{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Highcroft Drive Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":13.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":4545141,"projectId":9820694,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support, our students are now enjoying a new felt story board along with beloved felt story sets, including Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and two Pete the Cat stories. These materials introduce essential early literacy skills in a hands-on, engaging way. As students retell stories using the felt pieces, they practice sequencing events, building vocabulary, recognizing patterns and repetition, and developing oral language skills—all critical foundations for reading success.\r\n\r\nReading in our Media Center is interactive and playful, especially for our youngest learners. During lessons, students eagerly volunteer to place felt pieces on the board, act out story events, and predict what will happen next. The felt stories invite movement, conversation, and collaboration, allowing students to experience stories with their whole bodies—not just their eyes. This kind of multisensory learning helps concepts \"stick,\" particularly for early readers and English language learners.\r\n\r\nThese felt stories have been especially meaningful for students who benefit from visual and tactile learning. Children who are still developing confidence with print are able to participate fully by retelling stories and engaging with characters, even before they can read independently. The familiar, joyful characters spark excitement and confidence, turning storytime into an inclusive experience where every child feels successful. \r\n\r\nFor students who prefer to engage with technology, they were able to record the story using green screen and stop-motion apps. They edited the video and had to correctly assemble the video clips in the order of the story, testing their recall and comprehension with project-based learning. Because of you, our students are building strong literacy and technology skills while discovering that reading is something to engage with and enjoy!","fullyFundedDate":1760721591756,"projectUrl":"project/our-littles-need-felt-board-stories/9820694/","projectTitle":"Our Littles Need Felt Board Stories!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fiedler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4545141_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1504271665751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4545141"},{"teacherId":4545141,"projectId":9792729,"letterContent":"Because of your generosity, our students now have access to a vibrant new collection of historical fiction books—and the impact has been immediate. These stories do far more than entertain; they help students build critical reading skills by asking them to infer character motivations, analyze cause and effect, and distinguish between historical facts and imagined details. As students read, they are learning how to step into another time period, develop empathy for people who lived through different circumstances, and make meaningful connections between the past and the world they live in today.\r\n\r\nReading in our Media Center is an active, joyful experience. You'll see students curled up with books, eagerly discussing plot twists with friends, and making thoughtful observations about how life \"used to be.\" Many students are using these books to support classroom learning in social studies, while others are discovering a love of history through stories that feel personal and relatable. Historical fiction has a unique way of making big ideas—like courage, resilience, and justice—feel accessible to young readers. One interesting data point - the Alan Gratz titles that we were able to add to the collection through this project have cracked the Top 10 list for most checked out books for the month, dethroning perennial favorites like Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid!\r\n\r\nSeveral students who were once reluctant readers have been especially drawn to these new titles. The combination of engaging storytelling and real historical settings has helped them stay focused, motivated, and excited to read. For some, this has been the first time they've finished a longer chapter book independently. Thanks to you, our students aren't just learning about history—they're experiencing it through stories that will stay with them long after the last page is turned.","fullyFundedDate":1760732539301,"projectUrl":"project/our-students-need-new-historical-fiction/9792729/","projectTitle":"Our Students Need New Historical Fiction Books!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fiedler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4545141_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1504271665751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4545141"},{"teacherId":20314,"projectId":9579311,"letterContent":"Thank you again for donating to this project. The students have absolutely loved using the various Design and Drill kits. My students with special needs have used them several times and have been highly engaged each time. Their favorite activity has been building robots using the drills, bolts, and gears.\r\n\r\nOur kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students learned how gears work and then used the drills to attach gears and bolts to the boards, matching the pattern design cards. After building their designs, they connected the drills to the gears so they could watch how one spinning gear powered the next. Kindergarten and first-grade students also practiced their counting skills with the Number Design and Drill kits by placing picture-and-number pattern cards on the boards and drilling the correct number of bolts into place.\r\n\r\nOur fourth graders have especially enjoyed the \"Space Circuits\" kits, using them to build electrical circuits that light up, spin, and buzz.\r\n\r\nAs you can see, these kits have been incredibly valuable—helping students strengthen core academic skills while also engaging in hands-on STEM learning. Thank you again for supporting my STEM classroom and public education.","fullyFundedDate":1755725613045,"projectUrl":"project/put-the-e-in-stem-with-these-engineeri/9579311/","projectTitle":"Put the \"E\" in STEM With These Engineering Activities","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Lewis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/20314"},{"teacherId":4545141,"projectId":9039704,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, our library is now filled with beautiful new books that celebrate Indian and Indian-American voices, cultures, and stories. These books have sparked so much joy, curiosity, and pride among our students. For many children, this was the first time they saw characters who looked like them, spoke their languages at home, and dealt with similar issues as they do. That kind of connection is powerful—it builds confidence, encourages reading, and fosters a deep sense of belonging.\r\n\r\nThese books also provide important windows for all students to learn about different cultures, traditions, and perspectives. We've had thoughtful discussions about identity, immigration, and family traditions sparked by these stories. Our readers are practicing empathy, expanding their worldviews, and making meaningful text-to-self and text-to-world connections. One second grader proudly hugged a new book and said, \"This character has my name!\"—a moment I won't forget. Thanks to you, we're not just adding books to shelves—we're growing hearts, minds, and a stronger sense of community.","fullyFundedDate":1746209789595,"projectUrl":"project/our-students-need-more-indian-books/9039704/","projectTitle":"Our Students Need More Indian Books!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fiedler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4545141_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1504271665751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4545141"},{"teacherId":4545141,"projectId":9286655,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support, our youngest students now have access to the inspiring Little People, BIG DREAMS biography series—and they are absolutely loving them! These beautifully illustrated books are just right for early readers, introducing real-world figures like Leo Messi, Rosa Parks, Tenzing Norgay and Mary Anning in a way that is both accessible and empowering. Through these stories, students are practicing important literacy skills like sequencing, identifying main ideas, and making text-to-self connections. We're also using the books as jumping-off points for rich conversations about perseverance, kindness, bravery, and following your dreams.\r\n\r\nIn our school library, reading time has become even more joyful and purposeful. Students often sit side by side, reading these biographies together or excitedly retelling facts they've learned to classmates. One kindergartener who had never checked out a nonfiction book before proudly told me, \"I love Jane Goodall! She helped monkeys!\" Another first grader who is a reluctant reader has been eagerly collecting the books each week, calling them his \"heroes collection.\" Because of you, reading in our library now feels like an adventure into the lives of world changers—and our students are beginning to imagine how they might change the world, too.","fullyFundedDate":1746817401333,"projectUrl":"project/our-littlest-readers-need-biography-book/9286655/","projectTitle":"Our Littlest Readers Need Biography Books, Too!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fiedler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4545141_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1504271665751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4545141"},{"teacherId":20314,"projectId":8619999,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating to my \"Stop and Make Learning Exciting With Stop Motion Animation\" project. Because of your donation, the students now have Ipad holders, minifigures, and minifigure accessories to utilize in order to make stop motion animation movies. The students have absolutely loved being able to use their creativity skills to turn stories into movies! \r\n In their homeroom classes the second graders wrote a personal narrative about being a paleontologist and finding a fossil. In STEM class they used the Lego minifigures and accessories such as pickaxes to create a visual for their story. Their stop motion animation videos showed the following scenes: the minifigure searching for a fossil, finding a fossil, digging in the sand for the fossil, and identifying the fossil. The students really enjoyed making their first movies!\r\n In their homeroom classes the third graders read the book, \"Peter Pan.\" In STEM class they were tasked with using stop motion animation to recreate one scene from the book. The students were fully engaged in this project and loved being able to show their own interpretations of what happened in the book.\r\n Thanks again for supporting public education and the students in my STEM classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1726845999667,"projectUrl":"project/stop-and-make-learning-exciting-with-sto/8619999/","projectTitle":"Stop and Make Learning Exciting With Stop Motion Animation!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Lewis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/20314"},{"teacherId":4545141,"projectId":9233344,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity in funding our DonorsChoose project! Because of you, our library is now home to the ENTIRE Science Comics series—and our students couldn't be more excited. These engaging, high-interest graphic novels are constantly being checked out, and they've quickly become favorites among our curious readers. From coral reefs to volcanoes, dogs to dinosaurs, these books are sparking deep conversations, critical thinking, and a growing love for nonfiction.\r\n\r\nThe Science Comics series has helped us build important literacy and science skills across grade levels. Students are learning how to identify main ideas and key details, make inferences from both text and images, and connect scientific concepts to the real world—all while enjoying the story format they already love. In our media center, reading is all about discovery and joy. It's a place where students can choose what interests them and develop as readers at their own pace. These books meet students right where they are and help them stretch both their reading stamina and their content knowledge.\r\n\r\nSeveral of our reluctant readers—especially students who tend to avoid traditional nonfiction—have found new confidence through these books. One fifth grader, who rarely checked out anything but graphic novels, proudly told me, \"This one taught me more about bats than I've known in my whole life!\" Another student, a second grader fascinated by space, now reads during her recess because she wants to \"learn everything about rockets.\" Thanks to you, our students see themselves as readers and scientists. We are so grateful.","fullyFundedDate":1744205875984,"projectUrl":"project/our-huskies-need-more-science-comics/9233344/","projectTitle":"Our Huskies Need More Science Comics!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fiedler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4545141_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1504271665751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4545141"},{"teacherId":4545141,"projectId":9040425,"letterContent":"I am thrilled to share that our DonorsChoose project for early chapter books has been fully funded, and the impact on our young readers has been incredible! Thanks to your generosity, our library now has a wider selection of engaging, accessible books that serve as the perfect bridge between picture books and longer novels. These new additions are helping our students develop fluency, comprehension, and confidence in their reading journeys.\r\n\r\nIn our library, reading is an active, joyful experience. Students excitedly browse the shelves, eager to find a book that matches their interests and reading levels. With these new chapter books, they now have more options that challenge them just enough to build stamina and independence while keeping them engaged. I created colorful bookmarks for each new series with a list of the titles that we now own. Students can check off when they have finished one book and move on to the next book in the series. These students are excitedly bringing their bookmarks to the media center to show me how many books they have read! Moments like these are happening every day, all thanks to you.\r\n\r\nYour support has made a lasting difference, not only by providing books but by fostering a love of reading that will stay with these students for years to come. Thank you for believing in the power of books and the potential of our young readers!","fullyFundedDate":1739561609368,"projectUrl":"project/our-students-need-chapter-books/9040425/","projectTitle":"Our Students Need Chapter Books!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fiedler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4545141_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1504271665751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4545141"},{"teacherId":20314,"projectId":8998022,"letterContent":"Thank you again for your donation so that new headphones could be purchased for my STEM class. The kids were so excited when we received them! They absolutely love the bright colors of the headphones. My younger students are thrilled that I now have headphones that fit them. In addition, many students have mentioned that these new headphones are much more comfortable than the old ones. The students are now better able to focus on their coding activities since they have headphones that are not only functional, but also comfortably fit. Thanks again for supporting my STEM class and public education!","fullyFundedDate":1736977538373,"projectUrl":"project/help-my-students-to-not-miss-a-beat-in-s/8998022/","projectTitle":"Help My Students to Not Miss a Beat in STEM","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Lewis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/20314"},{"teacherId":4545141,"projectId":8967323,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support, our Media Center is now home to an incredible collection of early chapter book series, and our young readers could not be more excited! These new books are filling a crucial gap for students who are ready to move beyond leveled readers but aren't quite ready for full-length novels. With engaging stories, relatable characters, and accessible text, these books are helping our students develop fluency, comprehension, and confidence in their reading abilities.\r\n\r\nEvery day, I see students eagerly exploring these books during our open circulation time, in media class, and even sneaking in extra reading minutes during lunch or recess. One second-grade student, who was previously hesitant to pick up chapter books, has now devoured nearly the entire series of \"Craftily Ever After\" and proudly shared that she \"feels like a real reader!\" Another student, who used to struggle to find books that interested him, now races to the shelves to grab the next installment of the \"Eerie Elementary\" series. I created bookmarks for each series with all of the books listed on them to encourage students like these to read the entire series. We have several holds sheets full of students on hold for these popular series - books that they didn't even know existed before your generous donation!\r\n\r\nYour generosity has made a direct impact on our students' learning and enthusiasm for books. Because of you, they are discovering new adventures, building self-confidence, and growing as readers. Thank you for believing in the power of books and for making a difference in my students' reading journeys!","fullyFundedDate":1735404854164,"projectUrl":"project/our-huskies-need-more-chapter-books/8967323/","projectTitle":"Our Huskies Need More Chapter Books!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fiedler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4545141_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1504271665751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4545141"},{"teacherId":4545141,"projectId":8872177,"letterContent":"I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and support in funding more books with Korean characters for our media center. Because of your generosity, my students now have access to stories that reflect their own experiences, language, and culture. Seeing books on our shelves that celebrate Korean heritage has been truly meaningful for our Korean and Korean-American students, who now get to read about characters who look and speak like them. The joy and excitement on their faces when they discover these books are priceless!\r\n\r\nThese new books have not only enriched our library collection but have also introduced opportunities for meaningful learning. Students are developing their comprehension skills by engaging with texts that resonate with them, practicing fluency as they read aloud, and strengthening their vocabulary through bilingual books. Additionally, these books are fostering cultural appreciation among all students, encouraging conversations about traditions, family, and identity. It's been wonderful to see students recommending these books to their friends, eager to share stories that matter to them.\r\n\r\nOne particular moment that stood out was when a second-grade student, who had previously struggled to find books she connected with, excitedly checked out a book from the popular Mindy Kim series. She came back the next day, beaming, and told me, \"We celebrate Lunar New Year, too! I want to read them all!\" Moments like this remind me why representation in literature is so important. Thanks to you, my students feel seen, valued, and inspired to keep reading.","fullyFundedDate":1736980542554,"projectUrl":"project/our-students-need-more-korean-books/8872177/","projectTitle":"Our Students Need More Korean Books!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fiedler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4545141_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1504271665751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4545141"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_3724","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":687,"numTeachers":58,"percentFrplEligible":8,"percentAsian":51,"percentBlack":7,"percentWhite":28,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":6,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"11.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":86.4,"schoolId":3724,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Highcroft Drive Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Highcroft Drive Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/north-carolina/wake-county-public-school-system/highcroft-drive-elementary-school/3724"}