As many of you know, I am running the Nashville Marathon on April 27, 2013. I am dedicating this marathon to teachers everywhere--especially as my own beautiful wife is an amazing teacher. In addition, in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, I am focusing this fundraising effort on classrooms that provide special needs support. Our teachers are the ones who can help to prevent another tragedy by providing early intervention to students with special needs.
During my run I will spend each mile ... more
As many of you know, I am running the Nashville Marathon on April 27, 2013. I am dedicating this marathon to teachers everywhere--especially as my own beautiful wife is an amazing teacher. In addition, in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, I am focusing this fundraising effort on classrooms that provide special needs support. Our teachers are the ones who can help to prevent another tragedy by providing early intervention to students with special needs.
During my run I will spend each mile thinking of each of you who donated to this cause. Thanks for your support! hide
Thank you so much for your contribution to Litton Middle School's clay project!
All 350 of my art students are doing a clay unit. We are doing a slab constructed African mask, a coil pot and a pinch pot. The artist gets to keep any artwork that survives firing.
The kids loved this project, from beginning to end. During the wet stages, they were excited to create something with their hands (and that it was super messy.) When their glazed works came out of the kiln, they were amazed how transformed their pots were.
At the beginning of this unit, I gave a pre-test. No one knew ANYTHING! Literally, everyone failed. On the post test, 5th grade averaged 83% with 5 students getting a 100%. 6th grade averaged an 87% with 6 students getting a 100%. 7th grade averaged an 88% with 5 students getting 100%. 8th grade averaged an impressive 95% with 10 students earning a 100%.”
Thank you for the amazing opportunity you have given my students by purchasing the books for our classroom. The day that the book shipment came in I allowed my students to open the boxes. They immediately became excited and asked to start checking the books out of my classroom library. They RUSHED me to put my name in them so they could take them home! I LOVED their enthusiasm!!!
We have been able to read books as a class and school that we would have not had the opportunity to without your support. Students have been able to take the elements of literature and apply that to current "popular" books. This has caused more excitement and "buy in" for the students to get really involved in the books.
The results of this donation have been priceless to my students and to my teaching. These books will continue to be used in the years to come. Thank you is just not enough!”
Having this project funded has made a tremendous impact on how students interact in the computer lab. Having headphones with microphones that actually work was the first step! The majority of our previous headsets were broken and were several years old, so we were having to share about 5 sets that worked at the time. Having a class set of headsets now makes it so much more convenient and makes class projects run much smoother.
When I explained to the students that the headsets had been funded through Donors Choose, they were very excited and very appreciative of such a nice gesture of people who just visit a website and donate funding for so many projects. They were excited to get started and use the headphones, especially when they knew that they were about to record their own voice!
Because the materials didn't arrive until the last week of school, we didn't get to use them until just recently when school just started, so I have only been able to use them with one grade level so far. I have some fourth graders that are doing a school service project. They are taking read aloud books from our Kindergarten classrooms and recording themselves reading the book aloud using a program called Audacity. Once the stories are recorded, we will burn the audio to a disc and place in a sleeve on the back cover of each book that was read. This will allow students in Kindergarten classrooms to listen to the stories as they follow along, and they will have been read by students at their own school, many of whom may be siblings of current Kindergarteners. The fourth graders were ecstatic when they learned that their voices would be recorded for Kindergarteners to listen to!
This project has already allowed for reading integration with students. It has also taught them how to use voice projection as well as enthusiasm in their reading. We were able to discuss different ways to read stories and how voice inflection and voice projection can change a persons point of view of each story. They were really practicing and trying hard to make the stories sound interesting to a Kindergartener. It was great to hear and see them using reading and speaking tools to complete this project. We are still currently working on this project and can't wait to see the finished product.”
When this box of math materials arrived at school I was thrilled. It came at the greatest opportunity ever. My kindergarteners this year had to take an achievement test. Yes bubbles and all. It has been very tiresome and long. The box arrived two days before the test. Not only where they just as excited as they would be at Christmas but I was able to do wonderful math reviews and after 2 1/2 hours of sitting and testing the students were excited and thrilled to learn more. These games made reinforcing this year a breeze. One student was yes I want to do the monkeys. He has so much trouble counting one on one this was perfect for him. The reading word problem game....one boy was "Hey, Mrs. Fleak look here I used my sight words. Read this sentence. And did my math. Aren't you proud of me?" I could not have been any more proud of him. I was elated. I was so scared that my child with aspergers would have a very hard time during achievement test. Not a problem. I let him choose every morning before the test what he would like to review first ad saved it for him. He did GREAT!!!! This was a HUGE defeat in itself. The best part is I can end the school year strong and begin the coming year even stronger. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your generosity that helped purchase the instrument cleaning supplies for our school. The supplies that were received are already being used every day by our students. Clarinetists are swabbing, tubists are polishing, trombonists are snaking their slides, trumpeters are oiling their valves, and the list goes on.
The amount of students these supplies will impact is huge. Over 60 students have benefited immediately, and hundreds more will benefit due to the increased longevity of well maintained instruments. All of them will be grateful that they can experience music with instruments that have been taken care of with appropriate supplies.
Without help from generous people like yourselves, so many children across the nation would have so much less.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Allen
This classroom project was brought to life by Robert & Clarita Whitney Fund and 19 other donors.
I would like to offer a humble token of gratitude to your generous contribution to our project for my students with exceptional needs. The computer and memory card that you donated help my students everyday. My students are now learning how to efficiently apply for jobs after graduation and plans what kind of jobs they can apply to when the time comes. This simple yet functional skill can assist them to further achieve independence. I see the change everyday when they continue to practice and review computer skills, searching web sites and recognizing job opportunities through the use of these materials.
We are fortunate to be able to access learning through the materials you have donated. We wish you more blessings in return!”
On Thursday night, we played our first game with our very own equipment and we won! The team was so proud of the balls and basket. They took extra care to count the balls after the game and ensure they had all of them. They team has only lost 1 game this season and feel like pros! It is amazing the difference support from others can make in how they feel and play.
The finals tournament is this coming weekend and the team is beyond excited. Your support and contributions have made this season the best yet for this team and they are looking forward to many more!
It is a pleasure to know that so many people believe in education, and Special Education in particular. I am very passionate about my job and a stronger believer in early intervention. By working with kids since they are three-years-old we are able to provide them with a solid foundation for learning and sucess throughout life.
Your donation will enable us to participate in the Special Olymplics.
The kids will increase their motor skills, learn how to work as part of a team and develop their cognitive skills.
What a tremendous gift you have given to these kids and our community!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Azulay
Share this page
A chain reaction of support starts with one share.