{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Holabird Academy 229","outOfStateSupporters":54.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":3231943,"projectId":9949620,"letterContent":"Colorful prints will help us celebrate and make visible the literacy learning happening in our PreK library. Students will use bright, high-quality materials to create artwork and visual responses connected to books, stories, characters, and early literacy skills. Displaying their work throughout the library will give our youngest learners a sense of pride and belonging while showing families and the school community what our students are learning. These materials will help make the library a joyful, welcoming space where reading, creativity, and self-expression come together.","fullyFundedDate":1767644641647,"projectUrl":"project/colorful-prints-to-celebrate-prek-litera/9949620/","projectTitle":"Colorful Prints to Celebrate PreK Literacy Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hauser","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3231943_orig.jpg?crop=1536,1536,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1762267070789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3231943"},{"teacherId":2609757,"projectId":10191083,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our school and our Pre-K and Kindergarten students through our attendance challenge! Because of your generosity, we were able to create a fun and exciting incentive that motivated our students and families to improve attendance. In just one month, our attendance rate increased from 86.6% to 89.4%! We know how important it is for our youngest learners to be in school as much as possible so they do not miss important learning experiences and have every opportunity to learn, grow, and build strong relationships at school.\r\n\r\nWhen our students first found out about the attendance challenge, they were SO excited! We told them that students with strong attendance could earn a special pirate toy and attend a pirate party at the end of the month. They talked about it almost every day and were so excited about the possibility of celebrating together. When the day of the party finally arrived, 53 of our 60 students were able to attend because of their attendance rates! It was amazing to see how happy and proud they were. The pirate game they received was also a learning game that they could take home and play with their families, helping us extend learning beyond the classroom while encouraging quality family time at home.\r\n\r\nOur next step is to keep this momentum going and continue helping our students and families understand why consistent attendance matters. Our Pre-K and Kindergarten students are learning important foundational skills in literacy, math, communication, problem-solving, and social-emotional development every day. Each day of school gives them another opportunity to practice those skills and grow. We will continue finding fun ways to celebrate attendance while helping our students develop positive habits around coming to school and being ready to learn.\r\n\r\nThank you again for investing in our students and families. Your donation did so much more than provide a fun prize! It helped motivate our students, strengthen attendance, support learning at home, and create a special memory for our children. We are incredibly grateful for your support!","fullyFundedDate":1778083067934,"projectUrl":"project/every-day-counts-pre-k-pirate-attendanc/10191083/","projectTitle":"Every Day Counts: Pre-K Pirate Attendance Challenge","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Murphy","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp2609757_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1526434898868","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/maggie-warren"},{"teacherId":3231943,"projectId":10202908,"letterContent":"Our youngest have truly enjoyed spending time working in our school garden. They have planted, watered, explored, and cared for growing plants, learning firsthand that gardens take time, patience, and care. For many students, these experiences provide a chance to slow down, get their hands in the soil, and connect with nature in a meaningful way.\r\n\r\nWorking in the garden helps students build responsibility, confidence, teamwork, and curiosity while giving them a sense of pride in watching something they helped plant grow. They are learning that their care and effort make a difference. Most importantly, the garden has created joyful, hands-on learning experiences that our students look forward to and remember.","fullyFundedDate":1778003951934,"projectUrl":"project/learning-in-bloom-outdoor-play-and-expl/10202908/","projectTitle":"Learning in Bloom: Outdoor Play and Exploration for Young Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hauser","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3231943_orig.jpg?crop=1536,1536,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1762267070789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3231943"},{"teacherId":3231943,"projectId":10181161,"letterContent":"This project has had a clear and meaningful impact on student learning across both indoor and outdoor spaces.\r\n\r\nStudents are able to clearly hear stories, instructions, music, and presentations wherever learning takes place, which improves focus, participation, and engagement. Storytimes and read-alouds are more immersive, with students responding more deeply to tone, rhythm, and expression. Author visits and shared listening experiences feel more connected and accessible for all learners, especially our youngest students and multilingual learners.\r\n\r\nThe speaker has also expanded learning beyond the classroom walls. In our outdoor garden space, students stay fully engaged during lessons and hands-on activities. Our Green Team especially benefits from this, as they enjoy listening to music while working together to maintain and care for the school garden, creating a positive, collaborative environment that supports both responsibility and enjoyment.\r\n\r\nOverall, the speaker has strengthened access, inclusivity, and engagement by making it possible for every student to fully participate in storytelling, music, and outdoor learning experiences in a seamless and meaningful way.","fullyFundedDate":1778000333459,"projectUrl":"project/amplify-learning-indooroutdoor-speaker/10181161/","projectTitle":"Amplify Learning: Indoor/Outdoor Speaker for Library & Garden","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hauser","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3231943_orig.jpg?crop=1536,1536,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1762267070789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3231943"},{"teacherId":10440473,"projectId":10115755,"letterContent":"As a first-year teacher, my goal this year was to approach my student's learning and success through a lens of compassion and organised support. I wanted my students to not only know that I was putting my best foot forward into teaching them, but also feel like they had an ownership of their own learning. \r\n\r\nThrough your donations, I was able to create a cohesive and tactical system of supports where I could efficiently reach all the students under my care. Furthermore, my students were able to feel a greater sense of independence, as their folders and other supplies, allowed them to take part of their learning into their own hands. In my eyes, this allowed my students to internalise each lesson, especially targeted small group lessons, on a much deeper level as they were able to build skills of planning and organization that I believe will help them build a much stronger foundation for their learning and growth in years to come.\r\n\r\nI am truly grateful for all the support I received for this project and hope to continue paying your generosity forward as I grow along my journey as a teacher in the coming years.","fullyFundedDate":1771895889592,"projectUrl":"project/eld-support-supplies/10115755/","projectTitle":"ELD Support Supplies","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Jones","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10440473"},{"teacherId":131401,"projectId":10048154,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for investing in our 4th-grade readers! The day the boxes arrived filled with brand-new, engaging books felt like a holiday in our classroom. The gasps, the cheers, and the immediate scramble to see the covers made it clear just how much your generosity means to these students.\r\n\r\nFourth grade is a pivotal year in a child's literacy journey. It is the bridge where students transition from learning to read to reading to learn—and, hopefully, reading for pleasure. Your gift came at the perfect moment.","fullyFundedDate":1777847480685,"projectUrl":"project/who-doesnt-love-a-new-book/10048154/","projectTitle":"Who Doesn't Love a New Book?!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hartman","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/131401"},{"teacherId":131401,"projectId":10068716,"letterContent":"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Your incredible generosity has brought our project, \"Supporting Middle School Readers Through Powerful History,\" to life. Because of you, our classroom library is now stocked with vibrant, diverse, and deeply engaging historical texts.\r\n\r\nSince you love books as much as we do, you already know the magic of getting lost in a great story. But teaching a book to a room full of energetic middle schoolers is its own unique adventure! Here is a look at exactly how your investment is changing the game in our classroom.\r\n\r\nWhat Reading Looks Like in Our Classroom\r\nIf you walked into our room during reading time, you wouldn't see a silent, rigid lecture hall. Instead, you would see a bustling, dynamic literacy lab.\r\n\r\nWe use a mix of independent reading, partner read-alouds, and \"literature circles\" (think mini-book clubs for 12-year-olds). On any given day, our classroom looks like:\r\n\r\nStudents huddled in pairs, passionately debating a character's choices.\r\n\r\nA sea of colorful sticky notes flagging pages where a major historical turning point happens.\r\n\r\nA quiet, focused hum during independent reading time where students are completely immersed in their books.\r\n\r\nThe Skills and Lessons These New Texts Introduce\r\nReading for pleasure is wonderful, but we are also using these books to build critical academic and life skills. Thanks to these new historical texts, our students are mastering:\r\n\r\nAnalyzing Multiple Perspectives: Middle schoolers naturally tend to see the world in black and white. These history-focused books help them explore the \"gray areas\"—understanding how different people experienced the same historical event.\r\n\r\nHistorical Empathy: It is one thing to memorize a date for a history test; it is another entirely to step into the shoes of a teenager living through that era. These books bridge that gap.\r\n\r\nMedia Literacy and Source Evaluation: Students are learning to question who is telling the story and why, a skill that is vital for navigating the modern world.\r\n\r\nReal Impact: Who Is Enjoying the Books Most?\r\nWhile the whole class has benefited, these books have been a total game-changer for our reluctant readers and our history skeptics.\r\n\r\nFor example, I have one student who routinely told me at the start of the year that \"reading is boring and history has nothing to do with me.\" Last week, they picked up one of the new historical graphic novels you funded. Not only did they finish it in three days, but they came to class eager to tell me all about the civil rights leaders they discovered.\r\n\r\nOur advanced readers are also thriving. They are diving into the more complex, nuanced historical narratives, which push their comprehension skills and satisfy their curiosity about the world.\r\n\r\nThank You for Believing in Our Students\r\nYou didn't just buy books; you provided windows into the past and mirrors for our students to understand their own futures. You have helped us foster a community of empathetic historians and lifelong readers.\r\n\r\nWe are incredibly grateful for your support!","fullyFundedDate":1773867982768,"projectUrl":"project/supporting-middle-school-readers-through/10068716/","projectTitle":"Supporting Middle School Readers Through Powerful History","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hartman","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/131401"},{"teacherId":7910889,"projectId":10084951,"letterContent":"We are truly grateful for your investment in our students and community. Your generosity brought so many smiles to the faces of our students, families, and community members.\r\n\r\nWhat may seem like a simple treat became something much bigger—a chance for our community to come together, connect, laugh, and create joyful memories. Seeing everyone enjoying their slushies and spending time together was a wonderful reminder of the positive impact that kindness and support can have.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping us create moments of joy that brought people together and made a lasting difference.","fullyFundedDate":1770415927018,"projectUrl":"project/sip-serve-a-student-led-random-acts-o/10084951/","projectTitle":"Sip & Serve: A Student-Led Random Acts of Kindness Day","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Simms","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7910889_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y504&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1626874158112","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7910889"},{"teacherId":1499754,"projectId":9840292,"letterContent":"I cannot thank you enough. With your generous donations, every child on my caseload was given access to fun, engaging and developmentally appropriate learning materials. Students from grades Pre-K through 2nd grade played, separated sounds, mapped words, segmented syllables, practiced vowel teams and even trick words through these amazing learning supplies. The impact of your generosity transcends the engagement; because of your help, 13/14 2nd graders are now reading on or above grade level. 1 Pre-K student is sounding out and reading 3-letter words, and a group of 4 kindergarteners are fluently segmenting words into individual spoken sounds.\r\n\r\nThis growth could not have happened without your kindness and generosity this year.\r\nThank you so very much!","fullyFundedDate":1764728281287,"projectUrl":"project/help-2nd-grade-read-and-learn-independen/9840292/","projectTitle":"Help 2nd Grade Read and Learn Independently","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fincke","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1499754_272x272.png?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1473366429069","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/kgutshall"},{"teacherId":10173845,"projectId":9584803,"letterContent":"Thank you for your support! The carts come in great handy when I need to move between classrooms. It holds all my materials and allows me to move swiftly in between classrooms to assist other teachers. I also use the carts for WIDA testing as I have frequent formative and summative assessments that are required for my ML students and the cart allow me to move to testing areas more swiftly than carrying dozens of computers by hand. Thank you for your support of education and your support of new educators.","fullyFundedDate":1762266430760,"projectUrl":"project/first-year-teacher-furniture/9584803/","projectTitle":"First-Year Teacher Furniture!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Huxford","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10173845"},{"teacherId":9650050,"projectId":10007667,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous contribution to our art studio. Your support arrived at exactly the right moment.\r\n\r\nThe day the new materials came in, the energy in the room shifted. Students who usually drift in quietly were crowding around the supply shelves before class even started, already imagining what they could make. That kind of excitement can't be manufactured. It comes from feeling seen and supported, and that's exactly what your donation communicated to them.\r\n\r\nWe're now in the best stretch of the school year, when students stop asking \"am I doing this right?\" and start asking \"what if I tried this instead?\" Our 8th graders are painting a large-scale mural, full of the visual voice they've been building all year. Another group is creating set pieces for the school musical, translating ideas into structures the whole community will see.\r\n\r\nThese projects require confidence as much as they require supplies. Thanks to you, our students had both.","fullyFundedDate":1771873652597,"projectUrl":"project/mid-year-art-room-stockup/10007667/","projectTitle":"Mid-Year Art Room Stockup!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sitaras","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9650050_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y285&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723630763330","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9650050"},{"teacherId":3231943,"projectId":9970178,"letterContent":"This project is helping students use their voices to make a positive difference throughout our school community. Through this student-led literacy and kindness initiative, students are recording read-alouds and sharing encouraging messages that help classmates feel supported, included, and connected.\r\n\r\nThe materials are giving students creative ways to express themselves while supporting others. Students are using Yoto materials to share stories and calming messages, while card stock and markers are helping them create reading journals, kindness notes, and reflective activities for peers across grade levels.\r\n\r\nThis project has been especially meaningful for our multilingual learners and students who benefit from extra social-emotional support. Hearing encouraging messages from fellow students helps create a welcoming environment where students feel seen, valued, and cared for. It has also helped students build empathy, confidence, and leadership skills as they work together to spread kindness throughout the school.","fullyFundedDate":1767105751477,"projectUrl":"project/student-led-read-alouds-to-build-connect/9970178/","projectTitle":"Student-Led Read-Alouds to Build Connection and Care Initiative","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hauser","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3231943_orig.jpg?crop=1536,1536,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1762267070789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3231943"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_64379","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":660,"numTeachers":30,"percentFrplEligible":75,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":32,"percentWhite":4,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":60,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":2,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"22.0:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":45.8,"schoolId":64379,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Holabird Academy 229 on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Holabird Academy 229","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/maryland/baltimore-city-public-school-district/holabird-elementary-school-229/64379"}