The diverse group of kiddos that attend PWES come from all over the city of Pittsburgh. Most of our students reside in the Lawrencville and Bloomfield community. Our school qualifies for free and reduced lunch due to low socioeconomic. I love my school and the district of Pittsburgh public but it breaks my heart that we are so limited in what we can supply to our students. Parents are working so hard to put food on the table and clothes on their back that I feel it is my job to advocate to support opportunities of learning and growth. Our kiddos are going through a transition in the neighborhood and the school is also transitioning through the innovation of STEAM learning. Four years ago our school was faced with the reality of closure until our parents rallied together and fought to keep our doors open. Because of their efforts combined with the staff, we are now a magnet school with a climbing enrollment. It is our goal to improve student learning through innovative thinking and provide them with the skills they will need to enter the world.
My Project
My classroom is in need of some everyday maintenance items. We need paper, working staplers and a functioning pencil sharpener. These items are low on the priority list when ordering supplies at the school. We are limited on paper usage and pencil sharpeners are expensive so when they break we have to wait until there is room in the budget. I work with Kindergarten students and it is better for them to have larger pencils and more practice worksheets. Larger pencils do not fit into cheap pencil sharpeners. I currently have them using smaller pencils which is not ideal. I have tried sharpening pencils in other classrooms on my prep but the kids will break the tips and I don't have the ability to sharpen right away. It has been a burden to use my prep period to sharpen when I could be more effective preparing for my next lesson. All of these items would allow me to focus more time on my students. They are all little things but they are very necessary to get the job done.
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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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Wermager and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
