Tomato Nation Spring Contest 2013: May I Have This Dance?

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We are so grateful for all of your help! In our classroom, we are now able to have more durable centers and save precious work to remember forever. There is nothing more exciting in class than creating personalized story books, sharing this work with families, and allowing students to see that their work is important enough to keep beyond the first grade. Thank you for all that you've done and I hope you continue to support public schools because each dollar matters in the life of a student. We are continuously grateful!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Giles

I wanted to thank you all for the support during this project. The materials we attained through the donation changed the way I teach the class and helped the students grasp the concepts and training behind set building and safety.

When we received the tools, the students were ecstatic and truly surprised. We went through all of the safety behind the power tools and started using the tools in small ways. Many of our students had never used a power tool before so we had to start small. We eventually got into building our set and although it was a challenge for all of us, they all loved it!

Students are now comfortable with the power tools and have a confidence about them that just rocks! Being able to use the saws and drill has changed the way the students see technical theatre. They are now able to explore storytelling through different levels of design and construction and are using their imagination to create amazing things.

My students and I are so grateful for this gift. Thank you again for this trust and for your support of the arts.

Many thanks!”

With gratitude,

Mr. Morales

Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. The kids love the dividers and are actively using them daily. They themselves, will get up and move the dividers before starting an activity. The dividers have become a part of our daily routine. Our classroom would not run as smoothly or as effectively without them.

We use the dividers to split the class into groups and to lessen the noise level. We use them daily for small group work, independent work and for some students to just have that one on one time that is necessary for breaks.

Like many school districts around the country, or school is too facing budget cuts. Without your help my students would have never had to the opportunity to work in small groups or independently free from distractions.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Scanlan

My students could not be happier with our new iPad! I have been working very hard trying to provide my students with technology resources and this iPad takes us one step closer to the 21st century classroom learning environment that I would like to create for my first graders. Thank you so very much for your help in getting us one step closer to this goal. We use this iPad in many different ways. I use it to present different lessons in a fun, engaging, interactive way. My students also get time to use it in a multitude of ways. They sometimes take reading comprehension quizzes, other times they may read a story, and the also sometimes play different learning games. Thank you again for your help in making this possible!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Reeves

I can't thank you enough for the drying painting rack you funded to my school's art program. It is great to see that there are outstanding people like you who believe and understand that art education is intrinsic in a child's life, especially when it comes to painting.

When that big box was delivered in the art room, my students were very curious asking about its content. They were very excited to know that from then on painting and any other artworks that require drying time were going to be a regular activity. No more waiting for their group's turn to do such kind of activities since now there is enough room for all the artworks to dry out on the same day. First graders started right away to paint this season's main theme: a snowman. They are so proud of their beautiful artistic accomplishment that they wanted to give their artwork as a Valentine's gift to their parents.

We can't wait to keep exploring and expanding our learning opportunities in art in a happy and excited way since now we have this new piece of equipment for all the children in our school .”

With gratitude,

Ms. Sacharny

I would like to thank you for your generous donation to help purchase our sound system for the dance team. Having the sound system allows us to have our music where ever and when ever we need it. A lot of times we have wait for a turn to use the schools system but now we don't have to. The girls enjoy having the sound system available for their practices and performances, they never have to worry if the system will be of quality. We have used the system for practices, performances, and competition try-outs. Again THANK YOU so very much!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Aleman

Thank you so much for the dry erase markers. My students were very happy when we opened the packages of brand new markers. No longer do they need to use faded markers when working with individual whiteboards.

We have been using the markers frequently throughout the year in my geometry class for various activities. My students get very excited to use these markers as a it is a change of pace from the usual pen/pencil and paper. The eagerly attack math problems on the white boards and their enthusiasm is great.

When using these markers I can instantly assess the understanding of my students on a certain topic and adapt the lesson or target certain students to make sure the whole class is moving forward.

Thank you again for you generosity.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Garofalo

There will never be enough thank-you's to say for your generous donations. When we received our supplies some of my students were brought to tears. No more worrying about not having the correct supplies for class, and being prepared for their learning was to much for some of them to handle.

We use our supplies everyday. In this classroom we are very hands on, and create a lot of projects in our class.

The supplies we received from this project gave my students and I the opportunity to have more hands-on learning. We now create diagrams, draw pictures, write and illustrate stories. Students have the opportunity to explore the learning on a whole different level!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Baye