{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Meridian Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":15.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10399066,"projectId":10309549,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our fifth-grade worm composting project! Your generosity is giving our students an exciting opportunity to experience science in a hands-on, meaningful way. Instead of simply reading about ecosystems, decomposition, and recycling, our students will be able to observe these processes firsthand by caring for composting worms and watching how food scraps are transformed into nutrient-rich soil. This real-world experience will make our science lessons more engaging and memorable while helping students develop curiosity and critical thinking skills.\r\nYour donation is also teaching our students the importance of environmental stewardship and sustainable practices. As they maintain the worm bins, collect data, and observe changes over time, they will gain valuable lessons about responsibility, teamwork, and the impact small actions can have on our planet. We are so grateful that you chose to invest in our classroom and inspire the next generation of scientists and environmental leaders. Thank you for making learning come alive for our students!","fullyFundedDate":1780516261731,"projectUrl":"project/wriggling-into-science/10309549/","projectTitle":"Wriggling into Science","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Gillis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10399066_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768918978954","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10399066"},{"teacherId":10399066,"projectId":10279078,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity and support of our fifth-grade classroom. Because of your kindness, our students will have access to comfortable seating that creates a welcoming environment where they can focus, collaborate, and enjoy learning. Having flexible seating options gives students the opportunity to choose a space where they feel comfortable and confident, helping them stay engaged during lessons and independent work. Your gift is helping us create a classroom where every child feels valued and excited to learn.\r\nYour donation of chapter books will also have a lasting impact on our students. Providing a variety of engaging, high-interest books encourages a love of reading while helping students strengthen their comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills. Many of our students are eager to discover new stories, characters, and genres, and these books will inspire them to read both inside and outside the classroom. Thank you for investing in our students' education and giving them the tools they need to grow as readers and lifelong learners. Your generosity will make a difference every single day.","fullyFundedDate":1779891891719,"projectUrl":"project/turning-pages-growing-minds/10279078/","projectTitle":"Turning Pages, Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Gillis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10399066_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1768918978954","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10399066"},{"teacherId":4255629,"projectId":10292150,"letterContent":"My students and I are so excited to use our new materials this year! We are still planning our field trips around town, but plan to start in early October with a hot dog picnic - kids will be cooks! Since a tornado had us moving to a temporary building location and we've added a few new faces to our classroom this year, we want to make sure the kids are comfortable in this environment before we head out in the community.\r\n I think I am most excited about our trip to the diner in town. We will practice using our words to order from a menu, talk about appropriate manners at a restaurant, and enjoy some friendly conversation together! We can't thank you enough for your generosity to this project!","fullyFundedDate":1779516668426,"projectUrl":"project/around-town-learning-life-skills-in-the/10292150/","projectTitle":"Around Town: Learning Life Skills in the Community!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Boggs","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4255629_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1486087416088","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-mowen"},{"teacherId":10240722,"projectId":9680243,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom through DonorsChoose. Because of your generosity, my students now have writing boards, sensory toys/fidgets, and flexible seating which are already making a positive difference in their learning. You also helped provide us with much needed velcro dots, printer ink and other materials that will help us create adapted books and other much-needed visuals for our students. \r\n\r\nMy students were excited to use the new materials, and they have been more engaged and motivated during lessons. The flexible seating and sensory fidgets have helped some of my most fidgety children participate in lessons! Your support helps create meaningful learning experiences and shows my students that people beyond our classroom believe in them.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our students and our classroom. We are truly grateful for your kindness and support.\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\nJill Chlebus","fullyFundedDate":1766867819890,"projectUrl":"project/new-to-school-littlest-learners-in-trai/9680243/","projectTitle":"New to School: Littlest Learners in Training!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Chlebus","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10240722"},{"teacherId":4255629,"projectId":9119859,"letterContent":"Our students have absolutely LOVED the new materials from this Donor's Choose Grant! The sensory items, especially the bubble blower and spinning tower, have been a huge hit and really help our students to regulate themselves so they are more ready to learn. My SLP colleague and I really appreciate not needing to search for stimulus pictures online; we simply pull out a stack of verb cards! The ink has come in very useful as and we have spent a lot of time printing visuals, picture schedules, vocabulary cards, and adaptive books. We truly appreciate your generosity and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping some of our most fragile friends!","fullyFundedDate":1748020976128,"projectUrl":"project/special-materials-for-special-students/9119859/","projectTitle":"Special Materials for Special Students","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Boggs","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4255629_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1486087416088","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-mowen"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_28343","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":418,"numTeachers":27,"percentFrplEligible":62,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":92,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":1,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":4,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"15.5:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_DISTANT"},"inStateSupporters":85.0,"schoolId":28343,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Meridian Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Meridian Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/meridian-community-unit-school-district-15/meridian-intermediate-school/28343"}