{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Somis Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":10.4,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":4361641,"projectId":9708655,"letterContent":"We are using the new bean bag chairs to create a flexible reading and learning space in our 3rd grade classroom. Students use them during independent reading, small-group instruction, and partner work. One special moment was during our daily reading block, when students rotated through literacy stations and chose the bean bags for their \"just-right book\" reading time. The chairs have helped create a calm, comfortable environment where students feel relaxed and ready to learn.\r\n\r\nWhen the students first saw the bean bag chairs, their faces lit up with excitement! They immediately asked when they could use them and helped set them up in our classroom reading area.They were especially thankful that donors cared enough about their learning to donate to help create a better reading center. \r\n\r\nRight now, students are working on strengthening their reading comprehension skills by identifying main ideas, making inferences, and supporting answers with text evidence. The bean bag chairs will continue to be used during independent reading and small-group lessons as students practice these skills.","fullyFundedDate":1763734500401,"projectUrl":"project/comfy-reading-help-us-replace-our-worn-/9708655/","projectTitle":"Comfy Reading: Help Us Replace Our Worn-Out Bean Bags!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Nolde","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4361641_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1489689100491","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-nolde"},{"teacherId":9118371,"projectId":9752780,"letterContent":"Your incredible donation has sparked a love for reading in my students. As you can see from the pictures your donations have allowed me to create an amazing space for reading. My students ask on a daily basis if they can sit in the reading area.\r\n\r\nNot only is the space inviting, but my students are excited about the collection of books that are available to read. Your donations have provided me with high interest books for my students. They look forward to reading on a daily basis. You have allowed me to spark a joy for reading in my students. Thank you so very much!","fullyFundedDate":1758760683240,"projectUrl":"project/books-for-special-learners/9752780/","projectTitle":"Books for Special Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bennett","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9118371_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1693448111442","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9118371"},{"teacherId":9118371,"projectId":9644475,"letterContent":"Your generous donations have allowed my students to have much needed math manipulatives. They use these items daily as they acquire beginning math skills. Many of my students ask on a daily basis to use these supplies.\r\nHaving number blocks, counting bears, place value visuals and the other generously donated items allow my students to connect to math in a hands on manner. Your donations is creating a spark in my students that will allow them to become life long learners who enjoy mathematics. Thank you so much for your generosity to my classroom! Words aren't enough to express how much my class appreciates.","fullyFundedDate":1756131678714,"projectUrl":"project/math-manipulatives-for-math-centers/9644475/","projectTitle":"Math Manipulatives for Math Centers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bennett","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9118371_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1693448111442","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9118371"},{"teacherId":9570692,"projectId":9523394,"letterContent":"When this project was funded, I knew I needed to find the right words to express the gratitude we feel and the impact it has already had. But its hard to do in writing. This is my first year teaching 6th through 8th grade science and STEM electives at this school, and students shared that what they wanted most from science was hands on learning. They wanted opportunities to experiment, build, and explore. Many still pictured science as a white lab coat biologist or chemist. This kit allowed me to meet those hopes while aligning with NGSS, helping students understand how energy moves through systems and how every component matters. Most importantly, it expanded students' views of what science can be and where it can take them, which is far beyond a person in a lab with a white coat.\r\n\r\nBecause of this project, students who often struggle in reading and lecture heavy classes found a place to succeed. As they built programmable LED systems using sensors, buttons, and motors, they collaborated, problem solved, and experienced the confidence that comes from making something work with their own hands. Students began to understand that systems are made of many interconnected parts and that energy flows only when those parts work together. Others went further, creating a ping-pong basketball game that kept score up to six and played a tune when all six points were scored. The impact, though, extended far beyond a single unit. Months later, during a biotechnology lesson, a student excitedly compared DNA to the \"code\" used with the microprocessors, noting that the code produced an output, a protein. Moments like this show how deeply this experience reshaped how students understand science and see themselves as capable learners and creators. While also learning about careers that utilize these skill sets.\r\n\r\nThis project was made possible because of the generosity of you, the donors, and Ripples match, and its impact is still growing. What you helped fund has energized our STEM program and opened doors to engineering, computer science, and skilled trades that many students had never considered before. Students are now imagining and designing real world solutions, from environmental safety systems to interactive devices, using the tools and confidence this project provided. Because of this work, one group of students submitted a project to Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow challenge and earned the Promising Idea Award, recognizing their innovative use of microprocessors to address real world problems. Your support didn't just supply materials, it changed the trajectory of our classroom and showed students that their ideas matter and that they belong in STEM. This project was made possible thanks to your generosity and Ripples match, which helped amplify the impact of every contribution.","fullyFundedDate":1757540907398,"projectUrl":"project/92-young-engineers-need-your-help-with-a/9523394/","projectTitle":"92 Young Engineers Need Your Help With Arduino CTC 101!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Herzig","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9570692_orig.jpg?crop=100,100,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757225131087","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9570692"},{"teacherId":9118371,"projectId":9499542,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the donations to our class. All of the students I serve love this area of our room. Thanks to your donations I was able to turn this area into something that everyone loves. It's a cozy area that everyone loves to use. It's a great area that promotes a love of learning. My students are learning to enjoy reading!\r\n\r\nAdding new books into the reading nook is inspiring my kids to read more. I've also been able to add books that are of high interest to our classroom library. We appreciate your help and donations.","fullyFundedDate":1755656529623,"projectUrl":"project/help-revamp-our-resource-room/9499542/","projectTitle":"Help Revamp Our Resource Room","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bennett","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9118371_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1693448111442","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9118371"},{"teacherId":4936781,"projectId":9243774,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the learning items! We've been using them for multiple writing sessions.\r\n\r\nThe students have been reviewing their Penmanship--how to write their letters correctly. A lot of them had developed bad habits (like writing a circle/stick for the letter a) and are working on corrections. With fixing these simple errors, the students are able to write faster and get their thoughts down quicker on paper. I have been working with them in small groups every week on their Penmanship, and a lot of them have already received some of the prizes that you donated!\r\n\r\nAnother thing we are working on in class are Friendly Letters. The large magnetic \"lined paper\" has really helped the students visualize where to write the date, greeting, body, and closing. \r\n\r\nI really appreciate what you've done for my group of students this year! Thank you again.","fullyFundedDate":1747846247394,"projectUrl":"project/fun-with-writing/9243774/","projectTitle":"Fun With Writing","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Myers","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4936781_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1509648978736","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4936781"},{"teacherId":9118371,"projectId":9247749,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my classroom and my students whom are special learners. The donation of these books allows my students to read high interest topics that are at their level. Thank you for building a classroom library that will inspire a life long love of reading. Teaching children to read is a gift that will last a lifetime. Thank you for giving me the materials to inspire them, spark their imagination, and give them access to made up worlds that they never knew existed. This means so much to our community!","fullyFundedDate":1747866786796,"projectUrl":"project/build-a-classroom-library-for-special-le/9247749/","projectTitle":"Build a Classroom Library for Special Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bennett","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9118371_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1693448111442","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9118371"},{"teacherId":9118371,"projectId":9660419,"letterContent":"Your donations have allowed me to build a library that my middle school students love. When they saw that new books had arrived they were so excited. They couldn't wait to pick a book and start reading. The selection of books was something that made them so excited.\r\n\r\nWords can't express the gratitude and gratefulness that I feel. Thank you for inspiring my students to be life long readers and thus life long learners. Their love of reader will be a gift that continues into adulthood. Thank you so much for bringing my idea to life and for supporting our community.","fullyFundedDate":1756916219394,"projectUrl":"project/build-a-middle-school-library-for-specia/9660419/","projectTitle":"Build a Middle School Library for Special Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bennett","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9118371_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1693448111442","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9118371"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_40921","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":219,"numTeachers":14,"percentFrplEligible":65,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":23,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":73,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"15.6:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_FRINGE"},"inStateSupporters":89.6,"schoolId":40921,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Somis Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Somis Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/somis-union-elementary-school-district/somis-elementary-school/40921"}