{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Bay Park Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":52.1,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9899627,"letterContent":"Oh my! I had no idea- how amazing the MindUP curriculum was going to be for my students. It's been one happy surprise after another!\r\n\r\nFirst, the MindUp curriculum comes with a Curriculum Training MindUP for Educators & Schools: Grades 3-5 course. I absolutely loved this training module. It gave me a chance to experience the curriculum as a student! The training includes an introduction to the scientific pillars the MindUP program is built upon, a review of the benefits of MindUP for children, and lesson overviews to support successful program implementation. I was not ready for it to end. I will be returning to this course as a refresher and for a few mindful moments of my own! \r\n\r\nSecond, for years I have pieced together social-emotional lessons here, there and everywhere and sprinkled in lessons on kindness and gratitude. Now, it is all in one scope and sequence! What a life-saver for teachers.\r\n\r\nThird, I love the MindUP curriculum so much, I told my 4th grade teaching parter about it. She jumped aboard with me and she now has access to the program too!\r\n\r\nAs you can see, the kindness ripple is extending beyond our classroom walls. After winter break, my students and I will begin our journey to improve our mental fitness! Our journey will include getting to know our brain, fine tuning our senses, practicing gratitude and optimism, savoring happiness and being mindful of ourselves in the world. \r\n\r\nThank for the gift of mental fitness! It's a gift that keeps on giving. Our world needs more people like YOU! \r\n\r\nWishing you a beautiful holiday season and a Happy & Healthy 2026!","fullyFundedDate":1764072262251,"projectUrl":"project/a-recipe-for-a-happy-heart-20/9899627/","projectTitle":"A Recipe for a Happy Heart 2.0","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9921650,"letterContent":"Our hearts are definitely happy! And, our classroom was looking like a winter wonderland in sunny San Diego!\r\n\r\nMy students absolutely loved every minute watercoloring their tree background for their winter ornaments. It was a huge asking to have my students go from drawing on a 9 inch x 12 inch paper to a 3 inch x 4 inch paper. However, they were excited for the challenge. I couldn't believe my eyes; their tiny trees were adorable. Since we were watercoloring on a much smaller scale, my students were absolutely thrilled to have brand new watercolor paint sets! The small splashes of watercolor were truly stunning. I sent you a photo of one of my student's finished winter ornament. Cutest holiday gift ever! My students are beyond excited to give their winter ornament to someone special in their life. I'm proud of them for putting such detail and joy into their art.\r\n\r\nWhen we return from winter break, our first watercolor project of the year is titled \"Tip of the Iceberg.\" Just like an iceberg, often we show a small fraction of our personality to everyone, but what's down deeper is what makes us uniquely and wonderfully us. This lesson is an exercise in self-discovery, with plenty of opportunities for learning art concepts like line, geometric shapes and creating a variety of values with watercolor paint. I know my students will love this art project and once again will be grateful for the new watercolor paint sets.\r\n\r\nWe LOVE books! Thank you for the gift of magical reading adventures. Picture books are not just for little kids! My fourth graders benefit from picture books as readers noticing author's message and as writer's noticing author's craft.\r\n\r\nYou are our DonorsChoose holiday angel! Thank you for boosting self-confidence, bringing joy and creativity to our classroom and for helping me teach my students that some of the best gifts come from sharing our talents with others!\r\n\r\nWishing you beautiful holiday moments and a Happy & Healthy 2026!","fullyFundedDate":1764372665493,"projectUrl":"project/supercharging-self-confidence-art-to-th/9921650/","projectTitle":"Supercharging Self-Confidence: Art to the Rescue","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9899269,"letterContent":"Our hearts are definitely happy! And, our classroom was looking like a winter wonderland in sunny San Diego!\r\n\r\nMy students absolutely loved every minute creating their winter ornaments. It was a huge asking to have my students go from drawing on a 9 inch x 12 inch paper to a 3 inch x 4 inch paper. However, they were excited for the challenge. They used fine tip Sharpies and our new book, Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter for inspiration. I couldn't believe my eyes; their tiny trees were adorable. I kept going back and forth- should they use watercolor or fine tip markers? We decided on small splashes of watercolor. Good choice! The backgrounds were looking stunning. I showed them the miniature motivational gnomes. They were squealing with delight! The gnomes were a hit. A dab of hot glue and we were in business. Cutest holiday gift ever! My students are beyond excited to give their winter ornaments to someone special in their life. I'm proud of them for putting such detail and joy into their art.\r\n\r\nYou are our DonorsChoose holiday angel! Thank you for boosting self-confidence, bringing joy and creativity to our classroom and for helping me teach my students that some of the best gifts come from sharing our talents with others!\r\n\r\nWishing you beautiful holiday moments and a Happy & Healthy 2026!","fullyFundedDate":1763913573452,"projectUrl":"project/a-recipe-for-a-happy-heart/9899269/","projectTitle":"A Recipe for a Happy Heart","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9788260,"letterContent":"Our classroom is extra cozy this autumn thanks to your BIG heart!\r\n\r\nI overheard my students talking. One asked, \"Why is Mrs. Manzo taking apart our rolling office chair?\" I smiled. They had no idea I was assembling the new office chairs from you! \"Wait! Is that a new rolling office chair back there, Mrs. Manzo?\" asked one of my fourth graders. \"It sure is! And, I'm almost done with this one, too!\" Before, I could get the last word out, waves of excitement rolled through the classroom. The big question- Who gets the new rolling chairs? \r\n\r\nThe new rolling office chairs give my students the flexibility to wiggle while working. It's the number #1 chair in our classroom. Every month, students randomly get to select a new flexible seating and the top choices are always the rolling office chairs. You can't even begin to understand what an impact two extra rolling chairs is having on our classroom community. Thank you, thank you, thank you!\r\n\r\nI wish you could see my students on Friday reward day! Each week, they squeeze their eyes shut tight and hope their name gets pulled from the raffle jar. They are working hard for Squishmallows and Nerf sports balls! \r\n\r\nAnd, of course, no classroom can ever have enough books! Thank you for the gift of reading!\r\n\r\nWe are grateful for your kindness! Thank you for making our classroom a happy and inviting place for all to learn!\r\n\r\nWishing you a beautiful holiday season!","fullyFundedDate":1763296479008,"projectUrl":"project/happy-fall-happy-fourth-grade-happy-ev/9788260/","projectTitle":"Happy Fall, Happy Fourth Grade, Happy Everything!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9845405,"letterContent":"What's your favorite veggie? Which flower makes you smile? What's growing in your garden? Our garden is thriving because of YOU!\r\n\r\nFirst, a gigantic box arrived with the scent of fresh cut cedar boards. The garden box assembly was easy-peasy with the dovetail joints and pre-cut boards. I put my gloves on, pulled out a mallet and charged the power drill! Then it was time for my students to take charge. They shoveled dirt here, there and everywhere. A couple parent volunteers guided them through the process. At this point, the garden box was getting all of us super excited. My students were ready to play in the dirt and plant some winter veggies. \r\n\r\nEach student picked a vegetable seedling to plant. Our garden has purple broccoli, white carrots, rainbow chard, green onions and cauliflower plants happily looking towards the sun! Students walk by it throughout the school day. They are curious about how the plants are doing and patiently waiting for harvest day. It's such a happy and welcoming spot. One of my students even took our old garden sign and with a fresh coat of paint made it look adorable!\r\n\r\nOne of my favorite garden quotes is \"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.\" Audrey Hepburn Thank you for believing in us, for having a giving spirit and making fourth grade memorable for my students. \r\n\r\nWe hope you enjoy the photos from all my 4th grade gardeners. \r\n\r\nWishing you a beautiful holiday season!","fullyFundedDate":1761503034818,"projectUrl":"project/lettuce-learn-grow-outdoors/9845405/","projectTitle":"Lettuce Learn & Grow Outdoors","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":10284896,"projectId":9762654,"letterContent":"Wow thanks for the much needed sensory supports. With this donation I was able to create a sensory diet for a few of my sensory seeking students. By front loading a sensory diet which contains heavy movement breaks, my most challenging students are then able to learn, participate, and engage. \r\n\r\nI was also able to implement physical activities into learning. For example to help aid in orthographic mapping (memorizing the spelling of sight words), students engaged in a game of pass back with the tennis balls, with each throw spelling the word letter by letter. This multi sensory way of learning benefits my behavioral students who often don't engage in learning tasks. By making learning fun, they want to fully participate. \r\n\r\nThe day one of my packages arrived containing the stilts, I had a student who eloped from the classroom and was engaging in aggressive behavior. I got the emergency call to come support on my walkie talkie as I was walking from the office with my package. At that point he was climbing the 20 foot tall fence. I yelled up to him to help me open my package and play with our new \"toy\". He immediately came down and followed me to my room. Within minutes he was at baseline after enjoying the activity, he was good to go back to class and finished the day great. \r\n\r\nAs each item came and got integrated in the classroom, my kids were so excited. I now have a flexible seating option for the week. And am looking forward to making a brain break item for the day.","fullyFundedDate":1761936258833,"projectUrl":"project/sensory-needs/9762654/","projectTitle":"Sensory Needs","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Jeske","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10284896_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758942074643","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-jeske"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9717886,"letterContent":"My students are sprucing up our school's bungalow area! They're bringing greenery to our campus and making our outdoor space inviting for all. It's a beautiful sight to see students taking ownership of their school grounds. \r\n\r\nTogether my students shoveled piles and piles of dirt from one area of our school to another. They planted herbs in the new garden box and pulled weeds trying to invade our native plants. It's like a school area transformation. \r\n\r\nSilvery, snack wrappers from granola bars and chip packages dance throughout our school. Sometimes the shiny wrappers are sneaky and move too fast for our youngest learners to catch. Have no fear, fancy foot-stepping fourth graders lunge at the shiny wrappers with a trash grabber in hand!\r\n\r\nAs you can see, my students are learning to be advocates for the environment! We all need an outdoor space for academics, relaxation and community building.\r\n\r\nWe are grateful for the TIME for Kids Service Stars program for inspiration and The Allstate Foundation and Johnson Ohana Foundation for bringing our project to life! Thank you for believing in us!","fullyFundedDate":1760645847422,"projectUrl":"project/be-a-good-human/9717886/","projectTitle":"Be a Good Human","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":4922543,"projectId":9698778,"letterContent":"STEM and STEAM learning integrates science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and sometimes art...and it is one of my favorite subjects to teach!\r\nGetting students out into the real world is something that is so valuable to their education. By funding this project, you put tools into the hands of our students and allowed them to take their learning outside the classroom. We have been using the sketch books to become scientists of the world outside of our school. The students have been practicing observational strategies to study the outside world. We have been using biofacts, I notice...I winder...I predict.. statements, and zoom in and zoom out techniques. Truly, using these supplies and studying in this way has become their favorite part of the week.\r\nThank you for making this happen for them!","fullyFundedDate":1757963872370,"projectUrl":"project/stem-thinkingfrom-mind-to-paper/9698778/","projectTitle":"Stem Thinking...From Mind to Paper!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Catarius","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4922543_orig.jpg?crop=912,912,x0,y367&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1720804866098","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4922543"},{"teacherId":4922543,"projectId":9619197,"letterContent":"I know it has been awhile since you have donated to this project! I like to save this project for November. Fall weather, cool trees...it all makes a nice introduction to our owl unit! On November 21st, our fourth graders will be diving into the owl pellet dissection. This is always one of the highlights of the year! The love digging through their pellet and collecting the bones in the container that has been purchased. The skulls are always a big hit!\r\nThe students are going to have a blast becoming curious scientists! It is an experience they will never forget...and one that they would never have if it wasn't for you!\r\nThank you for believing in my students!","fullyFundedDate":1755721332658,"projectUrl":"project/whoowhoowho-wants-to-explore-owl-p/9619197/","projectTitle":"Whoo...Whoo...Who Wants to Explore Owl Pellets?","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Catarius","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4922543_orig.jpg?crop=912,912,x0,y367&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1720804866098","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4922543"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9702854,"letterContent":"Whoo... Whoo... do we appreciate? You! Thank you for making science lessons exciting and memorable.\r\n\r\nOn Tuesday, our class engaged in an owl pellet dissection lab. We started the lesson by listening to the sounds a Barn Owl, Western Screech Owl and the Snowy Owl make. That was such a delight and I giggled listening to my students try to mimic the owl sounds.\r\n\r\nNext, it was time to distribute an owl pellet to each young scientist. They were a little bit unsure as I handed a pellet securely wrapped in aluminum foil, a paper plate, a bone sorting chart and bamboo skewer to each student. Some students immediately pulled the aluminum foil from the owl pellet, others took their time slowly unwrapping it like a delicate teacup. Sure enough, students started chattering with one another, I heard comments like, \"Gross!\" \"There's so much fur, yuck!\" \"This is disgusting!\" I knew this dissection lab was going to be a hit! I gave students the signal to start dissecting.\r\n\r\nFrom there it was such a hoot to observe the owl pellet dissection. Exciting energy and meaningful conversations filled our classroom. Students loved sharing their thoughts and findings with each other. Here's some of their ideas I recorded...\r\n\r\n\"I want to touch it, but I don't want to touch it at the same time.\"\r\n\r\n\"I found three skulls, can you believe my owl ate three rodents?!\"\r\n\r\n\"I'm overloaded on ribs and teeth!\"\r\n\r\nOne last important tidbit, I have a diverse group of learners and it made my heart sing that every student in my class felt a sense of achievement during the dissection lab! You sure did make a lot of young scientists smile by gifting us this amazing owl pellet dissection lab!!\r\n\r\nThank you for supporting me to be the best teacher I can be for my students. Thank you for being YOU!","fullyFundedDate":1757981290774,"projectUrl":"project/whoo-whoo-an-owl-pellet-for-you/9702854/","projectTitle":"Whoo, Whoo... an Owl Pellet for You!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9768191,"letterContent":"Creamy, bumpy and smooth! Dark green on the outside, yellowish green on the inside and full of nutrients. Guess who I am? An Avocado!!! Hooray for Bravocado donors like YOU!\r\n\r\nOur Harvest of the Month Taste Test was a BLAST! Thank you for the goodies to celebrate Farm to School Month! I'm grateful for the bottles of ink to print in color. The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom website has an abundance of resources to grow an appreciation for agriculture. From colorful maps of California farms to vibrant fruit and veggie fact sheets these resource make veggies appealing to fourth graders!\r\n\r\nMy students couldn't wait to help me prepare the avocados for tasting. One student counted and lined up the paper cups for me. Once everyone had their avocado slice we took a BITE! The tasting was delicious and not so delicious- everyone's taste buds are different! Some students wanted the avocado seeds to take home. Our classroom doesn't get a lot of sunlight but gardening is an experiment so we will try to grow an avocado seed plant. Wish us luck! We completed a taste test journal entry- one of my students wrote,\"The color is green, the texture is slimy, the smell smells weird, the taste is good, and the sound when you bite into it is quiet. Avocados are GOOD!\"\r\n\r\nSpecial thanks to Johnson Ohana Foundation for inspiring me to create a project to celebrate Farm To School Month! This lesson was beyond inspiring. Together, we created a memorable and joyful learning experience for my students. In our classroom, Farm To School Month will be more than just a month! I can't wait to share Harvest of the Month taste tests with my students all year long! In November, we will be tasting persimmons! Yummy!\r\n\r\nThree cheers for Donors like you! You're simply the ZEST! We ap-PEACH-iate you!","fullyFundedDate":1760568831909,"projectUrl":"project/take-a-bite-you-might-like-it/9768191/","projectTitle":"Take a Bite: You Might Like It!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9628885,"letterContent":"Hooray! Our goodies from you arrived! We are filling our science notebooks with amazing discoveries from nature journaling to how to design the most efficient solar oven! \r\n\r\nWe read the book, What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z. This book made my students realize there are hundreds of STEM careers that await them! I absolutely love their STEM career self-portraits and I think you will too. They are definitely wild for animals. Many students shared dreams of becoming a veterinarian, zoologist and marine biologist. The sky's the limit for my fabulous fourth graders!\r\n\r\nMy students couldn't believe it! Did they hear me right? Yes! I said, \"We are making solar oven s'mores!\" They did an amazing job working in triads to create their solar oven and record data. One student commented, \"Watching the chocolate melt and the minutes go by without taking a bite was challenging!\" In the end, it was worth the wait! Chocolate smiles, a sweet science treat and new discoveries! Everything I had hoped for in our solar oven s'mores lesson.\r\n\r\nThank you for gifting us these resources. Our science notebooks will travel with us around campus and on field trips. They are an important part of our 4th grade science journey. We appreciate your generosity and giving spirit! Thanks a million for making our STEM dreams come true!","fullyFundedDate":1757540683449,"projectUrl":"project/go-above-and-beyond-your-wildest-dreams/9628885/","projectTitle":"Go Above and Beyond Your Wildest Dreams","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_37395","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":526,"numTeachers":18,"percentFrplEligible":23,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":68,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":18,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"29.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":47.9,"schoolId":37395,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Bay Park Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Bay Park Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/san-diego-unified-school-district/bay-park-elementary-school/37395"}