{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Monte Gardens Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":10.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":669039,"projectId":10706840,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity in supporting our classroom through \"Books in Kids' Hands!\" Because of your kindness, our students have direct access to vibrant, engaging new texts that have completely transformed the energy in our room. Having fresh, high-interest books available makes a world of difference in helping our young readers grow both academically and personally.\r\n\r\nThese new texts allow us to teach vital literacy and critical thinking skills in a way that feels natural and exciting. With these books, we are able to introduce key concepts like analyzing character motivations, identifying themes, making inferences, and expanding academic vocabulary. Beyond the core mechanics of reading, these stories serve as essential tools for social-emotional learning. Through the characters' journeys, our students are learning about empathy, resilience, perspective-taking, and how to navigate challenges in their own lives. Rather than simply decoding words on a page, they are learning how to ask deep questions and think critically about the world around them.\r\n\r\nReading in our classroom is a dynamic and joyful daily experience. On any given day, you will see students deeply engaged in independent reading time, settled into comfortable spots around the room with books they selected themselves. It is a time filled with quiet focus, punctuated by quiet murmurs of excitement when someone hits a surprising plot twist. We also use these books for small-group guided reading and interactive read-alouds, where students collaborate, share their observations, and discuss their favorite parts with peers. Our classroom has truly become a vibrant community of readers who eagerly share recommendations with one another.\r\n\r\nWe have seen a remarkable impact on particular students, especially our reluctant readers and English language learners. Before these new books arrived, several students struggled to find stories that felt accessible or relevant to them, often viewing reading as a chore. However, having access to diverse, visually engaging, and relatable titles has changed everything. One student, who previously hesitated to pick up a book during independent reading, now eagerly grabs their favorite title as soon as choice time begins and proudly shares what happened in the latest chapter. Seeing their confidence grow as they transition from reluctant readers to enthusiastic storytellers has been one of the most rewarding parts of this experience.\r\n\r\nYour support has given my students more than just pages and covers—you have given them doors to new ideas, opportunities to build confidence, and a lifelong love for reading. Thank you for making this possible!","fullyFundedDate":1790769641779,"projectUrl":"project/books-in-kids-hands/10706840/","projectTitle":"Books in Kids' Hands!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Urias","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp669039_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1489156026175","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/michaela-urias"},{"teacherId":10384587,"projectId":10606893,"letterContent":"Sometimes, the simplest supplies make the biggest difference! Thanks to your generosity, our fifth graders now have the pencils, pencil sharpener, and chair bands they need to create a more productive and comfortable learning environment.\r\n\r\nHaving reliable pencils and an efficient sharpener means fewer interruptions and more time spent learning. Our new chair bands offer students an opportunity to move their bodies while remaining seated and engaged. These seemingly small additions help us meet the different needs of our learners while encouraging independence, responsibility, and focus.\r\n\r\nAs an IB classroom, we encourage our students to be curious, take risks, collaborate, and become independent thinkers. Whether they're solving challenging math problems, writing creatively, or investigating scientific questions, these resources help eliminate little obstacles that can get in the way of big learning. As we continue our inquiry-based learning and prepare for our first PYP Exhibition, these materials will support our students every day.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our classroom and recognizing that even the smallest tools can have a lasting impact. We are incredibly grateful for your kindness and support!","fullyFundedDate":1789564144668,"projectUrl":"project/pencils-movement-focus-tools-for-acti/10606893/","projectTitle":"Pencils, Movement, Focus: Tools for Active Fifth Grade Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Pappas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10384587_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y579&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1789226139645","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/pappasj"},{"teacherId":485060,"projectId":10227883,"letterContent":"Thank you for the classroom supplies. My students love it when I can correct their paper with interestingly colored pens. They don't even mind doing fix-ups as much since they are so colorful! The lined paper is enormously helpful for our weekly writing projects. It helps the students get their writing neat and organized. The construction paper is great for creating art projects and as a background for the other art that we create in class. Your generous donations helped make this gift of classroom supplies happen!","fullyFundedDate":1785640093496,"projectUrl":"project/supplies-for-every-day/10227883/","projectTitle":"Supplies for Every Day","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Carlee Smith","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp485060_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1520213918067","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/carlee-smith"},{"teacherId":4756473,"projectId":10425445,"letterContent":"I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to reach out personally to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous contribution to my DonorsChoose project. Your support has made a real difference in our classroom and with my students.\r\n\r\nWhen my students first saw the new headphones, seat sacks, book storage, and art supplies arrive, their faces lit up with genuine joy! They were so excited to try everything out and are looking forward to painting, reading and organizing their desk with their new seat sacks!\r\n\r\nOver the past few weeks, we've put your donation to meaningful use. The class set of headphones has transformed our independent learning time, allowing students to engage with educational technology without distractions while their peers work on different tasks. The organized seat sacks and book storage have given our classroom a sense of order that students take real pride in maintaining. Most importantly, the fresh art supplies have reignited our hands-on creative projects.\r\n\r\nYour investment in our classroom has shown my students that their learning matters to people beyond our four walls. That belief will carry them forward throughout the school year and beyond.\r\n\r\nThank you again for supporting teachers, students and education overall!","fullyFundedDate":1789605929434,"projectUrl":"project/listen-learn-create-repeat/10425445/","projectTitle":"Listen, Learn, Create, Repeat!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Gaston","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4756473_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1787367747860","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/c3cookies"},{"teacherId":9889543,"projectId":10626027,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our \"A Place to Learn, A Voice to Be Heard!\" project! The standing desk and Anker charger will provide our students with important tools that support both access and independence in our classroom. A flexible workspace allows students to learn in a position that works best for their individual needs, while a reliable charger helps ensure that communication devices and technology are ready when students need them.\r\n\r\nFor our students, technology is often much more than a learning tool. It can be their voice, their way to communicate choices, answer questions, express needs, and participate in classroom activities. Your generosity is helping us create an environment where students have the physical and technological supports they need to engage, communicate, and be active members of their learning community.","fullyFundedDate":1789581810250,"projectUrl":"project/a-place-to-learn-a-voice-to-be-heard/10626027/","projectTitle":"A Place to Learn, A Voice to Be Heard!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sullivan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9889543_orig.jpg?crop=1572,1572,x40,y1824&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758319521349","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9889543"},{"teacherId":9889543,"projectId":10507929,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our \"Cared For, Comfortable, and Ready to Learn!\" project! The Kleenex, hand soap, nail brushes, bamboo fiber items, applesauce, and BelVita snacks will help us provide our students with some of the everyday essentials they need to feel comfortable, cared for, and ready to participate in their school day. Having these supplies available allows us to support our students' personal care and basic needs with dignity and compassion.\r\n\r\nFor our students, being ready to learn often begins with feeling comfortable, clean, and having something to eat when they are hungry. These simple supplies will be used throughout the school year to support hygiene, self-care, and access to nourishing snacks. Your generosity helps us create a classroom where our students' whole needs are recognized and supported so they can focus on learning and growing.","fullyFundedDate":1789581810686,"projectUrl":"project/cared-for-comfortable-and-ready-to-lea/10507929/","projectTitle":"Cared For, Comfortable, and Ready to Learn!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sullivan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9889543_orig.jpg?crop=1572,1572,x40,y1824&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758319521349","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9889543"},{"teacherId":9889543,"projectId":10458470,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our \"Bounce Into Learning, One Jump at a Time\" project! The trampoline will be an exciting addition to our classroom and will give our students a fun, purposeful way to move their bodies while developing balance, coordination, strength, and body awareness. For many of our students, movement is an important part of staying regulated and ready to learn.\r\n\r\nThis trampoline will provide opportunities for students to incorporate movement into their daily routines, whether they need a sensory break, are working on gross-motor skills, or simply need a chance to get their bodies moving. By providing a safe and engaging outlet for movement, we can help our students return to learning feeling more focused, comfortable, and ready to participate.","fullyFundedDate":1788797175229,"projectUrl":"project/bounce-into-learning-one-jump-at-a-time/10458470/","projectTitle":"Bounce Into Learning, One Jump at a Time","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sullivan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9889543_orig.jpg?crop=1572,1572,x40,y1824&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758319521349","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9889543"},{"teacherId":9889543,"projectId":10458439,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our \"Kindness Starts With One Good Choice\" project! Books are such a meaningful way for our students to explore feelings, relationships, kindness, and the choices we make each day. The Kaplan Early Learning book set, My Way books about feelings, and other social-emotional learning books will give our students engaging stories and relatable characters that help make important social-emotional concepts easier to understand.\r\n\r\nOur students will use these books to learn about identifying emotions, making respectful choices, managing feelings, and treating others with kindness. \"My Respectful Robot\" and the other social-emotional resources will provide opportunities for students to practice these skills through stories, discussion, modeling, and repetition. Your generosity is helping us build not only stronger learners, but also a classroom community where kindness and respect are part of our everyday learning.","fullyFundedDate":1788150681629,"projectUrl":"project/kindness-starts-with-one-good-choice/10458439/","projectTitle":"Kindness Starts With One Good Choice","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sullivan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9889543_orig.jpg?crop=1572,1572,x40,y1824&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758319521349","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9889543"},{"teacherId":9889543,"projectId":10300602,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our \"Colorful Tools, Visual Supports, Limitless Learning!\" project! The colorful construction paper, sheet protectors, sand timers, and magnetic hooks will help us create visual supports, hands-on learning materials, and organized classroom routines that make learning more accessible for our Extensive Needs students. These tools will allow us to create individualized materials that help students understand expectations, communicate their needs, and participate more independently.\r\n\r\nThe sand timers will provide students with a clear visual way to understand waiting and transition times, while the magnetic hooks and sheet protectors will help us keep frequently used materials organized and easy to access. The bright construction paper will bring our visual supports and learning activities to life. Your generosity is helping us create a classroom that is structured, engaging, and designed around the individual needs of every learner.","fullyFundedDate":1780466584826,"projectUrl":"project/colorful-tools-visual-supports-limitle/10300602/","projectTitle":"Colorful Tools, Visual Supports, Limitless Learning!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sullivan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9889543_orig.jpg?crop=1572,1572,x40,y1824&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758319521349","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9889543"},{"teacherId":1113408,"projectId":10228630,"letterContent":"These materials have quickly become part of our everyday classroom routines! Each Scholar has a colorful polka-dotted folder to help keep important work organized, while the labels have been used for student name tags and our Monday Envelopes—the weekly communication folders that travel between school and home. Our jumbo crayons fill community crayon bins at each table, giving students easy access to supplies for writing, illustrating, and creating throughout the day.\r\n\r\nThe numbered stickers have truly been used everywhere! Each student is assigned a classroom number, and these stickers now identify their hooks, Chromebooks, name tags, supplies, and more. Our name badges have been especially helpful for substitute teachers and our Specials teachers in Art, Garden, Spanish, and Music, allowing them to easily identify and connect with each student by name. Even our copy paper has gone far beyond worksheets. Students have used it for creative projects, including a beautiful sunflower watercolor-and-crayon-resist art project, along with daily learning activities across subject areas.\r\n\r\nAs the year continues, every one of these resources will be used again and again. Our Monday Envelopes will make their weekly trips between home and school, folders will hold countless pieces of learning, numbered stickers will keep our classroom organized, and our paper and crayons will help turn student ideas into something they can proudly share. Thank you for providing the everyday essentials that keep our classroom organized, connected, and creative!","fullyFundedDate":1778063499750,"projectUrl":"project/organized-connected-and-creative-clas/10228630/","projectTitle":"Organized, Connected, and Creative: Classroom Essentials for Student Success","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Grisafi","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1113408_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1471932661014","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-prichard"},{"teacherId":10525637,"projectId":10325158,"letterContent":"Thank you again for your generous donation to help my 3rd grade students! It's just the fourth week of school but we've already used the whiteboards to support small group discussions in math and our unit on Healthy Choices. By having extra whiteboards I am able to spread my students out throughout the room so they can talk in their small groups without being distracted by others, and show their work when it comes time to discuss with the whole group.\r\n\r\nWe've also used the privacy boards to support students who are easily distracted and to remind other students to focus on their own work! Students appreciate being able to concentrate and said they are able to focus better. \r\n\r\nMy students and I are so grateful to you for supporting us. Thank you again!!","fullyFundedDate":1781726727714,"projectUrl":"project/math-talk/10325158/","projectTitle":"Math Talk!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lanzafame","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10525637"},{"teacherId":669039,"projectId":10356692,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity in funding our classroom project. The new speaker and extension cord have completely transformed our third-grade classroom. Your support has created a more dynamic, engaging, and inclusive learning environment for every student. In a third-grade classroom, engagement is the key to academic success. Before your donation, our audio options were limited to weak computer speakers. Students in the back of the room struggled to hear educational videos, read-aloud, and music. Now, this high-quality speaker fills the entire room with clear sound. Every student has equal access to the audio content, no matter where they sit. The heavy-duty extension cord gives us the freedom to safely place the speaker anywhere it is needed without creating tripping hazards. We use this new technology daily across all subjects. During reading time, the speaker brings audiobooks to life with vivid sound effects and clear narration. This setup helps our struggling readers and English language learners connect spoken words to print. In math, we use upbeat multiplication songs to memorize facts. The crisp sound gets students excited to sing and dance along. For science and social studies, we watch educational videos and virtual field trips where every historical speech and nature sound is perfectly audible. Beyond academics, these resources have greatly improved our classroom management and community. Third graders have a lot of energy, and transitioning between activities can be challenging. We now use the speaker to play calming instrumental music during independent writing time, which helps students focus deeply. We also use specific sound cues for clean-up times, turning transitions into a fun game. The physical flexibility provided by the extension cord allows us to set up a \"listening station\" in our cozy corner, giving students a quiet space to reset when they feel overwhelmed. Your investment goes far beyond the physical items. By funding this project, you showed my students that a community of people cares about their education. This realization boomed their confidence and enthusiasm for learning. They were thrilled when the boxes arrived, and they take great pride in taking care of our new equipment. Thank you for choosing to support our third-grade journey. Your kindness has opened up new ways for my students to listen, learn, and grow. We are deeply grateful for your impact on our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1786541603373,"projectUrl":"project/lets-sing/10356692/","projectTitle":"Let's Sing","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Urias","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp669039_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1489156026175","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/michaela-urias"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_4138","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":568,"numTeachers":22,"percentFrplEligible":44,"percentAsian":18,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":31,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":32,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":14,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"25.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":89.4,"schoolId":4138,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Monte Gardens Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Monte Gardens Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/mount-diablo-unified-school-district/monte-gardens-elementary-school/4138"}