{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Tarpon Spgs Fundmntl Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":5.4,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9876042,"projectId":9520829,"letterContent":"I am writing this letter with heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation for your generous support of my school project, **PAWSitive Mail**. Because of your kindness and belief in the power of compassion within schools, our entire school community now has a meaningful and joyful way to connect with one another through acts of kindness. Your support has made a lasting impact that reaches far beyond materials—it has helped strengthen relationships, build empathy, and create a more positive school culture for everyone involved.\r\n\r\nPAWSitive Mail is a schoolwide mail system designed to encourage kindness, gratitude, and positive communication among students, teachers, and staff. This program allows every person in the school to send a postcard of kindness to anyone of their choice. Whether it is a student thanking a teacher, a staff member encouraging a student, or peers uplifting one another, PAWSitive Mail provides a simple yet powerful way for positive words to be shared and celebrated. The excitement and enthusiasm surrounding this program has been truly inspiring to witness.\r\n\r\nThanks to the financial support provided through DonorsChoose, I was able to purchase a dedicated mailbox for students as well as a variety of postcards specifically intended for kindness messages. These materials may seem simple, but they are essential to making this program accessible and inviting to everyone in the school. The mailbox serves as a central and visible reminder that kindness matters here, and the postcards give students and staff a tangible way to express appreciation, encouragement, and positivity.\r\n\r\nTeachers, staff, and students are all actively participating in promoting kindness through this program. Classrooms have embraced PAWSitive Mail as part of their daily or weekly routines, and many teachers have used it as an opportunity to discuss empathy, gratitude, and the importance of positive communication. Staff members have shared how meaningful it feels to receive unexpected notes of appreciation, and students are learning that their words have the power to brighten someone else's day. The program has helped create moments of connection that may not have otherwise occurred.\r\n\r\nStudents are absolutely loving this new kindness mail. They are excited to write postcards, eagerly check the mailbox, and proudly deliver messages to recipients. For many students, this is their first experience participating in a schoolwide initiative focused entirely on positivity. It has given them a voice and a way to express emotions that might otherwise go unspoken. The joy on their faces when they receive a postcard filled with kind words is a powerful reminder of why this project matters so much.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has helped foster a school environment where kindness is visible, intentional, and celebrated. PAWSitive Mail has already begun to make a difference in how students and adults interact with one another, and its impact will continue to grow as the program becomes a lasting part of our school culture. None of this would have been possible without your support.\r\n\r\nThank you, DonorsChoose supporters, for believing in our students and for investing in a project that promotes compassion, connection, and positivity. Your support has truly made our school a kinder place, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to bring PAWSitive Mail to life.","fullyFundedDate":1760629615669,"projectUrl":"project/pawsitive-mail/9520829/","projectTitle":"PAWSitive Mail!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Snare","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9876042"},{"teacherId":9742636,"projectId":8796283,"letterContent":"My name is Michelle Stylianou and I am the art teacher at Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary School. I am writing to say thank you for funding our \"Clay Extruder and Ceramic Supplies\" grant. \r\n\r\nI have always had a focus on working on ceramics with my students, since I have a ceramics background and it is one of my passions. However, ceramic supplies are costly, so we have been limited as to how many clay lessons we can complete each yesr due to the cost. When we found out that our grant was approved, my students were over the moon with glee! I involved my students in the planning of the project and we agreed that we would create whimsical totem piles for the gardens around our school. This would be an ongoing project, which we would add to each year with new groups of students. This has also created an ongoing impact on the number of students who can participate in this open ended project.\r\n\r\nThis project has allowed my students to learn about the planning that goes into creating an installation. We started by looking at pictures of other installation, And visited the leepa Rattner Museum of Art to see an installation in person. My students brought their sketchbooks along to document their favorite works and sketch ideas for their own installation. My fourth and fifth graders then created their own miniature diagrams of an installation they would design. Younger grades sketched out ideas and we considered each one.\r\n\r\nAs a school we decided on totem poles. Creativity soon took over and students had amazing ideas for totem poles, such as one made with doughnuts. Other classes had different ideas such as a totem made from \r\n tigers, the mascot of our school. The students had so much fun playing with the clay extruder to create coils for the totem pieces. The color burst glazes make the ceramic pieces really stand out, and the students enjoyed learning about the mini explosions that happen in the kiln to create these meat color effects. \r\n\r\nAnother fascinating element of this project was helping with a kiln firing. Older students helped me load the kiln for the bisque fire. We closed the lid and set a prayer that no projects would explode. And woohoo it was a success! Next was the glaze fire which is not as worrisome. Students learned how to carefully place projects onto stilts and ensure that projects were not touching each other, in order to avoid projects sticking Ask any of my students and they will tell you that the correct temperature for a low fire is around 1,900 degrees! They learned a lot being a part of this process!\r\n\r\nThe final step was Installing heavy vertical metal rods into the ground where the totem poles would go. We picked a few places around the art courtyard to place our totem poles and then we layered on the ceramic pieces.\r\n\r\nStudents worked hard on their creations, finding a way to add personal voice to a collaborative project. When students walk by the totems, they remember the group engagement and reminisce on the fun times they had creating them. \r\n\r\nOur school is oh so thankful for the opportunity to create something like this. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for funding our project!","fullyFundedDate":1732205406494,"projectUrl":"project/clay-extruder-and-ceramic-supplies-for-t/8796283/","projectTitle":"Clay Extruder and Ceramic Supplies for Tarpon Fundamental","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Stylianou","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9742636"},{"teacherId":9888186,"projectId":9033658,"letterContent":"I am excited to share the incredible impact your donations have had on our Garden Club! Your donations of our new aqua garden, hydroponic system, gardening tools, and tomato planters have transformed our club into a hands-on learning experience that fosters responsibility, teamwork, and a deep connection with nature.\r\n\r\nSince introducing these new tools, our students have engaged in meaningful, hands-on learning that extends beyond the classroom. With the aqua garden and hydroponic system, they have explored sustainable farming techniques, learning how to grow plants without soil and witnessing firsthand the importance of water conservation. This has sparked discussions about food security and environmental stewardship, inspiring many students to consider careers in agriculture, science, and sustainability.\r\n\r\nThe addition of gardening tools and tomato planters has empowered students to take ownership of their gardening projects. They are working on cultivating their own crops, from seed to harvest, experiencing the joy and patience that gardening requires. Many students have shared how this experience has improved their confidence and provided a sense of accomplishment, especially when they see their plants thriving.\r\n\r\nBeyond the practical skills, our garden has become a space for creativity, relaxation, and collaboration for our ENTIRE school!!! It has strengthened friendships, encouraged problem-solving, and provided a therapeutic escape from daily stress. Students leave each session with a deeper appreciation for nature and a stronger sense of responsibility for their environment.\r\n\r\nThank you for your support in making this vision a reality. Our Garden Club continues to grow, not just in plants but in knowledge, passion, and impact. We look forward to expanding our efforts and sharing the fruits of our labor with our school and community.","fullyFundedDate":1738250727057,"projectUrl":"project/bloom-where-you-are-planted/9033658/","projectTitle":"Bloom Where You Are Planted","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Fitz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9888186"},{"teacherId":9806818,"projectId":8886453,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for sponsoring our \"Step Up Student Engagement Levels Using STEM Challenges\" project! \r\n\r\nWhen the materials arrived at our school, I sent a photo of them to all of our instructional staff members to let them know that they were available to use in the classroom. The teachers were beyond excited! \r\n\r\nRight away, I had kindergarten and 1st grade teachers asking if they could use the STEM Literacy Kits with their students since they had just finished reading \"The Three Billy Goats Gruff\" in class. \r\n\r\nI was able to get a photo of some of our kindergarten students using the STEM kits during literacy centers to build a bridge that was tall enough for the goats to travel over the troll and strong enough to hold all three goats! They worked together and experienced success as a result. \r\n\r\nThank you for making learning come alive at our school! We appreciate your generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1732204285285,"projectUrl":"project/step-up-student-engagement-levels-using/8886453/","projectTitle":"Step Up Student Engagement Levels Using STEM Challenges!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Lloyd","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9806818"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_46946","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":267,"numTeachers":21,"percentFrplEligible":33,"percentAsian":2,"percentBlack":8,"percentWhite":71,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":11,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"12.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":94.6,"schoolId":46946,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Tarpon Spgs Fundmntl Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Tarpon Spgs Fundmntl Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/florida/pinellas-county-schools/tarpon-spgs-fundmntl-elementary-school/46946"}