{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Joseph Melillo Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":22.3,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":1782069,"projectId":10248901,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping bring these magnetic whiteboards into my classroom. It may sound simple, but they have completely changed how I teach and how my students participate. Before receiving them, the space on either side of my classroom TV was empty, and the only whiteboards in the room were located behind the students. Now, the boards are used constantly throughout the day. Students come up to write answers, share ideas, complete activities in small groups, and record their thinking during class discussions. They were excited from the moment the boards were installed and immediately wanted opportunities to write on them.\r\n\r\nOne of my favorite things about the new boards is how they allow students to make their thinking visible. During reading lessons, students use them to answer text-based questions, collect evidence, and explain their reasoning to classmates. I use them for sentence starters, vocabulary, anchor charts, and quick checks for understanding. Because the boards are right next to my TV, students can easily connect what they see on the screen with what they are discussing and writing.\r\n\r\nAs we move further into the school year, these boards will continue to be a central part of our learning. We are currently working on reading comprehension, discussion skills, and using evidence from text to support our thinking. The boards give every student a chance to participate, collaborate, and share their voice. Thank you for helping transform an empty wall into an interactive learning space that my students use every single day. Your generosity has made a lasting impact on our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1778300914270,"projectUrl":"project/board-boost-making-every-idea-stick/10248901/","projectTitle":"Board Boost: Making Every Idea Stick!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Phipps","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1782069_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1535246642837","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/meredithkoch"},{"teacherId":1782069,"projectId":10243101,"letterContent":"The books funded through this project have made a tremendous difference in my classroom. In my three years teaching 6th grade reading, I have never had so many students borrow books from our classroom library. Many of the new titles are graphic novels, books from the I Survived series, and other high-interest novels that immediately captured students' attention. These books give students opportunities to practice important reading skills such as making inferences, analyzing characters, identifying themes, and supporting their thinking with evidence from the text.\r\n\r\nReading in my classroom looks different every day. Students read independently, discuss books with classmates, and share recommendations with one another. The excitement these new books have generated has been amazing to see. Students who previously struggled to find a book they wanted to read are now eagerly borrowing books and asking for the next book in a series. Seeing students excited about reading is one of the most rewarding parts of being a reading teacher, and your generosity has helped make that happen. Thank you for helping me build a classroom library that students truly want to read from.","fullyFundedDate":1779996593064,"projectUrl":"project/books-that-build-readers-a-classroom-l/10243101/","projectTitle":"Books That Build Readers: A Classroom Library for Every Student","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Phipps","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1782069_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1535246642837","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/meredithkoch"},{"teacherId":9461163,"projectId":10246019,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous gift . The young adult books you procured are currently in the hands of middle schoolers . These titles\r\n have piqued their interest because they are \"mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors \".\r\n\r\nSome titles (mirrors ) reflect students' lives-race , culture , family . This helps teens feel\r\nseen and validated.\r\n\r\nSome titles (windows ) are view into worlds, lives, and cultures that are different from their own . This helps them learn about other people, places and ideas .\r\n\r\nSome titles (sliding glass doors ) pulls readers in so much that it is as if they step through their imagination into the story and truly feel empathy for the character\r\n\r\nJust one example of how impactful books\r\ncan be is seen in 6th grade . There are many hearing impaired children this year, and a few titles have characters who are hearing impaired. These books are therefore a mirror for some . As new friendships develop at this level, these same titles are also windows and ultimately sliding glass doors for others.","fullyFundedDate":1779996592912,"projectUrl":"project/readers-today-leaders-tomorrow/10246019/","projectTitle":"Readers Today, Leaders Tomorrow!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. LeMay","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9461163_orig.jpg?crop=300,300,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1777595158866","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9461163"},{"teacherId":10469364,"projectId":10518195,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation of two bookshelves to our 8th grade math classroom! Your support has made a wonderful difference in both the organization and functionality of our classroom.\r\n\r\nA team of students worked hard to assemble both bookshelves with great care and attention to detail. Throughout the process, they demonstrated leadership, initiative, and perseverance as they worked together to follow the multistep instruction manuals. Once the bookshelves were built, they even took the initiative to carefully label and organize them!\r\n\r\nNow, it is much easier for students to quickly find and return their textbooks at the beginning and end of class. The bookshelves have also helped open up valuable floor space in our classroom, creating more room for movement, small-group collaboration, and flexible seating, while keeping our learning environment organized and free of clutter.\r\n\r\nBeyond their practical use, the bookshelves provided our students with an opportunity to practice teamwork, problem-solving, and responsibility. It was wonderful to see them take ownership of the project and feel proud of what they accomplished together.\r\n\r\nThank you again for supporting our classroom and helping us create a more organized, welcoming, and student-centered learning environment. We truly appreciate your generosity and the positive impact it has had on our students!","fullyFundedDate":1788447233938,"projectUrl":"project/bookshelves-for-executive-functioning/10518195/","projectTitle":"Bookshelves for Executive Functioning","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Nuzzolillo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10469364_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1774358818591","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10469364"},{"teacherId":10469364,"projectId":10167499,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donations to our 8th grade math classroom! Your support has made such a positive difference in our students' learning environment, and they have been so excited to use their new flexible seating options.\r\n\r\nThe colorful floor cushions have become a favorite for students working in partners or small groups, while the bean bags are definitely a prized possession! The kick bands have been a huge hit with everyone, providing students with a simple way to move and release extra energy while remaining focused and engaged in their learning.\r\n\r\nThese resources have given our students more opportunities to choose a learning space that works best for them. They provide movement for students who need it, comfortable spaces for collaboration, and even a little extra motivation as students work hard to earn the coveted V.I.M. (Very Important Mathematician) of the Week bean bag privilege!\r\n\r\nMost importantly, these additions have brought a sense of comfort, coziness, and joy to a classroom where many students experience anxiety. Your generosity has helped us create a space where students can feel more relaxed, supported, and ready to learn.\r\n\r\nThank you again for investing in our classroom and, most importantly, in our students. We are truly grateful for your kindness and support!","fullyFundedDate":1779390053614,"projectUrl":"project/flexible-seating-for-growing-minds/10167499/","projectTitle":"Flexible Seating for Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Nuzzolillo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10469364_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1774358818591","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10469364"},{"teacherId":10489058,"projectId":10242805,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity and for sponsoring my classroom request! Your donation provided my students with wonderful new books that will inspire them to read, explore new ideas, and discover stories they may not have encountered before.\r\n\r\nMy students are particularly excited about the new graphic novels for their independent reading. These books have already sparked enthusiasm and conversation among students who are eager to find a new favorite story. My advanced readers are especially looking forward to reading The Hunger Games and diving into its fascinating dystopian society, while thinking critically about its characters, themes, and social issues.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has helped create a classroom library that better reflects my students' interests while also challenging them as readers. Because of your support, my students have more opportunities to read for enjoyment, build their literacy skills, and develop a lifelong love of reading.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in my students and making these exciting reading experiences possible. We are truly grateful for your kindness and support!","fullyFundedDate":1779793770372,"projectUrl":"project/books-that-build-readers-a-classroom-l/10242805/","projectTitle":"Books that Build Readers: A Classroom Library for Every Student","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Baughn","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10489058"},{"teacherId":6746155,"projectId":9839558,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity and commitment to education! Our students were thrilled when the materials arrived.\r\n\r\nWe've already put everything to great use. The paper has been transformed into sleds and aircraft, the bins help us organize and transport materials to and from our afterschool gathering space in the cafeteria, and the wheels and cardboard have been used to create blades for our latest designs.\r\n\r\nOur Future Flyers have been exploring the forces of flight through hands-on engineering design challenges. Students have been asked to design, build, and test different aircraft in our wind tunnel.\r\n\r\nWe began with paper airplanes and sleds, using the donated paper and tape. Students tested their designs in the hallway, changing just one variable at a time and retesting to see how it affected performance. Their goal was to make their craft travel the farthest distance—and our record paper airplane flew an impressive 55 feet!\r\n\r\nNext, we set up the wind tunnel. Using bamboo skewers and twine, students suspended their planes inside to observe how air moves over the wings. They quickly realized they needed to reconfigure their designs to better understand how lift is created. Once again, making one small change at a time proved to make a big difference. Students are currently designing and building blades from cardboard to explore how blade shape impacts forward propulsion.\r\n\r\nBecause our program meets in the cafeteria after school, the storage bins have been essential for transporting projects and materials back and forth each session. We're excited to move on to our parachute unit next, where students will use the tissue paper and kite string to continue testing their ideas in the wind tunnel.\r\n\r\nThank you again for helping make this hands-on learning possible!","fullyFundedDate":1763999516457,"projectUrl":"project/future-flyers-engineering-the-journey-t/9839558/","projectTitle":"Future Flyers: Engineering the Journey to Flight","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Geralyn Perez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6746155_orig.jpg?crop=678,678,x0,y112&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722963506812","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6746155"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_43949","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":448,"numTeachers":47,"percentFrplEligible":78,"percentAsian":3,"percentBlack":8,"percentWhite":32,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":52,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":2,"gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"9.5:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":77.7,"schoolId":43949,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Joseph Melillo Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Joseph Melillo Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/connecticut/east-haven-school-district/joseph-melillo-middle-school/43949"}