{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Bridge Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":25.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8589432,"projectId":10180912,"letterContent":"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible generosity in funding our project, \"Engaging All Senses\". Your support means the world to me and, most importantly, to my wonderful students.\r\n\r\nIn our classroom we meet a diverse range of learning styles and needs every day. Traditional teaching methods don't always reach every child, but multi-sensory learning opens doors that standard worksheets cannot. \r\n\r\nBy integrating these multi-sensory items into our daily routine, you have provided my students with a powerful, interactive tool that engages their sight and touch all at once. For students who struggle with focus or need extra sensory support, this tool will provide the exact kind of engaging, immersive stimulation they need to thrive, stay motivated, and truly enjoy learning.\r\n\r\nWe cannot wait to share updates and pictures with you as we begin exploring all the wonderful sensory materials!","fullyFundedDate":1779055749190,"projectUrl":"project/engaging-all-senses-a-multi-sensory-app/10180912/","projectTitle":"Engaging All Senses: A Multi-Sensory Approach to Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cruz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8589432_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768625241545","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tiffany-cruz"},{"teacherId":8589432,"projectId":10161795,"letterContent":"Your generosity is helping bring engaging, hands-on learning opportunities into our classroom.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support, students will build essential reading skills such as phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension through interactive games and small group instruction. These experiences make learning meaningful, while also helping students grow in confidence and independence as readers.\r\n\r\nYour contribution is creating a classroom environment where students are excited to learn, take risks, and develop a strong foundation in reading.\r\n\r\nThank you for making a lasting impact on our students and their journey as readers.","fullyFundedDate":1777926527440,"projectUrl":"project/learning-to-read-through-play-small-gro/10161795/","projectTitle":"Learning to Read Through Play: Small Group Games & Activities","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cruz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8589432_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768625241545","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tiffany-cruz"},{"teacherId":8589432,"projectId":10192009,"letterContent":"Your generosity is making a meaningful difference in the lives of our students.\r\nBecause of your support, our classroom will be filled with engaging, hands-on materials that allow students to explore math and science through movement, play, and discovery. These resources will help bring learning to life—giving students opportunities to build critical thinking skills, collaborate with peers, and develop confidence as young learners. \r\n\r\nFrom interactive games that strengthen math skills and science vocabulary to books and manipulatives that make abstract concepts more concrete, your contribution is helping create a rich and meaningful learning environment. Students will also have opportunities to explore real-world concepts like motion, forces, and living organisms in ways that are both exciting and memorable. ()\r\nYour kindness is not only supporting academic growth, but also fostering curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning in every child in our classroom.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our students and helping them learn, explore, and grow every day.","fullyFundedDate":1777651718742,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-math-science-for-curious-kind/10192009/","projectTitle":"Hands-On Math & Science for Curious Kindergarteners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cruz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8589432_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768625241545","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tiffany-cruz"},{"teacherId":8589432,"projectId":10042790,"letterContent":"Thank you for contributing to our classroom library. Your generosity will have a direct impact on our students by helping create a more organized, inviting, and accessible classroom library. Because of your kindness, students will be able to independently explore books, discover new favorites, and spend more time reading each day.\r\n\r\nThis rotating bookshelf will maximize our classroom space while making books easier to see and reach, encouraging excitement and independence in young readers. Your support is helping build literacy skills, responsibility, and a lifelong love of reading.","fullyFundedDate":1776382954391,"projectUrl":"project/a-rotating-bookshelf-to-grow-readers-and/10042790/","projectTitle":"A Rotating Bookshelf to Grow Readers and Save Space","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cruz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8589432_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768625241545","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tiffany-cruz"},{"teacherId":988200,"projectId":10123697,"letterContent":"My students were ecstatic to receive our whiteboards! The 3 were hung around the room with the intention of using the during small group activities or Centers. One activity involved giving the students magent letters and dry earse markers with the challenge of spelling as many 3 letter words as they could. For the next task, I placed picture magnets on the board. The teams had to work to sound out and write the CVC word for each picture. \r\nThe second task was a math center. Students were instructed to pull subtraction flashcards from a box. Each child took turns playing \"teacher.\" They had to write the subtraction sentence, draw the counters on the board, and then cross them out to \"take away,\" explaining each step to their \"students.\" Students worked in other similar math centers including work on number bonds, problem solving, and addition. \r\nThe kids worked well as teams, and had a ton of fun working together. These hands on activities have just begun to inspire and engage my class, and I'm excited to creat new ways to use these tools.","fullyFundedDate":1773985323368,"projectUrl":"project/making-thinking-visible-collaborative-w/10123697/","projectTitle":"Making Thinking Visible: Collaborative Whiteboards for Literacy and Problem Solving","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Leonard","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/988200"},{"teacherId":8589432,"projectId":10188981,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our project, Growing Kindergarten Scientists. Your generosity is truly appreciated and will make a meaningful difference in our classroom.\r\nBecause of your kindness, my students will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on science experiences that bring learning to life.\r\n\r\nAt this young age, curiosity is everything, and these materials will allow students to explore, question, and discover the world around them in exciting and meaningful ways. Research shows that interactive, hands-on learning experiences help students build deeper understanding and long-term interest in science, and your support makes that possible for our class.\r\n\r\nMany of my students come from backgrounds where access to these types of materials is limited. Your donation helps ensure that every child in our classroom has the opportunity to participate, learn, and grow as a young scientist. These experiences will not only support our current science units but will also inspire a lifelong love of learning and exploration.\r\n\r\nOn behalf of my students and myself, thank you for believing in our classroom and investing in our future. Your generosity will have a lasting impact on each child you have helped support.","fullyFundedDate":1776092379988,"projectUrl":"project/growing-kindergarten-scientists/10188981/","projectTitle":"Growing Kindergarten Scientists","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cruz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8589432_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768625241545","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tiffany-cruz"},{"teacherId":9299842,"projectId":10094939,"letterContent":"The training in the Science of Writing has shifted my focus toward the foundational mechanics of how children learn to express themselves on paper. By moving beyond simple \"creative writing\" and focusing on the cognitive processes involved—like transcription skills and sentence construction—I've seen a huge leap in my students' ability to communicate.\r\nUsing a structured approach means my kindergarteners aren't just memorizing words; they are learning how to build them. They are currently thriving by:\r\n\r\nEncoding with Purpose: Instead of just drawing, they are using their knowledge of letter-sound relationships to \"encode\" (spell) words to label their pictures.\r\n\r\nDeveloping Stamina: Because they understand the \"how\" behind writing, they are excited to extend their work, adding more details and labels to their drawings than ever before.\r\n\r\nMy students are gaining the confidence to move from single labels to complete thoughts, using the structured tools we now have in the classroom.\r\n\r\n\r\nA few days ago, a student was drawing a picture of a park. In the past, she might have just drawn a tree and moved on. This time, she stopped, tapped out the sounds /t/ /r/ /ee/, and carefully wrote the letters next to her drawing. She then added a sun, a cat, and even wrote, \"The cat is on the mat.\" She was so proud to show me how her labels told a whole story. It was a perfect example of how the \"Science of Writing\" gives kids the literal tools to turn their thoughts into text.\r\n\r\n\r\nI am eager to continue growing my skills in Sentence Level Writing Instruction. I want to help my students understand the \"grammar\" of a sentence—how a naming part and an action part come together. I'm particularly looking forward to our upcoming unit on Animals, where we will practice writing factual labels and simple sentences to describe different habitats. Thank you for supporting our journey toward becoming confident writers!","fullyFundedDate":1771024113807,"projectUrl":"project/the-science-of-writing-training/10094939/","projectTitle":"The Science of Writing Training","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Duran","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9299842_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1733398256904","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/rachel-duran"},{"teacherId":8589432,"projectId":10030669,"letterContent":"I am beyond grateful for your generous support of our \"Lights, Camera, Learning!\" project. Because of you, my students now have the tools to literally bring their voices to life.\r\n\r\nIn a classroom of young learners, building confidence is everything. The voice amplifier will be a game-changer for my soft-spoken students during morning meetings, and the green screen and tripod will turn our science reports and \"Author's Chair\" storytelling into professional-grade productions. These aren't just gadgets—they are tools that transform a child's self-perception from \"student\" to \"creator\" and \"expert.\"\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our Chicago classroom and for showing my 22 students that their voices and stories are worth being heard and shared.","fullyFundedDate":1775347702116,"projectUrl":"project/lights-camera-learning-bringing-stude/10030669/","projectTitle":"Lights, Camera, Learning! Bringing Student Voices to Life","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cruz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8589432_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768625241545","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tiffany-cruz"},{"teacherId":8589432,"projectId":10038824,"letterContent":"I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your support of our project, \"Research-Based Writing Curriculum to Build Confident, Skilled Writers.\"\r\n\r\nIn our classroom, we know that writing is a vital life skill, but it is also one of the most complex tasks for young learners. Because of your generosity, my students will now have access to a systematic, evidence-based curriculum that breaks down writing into manageable, successful steps. Instead of feeling frustrated by a blank page, they will have the tools to organize their thoughts, build strong sentences, and share their unique voices with the world.\r\n\r\nYour investment in our literacy block doesn't just provide materials—it provides confidence. Thank you for believing in my students and for helping us bridge the gap to create equitable learning opportunities for every child in our room.","fullyFundedDate":1775066721561,"projectUrl":"project/research-based-writing-curriculum-to-bui/10038824/","projectTitle":"Research-Based Writing Curriculum to Build Confident, Skilled Writers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cruz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8589432_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768625241545","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tiffany-cruz"},{"teacherId":8589432,"projectId":10079641,"letterContent":"This project directly supports students in building a strong foundation in early literacy by helping them move from recognizing letters to becoming confident writers. Through engaging materials and hands-on resources, students are able to practice letter formation, develop phonics skills, and begin expressing their ideas through writing.\r\n\r\nThe students love hearing these read-alouds and having their own version of the story Alpert to read in the library. Learning about writing has become fun and engaging! Students are able to relate to the stories and brainstorm so many writing ideas. Most important, writing has become fun and interesting to them. Students want to write! They are able to add more details to their writing and pictures because they remember what Alpert said or how a scribble can become a drawing from our story \"Scribble, Scrabble.\"\r\n\r\nThank you for making writing become alive within the hearts of students.","fullyFundedDate":1773841920823,"projectUrl":"project/from-learning-letters-to-writing-stories/10079641/","projectTitle":"From Learning Letters to Writing Stories: Building Confident Kindergarten Writers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cruz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8589432_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768625241545","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/tiffany-cruz"},{"teacherId":9299842,"projectId":10094932,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping bring Science of Writing books into our kindergarten classroom. These books have made a powerful impact on my students' learning and excitement about writing. My kindergarteners absolutely love them and often ask me to read them every single day. The engaging stories and clear connections between sounds, letters, and writing help students understand how words are built and how they can use those sounds in their own writing.\r\nBecause of these books, my students are becoming more confident writers. They are beginning to stretch out words, listen for sounds, and apply phonics strategies as they write. I have seen tremendous growth in their ability to form letters, spell simple words, and express their ideas on paper. Their writing has truly soared, and many students who were once hesitant to write are now eager to share their work.\r\nThese books have helped create a classroom where writing feels exciting, achievable, and meaningful. Thank you for supporting tools that help young learners develop strong literacy foundations and a lifelong love of reading and writing.","fullyFundedDate":1771027953023,"projectUrl":"project/from-the-mouth-of-babes-onto-paper/10094932/","projectTitle":"From the mouth of babes onto paper.","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Duran","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9299842_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1733398256904","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/rachel-duran"},{"teacherId":9299842,"projectId":10006876,"letterContent":"I am incredibly grateful for the generous donations that helped bring these hands-on learning tools into my kindergarten classroom. My students have truly benefited from the engaging materials, and it has been wonderful to watch their excitement as they explore and learn.\r\nThe Alphabet Sounds Teaching Tubs and Junior Learning Alphabet Arc Bubble Board have become favorites during our literacy block. These tools help students practice letter recognition and connect sounds to letters in a visual and tactile way. My kindergarteners love using the bubbles and manipulatives as they build words and practice phonemic awareness. Tools like the hand2mind Little Minds at Work Sound Segmenting Trays and Sort That Sound! Activity Set make sound segmenting interactive and help my students develop essential early reading skills aligned with the Science of Reading.\r\nIn math, the Learning Resources Geometric Shapes Building Set, Learning Resources Geometric Solids, and Learning Resources View-Thru Geometric Solids allow students to explore shapes and spatial reasoning through hands-on discovery. The hand2mind Place Value Frame with Base Ten Blocks has helped introduce number sense in a concrete way, making abstract math concepts easier for young learners to understand.\r\nStudents also love our interactive learning games like the Splash! Jr. Alphabet Game and the Midway Monsters Jumbo Oversized Playing Cards, which turn practice into fun and collaborative learning experiences. Sensory tools such as the hand2mind Letter Tracing Sensory Pad support students who learn best through touch and movement.\r\nEven small organizational tools like the TidyFriend Magnetic Towel Holder help keep our classroom materials accessible and organized so students can focus on learning.\r\nBecause of your generosity, my kindergarteners are able to learn through play, movement, and exploration every day. These resources support literacy, math, and critical thinking skills while building confidence and joy in learning. Thank you for investing in my students and helping create a classroom environment where curiosity and growth thrive.","fullyFundedDate":1768532393904,"projectUrl":"project/multi-sensory-and-hands-on-ways-to-make/10006876/","projectTitle":"Multi-Sensory and Hands on Ways to Make Learning Fun!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Duran","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9299842_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1733398256904","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/rachel-duran"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5326","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":1103,"numTeachers":56,"percentFrplEligible":59,"percentAsian":4,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":32,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":58,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":1,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"19.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":74.4,"schoolId":5326,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Bridge Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Bridge Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/bridge-elementary-school/5326"}