In fall of 2018, Hurricane Michael devastated schools and communities along the Florida panhandle and across the Southeast. Donations to these projects helped teachers rebuild their classrooms, set up temporary school facilities, and get their students back to learning.
Thank you so much for your contribution to the learning of my students. When my students saw the packages they all clapped! One said, "Mrs. Gill, it's like Christmas!"
My students are so excited that we now have a stool for everyone when they come to my table for small group instruction.
What I love most about the stools, is the students feet are still under the table! They are forced to keep their feet firmly planted on the floor in order to balance themselves. They are also unable to slouch or lean back in their chairs, which helps them remain alert! Their focus has improved tremendously—they write better, they remain engaged longer, and their energy is channeled in a positive way!
I am so grateful for you donation to my project! Thank you again!”
My students are so eager to get a chance to use our flexible seating while completing work. We began using the materials in a rotation so all students were able to find the perfect seat for them. Many of them love the wobble stools so I decided to sit those at our cozy corner for independent work.
When we first opened the boxes of materials, my class was super excited. I had failed to bring my air pump for the yoga balls, but my students knew where we could find one to borrow. After borrowing a pump, the students made sure that I had put enough air into each one so that they could be properly used.
Our next project in 5th grade will be to build a list of supplies needed to use our science journals and STEM projects we want to create to show understanding of science concepts. We hope to prepare this to lead us into the spring before we take our state science test.
Thank you for supporting our students and giving them an opportunity to move and learn simultaneously.”
After receiving the requested stability ball chairs and lapdesks we immediately reorganized the classroom to accomodate the new items. The students were so excited to open the boxes and they were allowed to assembly the products themselves. The normal student desks that were lined up in a row were stored and the students created seating areas using the newly supplied items. We established flexible seating rules and expectations and oh what a difference the seating has made.
My students enjoy coming to class and not being confined to the same old hard and uncomfortable desks. Before writing this impact letter I asked the students to give me their true opinion of the new flexible seating arrangement. Some of them stated "its nice to sit on the floor or against the wall and not be required to sit in a desk". They really enjoy having the freedom to choose their seating and creating their own area for study time. One student commented that "the room feels more modern and up to date and it fits your teaching style". Wow I never imagine that just by changing our seating that my students would respond in such a positive manner. Not only are they comfortable and more focus on our discussions and lessons, they take pride in our class and its contents.
Students have suggested new items for our classroom and are taking an activity role in making this work for all students. We will continue to add additional areas to the class until we have reached our classroom goal of a complete flexible seating classroom.”
Thank you so much for your generosity in providing new books to my classroom. My students love to read, and we read every day! It has been so fun to go through all of the books with my students and see all of the different topics, genres, and reading levels of these books. We are currently trying to read all of the Christmas books we received!
My students visit the library center at least twice every week, so it is important to have a wide variety of books for them to choose from. When there are only a few books to read, they get burnt out quickly, and start to think of the library center as a boring place. With so many new books to choose from, and having LOTS of options to meet everyone's individual reading level and ability, they are excited to visit the library center and find something new to read each day!
Again, thank you for your support. We really appreciate it!”
Technology has become an important tool for students in today's classrooms. Students have the opportunity to take control of their learning through the various software packages we have at our disposal. While having technology in the classroom, such as laptops, is great it also creates a storage dilemma. Having a cabinet for storing and charging is a perfect solution. The cabinet purchased for my classroom has made the laptops accessible to the students as well as creating an organized environment conducive to learning. Thank you so much for supporting my classroom and public education.”
Thank you so much for supporting our classroom community. Every morning we sit on the carpet and have our morning meeting. The carpet has become our community center where we can talk about anything.
They were so excited to see the carpet and love how comfortable it is. I often get compliments on the rug from staff and parents!
During our novel studies, I read to students while sitting on the carpet. Students also like to work on the carpet which enables another flexible seating option! We are so blessed to have supporters like you!”
¡Amamos a nuestros donantes! (We love our donors!)
Our students have gone crazy about reading in the last couple of months thanks to your generosity bringing this project to fruition! They love having a Spanish companion to popular classic books being read in class, and have also used the books to read for pleasure! The favorites have been the Harry Potter books, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and of course, Captain Underpants . . . in Spanish! They also love the picture books, and they enjoy seeing books in their native language that they have never read before but are familiar to most English-speaking children. Thank you so much for encouraging the love of reading among our students!”
It is with great gratitude and appreciation that I submit this impact letter to you for your kindness and willingness to give, toward Can you hear us? With the headphones that were donated, we have been able to tap into further learning. We have also been able to utilize the Internet to participate in web based math and reading lessons with the use of our headphones. This allows for more availability of the technology and the ability to concentrate on their personal learning, which can be limited when you have a large class.
Again, thank you for your donation. After the impact of Hurricane Michael last year our community is still rebuilding and parents are not able to provide what their child needs for school. You donation has given them what they need in order to do many of the required online courses.”
Thank you for donating to this classroom project. It has really allowed my students and myself to practice organization in an eye pleasing way! We are integrating the parts and pieces, all the cubby storage and such in new ways all the time. My students really love helping me organize and reorganize the library. Sometimes I think they take it apart just to put it back together again. Having items to practice organizational skills on a daily basis really helps the students be responsible for their work and therefore their education. I see so much potential with how they have taken to it. Thank you so much.”
Thank you so much for donating to my project! Thanks to your generosity, we will be receiving 3- Apple iPod Touch and 10 sets of nice headphones.
So many of my students struggle with independent reading. I have found that students love to listen to reading! I will use these iPods by adding audio books for the students to listen to. Students will be able to look at a book and listen to it read aloud. These combined will help students understand the book better and will cultivate their reading comprehension.
My students are so excited to have the latest iPod Touch to use! In today's society, children are so used to the latest technology that it is often hard to engage them with outdated technology. We are grateful for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alice Mansell
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