{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Mesa Verde Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":9.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":5517016,"projectId":10418538,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping bring the Mystery Lit Circle project to life! Your generosity is giving students the opportunity to become detectives as they dive into their mystery novels, work collaboratively with their peers, and develop the critical thinking skills needed to solve a case.\r\n\r\nEach day, students meet with their lit circle groups to share their findings from their Detective Notebooks and their reading from the night before. They each pose an open-ended question, lead a discussion, and write a summary of the group's thinking. Students also share the quote they found most important and explain why it stood out to them. Through these conversations, they learn to listen to different perspectives, support their ideas with evidence, and consider clues they may have overlooked.\r\n\r\nOur 8th grade detectives also compare their character and suspect lists, identify important character traits, and add new ideas to their notebooks. They work together to update their Clue Trackers, recording important details and evidence shared by their peers. Every Thursday, students revisit their predictions, reflect on the evidence they have gathered, and revise their thinking about what has happened or what might happen next.\r\n\r\nToday, our 8th graders took an exciting step forward by beginning to create their group detective boards! As you can see in the photos, students are organizing events in chronological order, identifying suspects and possible motives, and displaying the evidence they have uncovered. These boards bring their thinking to life and help students see how individual clues connect to form a bigger picture. They are learning that solving a mystery takes patience, careful observation, collaboration, and a willingness to change your mind when new evidence emerges.\r\n\r\nWe will finish reading the novels during the first week of November, but the learning will not stop when the final page is turned! Students will use their Detective Notebooks and completed detective boards as the foundation for an exciting culminating project: designing a mystery-themed amusement park inspired by their books. They will transform the characters, clues, settings, and major events from their stories into creative attractions and experiences that bring their novels to life.\r\n\r\nYour support has made it possible for students to do more than simply read a book. They are becoming thoughtful readers, confident communicators, creative problem-solvers, and collaborative investigators. Most importantly, they are discovering that reading can be an active, engaging experience where their ideas matter and learning happens together.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in my students and helping make reading an adventure worth remembering. I'm excited to share more of their detective work and creative designs as our mystery project continues!","fullyFundedDate":1787189627812,"projectUrl":"project/crack-the-case-mystery-lit-circles-for/10418538/","projectTitle":"Crack the Case: Mystery Lit Circles for 8th Grade","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Ferguson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5517016_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1541120478408","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5517016"},{"teacherId":5517016,"projectId":9945376,"letterContent":"Thank you for providing our AVID program with the magnetic whiteboards and supplies. This project has completely changed how our tutorials run. We are now able to split students into smaller, more intimate groups, which means every student truly gets a chance to be a presenter. Before, we were limited to three groups and often only a few students were able to present during a tutorial. Now, more students are actively sharing their thinking, asking questions, and engaging in the process because the group sizes feel more comfortable and supportive.\r\n\r\nWhen the supplies arrived, the excitement was immediate. Students eagerly helped assemble the whiteboards and organize the materials into bins so we could create six working groups. Our AVID leaders were especially excited to step into leadership roles by guiding and supporting their own groups, building confidence not only in the students they lead, but in themselves as well. The whiteboards have also transformed daily learning. Instead of just discussing notes, students can now visually share their thinking in whole-group settings where everyone can see, ask questions, and learn from one another. \r\n\r\nMoving forward, we will continue using AVID tutorials to prepare students to confidently lead and participate next year in both middle school and high school. We will also use the magnetic whiteboards for collaborative study groups throughout the week to help students prepare for unit assessments and classroom tests across different content areas. Your generosity has created more meaningful learning opportunities and stronger student leadership, and we are truly grateful for your support.","fullyFundedDate":1765667845248,"projectUrl":"project/supporting-stronger-avid-tutorial-groups/9945376/","projectTitle":"Supporting Stronger AVID Tutorial Groups","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Ferguson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5517016_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1541120478408","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5517016"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_59950","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":1282,"numTeachers":53,"percentFrplEligible":11,"percentAsian":45,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":29,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":10,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":12,"gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"24.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":90.8,"schoolId":59950,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Mesa Verde Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Mesa Verde Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/poway-unified-school-district/mesa-verde-middle-school/59950"}