{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"James Otis Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":41.9,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":18066,"projectId":9969702,"letterContent":"Thank you again for your generous donation to my class project \"Little Ones Learning With Legos\". My preschoolers were so excited when I unpacked the new boxes of Legos. They could not wait to play with them in the block area. Legos are one of our favorite items. \r\n\r\nLegos benefit my students in many ways. When playing with Legos my students are practicing counting, sorting, matching, and understanding patterns. They are problem solving by using trial and error with the structures they build. The Legos also help to strengthen small muscles in their hands and fingers while improving their eye-hand coordination. They are also practicing sharing, turn-taking, and working in groups. \r\n\r\nWhile Legos are helping my students develop crucial skills all my students know is that they are \"FUN\" to play with.","fullyFundedDate":1767899133315,"projectUrl":"project/little-ones-learning-with-legos/9969702/","projectTitle":"Little Ones Learning With Legos","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kirby","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/18066"},{"teacherId":18066,"projectId":9965060,"letterContent":"Thank you for your donation to my class project. My preschoolers were so excited when I showed them the Lummi sticks. They could not wait to use them. The first time we used them one student said, \"wow I wove my lellow sticks\". \r\n\r\nWe use the Lummi sticks weekly. Using the sticks has helped my students grow in so many ways. Tapping, rolling, and clicking the sticks strengthens their hand muscles, increases their eye-hand coordination, and develops their fine motor skills which supports them with their pre-writing skills. Their gross motor skills are developing as well through large arm movements and crossing the midline. These skills are so important for a preschooler to develop and using the sticks makes it not only fun but also very beneficial for my students. Thanks again for contributing to my class resources.","fullyFundedDate":1766120598424,"projectUrl":"project/lummi-sticks-for-little-ones/9965060/","projectTitle":"Lummi Sticks for Little Ones","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kirby","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/18066"},{"teacherId":18066,"projectId":9790664,"letterContent":"I would like to thank you for your generous donation to my class project. The resources that I received are allowing each student in my class to create their very own memory book. Each month the students make an arts and crafts project and it goes on their monthly page for their book. For example for the month of January the students made a snowman. The snowman was hung up in the room as a decoration. At the end of the month the snowman was taken down and put on the January page of their memory book. The students enjoyed picking the colors for their snowman. Each snowman is unique to each student.\r\n\r\nThis is my students first time in school. This memory book is helping them in so many ways. Working on the book each month is boosting their cognitive development, language skills and their self-esteem. This keepsake of their first year in school will help them process emotions, practice storytelling, strengthen fine motor skills, and create a lasting connection to their past. They will enjoy sharing this memory book with their families.","fullyFundedDate":1765996699009,"projectUrl":"project/preschool-memories/9790664/","projectTitle":"Preschool Memories","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kirby","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/18066"},{"teacherId":6657415,"projectId":9983985,"letterContent":"My heart is full as I write to thank you for your incredible generosity. Because of your support, our classroom was transformed into a workshop of kindness and creativity for our Valentine's Friendship Project. The craft supplies you funded provided more than just paper and glitter; they provided an opportunity for my students to practice empathy and connection. In a world that can sometimes feel a bit disconnected, your contribution helped me show these children that people care about them. You've helped foster a classroom culture where kindness is the default setting.\r\n\r\nWe are so grateful for your belief in our students and our vision for a more connected classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1769363457670,"projectUrl":"project/heart-to-heart-building-social-skills-t/9983985/","projectTitle":"Heart-to-Heart: Building Social Skills Through Celebration","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bacik","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6657415_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1773604838114","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6657415"},{"teacherId":10329532,"projectId":10085025,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, our speech therapy room has become an even more engaging and supportive space for my visually impaired students. The specialized materials you helped provide are already making a meaningful difference in how my students communicate, explore, and participate during our sessions.\r\n\r\nWe use these new resources throughout our speech therapy activities to initiate and encourage communication in ways that are accessible, motivating, and developmentally appropriate. Because many of my students rely heavily on tactile and auditory input, the materials you funded—especially the sensory‑rich and high‑contrast toys—have opened up new opportunities for them to interact with their environment and with me. During structured play, turn‑taking activities, and communication practice, these tools help my students express choices, request items, label actions, and engage in shared play with greater confidence.\r\n\r\nRight now, we are working on a communication unit focused on expanding expressive language through play‑based routines. The new materials are helping students practice requesting, commenting, and engaging in back‑and‑forth interactions. Our next steps involve building more independence and consistency in these skills. Students will begin using the materials in more structured communication tasks, such as choosing between items, describing what they feel or hear, and participating in simple cooperative play. These tools will continue to support their progress as we introduce new vocabulary, model communication strategies, and create opportunities for meaningful interaction.\r\n\r\nYour support has done more than supply materials—it has created moments of joy, curiosity, and connection for students who benefit deeply from hands‑on, accessible learning experiences. Thank you for believing in them and for helping make our speech therapy room a place where every student can grow and communicate in their own way.","fullyFundedDate":1772135106033,"projectUrl":"project/play-to-communicate-therapy-tools-for-v/10085025/","projectTitle":"Play to Communicate: Therapy Tools for Visually Impaired Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Amanda","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10329532"},{"teacherId":7887825,"projectId":9960522,"letterContent":"This project has been a huge success! Since I work with a large number of students that use dynamic Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), picture based voice output systems, I can now model language on a separate device. This is immensely beneficial for the students taking ownership over their own device and learning new language skills. \r\n\r\nAdditionally, the toys have been a huge hit! My students specifically love the sensory based toys including the light spinner and the thunder stick. These toys not only motivate them to participate, but also help to regulate my students. \r\n\r\nI have so much gratitude for your generous donations!","fullyFundedDate":1765950840448,"projectUrl":"project/from-toys-to-technology-helping-student/9960522/","projectTitle":"From Toys to Technology: Helping Students Find Their Voice","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Ellyse","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7887825"},{"teacherId":3925129,"projectId":9688394,"letterContent":"I cannot thank you enough for the generous donations that purchased our vacuum cleaner! Not only is our room cleaner, but the students love taking their turns to vacuum the room! \r\n\r\nSome background on our class. We are a high incidence cluster classroom which includes mainly students with autism but also students with sensory needs and one that is fully visually impaired. We are not a traditional classroom. Our room has several carpets and cushioned chairs as well as sensory blocks and tables. We do not have desks or standard chairs. Our ability to keep our room clean was limited by the amount of custodial help our school was provided. At times our friends would be sitting in day old dirt and crumbs from snacks. Thanks to our brand new, commercial vacuum we are sitting in style!\r\n\r\nLife skills play a big part in our classroom. Students take the CTA with the aides in the classroom to get around town for field trips, we clean our tables with sanitized wipes, we make sure our hands are always clean! Now we take turns on Mondays and when needed cleaning our rugs!!!!!","fullyFundedDate":1764556241750,"projectUrl":"project/it-takes-a-village-to-keep-our-class-cle/9688394/","projectTitle":"It Takes a Village to Keep Our Class Clean!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lane","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3925129"},{"teacherId":4430770,"projectId":10019393,"letterContent":"Thank you so very much for donating to our Family Engagement project. The materials are essential to engaging parents/guardians with their children as they are hands-on projects. The materials facilitate communication and cooperation between the families and their child within the school community.\r\nOverall the family engagement projects will build a stronger bond between families, Teachers, Administrators and staff. Involving parents early on in the educational process, in a positive manner, is crucial for a student's future success and fosters a positive school experience.\r\nA special thank you to the Bezos Family Foundation for the extreme generosity and altruistic practices. The Bezos Family Foundation is making a big impact on our students school experience: involving parental involvement for a most positive long term effect.","fullyFundedDate":1769192023332,"projectUrl":"project/family-engagement-for-little-ones/10019393/","projectTitle":"Family Engagement for Little Ones","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Dec","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4430770_orig.jpg?crop=480,480,x29,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768309501776","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4430770"},{"teacherId":10329532,"projectId":9857687,"letterContent":"The generosity behind these donations has had a profound impact on my work as a speech‑language pathologist in Chicago Public Schools. Many of my students are non‑verbal, minimally verbal, or rely on alternative ways to express themselves, so having the right tools truly changes what communication can look like for them. The gifted iPad has become an essential part of my daily practice—I use it to model language on a communication device, showing students how they can express their wants, needs, and ideas using their own AAC systems. The protective case has been equally meaningful, allowing me to bring the device into busy, hands‑on sessions with confidence that it will stay safe in the process.\r\n\r\nThe additional materials have opened up even more opportunities for meaningful engagement. The cause‑and‑effect toy has been a wonderful way to teach the earliest building blocks of communication, helping students understand that their actions can make something exciting happen. The wordless picture book has become a favorite tool for encouraging storytelling, commenting, and shared attention, giving students space to use whatever language they have. And the farm animal toys have been nothing short of magical—they spark communication in so many ways, from identifying colors and numbers to labeling animals, making sounds, requesting turns, and sharing joy during play.\r\n\r\nI am deeply grateful for each of these gifts. They have enriched my sessions, expanded what my students can access, and supported their growth in ways that will stay with them far beyond our time together. Your kindness has made a real difference in their ability to connect with the world around them, and I cannot thank you enough.","fullyFundedDate":1763822487607,"projectUrl":"project/a-voice-for-every-child-unlocking-commu/9857687/","projectTitle":"A Voice for Every Child: Unlocking Communication Through Technology","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Amanda","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10329532"},{"teacherId":6657415,"projectId":9853756,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the support you've given us through funding this project. We look forward to family reading night every year and are excited to make it centering Black history month. We hope our families enjoy learning about this special month and the contributions of the fearless leaders it celebrates as well as making memories with their families. We also hope families enjoy all of the make and take activities each station of the event is able to provide because of generous donors like you! \r\n\r\nAgain, we can't thank you enough for your generosity in helping us organize this event!","fullyFundedDate":1762362247442,"projectUrl":"project/celebrating-stories/9853756/","projectTitle":"Celebrating Stories","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bacik","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6657415_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1773604838114","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6657415"},{"teacherId":6657415,"projectId":9934810,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity in supporting our classroom holiday spirit! Because of you, our students were able to enjoy a joyful, meaningful celebration that they will remember for a long time. The ornament supplies were especially special. Each student had the opportunity to decorate their own ornament and take it home. Additionally, the party supplies you provided helped transform our classroom into a space full of laughter, excitement, and holiday cheer making the experience truly magical. \r\n\r\nThank you for bringing smiles to our students' faces and helping make this holiday season brighter for every child in our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1764774537317,"projectUrl":"project/holiday-spirit/9934810/","projectTitle":"Holiday Spirit!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bacik","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6657415_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1773604838114","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6657415"},{"teacherId":18066,"projectId":9671619,"letterContent":"I would like to thank you for your generous donation to my preschool project. I teach preschool age cycle three. My students start the year with little focus and attention. I work on building up their stamina to become a more successful student. The resources in this project especially the laminator and sheets allows me to provide more interactive books and activities for the students to work on not only in school but also at home. The students are so excited when they are able to take a book home to share with their families. These books and activities help them work on so many academic skills. Here are just a few of the skills: orient the book correctly, turn pages left to right, read top to bottom, fine motor skills and sharing. \r\n\r\nWhen I gave one student his book to take home and share with his family he was so happy and had the biggest smile on his face. He said, \"Now I read book baby.\" His mom told me he ran in the house, took the book out of his bookbag, ran over to his little brother and sat down and read the book to him. This particular student did not speak when he started the year with me. Now he wants to read a book to his baby brother. This is just one example of the impact your donation has made in the lives of my students. Please know that I can not thank you enough for your support to my students and this project.","fullyFundedDate":1759171927917,"projectUrl":"project/preschool-must-haves/9671619/","projectTitle":"Preschool Must Haves","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kirby","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/18066"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5670","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":364,"numTeachers":29,"percentFrplEligible":88,"percentAsian":2,"percentBlack":28,"percentWhite":4,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":63,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"12.6:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":58.1,"schoolId":5670,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about James Otis Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"James Otis Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/james-otis-world-language-acad/5670"}