{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School","outOfStateSupporters":39.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9787662,"projectId":10177920,"letterContent":"Absolutely! Here's a warm, donor-focused response that highlights the hands-on learning, math connections, and student excitement:\r\n\r\nMy students have been using their new triple beam balances to learn how to collect and interpret quantitative data in a tangible, hands-on way. They have been measuring the mass of different classroom objects and recording their measurements in organized data tables. This experience has allowed them to see how science and math work together, as they practice reading scales, estimating measurements, comparing values, and calculating differences. Instead of simply learning about measurement from a textbook, students are able to physically interact with the tools and see their data come to life.\r\n\r\nWhen the triple beam balances first arrived, my students were immediately excited and curious. They were eager to touch the materials, figure out how the balances worked, and challenge themselves to get accurate measurements. For many students, using a real scientific instrument made the lesson feel more authentic and engaging. Their excitement turned into productive curiosity as they learned that even a small adjustment could change their measurement and that careful observation and precision are important parts of being a scientist.\r\n\r\nOur next step is to build on these measurement skills by having students use their collected data to create tables, graphs, and mathematical comparisons. Students will analyze their results, look for patterns, and use evidence from their measurements to communicate their findings. These new resources have helped make science more meaningful by giving my students an opportunity to practice important math and scientific skills in a hands-on way—and I am excited to see where their curiosity takes them next!","fullyFundedDate":1779501756606,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-data-collection/10177920/","projectTitle":"Hands-On Data Collection","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Leonardo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9787662"},{"teacherId":8846714,"projectId":10025404,"letterContent":"The mindfulness tools from this project have made a real difference in our classroom. The breathing lamps and sensory items help students recognize when they need a break and give them concrete strategies to calm their bodies and minds. Many of our donors use technology at home, but in our classroom these tools teach students how to use light, rhythm, and touch to regulate emotions and refocus on learning. The calming corner has become a favorite space where students can pause, breathe, and return to class ready to learn.\r\n\r\nStudents are most excited about the breathing lamps and sensory tools because they can see and feel the effects right away. They love watching the lights pulse as they match their breathing and using the sensory items to ground themselves when they feel overwhelmed. These materials have helped them build independence and confidence in managing big feelings.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping my students learn to care for their emotions and create a peaceful, supportive classroom community. Your generosity made this transformation possible.","fullyFundedDate":1778091652460,"projectUrl":"project/finding-our-calm-mindfulness-tools-for/10025404/","projectTitle":"Finding Our Calm: Mindfulness Tools for Growing Brains","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Collins","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8846714_orig.jpg?crop=1944,1944,x0,y324&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1698890784240","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jessicacollins06"},{"teacherId":8846714,"projectId":10297273,"letterContent":"Our instant cameras and scrapbooking supplies have transformed the way my sixth graders learn and explore. The technology helped them connect their classroom lessons to the world around them by allowing them to document teamwork, local history, and moments of discovery during our park scavenger hunt. Seeing their photos right away helped them reflect on what they noticed and encouraged them to ask deeper questions about our neighborhood.\r\n\r\nStudents were most excited about creating something they could hold in their hands. The cameras gave them a sense of ownership and pride, and the scrapbooking materials helped them turn their photos into meaningful keepsakes. They loved choosing which moments to capture and designing pages that showed their creativity and collaboration.\r\n\r\nA few students connected with the cameras in especially powerful ways. One student who is usually quiet became confident as our photographer, capturing thoughtful images of classmates working together. Another student who struggles with writing found new ways to express herself through visual storytelling. Watching them grow through this project has been inspiring.\r\n\r\nThank you for giving my students tools that helped them see their community and themselves in a new light. Your support made a lasting impact.","fullyFundedDate":1779385890637,"projectUrl":"project/capturing-community-instant-cameras-s/10297273/","projectTitle":"Capturing Community: Instant Cameras & Scrapbooks for Sixth‑Grade Explorers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Collins","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8846714_orig.jpg?crop=1944,1944,x0,y324&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1698890784240","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jessicacollins06"},{"teacherId":6012434,"projectId":5184987,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping us create a classroom that is organized, engaging, and ready for learning! The color printer will have an immediate impact on our students by allowing me to create colorful instructional materials, visuals, differentiated resources, student work, and activities right in our classroom. For young learners, having clear and engaging visuals can make lessons more accessible and help bring what we are learning to life.\r\n\r\nThe additional materials will also support our classroom routines and hands-on learning. The file folders will help keep student materials organized and accessible, while the jars and terrarium will be incorporated into classroom activities and opportunities for students to observe, explore, and learn through real experiences.\r\n\r\nThese resources will help me create a classroom where materials are readily available, lessons can be more engaging, and students have different ways to access their learning. Thank you for investing in our classroom and giving me additional tools to meet the needs of all of my students!","fullyFundedDate":1603478137273,"projectUrl":"project/natural-classroom/5184987/","projectTitle":"Natural Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Sanchez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6012434_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753105503478","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/carolina-sanchez"},{"teacherId":6012434,"projectId":5144668,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping us create a classroom that is organized, flexible, and designed with our students in mind! The lap desks will give students more choice in where and how they complete their work. Whether they are reading, writing, working with a partner, or completing independent activities, students will have the opportunity to find a learning space where they feel comfortable and focused.\r\n\r\nThe storage caddies, organizers, supply cases, and other organizational materials will also make a huge difference in our daily routines. Students will be able to easily access the materials they need and take greater responsibility for using and returning classroom supplies. The colorful tape will also help us organize and label materials and spaces throughout our classroom in a way that is both functional and inviting.\r\n\r\nThese resources will help us build a classroom where students can be more independent, materials are easy to access, and learning can happen in different spaces throughout the room. Thank you for helping us create a welcoming and student-centered learning environment!","fullyFundedDate":1601524795353,"projectUrl":"project/creative-learning/5144668/","projectTitle":"Creative Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Sanchez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6012434_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753105503478","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/carolina-sanchez"},{"teacherId":6012434,"projectId":5030244,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for providing our classroom with these wonderful hands-on math materials! These resources will make such a difference in helping my students see, touch, and explore the math they are learning. The clocks, linking cubes, counters, tangrams, play money, and dry-erase materials will allow students to practice important second-grade skills in a way that is engaging and accessible to all learners.\r\n\r\nThroughout the school year, we will use these materials during whole-group lessons, small groups, math centers, partner work, and intervention. Students will be able to model their thinking, solve problems in different ways, and explain their strategies using concrete materials before moving to more abstract representations. I am especially excited to use the clocks and play money as we work on real-world math skills and the manipulatives to strengthen number sense, addition, subtraction, and problem solving.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has helped give my students the tools they need to become confident mathematicians. These are resources we will use again and again throughout the year, and I am incredibly grateful for your support of our classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1597329110963,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-spark-on/5030244/","projectTitle":"Hands On, Spark On!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Sanchez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6012434_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753105503478","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/carolina-sanchez"},{"teacherId":8846714,"projectId":10093430,"letterContent":"We can't thank you enough for helping us make our Homeroom Reading Challenge a success! Students were intrigued by the mini‑myths and also grew stronger at detecting themes and creating their own. Not to mention, they absolutely loved leveling up and unlocking rewards along their journey!\r\n\r\nWhat impressed me most was how students persevered even when they made mistakes selecting a theme. They would go back to the myth, reread it for clues, and try again. They were motivated by the magical prizes you donated to our project and were all smiles when they were celebrated by the whole class every time they leveled up.\r\n\r\nUsing the knowledge they gained from their Journey to Olympus, coupled with independent research, my sixth‑graders are now creating fan‑fiction by designing original demi‑god characters to complement Percy Jackson's quest in The Lightning Thief.\r\n\r\nThanks again for helping us keep our kiddos motivated and growing as readers!","fullyFundedDate":1771015186244,"projectUrl":"project/journey-to-olympus-the-homeroom-reading/10093430/","projectTitle":"Journey to Olympus: The Homeroom Reading Challenge","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Collins","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8846714_orig.jpg?crop=1944,1944,x0,y324&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1698890784240","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jessicacollins06"},{"teacherId":10239673,"projectId":9685343,"letterContent":"The DonorsChoose gift transformed the culture of our chemistry lab in a way students can point to. It took science out of the abstract and placed it firmly in their hands. Students are learning about solutions, indicators, acids and bases, molecular forces, and designed materials by actually doing science. They are handling lab equipment, gathering evidence for themselves, making observations that don't always behave as expected, and revising answers when their data requires it. That mental shift is important. Students came into this class worried about failing chemistry. They worried about touching equipment the \"wrong\" way, misreading results, or not \"looking like\" science should. These materials allowed them to move past that fear. They learned how to measure, test, compare, record, and explain with confidence. They now spend time in a lab where they can act like scientists. Where they can see themselves in a scientific role not because someone told them they could, but because the work gave them evidence that they did.\r\n\r\nThis gift transformed the emotional landscape of my classroom as well. Students are more curious. They are asking better, more detailed questions. They are more engaged in how chemistry relates to health, medicine, and their everyday lives. For many this was the first time they've been able to participate in the routines of scientific practice: careful procedure, evidence-based reasoning, proper safety protocols, collaboration, and the humility of letting your results refute your hypotheses. Several students have even started to discuss careers in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, lab science, public health, and other health science fields with more seriousness. That is the value of this donation. It opened more doors for students than simply providing materials. It gave them opportunities to think about what they could do. Allowed them access to the kind of hands-on learning that makes science feel tangible, mature, and within reach.","fullyFundedDate":1758209883919,"projectUrl":"project/the-regents-are-changingour-students-de/9685343/","projectTitle":"The Regents Are Changing—Our Students Deserve Labs That Match","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. M","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10239673"},{"teacherId":1191504,"projectId":9962911,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our project, \"Teaching Compassion Through Student-Made Community Guides for Immigrants.\" Because of your generosity, students were able to create and distribute bilingual fire relief and community resource pamphlets connected to the recent apartment fire in Washington Heights.\r\nStudents were really proud seeing their work printed professionally and shared with people in the neighborhood. Throughout the project, students talked a lot about compassion as helping people feel informed, supported, and less alone during difficult moments. They worked carefully on the wording, translations, and design of the pamphlets because they understood that real families would be using them. This project helped students see that compassion can look like taking action and using your skills to support your community in a real way.","fullyFundedDate":1766023491539,"projectUrl":"project/teaching-compassion-through-student-made/9962911/","projectTitle":"Teaching Compassion Through Student-Made Community Guides for Immigrants","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. K","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1191504"},{"teacherId":1191504,"projectId":9965963,"letterContent":"Because of your generosity, a group of my students was able to take an idea about community safety and actually turn it into something real. Using the printer ink, cardstock, and pens you provided, students in this project designed and printed bilingual \"Know Your Rights\" and community resource pamphlets that we were able to assemble and share beyond our classroom. What started as a writing assignment became something much more meaningful once students realized it could actually help people.\r\n\r\nOne of the best parts of this project was seeing students take ownership over their work. We researched local organizations, talked through how to explain things clearly, and revised their writing so it would make sense to a wide range of people. Many of my multilingual learners were especially invested in making sure both the English and Spanish versions were accurate and felt right. For some students, this was very different from their usual assignments—it felt more purposeful.\r\n\r\nThe materials made a real difference. Being able to print in color and use quality paper made the final products feel important, not just like something to turn in. Students took more care with their work because we knew it was going to be shared with others. There was a lot of pride in being able to say, \"We made this.\"\r\n\r\nStudents in this project were able to share these materials in local spaces, which helped get important information out beyond the school. More than anything, They started to see themselves differently—not just as students completing work, but as people who can contribute something useful to their community.","fullyFundedDate":1766764716334,"projectUrl":"project/student-writers-create-bilingual-communi/9965963/","projectTitle":"Student Writers Create Bilingual Community Safety Pamphlets","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. K","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1191504"},{"teacherId":8846714,"projectId":10025043,"letterContent":"When the new math games and hands‑on materials arrived, my students lit up in a way I wish every donor could have seen. One student asked, \"Are these really for us?\" while another immediately began sorting the manipulatives and explaining how they would use them to get better at multiplication. Their excitement was instant and genuine.\r\n\r\nThe pencils, erasers, and multiplication stickers were an unexpected hit. Students treated them like treasures. Several asked if they could save their stickers for when they mastered a new set of facts, and the special pencils quickly became the ones they wanted to use during math time. These small items created a sense of pride and ownership that carried into their work.\r\n\r\nWe have already begun using the materials during our small‑group math rotations. The multiplication games have become a class favorite. Students lean in, collaborate, and challenge each other in ways that were not happening before. One moment that stood out was watching a student who normally shuts down during math proudly explain a strategy to his partner using the new place value tools. He said, \"Wait, I actually get this now.\" That shift in confidence is exactly what this project was meant to spark.\r\n\r\nThe biggest surprise has been how motivated students became with the multiplication drill sheets. They started coming to me asking for more practice sheets on their own. When they leveled up to a higher set of multiplication facts, they celebrated like they had unlocked a new achievement. The sense of progress and accomplishment has been powerful. Your generosity did not just give us supplies. It gave my students a reason to believe they can grow as mathematicians.\r\n\r\nThank you for multiplying our motivation. You have made a real difference in our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1769403706944,"projectUrl":"project/multiply-our-motivation/10025043/","projectTitle":"Multiply Our Motivation!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Collins","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8846714_orig.jpg?crop=1944,1944,x0,y324&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1698890784240","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jessicacollins06"},{"teacherId":10432893,"projectId":10119814,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about the project our students have been working through this spring. When we started the project our goal was to come up with a way to incentivize students to read independently, with the purpose being to build that skill. However for many of the students that partook in the journey, it blossomed into genuine interest in mythological storytelling that has resulted in some seeking out similar content for their personal enjoyment outside of the classroom. What started off with students learning about key characters in Greek mythology turned into many students finding pleasure in learning about these sorts of stories from various cultures across the globe. The teachers on my team and I are ecstatic to see the interests of our students grow, however we couldn't have done it without the contributions from you - our donors, motivating our students to travel through their journey. While I'm sure donor's are accustomed to being thanked directly for the resources they contribute to the classrooms they fund, I want you all to know that your kindness has resulted in many of our students find a genuine interest that they can cherish on their own beyond the classroom and similar academic settings. Thank you all so much!","fullyFundedDate":1775056160230,"projectUrl":"project/fueling-heroes-on-their-journey-to-olymp/10119814/","projectTitle":"Fueling Heroes on Their Journey to Olympus","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Olivo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10432893"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_18815","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":860,"numTeachers":64,"percentFrplEligible":88,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":2,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":91,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":2,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"13.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":61.0,"schoolId":18815,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-york/new-york-city-dept-of-ed/ms-348-washington-hghts-exp/18815"}