{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Hurley Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":26.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":7739264,"projectId":10264989,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom and school project! Your generosity helped create a joyful experience for our students, parents, teachers, and staff. The colorful balloons added such a warm, special touch to the celebration and truly made a difference.\r\n\r\nYour kindness brought smiles to everyone's faces, and we are deeply grateful for your support. Your donation helped students stay engaged and excited. Thank you so much for making this project possible—we deeply appreciate all of your support!","fullyFundedDate":1779385937739,"projectUrl":"project/floating-spirits-celebrating-our-studen/10264989/","projectTitle":"Floating Spirits: Celebrating Our Students with Style!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lopez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7739264_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1643941579560","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7739264"},{"teacherId":1718322,"projectId":10261275,"letterContent":"On behalf of our entire class, thank you so much for your generosity in funding \"Fueling Focused Minds: Snacks for Super Students!\" Your support does far more than just stock our classroom pantry—it directly transforms our learning environment every single day.\r\n\r\nWhen basic nutritional needs are met, students can fully focus on learning. Because of your gift, our students no longer have to push through mid-morning fatigue, low blood sugar, or the anxiety that comes with being hungry. Instead, they can keep their minds engaged, participate actively, and feel comfortable throughout the school day.\r\n\r\nBeyond the academic benefits, your kindness sends a powerful message to our kids: that there is a whole community of people who care about their well-being and believe in their potential. It lifts a weight off our families and allows us to focus entirely on teaching and growing together.\r\n\r\nThank you for fueling our minds, nourishing our spirits, and being true champions for our super students!","fullyFundedDate":1779111266056,"projectUrl":"project/fueling-focused-minds-snacks-for-super/10261275/","projectTitle":"Fueling Focused Minds: Snacks for Super Students!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Warszalek","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1718322_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1525796113577","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1718322"},{"teacherId":8889381,"projectId":10270383,"letterContent":"Tools like our new whole-class headphones have unlocked focused, personalized learning for every student. During independent reading, math instruction, and digital assessments, these headphones allow students to engage with interactive learning software at their own pace without distractions. Coupled with our new individual whiteboard erasers, vibrant dry-erase markers, and tennis balls on chair legs, we have created an environment where active engagement and quiet concentration go hand in hand. The tennis balls alone have eliminated the harsh scraping noise of moving chairs, creating a peaceful space where students can focus on digital tasks and collaborative work alike.\r\n\r\nThis new setup has made a world of difference for several students who used to struggle with sensory overload and restlessness. One student, who previously found it hard to stay seated during independent work, now thrives using a yoga ball chair! Your generosity hasn't just provided tools, but it has created an inclusive, joyful classroom where every child feels comfortable and ready to succeed.","fullyFundedDate":1779065760774,"projectUrl":"project/creating-a-custom-learning-oasis/10270383/","projectTitle":"Creating a Custom Learning Oasis","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lara","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8889381_orig.png?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1778549856052","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8889381"},{"teacherId":7685039,"projectId":10264318,"letterContent":"Thank you for your incredible generosity and for believing in the potential of my 3rd-5th grade students. Your support means so much to our classroom, and we are truly grateful for your investment in their future.\r\n\r\nBecause of your kindness, our students have access to a MacBook Neo that opens the door to endless opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and innovation. This is much more than a new piece of technology—it is a tool that empowered my students to explore, create, and solve real-world problems.\r\n\r\nWith this new device, students produced digital stories and videos using professional-quality creative software. They strengthened their coding skills through engaging programming activities and collaborated on research projects that connected classroom learning to the world around them. \r\n\r\nMy students come to school each day with curiosity, determination, and a desire to make a positive impact. Your generosity sends them a powerful message: their ideas matter, their voices deserve to be heard, and their dreams are worth investing in.\r\n\r\nOn behalf of my students and our entire classroom, thank you for making this opportunity possible. Your support will benefit not only this year's class but hundreds of students for years to come. We are excited to share the amazing projects and discoveries that your gift has inspired.","fullyFundedDate":1778601589776,"projectUrl":"project/building-digital-leaders-with-our-first/10264318/","projectTitle":"Building Digital Leaders with our First MacBook Neo","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jakob","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7685039_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1675445595097","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7685039"},{"teacherId":10159794,"projectId":10077005,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom! Your generous donation toward our Warrior Cats book collection means the world to us.\r\n\r\nImmersive series like Warrior Cats are absolute game-changers for young readers—they build serious reading stamina, foster incredible imagination, and keep students eagerly turning pages. Thanks to your kindness, our classroom library is about to get a whole lot more exciting!\r\n\r\nWe are so grateful for your support and for helping fuel our students' love for reading.","fullyFundedDate":1777913821269,"projectUrl":"project/building-a-library-of-legends-the-warri/10077005/","projectTitle":"Building a Library of Legends: The Warrior Cats Collection","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Santiago","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10159794_orig.jpg?crop=272,272,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760837243849","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-santiagosoto"},{"teacherId":10159794,"projectId":10159947,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom! Your generous donation toward our Five Nights at Freddy's book collection means the world to us.\r\n\r\nGetting students excited about reading can sometimes be a challenge, but high-interest books like these make all the difference in building engagement, stamina, and a genuine love for stories. Because of your kindness, these well-loved pages will be in our students' hands very soon!\r\n\r\nWe are so grateful for your support and for believing in our readers.","fullyFundedDate":1777935108984,"projectUrl":"project/thrills-and-chills-five-nights-at-fredd/10159947/","projectTitle":"Thrills and Chills: Five Nights at Freddy’s Books for Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Santiago","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10159794_orig.jpg?crop=272,272,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760837243849","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-santiagosoto"},{"teacherId":10159794,"projectId":9735726,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our sixth-grade classroom! Your kindness and generosity directly impact my students by giving them the resources they need to grow into confident readers, strong writers, and critical thinkers. My students will benefit from this greatly and we appreciate knowing that someone outside our classroom wall believes in their potential means the world to them (and to me!). Thank you for making a difference in our learning journey and supporting my mission to help spark curiosity, build literacy, and foster a lifelong love of reading.","fullyFundedDate":1778001368372,"projectUrl":"project/manga-mania-kick-off-reading-with-blue/9735726/","projectTitle":"Manga Mania: Kick Off Reading With Blue Lock Books","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Santiago","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10159794_orig.jpg?crop=272,272,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760837243849","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-santiagosoto"},{"teacherId":10159794,"projectId":9728816,"letterContent":"Because of your incredible generosity, our classroom library has been completely transformed! The new Spanish literature and bilingual titles have made an immediate, profound difference in how my sixth graders approach reading every single day.\r\n\r\nMany of you love reading for pleasure, but in our ELA classroom, a great book is also the ultimate teaching tool. With these new Spanish texts, my bilingual students are diving into complex literary analysis, examining character development, central themes, and figurative language without language acting as a barrier to their critical thinking. These books allow students to draw rich connections between texts and their own lives, as well as the world around them. Crucially, these books also support biliteracy. Students are strengthening their academic vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension in Spanish, which directly enhances their ability to transfer those higher order literacy skills into English!\r\n\r\nThank you for giving my students the representation, dignity, and high quality resources they deserve. You have not just added books to our shelves; you have empowered young scholars to see their bilingualism as a superpower!","fullyFundedDate":1779371069673,"projectUrl":"project/books-that-celebrate-language-and-cultur/9728816/","projectTitle":"Books That Celebrate Language and Culture","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Santiago","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10159794_orig.jpg?crop=272,272,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760837243849","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-santiagosoto"},{"teacherId":10462145,"projectId":10148604,"letterContent":"I was really excited once I received my order. It felt like a Christmas present. I had not told the students that I was ordering the books and wanted it to be a surprised. Well surprised they were.\r\nOnce I opened my box, I realized how many new different books I got for them. I was especially excited for the '' I survived\" series. They were beyond happy when they saw them. Whenever they referred to looking back at something they really loved learning, they always either referred to the Science Fair Project we did in 3rd grade or the \"I survived the Chicago Fire.\"\r\nHowever, I did not anticipate the reaction to the Goosebumps series as well. They saw the books and said they've always wanted to read them as well, but never got the chance or would never have them as the option. It was great being able to see how much of an impact books have had, and the emotion that evoked within them. Thank you to the A Chicago Family for an opportunity!","fullyFundedDate":1773859112639,"projectUrl":"project/stunning-classroom-library/10148604/","projectTitle":"Stunning Classroom Library!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Medina","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10462145_orig.png?crop=561,561,x0,y173&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1773422088906","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10462145"},{"teacherId":7525423,"projectId":10165610,"letterContent":"Because of your incredible generosity, every student in my classroom received their very own copy of Other Words for Home for our novel study, which served as a transformative tool for our literacy unit. We approached Other Words for Home as a daily interactive read-aloud, where every student eagerly followed along in their own copy. Throughout the reading, I strategically paused to point out specific poetic devices or other information related to the skill in practice and guide the class in analyzing exactly what the author was trying to convey. These moments transitioned into active turn and talk\" sessions, where students collaborated with partners to unpack the text. Having individual copies meant every child could intimately engage with the text, annotate their thoughts, and truly own their learning experience.\r\n\r\nThis book introduced my students to the genre of free verse and allowed them to dive deep into complex poetic concepts. Throughout the unit, students analyzed the impact of figurative language and examined how authors use pacing to create emotional resonance within a story. They also tracked critical elements of literature, including the protagonist's development, the powerful influence of setting, and conflict resolution. As a culmination of their hard work, students demonstrated their mastery by writing interpretive summaries of the novel using various poetic devices. \r\n\r\nReading this story provided a powerful window into the refugee experience, teaching my students about the immense courage it takes to leave everything behind due to conflict and adjust to a brand-new life in America. The student response to this novel has been absolutely profound, especially regarding how they connected to the main character, Jude. Many students were deeply inspired by Jude's resilience and her ability to persevere through overwhelming obstacles to build a new life. For some students in my classroom, the book mirrored their own lives, allowing them to connect directly through the shared immigrant experience and feel truly seen. For others, the connection came from the universal life lessons about identity, acceptance, and courage that Jude navigates. By funding this project, you did not just help build stronger readers, analytical thinkers, and poets—you helped cultivate kinder, more globally aware citizens. Thank you for making this meaningful learning journey possible for my classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1774542053719,"projectUrl":"project/we-love-books/10165610/","projectTitle":"We Love Books!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Flores","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7525423"},{"teacherId":9702724,"projectId":10253660,"letterContent":"Wow, what a moment! Thank you so much for your incredible support!\r\n\r\nI cannot fully describe the pure joy in our classroom when this box of new books arrived. The moment we placed it on the table, my students gathered around, absolutely ecstatic to open it. Seeing their faces light up with pure excitement and awe as they uncovered each book was an incredible reminder of how powerful your generosity truly is.\r\n\r\nThese new titles are already the talk of the room. My students are so eager to read, and having books that connect with their interests and diverse backgrounds means the world to them. Thanks to you, our classroom library is a much richer, more vibrant space where my students feel seen and inspired.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in my students and for turning an ordinary school day into a celebration of reading. Your impact is real and deeply appreciated!","fullyFundedDate":1778274405744,"projectUrl":"project/world-of-stories-creating-a-welcoming-h/10253660/","projectTitle":"World of Stories: Creating a Welcoming Home for Every Reader","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Toro","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9702724_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1724539621011","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9702724"},{"teacherId":7760978,"projectId":10142775,"letterContent":"As fellow book lovers, you know that a great book can make time stand still. But in our classroom, teaching a book is about helping students unpack how a story works, how characters grow, and how language carries weight. Thanks to your incredible generosity, our students have spent this school year diving deep into the collection of Jason Reynolds—and the impact on their literacy and critical thinking has been profound.Jason Reynolds is a master at writing contemporary, fast-paced stories that reflect the real lives of young people. Because his books matter deeply to my students, they aren't just reading—they are analyzing. Here are the specific skills and lessons your gift has allowed us to introduce through these brilliant texts:Analyzing Structural Format (Free Verse vs. Prose): In books like Long Way Down, Reynolds tells an entire, intense story through poetry (free verse) rather than traditional paragraphs. We used this to teach students how line breaks, word spacing, and rhythm change the emotional impact of a story. They learned that how a page looks changes how it feels. Decoding Motifs and Symbolism: Reynolds relies heavily on everyday objects to carry massive meaning. Through his book Ghost, we taught students how to identify and track \"motifs\"—recurring elements that represent a bigger idea. They analyzed how a simple bag of sunflower seeds or a pair of running shoes symbolized the main character's trauma, growth, and search for identity. Evaluating Moral Complexity and Perspective: Reynolds' characters are rarely just \"good\" or \"bad\"; they face real, messy, human dilemmas. We have used these narratives to teach perspective-taking, pushing students to debate character motivations, examine the consequences of choices, and build empathy for people whose lives look different from their own.Using Creative Constraint in Writing: Inspired by Reynolds' brilliant use of anagrams and tight timelines, these texts served as a masterclass in writing. Students practiced writing their own short stories using strict constraints—like framing a story around a 60-second elevator ride—which pushed them to select every single word with purpose.By funding this collection, you didn't just give us books; you gave us \"mirror texts\" where students can see themselves, and \"window texts\" where they can look into the lives of others. You have helped us cultivate a room full of sharp, enthusiastic literary critics. Thank you for making this possible!","fullyFundedDate":1773840595989,"projectUrl":"project/beyond-the-book-building-empathy-throug/10142775/","projectTitle":"Beyond the Book: Building Empathy Through Jason Reynolds","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Moran","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7760978_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y38&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755313373378","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7760978"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5549","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":748,"numTeachers":30,"percentFrplEligible":90,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":0,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":97,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":0,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"24.9:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":73.2,"schoolId":5549,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Hurley Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Hurley Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/hurley-elementary-school/5549"}