{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"PS255Q @ PS397","outOfStateSupporters":53.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":660143,"projectId":10130684,"letterContent":"\"Small tools can make a big difference in helping students feel calm, safe, and ready to learn.\" Thanks to your generosity, my students and teachers now have sensory field trip bags filled with fidget and sensory tools to support regulation during community outings. This project was originally planned for summer school, but due to schedule changes and several trips being added in May and June, I decided to begin creating the pouches sooner. Starting early turned out to be a wonderful opportunity because we were able to provide bags to three additional teachers to support even more students throughout the building. During our field trip this past Friday, I saw teachers actively using the materials with students who needed extra sensory support in overwhelming environments.\r\n\r\nIt was heartwarming to watch students smile as they assembled the pouches, especially while choosing and packing some of their preferred sensory toys. These tools help students regulate their emotions, stay engaged, and participate more successfully during field trips that may otherwise feel overstimulating. One of the best parts of this project was being able to spread kindness beyond my own classroom and support teachers whose students are not regularly on my caseload. Their gratitude for the unexpected surprise was truly touching. Your support has helped create more inclusive, supportive experiences for so many students, and I am incredibly grateful.","fullyFundedDate":1778092175659,"projectUrl":"project/kindness-that-pops-all-summer-long/10130684/","projectTitle":"Kindness That Pops All Summer Long","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. S. Lopez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp660143_orig.jpg?crop=653,653,x0,y165&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1683609112717","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/srlopez"},{"teacherId":660143,"projectId":9886927,"letterContent":"\"Smell the flower, blow the pinwheel, and let your body feel calm.\" Because of your generosity, my classroom is now filled with breathing pals, pinwheel crafts, and a DIY flower-making machine and accessories that will help my students with autism learn calming strategies and mindful breathing techniques. These hands-on materials make breathing exercises more engaging, interactive, and accessible for my students as they practice self-regulation skills in meaningful ways.\r\n\r\nAlthough this project was originally planned for March, unexpected delays pushed our start date back to this week. Even so, the excitement has already started to grow in our classroom. The students have noticed the prepared materials, and one student eagerly pointed to the sample pinwheel and asked, \"What is it?\" I recently finished creating adapted books and lesson materials to support these activities, and I am so excited to see the students' unique pinwheel and flower creations come to life before the end of the school year.\r\n\r\nTeaching breathing and calming techniques can be challenging, but your support is giving my students concrete tools to better understand these important skills. My hope is that they will begin connecting \"smelling a flower\" with inhaling and \"blowing a pinwheel\" with exhaling, eventually following breathing patterns alongside one of our breathing pals. Your kindness is helping create a classroom filled with creativity, calm, and opportunities for growth.","fullyFundedDate":1771190083191,"projectUrl":"project/calming-tools-for-growing-minds/9886927/","projectTitle":"Calming Tools for Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. S. Lopez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp660143_orig.jpg?crop=653,653,x0,y165&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1683609112717","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/srlopez"},{"teacherId":8048342,"projectId":10274585,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our Teachers Pay Teachers gift card! This gift allowed me to purchase specialized, teacher-created resources that are designed specifically for students with autism and diverse learning needs.\r\nWith these materials, I am able to bring in more visual supports, differentiated lessons, social skills activities, and communication tools that directly support my students' goals. It helps me better meet each child where they are and provide instruction that is engaging, accessible, and meaningful.\r\nI am truly grateful for your support. It makes a real difference in my classroom by helping every student have the opportunity to learn, participate, and experience success each day.","fullyFundedDate":1778223757055,"projectUrl":"project/empowering-students-with-autism-through/10274585/","projectTitle":"Empowering Students with Autism Through Engaging Learning Resources","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Michalina","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8048342_orig.jpg?crop=1860,1860,x0,y80&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1630898960817","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-michalina"},{"teacherId":8048342,"projectId":10237140,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom storytelling project! These books and storytelling kits have brought so much excitement, engagement, and joy to our students each day.\r\nMy students were especially excited about the \"Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?\" and the \"Little Blue Truck\" storytelling kits. They absolutely love using the animal props and characters to act out the stories, imitate sounds, answer WH-questions, and retell events from the books. The book \"It Looked Like Spilt Milk\" has also become a classroom favorite. My students love looking at the different cloud shapes and making predictions about what they see. It has created so many opportunities for communication, imagination, and describing skills.\r\nBecause of your generosity, I have been able to create more meaningful and interactive literacy lessons that support communication, social interaction, play skills, and comprehension for my students with autism. Thank you for helping bring stories to life for my students each day!","fullyFundedDate":1778094451794,"projectUrl":"project/touch-play-and-tell-storytime-for-stu/10237140/","projectTitle":"Touch, Play, and Tell: Storytime for Students with Autism 2","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Michalina","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8048342_orig.jpg?crop=1860,1860,x0,y80&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1630898960817","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-michalina"},{"teacherId":8048342,"projectId":10195953,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom and helping provide a new iPad for my students! They were incredibly excited when they saw the new iPad arrive. Many of them immediately recognized it as a tool they could use to communicate, learn, and participate more independently. For some of my nonverbal students, being able to use AAC apps again has given them a way to express wants, needs, choices, and ideas throughout the school day. Seeing students independently request items or participate during lessons using the iPad has been such a powerful and emotional experience.\r\nWe have also been using the iPad for visual schedules, modeling videos, interactive literacy activities, and math apps that keep my students engaged in ways traditional materials often cannot. The students especially love taking turns during group activities and celebrating each other's successes when they complete tasks independently. Because of your generosity, I have been able to create more accessible and supportive learning experiences for my students. This iPad has helped increase communication, independence, participation, and confidence in our classroom every single day. Thank you for giving my students not just technology, but a stronger voice and greater access to learning.","fullyFundedDate":1778287619141,"projectUrl":"project/unlocking-communication/10195953/","projectTitle":"Unlocking Communication","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Michalina","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8048342_orig.jpg?crop=1860,1860,x0,y80&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1630898960817","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-michalina"},{"teacherId":8048342,"projectId":10163493,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom and helping provide these hands-on learning materials for my students! Your generosity has made such a meaningful difference in our daily learning activities.\r\nMy students were so excited to explore all of the new materials. The letter crayons have been a huge hit in our classroom. My students love using them to build and read simple CVC words, and the hands-on format has made early phonics practice much more engaging and accessible. The stencils have also been incredibly helpful for students who are still developing fine motor skills and are not yet able to draw independently. Many of my students are now able to participate more successfully in writing and drawing activities with increased confidence and less frustration. The comparing sizes center, category sorting activities, and \"what goes together\" materials have created so many opportunities for language development, problem solving, and critical thinking. My students especially enjoy working together to sort, compare, and explain their answers during small group instruction.\r\nBecause of your support, I have been able to provide more interactive and meaningful learning experiences that meet my students at their individual levels. Thank you for helping my students strengthen their academic, language, and fine motor skills in ways that are engaging, supportive, and fun each day!","fullyFundedDate":1777597299224,"projectUrl":"project/building-words-voices-and-confidence-t/10163493/","projectTitle":"Building Words, Voices, and Confidence Through Hands-On Literacy","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Michalina","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8048342_orig.jpg?crop=1860,1860,x0,y80&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1630898960817","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-michalina"},{"teacherId":8048342,"projectId":10123353,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our project! Your generosity has truly made a difference in our classroom.\r\nMy students were beyond excited when they first saw the microphone. Even some of my quieter students immediately wanted a turn to \"perform\" and hear their voices amplified. As soon as it got delivered, we started to use it during group activities, storytelling, and question-answering practice. The Yoto Player sound cards have quickly become a classroom favorite. My students love sitting together to listen to stories and songs, and many are now independently requesting their favorite cards by name. It has been such a special way to strengthen listening, language, and shared attention skills. Pete the Cat is definitely the star of our storytelling center right now! The students absolutely love using the storytelling props to act out the stories, answer WH-questions, and retell events from the book. Seeing students who are typically hesitant to communicate become engaged, vocal, and excited has been incredible.\r\nBecause of your support, my students are gaining confidence, strengthening communication skills, and learning that their voices matter. Thank you for helping give my students opportunities to speak, listen, participate, and roar each day!","fullyFundedDate":1777926899043,"projectUrl":"project/hear-me-roar-empowering-student-voices/10123353/","projectTitle":"Hear Me Roar! Empowering Student Voices","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Michalina","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8048342_orig.jpg?crop=1860,1860,x0,y80&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1630898960817","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-michalina"},{"teacherId":660143,"projectId":10137939,"letterContent":"Calm minds create space for learning, growth, and connection. Thank you so much for supplying my classroom with such thoughtful books that support social-emotional learning, particularly around breathing and calming techniques. Your donation has helped me enrich my classroom library and create a more supportive Calm Corner, giving students multiple ways and spaces to engage with these valuable resources. During choice time, the children have been eagerly exploring the books, drawn in by their simple language and appealing illustrations.\r\n\r\nThese books are already playing an important role in helping our students build self-regulation skills, and they will continue to support our upcoming unit focused on creating hands-on tools for practicing breathing techniques. The students are especially enjoying tracing the different line patterns in Feel Calm by Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller, which has been both engaging and soothing for them. Your kindness and support are helping to foster a calm, nurturing environment where all my students can learn and grow. Thank you again for your generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1773857618143,"projectUrl":"project/turning-pages-while-breathing-toward-cal/10137939/","projectTitle":"Turning Pages While Breathing Toward Calmness","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. S. Lopez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp660143_orig.jpg?crop=653,653,x0,y165&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1683609112717","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/srlopez"},{"teacherId":1751148,"projectId":10137086,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting this this important DonorsChoose project for our Autism Walk/Resource Fair! Your generosity provided our students with Autism awareness bracelets to share, as well as a beautiful banner for our event, and we are so grateful! We held this event on April 25th, and it was a huge success! \r\n Despite the rain and cold weather, we had many people attend this schoolwide annual event! The Autism awareness bracelets were given to our students, their families, and members of the community, creating a shared symbol of support and acceptance. This helped spark meaningful conversations about Autism and allowed our students to feel proud as they represented themselves and their school.\r\n The beautiful banner you provided made our entryway look fantastic! It brought visibility to our event and gave our students a strong sense of pride! We are very appreciative of the items you have so generously provided to make this event even more special for our students, their families, and the community!\r\n This event brought us all together as a family, helped build confidence, strengthen connections, and had everyone who participated feeling valued and included!\r\n Thank you very much for making this event a success! Your role in this was truly invaluable! We could not have done this without your support! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!","fullyFundedDate":1774632960264,"projectUrl":"project/promoting-autism-awareness-and-acceptanc/10137086/","projectTitle":"Promoting Autism Awareness and Acceptance Through Kindness!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kelly","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1751148_orig.jpg?crop=1776,1776,x0,y165&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1613407324836","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1751148"},{"teacherId":1751148,"projectId":10159740,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our Autism Walk/Resource Fair held on April 25th! Your contributions of fidget spinners, Autism Awareness bracelets, mini bubbles, pins, and banner helped make this event truly special for our students, their families, and the local community!\r\n Since our school is a specialized school for students with autism, this is an Annual event at our school every April! Our students work hard to raise autism awareness and acceptance by participating in this school wide event! This is a meaningful event that creates an important opportunity for our students to promote awareness, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Autism!\r\n Since it was very cold and raining on this day, our event was held indoors. The banners you provided brightened our entryway and created a warm, welcoming environment for everyone who attended. The space looked wonderful and set a positive tone for the day!\r\n The fidget spinners and bubbles were a big hit with our students, their siblings, and other young attendees. These items served as valuable sensory supports, helping many of our students stay calm, focused, and engaged throughout the event. The Autism Acceptance bracelets and pins were also shared with participants and their families, sparking meaningful conversations and encouraging greater awareness and understanding.\r\n\r\nEvents like this empower our students to build confidence, take pride in who they are, and connect with others. Your generosity plays a key role in helping us foster a more inclusive and supportive community where all individuals are valued.\r\n\r\nThank you again for your kindness and support! We are truly grateful! Everyone was so happy and had a great time at this event!","fullyFundedDate":1773983660996,"projectUrl":"project/promoting-autism-acceptance-through-our/10159740/","projectTitle":"Promoting Autism Acceptance Through Our Annual Autism Walk!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kelly","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1751148_orig.jpg?crop=1776,1776,x0,y165&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1613407324836","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1751148"},{"teacherId":5728371,"projectId":10051354,"letterContent":"You have no idea how important you have been to my students! This winter was cold and long. Many of my students did not have the appropriately clothing to make it through the winter. Many of my students did not have the proper clothing to change into at school when they became wet or soiled. \r\nThanks to your donations, my students all have brand new sets of hats, gloves, scarves and even a brand new winter jacket. My students now have clothing to change into at school when they become wet or soiled. We appreciate all you have done!","fullyFundedDate":1771499406722,"projectUrl":"project/warm-hearts-warm-hands-every-child-sta/10051354/","projectTitle":"Warm Hearts, Warm Hands: Every Child Stays Safe and Warm","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Gebert","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5728371_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1534900962485","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jackieg"},{"teacherId":8048342,"projectId":10149867,"letterContent":"Your generosity has made a powerful impact on my students and our classroom. Because of you, they now have access to tools that help them practice and grow in ways that were once very challenging.\r\nWhen the materials arrived, my students were immediately drawn to them, eager to touch, squeeze, and explore. During our first activity, I watched a student who often avoids fine motor tasks smile while using tongs to pick up and sort items. Another student proudly squeezed Theraputty and stayed engaged longer than ever before. These may seem like small moments, but for my students, they are huge victories.\r\nThese tools will help to strengthen my students hands and build independence. \r\nYour generosity is helping my students grow stronger, more capable, and more confident. Thank you for making such an incredible difference in their lives.","fullyFundedDate":1776979407777,"projectUrl":"project/strong-hands-strong-futures/10149867/","projectTitle":"Strong Hands, Strong Futures","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Michalina","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8048342_orig.jpg?crop=1860,1860,x0,y80&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1630898960817","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-michalina"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_18707","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":null,"numTeachers":null,"percentFrplEligible":89,"percentAsian":14,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":55,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":24,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"US Census Data for the surrounding geographic area","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":3,"gradesServed":"Not specified","studentTeacherRatio":null,"demographicsDataSource":"Census ZCTA","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"UNCLASSIFIED","ncesMetroType":null},"inStateSupporters":46.8,"schoolId":18707,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about PS255Q @ PS397 on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"PS255Q @ PS397","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-york/district-75-city-wide-programs/ps255q-ps151q/18707"}