{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Aki Kurose Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":25.3,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8142882,"projectId":9438879,"letterContent":"Having access to essential classroom supplies directly impacts my sixth-grade students' learning by providing them with the tools they need to actively engage in the reading and writing processes. In our ELA classroom, students use notebooks to track their thinking, record reflections, and develop their ideas as readers and writers. Sticky notes allow students to annotate texts, ask questions, and make meaningful connections, while highlighters help them identify important details, themes, and evidence to support their analysis. These materials transform reading from a passive activity into an interactive experience where students can visualize and communicate their thinking.\r\n\r\nEveryday supplies such as pencils, folders, tissues, and dry-erase markers also play an important role in creating an organized, focused, and supportive learning environment. When students have reliable access to the materials they need, they can spend more time learning and less time worrying about missing resources. Markers and other classroom tools allow students to collaborate, contribute to anchor charts, and make their learning visible through group discussions and shared activities. These resources support a classroom culture where all students feel prepared, valued, and empowered to participate.\r\n\r\nFor my sixth-grade students, especially those in a Title I classroom, access to basic learning materials helps remove barriers and ensures that every student can fully engage in rigorous academic experiences. These supplies support literacy development, organization, collaboration, and student independence while helping create a classroom where students are encouraged to think deeply, share their ideas, and grow as learners.","fullyFundedDate":1759251503829,"projectUrl":"project/stocking-our-6th-grade-ela-classroom-for/9438879/","projectTitle":"Stocking Our 6th Grade ELA Classroom for Success!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Esters","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8142882_orig.jpg?crop=1206,1205,x0,y305&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1743707447176","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8142882"},{"teacherId":8142882,"projectId":9412141,"letterContent":"A class set of *Ghost* by Jason Reynolds has a transformative impact on my sixth-grade ELA classroom. For many of my students, seeing themselves represented in the literature they read is a powerful and affirming experience. *Ghost* centers on Castle \"Ghost\" Cranshaw, a young Black athlete navigating challenges related to family, identity, and belonging. His journey reflects many of the experiences and emotions that middle school students encounter as they develop their sense of self. By engaging with a protagonist who shares similar cultural experiences and challenges, students recognize that their voices, stories, and lived experiences are valuable.\r\n\r\nOur novel study strengthens students' literacy skills by providing opportunities to analyze complex characters, themes, the author's craft, and real-world connections. With access to their own copies of *Ghost*, students participate in close reading, annotate important passages, cite textual evidence, and engage in academic discussions aligned with sixth-grade ELA standards. The novel encourages students to think critically about character choices, personal growth, resilience, and the impact of relationships while building essential reading comprehension, writing, and communication skills.\r\n\r\nBeyond academic development, *Ghost* creates meaningful opportunities for social-emotional learning and community building. Jason Reynolds' authentic storytelling allows students to explore themes of overcoming adversity, making positive choices, and finding support systems during challenging times. Through collaborative discussions and reflective writing, students develop empathy and learn that struggles do not define their futures. These conversations foster a classroom environment where students feel respected, understood, and empowered to share their perspectives.\r\n\r\nA class set of *Ghost* is more than a collection of novels—it is an investment in culturally responsive instruction, student engagement, and literacy development. Providing every sixth-grade ELA student with access to this powerful text ensures that all learners can fully participate in meaningful literary experiences while becoming stronger readers, writers, and critical thinkers. This resource helps students see themselves in literature while also expanding their understanding of experiences beyond their own.","fullyFundedDate":1751124985315,"projectUrl":"project/racing-toward-representation-with-ghost/9412141/","projectTitle":"Racing Toward Representation with Ghost by Jason Reynolds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Esters","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8142882_orig.jpg?crop=1206,1205,x0,y305&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1743707447176","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8142882"},{"teacherId":8829820,"projectId":9621243,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping build my classroom library last school year. My students loved the wide array of books that were donated! These stories reflected the interests and identities of my students and complimented the units of study we do in Washington State History. Now when students finish work early, they have a collection of books to enjoy, further develop their literacy skills, and build their cognitive muscles in their brain for better focus.\r\n\r\nI am excited to continue to share these books with students for years to come!","fullyFundedDate":1755566024292,"projectUrl":"project/build-our-classroom-library/9621243/","projectTitle":"Build our Classroom Library","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Anselmini","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8829820_orig.jpg?crop=150,150,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755551189329","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/anselmini"},{"teacherId":10202912,"projectId":10108925,"letterContent":"My students were so excited when they saw that the prize bin was restocked with more squishy toys and candy. Our \"Payne Cash\" system has been a huge motivator for my students so far this year. \r\nThis restock also provided some much needed cleaning supplies to keep our classroom safe and healthy! \r\n\r\nThis school year, a big goal that I have is to emphasize teamwork in my classroom. I started the year by teaching students about growth mindset and the benefits of collaboration. It has been an expectation throughout the year that students work with their table groups on almost all assignments. This earns them group points, which are converted to Payne Cash, that can be used to purchase the wonderful prizes that have been funded by this project! \r\n\r\nThank you again for supporting my classroom. It really means so much to me and my students!","fullyFundedDate":1772509738124,"projectUrl":"project/math-class-token-economy-restock/10108925/","projectTitle":"Math Class Token Economy Restock!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Payne","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10202912_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755724287648","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10202912"},{"teacherId":8364451,"projectId":10088816,"letterContent":"Thank you for supporting this project. My students were so excited to make their solar panel cars and fans. We spent the week learning about solar panels and then they got to see them in action. Not only were my students impacted, but the extra kits were given to other students. I had so many students coming to me, asking if there were extra engineering kits. Because of your donation, my students had the opportunity to see themselves as engineers and work on making climate change solutions that will impact everyone.","fullyFundedDate":1770746058587,"projectUrl":"project/help-create-engineers/10088816/","projectTitle":"Help Create Engineers!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hotchkin","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8364451_orig.png?crop=713,713,x61,y55&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1784420015764","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-hotchkin"},{"teacherId":10387296,"projectId":10014907,"letterContent":"Thanks to you, my school was able to pull off another successful year of the Global Reading Challenge!\r\n\r\nThis was the first year in over four years that students had new books to read for the competition. They were excited about the new collection and kept each book off the shelves for over three weeks! \r\n\r\nWe ended the competition with a trivia-style challenge competing against other middle schools in our district. While we (sadly) did not win, we were successful in getting students excited to read, working together to create and lead their own teams, and getting over 90 students at our school to show up prepared and excited to talk about what they read! \r\n\r\nWe now have over 60 new books added to our collection through your support, that students will continue to love even outside of the reading challenge.","fullyFundedDate":1770746058558,"projectUrl":"project/middle-school-global-reading-challenge-/10014907/","projectTitle":"Middle School Global Reading Challenge (More Books Needed!)","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Moss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10387296_orig.png?crop=351,352,x0,y11&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1765997461906","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10387296"},{"teacherId":8364451,"projectId":10094856,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our middle school project! Because of your generosity, we now have tape, cardstock, stamps, and stickers that will help make our classroom projects more creative, organized, and fun.\r\n\r\nThese supplies may seem simple, but they make a big difference in our daily learning. We can create better presentations, decorate projects, stay organized, and express our creativity in new ways. Your kindness helps make our classroom a more exciting and engaging place to learn.\r\n\r\nWe truly appreciate your support and your belief in students like us. Thank you for helping our classroom grow and succeed!","fullyFundedDate":1774206308178,"projectUrl":"project/lets-finish-the-year-strong/10094856/","projectTitle":"Let's Finish the Year Strong!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hotchkin","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8364451_orig.png?crop=713,713,x61,y55&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1784420015764","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-hotchkin"},{"teacherId":9221551,"projectId":9955532,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating the colorful rainbow organization bins for our classroom. Your donation has made it easier for students to keep their notebooks and classwork tidy and accessible. The bright bins help students quickly find the materials they need and reduce lost assignments, plus they are pretty.\r\n\r\nSince we added the bins, students are more organized and spend less time searching for papers between activities. This improvement has increased time on learning and lowered distractions during transitions. Students report feeling proud of our classroom and more confident turning in work on time because they know exactly where to store and retrieve their notebooks and assignments.","fullyFundedDate":1768504857979,"projectUrl":"project/storage-solutions-for-brilliant-historia/9955532/","projectTitle":"Storage Solutions for Brilliant Historians","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Appel","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9221551_orig.png?crop=499,499,x3,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1764691597141","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9221551"},{"teacherId":9595559,"projectId":9900704,"letterContent":"I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your incredibly generous donation of sewing supplies. Your support is making a world of difference!\r\n\r\nThe kids are having so much fun! From the very first lesson, they've been excited to learn how to sew. It's been amazing to watch them go from simple stitches to creating their own projects, like little stuffed animal key chains and unique fabric designs. Their creativity has really taken off!\r\n\r\nThank you again for your thoughtful contribution. Without your help, we wouldn't have been able to offer this opportunity to the kids, and I know they are all better for it. I can't wait to see what they create next!","fullyFundedDate":1770746059529,"projectUrl":"project/sewing-success/9900704/","projectTitle":"Sewing Success!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Qing","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9595559"},{"teacherId":10219193,"projectId":9976398,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous contributions to my 6th grade Reading and Writing classroom fund. Students have been more comfortable in the classroom space with the calming atmosphere that is provided by the lamps and floor cushions. Many students even request that we keep the overhead lights off in favor of the ambient light from the lamps during independent work time. \r\nWhen students walked into class seeing the new supplies, particularly the floor seat cushions, they excited asking \"What are these?! Can we use them?\". These items are seen as luxuries in the classroom space and are a wonderful way to give our learning zone a \"homey\" feel. \r\nThe supply caddies have been particularly helpful in making art materials accessible when we use them for projects. Students recently made posters about their books for our Social Issues Book Club Unit, and they enjoyed having the supplies at their tables to share instead of having to share from one bin with the whole class. Eliminating the need for transitional time to get supplies helped students focus their energy on their projects instead. \r\nYour generosity is appreciated and has a lasting impact on our classroom. \r\nThanks again!","fullyFundedDate":1767623523118,"projectUrl":"project/creating-a-cozy-middle-school-reading-an/9976398/","projectTitle":"Creating a Cozy Middle School Reading and Writing Classroom!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sasaki","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-sasaki"},{"teacherId":8364451,"projectId":9956553,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom project! Because of your generosity, our students will now have access to chemistry kits, pencils, gardening supplies, and colored paper that will make learning more hands-on, creative, and engaging.\r\n\r\nThe chemistry kits will allow students to explore scientific concepts through real experiments, helping them build curiosity and confidence in science. The pencils and colored paper will support everyday learning and creative projects, while the gardening supplies will give students the opportunity to connect with the process of photosynthesis.\r\n\r\nYour support means more than just supplies—it gives our students opportunities to discover, create, and learn in meaningful ways. We are incredibly grateful for your kindness and commitment to education.\r\n\r\nThank you for making a difference in our classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1767567033698,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-science-chemistry-in-action/9956553/","projectTitle":"Hands on Science: Chemistry in Action","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hotchkin","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8364451_orig.png?crop=713,713,x61,y55&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1784420015764","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-hotchkin"},{"teacherId":10387296,"projectId":9964090,"letterContent":"Thank you again for your generous contribution to our school library! Our students are midway through the Global Reading Challenge and are excited to share with each other and build up towards competing with our neighboring middle schools! \r\n\r\nA key goal we have for our students here at Aki Kurose is building essential literacy skills, and through this, developing a love for reading among our students. As you may know, today's kids and teens are faced with many types of media competing for their attention- and we believe it's more important than ever to create fun, engaging opportunities for them to feel inspired by, and immersed in the world of, a good book. \r\n\r\nCompetitions like the Global Reading Challenge, which we design and host each year among SPS middle schools, brings the joy into reading that helps our students engage with each other and the world of literature. By getting students excited to read, we're providing them with opportunities that will help them build skills to achieve success, foster creativity, and carry them through challenges throughout their lives. \r\n\r\nThese opportunities would not be possible without donors like you, so thank you again for your support for our students and our library.","fullyFundedDate":1766089233448,"projectUrl":"project/middle-school-global-reading-challenge/9964090/","projectTitle":"Middle School Global Reading Challenge","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Moss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10387296_orig.png?crop=351,352,x0,y11&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1765997461906","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10387296"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_36021","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":894,"numTeachers":42,"percentFrplEligible":66,"percentAsian":23,"percentBlack":29,"percentWhite":18,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":17,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":1,"percentMultiracialImputed":7,"gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"21.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":74.7,"schoolId":36021,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Aki Kurose Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Aki Kurose Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/washington/district-one-seattle-public-schools/aki-kurose-middle-school/36021"}