{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Bay Park Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":51.9,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10284896,"projectId":9762654,"letterContent":"Wow thanks for the much needed sensory supports. With this donation I was able to create a sensory diet for a few of my sensory seeking students. By front loading a sensory diet which contains heavy movement breaks, my most challenging students are then able to learn, participate, and engage. \r\n\r\nI was also able to implement physical activities into learning. For example to help aid in orthographic mapping (memorizing the spelling of sight words), students engaged in a game of pass back with the tennis balls, with each throw spelling the word letter by letter. This multi sensory way of learning benefits my behavioral students who often don't engage in learning tasks. By making learning fun, they want to fully participate. \r\n\r\nThe day one of my packages arrived containing the stilts, I had a student who eloped from the classroom and was engaging in aggressive behavior. I got the emergency call to come support on my walkie talkie as I was walking from the office with my package. At that point he was climbing the 20 foot tall fence. I yelled up to him to help me open my package and play with our new \"toy\". He immediately came down and followed me to my room. Within minutes he was at baseline after enjoying the activity, he was good to go back to class and finished the day great. \r\n\r\nAs each item came and got integrated in the classroom, my kids were so excited. I now have a flexible seating option for the week. And am looking forward to making a brain break item for the day.","fullyFundedDate":1761936258833,"projectUrl":"project/sensory-needs/9762654/","projectTitle":"Sensory Needs","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Jeske","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10284896_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758942074643","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-jeske"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9717886,"letterContent":"My students are sprucing up our school's bungalow area! They're bringing greenery to our campus and making our outdoor space inviting for all. It's a beautiful sight to see students taking ownership of their school grounds. \r\n\r\nTogether my students shoveled piles and piles of dirt from one area of our school to another. They planted herbs in the new garden box and pulled weeds trying to invade our native plants. It's like a school area transformation. \r\n\r\nSilvery, snack wrappers from granola bars and chip packages dance throughout our school. Sometimes the shiny wrappers are sneaky and move too fast for our youngest learners to catch. Have no fear, fancy foot-stepping fourth graders lunge at the shiny wrappers with a trash grabber in hand!\r\n\r\nAs you can see, my students are learning to be advocates for the environment! We all need an outdoor space for academics, relaxation and community building.\r\n\r\nWe are grateful for the TIME for Kids Service Stars program for inspiration and The Allstate Foundation and Johnson Ohana Foundation for bringing our project to life! Thank you for believing in us!","fullyFundedDate":1760645847422,"projectUrl":"project/be-a-good-human/9717886/","projectTitle":"Be a Good Human","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":4922543,"projectId":9698778,"letterContent":"STEM and STEAM learning integrates science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and sometimes art...and it is one of my favorite subjects to teach!\r\nGetting students out into the real world is something that is so valuable to their education. By funding this project, you put tools into the hands of our students and allowed them to take their learning outside the classroom. We have been using the sketch books to become scientists of the world outside of our school. The students have been practicing observational strategies to study the outside world. We have been using biofacts, I notice...I winder...I predict.. statements, and zoom in and zoom out techniques. Truly, using these supplies and studying in this way has become their favorite part of the week.\r\nThank you for making this happen for them!","fullyFundedDate":1757963872370,"projectUrl":"project/stem-thinkingfrom-mind-to-paper/9698778/","projectTitle":"Stem Thinking...From Mind to Paper!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Catarius","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4922543_orig.jpg?crop=912,912,x0,y367&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1720804866098","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4922543"},{"teacherId":4922543,"projectId":9619197,"letterContent":"I know it has been awhile since you have donated to this project! I like to save this project for November. Fall weather, cool trees...it all makes a nice introduction to our owl unit! On November 21st, our fourth graders will be diving into the owl pellet dissection. This is always one of the highlights of the year! The love digging through their pellet and collecting the bones in the container that has been purchased. The skulls are always a big hit!\r\nThe students are going to have a blast becoming curious scientists! It is an experience they will never forget...and one that they would never have if it wasn't for you!\r\nThank you for believing in my students!","fullyFundedDate":1755721332658,"projectUrl":"project/whoowhoowho-wants-to-explore-owl-p/9619197/","projectTitle":"Whoo...Whoo...Who Wants to Explore Owl Pellets?","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Catarius","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4922543_orig.jpg?crop=912,912,x0,y367&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1720804866098","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4922543"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9702854,"letterContent":"Whoo... Whoo... do we appreciate? You! Thank you for making science lessons exciting and memorable.\r\n\r\nOn Tuesday, our class engaged in an owl pellet dissection lab. We started the lesson by listening to the sounds a Barn Owl, Western Screech Owl and the Snowy Owl make. That was such a delight and I giggled listening to my students try to mimic the owl sounds.\r\n\r\nNext, it was time to distribute an owl pellet to each young scientist. They were a little bit unsure as I handed a pellet securely wrapped in aluminum foil, a paper plate, a bone sorting chart and bamboo skewer to each student. Some students immediately pulled the aluminum foil from the owl pellet, others took their time slowly unwrapping it like a delicate teacup. Sure enough, students started chattering with one another, I heard comments like, \"Gross!\" \"There's so much fur, yuck!\" \"This is disgusting!\" I knew this dissection lab was going to be a hit! I gave students the signal to start dissecting.\r\n\r\nFrom there it was such a hoot to observe the owl pellet dissection. Exciting energy and meaningful conversations filled our classroom. Students loved sharing their thoughts and findings with each other. Here's some of their ideas I recorded...\r\n\r\n\"I want to touch it, but I don't want to touch it at the same time.\"\r\n\r\n\"I found three skulls, can you believe my owl ate three rodents?!\"\r\n\r\n\"I'm overloaded on ribs and teeth!\"\r\n\r\nOne last important tidbit, I have a diverse group of learners and it made my heart sing that every student in my class felt a sense of achievement during the dissection lab! You sure did make a lot of young scientists smile by gifting us this amazing owl pellet dissection lab!!\r\n\r\nThank you for supporting me to be the best teacher I can be for my students. Thank you for being YOU!","fullyFundedDate":1757981290774,"projectUrl":"project/whoo-whoo-an-owl-pellet-for-you/9702854/","projectTitle":"Whoo, Whoo... an Owl Pellet for You!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9768191,"letterContent":"Creamy, bumpy and smooth! Dark green on the outside, yellowish green on the inside and full of nutrients. Guess who I am? An Avocado!!! Hooray for Bravocado donors like YOU!\r\n\r\nOur Harvest of the Month Taste Test was a BLAST! Thank you for the goodies to celebrate Farm to School Month! I'm grateful for the bottles of ink to print in color. The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom website has an abundance of resources to grow an appreciation for agriculture. From colorful maps of California farms to vibrant fruit and veggie fact sheets these resource make veggies appealing to fourth graders!\r\n\r\nMy students couldn't wait to help me prepare the avocados for tasting. One student counted and lined up the paper cups for me. Once everyone had their avocado slice we took a BITE! The tasting was delicious and not so delicious- everyone's taste buds are different! Some students wanted the avocado seeds to take home. Our classroom doesn't get a lot of sunlight but gardening is an experiment so we will try to grow an avocado seed plant. Wish us luck! We completed a taste test journal entry- one of my students wrote,\"The color is green, the texture is slimy, the smell smells weird, the taste is good, and the sound when you bite into it is quiet. Avocados are GOOD!\"\r\n\r\nSpecial thanks to Johnson Ohana Foundation for inspiring me to create a project to celebrate Farm To School Month! This lesson was beyond inspiring. Together, we created a memorable and joyful learning experience for my students. In our classroom, Farm To School Month will be more than just a month! I can't wait to share Harvest of the Month taste tests with my students all year long! In November, we will be tasting persimmons! Yummy!\r\n\r\nThree cheers for Donors like you! You're simply the ZEST! We ap-PEACH-iate you!","fullyFundedDate":1760568831909,"projectUrl":"project/take-a-bite-you-might-like-it/9768191/","projectTitle":"Take a Bite: You Might Like It!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9628885,"letterContent":"Hooray! Our goodies from you arrived! We are filling our science notebooks with amazing discoveries from nature journaling to how to design the most efficient solar oven! \r\n\r\nWe read the book, What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z. This book made my students realize there are hundreds of STEM careers that await them! I absolutely love their STEM career self-portraits and I think you will too. They are definitely wild for animals. Many students shared dreams of becoming a veterinarian, zoologist and marine biologist. The sky's the limit for my fabulous fourth graders!\r\n\r\nMy students couldn't believe it! Did they hear me right? Yes! I said, \"We are making solar oven s'mores!\" They did an amazing job working in triads to create their solar oven and record data. One student commented, \"Watching the chocolate melt and the minutes go by without taking a bite was challenging!\" In the end, it was worth the wait! Chocolate smiles, a sweet science treat and new discoveries! Everything I had hoped for in our solar oven s'mores lesson.\r\n\r\nThank you for gifting us these resources. Our science notebooks will travel with us around campus and on field trips. They are an important part of our 4th grade science journey. We appreciate your generosity and giving spirit! Thanks a million for making our STEM dreams come true!","fullyFundedDate":1757540683449,"projectUrl":"project/go-above-and-beyond-your-wildest-dreams/9628885/","projectTitle":"Go Above and Beyond Your Wildest Dreams","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9718630,"letterContent":"Wow! Did we hit the jackpot or what??? Thank you for supporting San Diego teachers and students!\r\n\r\nOur boxes of happiness arrived! On Fridays, you make 32 students excited for our weekly reward raffles. My students love the neon bouncing putty. In their words, \"It's so satisfying!\" The Nerf sports balls and thinking putty are a HUGE hit too. \r\n\r\nOur Deep Space Sparkle art curriculum is an abundance of joy! Friday afternoons my students become creative artist with paintbrushes, sharpie markers and more. I can't wait to show off the cozy critters nestled with a book art project. It's pure autumn magic! \r\n\r\nSpeaking of autumn magic; the Teachers Pay Teachers gift card was used to purchase a Reading and Science Fall Leaves resource. We did some nature journaling the other day and one of my students wondered, \"Why do leaves change colors?\" Now, she can answer that question like a naturalist!\r\n\r\nWe can't thank you enough for granting our fall harvest wishes! We hope you are enjoying the fall season, too! Thank you for making our classroom a joyful place to learn and grow.","fullyFundedDate":1758647476491,"projectUrl":"project/the-artist-and-scientist-in-me-observe/9718630/","projectTitle":"The Artist and Scientist in Me: Observe, Create and Communicate","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9531364,"letterContent":"Today is the perfect day to send a grateful greeting your way!\r\n\r\nOur blank journals are a dream come true! The journals have a colorful spine and are just the perfect size. The journals with the blue spine were the top pick and then a pale coral color came in as a close second fan favorite. Students start their day responding to a prompt in their journals. Every Thursday, we list ten things we are grateful for. From guinea pigs to sleepovers with friends, I have a grateful group. We also write about ways to lift others and positive affirmations for ourselves and others.\r\n\r\nI love the mini inspirational note cards. Becoming a fourth grader is hard work, they're making positive decisions thirty hours a week! On Thursday, I plan to leave a pop-up card on ALL of my students' desk. This random act of kindness will bring lots of smiles! Spreading compassion makes the heart sing!\r\n\r\nThank you for making an impact on an amazing group of young people. I'm grateful for your generous donation to build mindfulness, empathy and compassion in our classroom. My kindness champions have the power to extend compassion beyond our classroom walls. Thank you for believing in us. \r\n\r\nCheers to compassionate donors like YOU!!!","fullyFundedDate":1755713102651,"projectUrl":"project/from-empathy-to-compassion/9531364/","projectTitle":"From Empathy to Compassion","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9446137,"letterContent":"Yippee! Our kindness goodies arrived! We had some amazing conversations about being kind to ourselves and others. We took our ideas from our conversations and created an anchor chart with a heart full of kindness words like empathy, sharing, compassion, inclusivity and more. My fourth-grade artists used the kindness chart to create abstract kindness posters. Their posters are popping with color thanks to the colorful markers from you!\r\n\r\nThe books are lovely. Our classroom librarians love organizing the new books in our classroom library. We shared books and sunshine with our first grade reading buddies last Friday. I love our reading buddies program because it gives all students the opportunity to thrive and feel included regardless of the reading ability or reading interest. When students are given the freedom to be better, to work for something bigger than themselves, and to mentor others, everyone blossoms.\r\n\r\nAs you can see, we are tossing kindness like confetti each and everyday! We are grateful for the TIME for Kids Service Stars program and The Allstate Foundation for bringing our project to life! Thank you for believing in us!","fullyFundedDate":1752788073452,"projectUrl":"project/toss-kindness-like-confetti/9446137/","projectTitle":"Toss Kindness Like Confetti","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"},{"teacherId":4922543,"projectId":9164794,"letterContent":"Looking back at my own education, I remember how boring standardized testing seemed. Boring booklets, quiet rooms, and nothing to look forward to each day of those weeks.\r\n\r\nI knew that I did not want my students to experience the same feeling. This project made my dreams come true. Each day of testing, students had a motivational treat on their desk. In fact, they looked forward to those testing days just to see what was left on their desk. \r\n\r\nThe time of state testing became celebratory in our classroom. \r\nThank you for making that happen for us.","fullyFundedDate":1742955239449,"projectUrl":"project/testing-treats-lets-reward-the-student/9164794/","projectTitle":"Testing Treats: Let's Reward the Students for Hard Work!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Catarius","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4922543_orig.jpg?crop=912,912,x0,y367&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1720804866098","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4922543"},{"teacherId":7119590,"projectId":9272623,"letterContent":"Happy Sunday, sunshine and summer to YOU! Oh my goodness! If there was ever a day that I could replay it would be our Testing Effort Celebration Day! Our bright classroom transformed into a dark learning cave with fourth graders simply glowing in their white shirts. Everyone was on task, using highlighters to solve math problems and neon oil pastels to create their own glow in the dark Furby art project.\r\n\r\nThe energy in our classroom during our growing and glowing learning day was so bright students wore light changing sunglasses throughout the day! We made glow sticks into necklaces and bracelets, so our friends could see us in the dark. We all have a special light to shine on the world! \r\n\r\nAt snack time, we were beyond excited to eat Rice Krispies Treats. I was sure the Rice Krispies Treats would glow in the dark near our blacklights, but they didn't. This was a great experiment and no one was disappointed. Everyone suggested I make homemade Rice Krispies Treats next time. Maybe those ones will GLOW! \r\n\r\nTowards the end of the day, we played BIN-GLO in a giant circle on our rug. Winners received the invisible ink spy pens or cute bear shaped highlighters from YOU! What an exciting prize to win! My students loved the prizes!\r\n\r\nI know our Glow in the Dark Day will always be a happy memory for my 4th graders! I could not have done this without your support. Thank you for your kindness! You made a BIG difference in the lives of thirty-one fabulous fourth graders and one grateful teacher! \r\n\r\nI hope you enjoy the photos we are sending your way! Thank you, thank you, thank you!","fullyFundedDate":1746623451881,"projectUrl":"project/do-you-know-what-rhymes-with-test-do-yo/9272623/","projectTitle":"Do You Know What Rhymes With Test? Do Your Best!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Manzo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7119590_orig.jpg?crop=2266,2266,x0,y143&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1581643365458","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/classroom-mrsmanzo"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_37395","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":526,"numTeachers":18,"percentFrplEligible":23,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":68,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":18,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"29.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":48.1,"schoolId":37395,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Bay Park Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Bay Park Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/san-diego-unified-school-district/bay-park-elementary-school/37395"}
Join the 670 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Bay Park Elementary School is
an urban public school
in San Diego, California that is part of San Diego Unified School District.
It serves 526 students
in grades Pre-K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 29.2:1.
Its teachers have had 393 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
Public School
Grades Pre-K - 5
526 Students
18 Teachers
2433 Denver StContact info is sourced from our partners at MDR Education, and DonorsChoose updates our site ahead of each school year.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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
19%
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.
Bay Park Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Dec 4, 2025
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.
Bay Park Elementary School
$115,995
raised using DonorsChoose
393
projects
funded
15
teachers
funded
670
donors
45
projects
for
basic supplies
40
projects for
technology
143
projects for
books
55
projects
for
art supplies
Bay Park Elementary School has received support from
322 individuals from California and
348 individuals out-of-state.