{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"KIPP District of Columbia - Heights Academy","outOfStateSupporters":73.3,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10104964,"projectId":10396290,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping make our Calm Corner for Autism Support possible! Your generosity has created a safe, welcoming space where my students can take a break, regulate their emotions, and return to learning when they are ready.\r\n\r\nMy students are using the Calm Corner in meaningful ways throughout the school day. When a student feels overwhelmed by noise, transitions, emotions, or challenging tasks, the Calm Corner gives them a place to pause and use calming strategies. We practice identifying our feelings, taking deep breaths, using sensory materials, and choosing strategies that help our bodies and minds feel calm.\r\n\r\nOne of my favorite moments was seeing students become excited when they first saw the new materials. They were curious about the different sensory tools and immediately wanted to explore the space. What touched me most was watching students begin to understand that the Calm Corner was their space—a place where it was okay to take a break and ask for what they needed.\r\n\r\nThe Calm Corner has also become part of our classroom routine. Rather than viewing taking a break as something negative, students are learning that recognizing their emotions and using strategies to manage them is an important part of being a successful learner.\r\n\r\nOur next step is to continue building students' independence and self-advocacy skills. We are working on helping students recognize their own emotions and identify which calming strategies work best for them. As we continue our classroom lessons and activities, students will practice choosing an appropriate strategy, calming their bodies, and then returning to the group or learning activity when they feel ready.\r\n\r\nBecause of you, our students have more than new classroom materials. They have a space that reminds them that their feelings matter, their needs are important, and they are supported.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping us create a calmer, more inclusive classroom where every student has the opportunity to feel safe, confident, and ready to learn!\r\n\r\nWith heartfelt appreciation,\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in our students!","fullyFundedDate":1788896425791,"projectUrl":"project/a-calm-corner-for-autism-support/10396290/","projectTitle":"A Calm Corner for Autism Support","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Washington","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10104964_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1784753697311","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10104964"},{"teacherId":10104964,"projectId":10397191,"letterContent":"Thanks to our generous donors, our students now have hands-on math manipulatives that allow them to see, touch, and explore mathematical concepts in meaningful ways. We are using counting cubes, number lines, base-ten blocks, pattern blocks, and other manipulatives during daily math lessons to make abstract concepts more concrete and accessible.\r\n\r\nWhen the materials first arrived, our students were excited to explore them. They immediately wanted to touch, sort, stack, and move the pieces. What was especially meaningful was seeing students who sometimes become frustrated with traditional math worksheets remain engaged because they could physically interact with the concepts. One classroom moment that stood out was watching students use counting cubes to build and solve addition problems. Instead of simply looking at numbers on a page, they were able to create the problems themselves, count the cubes, and see the answer right in front of them. Their excitement and confidence grew as they realized they could solve the problems independently.\r\n\r\nOur next steps are to continue building on these concrete experiences and gradually connect the manipulatives to pictures, numbers, and written equations. As students become more comfortable with each concept, we will encourage them to use the materials more independently and explain how they found their answers. Our goal is to help students move from hands-on learning toward greater independence with abstract math while continuing to provide the visual and tactile supports they need.","fullyFundedDate":1787588836249,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-math-for-students-with-autism/10397191/","projectTitle":"Hands-On Math for Students with Autism","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Washington","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10104964_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1784753697311","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10104964"},{"teacherId":10527371,"projectId":10427700,"letterContent":"I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for your generous contributions to our music program. Thanks to your kindness and belief in our students, our new music class is officially up and running!\r\n\r\nThe response from the students has been nothing short of magical. They are absolutely loving the new instruments—the Boomwhackers, in particular, have been an incredible hit. Watching the kids collaborate, experiment with rhythms, and light up as they make music together has been pure joy.\r\n\r\nBeyond the instruments, the vibrant new classroom decorations have completely transformed our learning environment. You haven't just bought supplies; you've helped build a warm, inviting, and creative sanctuary where students feel inspired to express themselves every single day.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping me bring music to life at our school. Your support made this dream a reality, and we are all so profoundly grateful for your generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1786121745805,"projectUrl":"project/building-a-music-class/10427700/","projectTitle":"Building a Music Class","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Whitaker","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10527371_orig.jpg?crop=1120,1120,x0,y100&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1785521041711","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10527371"},{"teacherId":10104964,"projectId":9522883,"letterContent":"My students are absolutely loving the Sentence Builder Puzzles! They have been using them during small group reading and literacy centers to practice putting words together to form complete sentences. The puzzles help them focus on sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation in a hands-on and engaging way. What I love most is how confident they feel when they successfully build a sentence—they can physically see and touch each part of the sentence, which makes the skill more concrete. For my struggling readers, these puzzles are a fun way to practice sight words, while my advanced readers use them to expand and create more complex sentences.\r\n\r\nThey are so excited to use the Magnetic Foam Base Ten Set during our math lessons! They are using the pieces on the whiteboard to build numbers, practice place value, and solve addition and subtraction problems. The hands-on, magnetic pieces make it easy for them to move numbers around, visualize regrouping, and see how tens and ones come together to form larger numbers. During small groups, students take turns building numbers with the base ten blocks and explaining their thinking to classmates. This has helped strengthen their number sense and boosted their confidence with math. The set has truly made abstract math concepts more concrete and interactive.\r\n\r\nI want to sincerely thank you for funding my project, Hands-On Learning: The Power of Sensory and Manipulative Tools. Your generosity ensures that my students will have access to sensory and manipulative materials that support focus, build fine motor skills, and make abstract concepts more concrete. For many of my learners, these resources are not just extras – they are essential tools that help them succeed academically and socially. Thanks to you, my classroom will be a more inclusive and engaging place where students can thrive through hands-on exploration. We appreciate you for believing in our mission and investing in our future!\"","fullyFundedDate":1758811814356,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-learning-the-power-of-sensory/9522883/","projectTitle":"Hands-On Learning: the Power of Sensory and Manipulative Tools","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Washington","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10104964_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1784753697311","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10104964"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_102493","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":427,"numTeachers":33,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":98,"percentWhite":0,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":1,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":0,"gradesServed":"1 - 4","studentTeacherRatio":"12.9:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":26.7,"schoolId":102493,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about KIPP District of Columbia - Heights Academy on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"KIPP District of Columbia - Heights Academy","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/district-of-columbia/kipp-dc-public-schools/kipp-dc-heights-academy/102493"}