{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Dwight Bellizzi School","outOfStateSupporters":43.3,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8655821,"projectId":10187015,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity in funding our project, \"Writing All Around Our Classroom.\" When the boxes arrived, my students were absolutely thrilled! Their eyes lit up seeing all the fresh, new writing materials, and they could not wait to open them up and start using them right away. Having these resources has brought a whole new energy into our daily routines.\r\n\r\nWe have been using these new tools to set up dedicated writing stations and interactive literacy centers throughout the room. Just this week, during our writing workshop, I watched a group of students eagerly collaborating and using the materials to draft their own creative stories. It has made writing hands-on, accessible, and exciting for everyone.","fullyFundedDate":1778094509083,"projectUrl":"project/writing-all-around-our-classroom/10187015/","projectTitle":"Writing All Around Our Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bardeguez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8655821_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721852865672","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/xbardeguez"},{"teacherId":8655821,"projectId":10174703,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity in funding our project, \"Stay on Task With Working Headphones.\" Having reliable, working headphones in our classroom has truly transformed our daily learning environment. In our school, we utilize technology for personalized reading and math programs, and these headphones allow each student to focus completely on their own lessons without any distracting background noise.\r\n\r\nThe students were absolutely thrilled when the box arrived! What excites them the most is simply having a pair of headphones that fits comfortably and works perfectly without losing sound. This new technology has made a massive difference for several of my students who typically struggle to maintain focus during independent work time. With their new headphones, they are able to fully immerse themselves in their interactive assignments, stay on task, and build their academic confidence. We are so incredibly grateful for your support!","fullyFundedDate":1775588045490,"projectUrl":"project/stay-on-task-with-working-headphones/10174703/","projectTitle":"Stay on Task With Working Headphones","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bardeguez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8655821_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721852865672","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/xbardeguez"},{"teacherId":8655821,"projectId":10131811,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for bringing \"Creating Readers With Graphic Novels Part 2\" to life in our classroom! Your generosity has completely transformed our reading environment. Before these books arrived, many of my students struggled to find texts that truly engaged them. Now, our reading time is filled with excitement, and students are eager to pick up a book and dive into a new story.\r\n\r\nThese graphic novels are incredible tools for teaching complex reading skills. While they are highly visual, they require students to practice deep comprehension skills like making inferences, tracking dialogue, understanding character development, and analyzing plot structures through the combination of text and art. It has been beautiful to watch our classroom transform into a vibrant community of readers where students actively discuss the story arcs and visual cues with one another.\r\n\r\nThis project has made an especially profound impact on my reluctant readers and English Language Learners. The visual context clues give them the confidence to tackle challenging vocabulary and complex themes without feeling overwhelmed. Thank you for recognizing the value of these resources and for investing in my students' literacy and love for reading!","fullyFundedDate":1773879434871,"projectUrl":"project/creating-readers-with-graphic-novels-par/10131811/","projectTitle":"Creating Readers With Graphic Novels Part 2","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bardeguez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8655821_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721852865672","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/xbardeguez"},{"teacherId":8655821,"projectId":10131654,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity in bringing these graphic novels into our classroom! Your support has completely transformed our daily reading environment. Graphic novels are such a powerful tool for teaching complex literacy skills. Because of these texts, my students are learning how to analyze visual cues, track character development across panels, and infer deeper meaning by combining illustrations with dialogue. It bridges the gap for many readers, teaching sophisticated narrative structures in an accessible way.\r\n\r\nDuring our reading blocks, the classroom is now filled with genuine excitement. Students are eager to grab a book, curl up, and dive into a story. These graphic novels have been a massive hit, particularly with my reluctant readers and English language learners. I have seen students who used to struggle to finish a single chapter now completely engrossed in a book, eagerly discussing the plots with their peers. Seeing their faces light up and watching them build true reading stamina has been absolutely wonderful. Thank you for sparking a genuine love for reading in my students!","fullyFundedDate":1773883315876,"projectUrl":"project/graphic-novels-help-students-love-readin/10131654/","projectTitle":"Graphic Novels Help Students Love Reading! Part 2","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bardeguez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8655821_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721852865672","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/xbardeguez"},{"teacherId":2788872,"projectId":9861767,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping fund this amazing project! This has been an amazing project for my students to participate in. They have been showing alot of initiative and drive to clean up our school playground of litter and have been helping grow seeds and plants. \r\nWe have been collecting cardboard to lay down to block the weeds and laying wood chips down onto of the cardboards. My students and I have been working hard to weed certain parts of the playground to start a flower garden. \r\nAlready, our playground area looks amazing and we have been getting a lot of compliments and positive feedback. We will continue to work on the garden and eventually plant our sprouted seeds outside in the garden beds. We have planted several seeds and are awaiting for the plants to sprout! \r\nThank you again for help in us beautiful our school!","fullyFundedDate":1772032460929,"projectUrl":"project/beautifying-our-campus-with-flower-garde/9861767/","projectTitle":"Beautifying Our Campus with Flower Gardens","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Almon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2788872_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1602869060180","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-almon"},{"teacherId":9281557,"projectId":9824662,"letterContent":"The fraction tiles have been a complete game-changer. Just this week, we used them to explore the concept of equivalency. Instead of staring at abstract numbers on a worksheet, my students were physically layering tiles to see exactly how many \"one-eighth\" pieces it takes to equal a \"one-fourth\" piece.\r\n\r\nOne specific moment that stood out was during a small-group lesson where a student, who typically struggles with the language of math, held up two different tiles and shouted, \"Oh! They're the same size, they just have different names!\" Seeing that \"lightbulb\" moment happen through physical manipulation is exactly why these tools are so vital.\r\n\r\nWhen the boxes first arrived and we unboxed the HUE HD Pro Document Camera, the room was buzzing. The students were fascinated by the \"flexible neck\" of the camera, calling it our \"math robot.\"\r\n\r\nNow, every morning, there is a sense of pride as students come up to the docucam to model their own work. Because the camera projects their exact notebook onto the board in real-time, the rest of the class can follow their logic step-by-step. The individual math folders have also given them a new sense of ownership; they love having a dedicated, organized place to keep their charts and \"mathematician notes,\" which has significantly cut down on transition time.\r\n\r\nOur next big step is diving deeper into multi-step word problems. We will be using our new digital wall clock to help track our \"Math Workshop\" rotations, ensuring every student gets dedicated time with the document camera to present their problem-solving strategies to the group.\r\n\r\nWe are also moving toward a project where students will \"build\" their own fractional wall using the tiles to create a visual map of how different values relate to one another. Your support hasn't just given us supplies; it has given my students the confidence to see themselves as true mathematicians.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our classroom and for helping these students see, solve, and succeed!","fullyFundedDate":1769876585370,"projectUrl":"project/seeing-solving-and-succeeding-in-math/9824662/","projectTitle":"Seeing, Solving, and Succeeding in Math!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Dias","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9281557_orig.png?crop=1592,1592,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1706627606765","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-dias-classroom"},{"teacherId":2788872,"projectId":10120351,"letterContent":"Words cannot describe how excited my students are to create a community garden that will produce fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruit for them and their peers. They have already started the seeds inside-packing cups and planters with soil, sowing seeds, and watering their seeds. They have watched how the sprouted seeds have grown into young plants and need to be turned away from the sun to strengthen the stems. \r\n\r\nMy students have helped built the garden beds and trellises and are ready for the plants to grow strong enough to be planted in the garden beds. This project has helped them learn about plant life cycles first hand. They are learning how to take care of plants that will be providing them and our school with food-for some this is a first time they are working in a garden or even growing something from seed. \r\n\r\nMy students are highly motivated and are positively influencing their peers to help in the garden. Their excitement is encouraging others to help and join us in building the garden. \r\nThis has already been an impactful project and we cannot express our appreciation of your support!","fullyFundedDate":1773854393040,"projectUrl":"project/no-more-food-insecurity-at-our-school/10120351/","projectTitle":"No More Food Insecurity at Our School","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Almon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2788872_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1602869060180","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-almon"},{"teacherId":2788872,"projectId":10181391,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping fund our Lego Plant Project!\r\nThis project has caused a lot of excitement in First Grade! My First Grade students are so excited to create and build their very own Lego Flower and Plant set. Some of them have told me this is the very first Lego set they are building! They are nervous and worried that it will be so hard to build-but I reassured them that I will be helping them. We have already started to build the flowers in small groups and it has been going very well! My students are focused even though they are excited and amazed by what they will be creating. They have picked out their flowers to build and are learning all about the flowers and whether they are native or not native flowers to Connecticut. This has been a great and fun activity to experience with my students during their Plant Literacy Unit. \r\nThank you again for funding this project!","fullyFundedDate":1776437631328,"projectUrl":"project/lego-botanical-flower-and-plant-celebrat/10181391/","projectTitle":"LEGO Botanical Flower and Plant Celebration","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Almon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2788872_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1602869060180","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-almon"},{"teacherId":9077143,"projectId":9900348,"letterContent":"I wanted to reach out and share the incredible impact your recent play dough donation has had on our classroom.\r\n\r\nAs I shared in our project update, the materials have transformed how my students approach literacy and fine motor tasks. From the moment they saw the vibrant colors, their engagement skyrocketed. We are currently moving into our \"Community Garden\" project, where your gift is helping students prototype 3D models of sustainable urban spaces.\r\n\r\nAttached, you'll find a few photos of our \"Creature Creation\" workshop where the students' imaginations truly came to life. We couldn't have done this without your support. Thank you for investing in our students' creativity","fullyFundedDate":1773104052295,"projectUrl":"project/play-dough-for-my-students/9900348/","projectTitle":"Play Dough for My Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Reyes","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9077143_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1728743120941","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9077143"},{"teacherId":9077143,"projectId":9841624,"letterContent":"On behalf of my students and I, I would like to sincerely thank you for your generous donation of art and office supplies. Your contribution of sharpeners, pencils, tape, and colored pencils is exactly what we needed to keep our projects moving forward.\r\n\r\nThese tools do more than just fill a supply closet; they provide the means for our students to express their creativity and stay organized. We are so grateful for your support of our mission.\r\nIn today's world, we recognize that there are many worthy causes competing for your attention. The fact that you chose to invest in our student leaders speaks volumes about your commitment to our community and your belief in the power of education and creativity. It is because of supporters like you that we can continue to provide a high-quality, supportive, and resource-rich environment for everyone who walks through our doors.","fullyFundedDate":1772032458828,"projectUrl":"project/pencils-and-materials-for-students/9841624/","projectTitle":"Pencils and Materials for Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Reyes","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9077143_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1728743120941","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9077143"},{"teacherId":8655821,"projectId":9874779,"letterContent":"I want to express my deepest thanks for bringing \"Graphic Novels Help Students Love Reading!\" to life in our classroom. These books have completely transformed what reading looks like for my students. Before these arrived, many of my developing readers felt overwhelmed by dense pages of text and would often drift away during independent reading time. Now, the room is filled with a focused, excited energy. Graphic novels provide essential visual scaffolding that helps students master complex skills like inferencing, understanding character motivation, and following multi-layered plot structures without feeling intimidated.\r\n\r\nThe impact on specific students has been particularly moving. I have several \"reluctant\" readers who now race to the library nook as soon as they enter the room to grab the latest installment of their favorite series. By blending high-interest storytelling with sophisticated vocabulary and art, these books have given my students the confidence to call themselves \"readers.\" You haven't just provided books; you have provided the spark that is turning my students into lifelong lovers of literature.","fullyFundedDate":1764713408421,"projectUrl":"project/graphic-novels-help-students-love-readin/9874779/","projectTitle":"Graphic Novels Help Students Love Reading!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bardeguez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8655821_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721852865672","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/xbardeguez"},{"teacherId":8655821,"projectId":9874951,"letterContent":"It is wonderful that your project, \"Creating Readers, One Book at a Time With Graphic Novels!\", was funded! Here is a draft you can use for your impact letter, tailored to the prompts on your DonorsChoose page.\r\n\r\nImpact Letter Draft\r\nDear donors,\r\n\r\nI cannot thank you enough for bringing these graphic novels into our classroom. For many of my students, opening one of these books was the first time they truly felt like \"readers.\" These texts do so much more than just provide entertainment; they bridge the gap between visual literacy and complex storytelling. In our classroom, reading now looks like a room full of focused, smiling faces, with students eagerly pointing out character expressions and subtle plot points hidden in the artwork. These books have introduced essential skills like inferencing and understanding dialogue through context, making high-level literary concepts accessible to everyone.\r\n\r\nThe impact has been most visible with my reluctant readers and English Language Learners. Students who previously felt overwhelmed by dense pages of text are now the first ones to head to the bookshelf during independent reading time. They are gaining the confidence to tackle longer narratives and are participating in class discussions with newfound enthusiasm. You haven't just provided books; you've provided a \"win\" for students who needed to see that reading can be both challenging and incredibly fun.","fullyFundedDate":1764702306685,"projectUrl":"project/creating-readers-one-book-at-a-time-wit/9874951/","projectTitle":"Creating Readers, One Book at a Time With Graphic Novels!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bardeguez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8655821_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721852865672","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/xbardeguez"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_43692","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":651,"numTeachers":40,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":2,"percentBlack":12,"percentWhite":2,"percentIndigenous":1,"percentLatinx":79,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":1,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"16.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":56.7,"schoolId":43692,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Dwight Bellizzi School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Dwight Bellizzi School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/connecticut/hartford-public-school-district/dwight-elementary-school/43692"}