{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Southwest Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":17.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9818660,"projectId":9456149,"letterContent":"My students have enjoyed all of the donations you sent our way. Kindergarten has been off to a great start because of you. We have enjoyed using the playdough to create letters in our literacy center. The squishy sensory discs and social emotional learning books have been used to help us manage our emotions independently. The fitness dice were a big hit during indoor recess when the weather was not suitable for outdoor play. \r\n\r\nOur students enjoyed opening the boxes and pulling out all of the donations. We were thrilled to see so much support being poured into our classroom. We will be using our glue sticks and pencils to complete a fun project in the upcoming week. We will \"Disguise the Turkey\" just in time for our thanksgiving break. We cant wait to get creative and see who will disguise their turkey the best.","fullyFundedDate":1754060968174,"projectUrl":"project/the-way-to-a-kindergarten-teachers-hear/9456149/","projectTitle":"The Way to a Kindergarten Teacher's Heart!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. McNeil","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9818660_orig.jpg?crop=1179,1179,x0,y554&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1754668638584","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/msmcneil1"},{"teacherId":3908413,"projectId":9148390,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous donations that funded TIME for Kids and STEM for Kids magazine subscriptions, along with access to their online content for my elementary STEM students. Your support has brought the world of science, technology, and current events directly into our classroom in an engaging and meaningful way.\r\n\r\nBecause of your generosity, my students are exploring real-world STEM topics. My students are discovering how what they learn connects to everyday life, and developing critical thinking and reading skills. The articles, videos, and interactive resources have sparked thoughtful discussions, inspired new project ideas, and helped my students see themselves as problem-solvers and innovators.\r\n\r\nYour contributions are helping us build curiosity, global awareness, and a love of learning that extends far beyond the classroom. Thank you for investing inr my students and for helping us make STEM education both relevant and inspiring.","fullyFundedDate":1744207836445,"projectUrl":"project/making-reading-relevant-with-stem-magazi/9148390/","projectTitle":"Making Reading Relevant with STEM Magazines and STEM Online Content","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Willingham","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3908413_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1474472620266","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/southweststeam"},{"teacherId":3908413,"projectId":9147111,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous donations that provided Hummingbird Bit Kits for my elementary STEM students. Because of your support, my students now have the incredible opportunity to bring their ideas to life through coding, robotics, and creative engineering.\r\n\r\nThe Hummingbird Kits, used alongside our Micro:bits, will transform our classroom into a space buzzing with imagination and discovery. Students will design and code their own interactive robots, while exploring how art and technology can work together My students will gain the confidence to solve real-world problems through innovation.\r\n\r\nYour contributions are making a lasting difference, not only by enhancing STEM learning but, by empowering young minds to see themselves as inventors, engineers, and creators. Thank you for investing in their curiosity and helping them build skills that will last a lifetime.","fullyFundedDate":1748008911492,"projectUrl":"project/coding-and-engineering-with-hummingbird/9147111/","projectTitle":"Coding and Engineering with Hummingbird Bit Kits","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Willingham","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3908413_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1474472620266","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/southweststeam"},{"teacherId":3908413,"projectId":8930207,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous donations that provided LEGO Education SPIKE Essential Sets for our elementary STEM classroom. Because of your support, my students are experiencing the excitement of hands-on STEM learning with LEGO.\r\n\r\nWith these SPIKE Essential sets, students are not only building LEGO models, they are developing critical skills in problem-solving, collaboration, and creative thinking. My students are learning to code, test, and improve their designs while gaining confidence as young engineers and innovators. The are building with LEGO in a whole new, innovative way.\r\n\r\nYour kindness and generosity have made a lasting impact by turning STEM concepts into real, tangible learning experiences that inspire curiosity and a love for discovery. Thank you for investing in my students' futures and helping them see that they can build, create, and solve problems just like real scientists and engineers.","fullyFundedDate":1731537136915,"projectUrl":"project/coding-with-lego-spike-education-kits/8930207/","projectTitle":"Coding With LEGO SPIKE Education Kits","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Willingham","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3908413_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1474472620266","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/southweststeam"},{"teacherId":3908413,"projectId":7853388,"letterContent":"I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your generous donation that provided LEGO Education SPIKE Essential Sets for my elementary STEM students. Because of your support, my students are experiencing the excitement of hands-on STEM learning like never before.\r\n\r\nWith these LEGO SPIKE Essential sets, my students are not only building LEGO models, they are developing critical skills in problem-solving, collaboration, and creative thinking. They are learning to code, test, and improve their designs while gaining confidence as young engineers and innovators. It's been incredible to see their eyes light up as their creations come to life and their ideas take shape.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has made a lasting impact by turning STEM concepts into real, tangible learning experiences that inspire curiosity and a love for discovery. Thank you for investing in my students' futures and helping them see that they can build, create, and solve problems just like real scientists and engineers.","fullyFundedDate":1700611698248,"projectUrl":"project/stem-learning-with-lego-education-spike/7853388/","projectTitle":"STEM Learning with LEGO Education SPIKE Essential Sets","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Willingham","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3908413_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1474472620266","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/southweststeam"},{"teacherId":6283336,"projectId":9315201,"letterContent":"I cannot begin to describe to you how much my students and I appreciate the donation of books to our classroom. I was able to give all eighteen students from last year a book to take home. I have books remaining to restock the classroom library so my current students can enjoy them. A couple of my current students expressed to me that they would visit my classroom while in afterschool (last school year) and would read the books that I have. That made my heart smile so much. \r\n\r\nAt least once a week, I try to have what we call D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read). During this 20-30 minute block, students are able to pick any book in the classroom and read it for pleasure. The most popular books, in addition to Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, were the Wings of Fire series and the Jada Jones books. The students enjoy the fantasy stories that Wings of Fire provide. They can also relate to Jada Jones because she loves so many things (such as Science and Dancing) that they can relate to, and she lives in Raleigh, NC. To have books that they can read and truly enjoy is so amazing. \r\n\r\nI cannot thank you enough for your unwavering support of my classroom and my students. Your kindness and generosity is more than I could have ever hoped for. Thank you for being so wonderful.","fullyFundedDate":1746486188324,"projectUrl":"project/for-the-love-of-reading/9315201/","projectTitle":"For The Love of Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. D. Squire","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6283336_orig.jpg?crop=960,960,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1689092339539","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6283336"},{"teacherId":4415382,"projectId":9252219,"letterContent":"My students, parents and I had so much fun using the supplies. We were able to make cards for all of our parents for Mothers Day and Fathers Day. We used the the supplies to make our end of the year project. \r\nThe parents and children were so excited to see their children's work. Our project was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Oh my goodness! The colors were so bright. It was amazing to see the children and their parents react to the beautiful art work. The children and our room parent made a thank you chart for Donors Choose. All of the children signed the card. \r\nWe used the beads to make friendship bracelets. We used the feathers to add to our invitations for our parents at our end of the cook out. The markers helped us make a banner for our Moving up Ceremony! This was the best project that we ever made for our parents. \r\nOur next project will be welcoming our parents to our open house in the Fall. All children will draw a picture of what they like about Prekindergarten. The supplies has helped our classroom to really enjoy working on art.","fullyFundedDate":1746787002883,"projectUrl":"project/learning-made-fun-with-art/9252219/","projectTitle":"Learning made fun with art!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Best","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4415382_orig.jpg?crop=1075,1075,x422,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1745858675374","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4415382"},{"teacherId":3177533,"projectId":8887270,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating to my classroom (some of you for the 3rd time!)! This Reading Refresh was a real hit with my students! They loved the Dog Man books and the Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphic novels the most! It is such a joy to be able to see my students' faces light up when they get the books they want in their hands! My students definitely read more and increase their literacy skills more when they have high-interest books to read. Thank you so much for helping to give my students a love of reading and the skills they need to enjoy it!","fullyFundedDate":1733272152991,"projectUrl":"project/reading-refresh-round-3/8887270/","projectTitle":"Reading Refresh Round 3","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Beard","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3177533_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467227240036","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3177533"},{"teacherId":5217235,"projectId":5645405,"letterContent":"Thank you SO much for your generous donations! A classroom organization project may not seem that important in the long run, but a well run and structured classroom is extremely important to student success.\r\nThis project has provided our classroom with bins to keep our library running smoothly. The baskets and bins provided in this project contain sets of books divided up by genre or series. They are then labeled on the front with a matching sticker label on the back of each book. This provides students with a very user friendly experience. \r\nI appreciate your donation in helping our classroom succeed!","fullyFundedDate":1631723233278,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-organization/5645405/","projectTitle":"Classroom Organization!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Craig","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5217235_272x272.png?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1520296281616","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-craigs-crew"},{"teacherId":3908413,"projectId":8462327,"letterContent":"I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your generous donation to our STEM classroom. Thanks to your support, my students now have the tools they need to explore, observe, and document the wonders of nature firsthand!\r\nWith the nature journaling notebooks, magnifying glasses, tape measures, crayons, colored pencils, and pencil pouches you helped provide, our young scientists are diving into the world around them with excitement and curiosity. Whether they are sketching detailed observations of leaves and insects, measuring tree growth, or examining tiny details with magnifying glasses, your generosity has turned our outdoor learning experiences into engaging, hands-on scientific discoveries.\r\nThese resources are more than just supplies—they are inspiring a new generation of explorers, critical thinkers, and environmental stewards. Because of your generous donations, my students are learning to ask questions, make observations, and appreciate the beauty of science in the natural world.\r\nThank you for believing in the power of STEM education and for making a real difference in our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1723643746863,"projectUrl":"project/nature-journaling-supplies-for-stem-clas/8462327/","projectTitle":"Nature Journaling Supplies for Stem Class","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Willingham","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3908413_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1474472620266","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/southweststeam"},{"teacherId":3908413,"projectId":8758304,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous donation to our Makey Makey circuit boards project. to Your support has brought hands-on innovation and excitement into my classroom, opening new doors for creativity, problem-solving, and STEM learning.\r\nSince incorporating Makey Makey into our lessons, my students have been thrilled to explore the endless possibilities of coding, circuitry, and invention. Whether they are turning bananas into piano keys, designing interactive posters, or creating their own video game controllers, these hands-on experiences have fostered curiosity and deepened their understanding of technology and engineering.\r\nThese activities have also boosted collaboration, critical thinking, and confidence in my students. Watching their faces light up when they successfully complete a circuit or see their coded creations come to life has been truly inspiring. For many students, this was their first experience with hands-on circutry, and thanks to you, they now see themselves as inventors, problem-solvers, and future innovators.\r\nWe are incredibly grateful for your belief in the power of hands-on learning. Thank you for helping us spark creativity, curiosity, and a love for STEM in our classrooms!","fullyFundedDate":1729708413855,"projectUrl":"project/makey-makey-circuit-boards-for-stem-clas/8758304/","projectTitle":"Makey Makey Circuit Boards for STEM Class","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Willingham","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3908413_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1474472620266","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/southweststeam"},{"teacherId":9617816,"projectId":8807662,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating to our classroom this school year. Because of your financial support, students have access to fun games that also support their phonics understanding in the classroom. They also have access to grade level appropriate chapter books that are both interesting and challenging to them. Students were able to use the craft supplies to create gifts and fun projects for various holidays and to have fun while at school. Additionally, necessary supplies like bandaids, tissues, and snacks were provided throughout the year because of your generosity. Thank you for supporting Durham Public Schools and ensuring that all students have what they need to be able to learn and grow while at school.","fullyFundedDate":1735521176802,"projectUrl":"project/third-grade-with-ms-hayes/8807662/","projectTitle":"Third Grade with Ms. Hayes","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hayes","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9617816"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_1465","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":629,"numTeachers":47,"percentFrplEligible":52,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":34,"percentWhite":30,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":25,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"13.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":82.2,"schoolId":1465,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Southwest Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Southwest Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/north-carolina/durham-public-schools/southwest-elementary-school/1465"}