School Supplies for Refugee Students

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Thank you for your generous donation to our school. The folders provided students with personal organizational tool that helped them improve their writing. Each student was able to collect and share their work as part of a year long writing portfolio which their parents bear witness to in the final days of Kindergarten.

It was a privilege to watch the students grow their writing and become more independent through the use of the writing folders. Thank you for deciding to invest in our school and kids.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Moore

There are special people in this world. It is shown to us in various ways. It is my belief that these special people are like guardian angels. We don't always see them, but we know they are there. That is what you, as donors, are like for us. I teach for a program where my students are new to the country and who do not speak English. They come from all over the world. Currently the hail from Congo, Burundi, Nepal, Bhutan, Puerto Rico, Liberia, Guatemala, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Somali. That means, in my classroom, children are speaking Swahili, Kinyamulenge, Nepali, Spanish, Liberian English, Kunama, Amharic, Portuguese, and Somali. The diversity is incredible. In order to teach these wonderful kiddos, it takes more than just a curriculum and that costs more money that school districts often don't have. That is why so many of us turn to you.

The Alphabet Pebbles and Phonics Pebbles have been an amazing tool for learning to read and write. Students are able to take them home and use with younger siblings and any non-English speaking family member. This will help give them the foundation of letters and sounds which will, in turn, help with the early stages of learning to read in English. I have noticed a huge impact with this as students are making big jumps in their reading and they are able to write simple paragraphs with detail! The Word Family Flash cards will be great for quizzing each other on the different word families which will help enhance their English vocabulary. My students love this activity and it is always the first station to fill up! Letting students be the "teacher" is amazing when it comes to their learning! The carpets requested have helped create a safe and comfortable environment for family school events! This has been one of my favorite gifts. People have walked into my classroom and the first thing they notice are my beautiful carpets! The students love seeing their countries on the carpet and they are able to point to where each other is from!

It was my hope that by sharing what they have learned at school with their families, my students will have a higher chance of being academically successful at grade level by the time they finish with me and head into classrooms with students who speak English as their primary language. Being able to "be the teacher" at home gives my students ownership of what they have learned! I have spoken to parents many times and they tell me that their children are coming home and playing school. They are learning and having fun!

The love we feel from all of you is pouring out of us daily. The students know that there are good people in the world and that some of these good people have contributed to their learning! I love telling them stories of this program and the people out there who are just waiting to help further their education and help them be successful in this every changing world! Please accept our thanks and know that we are forever grateful for your kindness. We can never thank you enough!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Colter

There are special people in this world. It is shown to us in various ways. It is my belief that these special people are like guardian angels. We don't always see them, but we know they are there. That is what you, as donors, are like for us. I teach for a program where my students are new to the country and who do not speak English. They come from all over the world. Currently the hail from Congo, Burundi, Nepal, Bhutan, Puerto Rico, Liberia, Guatemala, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Somali. That means, in my classroom, children are speaking Swahili, Kinyamulenge, Nepali, Spanish, Liberian English, Kunama, Amharic, Portuguese, and Somali. The diversity is incredible. In order to teach these wonderful kiddos, it takes more than just a curriculum and that costs more money that school districts often don't have. That is why so many of us turn to you.

The items I requested, were items that would cover a variety of learning areas and behavior/emotional issues. The Kids Kore Wobble chairs have helped my students that have difficulties sitting still. It has helped them focus on their academics while being able to have some movement in the classroom. The Moods & Emotion Mirrors have helped my students express how their are feeling since they don't have the language to tell me themselves. The various alphabet activities such as the Alphabet Mystery Box, the Magnetic Alphabet Maze, and the Sight-Word Steps have helped my students learn the English alphabet and sounds so that they can gain a foundation for reading. The Math Equivalency Puzzles, Hands-On Number Grid, Independent Math Activities and the Number Rockets have helped my students learn basic math skills such as recognizing and naming numbers and giving them an understanding of how numbers are broken

a part and put together.

The love we feel from all of you is pouring out of us daily. The students know that there are good people in the world and that some of these good people have contributed to their learning! I love telling them stories of this program and the people out there who are just waiting to help further their education and help them be successful in this every changing world! Please accept our thanks and know that we are forever grateful for your kindness. We can never thank you enough!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Colter

My students have really fallen in love with the books that go along with our new retelling sets! They enjoy hearing some of their favorite stories and reading along to the parts they know. The students have really grown in their ability to sequence and retell stories all because of you! They are also learning some great communication skills because they have to take turns and work together to retell a story. During read to someone time they get especially excited if they know they will be able to use the kits to act out some of their favorite stories with their friends. These kits have been a great help in providing the visual support to help students learn skills like using character names and including settings in their retelling.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. K

I can't tell you how excited the students are each time we bring out the iPads. Their eyes light up. Their voices are both quiet and eager at the same time. They are gentle with the iPads in a way they aren't with any other materials. They engage with the programs. They don't even seem to realize they are learning. It is AMAZING. What I love about watching the students use the iPads is the way the programs draw out the different forms of language. The students are listening to English and reading English. They are using their fingers to touch different words they hear. They use their fingers to write words and then they type words and sentences. They speak into the iPad. Some of my students have gotten to the point where they can even tell stories into the iPads. It is AWESOME how they have grown. I love how this program shows the actual language growth. It is exciting to see. Thank you so much for allowing us the means to gather this information - in a fun and interesting way. The students don't even realize they are learning. It's the best way! Without the support of people like you there are so many things we couldn't do. Our classrooms, MY CLASSROOM, are so much better for all that you do for us. Thank you.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Jensen