{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Lake Air Montessori Magnet School","outOfStateSupporters":28.5,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":5436484,"projectId":10210172,"letterContent":"We are so grateful for the new bookshelf and comfortable chair for our Nesting Nook in our Montessori kindergarten classroom. These wonderful additions have created a special and inviting space where children can relax, explore books, and develop a deeper love for reading. The Nesting Nook has quickly become a favorite area in our classroom, giving students a peaceful place to enjoy stories and spend meaningful time with books.\r\n\r\nThe new bookshelf has made our books more accessible and inviting to our students. With the books displayed where children can easily see and reach them, students are encouraged to make independent choices about what they would like to read. This supports an important part of the Montessori philosophy: allowing children to make purposeful choices and take responsibility for their own learning. Students can select a book that catches their attention, return it when they are finished, and choose another book when they are ready.\r\n\r\nThe new chair has made the Nesting Nook feel especially cozy and welcoming. It provides a comfortable place for children to sit while looking through books, listening to a story, or sharing a favorite book with a friend. The cozy environment encourages children to slow down, focus, and enjoy the experience of reading without feeling rushed.\r\n\r\nHaving a designated reading space has also helped our students develop concentration and independence. Children can choose to spend quiet time looking at pictures, practicing reading familiar words, retelling a story, or simply enjoying a book. These moments allow students to follow their individual interests while developing important early literacy skills.\r\n\r\nThe Nesting Nook also supports social and emotional development. Sometimes children choose to sit together and look at books, while other times they enjoy having a quiet moment by themselves. This gives students a safe and peaceful space where they can relax, recharge, and feel comfortable. Sharing stories and books with classmates also creates opportunities for conversation, connection, and friendship.\r\n\r\nThe bookshelf and chair have helped transform the Nesting Nook into a meaningful part of our classroom environment. It is more than simply a place to store books or sit down. It is a space that encourages curiosity, imagination, independence, and a love of learning. We have already seen how excited the children are to visit the nook, choose a book, and settle","fullyFundedDate":1778262213202,"projectUrl":"project/the-nestling-nook/10210172/","projectTitle":"The Nestling Nook","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Adams","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5436484"},{"teacherId":5436484,"projectId":10221926,"letterContent":"e are so grateful for the new paint and clay that have been added to our Montessori kindergarten classroom. These materials have brought so much creativity, excitement, and joy to our students' daily learning experiences. Having access to quality art materials has given our children new opportunities to express themselves, explore their imagination, and develop important skills through hands-on learning.\r\n\r\nIn a Montessori classroom, children learn through exploration and purposeful work. The new paint and clay allow our students to make choices, work independently, and create at their own pace. They are able to decide what they would like to create and how they would like to use the materials. This freedom encourages confidence, independence, and a sense of ownership over their work.\r\n\r\nPainting has become a wonderful way for our children to explore color, texture, and creativity. Students enjoy mixing colors, experimenting with different brush strokes, and discovering what happens when colors come together. As they paint, they are not only creating beautiful artwork but also developing concentration, coordination, and fine motor skills. Painting provides an opportunity for children to communicate ideas and feelings in a way that does not always require words.\r\n\r\nThe new clay has been especially valuable for developing fine motor strength and coordination. As children roll, pinch, press, stretch, and shape the clay, they strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers. These skills are important for future activities such as writing, cutting, buttoning, and other practical classroom tasks. At the same time, working with clay gives children a wonderful sensory experience and allows them to turn their ideas into something they can see and touch.\r\n\r\nThe art materials have also encouraged problem-solving and perseverance. Sometimes a painting does not turn out as expected, or a clay creation falls apart. These moments provide valuable opportunities for children to try again, make adjustments, and discover new ways to solve a problem. Through this process, students learn that mistakes are a natural and important part of learning and creating.\r\n\r\nOur students also enjoy sharing their artwork with their classmates and teachers. They talk about what they have created, explain their ideas, and celebrate one another's work. This helps build communication skills, confidence, and a strong sense of classroom community.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, the new paint and clay have helped us provide an environment where children can explore, imagine, and create freely. We are thankful for the opportunity to offer our students materials that support not only artistic expression but also their cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.\r\n\r\nThank you for supporting our Montessori kindergarten classroom and for helping us provide meaningful, hands-on experiences for our children. Your generosity has made a difference in our classroom and has given our students more opportunities to create, discover, and grow. We truly appreciate your support and the joy these new materials have brought to our young learners.","fullyFundedDate":1778262209023,"projectUrl":"project/paint-clay-and-beyond/10221926/","projectTitle":"Paint, Clay, and Beyond!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Adams","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5436484"},{"teacherId":5436484,"projectId":10164806,"letterContent":"We are very grateful for the new content boxes that have been added to our Montessori kindergarten classroom. These materials have been a wonderful resource for our students and have given them more opportunities to explore, discover, and learn through hands-on experiences.\r\n\r\nThe content boxes have helped make learning more organized, accessible, and engaging for our children. Having materials grouped together allows students to easily see what is available and choose activities that interest them. This supports the Montessori philosophy of independence and purposeful choice. Children can select their own work, gather the materials they need, and return everything to its proper place when they are finished.\r\n\r\nThese boxes have also encouraged our students to become curious learners. Each box provides an opportunity to explore a particular topic or concept in a hands-on way. Instead of simply hearing about an idea, children can touch, observe, sort, compare, and investigate the materials. This type of learning helps make new concepts meaningful and easier for young children to understand.\r\n\r\nThe content boxes also support important developmental skills. As children work with the materials, they practice concentration, coordination, problem-solving, classification, and fine motor skills. They learn to carefully handle materials, follow steps, make observations, and complete a work cycle. These experiences help build confidence and encourage children to persevere when something is challenging.\r\n\r\nAnother wonderful benefit is that the boxes allow children to work at their own pace. Some students may be ready to explore a concept more deeply, while others may need additional time and repetition. The materials give each child the opportunity to practice and revisit skills as they develop. This individual approach is an important part of creating a supportive Montessori environment.\r\n\r\nThe content boxes have also encouraged collaboration and conversation among our students. Children often share discoveries with one another, ask questions, and explain what they are doing. These interactions help develop language and communication skills while creating a strong sense of community in our classroom.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, the new content boxes have added","fullyFundedDate":1778262214924,"projectUrl":"project/small-hands-big-world-bringing-geograp/10164806/","projectTitle":"Small Hands, Big World: Bringing Geography to Life","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Adams","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5436484"},{"teacherId":5436484,"projectId":10026755,"letterContent":"Our new biome readers have been a wonderful and meaningful addition to our Montessori kindergarten classroom. Since introducing these books, we have seen our students become even more interested in reading, exploring nature, and learning about the world around them. The biome readers have created many opportunities for children to develop their reading skills while also building their knowledge about different environments, plants, animals, and the natural world.\r\n\r\nOne of the greatest benefits of our new biome readers is that they encourage independence, which is an important part of the Montessori philosophy. Students are able to choose books that interest them, explore the pictures and information independently, and return to books as often as they would like. Having a variety of biome readers allows each child to follow their own interests and learn at their own pace. Some children are fascinated by forests and the animals that live there, while others are excited to learn about deserts, oceans, grasslands, or other unique environments.\r\n\r\nThe biome readers have also supported our students' language and literacy development. As children read and listen to information about different biomes, they are building vocabulary, improving comprehension, recognizing words, and developing confidence as readers. Many students have begun using new scientific words during classroom conversations and activities. They enjoy talking about animals, describing habitats, asking questions, and sharing interesting facts they have discovered in their books.\r\n\r\nThese readers have also helped connect literacy with science and hands-on Montessori learning. Children are naturally curious about the world around them, and the biome books give them opportunities to explore that curiosity through reading. After reading, students can participate in related activities, observe nature, classify animals, create artwork, and engage in imaginative play. This allows them to make meaningful connections between what they read and what they experience in the classroom.\r\n\r\nThe biome readers have encouraged social development as well. Students often share interesting facts with their classmates, discuss their favorite animals, and look through books together. These experiences help children practice communication, listening, cooperation, and respect for different ideas. It has been exciting to see students become teachers to one another as they share new information they have learned.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, the biome readers have helped create excitement and joy around learning. They encourage children to ask questions, investigate, and discover answers for themselves. The books have helped transform their natural curiosity into meaningful learning experiences and have given them another way to explore the world independently.\r\n\r\nOur new biome readers have become much more than reading materials. They are an important resource that supports literacy, science, independence, curiosity, and imagination in our Montessori kindergarten classroom. Most importantly, they inspire our students to become confident readers, thoughtful explorers, and lifelong learners who are excited to discover more about the amazing world around them.","fullyFundedDate":1778262211014,"projectUrl":"project/biome-readers/10026755/","projectTitle":"Biome Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Adams","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5436484"},{"teacherId":5436484,"projectId":10009225,"letterContent":"Our new classroom library has been a wonderful and meaningful addition to our Montessori kindergarten classroom. Since introducing the new books, we have seen our students become even more interested in reading, exploring stories, and sharing books with one another. The library has created a warm and inviting space where children can slow down, make independent choices, and develop a genuine love for books and learning.\r\n\r\nOne of the greatest benefits of our new library is that it encourages independence, which is an important part of the Montessori philosophy. Students are able to choose books that interest them, look through them independently, and decide when they would like to read or explore a story. Having a variety of books available allows each child to follow their own interests and work at their own pace. Some children enjoy familiar stories, while others are excited to discover new topics, characters, animals, cultures, and places.\r\n\r\nThe new books have also supported our students' language and literacy development. As children listen to stories and explore books on their own, they are building vocabulary, improving comprehension, recognizing letters and words, and learning how stories are organized. Many students have begun using new words from the books during classroom conversations and imaginative play. They are also becoming more comfortable retelling stories, describing pictures, predicting what might happen next, and expressing their thoughts and opinions.\r\n\r\nOur classroom library has encouraged social development as well. Students often gather together to look at books, listen to a friend read, or talk about a favorite story. These moments help children practice communication, listening, cooperation, and respect for others. Sharing books has become a wonderful way for students to connect with one another and build a sense of community within our classroom.\r\n\r\nThe books have also provided opportunities for children to connect their learning to the world around them. Stories about nature, science, friendship, families, different cultures, and everyday experiences help children understand that learning happens everywhere. The library supports our classroom lessons while also allowing students to explore subjects that may spark a personal interest or curiosity.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, the new classroom library has helped create a positive and joyful reading environment. We want our students to see books not simply as a school activity, but as a source of comfort, discovery, imagination, and enjoyment. Watching the children become excited about selecting a book, listening to a story, or sharing something they have learned has been especially rewarding.\r\n\r\nOur new library has become","fullyFundedDate":1773889247228,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-library/10009225/","projectTitle":"Classroom Library","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Adams","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5436484"},{"teacherId":4133214,"projectId":10242238,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your donations and support of my art classroom! Students have been hard at work creating art with the supplies we've received from our campaign and I can't wait to put all of it to good use. With some of your materials my middle schoolers have completed line landscapes and hand self portraits, and begun 3D landscapes. My 3rd and 4th graders are creating sun and moon warm and cool colored paintings, and my 1st and 2nd graders are drawing Line Lions! \r\n\r\nSimple supplies like paper, permanent markers, and colored pencils make all the difference in my art room. Without these basic, but vital supplies, none of our projects would be possible.\r\n\r\nThank you again for your donations. It means the world to me that you would support my students and the arts!","fullyFundedDate":1778085096424,"projectUrl":"project/basic-supplies-for-extraordinary-art/10242238/","projectTitle":"Basic Supplies for Extraordinary Art","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Neff","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4133214_orig.jpg?crop=3976,3976,x0,y357&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1763741599191","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4133214"},{"teacherId":9771529,"projectId":10006073,"letterContent":"Thank you SO much for your donation to my classroom. My students have already begun reading these biome readers and matching the pictures and words to what they read in the book! This is an excellent addition to the Waseca reading program we use and the continent readers we use. The books are organized by color with red being cvc words and orange being words with consonant blends. It's such great practice for early reading concepts and they can practice in such a fun exciting way. It also teaches the students how to sequence events in a story. \r\n\r\n\r\nThanks again!","fullyFundedDate":1778262211145,"projectUrl":"project/montessori-waseca-biome-readers/10006073/","projectTitle":"Montessori Waseca Biome Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Donaldson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9771529_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1727143720535","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9771529"},{"teacherId":5693200,"projectId":10199713,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for funding my testing day project. The students love the privacy folders they can use to keep their work covered and provide a more precise work station. They love the calculators they can use on their daily work. They are cute and have a set place to hang where they can easily access them. We appreciate you so much.\r\nYour generosity will not stop with us, we plan to pay it forward by helping others in need when we can. \r\nThank you from the bottom of our hearts, your generosity is greatly valued.","fullyFundedDate":1778262206893,"projectUrl":"project/testing-day/10199713/","projectTitle":"Testing Day","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Adams","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5693200"},{"teacherId":9727407,"projectId":9642173,"letterContent":"Thank you so much from all our 3rd-5th grade students and me! We have had so much fun finding ways to read and make the music \r\n\r\nEach of our students has been taught the Montessori philosophy, and they love being able to take their own music materials home for extra practice. It is incredibly important as a teacher who is not trained in Montessori that I continue to incorporate these teachings in music class. Getting all this music reading material helps students know exactly how to build their own practice routines.\r\n\r\nI no longer have to give instructions on how to get ready for our different activities, because all our upper elementary students have learned the process and guide each other when needed. Students are able to take their instruments and music home to show off to their families. Having a set large enough for each student to bring the creativity home has become the greatest blessing! Thank you again for the donations for these materials. Without support from our community, our music class could not thrive the way it does!","fullyFundedDate":1760693703273,"projectUrl":"project/reading-through-music/9642173/","projectTitle":"Reading through Music!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Guerra","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9727407_orig.jpg?crop=639,639,x134,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1725481439904","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9727407"},{"teacherId":9727407,"projectId":9638717,"letterContent":"Thank you so much from all our 3rd-5th grade students and me! We have had so much fun finding ways to be organized and make the music classroom a comfy and neat space. \r\n\r\nEach of our students has been taught the Montessori philosophy, and they love being able to organize and be in charge of their own music materials. It is incredibly important to me as a teacher who is not trained in Montessori that I continue to incorporate these teachings in music class. Getting all this organizational materials helps student know exactly where all their supplies are and helps us establish independence with procedures. \r\n\r\nI no longer have to give instruction on how to get ready for our different activities, bexuase all our upper elementary have learned the process and guide each other when needed. Thank you again for the donations for these materials. Without support from our community our music class could not thrive the way it does!","fullyFundedDate":1760693570210,"projectUrl":"project/organized-musicians/9638717/","projectTitle":"Organized Musicians","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Guerra","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9727407_orig.jpg?crop=639,639,x134,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1725481439904","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9727407"},{"teacherId":10401798,"projectId":10065928,"letterContent":"When I unboxed the materials in this project I cleared space on a 3shelf bookcase to house the lessons on attractive trays and baskets. My students were very excited to work with the new lessons. They are colorful and so inviting. But first, I demonstrated each of the lessons to my entire class. All the lessons focus on alphabetic understanding, learning associated letter names and sounds with pictures that begin with the sounds. Each lesson provided hands-on, kinesthetic opportunities to engage with letters. My students started working with the lessons immediately a em the lessons were always in my students' hands during work time for the rest of the year. As they created letters with Playdoh, wrote letters with dry erase markers and magnadoodle boards, and built letter with magnetic sticks and curves, the letters came to life for my students. Their retention level for letter names and sounds skyrocketed because of these new lessons.","fullyFundedDate":1769815552786,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-abc-fun-for-little-learners/10065928/","projectTitle":"Hands-On ABC Fun for Little Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Garrett","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10401798"},{"teacherId":9771529,"projectId":9978120,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating so that we could have materials for our Montessori continent units! The students have loved learning all about North America and I can wait until we can learn about all the other continents too. \r\n\r\nSome of the things we've learned include: living and non living things in North America, animals of North America, the biomes of the continent, and much more.\r\n\r\nI can't wait to see what else we will learn in all the other continents! It's going to continue to be a great experience for the students with the real life pictures!","fullyFundedDate":1767998320167,"projectUrl":"project/montessori-continent-units/9978120/","projectTitle":"Montessori Continent Units","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Donaldson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9771529_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1727143720535","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9771529"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_8564","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":705,"numTeachers":44,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":12,"percentWhite":15,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":67,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":3,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"16.0:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":71.5,"schoolId":8564,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Lake Air Montessori Magnet School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Lake Air Montessori Magnet School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/texas/waco-independent-school-district/lake-waco-mont-magnet-school/8564"}