{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Whittier Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":39.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":1034861,"projectId":10333375,"letterContent":"Having a variety of magazines available for students to enjoy has been such a wonderful addition to our classroom\\! It has been amazing to see their excitement and curiosity as they explore different topics, learn about current events, and discover fascinating facts about the world around them. The science articles, in particular, have sparked so many thoughtful questions, conversations, and moments of wonder. Students are becoming more curious, making connections, and developing a deeper interest in learning about things they may not have explored otherwise.\r\n\r\nWe have also been able to use these magazines to support and strengthen our reading skills. Students are practicing fluency, building vocabulary, improving comprehension, and learning how to read and understand a variety of informational texts. These magazines have opened the door to new discoveries, encouraged meaningful discussions, strengthened important literacy skills, and reminded us just how exciting learning can be when students are given opportunities to explore their interests and follow their curiosity\\!","fullyFundedDate":1786048790642,"projectUrl":"project/relevant-and-authentic-readers/10333375/","projectTitle":"Relevant and Authentic Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Boland","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1034861_orig.jpg?crop=556,556,x25,y124&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1732639613794","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-jessica-boland"},{"teacherId":5684467,"projectId":8343279,"letterContent":"When our new STEM materials arrived, the atmosphere in our classroom was electric! My students' eyes lit up with absolute delight as we opened the boxes to reveal the vibrant Meland Marble Run sets, LEGO Creative Transparent Bricks, Snap Circuits, and array of ThinkFun logic games. Gasps of excitement filled the room as they saw the LED lighted marbles, electronic components, and colorful puzzle mazes. Hands immediately shot into the air with eager questions: \"Are these really for us?\" and \"When do we get to start building?\" Their joy and curiosity were contagious, instantly transforming our classroom into a buzz of eager anticipation and discovery.\r\n\r\nSince unpacking our new resources, we have integrated them into hands-on STEM learning stations and collaborative group projects. A standout classroom moment occurred with the energy and simple circuits. Students paired up using the Snap Circuits Beginner Kits and ThinkFun Circuit Maze to complete electric current challenges, while another team engineered complex gravity-fed towers with the Meland Marble Run. The room is filled with intense focus and triumph as students successfully completed a circuit to light up a bulb for the first time, while another group cheered after troubleshooting a marble run track so the LED marbles navigated every twist and drop flawlessly. These tools have made abstract science concepts tangible, engaging, and deeply memorable.\r\n\r\nLooking ahead, our next step is to elevate our students' learning from guided exploration to open-ended engineering design challenges. Additionally, we will incorporate logic games such as ThinkFun Spiderweb, Hoppers, Domino Maze, and Izzi into our daily warm-up routines to refine critical thinking and spatial reasoning skills before students draft their own blueprint designs in their science journals. Thanks to your generous support, my students are developing the confidence, perseverance, and problem-solving skills needed to think like true engineers and scientists every single day!","fullyFundedDate":1723346252407,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-logic-and-steam-activities-for/8343279/","projectTitle":"Hands-On Logic and STEAM Activities for Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Mac","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5684467_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1534163998518","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5684467"},{"teacherId":1034861,"projectId":9715896,"letterContent":"Thank you for providing the writing process folders, hole punchers and magazine holders to our Third Graders. The students were ecstatic when the packages arrived. We have tried using writers notebooks and these were quite cumbersome for the students and they did not help with their organizational skills. This year we tried plan folders and they also did not help students with helping them to know which students were in what part of the writing process. The multicolor folders with the 4 parts have worked wonders. Students are able to identify what part of the writing process they are in. They can easily communicate to me if I need to look t their writing to provide feedback too. \r\n\r\nWith the other items, we have created a writing nook where students are able to get the resources they need to publish their writing. One students writing, we were able to perform a Readers Theater play with. Students constructed props and masks for the performance that we did in front of our parents. My students have a love of writing and they see themselves as capable writers. Thank you so much for supporting this gift.","fullyFundedDate":1758831982680,"projectUrl":"project/marvelous-writers-at-work/9715896/","projectTitle":"Marvelous Writers at Work!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Boland","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1034861_orig.jpg?crop=556,556,x25,y124&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1732639613794","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-jessica-boland"},{"teacherId":1034861,"projectId":9427192,"letterContent":"You cannot imagine the excitement that took place in our classroom when the Lego Maker Space items and the Chompshop saw arrived. It peaked their curiosity and we have been able to share all of the items with 4 classrooms so far. We first were able to use the Chompsaw to cut cardboard props for our Reader's Theater that we presented to families. The students made masks, a walking cane, crowns and necklaces that were painted to make our story come alive.\r\n\r\nMy students love to engage in learning. They love to be creative and to think creatively, so the Lego Maker Space resources have allowed for collaboration, communication, decision making and trial and error to create these systems that move. It has been extraordinary. Plus their discussions have led to other classrooms showing interest and so we have been able to share our materials with others. Thank you for contributing to our classroom community. Your donation was so appreciated.","fullyFundedDate":1758033469151,"projectUrl":"project/lets-apply-steam-to-make-our-imaginatio/9427192/","projectTitle":"Let’s Apply Steam to Make Our Imaginations a Reality!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Boland","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1034861_orig.jpg?crop=556,556,x25,y124&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1732639613794","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-jessica-boland"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_60111","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":404,"numTeachers":22,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":5,"percentWhite":2,"percentIndigenous":2,"percentLatinx":86,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":2,"gradesServed":"K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"18.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":60.2,"schoolId":60111,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Whittier Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Whittier Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/arizona/phoenix-elementary-school-district-1/whittier-elementary-school/60111"}