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Mrs. Sestito's Classroom

  • Lake Forest Elementary School
  • Greenville, SC
  • Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

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show projects from all time

Past projects 21

  • Making Learning Fun with Games and Graphic Novels!

    Funded Dec 15, 2017

    Thank you so much for supporting our classroom. Having engaging books in our class has been so much fun! Not only does it make my heart happy to see the children totally zoned in to a book, but I love hearing them talk with each other about the books they are reading, the characters they are getting to know, and how the books in each series are alike. Watching the characters grow across each series has been so fun for them! We are also able to tie it to our standards in thinking about what we know about the character, and how that helps us to infer how they might respond to different problems that arise. Using books that the kids love make the lessons that much more meaningful! I am SO thankful for gracious people like you who can help me instill a love for reading in my students!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

  • Make Learning Fun with Technology!

    Funded Jan 11, 2017

    Thank you so much for your extravagant generosity in donating to our project! As you all know, technology is an integral part of our world today. Unfortunately, there isn't always funding to get this technology into the hands of students at a young age. Not all of the students in our class have the opportunity to use computers at home, so it is very important that they have access to them at school. Through your donation to our project, we were able to get two more computers for our classroom. The students LOVE using these computers to play learning games, do research, read, do interactive review games on Kahoot and Quizziz, and much, much more. Furthermore, they are learning the basic computing skills they will need as they move through their schooling and beyond. These basic skills can only be learned through hands on practice with computers. Again, thank you so much for giving to this project. You are making a difference in the lives of my kids, and I can't begin to tell you how much it is appreciated!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

    This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 7 other donors.
  • Wild About Reading!

    Funded Feb 10, 2017

    First and foremost, THANK YOU! Through your generosity we were able to get a bunch of new books for our classroom! Our school participated in the "One School, One Book," initiative, where every student in the school read the same book at the same time. We had lots of activities to go with the book as we went through the two week period. The book we chose to read was "The World According to Humphrey." Needless to say, my kids fell in love with Humphrey and couldn't get enough of his books! The problem was, the rest of the school did too so the books were hard to come by! I'm a firm believer that all it takes to get a person "hooked on reading" is one good book. After that initiative I had them hooked, but didn't have the books they wanted! Through this project, I was able to outfit our classroom, with almost an entire set of Humphrey books!

    These kids are hooked on reading, and I now have plenty of books to fuel that love! Thank you again for helping to cultivate and foster a love for reading in our students that will take them well beyond second grade!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

  • Let's Get Moving!

    Funded May 19, 2016

    Have you ever been sitting at your desk maybe at work or school and felt like you might explode if you didn't get to move? My second graders were feeling like that quite frequently! Being kids, they need to move! Thanks to your generous donations the children in my class have the opportunity to move all day. There has been a lot of research done showing that when kids cam move, and not just stay still, they can focus more easily, allowing them to have more success in school. You made that happen. I can already see a huge difference in their behavior and attentiveness.

    The first time my kids walked in and saw that they all had alternative seating, they were overjoyed. We set some ground rules and dove right in. I have sized each stability ball and desk to each individual student, giving them the optimal learning environment. The fact that I'm able to do that, is all thanks to you.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

  • Improved Learning Through Text And Technology

    Funded Feb 6, 2015

    Thank you so much for donating to my project! We used the books purchased through this project to dive into a unit on fairy tales. The fractured fairy tales were just what this unit needed! They are funny, and more importantly, they show the story from a different point of view, so the children can learn how a story can be different from different characters!

    Also, the headphones have been a huge blessing. We have used them with our Chromebooks. They are used on a daily basis. With the headphones, children are able to work on the computers with out bothering the other kids in the classroom with the sounds their game or book may make. This creates the best learning environment for everyone. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful support in the classroom. Thank you again!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

  • Teaching with Technology

    Funded Feb 9, 2015

    Thank you so much for your contribution to this project! I have been so overwhelmed by your generosity! These computers make such an impact in our classroom. With the addition of these computers to our classroom, I am now able to get EVERY child on the computer for at least 25 minutes EVERY DAY! It is so amazing that these kids are getting the opportunity to learn the necessary technology skills needed to survive in the workforce. They are learning typing skills, are able to manipulate a mouse, researching, reading "just right" books, and even doing math. These computers are doing so much for the kids in our class! I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

  • Infusing Second Grade With Technology!

    Funded Jan 24, 2015

    First and foremost THANK YOU! Because of you, I have technology in the hands of my students on a daily basis. Since we are getting more technology in this room, we are almost to the point where each student gets at LEAST 15 minutes of computer time each day! As much as we use computers in the real world, this is such a great opportunity for the students in our class. They are getting experience with research, they are reading just right books, I am able to enrich their math curriculum, or remediate on an individual basis as needed. Furthermore, they are getting the necessary problem solving skills needed when working with technology. These students have gone from being nervous to click anything, to understanding how to problem solve using technology. There has been amazing growth, and it is absolutely wonderful to watch. I have all of you to thank for that. I cannot begin to tell you how much these computers have made a difference in the lives of my students, the community of our classroom, and the amount of learning we can fit in to a school day. It is truly a blessing.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

  • Infusing Second Grade with Technology!

    Funded Sep 22, 2014

    The students in our class couldn't have been more excited when we got our two new classroom computers! They couldn't believe that so many people worked to help us get computers for our classrooms, even people they didn't know! Technology is such a huge part of the world we live in today. As a teacher, I believe that the more I can get them on computers in school, the more successful they will be in the technological world we live in.

    Computers are also a great way to differentiate instruction. I have students that are significantly below grade level, as well as those that are significantly above. With the computers, I can use programs that individualize instruction to exactly what each child needs. This allows me, and them to make the most of our time in the classroom.

    The children use the computers to play games, work on reading skills, practice English skills if English is their second language, do research, and so much more! Not only that, but they are learning to problem solve when something goes wrong, and learning to manipulate the mouse. Their confidence in using computers has grown by leaps and bounds even in the short time we have had them! Thank you again for supporting our classroom, and giving my children the opportunity to work with technology on a daily basis. You are appreciated more than you will ever know!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

  • Let's Get Writing!

    Funded Mar 12, 2013

    First and foremost, I want to give a huge thank you. Teaching is a difficult job. It is made more difficult by cuts in funding, huge curriculum requirements, and lack of basic materials to get the monumental task of teaching children accomplished. For the last year, pencils have been an issue in our classroom. We did the best we could to get pencils sharpened with minimal distraction, and optimal efficiency. However, the sharpener we had just wasn't getting the job done. You have now provided us with sharpeners that have changed our classroom! I know that sounds silly, but it is true. There are two sharpeners now. They are on separate sides of the room, so there is no "line" to get to them. They stop sharpening when the pencil is sharp, which greatly cuts down on wasteful over-sharpening. We now have the tools we need to continue to work towards being even better readers, writers and mathematicians; which are the tools that these children will need to succeed in life. Thank you again for all of you that donated to this project. Your donations are changing lives.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

  • Exploration and Dream Creation Through Non-fiction Texts

    Funded Apr 13, 2012

    I want to give a sincere and heartfelt thank you for the wonderful books that you helped purchase for our classroom. The books that were ordered for my project have topics that range from volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes all the way to ponds, continents, landforms and biographies. Watching all my kids opening up these books as I took them out of the box was like watching them on Christmas morning. Their eyes were lit up as they started to explore many different topics that were foreign to them only moments before.

    My children have new found interest books and the world around them. This is because they are able to explore this world through text. Not only are they getting to read and explore through these texts; but I have also been amazed at their conversations! I have over heard conversations about them traveling to Tokyo, seeing the Great Wall of China in person, and exploring the Himilayas. I have heard children talking about the differences between hurricanes and tornadoes. Just last week we had a conversation about Pompeii! These books are doing much more than I could have even imagined. My children now WANT to travel (and not just to McDonalds.) They want to learn about their world. It is inspiring, and it is because of you. Thank you so much, from the very bottom of my heart. I sincerely wish you could all be a "fly on the wall" one day to hear my children's' excitement about their world, a world that was always there, but never accessible. ”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Sestito

Going to college to become a teacher can only prepare you so much. Being in the classroom is when you really get to know what you're in for. Kids are all different. Some have nothing, some have everything. Some may go to bed hungry, others have never known a night without dinner. Some have help with homework, some have parents that work at all hours to get food on the table. Some may come home to an empty house, others a babysitter, and some, to younger siblings they help take care of. They are all so different, yet they are so young and innocent that in many ways they are the same too. They ALL have eager eyes that are ready to learn, open hearts to take care of me and each other. They show up every day with bright smiles, hugs to give, and stories to tell. They are my role models. I can only hope that they are learning as much from me, as I am from them.

About my class

Going to college to become a teacher can only prepare you so much. Being in the classroom is when you really get to know what you're in for. Kids are all different. Some have nothing, some have everything. Some may go to bed hungry, others have never known a night without dinner. Some have help with homework, some have parents that work at all hours to get food on the table. Some may come home to an empty house, others a babysitter, and some, to younger siblings they help take care of. They are all so different, yet they are so young and innocent that in many ways they are the same too. They ALL have eager eyes that are ready to learn, open hearts to take care of me and each other. They show up every day with bright smiles, hugs to give, and stories to tell. They are my role models. I can only hope that they are learning as much from me, as I am from them.

About my class

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