{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Hillcrest Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":45.4,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8574009,"projectId":9567780,"letterContent":"We've started using the new motivational prizes as part of our daily participation and behavior system, and the impact has been immediate. One of our favorite classroom moments happened during a review game where students earned points for teamwork, respectful communication, and accurate answers. The prize bin brought an extra layer of excitement—students leaned in, supported one another, and stayed focused because they knew their effort mattered. The prizes helped turn routine practice into a moment of joy and engagement.\r\nThe students were absolutely thrilled. When I revealed the new prize bin, their eyes lit up and the room filled with excited whispers. Several students said, \"We get to earn these?!\" and immediately started brainstorming ways they could gain more points through participation and good choices. The positive energy changed the tone of the whole day—students were eager to demonstrate their best behavior, answer questions, and take on extra challenges.\r\nRight now, students are working on strengthening their daily academic habits—participating in discussions, showing work clearly, collaborating respectfully, and meeting classroom expectations consistently. The next step is to continue using the prize system to reinforce these skills and help students build intrinsic motivation. As they experience success, they're learning that their effort truly makes a difference. Our upcoming lessons will incorporate more opportunities for students to earn recognition for perseverance, growth, and taking academic risks.","fullyFundedDate":1756498897026,"projectUrl":"project/motivation-matters-student-prize-fund/9567780/","projectTitle":"Motivation Matters: Student Prize Fund","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wands","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8574009_orig.png?crop=1224,1224,x0,y73&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1659719479988","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8574009"},{"teacherId":9592780,"projectId":9518867,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom project. As a preschool teacher in a Title I public school, I see every day how meaningful it is for our young learners to have access to high quality books, many of which they may not otherwise experience. Your support has helped us start the school year with a bright, inviting collection of new stories that my students are already eager to listen to as well as open on their own. Many of my students came in with very little letter knowledge but through reading many of our new books they are growing so much.\r\n\r\nThese books are helping our children build early literacy skills, develop a love for reading, and discover the joy of learning. For many of my students, this may be their first introduction to books they can explore independently and share with friends. All of the new books also help many of my English language learners become exposed to so much vocabulary! Pete the Cat is one of their favorites. The easy to use book bins worked well for the children to reach the books and put them away. Your kindness has truly made our classroom a more enriching, welcoming place. We now have books to go with almost every theme we discuss throughout the year. The large Sharpies help my Para and myself label everything and make fun new charts and posters!\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in my students and investing in their earliest years of education. Your generosity has made a lasting impact, and we are so grateful. It's supporters like you who help us build a classroom where every child feels safe, valued, and inspired to learn. We just read our new Thanksgiving themed books and made turkeys afterward. Attached is a picture of their turkey work as a huge thank you to YOU! I currently have a new project I am hoping to get funded for the holiday season! The Preschool team dresses up as a Gingerbread family and gives books and gifts to the children to enjoy at home! \r\nThank you for being a part of their journey and making my teacher's heart full every single day!","fullyFundedDate":1756317508070,"projectUrl":"project/ready-set-learn-a-strong-start-for-my/9518867/","projectTitle":"Ready, Set, Learn! A Strong Start for My Preschoolers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Nancy Martinez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9592780_orig.jpg?crop=1800,1800,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721066208137","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9592780"},{"teacherId":3792568,"projectId":9445560,"letterContent":"I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you again for your very generous donation. Creating these scrapbooks and documenting all of the fun, creative ways we learn in my preschool classroom is truly one of my favorite parts of teaching. As you can see in the photos I shared, I love displaying pictures of my children throughout our classroom and on our hallway bulletin boards. Thanks to your support, I have already begun creating scrapbook pages for their End-of-Year Scrapbooks.\r\n\r\nOne of the greatest joys is watching my students share stories about the moments captured in these photos with their families—their eyes light up, their voices fill with excitement, and you can feel how proud they are. A picture really is worth a thousand words, and with the rising cost of printing, having my own photo printer and ink has saved so much time and money. Because of you, I will be able to present each child with a scrapbook filled with photos and artwork that celebrate their growth, their friendships, and our wonderful year together. It means so much to me to send them off to kindergarten knowing how proud I am of them. Thank you for helping make these lasting memories possible and for making our End-of-Year Celebration even more special.\r\n\r\nI currently have three more projects I am hoping will be funded as well. Two of them will help spread holiday cheer by sending my students home with books and games that encourage family time. The third supports my Friday morning Art Club, where 3rd–5th graders come to school early to create, explore, and express themselves like little Picassos. I continue to be blown away by the generosity of donors like you, and I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart.","fullyFundedDate":1757423954791,"projectUrl":"project/memories-that-will-last-a-lifetime/9445560/","projectTitle":"Memories that Will Last a Lifetime","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hilse","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3792568_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1756688807031","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-hilse"},{"teacherId":3792568,"projectId":9451365,"letterContent":"I wanted to take a moment to thank you for helping make my vision a reality. At Back to School Night, I shared globe keychains with parents along with a note reminding them that their children are their world, and that we are now a team working together for their child. This small gesture truly helped set the tone for building positive relationships, and my families this year have been wonderful about communicating. We are off to such a great start.\r\n\r\nThe children absolutely loved all of the new books your support provided. I love reading to them, and my goal is to spark a lifelong love of reading in each of my students. Teaching children to enjoy stories is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. Many of my Pre-K students came in with very little knowledge of letters and sounds, but they are already learning through their own names and the names of their classmates. When we read together, I model tracking print, and they quickly begin to understand that letters make words. They love listening to stories, retelling them by using the pictures, and even acting them out as a group. It brings such joy to our classroom.\r\n\r\nThe Play-Doh you provided has also been a huge hit—especially all of the fun colors! My students love using it during small groups and choice time. Play-Doh is such an important tool for developing finger muscles and fine motor skills. Rolling, squeezing, and shaping it strengthens their hands and fingers, preparing them for writing, scissor skills, and so many everyday tasks.\r\n\r\nI currently have three more projects I am hoping will be funded. Two will help bring holiday cheer by sending each child home with books and games to encourage family time over the break. The third supports my morning Art Club, where 3rd–5th graders come to school early on Fridays to create and express themselves like little Picassos.\r\n\r\nI am always blown away by your generosity. Thank you, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, for supporting my students and helping us grow. Your kindness makes a real difference every single day.","fullyFundedDate":1756759307689,"projectUrl":"project/getting-preschool-ready/9451365/","projectTitle":"Getting Preschool Ready","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hilse","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3792568_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1756688807031","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-hilse"},{"teacherId":9220755,"projectId":9417382,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support, our classroom Dual Language Library has opened up a world of stories, voices, and connections for my students! These new bilingual books have created daily opportunities for children to see their languages, cultures, and families reflected in what we read together.\r\n\r\nReading time in the classroom is now more vibrant than ever. Students gather with excitement, choosing books in English and Spanish to read alone, with a partner, or during small-group read-alouds. We explore vocabulary, discuss story elements, and make comparisons between languages—all while building comprehension and confidence. These new texts also help students strengthen phonemic awareness, decoding skills, and fluency as they see and hear words in both languages.\r\n\r\nBecause of your generosity, my students are not only becoming stronger readers—they are also becoming bridge builders between languages and cultures. You've helped me show every child that their voice and language matter.","fullyFundedDate":1753114574983,"projectUrl":"project/the-dual-language-library/9417382/","projectTitle":"The Dual Language Library","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hawkins","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9220755_orig.jpg?crop=2298,2298,x312,y574&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722959425866","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/teach-msbhawkins"},{"teacherId":9220755,"projectId":9413153,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, my classroom has been filled with meaningful conversations, laughter, and emotional growth through our Tiny Bodies, Big Feelings book collection! These books have helped my students explore big ideas about emotions—how to name them, understand them, and express them in healthy ways.\r\n\r\nIn the classroom, reading time is interactive and full of energy! Students gather on the carpet to listen, share, and make connections. We pause often to talk about what characters might be feeling and how we might feel in similar situations. Through these stories, children are developing vital early literacy skills—like identifying main ideas, making predictions, and connecting text to personal experiences—while also learning empathy, self-regulation, and communication skills.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support, my students aren't just learning how to read—they're learning how to understand themselves and others. Thank you for helping me make social-emotional learning a joyful part of our literacy journey!","fullyFundedDate":1751644674325,"projectUrl":"project/tiny-bodies-big-feelings/9413153/","projectTitle":"Tiny Bodies, Big Feelings","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hawkins","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9220755_orig.jpg?crop=2298,2298,x312,y574&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722959425866","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/teach-msbhawkins"},{"teacherId":8574009,"projectId":9242392,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, my students have been swept up in the magical world of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! 🍫📚 They're learning key reading skills like identifying character traits, making predictions, and exploring deeper themes of kindness, honesty, and imagination.\r\n\r\nReading time has become the highlight of our day. Students take turns reading aloud, sharing favorite moments, and even imagining their own candy inventions. For many, it's the first time they've felt truly connected to a story. One student said, \"I wish we could read this book forever!\"\r\n\r\nYour donation did more than put books in our hands—it helped build confidence, excitement, and a real love for reading. Thank you for making that magic happen in our classroom! 💛","fullyFundedDate":1750807874246,"projectUrl":"project/lets-give-each-child-a-golden-book-ti/9242392/","projectTitle":"Let's Give Each Child a Golden (book) Ticket!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wands","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8574009_orig.png?crop=1224,1224,x0,y73&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1659719479988","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8574009"},{"teacherId":3792568,"projectId":9317560,"letterContent":"As Mr. Rogers used to say, \"Play is serious learning.\" Thank you so much for donating to this project and helping to get it funded! I chose these items specifically to enhance my students' fine motor, social and emotional learning skills. By having free choice with a variety of fun and interactive centers my kids have really been improving on their social skills. The children absolutely love the magna tiles, creating cars and buses with them. They also really enjoy the play-doh, number and alpha robots. These items are really helping to strengthen their finger muscles for writing. Every day I witness the children working together and using their imagination and creativity! I love seeing their big smiles and excitement when they are working with these new tools. Thank you for helping to make a difference in the lives of my students by providing them with the tools they needed to enhance both their social and emotional growth.\r\n\r\nMy new project is called, Holiday Cheer. This project will provide my children with both books and literacy games that they can bring home. I want them to bring their love of learning home for the holidays. I am hoping to encourage family time while they create memories that will last a lifetime. I am always so blown away by the generosity of all of you donors and I want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart.","fullyFundedDate":1750866936267,"projectUrl":"project/preschool-fun/9317560/","projectTitle":"Preschool Fun","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hilse","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3792568_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1756688807031","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-hilse"},{"teacherId":9592780,"projectId":9308329,"letterContent":"I hope you know how happy your generosity has made me! Your donation to my project Building Bright Beginnings and Beyond has add so much to my classroom library!\r\nBooks are the best way for my little learners to learn new words and open their minds to new experiences. Many of my little friends are also just learning English, so I love to read to them and help build their vocabulary. They love selecting the library as a center so they can sit and read on the carpet. Many of them like to also play school and line up the dolls and animals and read to them like the teacher.\r\n\r\nReading was always special to me growing up and I believe that started for me as a young child. I am still an avid reader and I am so excited to share my love of reading with my students! \r\nThank you for making this happen for my classroom. I will hold a special place in my heart for your generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1746787162421,"projectUrl":"project/building-bright-beginnings-and-beyond-p/9308329/","projectTitle":"Building Bright Beginnings and Beyond: PreK Books & Supplies","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Nancy Martinez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9592780_orig.jpg?crop=1800,1800,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721066208137","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9592780"},{"teacherId":3792568,"projectId":9298363,"letterContent":"I am so overwhelmed by your generosity and your willingness to make a difference in the lives of my students. Teaching is not just my job but it's a large part of who I am! I love what I do, I couldn't imagine doing anything else. Whenever I get a project funded and supplies are delivered it's like Christmas, my eyes actually light up!\r\n\r\nI love teaching so much and I enjoy ending the year by celebrating my kids accomplishments with their families. I hand out bags with summer goodies to encourage learning in a fun way, hopefully it will become family fun time. They were given books and finger lights to point to letters/words as they read. They were also given play-doh so they can continue to strengthen their finger muscles while they manipulate it with their fingers and adorable owl pencil grips so they can continue to hold their pencils correctly. What a great way to end the year!\r\n\r\nIn less than two months I start a new school year and my third year back in Preschool, which is where my teaching career began 29 years ago. I am so excited for the year to begin. My next two projects will help get my Pre-K classroom ready (w/books, play-doh and a few other things to help our year get started off right) and supplies to create scrapbooks that will document our year together.\r\n\r\nI am always so grateful to all those who have donated and helped my visions become a reality! Thank you so much for making a difference.","fullyFundedDate":1746787094487,"projectUrl":"project/learning-should-be-celebrated/9298363/","projectTitle":"Learning Should Be Celebrated","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hilse","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3792568_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1756688807031","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-hilse"},{"teacherId":3792568,"projectId":9116133,"letterContent":"This was my second year back in a Preschool classroom after 20 years. I was told by many that PreK children would rip books or not care for them but I knew better. I LOVE books and I knew that the people who told me this could not be right. Over the year I shared my love of reading with my kids. I didn't simply read books I performed them. I put on a show by acting them out and using different voices. My kids did not like story time, they loved it. Every day they would come to school, unpack and then go pick a book to \"read\" sometimes alone and other times with a partner, they even would sit around the BIG books and read them all together. My students had many favorite books but for the last two years Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom! and Brown Bear, Brown Bear were their absolute favorite books to read. They would recite these books over and over again.\r\n\r\nSending my students home with books this summer was very important to me, so important that I made sure the other Pre-K classroom in my school could give their children books as well. Thanks to your support 30 Preschoolers went home with books this summer to share with their families. If you could have seen their face you would see what an amazing thing you did by helping me get this project funded. I was also able to send home my classes favorite game with them, a letter memory game. My hope is that their love or reading continues after they leave me and maybe they can share this love with their families. Thank you for helping my vision become a reality.\r\n\r\nIn less than two months I start a new school year and my third year back in Preschool. I am so excited for the year to begin. My next project will help provide my classroom with more books. It will also provide play-doh and a few other things to help our year get started right.\r\n\r\nI am always so grateful to all those who have donated and helped my vision become a reality! Thank you so much for making a difference.","fullyFundedDate":1744310723100,"projectUrl":"project/summer-reading/9116133/","projectTitle":"Summer Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hilse","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3792568_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1756688807031","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-hilse"},{"teacherId":3792568,"projectId":9298361,"letterContent":"I want to thank you all for your help in funding my project, \"Preschool Ready!\" Getting this project funded helped prepare me for a great school year. The bubble wands will be given to my students at Meet the Teacher, they will have tags on them that say, \"We are BUBBLING with excitement for our year together!\" The necklaces will be used as \"smarty beads\" and I give out 3 a day to students who make the right choices or who are showing growth. They are a big deal and the children love earning them (I keep a list of who gets them to make sure everyone can earn them weekly). The Star of The Day bracelets are given to one student a day (again, I keep a list to make sure everyone can get/earn a turn). The Star of the Day is the line leader, weather reporter and my helper throughout the day. I love seeing my kids eyes light up when they earn Smarty Beads or the Star Bracelet, they are always excited to go home and show their parents. Thank you again for making all of this possible. The flair pens are used for special projects and for drawing Step By Step pictures. They make the colors pop when they color their pictures in. The owl grips help the children learn how to hold pencils correctly. Thank you for making all of this possible.\r\n\r\nMy new project is for supplies to create individual scrapbooks for each child. I am hoping to create a book that will document and celebrate my students' growth and accomplishments over the year. At our End of Year Celebration I will be able to provide a book full of both art and pictures that document our wonderful year together, it will allow my students to leave preschool with a portfolio of ALL the great things they accomplished in our year. together. Creating these books takes months to create and although I don't get paid to make them seeing the reactions from both my students and their families makes all the hours worth it. It truly is AMAZING how much children grow physically, socially and academically in just one year! I have been making these books for almost 30 years but they have become very costly. I'm really hoping that I can continue making them.\r\n\r\nI am always so blown away by the generosity of all of you donors and I want to thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart for the help you provide both teachers and students. Thanks you!","fullyFundedDate":1746787139258,"projectUrl":"project/preschool-ready/9298361/","projectTitle":"Preschool Ready","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hilse","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3792568_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1756688807031","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-hilse"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_82168","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":452,"numTeachers":43,"percentFrplEligible":54,"percentAsian":14,"percentBlack":25,"percentWhite":6,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":49,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"10.5:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":54.6,"schoolId":82168,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Hillcrest Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Hillcrest Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-jersey/franklin-township-public-school-district/hillcrest-elementary-school/82168"}