Yick Wo Elementary School in San Francisco, California on DonorsChoose

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When the robot didn't go where they expected, they didn't give up; they identified the \"bug\" and worked together to debug their code with smiles on their faces.\r\n\r\n▶Critical Thinking: After students rose to the math challenge, Indi saw we were ready for something harder and created some new puzzles for us, with question marks where a colored tile should go in an otherwise complete path. The more they worked on these puzzles and experimented together, swapping out tiles to try out their ideas, students transitioned from random guessing to logical hypothesis testing, each time needing fewer and fewer guesses to complete the broken circuits.\r\n\r\n▶The Big Finale: Nothing compares to the roar of cheers when Indi reached a purple tile and started his own Dance Party. Seeing a 6-year-old's face light up when their problem-solving results in a spinning, dancing robot is a reminder that STEAM is most powerful when it is joyful.\r\n\r\nBeyond the lesson, the most rewarding part has been seeing Indi become a staple of our Choice Time. Even after our formal coding unit ended, students consistently choose the Indi station to explore on their own. They are now designing their own obstacle courses and showing each other their \"codes,\" proving that they've moved from being students of technology to independent innovators.\r\n\r\nYour contribution ultimately provided more than just plastic and sensors; you provided joy and confidence these children will carry with them into higher grades. You've helped them see themselves not just as consumers of technology, but as the architects of it.\r\n\r\nFrom the bottom of our hearts (and our robots' sensors!), thank you for making our library a place where \"How?\" and \"Why?\" lead to amazing discoveries.","fullyFundedDate":1767022050481,"projectUrl":"project/code-create-connect-screen-free-codin/9942042/","projectTitle":"Code, Create, Connect: Screen-Free Coding Adventures With Sphero Indi Robots!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Pederson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2858030_orig.jpg?crop=442,442,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760939286918","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-pederson-library"},{"teacherId":2858030,"projectId":9847716,"letterContent":"The \"Blind Date\" books were an immediate hit, perfectly achieving our goal of generating excitement for the incredible chapter books already in our library. Your funding helped us buy the materials to wrap and present these wonderful stories in a completely new light. Each book had the genre, a few keywords to describe the plot, and the first sentence of the book on the front, with bookmarks, highlighters, pencils, stickers, and erasers tucked in to the folds on the back. It was so fun to see which books they chose and to check their books out to them, covering the computer screen so that they couldn't see which book they were getting until they unwrapped it. \r\n\r\nA particularly memorable moment happened when one of my more reluctant readers, who hasn't checked out more than 2 books all year so far, chose one described as a \"Funny Adventure\", with the keywords \"Secret notebook, Being bold, Don't get caught.\" The student was skeptical when they unwrapped it and saw what book it was, but I reminded them they can always bail out after two chapters (once they give it a fair chance). Something about teaser had caught their eye, so it was worth giving it at least two chapters, I said. That student finished the whole book in three days and came back to see if there were other read-alikes I could recommend. This project didn't just give us resources; it successfully nudged students out of their comfort zones and encouraged them to explore new stories and characters in our best chapter books.\r\n\r\nYour contribution has given my students such a boost in their reading lives, and I want to keep that buzz going! My next step is to roll out an \"Unwrap and Share\" activity, where students who have finished their book and want to share will get to dramatically reveal its real cover and title to the class, then tell their classmates why they should read it, too. I'm also asking students to submit a book review card (tucked in the wrapping) for their chosen book, listing things they liked about the book and giving it a rating; I'll use these cards to make a vibrant display of student-approved recommendations to guide their future picks. \r\n\r\nThank you for being a key part of helping my students realize the joy and adventure hidden inside a great chapter book.","fullyFundedDate":1763431680779,"projectUrl":"project/blind-date-with-a-book-library-display/9847716/","projectTitle":"\"Blind Date With a Book\" Library Display","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Pederson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2858030_orig.jpg?crop=442,442,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760939286918","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-pederson-library"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_4431","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":199,"numTeachers":13,"percentFrplEligible":51,"percentAsian":33,"percentBlack":5,"percentWhite":23,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":13,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"15.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":82.4,"schoolId":4431,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Yick Wo Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Yick Wo Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/san-francisco-unified-school-district/yick-wo-alternative-elementary-school/4431"}

About this school

Yick Wo Elementary School is an urban public school in San Francisco, California that is part of San Francisco Unified School District. It serves 199 students in grades K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 15.3:1. Its teachers have had 41 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Grades K - 5

199 Students

13 Teachers

2245 Jones St

San Francisco, CA 94133 View local requests

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Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

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

Yick Wo Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

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Yick Wo Elementary School Demographics

51%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

51%

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.

Yick Wo Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Apr 9, 2026

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