{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Helotes Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":12.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10106421,"projectId":9524819,"letterContent":"Thank you once again for funding our project, Engineering & Art: Bringing Ideas to Life with ChompSaws! Unpacking the Chomp Saws was truly like Christmas Day as the students discovered what was inside! They instantly recognized that these were tools that would allow them to build bigger and better than ever before. The immediate excitement for their new capabilities has translated directly into greater enthusiasm for their projects.\r\nThe Chomp Saws have been a monumental hit, immediately elevating our projects across multiple programs. While Art and Cardboard Arcade are eagerly anticipating their turn in the Spring, our STEM and Gifted & Talented (GT) students got right to work! We received the Chomp Saws just in time for Halloween, and they were instantly put to use. Our STEM students in third, fourth, and fifth grades used them to design and construct intricate Haunted Houses. Meanwhile, our GT students (grades 1–5) used the saws to collaborate on creating an entire Haunted Classroom for Halloween. A particularly gratifying moment was watching our first and second graders master the Chomp Saws. Being able to independently and safely cut the cardboard allowed them to create components for the haunted room that would have been impossible with scissors. Their sense of accomplishment as they built structures on their own was priceless.\r\nThe Chomp Saws are essential to the final major project in our Gifted & Talented program. We are wrapping up our Structures unit in April, and the students will be undertaking an ambitious end-of-year project. Using the Chomp Saws, each student will design and build a large structure—either a natural structure, an eco-friendly treehouse/residential/commercial building (like skyscrapers), or a research-based model of an existing bridge or building made more eco-friendly. Having the Chomp Saws allows us to move beyond the limitations of scissors, enabling us to construct the complex shapes, ambitious scale, and sturdy foundations required for these detailed models. This project is a direct investment in their creativity and problem-solving skills, and we are incredibly thankful for your commitment to helping us foster this culture of innovation.\r\nThank you for bringing these amazing tools to our school and empowering our young engineers and artists!","fullyFundedDate":1757714523350,"projectUrl":"project/engineering-art-bringing-ideas-to-lif/9524819/","projectTitle":"Engineering & Art: Bringing Ideas to Life with ChompSaws","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wanke","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10106421_orig.jpg?crop=1160,1160,x13,y173&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755110052615","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jackie-wanke"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_8930","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":316,"numTeachers":27,"percentFrplEligible":21,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":36,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":55,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"11.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":88.0,"schoolId":8930,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Helotes Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Helotes Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/texas/northside-independent-school-district/helotes-elementary-school/8930"}
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About this school
Helotes Elementary School is
a suburban public school
in Helotes, Texas that is part of Northside Independent School District.
It serves 316 students
in grades K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 11.7:1.
Its teachers have had 3 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
55%
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.
Helotes Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Dec 5, 2025
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Helotes Elementary School
$3,263
raised using DonorsChoose
3
projects
funded
2
teachers
funded
25
donors
Helotes Elementary School has received support from
22 individuals from Texas and
3 individuals out-of-state.