Ms. Cundiff's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 72

• Bringing Coding Into the Classroom

  Funded May 8, 2018

  Thank you donors! I have some very gifted students in my classroom. They have been able to open the Botley boxes, assemble the robots and batteries, read the directions, and have a dance party! Yes, they got the robots to dance with each other! These same students have been able to share their knowledge with others in the classroom, leaving their teacher out of the entire project! I'm so proud of them! They are showing knowledge, compassion, sharing, and multiple other skills that are far beyond their 8 year old ages!

  Without donors like you these same students would not be as challenged! Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

  This classroom project was brought to life by Learning Resources and 4 other donors.

• Out of This World

  Funded May 10, 2018

  Our students love to read! Their favorite unit in science each year is "Space", yet our classroom libraries had very few books about space.

  With your wonderful donations we were able to obtain books on every reading level! This was so exciting! When it came time for science, each student was able to grab a book that interested them, read it, and then report their findings back to the group as the authority on Mars, the Moon, the Sun, and even planet Earth.

  The students are reading the directions, and they are assembling the planet model to hang in our classroom. Future students are excited that they will get to share the Space unit next year! Thank you for making a wonderful difference in the education of our students!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

  This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 4 other donors.

• Making Recess Count

  Funded Mar 27, 2018

  Exercise and fresh air is such an important part of learning! My students are so excited to have their new playground equipment! In just a few recess periods I have watched them master jump ropes and soccer balls, and share rubber balls with other students. They are running all over the playground.

  These same students who used to drag in from recess are coming in now with new energy and concentration! In just a few days their stamina for school work has already increased.

  We were on spring break when our boxes were first supposed to be delivered. They knew that when we were outside the delivery trucks usually came. I am so sad that I didn't have a camera to with me to take a picture of them sitting next to the fence watching the boxes go into the building, and knowing those boxes might be for them! Of course, before we could go back to class, we had to send a committee of students down to the office to retrieve them! And the disappointed looks on their faces when they realized they would have to wait for the next recess to begin using them was another picture missed!

  Thank you, Donors, for making such an important impact on our students! We've talked many times about how such simple things, such as making a donation to complete strangers can make such a lasting difference in so many lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

  This classroom project was brought to life by ESPN and 2 other donors.

• Playground Playtime

  Funded Mar 10, 2018

  How excited our children were, and then sad, when the package full of playground equipment came! It was raining...a LOT! Nothing like finally getting some wonderful equipment to play with during recess, only to have an indoor recess!

  Fast forward 24 hours, and they were running and playing like never before! We had the playground to ourselves, so they were free to kick, throw, and jump wherever they wanted. The camera wasn't working, but I'm sure they would have been a blur if I'd tried to get a shot of them!

  Our goal as a school is to create students who grow into productive adults. Part of that education includes how to work as a team and how to work together. My students showed resourcefulness in forming teams, reviewing rules, and working together to get as much playing time as possible in a short time period. There was no bickering, they chose teams quickly and fairly, and no one complained when their team lost. The jumpers laughed when they missed, and then tried again. Spending time without equipment made them appreciate having the new things!

  The most exciting part of this entire project was when my kids asked if they could share their toys with the classrooms that still don't have any! This made me proud enough to start another project to build up our collection to cover 100 students!

  None of this would be possible if we didn't have such wonderful donors to help us!

  Thank you all a million smiles over!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

  This classroom project was brought to life by ESPN and 2 other donors.

• Restocking Time!

  Funded Feb 5, 2018

  We are in love with our new whiteboards! My students can grab their board and a marker, and find a personal space to work. We don't have fancy seating, so sometimes it's nice to sit in the corner by the classroom library, or out in the hallway or even under their desk to work. I've even had a couple of kids take theirs out to recess to practice their spelling words!

  When the box came they were so disappointed when I pulled the markers out of the box. "Really? Markers? We don't have anything to write on!" Then out came the clipboards, and they marveled that they each were going to have a personal whiteboard! They couldn't get them unwrapped fast enough!

  Without donors like you, we would be "making do", and as the kids say, wasting paper just for practicing! A couple of the kids announced that they didn't have to waste paper just brainstorming when they were doing some writing: they could brainstorm on their clipboard, and then work on their writing at the same time!

  Thank you, Donors!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

• Ramping Up Our Stem Project

  Funded Mar 30, 2017

  I can't believe the excitement in our classroom as our students "played" with their cars and tracks during our Force and Motion unit! Each student (in my class, as well as the other 3rd grade classrooms) took home a package of cars for 1-2 nights to experiment. They used the scientific method to create their own experiments. Siblings and parents got in on the homework. Each student reported back the next day about what they had created, and did additional research into the impact of force and motion in other situations. (No one was able to re-create the experiment of one boy: he managed to create a track that left his bedroom, went down the hallway, around a corner, down the stairs, around another corner, and up a ramp to jump over the dining room table and land in the trash!) During and indoor recess the students worked together (all 26 of them) by moving the desks and creating tracks, ramps, jumps and races with different weights of cars.

  All-in-all, our Hot Wheels cars are a big hit in our classroom. There was so much fun going on they didn't realize they were learning! Thank you, Donor's Choose!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

  This classroom project was brought to life by Overdeck Family Foundation & Simons Foundation and 3 other donors.

• Hearing What We Are Working On!

  Funded Mar 12, 2017

  I can't begin to tell you how our computer time has improved in the last week! Our students are so excited to not have to share headphones. We no longer have to rummage through the school supply to find the ones that work! They are each responsible for one set of headphones, and you would think they were made of gold! We can now go into our testing season without having to take turns. Several students need to have audio on since their reading abilities are below grade level. Now they can!

  Today several of my students were researching some information to use in our Sound unit. This, of course, required sound. They were able to find what they needed without bothering other students in their studies. I didn't have the camera handy, but they were grinning!

  Having access to technology is so very important today. This doesn't necessarily mean having a computer on for every class, but to at least be able to access the technology without disturbing others with extra noise.

  Thank you, Donors, for your wonderful contributions to our children's education.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

  This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo, Utah and 6 other donors.

• Classroom Chromebook Computers

  Funded Dec 22, 2016

  It is so wonderful to know that there are people who are willing to support our children as they begin the journey to making positive changes in the world.

  We went into the school year with three very old desktop computers, one of which was finicky when it came to volume, or even turning on! We have now been blessed with 10 Chromebooks to share among our 26 students. The children are so excited about being able to use their computer time to research Habitats, the history of the United States, participate in required testing, practice spelling: the list is unending!

  Donor's like you make the teachers' jobs so much easier. We live in a technology world, and it is vital that our students be able to be an active part of this world.

  Thank you Donor's for making all of this possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

  This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.

• If You Can't Make the Room Bigger....

  Funded Jun 6, 2016

  Dear Generous Donors,

  We can't thank you enough for making our classroom a such a wonderful place to learn. We are a new public charter school opening in 2014, focusing on teaching students on the autism spectrum. We have a beautiful school that has been needed in our area for many years. However, due to budget constraints each classroom was fitted with eight 24" x 60" tables to provide seating and work space for up to 16 students in a small 20 x 21 foot classroom.

  The last two years have been a real challenge figuring out how to arrange tables in a way that would benefit all students ability to learn. Seating arrangements in a neurotypical classroom are critical to learning, but they are even more so in a classroom where the majority of students have heightened sensory needs and social skill challenges. The tables could seat only two students per table and took up quite a bit of the classroom space. With the classroom storage, in class coat and back pack storage, classroom library, teacher desk, and a small group table, our classroom was very cramped. Each table was equal in size to 2 1/2 desks, so converting to desks has really opened up our classroom and provided more flexible arrangement.

  The 10 desks that you donated gave us more than half of the desks we needed and we were able to find locally six used desks, which we refurbished ourselves to match the beautiful new desks we received. My students love the desks over the tables. They love having the ability to store their daily materials in tubs inside the desks where they are easily accessible during class. They also enjoy being able to determine easily what is their own personal space.

  The flexibility of individual desks not only have given us more room, but have allowed us to make flexible arrangements for different activities including pairs, small groups and separation for testing and quiet work. In addition, we are able to have reading time on the floor, do art work activities and instruction where all students can clearly see the board and the teacher. It has also been much easier for students to move around the class room for group activities, sensory breaks, accessing student materials and lining up for lunch, recess and library time.

  For me as a teacher, with our standard u-shaped arrangement of the desks, I am able to see what each student is doing at any given moment. It allows me to go around and give positive reinforcement and instructional support without having to weave my way through our previously awkward table arrangement. I am able to get right up close to every student and help them be engaged in the lesson. I can also identify more quickly the students who need extra support, redirection, or who may need a sensory break. This has really helped reduce classroom behavior disruptions, giving us much more available quality time for instruction.

  Even students from last year who had to use the tables, have stopped by to say hi and many of them have commented how much nicer the desks are and how much more room there is in the classroom.

  We are so excited for a wonderful new year with these fantastic desks. We can't thank you enough for you amazing generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff

  This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 96 other donors.

• Caring About Computers

  Funded Oct 6, 2015

  On behalf of my students I want to thank everyone who made donations to help us get the Chromebooks our classroom needed so desperately! We are able to have the majority of our class using the technology they love, without having to wait. We have been able to access required online math and reading programs and assessments, create wonderful writing projects, and even create free time rewards for students that struggle to complete even a minimum amount of work! They are used daily among 30 students: a major impact on our classrooms!

  Thank you again for being so generous in helping our classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Cundiff