{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Vista Peak Exploratory P - 8 School","outOfStateSupporters":45.7,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10350500,"projectId":9895630,"letterContent":"My students are thrilled by the new resources and utilize them every single day! The stepping stones have become a staple of OT obstacle courses, providing an engaging warm-up, movement break, or reward activity at the end of our sessions. For several students with autism, the chew tools have been absolute game-changers, offering vital sensory support to help them self-regulate during their work. Similarly, the weighted blanket has provided immense comfort to students, significantly improving their focus and participation across both OT and regular classroom activities.\r\n\r\nThe sheer joy on my students' faces when they first saw the new materials was unforgettable. Their eyes went wide at the light table, and they lit up with excitement over the Squigz! The Squigz have become highly preferred items, even inspiring students to invent their own games during free choice. Therapeutically, they have been integral: they serve as a powerful motivator to help ASD students transition to the work area and stay on task for longer periods. We frequently pair the Squigz with tongs for bilateral upper-body strengthening and visual-motor tasks to build fine motor coordination. Furthermore, my students naturally gravitate toward the sensory balls, eagerly twisting them open to discover what is hidden inside, which brilliantly sneaks in practice for alternating hand movements. Finally, the alternative seating and yoga cards have helped us create structured, at-desk choice boards, empowering students to take meaningful brain breaks and boosting their overall classroom participation.\r\n\r\nMoving forward, the primary next steps of this project are to build upon this incredible momentum to foster even greater student independence and skill mastery. Now that the students are familiar with how the chew tools, weighted blankets, and alternative seating help their bodies feel regulated, the goal is to teach them how to independently self-identify their sensory needs and advocate for these tools before they feel overwhelmed. Considering how the yoga cards and transition tools have been so successful in OT sessions, it will be important to collaborate closely with the general education teachers to integrate these choice boards and regulation strategies more broadly across all classroom environments. Additionally, continuing to expand how Squigz, tongs, and sensory balls are integrated into activities therapeutically by introducing more complex, multi-step academic challenges will facilitate further refinement of bilateral coordination and fine motor skills. Thanks to your generosity, we have the exact tools we need to continue translating these daily therapeutic wins into long-term academic and personal success.","fullyFundedDate":1765824759091,"projectUrl":"project/calm-critters-occupational-therapy-sens/9895630/","projectTitle":"Calm Critters: Occupational Therapy Sensory Tools for Little Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Fowler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10350500_orig.jpg?crop=293,293,x395,y119&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1763098134312","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10350500"},{"teacherId":2344184,"projectId":9604863,"letterContent":"When my students saw all the fun items set up for our classroom store, their eyes lit up with pure excitement! They couldn't wait to explore all the bracelets, squishy toys, stuffed animals, and yummy snacks. It was so special to watch them pick out their rewards with big smiles on their faces. Even the kids who didn't have as many credits were thrilled to choose candy, pencils, and erasers—they felt just as proud and happy as everyone else.\r\n\r\nSince that first shopping day, my students have been buzzing with excitement about earning more \"money\" for future stores. They're already talking about what they want to save up for next time, especially those cuddly stuffed animals that everyone loves. This fun experience has really inspired them to keep working hard and make smart choices, and it's brought such a happy, positive vibe to our classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1756521836790,"projectUrl":"project/earn-shop-save/9604863/","projectTitle":"Earn, Shop, Save","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Patel","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2344184_orig.jpg?crop=2252,2252,x0,y615&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755350126111","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2344184"},{"teacherId":9969992,"projectId":9175960,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your contribution to my classroom and my students. My students from last year and this year have been impacted by your help. \r\n\r\nThe headphones have allowed students to work independently and have taught students to be responsible of a share community tool. \r\nThe storage containers have allowed me to create stem bins and game bins that will increase team work and independence. \r\nThe pencil boxes have made students responsible of their own materials in the classroom. \r\nThank you!","fullyFundedDate":1742482919506,"projectUrl":"project/own-your-practice/9175960/","projectTitle":"Own Your Practice","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Rodriguez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9969992"},{"teacherId":9565864,"projectId":9020736,"letterContent":"On behalf of all of my students, I want to extend our sincerest gratitude for your incredible gift. We were so excited to unbox the dozens of new books you so thoughtfully purchased for our classroom. Your kindness and generosity have truly touched our hearts, and we are so thankful for your support of our students' education and growth. It is a wonderful feeling to know that there are people like you who believe in the power of reading and are willing to invest in the next generation.\r\n\r\nThese books will have a profound and immediate impact on my students' learning journeys. As we described in our project, reading is fundamental to developing strong communication skills. Your donation directly provides the tools my students need to expand their vocabularies, understand diverse sentence structures, and strengthen both their writing and speaking abilities. By engaging with these new stories, they will build their comprehension, learn to process information more thoughtfully, and become more confident and effective communicators.\r\n\r\nBeyond the foundational skills, these books will open up new worlds for my students, allowing them to explore different ideas, emotions, and social situations through the lives of the characters. This will not only stimulate their critical thinking but also help them understand relationships and social interactions in real-life contexts. Your gift is more than just a collection of books; it is an investment in our students' ability to connect with the world around them and to express themselves clearly and thoughtfully for years to come. Thank you again for your amazing generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1746786136944,"projectUrl":"project/connecting-through-words-how-books-fost/9020736/","projectTitle":"Connecting Through Words: How Books Foster Communication Skills","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Denton","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9565864"},{"teacherId":2344184,"projectId":9321366,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support, my students had a blast with the new games! When the materials arrived, their excitement was contagious—they couldn't wait to dive in and start playing. As they explored the different board and card games, they experienced the ups and downs that come with winning and losing, which sparked great conversations about sportsmanship.\r\n\r\nOne wonderful moment was seeing students who don't usually interact come together to learn new games and play as a team. It was heartwarming to watch friendships grow across different groups. We also took time to review what it means to be a good winner and a good loser, reinforcing kindness and respect in the classroom.\r\n\r\nMoving forward, I'm planning to use these games as part of group activities that build critical thinking and social skills. The students will be practicing patience, cooperation, and strategic thinking while having fun. Your support has truly created a positive and engaging learning environment, and I'm excited to see how these skills will carry into other projects and lessons!","fullyFundedDate":1746659626859,"projectUrl":"project/games-for-growth-engaging-learning-thro/9321366/","projectTitle":"Games for Growth: Engaging Learning Through Play","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Patel","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2344184_orig.jpg?crop=2252,2252,x0,y615&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755350126111","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2344184"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_98871","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":960,"numTeachers":54,"percentFrplEligible":56,"percentAsian":5,"percentBlack":14,"percentWhite":26,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":43,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"17.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":54.3,"schoolId":98871,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Vista Peak Exploratory P - 8 School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Vista Peak Exploratory P - 8 School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/colorado/aurora-public-school-district/vista-peak-campus-p-9-exploratory-school/98871"}
Join the 422 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Vista Peak Exploratory P - 8 School is
an urban public school
in Aurora, Colorado that is part of Aurora Public School District.
It serves 960 students
in grades K - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 17.8:1.
Its teachers have had 98 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
Share and help support Vista Peak Exploratory P - 8 School
Boost support for this school! Share this page with friends, family, alumni, and fellow supporters. Every connection helps teachers get the supplies they need and shows how much your community cares about its students.
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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
62%
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.
Vista Peak Exploratory P - 8 School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Apr 9, 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.
Vista Peak Exploratory P - 8 School
$56,905
raised using DonorsChoose
98
projects
funded
47
teachers
funded
422
donors
8
projects
for
basic supplies
12
projects for
technology
7
projects for
books
3
projects
for
art supplies
Vista Peak Exploratory P - 8 School has received support from
229 individuals from Colorado and
193 individuals out-of-state.
