Rebuild Southgate Rippetoe Elementary

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Timing is everything. Your gracious gift could not have come at a more perfect time for my classroom. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Every little part of my classroom was destroyed by a tornado for the second time in two years, and your gracious donation help replace physical items so I could continue to teach the little children in my school district. They are the reason I get up in the morning is to see the light in the eyes of a child as they discover their own potential. Having the tools to teach makes my job to reach their potential much easier and YOU and your donation provided some of those tools. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I will use the library books as resources to teach throughout the year many subject areas. In kindergarten, we teach beginning sounds with library books, characters, sequence of the story, and prediction. The richness of the quality of literature books that you provided for my classroom from the stories Thunder Cake, , Alexander, Ivy and Bean, Cheater Pants and The Quilt just to name a few will allow my children to develop listening skills, longer attention spans as well as the academic skills required by my district. All teachers need necessities like a nice pencil sharpener, I am thankful for the one that you provided for my classroom. I am taking very good care of it and cleaning it out with a vacuum once a month to preserve it's lifespan. The soft seats are a huge hit for story time and help in my classroom management in preventing little ones from getting two close or two far away from each other. I also used it as a tool to teach color words and it was a huge success as the children wanted to sit on their favorite color so they worked hard to learn all the color words so they learned how to identity all the color words quickly so they could have free choice.

I hope you will be blessed by your gracious gift you will find gifts and peace given back to you tenfold. These precious children that I teach appreciate every opportunity that is given to them in the classroom. Thank you for believing in them. I truly believe that when one gives and expects nothing in return that itself is the biggest gift of all because you have received the gift of giving. Thank you for believing in public education and in a teacher in Oklahoma that lost everything not once but twice due to weather. You have helped me to believe in the greater good of kind people and I appreciate your willingness to help others. Thank you.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Mayes-Hancock

The books you purchased cover a wide range of topics I teach throughout the year. I love to introduce a new topic with a book first. We will read the book together and discuss what type of Math is happening in the book and how the Math works. We will then turn that into a paper lesson to make the ideas more concrete and provide practice for the kids.

After we read the books, I make them available to the kids at all times. I will also make a center that goes with the book, which contains activities that they may practice on when they finish their work early.

When I get a new student, I love to let them explore the centers of the material we have covered before they arrived at our school. This allows me to see what level they are on and it also exposes them to material they may not have covered yet at their previous school.

None of this would be possible without your willingness to be a part. Thank you for believing in education and making it a priority.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Smith

I cannot express fully in words what your generosity has done for my students! I lost my materials in the tornado and without you, I would have nothing to bring Math to life with my students. We use the manipulatives you purchased for us all the time! These materials allow the students to make math happen with their hands and to visually represent what they write in a standard algorithm. So many students in today's world are visual learners and when they can connect the concept I am teaching with the handwritten problem, they get a better understanding of Math. I love to hear the "oooo's" and "aaww's" from my students when I show them another manipulative we are using. To see their eyes open wide when the light bulb goes off in their head the minute they grasp a concept, is priceless. My students are always guessing what I am going to show them next, and that excites me! None of this would be possible without you. Thank you for caring about the future of our country and the education they receive.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Smith

I am so excited to have an iPad that I can utilize in my classroom. It gives children an opportunity to use technology that they may not have access to at home. The apps are endless. I primarily use the iPad to help struggling readers. There are a variety of reading apps that strengthen the skills that my students struggle with. These apps include but are not limited to sight word games, timed reading passages for fluency, and spelling games.

They really find the iPad to be exciting. It offers support and practice in areas that they need additional help with in a fun and interactive way. They even spend our class "money" to buy additional iPad time.

I have found that some of my students that especially love the iPad are those who have households that actually have no internet connection. I believe that they enjoy learning in a fun way.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Giles

I want to thank you for funding my project. Due to a tornado hitting our school, we were quickly relocated to a local church. My room was tiny, especially with 20 students and desks. Once State testing was over, I replaced most of my desks with our new oversized pillows. My student loved spreading out on the floor and being able to move freely.

When they first saw our newly arranged room they were so excited. They couldn't wait to have their turn with a pillow. One student told me that it was just like when he reads his books at home. To be able to create a safe and comfortable environment for these students in a time of uncertainty was priceless.

Although I have changed schools, my pillows have continued to make school a comfortable and safe place for children. My pillows are now enjoyed in my reading area. For something that may seem small to others it definitely made a difference to my displaced third graders.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Giles

Thank you so much for your generous gift of Math manipulatives. The class enjoys playing dice rolling games. This activity helps to develop number sense by matching numerals to their sets.

We are using the Math counters library to learn sorting by colors, size etc. The sorted objects can be graphed using the graphing trays. We also use the counters to create and complete various patterns.

My students were thrilled to receive these Math materials. They have made many of our Math lessons more enjoyable .”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Whitney

Thank you for your donation.We lost most of our reading and language arts resources during the tornado that hit our school. My students and I are extremely grateful for the resources we received due to your donation. Your support means so much during this difficult time.

The biggest impact these resources are having is during small group instruction. The reading folder are holding students interest and motivating them to practice comprehension skills. I have no doubt that with the help of these resources my students will have a tremendously successful year.

Thank you again for helping build a bright future for my students!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Clyma

I want to thank you so much for your generosity. It is so humbling to know that individuals I will likely never meet, have shown such concern and care for my classroom and students.

The beautiful rug your giving made possible, made my classroom a warm environment to welcome my students. We meet on the rug many times each day for our group lessons.

I use the small table to work with individual an small groups of students. I am able to provide targeted instruction to students who need extra support because of the teacher center I was able to create with this table.

The books and headphones provide a listening center for the class. Many of the selections are non-fiction. These stories are a great addition to my Science and Social studies curriculums.

My students were thrilled to return to our school and work in the wonderful classroom your gift made possible.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Whitney

My students were so excited about the books and other materials that we got in the mail they could not wait to use them. I kept hearing them talk about how they never get new stuff so it was a really big deal!

My students now have a classroom library they can be excited about. They are loving to get to read anything they want! They also loved using the dry erase boards as a class. They said they felt like they were on a game show.

My students are now reading more because they get more of a choice for what to read. They are also participating more in class because they get to be a part of discussions. Thank you so much for your donation. It will help make this year a successful one!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Cutrone