{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Sayéik: Gastineau Community School","outOfStateSupporters":34.5,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9254738,"projectId":10025427,"letterContent":"Thank You for Filling Our Library with Diverse Books\r\n\r\n\r\nThank you so much for helping fill our classroom library shelves with diverse and engaging books! My students were so excited to see new stories and characters represented in our classroom. Having a wider variety of books has helped students find stories that connect to their own experiences while also giving them opportunities to learn about people, cultures, and perspectives that may be different from their own. It has been wonderful to watch students browse the shelves, recommend books to one another, and become excited about choosing what they want to read.\r\n\r\nReading in our classroom is about so much more than simply reading the words on a page. Through these new texts, my students are practicing important skills such as making connections, identifying themes, building vocabulary, understanding different perspectives, making inferences, and discussing their thinking with others. Some students who were previously hesitant to choose a book are now drawn to the new selections because they see characters and experiences that feel familiar to them. Others are discovering new worlds and perspectives through stories they may not have encountered before. Your generosity has helped make our classroom library a place where every student can find a book that speaks to them, sparks their curiosity, and helps them see the world in a new way. Thank you for giving my students the gift of choice, representation, and a love of reading!","fullyFundedDate":1773864401121,"projectUrl":"project/books-as-diverse-as-our-classroom/10025427/","projectTitle":"Books as Diverse as Our Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jacoby","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9254738_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x391,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1742345713264","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9254738"},{"teacherId":9254738,"projectId":10228965,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for providing our classroom with new alternative seating! My students were so excited when they first saw the new stools, yoga blocks, wobble stools, and camp chairs. They immediately wanted to try everything out and were eager to choose a seat that felt comfortable and worked best for them. It has been wonderful to see their excitement and to watch them discover that learning doesn't always have to happen while sitting in a traditional chair.\r\n\r\nWe are already using the new seating every day during independent work, small-group lessons, reading, and classroom projects. The wobble stools have been especially helpful for students who benefit from movement while they work, while the camp chairs and stools give students more choices for where and how they learn. Also the yoga blocks allow students to work at low tables or on the ground. These resources have helped create a classroom environment where students can be comfortable, focused, and more engaged in their learning. Thank you for helping make our classroom a place where students have choices and feel supported in the way they learn best. Your generosity has made a meaningful difference for our students!","fullyFundedDate":1786824251834,"projectUrl":"project/more-flexible-seating/10228965/","projectTitle":"More Flexible Seating","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jacoby","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9254738_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x391,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1742345713264","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9254738"},{"teacherId":9799454,"projectId":9718919,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating to our project. The foam balls have been such a hit across all grade levels. I unboxed the balls when I had a younger class in the gym and they were so excited to help. One student even made the comment, \"Mrs. Kiesel, no more naked balls!\". \r\nWe have been able to use them for many different games in the gym. The youngest kids have been using them to play clean your room and for practicing shooting into different targets. The older kids have been using them to play games like battleship and take down, which are some of the favored throwing games. \r\nThe difference in quality has been noticed and the newer foam balls are definitely the ones the kids will try to get first. It makes such a difference on aim and distance when the balls are covered and of a good weight. \r\nThank you again for your generous donations to the gym and our school community.","fullyFundedDate":1760549485365,"projectUrl":"project/foam-balls/9718919/","projectTitle":"Foam Balls","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kiesel","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9799454"},{"teacherId":9134196,"projectId":9847201,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous donations, art students at Sayéik: Gastineau Elementary School have had opportunities to use high-quality materials to learn new skills and express themselves creatively. \r\n\r\nStudents in 5th and 6th grade use block-printing materials to learn how to carve and print an original design. The process was time-consuming and challenging, and students reported that they learned \"printmaking is a bit harder than I thought\" and \"to keep working hard even though carving is hard\" and \"you need time\" to complete an entire printing block. Students persevered, and I could see throughout the process, that they were learning that bringing an idea to fruition takes patience and dedication. I presented the results to fellow art teachers during a Community of Practice meeting, and they helped me to reflect on the process, and how I might use this experience to create a project with more scaffolding for beginning carvers in the future, and encourage students to analyze past successses with the medium, so that the planning/drawing stage will focus on simple designs. \r\n\r\nThe wooden dowels and tape were purchased for a future project. We will explore art for the purpose of storytelling, and build shadow puppets to help us act out stories and/or communicate historical events or concepts. \r\nI am humbled by your generosity and appreciation of the arts. Thank you again for helping me teach students important skills to help them realize their creative goals.","fullyFundedDate":1761089316209,"projectUrl":"project/strong-art-studio-habits-begin-with-qual/9847201/","projectTitle":"Strong Art Studio Habits Begin With Quality Materials and Choice","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Ritter","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9134196_orig.jpg?crop=2553,2553,x0,y268&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1690936113912","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-kritter"},{"teacherId":10169484,"projectId":9646468,"letterContent":"Thank you for your incredible generosity and support of our classroom library. Because of you, our class is now widely considered to have the best library in the school—a space filled with engaging, high-interest books for every reading level, identity, and interest.\r\n\r\nOne of the biggest impacts has been the expansion of our graphic novel collection, which has quickly become one of the most popular reading formats in our room. Students who were once reluctant readers are now eagerly picking up books and recommending titles to one another. The excitement reached a whole new level when students realized we now have the entire Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales collection—they were genuinely blown away.\r\n\r\nThe culture of reading in our classroom has shifted in a powerful way. It has become common for me, as a teacher, to say, \"Please stop reading now,\" because the most preferred activity in our room is simply to devour good books. That is a sentence I never imagined saying so often—and it's entirely because of you.\r\n\r\nYour donation didn't just add books to shelves; it transformed our classroom into a community of readers. Thank you for helping make reading joyful, accessible, and irresistible for our students.","fullyFundedDate":1758804988968,"projectUrl":"project/next-chapter-a-library-theyll-love/9646468/","projectTitle":"Next Chapter: a Library They’ll Love","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Dorn","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10169484"},{"teacherId":9254738,"projectId":9671553,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our Cultures of Thinking project. Your generosity has made a meaningful and lasting impact on our classroom.\r\n\r\nWe love using our semi-permanent surfaces to make our thinking visible. The new markers allow us to fully engage in thinking routines that help students reflect on success and what it looks like in their own learning. The reusable wipe boards let us share ideas quickly and move to different spaces in the room, while the clipboards support learning in alternate spots.\r\n\r\nOur favorite addition is the whiteboard stickers on our closet doors! We use them to answer morning questions, show our math thinking, share ideas about content, and sometimes just be silly and draw. These tools get us out of our seats, working collaboratively, and learning from one another.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support, students are learning that their voices matter and that they can contribute meaningfully to a group. These experiences help set them up to be contributing members of our classroom community, our school, and ultimately their larger community and lives.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our students and for giving us flexible, engaging ways to show our thinking and understanding.","fullyFundedDate":1757911428393,"projectUrl":"project/create-cultures-of-thinking/9671553/","projectTitle":"Create Cultures of Thinking!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jacoby","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9254738_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x391,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1742345713264","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9254738"},{"teacherId":9995943,"projectId":9692032,"letterContent":"The day the boxes arrived with the new wobble stools was one of excitement for my students. They were thrilled when we opened the boxes and pulled out the stools together. We already had one wobble stool in the classroom. The students loved trying it and were so thrilled that we received three more. We talked about how generous people donated money just for them so we could get these. \r\n\r\nThese stools you helped purchase for my class have already made a huge impact on my classroom and the students. One student in particular has finally been able to show their skills because the wobble stool helps them get the movement their body needs while they focus. It has been an incredible difference! This student no longer wanders the room bothering other students along the way. All of that movement happens in one spot at their desk. They have grown in confidence as their needs have been met and they have been able to focus on academics for the first time this year.\r\n\r\nThe other students in the class love having a turn at the wobble stools. Each morning I pull two names out of a basket. Those two students get a turn with the wobble stool for the day. Each student has now had a turn and we are working back through the class. These stools are easy to move as the students work in different places around the classroom and the students absolutely love them. \r\n\r\nWhen I first started this project, I wasn't sure if I would get enough support to make it happen. I am so grateful for your support that made this dream a reality. Your generosity is truly changing the lives of these young students.","fullyFundedDate":1760899682353,"projectUrl":"project/flexible-seating-for-kids-on-the-move/9692032/","projectTitle":"Flexible Seating for Kids on the Move","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Swinton","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9995943"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_81296","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":283,"numTeachers":19,"percentFrplEligible":30,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":48,"percentIndigenous":13,"percentLatinx":3,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":1,"percentMultiracialImputed":29,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 6","studentTeacherRatio":"14.9:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"TOWN","ncesMetroType":"TOWN_REMOTE"},"inStateSupporters":65.5,"schoolId":81296,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Sayéik: Gastineau Community School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Sayéik: Gastineau Community School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/alaska/juneau-school-district/gastineau-elementary-school/81296"}