{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Sherman Oaks Community Charter School","outOfStateSupporters":12.1,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":468466,"projectId":9719262,"letterContent":"Thank you, thank you, thank you! As a reading intervention teacher, I work with students who have struggled with reading for years and are often resistant to it, so it is imperative that I find texts that truly appeal to their interests and backgrounds. These new fiction books brought so much life and energy into my classroom, helping students realize that reading can be entertaining, humorous, and deeply enjoyable.\r\n\r\nAt first, I wasn't sure how students would respond—it's easy to miss the mark with younger generations—but these books absolutely hit. Students openly laughed at dialogue and character moments throughout the stories. At one point, when a chapter ended, the entire group spontaneously clapped in unison. One of my most memorable moments occurred during Freckle Juice, when a student who is typically only mildly interested in reading couldn't even sit in his chair, barely able to contain his laughter and excitement as he read aloud with the group. Witnessing his genuine joy reminded me why recreating joyful reading experiences is so essential.\r\n\r\nThrough these engaging texts, students expanded their language skills and deepened their English development. Because the stories were so relatable and memorable, students were able to discuss key story elements: beginning events, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution—with ease and confidence.\r\n\r\nReading in my classroom happens in many ways. We always have a shared group text that challenges students to build vocabulary and comprehension skills. To strengthen fluency in engaging ways, we use reader's theater, which allows students to practice expressive reading together. Students also have autonomy to select books during their \"Read for Me\" time. I emphasize that the goal of reading is not to read for me, the teacher, but to read for themselves—for their interests, future careers, enjoyment, and personal growth.\r\n\r\nThese books have been especially meaningful for students who previously did not see themselves as readers. One student, who had shared that she does not read at home and does not enjoy reading, was captivated by Freckle Juice in a way I had never seen before. As we read, she began talking back to the characters and responding to their thinking aloud. When the main character debated whether to peel an onion for the secret recipe, she exclaimed, \"What! Of course you're going to peel the onion... come on, what are you thinking?\" I couldn't help but smile—moments like that, when students begin having authentic dialogue with the text, are incredibly powerful.\r\n\r\nLater that same day, during lunchtime, there was a knock on my door. It was that same student, returning to ask who the author was. She had class library time after lunch and wanted to be sure she could find another book by the same author. These ripple effects of curiosity and motivation will continue to positively impact students for years to come.\r\n\r\nI am deeply grateful to our donors and to DonorsChoose for making this project possible. Thank you for believing in my students, me, and in the power of joyful literacy.","fullyFundedDate":1760723586335,"projectUrl":"project/books-bookmarks-and-big-imaginations/9719262/","projectTitle":"Books, Bookmarks, and Big Imaginations!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Ford","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp468466_orig.jpg?crop=1764,1764,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1699508447423","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-alexia"},{"teacherId":6708146,"projectId":9749074,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous donation to help support my 8th graders with snacks to feed and fuel their creativity, academic thinking, writing, reading calculating and focus. \r\nAs middle schoolers, their bodies are growing physically, their minds are growing intellectually and their hearts are growing emotionally. These snacks may have fueled their stomachs, but it also allowed them to keep learning and thinking all day long. \r\n\r\nAt Sherman Oaks Dual language Immersion School, my 8th graders were so excited to see the boxes and boxes of snacks that arrived in our classroom. In all my years of teaching, I have always tried to bring extra snacks from my house, but to have all of these snacks delivered to my classroom all at once brought me a sense of relief that snacks would be provided to my students for months. If I were to describe the impact of these snacks for my students it would be a boost or lift to keep showing effort everyday in their educational lives.","fullyFundedDate":1762124153043,"projectUrl":"project/brain-fuel-snacks/9749074/","projectTitle":"Brain Fuel Snacks","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Blesilda Ilano-Tenorio","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6708146_orig.jpg?crop=911,911,x116,y27&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1571074087984","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/dr-bilano-tenorio"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_4711","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":529,"numTeachers":24,"percentFrplEligible":65,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":6,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":89,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"22.0:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":87.9,"schoolId":4711,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Sherman Oaks Community Charter School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Sherman Oaks Community Charter School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/campbell-union-school-district/sherman-oaks-community-charter-school/4711"}
Join the 157 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Sherman Oaks Community Charter School is
an urban public school
in San Jose, California that is part of Campbell Union School District.
It serves 529 students
in grades Pre-K - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 22.0:1.
Its teachers have had 33 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
Share and help support Sherman Oaks Community Charter School
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Sherman Oaks Community Charter School Demographics
65%
of students receive free or reduced price lunch
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
89%
of students are Black, Latino, Native
American, or Asian
Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.
Sherman Oaks Community Charter School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Feb 20, 2026
DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students
in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.
Sherman Oaks Community Charter School
$16,344
raised using DonorsChoose
33
projects
funded
22
teachers
funded
157
donors
1
project
for
basic supplies
2
projects for
technology
7
projects for
books
Sherman Oaks Community Charter School has received support from
138 individuals from California and
19 individuals out-of-state.
