{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Sequoia Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":63.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":1109389,"projectId":9603314,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our classroom. My students are naturally curious, creative, and full of questions about how the world works. They love rolling up their sleeves, testing their ideas, and seeing science come to life. With the thermometers and scales you helped provide, they'll be able to gather real data—measuring temperature, comparing mass, and observing changes right before their eyes.\r\n\r\nYour donation also allows my students to bring their learning to a creative level. The markers and construction paper will help them build detailed cell models, giving them a hands-on way to understand the parts and functions of cells. These materials make our science lessons more engaging, meaningful, and accessible for all learners. We are truly grateful for your kindness and the opportunities you've made possible for our young scientists.","fullyFundedDate":1755691248439,"projectUrl":"project/measuring-up-in-science-class/9603314/","projectTitle":"Measuring Up in Science Class!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mendoza","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1109389_272x272.png?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1457556430837","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/emendoza"},{"teacherId":1109389,"projectId":9551962,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our classroom. My students are naturally curious and love exploring how the world works, and your donation will give them the tools they need to dive even deeper into hands-on science. With these thermometers and scales, they'll be able to see real data unfold right in front of them and turning abstract ideas into meaningful, memorable learning.\r\n\r\nYour kindness helps my students build confidence as young scientists. Instead of just reading about temperature or mass, they'll be able to measure, compare, and investigate on their own. Every experiment they conduct will spark new questions and discoveries, thanks to you. We are truly grateful for your support and the opportunities it brings to our science classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1755202036893,"projectUrl":"project/weighing-in-on-science/9551962/","projectTitle":"Weighing in on Science","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mendoza","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1109389_272x272.png?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1457556430837","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/emendoza"},{"teacherId":10070730,"projectId":9565597,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our classroom. Because of you, my students now have the tools they need to learn, collaborate, and feel excited about coming to class each day.\r\n\r\nThe headphones you funded have already made such a difference—students can focus during independent practice, work confidently on math tutorials, and engage with our online tools without distractions. The dry-erase color dots and math charts have transformed our tables into organized, high-energy workspaces where students jump right into problem-solving during our Thinking Classroom routines. Even the simplest items, like tape, have become essential because it helped me mount the vertical whiteboards to my classroom walls and are easy to use now.\r\n\r\nOne of the biggest highlights has been the board games. During PAT time, students gather around these games with so much joy—talking, laughing, thinking, and building community. For many of them, this is the moment of the day when they can relax and connect positively with their classmates.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has not only equipped our classroom with needed supplies—it has helped create a space where students feel supported, seen, and motivated. We are truly grateful.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in my students and in the power of giving them what they need to succeed.","fullyFundedDate":1755691248310,"projectUrl":"project/focused-fun-and-ready-to-learn/9565597/","projectTitle":"Focused, Fun, and Ready to Learn!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Saboor","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10070730_orig.png?crop=202,202,x0,y32&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1751669453715","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10070730"},{"teacherId":1109389,"projectId":9294300,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the generous donation of headphones. Many of our students come to class without their own, so having a class set makes a huge difference in their ability to learn comfortably and stay focused. Your support helps create an environment where every student can engage fully, regardless of what they bring from home.\r\n\r\nWe use the headphones daily for station work, blended learning, and review activities. They allow students to work independently, listen to instructional videos, and complete interactive lessons without distractions. In my coding class, students especially benefit from being able to code with audio tutorials and test their programs quietly and efficiently.\r\n\r\nYour contribution truly supports our classroom and helps our students succeed. Thank you again for your kindness and for investing in our school community.","fullyFundedDate":1746468322779,"projectUrl":"project/headphones-for-all/9294300/","projectTitle":"Headphones for All","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mendoza","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1109389_272x272.png?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1457556430837","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/emendoza"},{"teacherId":4803665,"projectId":9574721,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping to support me with beautiful plants to create a relaxing environment for our school Wellness Center. Our Wellness Center is a space that helps our students reset, regulate and recharge. One of the positive benefits to having living plants is to watch how much the students like to care for them. I have two students in particular that like to water and prune them. \r\n\r\nI am also extremely grateful to have the snacks you provided. I am finding more students are coming to me hungry because they missed a meal or didn't get enough. Some families are really struggling right now and I am so thankful our school can be a space to provide more than an education--we can nourish as well.","fullyFundedDate":1755691248730,"projectUrl":"project/nourish-to-flourish/9574721/","projectTitle":"Nourish to Flourish!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Stewart","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4803665_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1505610792312","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4803665"},{"teacherId":9562174,"projectId":9576149,"letterContent":"These models were the best thing for helping students see the connection between esoteric chemistry, like non-visible atoms, and chemical reactions, through a common language of hands-on models. The sets brought chemistry to life.\r\n\r\nThe students at our school may not have access to Legos or other engineering models. The models that you donated make a bigger difference than you may know. It is because of community members like you that students not only benefit from materials in the classroom, but they also benefit from the knowledge that they are members of a community that is committed to them. \r\n\r\nKids need to know they are not alone. Your contribution is a reminder that they are not alone. You are playing your part in the community.\r\n\r\nThank You,\r\nMr. Dane","fullyFundedDate":1755690469570,"projectUrl":"project/modeling-chemistry-makes-it-feel-real/9576149/","projectTitle":"Modeling Chemistry makes it Feel Real","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Dane","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9562174_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1717823989169","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9562174"},{"teacherId":9194416,"projectId":9489134,"letterContent":"What a positive impact these small tech tools have made for our students! I'm happy to report that our over-ear headphones have been met with such gratitude by my sixth grade students. \r\n\r\nPreviously, we relied on flimsy plastic corded earbuds that lasted two to three uses before being filled with ear wax and getting stripped to expose the wiring. Needless to say, students were not excited about borrowing them!\r\n\r\nNow, students don't hesitate to borrow earphones to work on their academic tasks in science class. On the occasions I have been out of class for professional development, we have developed a system in which our student tech manager is responsible for checking out the headphones and ensuring they are returned in their designated pouches. Distractions have been reduced dramatically as students have listened to video instructions, engaged in video-based lessons, and even listened to science podcasts with more focus. I'm so grateful to be able to provide these tools thanks to your help and support.","fullyFundedDate":1753608801033,"projectUrl":"project/over-ear-headphones-for-stem-concentrati/9489134/","projectTitle":"Over-Ear Headphones for STEM Concentration and Focus","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Sophie State","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9194416_orig.jpg?crop=1000,1000,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753161577658","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9194416"},{"teacherId":470517,"projectId":9662373,"letterContent":"This project is benefitting every student in our entire middle school! To begin, Science World magazine (formerly known as Current Science) is a great publication. Each issue contains articles short and long concerning various science disciplines. They are structured to provide interesting topics which include different viewpoints, explanations of how people's understanding of topics were constructed over time, environmental facts and calls to action, interesting things young people have done recently in the sciences, examples of how our misconceptions can affect our interpretations, fun challenges and games, fascinating photos, and diagrams and various data displays to analyze. This all makes for sound practice in a variety of literary and scientific analysis skills. Our science department intends to ramp up our use of the magazine with explicit English-Language Arts strategies this year.\r\n\r\nWe also have some interesting stuff going on with the other materials. Mundane though it sounds, the absorbent undersink mats are being used during semiweekly aquarium cleaning by Aquatic Studies students, as well as 8th grade Science students doing their lab activities, reducing injuries from slippery floors. Students have learned that the bioblocks are actually hotels for billions of bacteria that perform the vital role of changing toxic ammonia from uneaten food and aquarium waste to nitrite, then nitrate, which is converted into nitrogen gas that bubbles out of the water. Our newest small anemone and clownfish habitat was set up in the late summer for a special youth camp and does not contain sand, very little reef rock, and no filtration or sea foam making machine. The addition of one of the bioblocks colonized with bacteria after sitting in the sump of our large, well-established tank took care of that, so animals could be introduced almost immediately instead of having to wait a month or two. Going forward, we will keep a few bioblocks colonizing in our tanks so if anyone in the community needs to set up a new system we can help them start with a bacteria-rich bioblock and cup of our live sand. \r\n\r\nLastly, students will be testing water more frequently for nitrate and phosphate levels. Until the past few years, reef aquarists have been trying all sorts of means (mechanical, chemical, and biological through growing plants and removing them) to reduce and eliminate nitrate and phosphate in tank water. Now there is a new understanding of the benefits of those compounds, particularly for coral coloration. People are even dosing nitrate, which blows my mind. We definitely need to monitor the levels in our tank, possibly dose if they are too low, and do some investigating of our own, especially since we have the luxury of more than one tank!\r\n\r\nWhat lasting effects your support of this project will have on this year's students, plus more in the future! Thank you very much for directly impacting the school experience of my students.","fullyFundedDate":1757515279242,"projectUrl":"project/current-advances-in-science-and-classroo/9662373/","projectTitle":"Current Advances in Science and Classroom Coral Corrals!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Horne","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp470517_orig.png?crop=275,275,x0,y23&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1566689341670","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/horne"},{"teacherId":470517,"projectId":9525553,"letterContent":"This is going to be a big year for our classroom aquariums and getting back on track with propagating coral! Maintaining a healthy reef tank is no easy feat, and we are dealing with multiple tank systems, a large setup that passed the ten-year mark last spring, a placement that is not in my home, and over two hundred middle schoolers in the room daily. (Their breathing provides a daily model of ocean acidification.)\r\n\r\nThere are so many factors that make or break a successful reef environment, but I think one could say it all boils down to stability. (Unfortunately for aquariums but also fitting is that many young teens are struggling with attaining the same goal, haha.) Thanks to you, my Aquatic Studies students have been learning the basics of running a small business by taking care of tank creatures including corals in order to propagate them to trade and share with others. \r\n\r\nThanks to the MacMini things are taking a positive turn! We are getting our aquacontroller back online in a way permitted by the school district, so we can track parameters, control lighting and functioning of all equipment, and dose minerals required for proper growth and maintenance of water quality! One of the most important aspects is that I will once again be able to monitor and control the equipment remotely! I have not been able to receive notifications or control anything since the COVID-19 school closure and subsequent network changes. Teacher classroom computers have been changed and old but effective Mac desktops and MacMinis connected via ethernet were removed and replaced with a basic wifi laptop. This means there is no way to control any tank equipment, since it is forbidden on the wifi network. This is all changing now! We will be ironing out the bugs in using our old model aquacontroller (current models are wifi and support is tricky since the small regional developer sold the company to a big out-of-state corporation) and getting help from all the awesome reef hobbyists who still use the old model we have! \r\n\r\nWith your help we have overcome the biggest hurdle to making the changes we need to make: starting! Four students in the aqua class and my helper student who took the class last year are going to be taking the lead in the equipment programming. They have started rearranging our control cabinet where the MacMini will live with a portable display and have begun looking at graphs and reports of parameters such as pH, temperature, and salinity. I also found out that a PAR light meter I have access to can plug right in to the MacMini so we can analyze and make changes to the intensity and color of our lighting. Woohoo! (Bonus: we will also be using the MacMini with some other regular science class equipment that does not work well on Chromebooks.) Thank you very much for helping us get our modern tanks on the mend!","fullyFundedDate":1756354380995,"projectUrl":"project/a-mac-mini-to-maximize-classroom-busines/9525553/","projectTitle":"A Mac Mini to Maximize Classroom Business","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Horne","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp470517_orig.png?crop=275,275,x0,y23&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1566689341670","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/horne"},{"teacherId":470517,"projectId":9374909,"letterContent":"Just WOW. I am almost overwhelmed by the content and process of this professional development series in nature journaling and fostering deep learning and science practices in students through a nontraditional method. My online course series with John Muir Laws was incredible. Taking it with other educators made the experience extra worthwhile. Also, I am able to access multiple additional series of online workshops on the topic presented by him as well as others sharing their perspectives and practices of nature journaling, scientific sketching, and helping students develop deep awareness and wondering through self-directed focused observation, sketching, and writing.\r\n\r\nI have not had traditional artistic training in the sense of drawing, not much interest or confidence, and little practice. To my great happiness, I underestimated just how deep this course would go in helping students learn fundamental science practices. I quickly learned that skills such as focused awareness, detailed observation, ideas of parts vs. whole, interaction, scale, structure and function, changes over time, applications, problem solving, and making sense of what one observes and how it connects to what one already has floating around somewhere in one's mind can all be targeted by carefully planned instruction in nature journaling! Those are the things I most want my students to experience and take with them from middle school science classes. Instead, I generally feel like I am being forced by education policymakers to teach certain aspects of certain topics within certain structures. This course has made me feel much more positive and that there are ways to take a more holistic approach - more methods than I already employ - while still preparing students to demonstrate competence using required structures such as Claim - Evidence - Reasoning. \r\n\r\nI am excited to continue my study of science journaling because it is obvious it offers multiple ways to impact students in ways I do not currently provide much. I feel a bit nervous and will be spending a lot of time adapting some activities we already do to a sketchbook format, planning appropriate introduction and scaffolding throughout the activities, and trying new things. That is precisely the nature of science, which I find very satisfying.\r\n\r\nI am more than twenty years into teaching science (after I thought I had turned my back on the subject and planned to teach foreign language and English to multilingual students). My first epiphany was realizing that language acquisition and acquisition of science are basically the same process. Years later when the big tech companies came together and created the teacher-friendly and student-accessible Hour of Code activities, I was shocked to learn the importance of (and previous absence of) computer programming in general education. The structure and process of writing and debugging code parallel students' experiences in solving math problems, attacking engineering challenges, writing coherent essays, and organizing their thinking and expression of ideas. Now, I see how this science journaling also offers students another way to engage in universal processes and develop transferable skills. I am also so happy that it will engage my non-linear types of students whose brilliance shows in art and alternative ways of demonstrating learning. Plus this type of journaling offers all students more ways to connect with and wonder about the natural world! I guess this huge response shows you what an impact this PD had on me and why I am grateful for the opportunity you provided.","fullyFundedDate":1749408288935,"projectUrl":"project/learning-to-teach-the-art-and-science-of/9374909/","projectTitle":"Learning to Teach the Art and Science of Nature Journaling","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Horne","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp470517_orig.png?crop=275,275,x0,y23&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1566689341670","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/horne"},{"teacherId":470517,"projectId":9566057,"letterContent":"Our science classroom has all sorts of measuring tools: rulers, meter sticks, hardware tape measures, calipers, and that's just for length. I was surprised to learn during the COVID-19 distance learning year the number of students who lack all measuring tools at home!\r\n\r\nWith the new measuring tapes to keep as their own, our 8th grade students can all directly measure height, length, diameter, and circumference for science and math assignments. They can measure themselves for clothing, as well as wood, cardboard, and fabric when making things. They need to see practical uses of measurement such as arranging furniture and shelving. As a bonus, the tapes show both metric and standard units!\r\n\r\nThe Starburst candies are already being used in student birthday packets. They really enjoy receiving their packet of treats, fun physics diffraction glasses, and a bit of personal attention from their teacher wanting to hear about celebrations and offering best wishes for the future during their last pre-high school year on the planet. This goes a long way in community building, too, with classmates wishing them a happy birthday, too.\r\n\r\nThank you for personalizing science class for all of our 8th graders and giving them a practical tool to use at home!","fullyFundedDate":1754944194815,"projectUrl":"project/building-practical-skills-and-classroom/9566057/","projectTitle":"Building Practical Skills and Classroom Community - Part 2","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Horne","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp470517_orig.png?crop=275,275,x0,y23&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1566689341670","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/horne"},{"teacherId":470517,"projectId":9490169,"letterContent":"Our science classroom has all sorts of measuring tools: rulers, meter sticks, hardware tape measures, calipers, and that's just for length. I was surprised to learn during the COVID-19 distance learning year the number of students who lack all measuring tools at home! \r\n\r\nWith the new measuring tapes to keep as their own, our 8th grade students can all directly measure height, length, diameter, and circumference for science and math assignments. They can measure themselves for clothing, as well as wood, cardboard, and fabric when making things. They need to see practical uses of measurement such as arranging furniture and shelving. As a bonus, the tapes show both metric and standard units! \r\n\r\nThe Starburst candies are already being used in student birthday packets. They really enjoy receiving their packet of treats, fun physics diffraction glasses, and a bit of personal attention from their teacher wanting to hear about celebrations and offering best wishes for the future during their last pre-high school year on the planet. This goes a long way in community building, too, with classmates wishing them a happy birthday, too.\r\n\r\nThank you for personalizing science class for all of our 8th graders and giving them a practical tool to use at home!","fullyFundedDate":1755008122547,"projectUrl":"project/building-practical-skills-and-classroom/9490169/","projectTitle":"Building Practical Skills and Classroom Community - Part 1","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Horne","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp470517_orig.png?crop=275,275,x0,y23&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1566689341670","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/horne"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_4159","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":835,"numTeachers":36,"percentFrplEligible":50,"percentAsian":17,"percentBlack":3,"percentWhite":26,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":38,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"23.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":36.4,"schoolId":4159,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Sequoia Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Sequoia Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/mount-diablo-unified-school-district/sequoia-middle-school/4159"}