Channing Mitzell's May Campaign to Assist Indiana Edu

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Thank you so much for your generous donation towards my donor's choose project. I feel such gratitude toward all the people who help make the physical education program here a success. Products like the ones I purchased really help make my day easier.

The ball racks and the organizational carts will help a great deal in organizing my storage room closet. They will also help transport the equipment outside if needed. We didn't have any ball racks at all and when the students saw them filled with our balls they were very excited.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Fox

My students were so excited to receive a book set for the classroom. We enjoy reading and participating in novel studies in small groups. The students love being able to dive into a book and learn new vocabulary. Through the purchase of the book, my students have been able to practice many skills such as; comprehension, literary response, vocabulary, context clues, inferencing, main idea, predictions, and details.

Thank you for your support in our learning. These books will be a blessing for many classes to come! :)”

With gratitude,

Ms. Martinez

Thank you so much for the wonderful resources you helped to fund for our classroom. The students love the nonfiction books that you helped provide. They are especially helpful because they are leveled and all the students in the classroom are able to read and enjoy them. They are high interest texts and the students have learned so much from these resources. The students have used the resources to help them with research projects and to learn more about themes we are studying in the classroom. They have also helped the students have a better understanding of different types of texts such as newspapers and brochures. We use the resources in our independent reading centers and guided reading. I feel like with the exposure to these types of texts and subjects of nonfiction that the students now have a better understanding of these subject matters when otherwise they may not have had experienced in these topics. These resources have also spiked an interest in reading nonfiction and it is carrying into the student's independent book choices. These resources have been such a positive influence in our classroom!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Eggleston

Thank you so much for your wonderful gift of monopoly games for our students! They enjoyed playing the game and learned a lot about economics and improved their math skills while playing! Many of the students were highly engaged with the lesson that was planned. My colleagues and I plan to use them more in the coming months and even in future years as we adapt and revise how we used the games this fall. I hope you consider supporting other projects in the future, because students love it when we are able to provide new creative learning experiences!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Veldman

Thank you so much for donating the much needed supplies for our classroom. The students appreciate having notebooks, folders, pencils, and the best pencil sharpener in the school.

\We are using the notebooks to create interactive notebooks which incorporate art and visual aids to our notes. This is very helpful to students who are visual learners and need the extra support to utilize their notebooks effectively.

The word has spread quickly that if you are in need of a folder or a pencil to see Mrs. Burdi and she can hook you up. Basic supplies should be a given in any school and we appreciate that you have made this a reality for ours.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Bauer Burdi

Last year I came up with a project to teach typography to middle school boys in a fun, creative and hands on way. Students would learn about fonts and the visual impact a font can play on how a message is perceived. Students would then create their own font and eventually create, assemble and design a 3D letter in that font, that represents who they are.

By scouring to find the materials I was able to successfully complete this project with one of my smaller classes. This year, with having more students, I knew it would be harder to collect the materials so that all of my students would have the chance to experience the project. Last years students loved the project so much and continue to tell me how proud of their work they were. When this years students entered the class, many asked if they would be able to do the "letter project" that they saw their peers do last year. I am grateful that through donors I can make this a reality for students. I would not be able to complete this project with all my students without all of the materials from the donor's. Unfortunately, there was a shipping mix up and my students and I didn't receive the materials until much later than intended. This means my students haven't yet had the opportunity to use them. However, they have expressed how extremely excited they are to finally get to do the project.

I know that this project will not only be a fun experience but also a wonderful learning opportunity. Everyday students are bombarded with messages but many times don't realize how the messenger has presented the message and why they perceive it the way that they do. This project allows students to be more aware of how typography plays such a big role in how they see messages and logos. This project also introduces students to graphic design and gives them a chance to think about how they want to present themselves and express what is important to them.

I appreciate your help in ensuring that all of my students have the chance to enjoy this project.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Fields

I so much appreciate the materials that I received as a result of the grant you funded for the project titled, "Taming My Anger".

At a time when social/emotional learning is paramount and with the decrease of mental health service providers in our schools, your donations have helped me create a positive learning experience for children. Your donations purchased materials that help children learn effective skills for appropriately naming their feelings and for dealing more appropriately with anger and frustration. I have been able to start meeting with a group of children and they are greatly enjoying learning and practicing new strategies for dealing with anger in healthy ways. The anger these children have impact their academic and social lives and they are feeling more successful as they learn how to deal with their feelings in a more pro- social way.

With all the budget cuts to mental health service providers in the schools and an increased call for social/emotional learning we struggle to find materials that will reach as many children as possible and yet be effective. These materials are engaging to the children and have effective strategies thus making them a perfect fit for using with groups of children for years to come.

I cannot thank you enough for your generosity.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Fedrick

When the packages arrived to the school the students were still enjoying their summer away. Upon their return we opened the packages together and talked about how each of you have made an impact on their learning process. They were amazed to see each item as I pulled them from the boxes. Each of their smiles a mile wide and missing teeth; excited to see each of the new learning tools donated by you. As items have been introduced and utilized we talk about the tools they are using and where they came from. Each item has made a significant impact on their learning and my teaching. I am now able to give them hands on tools at their level that they can use to understand each concept taught.

Students are using these tools both in groups and independently. We are using the common core driven kits to guide small reading groups and to stem thinking using the flip charts. Also we have used many of the re-telling story kit puppets to connect deeply with the text we have read. Students are now able to re-tell the story using these puppets to a friend and act out the story in their own words. This is helping them understand what is happening in the text and answer higher level thinking questions. The data shows that students are learning concepts quicker and deeper with these tools.

The materials from this project made it possible to ensure that all styles of learning are represented and each student is successful. You have made it possible for these 26 students to possess a love of learning. Thank you for all your support and generous gifts towards our classroom materials.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Rutherford

Thank you so much for supporting our class as we learn about the United States and our world. We appreciate so much the financial help to purchase the fabulous relief globe and the foam floor map of the United States.

My students are always excited to rotate to the puzzle center. They find the bright colors and the large size appealing. It is such a great opportunity to work together to accomplish something--like learning about the regions of the United States. This helps them make connections about states and the regions of the United States. In addition, they are able to easily visualize where the capital of each state is located. The boys and girls love to work with our new globe. They enjoy the texture and the ability to identify he mountainous regions around the world. It has been so well received that students from other classes come to borrow our globe! Word has spread throughout our building that we have THE best globe in the school. While we are willing to share, we are always happy when it returns to our room! While it is useful during Social Studies, we have found ourselves using it as a reference tool during other subject areas. For instance, we were reading about the number of Major League Baseball players that come from the Dominican Republic. No one knew where the Dominican Republic was--until we went to our new globe. We spent about 10 minutes as we analyzed clues from our non-fiction text and realized that we would find it in the tropical zone. As each small reading group investigated and searched the tiny islands of the Caribbean, the comments were not surprising. "I never knew that's where Cuba was...Boy, it's close to Florida, isn't it? So that's where Hawaii is...Look how far away from California...On the map in my Social Studies book, it looks so much closer."

Our curriculum requires us to teach about landforms. With the addition of our new globe, my job is much easier. When we see video clips of various land types around the world, students check to see if the clip is accurate based on our new globe. Being able to "feel" the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains and see the length of the ranges provides a fresh perspective that a flat map or video clip cannot. Geography is a huge part of our Social Studies curriculum. Due to a shift to Common Core Standards, we are reading far more non-fiction texts. The texts are more complex and require my students to use analytical skills. Many of these passages involve Social Studies and Science--very technical reading. These resource materials help my students make informed decisions.

My students seem to love Social Studies time now, and I know it is because of the resources you have provided. Please know that my students use the materials with the utmost care. They, too, are grateful for an opportunity to learn with inviting materials that reinforce classroom instruction. I love to see them decide for themselves..."Hey, let's look for this on the globe..." Then you know, your gift has made an impact--and yours has!

Again, thank you for your generosity. We appreciate it very much.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Beach