{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Gardner Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":39.9,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10198899,"projectId":9631599,"letterContent":"Every day, we gather in our small groups and participate in stations. The amount of excitement that my students show when I arrive at their table to read their group's book warms my heart. There's something special about reading a book one chapter at a time, stopping at a cliffhanger and learning unexpected things about characters. Each group consists of 4-7 students, and we each sit around one table and read the assigned book for that group. (For example, Group 1 in my homeroom is reading Linked by Gordon Korman, and Group 3 is reading The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.) I start reading the chapter, and then we go around the table, allowing everyone to read a section as well. When appropriate, I pause the reading to ask discussion questions. I make sure to focus on questions where the answer isn't obvious or written out in the text. Questions like \"why do you think she glared at him?\" or \"why do you think his mom kept that information from him?\" As an educator, I'm surprised every day by the recollection and understanding of my students when discussing the assigned book. They remember details that we read weeks ago and use them to make predictions. \r\n\r\nI'm surprised by how much my students are enjoying their books this year. Last year, I did something similar, but we didn't have the physical books. We had to use a website to read, and although the students enjoyed it then, it's not nearly as much as how the students this year enjoy it. I think it has a lot to do with the convenience of having the physical books and how easy it is to get started right away. It's also so much more special to have the book in your hand and be able to flip back to previous pages to reread if needed.\r\n\r\nOne of the books that we're reading in my afternoon class is a book called Restart by Gordon Korman. The students in that group were so excited about one particular scene (where our main character gets yogurt dumped on his head), and it got the attention of all the other students in class. The group then spent the next several minutes retelling the story to the other students and sharing their surprise that our main character might have been a bully and might have deserved the yogurt on his head!\r\n\r\nOverall, we are all really enjoying our special books and the worlds we delve into every day. I just know that these books will carry a special place in my students' hearts for a very long time.","fullyFundedDate":1758230815890,"projectUrl":"project/mindful-reading/9631599/","projectTitle":"Mindful Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Elmadari","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10198899_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y30&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755744851913","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-elmadari"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_73059","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":239,"numTeachers":16,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":58,"percentWhite":30,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":9,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"14.9:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":60.1,"schoolId":73059,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Gardner Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Gardner Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/michigan/detroit-public-schools-community-district/gardner-elementary-school/73059"}
Join the 276 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Gardner Elementary School is
an urban public school
in Detroit, Michigan that is part of Detroit Public Schools Community District.
It serves 239 students
in grades K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 14.9:1.
Its teachers have had 102 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
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of students receive free or reduced price lunch
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
67%
of students are Black, Latino, Native
American, or Asian
Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.
Gardner Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Dec 14, 2025
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Gardner Elementary School
$43,239
raised using DonorsChoose
102
projects
funded
24
teachers
funded
276
donors
4
projects
for
basic supplies
11
projects for
technology
8
projects for
books
3
projects
for
art supplies
Gardner Elementary School has received support from
166 individuals from Michigan and
110 individuals out-of-state.