{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Cloonan Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":38.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9490865,"projectId":9630027,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, our classroom has become a more flexible, inviting, and inspiring place to learn math! When my students first saw the new materials—especially the rolling whiteboards and bean bags—they were thrilled and immediately asked to start using everything.\r\n\r\nWe've already used the whiteboards during group problem-solving, and the extra space has allowed every student to share their thinking. The additional whiteboard space has also allowed me to facilitate deeper math conversations and easily check for understanding across the room. Even students who are usually hesitant have been jumping in and explaining their strategies. Meanwhile, the bean bags have become a favorite spot for independent or partner practice, giving students a cozy place to focus or collaborate. The flexible seating has helped students stay comfortable and engaged during independent work.\r\n\r\nThe math visuals and motivational decor have also made a big impact. Students refer to the reminders during lessons, and we often read the encouraging messages to each other before tackling challenging problems.\r\n\r\nThese resources are helping my students work together, stay confident, and stay excited about math. As we move into our next unit on computing with multi-digit numbers and fractions, we'll continue using the whiteboards and flexible seating to explore new ideas and build strong problem-solving skills.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping create a classroom where students are eager to learn and shine every day!","fullyFundedDate":1758224059668,"projectUrl":"project/motivation-math-success/9630027/","projectTitle":"Motivation + Math = Success","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Vencer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9490865_orig.jpg?crop=225,225,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755699997219","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9490865"},{"teacherId":8173231,"projectId":8400096,"letterContent":"To our generous donors, thank you. What you have accomplished for our students cannot be overstated: you have given them back the joy of reading. Before this project, our reading culture was stalled, relying on ripped, outdated books from decades past. Now, our shelves are vibrant with multicultural, contemporary, and relatable novels. This is about more than just having new paper—it's about teaching critical skills through relevance. Because students are connecting with characters who share their backgrounds and struggles, we are able to dive into complex academic lessons like inferencing, analyzing internal conflict, and perspective-taking. When a student reads about a challenge that mirrors their own community, the text stops being just an assignment; it becomes a lens through which they analyze the real world and develop deep empathy. These new texts are providing the scaffolding necessary for genuine, meaningful literacy development.\r\n\r\nThe transformation in our classroom environment is palpable. Reading is no longer a silent, mandatory chore; it is a lively, anticipated activity. Our VIP Reading Club and the GoodReads challenge have exploded in popularity, simply because students finally have books they want to talk about. We have seen incredible growth across the board, particularly among students who previously struggled with reading engagement. For many, finding a novel that features characters from their own background has been the key to unlocking their confidence. Students who once avoided checking out books are now finishing them in a week and excitedly recommending them to their peers, finding their voices as readers and literary citizens. This project has done more than restock a shelf; it has rebuilt a vital, thriving culture of reading for our entire school.","fullyFundedDate":1720628792237,"projectUrl":"project/we-desperately-need-books-help-us-becom/8400096/","projectTitle":"We Desperately Need Books! Help Us Become Stronger Readers!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Schwartz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8173231_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1636482467334","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8173231"},{"teacherId":5184475,"projectId":9645124,"letterContent":"Wow!! Thank you so much for your generous donations and helping make this project a reality! Upon delivery, the calculators came out of the boxes and were in use! We are going into cold season, and students are taking advantage of having the ability to wash hands in the classroom. The soap and paper towels are already coming in handy. Thank you for all your support for myself, my classroom, and more importantly, the students. These new supplies will be gone in no time I am sure! Thank you!!!!!!","fullyFundedDate":1758223818936,"projectUrl":"project/general-supplies-for-the-math-classroom/9645124/","projectTitle":"General Supplies for the Math Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Damalas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5184475"},{"teacherId":7104670,"projectId":9305070,"letterContent":"I'm want to extend a sincere thank you for your thoughtful donations. I can't tell you how many tissues and Clorox wipes I go through a day. Students are constantly sick and these supplies are so important for helping us maintain a clean and safe space for all the students, especially during allergy, cold and flu season.\r\n\r\nYour support helps me focus on what's most important: learning and growing together. Thank you again for being such a wonderful part of our classroom community.\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\nDana B","fullyFundedDate":1746714831171,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-supplies/9305070/","projectTitle":"Classroom Supplies","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Belcher","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7104670"},{"teacherId":7104670,"projectId":9356797,"letterContent":"A huge thank you to you for your generous donations of bulletin board paper, bulletin board borders, and bulletin board posters. These supplies have helped to create a bright and inspiring space for my students.\r\n\r\nThe old bulletin boards were old and dingy and did not connect with the curriculum. As you can see from the pictures, the room has transformed. II now have bulletin borders that connection to my curriculum. And posters that represent some of the topics I cover in Social Studies.\r\n\r\nA huge thank you to all those who donated.","fullyFundedDate":1750773638895,"projectUrl":"project/7th-grade-supplies/9356797/","projectTitle":"7th Grade Supplies","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Belcher","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7104670"},{"teacherId":9755142,"projectId":9198468,"letterContent":"When our new supplies arrived, my 6th grade students could hardly wait to use them! One of our favorite projects so far has been our writing lessons. Students get to highlight the important parts of a paragraph—like the topic sentence and supporting details—so they can really \"see\" how their writing is built. They love using the red pens to correct their drafts, and then they feel so proud when they write their final copy neatly in blue or black ink.\r\nThe big Post-it chart paper has been a hit too! Students work together to create colorful visuals, and they're so excited to hang them around the room for everyone to learn from. We even started to prepare for our next course, which begins the second semester of PLTW, which is Project Lead The Way. This is a hands - on, interactive stem and technology class. Students have begun making posters to hang around the room. Even the little things, like the new erasers, have made a difference. Students are happy to be able to fix mistakes cleanly without tearing their papers.\r\nWhen the packages arrived, it made the classroom feel fresh and exciting, like they had brand-new tools to show off their best thinking. And speaking of fresh, the cleaning sprays have been such a wonderful addition! The students notice how nice the classroom smells after we tidy up, and it creates such a clean, welcoming space to learn in. Having a fresh environment really helps them feel comfortable and focused during the school day.\r\nOur next big step is a collaborative writing project where the class will create an informational writing piece. With their new supplies, students will be planning, drafting, revising, and publishing pieces they can be proud of. Thanks to your generosity, they not only have the tools to grow as writers but also a bright, clean classroom where learning feels enjoyable and inspiring every day.","fullyFundedDate":1750773698123,"projectUrl":"project/supplies-request-for-a-dynamic-classroom/9198468/","projectTitle":"Supplies Request for a Dynamic Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Christina Joannou","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9755142_orig.jpg?crop=600,600,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1742513829293","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9755142"},{"teacherId":5184475,"projectId":9436783,"letterContent":"Thank you do much for your generous donations! As soon as the school supplies came in, the bulletin board boarders were used right away! One of my students actually commented on one of the boards and loved the border. Out of 15 years I have been teaching, this is the first time a student actually commented on a board. \r\n\r\nUpon the second day of school, students used the notebooks! We use them daily in class and many students weren't able to get them themselves. Having them in the classroom helps students start the year off with success! \r\n\r\nThank you!!!","fullyFundedDate":1755210361868,"projectUrl":"project/new-classroom-new-grades/9436783/","projectTitle":"New Classroom, New Grades","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Damalas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5184475"},{"teacherId":7760881,"projectId":9274329,"letterContent":"I want to sincerely thank you for funding my Donors Choose project. Your generosity allowed me to bring hands-on, creative, and calming materials \r\nI want to sincerely thank you for funding my DonorsChoose project. Your generosity allowed me to bring hands-on, creative, and calming materials into my classroom—resources that truly made a difference for my students.\r\n\r\nThese materials helped my students at a very important time: both during the excitement and nervousness of the end of last school year, and again as we transitioned into this new 2025–2026 school year. With your support, I was able to create calming and creative stations where students could work through big emotions, practice mindfulness, and connect with their peers.\r\n\r\nI have already seen students open up, encourage one another, and build stronger classroom community because of the spaces and activities you made possible. Your donation was not only well spent—it was an investment in helping kids feel safe, supported, and ready to learn.\r\n\r\nThank you again for believing in my students and for helping me create a classroom environment where every child feels valued.","fullyFundedDate":1746646568807,"projectUrl":"project/creative-and-calming-stations/9274329/","projectTitle":"Creative and Calming Stations","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Ayoub","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7760881_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1615900743523","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7760881"},{"teacherId":3109424,"projectId":8803420,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping to make my classroom fun, engaging, and full of learning opportunities.\r\n\r\nMy students were able to utilize the materials from your generous donation to establish a tangible connection between the realms of art and gaming. They applied the Elements of Art to design and create game characters, and gaming environments.\r\n\r\nThe students utilized color theory to evoke specific moods in their games, textures to indicate hazards, and value to create the illusion of three-dimensional objects. The highlight of this project was listening to the students' conversations about how exciting the project was and how enjoyable it would be to be a game artist.\r\n\r\nGoing forward, I look forward to using these materials alongside art with a new group of students to help them understand how art is integrated into nearly every aspect of our lives.","fullyFundedDate":1735673019759,"projectUrl":"project/digital-designers-for-future-gamers/8803420/","projectTitle":"Digital Designers for Future Gamers","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Scaturchio","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mr-scaturchio"},{"teacherId":9485261,"projectId":8903048,"letterContent":"Thank you so support the sensory and educational needs of my class. \r\n\r\nI mostly utilized the items to put in the cool down space, which is shared with the other ASD class. With your support we were able to put different therapeutic options to ground our students when they became overly excited or upset. We also use it as a reward for when they are doing well. With out this equipment I am not sure how we would have addressed the needs the students had.\r\n\r\nThe kids loved the swing. This really calmed them down and provided the stimuli that they needed to be able to attend to their work when they came back to class. They also really liked the bean bag, which stayed in the class. When I gave them a break, at least one student always asked to go on the bean bag to relax. \r\n\r\nI want you to understand, with your contribution, you were able to make an impact in the student's education and life and want to thank you for that.","fullyFundedDate":1734835538877,"projectUrl":"project/update-my-room-to-help-with-sensory-need/8903048/","projectTitle":"Update My Room to Help with Sensory Needs","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Sisenwein","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9485261_orig.jpg?crop=2014,2014,x69,y772&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1729872886057","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9485261"},{"teacherId":9308724,"projectId":8957948,"letterContent":"This l season, our DonorsChoose campaign for athletic equipment became the game-changer our teams needed! With brand-new basketballs, training cones, and agility equipment, the girls' basketball team took their game to the next level. The extra equipment allowed them to sharpen their shooting, improve their conditioning, and fine-tune their teamwork like never before. The result? Back-to-back championships! The new gear gave them the confidence to dominate the court, and their hard work, combined with community support, created an unstoppable force.\r\n\r\nBut the impact didn't stop there! The boys' basketball team used the new training tools to improve their speed and agility, making them a tougher competitor in their division. Meanwhile, the girls' volleyball team is benefitting from additional volleyball gear, helping them improve their endurance and hitting power. With better resources, all our athletes are seeing major improvements, turning hard work into victories. Thanks to our amazing donors, our school's sports program is stronger than ever, and we can't wait to see what the next season brings!","fullyFundedDate":1733701241907,"projectUrl":"project/support-our-student-athletes-at-cms/8957948/","projectTitle":"Support Our Student Athletes at CMS","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Russo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9308724"},{"teacherId":5043623,"projectId":8593956,"letterContent":"My STEM students were so excited to receive new materials for their engineering design projects! Since the majority of students in our diverse school community have reading and math skills on average 3 years below grade level, it is very meaningful to engage them with real-world problems where they can gain skills while having fun.\r\n\r\nStudents engaged in two major design projects: 1) an orthosis for a child with cerebral palsy, and 2) a nest box for an endangered bird species. In both cases, the projects began with students conducting research to better understand the challenge and develop the design criteria. Next, students created sketches on paper as well as in Tinkercad to develop their ideas. They worked in teams to build, test and evaluate their prototypes. Finally, the teams practiced oral and written presentation skills by sharing their models with the class and displaying their work in a showcase in the school lobby.\r\n\r\nIn addition to the design challenges, students reinforced math skills such as measurement, numeracy and fractions by following detailed plans to construct and launch a paper skimmer. Students love the class because it is hands-on and engaging, and I am so very appreciative of your contribution to our class.","fullyFundedDate":1734370578475,"projectUrl":"project/tools-for-stem-design-and-modeling-proje/8593956/","projectTitle":"Tools for STEM Design and Modeling Projects","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Ohring","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp5043623_orig.jpg?crop=955,954,x0,y245&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1724191208313","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5043623"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_43554","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":447,"numTeachers":52,"percentFrplEligible":65,"percentAsian":5,"percentBlack":19,"percentWhite":14,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":55,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"8.6:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":61.4,"schoolId":43554,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Cloonan Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Cloonan Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/connecticut/stamford-public-schools/cloonan-middle-school/43554"}