Kastner Intermediate School in Fresno, California on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Kastner Intermediate School","outOfStateSupporters":50.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9504031,"projectId":9544645,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity and for choosing to support our 8th grade autism classroom. Because of you, my students now have access to materials that are already making a meaningful difference in their learning, engagement, and independence. Your support has gone far beyond providing supplies—it has helped create a classroom environment where students feel supported, motivated, and capable.\r\nThe resources you funded allow my students to access learning in ways that truly meet their individual needs. For many of my students, hands-on, visual, and interactive materials are essential. Items like the half-gallon acrylic paint and the big box of sentence-building materials have opened new opportunities for creative expression and language development. Students are using paint to explore concepts, express emotions, and engage in calming sensory activities, while sentence-building tools are helping them strengthen communication, grammar, and confidence in expressing their thoughts.\r\nThe $100 Teachers Pay Teachers gift card has been especially impactful. It allows me to individualize instruction by purchasing targeted resources aligned to each student's goals. This flexibility is invaluable in an autism classroom, where no two learners are the same. I am able to quickly adapt lessons, reinforce skills, and provide meaningful practice that meets students exactly where they are.\r\nSeveral of the hands-on math and life skills materials you provided are already being used daily. The double-sided magnetic money, magnetic base ten blocks, and guillotine paper trimmer support functional math skills, number sense, and fine motor development. Students are practicing real-world skills such as counting money, understanding place value, and organizing materials—skills that directly support independence and future success.\r\nThe life cycle animal kit, positional words resource box, and category sorting activity box are helping students build vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. These tools make abstract concepts concrete and accessible, allowing students to physically manipulate materials as they learn. I have seen increased engagement and improved attention during lessons because students can interact directly with the content rather than only hearing or seeing it.\r\nThe over-the-door file organizer has helped transform our classroom organization. With materials clearly labeled and easily accessible, students are able to practice independence by retrieving and returning items on their own. This supports executive functioning skills such as organization, responsibility, and task initiation—areas that are especially important for adolescents with autism.\r\nOne of the most meaningful additions has been the gel-bead emotion friends and fine motor tweezer tongs. The emotion friends are already helping students identify, regulate, and communicate their feelings in a safe and concrete way. Students are using them during check-ins and regulation breaks, which has led to improved self-awareness and fewer emotional escalations. The tweezer tongs are supporting fine motor strength, coordination, and focus, while also making learning fun and engaging.\r\nBecause of you, my classroom feels more prepared, more inclusive, and more responsive to student needs. You have helped create learning experiences that are hands-on, meaningful, and empowering for students who truly benefit from this type of instruction. Your kindness and generosity have had a direct and lasting impact on my students' daily lives, and I am deeply grateful for your support.\r\nThank you for believing in my students and for investing in their growth, confidence, and future.","fullyFundedDate":1763474834987,"projectUrl":"project/math-art-and-more-tools-for-an-autis/9544645/","projectTitle":"\"Math, Art, and More: Tools for an Autism Classroom“","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Andersen","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9504031_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1721845020125","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9504031"},{"teacherId":1226034,"projectId":9234862,"letterContent":"In my classroom, these new books and resources are already sparking excitement and engagement around reading. With a wide range of titles now available, students are practicing important skills such as identifying theme, analyzing character development, and making text-to-self connections. Many of the texts also provide opportunities for students to explore new perspectives and cultures, which helps them strengthen their comprehension and critical thinking while also building empathy. Through reading logs and guided discussions, students are learning to reflect on what they read and articulate their thoughts more clearly.\r\n\r\nReading in my classroom is both structured and joyful. During DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time, students eagerly choose from the new titles and settle into independent reading, while book circles and clubs give them a chance to share their ideas with peers. This balance allows students to build stamina as independent readers while also practicing collaboration and discussion skills in a community of readers. Already, I have seen reluctant readers become more motivated—one student who rarely picked up a book now asks daily if she can borrow the newest fantasy novel, while another has become the leader of a small group reading circle. These moments highlight how access to engaging books truly helps students see themselves as readers.","fullyFundedDate":1746649439806,"projectUrl":"project/galaxies-magic-fantasy-and-sci-fi-adv/9234862/","projectTitle":"Galaxies & Magic: Fantasy and Sci-Fi Adventures for Middle Schoolers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Dunnicliff-Vizthum","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1226034_orig.jpg?crop=1170,1170,x0,y46&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1743783658730","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrsdv"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_48440","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":1177,"numTeachers":51,"percentFrplEligible":52,"percentAsian":8,"percentBlack":5,"percentWhite":27,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":52,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"7 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"23.1:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":50.0,"schoolId":48440,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Kastner Intermediate School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Kastner Intermediate School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/clovis-unified-school-district/kastner-intermediate-school/48440"}

About this school

Kastner Intermediate School is an urban public school in Fresno, California that is part of Clovis Unified School District. It serves 1,177 students in grades 7 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 23.1:1. Its teachers have had 4 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Grades 7 - 8

1,177 Students

51 Teachers

7676 N 1st St

Fresno, CA 93720 View local requests

Direct, proactive support

Empower teachers at Kastner Intermediate School to request what their students need.

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Kastner Intermediate School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Mrs. Andersen

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for public school teachers.

Every donation funds real needs — pencils, books, lab equipment, art supplies, and more — helping students learn and thrive. We ship supplies directly to the school, and you'll see exactly where each dollar goes.

See how DonorsChoose works

Kastner Intermediate School Demographics

52%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

65%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Kastner Intermediate School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Feb 9, 2026

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.