{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Mary O Pottenger Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":28.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9524613,"projectId":10306576,"letterContent":"Our students are so incredibly thankful for your kind and generous donations. Your support welcomes their continued success as we navigate this challenging world. Providing sensory tools and opportunities to calm one's mind and body allow our students to learn best and show up every day excited to learn. Our students know how loved they are and how amazing they can be when they are regulated and have accessible, tangible access to curriculum. We thank you for your support and care for our students.","fullyFundedDate":1780242846489,"projectUrl":"project/sensory-tools/10306576/","projectTitle":"Sensory Tools","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Henkel","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9524613_orig.jpg?crop=699,700,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1714997478995","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9524613"},{"teacherId":7475049,"projectId":10297793,"letterContent":"We have definitely broken into this new library organization this year! We are using the book bins you generously donated to us as \"toolboxes\" for independent time. Students are starting to put things in their toolboxes that they need to work independently such as their workbooks, headphones, and math manipulative. \r\nThey were also SO excited about the new chapter book collections that we have. We have been breaking into the Minecraft series and reading a chapter each day during lunch. They LOVE them. \r\nOur library is much more organized by fiction and nonfiction as well as other subsections now that we have the book bins and the labels to do so. It has changed the structure of our library time so much. Thank you again for your generous donation. You have impacted so many second graders!","fullyFundedDate":1780509998369,"projectUrl":"project/organized-library/10297793/","projectTitle":"Organized Library","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Morissette","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7475049_orig.jpg?crop=2526,2526,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1599245702056","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7475049"},{"teacherId":7475049,"projectId":10130796,"letterContent":"Technology has become an integral part of our day to day lives in the classroom. Without your donation, we had laptops and laptop cords EVERYWHERE! Students last school year were not able to charge their laptops fully because the cords weren't fully charging their laptops or they weren't able to get to their cord so they snuck a cord from somewhere else. Now, we are patiently awaiting our new laptops to be able to start using our laptop charging stations. They are all set up, with each cord attached to a specific laptop section, and are ready to go! I cannot wait to get our laptops and access to our technology so we can take full advantage of your generosity. Thank you, again!","fullyFundedDate":1774557585610,"projectUrl":"project/laptop-charging-station/10130796/","projectTitle":"Laptop Charging Station","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Morissette","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7475049_orig.jpg?crop=2526,2526,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1599245702056","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7475049"},{"teacherId":7184817,"projectId":9009586,"letterContent":"Thank you, as always, for your amazing generosity and support of our students and our school libraries. Ever since I started submitting requests for both of my elementary schools, you have been there helping us to grow our school libraries. I am sorry that this is yet another very late impact letter. Here is a description of how some of the titles have impacted our students and their school libraries.\r\n\r\nThe Sonic the Hedgehog graphic novels have remained very popular, and I really appreciate that students who are generally resistant to borrowing any books from the library have still gravitated to this always-growing collection. \r\n\r\nThese newer Green Lantern contributions have added to the diversity of our collection, and I have enjoyed using the books to demonstrate how the ethnic backgrounds of authors can positively impact how they tell stories and add much-needed diversity to series. We were able to pair the discussion with a video interview of the author sharing his experience writing the books.\r\n\r\n Thanks to you, we were able to add at least 3 social-emotional learning titles to our still-then brand-new collection. All three, The Color Monster, Little Monkey Calms Down, and A Little Spot: My First Emotions, are still very popular checkouts. \r\n\r\nThe Amulet series has become much more popular than I thought it would be, and I may soon request another copy of all the books in the series to better meet their request needs.\r\n\r\nThe Baby-Sitters Little Sister series is very popular, and really helps lower-grade students work their way to reading the regular Baby-Sitters series. \r\n\r\nFor these titles, and all the other books you have helped us add to our library collections, we once again thank you for your generosity and support.","fullyFundedDate":1734482503921,"projectUrl":"project/growing-our-new-library-in-leaps-and-bou/9009586/","projectTitle":"Growing Our New Library in Leaps and Bounds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7184817_orig.jpg?crop=716,716,x281,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1663764264627","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7184817"},{"teacherId":7184817,"projectId":8980250,"letterContent":"Thank you so much, all my amazing partners in supporting our students and their school libraries. Once again, I am sorry for the extreme lateness in describing the impact of your donations. I must warn you that you will be receiving even more notes in the very near future now that I am finally playing a very, very late game of catch-up. Now, please let me share the specific impact of some of the wonderful library books you have helped us acquire:\r\n\r\nOf all the non-fiction sections in the library collection, outside of the animal section, the sports section is the most perused and borrowed. The most requested are basketball, football, and soccer, although hockey requests increased after every school-based hockey day or night event. I especially love to see how many more requests we got for soccer books during the recent World Cup. I even got requests to read more books about soccer players! You helped us start this collection, which is always growing and usually based on specific student requests.\r\n\r\n\tThe Cat Ninja series is frequently borrowed, and the graphic novel format allows many students in upper grades to feel comfortable to continue to borrow them as they advance. This can be especially important for students who struggle more with reading.\r\n\r\n\tOut of My Mind continues to be very popular with upper-grade students. Last year, two classes requested it as their read aloud book, and they stayed engaged. \r\n\r\nThe Disney Manga Stitch series is constantly borrowed and is many students' first manga. I am so grateful for all of these books because many of our students request manga, but there are still not that many for elementary students, although the number is always increasing. \r\n\r\nThe Berrybrook Middle School series is very popular with the upper-grade students.\r\n\r\nI loved being able to add Moo to our collection because many of the students had already read both Love that Dog and Hate that Cat, by Sharon Creech. Now, they are really enjoying Moo, and it was a crowd-pleaser after being requested for one class's read aloud selection. \r\n\r\nCreepy Carrots, and the other two books in the Creepy series, don't stay on the library shelves long due to their popularity. They are all big read aloud requests, too. \r\n\r\nFor all these books, and all the others you have helped us add to our school library collections, we thank you again for your generosity and support. We could not do this with you.","fullyFundedDate":1735658183391,"projectUrl":"project/expanding-our-new-library-collection/8980250/","projectTitle":"Expanding Our New Library Collection","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7184817_orig.jpg?crop=716,716,x281,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1663764264627","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7184817"},{"teacherId":4343217,"projectId":10381379,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity for our project! We really appreciate all of the cleaning items to help keep our classroom clean and healthy. The students are also enjoying the variety of the afternoon snacks. It is helping them work more productively. \r\nThe math games are amazing! We can't wait to get into them and use them for classroom centers. We are using the multiplication cards daily. We are practicing them to help make our work easier! \r\nWe also really appreciate the classroom materials. We are using the folders, notebooks, and pencils. They are helping our days go smoothly by keeping us organized!","fullyFundedDate":1787163413758,"projectUrl":"project/back-to-school/10381379/","projectTitle":"Back to School","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. DeSantis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4343217_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1532044682324","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4343217"},{"teacherId":10361523,"projectId":9924241,"letterContent":"The students are using the mats during rest time, and it has definitely made a big difference in this important part of our daily schedule. For a long time, they were resting on old, worn-out mats, so the rest period was uncomfortable and took longer. When we received the new mats and opened the boxes in front of them, it was a wonderful surprise, and they excitedly and joyfully asked each other if the new mats were for them. We recognize and appreciate the support you gave to our project. A preschool student can perform better when their brain and body are well-rested. Learning and academic performance are more effective when our bodies and minds are in optimal condition. Our future goal is for our students to achieve their full academic potential by recognizing that all areas of our daily schedule are important, including rest time, meals, recreation, and academics. We are grateful and appreciative that you collaborated with us in achieving this goal.\r\nRespectfully,\r\nMs. Rivera Alicea / Ms. Claudio\r\nPre-K Teachers","fullyFundedDate":1766579921722,"projectUrl":"project/recharge-time-for-little-learners/9924241/","projectTitle":"Recharge Time for Little Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Claudio","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10361523"},{"teacherId":1817077,"projectId":9358597,"letterContent":"Although I reached out in the fall, I wanted to again let you know how beneficial your donation has been to our kindergarten classroom. Upon coming to my school three years ago, students had \"one size fits all\" headphones which certainly did not fit all. As you know, everyone's head is different so it was uncomfortable for some of the children to sit with headphones that slid off their head or that didn't even cover their head. Some had ear pieces that were constantly falling off which also made things more challenging. There was a piece that we were supposed to be able to pop on to possibly make the headphones a bit more snug but that never seemed to stay put either. And, of course, there was the sound issue. When students are supposed to click on microphones so that they can hear questions being read to them because they don't yet know how to read, it is crucial that they can hear the voice on the other end. You can only imagine what a challenge computer time was and we are expected to have the children on their computers for at least an hour each week at the minimum. If the headphones shut down altogether, we were borrowing headphones from our classroom's listening center to take their place because no extras seemed to exist throughout our building. \r\n How could the children be expected to complete computer assignments when the equipment wasn't even in working order? Well, that's where YOU came in and made the well-known phrase, \"It takes a village\" come to fruition! Your new headphones are easy to adjust, comfortable to wear, and most importantly let the children hear loud and clear! It also doesn't hurt that the collection came in beautiful colors that seem to be a big plus for five- and six-year-olds (LOL)! Thank you for making technology time a smoother running operation, especially with our younger clientele.","fullyFundedDate":1755472566258,"projectUrl":"project/listening-ears/9358597/","projectTitle":"Listening Ears","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wood","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1817077_orig.jpg?crop=667,667,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1597123121789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1817077"},{"teacherId":7184817,"projectId":8067715,"letterContent":"Thank you once again for your generous support of our students and their school library. Thanks to you, we have more ways to organize and transition our books, including newer materials. We also have more ways to organize our library supplies, making it easier to process books and provide students with services.\r\n\r\nWe could not do what we do without you, and we hope you know how big a role you play in the lives of our students, staff, and the interworking of our school library and the wider school community.","fullyFundedDate":1702467691179,"projectUrl":"project/helping-our-school-library-to-be-more-or/8067715/","projectTitle":"Helping our School Library to be More Organized","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7184817_orig.jpg?crop=716,716,x281,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1663764264627","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7184817"},{"teacherId":8629977,"projectId":9494805,"letterContent":"I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for your incredibly generous donation to our school.The Makey Makey STEM education kit, Dash robot materials, and additional STEM activities you provided will make a lasting impact on my students and their learning experiences.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support, my students will have hands-on opportunities to explore coding, engineering, problem-solving, and creativity in ways that truly bring learning to life. Tools like Makey Makey and Dash allow students to move beyond textbooks and actively experiment, design, test, and innovate. These experiences help build critical thinking skills and confidence that extend far beyond the classroom.\r\n\r\nMany of my students may not otherwise have access to this type of technology. Your generosity helps bridge that gap and opens doors to new possibilities in STEM fields. I am excited to see the curiosity, collaboration, and creativity that will grow from this opportunity.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our students and believing in the power of education. Your support truly makes a difference.","fullyFundedDate":1757548776242,"projectUrl":"project/technology-bytes/9494805/","projectTitle":"Technology Bytes","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Teal","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8629977_orig.png?crop=291,291,x0,y53&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1661116600604","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8629977"},{"teacherId":7105722,"projectId":9431233,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donations as they have had a huge positive impact on my student's learning and the structure of my classroom. In our classroom, playtime has always been a challenge as they struggled to take turns using different toys and sharing their play space with other children. However, with the treehouse, multiple figurines, and other accessories, it has given my children access to more play items and has created a space where sharing has prospered. With the treehouse, students were each given an opportunity to play with it on their own and then learned how to take turns with other students. \r\n\r\nAfter they got better at taking turns with the toys in the treehouse, they worked on playing with other students. Having so many accessories in the set, they were able to each use a different item within the same area of the treehouse and naturally, they began to interact and play with those toys together. The classroom has become a more collaborative space since the addition of the treehouse. When my students first received these items, they were excited to have new toys to play with, and now they are able to play with the treehouse together.","fullyFundedDate":1760737111917,"projectUrl":"project/dramatic-play/9431233/","projectTitle":"Dramatic Play","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Baker","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7105722_orig.jpg?crop=1500,1500,x0,y115&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1713225565619","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7105722"},{"teacherId":4343217,"projectId":9750847,"letterContent":"My class we ecstatic when all of the boxes arrived for this project! The big hit so far is our butterfly pavilion! The caterpillars are just starting to form chrysalis's and they are able to see the stages of a butterfly! \r\nThey are also enjoying the variety of pop tarts for breakfast and/or snack. We love the fruit snacks also! The cleaning supplies came in handy to help clean after breakfast and lunch! \r\nWe are still waiting for the soccer net to come in for recess. I had to reorder it because it was out of stock. We can't thank you enough for all of the art supplies also!","fullyFundedDate":1760748197636,"projectUrl":"project/recess-and-more/9750847/","projectTitle":"Recess and More!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. DeSantis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4343217_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1532044682324","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4343217"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_60895","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":365,"numTeachers":27,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":11,"percentWhite":7,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":76,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":2,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"13.5:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":71.2,"schoolId":60895,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Mary O Pottenger Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Mary O Pottenger Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/massachusetts/springfield-public-school-district/mary-o-pottenger-elementary-school/60895"}