{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Kessler Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":50.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8631283,"projectId":8778900,"letterContent":"Students have been able to make connections between human choices and animal habitats and behaviors. Through their reading, students learned how even a small decision like leaving garbage outside can cause a ripple effect that harms animals who in turn may end up hurting humans. \r\nMy students loved being able to utilize both sides of their brains through reading the text and analyzing the images of graphic novels. We used these books as a novel study that included comprehension questions and a written paragraph detailing their opinion on the topic. Students worked in small groups so they would have plenty of opportunities to read, ask questions, and answer questions demonstrating their understanding.","fullyFundedDate":1726424396609,"projectUrl":"project/great-graphics-we-are-readers/8778900/","projectTitle":"Great Graphics-We Are Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mouledous","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8631283"},{"teacherId":9749706,"projectId":8781857,"letterContent":"I would like to express my gratitude for your generous donations of storage and organization resources to our classroom. The students are truly enjoying the new storage solutions, as they can now easily access the materials and math manipulatives they need. It was wonderful to see their excitement when they discovered the new organizational items, which have significantly improved our ability to keep essential materials tidy and readily available. \r\n\r\nAs we move forward, our next steps include using manipulatives to model decimal numbers and further organizing our reading materials by topic. Your contributions have made a positive impact on our learning environment, and we sincerely appreciate your support.","fullyFundedDate":1726580214278,"projectUrl":"project/enhancing-our-learning-through-organized/8781857/","projectTitle":"Enhancing Our Learning Through Organized Math and Reading Resources!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Rose","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9749706"},{"teacherId":8160688,"projectId":8839402,"letterContent":"We finished our first book study, Holes, by Lois Sachar. My students enjoyed learning new vocabulary, reviewing literary elements using the book, character analyses, and finished up with a project comparing the movie to the book. The students enjoyed literature circles while reading Holes where they could share their thoughts about the book, share artwork, be a discussion leader, and a summarizer. These took place weekly after reading the assigned chapters. Thank you for providing my students this rich interaction with literature.","fullyFundedDate":1727838782274,"projectUrl":"project/literature-circle-books/8839402/","projectTitle":"Literature Circle Books","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Dolphay","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8160688"},{"teacherId":9782179,"projectId":8834448,"letterContent":"Dear Donors, \r\n\r\nOn behalf of my class and myself, thank you for your generous donation. Our district, like many others, is facing a financial crisis and is not able to provide many of the helpful resources for students at this time. My class was elated when they heard we had notebook paper for writing activities and math strategies. We use the computer toner and paper to print learning goals, grammar practice, social studies activities, and science experiments. Your donation means a lot to us, and we are very grateful for your kindness.\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\nMrs. V and Students","fullyFundedDate":1727702849228,"projectUrl":"project/super-supplies/8834448/","projectTitle":"Super Supplies","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Van Voorst","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9782179"},{"teacherId":9782303,"projectId":8836011,"letterContent":"I wanted to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude from the State of Montana OPI (Office of Public Instruction) for funding my math project. Due to this funding, I was able to provide my school with the materials needed to build number sense through cards and dice. The deck of cards that were purchased are being used school wide to build number sense with addition and multiplication fluency games. The dice are also being used to help build fluency in our building. Thank you again for your generous donation. These supplies are being put to good use and the students love working with these materials to learn math.","fullyFundedDate":1727703571705,"projectUrl":"project/interactive-math-games/8836011/","projectTitle":"Interactive Math Games","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hoxie","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9782303"},{"teacherId":7158101,"projectId":8756340,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating science books to our Explore School classroom. Students use these books everyday from things like reading for enjoyment to scientific research. Every morning with my 1st and 2nd graders we will choose a book to read that's related to our learning goal. This morning my students were captivated while I read a story about Albert Einstein. They were amazed to learn that even though he was considered the most brilliant mind of his generation, he didn't like school and didn't make a very good teacher. Thank you for helping me to reach my students through wonderful science based stories.","fullyFundedDate":1726424000095,"projectUrl":"project/science-books-for-the-future/8756340/","projectTitle":"Science Books for the Future","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Pate","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7158101_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1726249219062","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7158101"},{"teacherId":9513132,"projectId":8755956,"letterContent":"Reading within the library looks different at various times throughout the day and year, depending on the grade level, required reading for research, or receiving a much-anticipated new book in a series! Your generous donation made the library glow with student excitement over all the new books about different cultures and students with different abilities. Students were eagerly checking out and reading the newly displayed books and discussing with each other how \"you should read this one next, it is so good!\"\r\n\r\nThe love of reading and learning about others will continue to expand and grow over the course of the years as more students check out and read each book and share these great resources with new friends! Thank you for your support of the library, reading and student learning!","fullyFundedDate":1726239367873,"projectUrl":"project/learning-about-others-through-diverse-bo/8755956/","projectTitle":"Learning About Others Through Diverse Books","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Ratzlaff","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9513132"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_78540","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":248,"numTeachers":17,"percentFrplEligible":21,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":83,"percentIndigenous":3,"percentLatinx":10,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"14.6:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_SMALL"},"inStateSupporters":50.0,"schoolId":78540,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Kessler Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Kessler Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/montana/helena-school-district-1/kessler-elementary-school/78540"}
Join the 190 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Kessler Elementary School is
an urban public school
in Helena, Montana that is part of Helena School District 1.
It serves 248 students
in grades Pre-K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 14.6:1.
Its teachers have had 50 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
Public School
Grades Pre-K - 5
248 Students
17 Teachers
2420 Choteau StContact info is sourced from our partners at MDR Education, and DonorsChoose updates our site ahead of each school year.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
of students receive free or reduced price lunch
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
14%
of students are Black, Latino, Native
American, or Asian
Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.
Kessler Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Dec 5, 2025
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.
Kessler Elementary School
$23,423
raised using DonorsChoose
50
projects
funded
27
teachers
funded
190
donors
3
projects
for
basic supplies
3
projects for
technology
8
projects for
books
2
projects
for
art supplies
Kessler Elementary School has received support from
95 individuals from Montana and
95 individuals out-of-state.