Sierra Middle School in Parker, Colorado on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Sierra Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":13.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9253108,"projectId":8861453,"letterContent":"I am incredibly grateful for your generous donation to my middle school math classroom through DonorsChoose. Your support has provided my students with basic materials that have already made an impact on their learning. The dry erase boards and highlighters have been particularly helpful during our math problem-solving sessions. Students use the boards to work out problems and collaborate with peers, which has encouraged more active participation and greater understanding of concepts like fractions, equations, and geometry. The highlighters are helping us break apart prompts to better understand what complex problems are asking. The pencils, glue sticks, and paper are also being put to great use for our interactive notebook and class activities.\r\n\r\nWhen the supplies arrived, my students were thrilled! They eagerly organized the materials and couldn't wait to start using them. I had many students volunteer to put together the drawer cart! This has been a game-changer for keeping everything organized, allowing students to quickly grab what they need during lessons and minimizing classroom disruptions.\r\n\r\nLooking ahead, my students are currently working on a unit involving systems of equations. We'll be using the dry erase boards to visually model problems and the highlighters to identify key steps in the problem-solving process. These resources will help students work through challenging problems with confidence. Thank you again for supporting our classroom and making a real difference in my students' education","fullyFundedDate":1736962199106,"projectUrl":"project/basic-materials-for-middle-school-math/8861453/","projectTitle":"Basic Materials for Middle School Math","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mayden","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9253108"},{"teacherId":9629475,"projectId":8562862,"letterContent":"Your generosity truly touched me. So many donations came from my own personal family and friends and their kind words of support meant the world to me. This project was a great opportunity to give to a classroom that I was only in for a short time, but it had a long-lasting impact on me. I am still smiling about the reactions the students had when they walked in to see the lava lights glowing and doing their wonderful thing to demonstrate the concept of convection currents. The number of them that said the words convection current out loud was a teaching win! They traced their fingers along the dome as the hot globs floated up and then back down saying \"it's cooled down so now it will fall to the bottom!\" This was a concept that we had really hit hard as it related to our weather patterns and ocean currents unit. \r\nThe students were even more excited when they discovered the new bin of fidgets to check out during class. I noticed how one student in particular was quieter and stiller as one hand worked the fidget, and the other one used a pencil to take notes. A pencil that I was able to offer because of this project. I am amazed at how unprepared students can be and how disruptive it is to class when just one student doesn't have a pencil. The classroom is now stocked up! \r\nIt really is the little things that make a classroom run day to day and those things can really add up both financially and functionally. I thank everyone that fulfilled this project for your kindness and generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1727462900225,"projectUrl":"project/closing-the-gap/8562862/","projectTitle":"Closing the Gap","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Ditzler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9629475"},{"teacherId":9296775,"projectId":8564358,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the supplies to help us get our greenhouse and gardening club started at Sierra Middle School (SMS). The club is called \"SMS Gardening Club - Got Dirt?\".\r\n\r\nWe have had a greenhouse at SMS that has not been operational for the last few years. When I started at SMS in 2023, I wanted to fix that and start an afterschool club to share my love of plants. After requesting materials from Donor's Choose, we were able to get the environmental controls (heating, cooling, venting, etc.) inspected and fixed by our building maintenance staff. We also removed the old wooden shelves and bedding that was there and replaced it with modern shelving that shouldn't deteriorate over time. \r\n\r\nNow that the greenhouse is functional and stocked with supplies, we plan to start planting after the holiday break. We are planning on starting with tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. Each member of the club has also picked their favorite vegetable from our seed supply and will be planting and caring for their own plants. They are so excited to finally get started and see the results of their hard work in the first semester of the year. \r\n\r\nThe club will also be participating SMS's annual Healthy Activities Night put on by Sources of Strength at SMS. Club members will be helping students, parents, and other members of the community plant their own plants during Healthy Activities Night as well as showing them their hard work on the greenhouse.\r\n\r\nOnce again, thank you so much for the materials to help us get started so there is no cost for the students as well as promoting science and a sustainable environment!","fullyFundedDate":1727462989692,"projectUrl":"project/got-dirt/8564358/","projectTitle":"Got Dirt?","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. VanHatten","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9296775"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_42260","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":805,"numTeachers":46,"percentFrplEligible":27,"percentAsian":3,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":66,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":20,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"7 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"17.5:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":86.4,"schoolId":42260,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Sierra Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Sierra Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/colorado/douglas-county-school-district-re-1/sierra-middle-school/42260"}

About this school

Sierra Middle School is a suburban public school in Parker, Colorado that is part of Douglas County School District RE-1. It serves 805 students in grades 7 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 17.5:1. Its teachers have had 38 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Public School

Grades 7 - 8

805 Students

46 Teachers

6651 E PINE LN

Parker, CO 80138 View local requests

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Sierra Middle School Teachers on DonorsChoose

See more teachers from Sierra Middle School

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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.

See how DonorsChoose works

Sierra Middle School Demographics

27%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

25%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Sierra Middle 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.