into a place of honor, right in the middle of the three new bookcases. There was much discussion among students about just which books deserve to be housed in this fine new furniture. Clearly, the discussion will continue next week!

Thank you so much for supporting this project. Reading is important in our classroom. Your gift made possible a better storage and organization system for books in our room. We appreciate your generosity.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Livingstone