Rea Elementary School in Costa Mesa, California on DonorsChoose

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In the past, my students have been forced to \"use paper towels\" when our allotment of facial tissue runs out each trimester (it runs out in a matter of days).","fullyFundedDate":1755835623906,"projectUrl":"project/runny-nose-no-problem/9556294/","projectTitle":"Runny Nose, No Problem","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Harmon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/aaronharmon"},{"teacherId":528531,"projectId":9023677,"letterContent":"Thanks to the generous support of our donors, our music classroom has been transformed! With the new drum sticks, valve oil, clarinet and flute swabs, and clarinet and saxophone reeds, students are now able to care for their instruments properly and play with greater confidence and sound quality.\r\n\r\nOne memorable moment was during our first full-band rehearsal after receiving the supplies. Students were thrilled to open the packages and see brand-new reeds and swabs—items that many had never had access to before. One student said, \"It feels like we're real musicians now!\" The excitement was contagious, and the sound of the ensemble improved immediately.\r\n\r\n\r\nNext Steps:\r\n\r\nOur students are now preparing for a fall performance where they'll showcase what they've learned. They're working in small ensembles to arrange and rehearse pieces, and they'll be presenting to families and peers. These new materials have not only improved their playing but also boosted their pride and ownership in the music-making process.","fullyFundedDate":1745030967417,"projectUrl":"project/essential-supplies-for-the-band-room/9023677/","projectTitle":"Essential Supplies For the Band Room","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. McFadden","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp528531_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1471017603646","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mr-mcfadden"},{"teacherId":1044985,"projectId":9237186,"letterContent":"Reading in our classroom is a mix of close reading, reading for pleasure, and reading for information. In close reading, students will be given a text (may be a book, article, or poem) to read over three times. On the first reading, they will use Thinking Maps to help them understand the genre of writing better. On the second reading, they will use a graphic organizer to take the notes from their Thinking Map and turn it into an organized set of notes they can use to think, speak, and write from. On their third reading, they are not ready to discuss the text in depth. \r\nWhen they read for pleasure they find book series they can get deep into where they are familiar with the author, the characters, the genre, and the similar plots. They read for pleasure in class and at home. \r\nThey read for information constantly whether the book is fiction or nonfiction. They read voraciously, and with intent.","fullyFundedDate":1744209488550,"projectUrl":"project/books-on-the-shelf/9237186/","projectTitle":"Books on the Shelf","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Harmon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/aaronharmon"},{"teacherId":528531,"projectId":8686446,"letterContent":"How We're Using Our New Ukuleles\r\n\r\nOur class has been having a blast with our two new ukuleles! We've been using them in our weekly music sessions. Here's what we've been up to:\r\n\r\n* Learning basic chords like C, F, and G\r\n* Practicing strumming patterns\r\n* Singing along to simple songs like \"Yellow Submarine\"\r\n\r\nOne special moment was when Jayden, who usually struggles to focus, spent an entire lesson carefully practicing the C chord. His smile when he finally got it right was priceless!\r\n\r\nStudents' Reactions to the New Ukuleles\r\n\r\nWhen I first showed the class our new ukuleles, their eyes lit up! Here's how they reacted:\r\n\r\n* Many students said \"Wow!\" and \"Cool!\"\r\n* Some asked, \"Can I try it?\" right away\r\n* A few were curious about how ukuleles are different from guitars\r\n\r\nSarah, who loves music, couldn't stop grinning. She said, \"Mr. McFadden, this is the best day ever!\"\r\n\r\nNext Steps in Our Music Project\r\n\r\nWe're excited to keep growing our music skills! Here's what's coming up:\r\n\r\n1. Learning 2 new chords: Am and Em\r\n2. Practicing a new song: \"Somewhere Over the Rainbow\"\r\n3. Creating our own simple melodies using the chords we know\r\n\r\nOur big goal is to put on a mini-concert for the other classes at flag deck The students are super excited to show off their new skills!\r\n\r\nThank you again to our amazing donors. 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About this school

Rea Elementary School is an urban public school in Costa Mesa, California that is part of Newport Mesa Unified School District. It serves 346 students in grades Pre-K - 6 with a student/teacher ratio of 20.4:1. Its teachers have had 164 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades Pre-K - 6

346 Students

17 Teachers

661 Hamilton St

Costa Mesa, CA 92627 View local requests

http://www.nmusd.us

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Rea Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

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Rea Elementary School Demographics

85%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

95%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Rea Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

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