{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Zapata Academy","outOfStateSupporters":38.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":1850317,"projectId":10255169,"letterContent":"Thank you for fully funding this project. \r\n\r\nKindergarten students have so much fun building and creating with the magnetic \"Minecraft\" blocks and working together to solve our new puzzles. Students in my board game after school program were so excited to finish out the school year with new game options. As students have fun playing games, they also learn natural life lessons in learning rules, strategy, cooperation, competition, and problem-solving. \r\n\r\nPuzzles and games provide genuine hands-on learning experiences and develop positive relationships with others, all while being \"unplugged\" from technology.\r\nKindergarten students enjoy working with classmates during the center portion of our library class to build and create using magnetic \"Minecraft\" blocks, LEGO, or Magnatiles. The new puzzles have been an absolute hit! During these activities, my youngest students work together collaboratively and, through play, strengthen their teamwork, problem-solving, and social-emotional skills while learning and having fun.\r\n\r\nThe Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game is a favorite game during our board game club. This project added different games from the same maker as Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Students have enjoyed learning to play \"I Know... You Don't,\" \"Jelly Fish Toast & Jam,\" \"Bing! Bang! Boom!,\" and \"GOAT Greatest of All Time.\" Students also enjoy Spot It! and the new versions with Stitch, Hello Kitty, and Marvel make the game even more fun! \r\n\r\nParticipation with peers in our board game club promotes problem-solving, both individually and as part of a team, while also developing social skills and fostering collaboration as a team all while being \"unplugged\" from technology. Games provide genuine hands-on learning experiences, where students learn about rules, competition, fair play, and values, and develop positive relationships with others. The attached photos capture the fun students have during our board game club each week as well as kindergarten students engaged in activities during centers at the end of library class.\r\n\r\nThank you for supporting my students and our school library!","fullyFundedDate":1777904602337,"projectUrl":"project/game-on-learning-and-collaborating-with/10255169/","projectTitle":"Game On! Learning and Collaborating With Puzzles and Games","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hlousek","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1850317_orig.jpg?crop=2064,2064,x97,y73&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1625890215756","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mshlousek"},{"teacherId":1850317,"projectId":10256708,"letterContent":"Thank you very much for your incredible donation to our school library and for supporting this project! Thanks to your generous support, our library collection continues to grow and evolve to meet my students' reading interests. My students are avid readers who would agree that there is no such thing as having too many books! These books will be read, shared, and treasured by students for many years to come.\r\n\r\nIt is essential for my students to have access to quality literature that will continue to develop their love of reading. This project added 76 new books to our library! These new books included a wide selection of graphic novels, new additions to series for primary and middle school students, updates to the young adult collection, and many outstanding fiction titles in a variety of genres. \r\n\r\nThe most popular books have certainly been the new additions to our graphic novel collection. Students have enjoyed: \"Deepwater Creek,\" \"Space Chasers,\" \"Way Off Track,\" and \"The Faraway Forest.\" This project added new additions to favorite graphic novel series as well, such as \"Monster Locker,\" \"The Racc Pack,\" \"Unicorn Boy,\" \"Shock City,\" \"Batcat,\" and \"Baby-Sitters Little Sister.\" Two picture books that are moving standouts are \"Barbed Wire Between Us\" and \"The House on the Canal: The Story of the House that Hid Anne Frank.\"\r\n\r\nConnecting students with books is a treasured part of my work as a school librarian. Thank you for your support of my students and our school library.","fullyFundedDate":1777904495109,"projectUrl":"project/book-it-to-the-library-for-new-books/10256708/","projectTitle":"Book It to the Library for New Books!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hlousek","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1850317_orig.jpg?crop=2064,2064,x97,y73&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1625890215756","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mshlousek"},{"teacherId":1850317,"projectId":10255593,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for funding our Brilliant Biographies for Curious Readers project! \r\n\r\nBiographies bring history to life and allow my students to broaden their horizons, opening their minds to new and different possibilities for their own lives. This project helped refresh and expand the biography options available to students and teachers in our school library to support research units across several grade levels and to appeal to student reading interests. \r\n\r\nCurating a school library collection is an ongoing process as I continuously evaluate whose stories are being told and reflected in our library. These books will open my students' eyes to an appreciation and understanding of others. Several of the books selected for this project fill in gaps in our library collection and fulfill teacher and student research requests. Other books selected for this project will introduce students to new artists, inventors, politicians, and changemakers.\r\n\r\nThanks to your generosity, students now have several new about artists Georgia O'Keeffe, Alma Thomas, Hokusai, Henri Matisse, and Faith Ringgold. Students can also discover stories of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen, Glenn Burke who invented the high five, Cecilia Chiang who revolutionized Chinese food in America, author Arnold Lobel, LeVar Burton, and naturalist David Attenborough. Books selected to support classroom units include books about Ellen Ochoa, Bad Bunny, Jenna Ortega, Serena Williams, Selena Gomez, Simone Biles, Sonia Sotomayor, and Rita Moreno. Lastly, this project added a few titles from the National Geographic Kids Readers series to fill in gaps based on student interest and classroom projects.\r\n\r\nThank you again!","fullyFundedDate":1777904558231,"projectUrl":"project/brilliant-biographies-for-curious-reader/10255593/","projectTitle":"Brilliant Biographies for Curious Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hlousek","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1850317_orig.jpg?crop=2064,2064,x97,y73&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1625890215756","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mshlousek"},{"teacherId":1850317,"projectId":10156011,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping fund this project! I am extremely thankful for generous donors who continue to support my students and keep our school library shelves full of new books. My students are always shocked and grateful to learn there are people who purchase so many new books for them and our library.\r\n\r\nThis project added 133 new books to our school library! I strive to curate a robust library collection full of books that will interest my students and will keep them reading. Based on student reading interests, many of the books included in this project are graphic novels. Many students had been waiting for the newest additions to their favorite graphic novel series. Thanks to the quick funding of this project, students were able to check out their book requests just as the books were published.\r\n\r\nBooks, especially new books, bring so much joy to my students. It is heartwarming to see students so excited about reading and sharing books with their peers. It is essential for my students to have access to quality literature that will continue to develop their love of reading. Seeing my students so excited about books and reading is incredibly rewarding.\r\n\r\nThank you for your support of my students and our school library.","fullyFundedDate":1773847735231,"projectUrl":"project/fill-our-school-library-shelves-with-new/10156011/","projectTitle":"Fill Our School Library Shelves With New Books!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hlousek","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1850317_orig.jpg?crop=2064,2064,x97,y73&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1625890215756","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mshlousek"},{"teacherId":5791327,"projectId":10196727,"letterContent":"Thank you for your incredible generosity and support of our after-school running club. Your donation has made a meaningful difference in the experience of our students.\r\n\r\nThe water igloo and drinking cups have helped keep our runners hydrated during practices, allowing them to stay healthy, energized, and focused as they work toward their goals. Having easy access to water has made every practice safer and more enjoyable.\r\n\r\nThe speaker system has transformed our practices by creating an energetic and motivating atmosphere. Music has brought excitement to our workouts, boosted team spirit, and encouraged students to push themselves while having fun together. The positive energy has strengthened our sense of community and made each practice something our students look forward to.\r\n\r\nYour kindness has done so much more than provide equipment—it has shown our students that people believe in them and want to invest in their success. Thank you for helping us create a welcoming, encouraging environment where every student can grow in confidence, build healthy habits, and experience the joy of running.\r\n\r\nWe are truly grateful for your support and the lasting impact you have made on our club.","fullyFundedDate":1777922417133,"projectUrl":"project/building-endurance-fueling-our-aftersch/10196727/","projectTitle":"Building Endurance: Fueling Our Afterschool Run Club","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Undda","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp5791327_orig.jpg?crop=1080,1080,x0,y341&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1750877217186","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5791327"},{"teacherId":9120983,"projectId":8001519,"letterContent":"Your donation provided headphones that allow our first graders to listen to their tablets while working on Lexia, iReady, and iXL. This technology helps these young learners hear interactive read-alouds, math word problems, and phonics sounds directly without any classroom distractions. The students are most excited because they can hear their lessons clearly and move through their reading and math games at their own speed. This instant audio feedback keeps them deeply engaged and makes mastering foundational skills feel like fun.\r\n\r\nThese headphones have been a huge breakthrough for our six- and seven-year-olds who are just learning how to read and focus. Students who used to get easily distracted by surrounding classroom noise are now locked into their lessons and staying on task much longer. It has especially helped our struggling readers hear the exact letter sounds and pronunciations as they build their early literacy goals. Your generosity gives these first graders the independence they need to build confidence and master vital math and reading skills.","fullyFundedDate":1701668020593,"projectUrl":"project/headphones-for-reading-awesome-read-alou/8001519/","projectTitle":"Headphones for Reading Awesome Read Aloud Books on iPads!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lily","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9120983_orig.jpg?crop=657,657,x66,y243&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1690505566296","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9120983"},{"teacherId":8269406,"projectId":10239304,"letterContent":"Thank you very much for your donations for this bean bag chair. It has helped my special needs students by providing soft, supportive seating and they are able to relax, focus. , and feel more comfortable throughout the day.\r\nChildren with special needs often benefit from seating that feels comfortable, calming, and easy to use in different environments. Bean bags and seating pillows can help create welcoming spaces for quiet time, sensory breaks, group activities, or independent learning. Whether you are setting up a cozy reading nook, a classroom calming corner, or a therapy room seating area, these products offer a practical blend of comfort and adaptability.","fullyFundedDate":1777910474928,"projectUrl":"project/bean-bag-chairs-for-special-ed-students/10239304/","projectTitle":"Bean Bag Chairs for Special Ed Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Butas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8269406_orig.jpg?crop=480,480,x0,y148&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1641928690056","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8269406"},{"teacherId":9298693,"projectId":9757128,"letterContent":"When students receive new materials—whether it's a fresh box of crayons, a high-tech laptop, or a new set of sports equipment—their gratitude often manifests in both visible actions and internal shifts in attitude.\r\n\r\nHere is how students typically express and experience thankfulness for new materials:\r\n\r\n1. Tangible Expressions (What they \"Do\")\r\nStudents often show appreciation through creative and social gestures:\r\n\r\nThank-You Notes & Cards: Many classrooms facilitate \"Gratitude Friday\" or dedicated reflection time where students write letters to donors, parents, or school boards.\r\n\r\nCreative Customization: When a student feels a sense of ownership, they often \"personalize\" the item. For example, decorating a new notebook or putting a sticker on a laptop sleeve shows they value the item and intend to keep it safe.\r\n\r\nPeer Sharing: Paradoxically, when students feel secure in having what they need, they are often more willing to share or help others. A student with new supplies might offer a spare pencil to a friend, spreading the benefit of the gift.\r\n\r\n2. Behavioral Shifts (What they \"Show\")\r\nGratitude isn't just about saying \"thank you\"; it's seen in how their behavior changes:\r\n\r\nIncreased Care and Stewardship: Students are much more likely to keep their desks organized and handle materials gently when those materials are new and high-quality.\r\n\r\nBoosted Engagement: New materials act as a psychological \"reset.\" A fresh notebook or a new book often leads to a sudden burst of participation and enthusiasm for a subject that may have previously felt stale.\r\n\r\nReduced Anxiety: For students who previously lacked supplies, receiving new ones removes the \"shame\" of being unprepared. This relief often presents as a calmer, more focused demeanor in class.","fullyFundedDate":1769177187342,"projectUrl":"project/math-zapata-wizards-and-problem-solvers/9757128/","projectTitle":"Math Zapata Wizards and Problem Solvers","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Montoya","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9298693_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y504&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1695920254577","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9298693"},{"teacherId":9298693,"projectId":10123178,"letterContent":"When students receive new materials—whether it's a fresh box of crayons, a high-tech laptop, or a new set of sports equipment—their gratitude often manifests in both visible actions and internal shifts in attitude.\r\n\r\nHere is how students typically express and experience thankfulness for new materials:\r\n\r\n1. Tangible Expressions (What they \"Do\")\r\nStudents often show appreciation through creative and social gestures:\r\n\r\nThank-You Notes & Cards: Many classrooms facilitate \"Gratitude Friday\" or dedicated reflection time where students write letters to donors, parents, or school boards.\r\n\r\nCreative Customization: When a student feels a sense of ownership, they often \"personalize\" the item. For example, decorating a new notebook or putting a sticker on a laptop sleeve shows they value the item and intend to keep it safe.\r\n\r\nPeer Sharing: Paradoxically, when students feel secure in having what they need, they are often more willing to share or help others. A student with new supplies might offer a spare pencil to a friend, spreading the benefit of the gift.\r\n\r\n2. Behavioral Shifts (What they \"Show\")\r\nGratitude isn't just about saying \"thank you\"; it's seen in how their behavior changes:\r\n\r\nIncreased Care and Stewardship: Students are much more likely to keep their desks organized and handle materials gently when those materials are new and high-quality.\r\n\r\nBoosted Engagement: New materials act as a psychological \"reset.\" A fresh notebook or a new book often leads to a sudden burst of participation and enthusiasm for a subject that may have previously felt stale.\r\n\r\nReduced Anxiety: For students who previously lacked supplies, receiving new ones removes the \"shame\" of being unprepared. This relief often presents as a calmer, more focused demeanor in class.","fullyFundedDate":1772413437271,"projectUrl":"project/clean-and-sanitation/10123178/","projectTitle":"Clean and Sanitation","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Montoya","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9298693_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y504&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1695920254577","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9298693"},{"teacherId":9429418,"projectId":9765055,"letterContent":"Thanks for the contribution once again. Many students felt embarrassed when coming back from recess or gym and were very sweaty. With the wipes, they felt they can come in with confident into the class and het a quick touch up. \r\n\r\nThe computer wipes were a big hit, especially ay the end of the school year! We used them to clean out computers once a week.\r\n\r\nLets not forget the personal hygiene materials as well such as the chapstick and bandaids. Students felt comfortable about this without needing to stepping out if the classroom !!","fullyFundedDate":1769177175547,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-essentials-for-the-students/9765055/","projectTitle":"Classroom Essentials for the Students!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Salgado","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9429418_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1705354921936","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9429418"},{"teacherId":9429418,"projectId":9794402,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the kind donation to my students! The water bottles and snacks that were provided were fantastic. Despite being just a water bottle, the students appreciate it a lot. Students have asked me if they can even use it for school and the running club as well. Every Thursday, we give students snacks after our running program, and many look forward to them because they energize them after their workout. When students saw the water bottles, they were happy, and once we mentioned that they had been donated to us, they were even happier. I couldn't take you enough!","fullyFundedDate":1764217639584,"projectUrl":"project/zmc-needs-your-help/9794402/","projectTitle":"ZMC Needs Your Help!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Salgado","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9429418_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1705354921936","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9429418"},{"teacherId":8269406,"projectId":9796671,"letterContent":"Your contribution has made such a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve – thank you for your kindness and generosity. Your support makes a significant impact on our community. Words cannot express how much your donation means to us.\r\n\r\nStudents love the phonics games you sent us and love taking turns in playing with them \r\nHelp them with phonemic awareness – linking the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken words to actual print.\r\nHelps them with fluency – reading words, phrases, and sentences accurately, at an appropriate speed, and with expression.\r\nHelps them with reading comprehension – quickly decoding words so students can focus on understanding what they read.","fullyFundedDate":1769177167471,"projectUrl":"project/sight-words-for-students-with-disabiliti/9796671/","projectTitle":"Sight Words for Students with Disabilities","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Butas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8269406_orig.jpg?crop=480,480,x0,y148&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1641928690056","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8269406"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5753","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":523,"numTeachers":39,"percentFrplEligible":91,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":2,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":96,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":0,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"13.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":61.4,"schoolId":5753,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Zapata Academy on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Zapata Academy","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/zapata-academy/5753"}