{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Gary Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":34.7,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8983880,"projectId":9725434,"letterContent":"I am writing this letter to express my sincere gratitude for your generosity and support of my classroom. Thanks to your kindness, we were able to purchase new graphic novels for our students as well as a vacuum to help keep the previously donated spaces clean and welcoming.\r\n\r\nThe new graphic novels have already made an immediate impact. Students gravitated toward them right away, excited to curl up with a book or settle in comfortably while working on a project. Having engaging, contemporary texts available has helped foster a love of reading and has made our library feel even more inviting. In addition,keeping these shared spaces clean and fresh is just as important, and the vacuum you helped provide allows us to properly care for the spaces that were so thoughtfully donated.\r\n\r\nAs a teacher, I see the challenges many of our students face each day. Many come from underprivileged backgrounds, and access to quality resources can make a meaningful difference in their academic lives. Your generosity has allowed us to create a more engaging and stimulating space, and just as importantly, it has shown our students that there are people who care deeply about their education beyond the walls of our school. Watching their faces light up when I add new things to the shared spaces is truly heartwarming and will have a lasting impact on their learning.\r\n\r\nLastly, I apologize if this sounds a bit sentimental, but in a world that can sometimes feel cold and distant, your selflessness is a powerful reminder that there are truly good people committed to making a positive difference.Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and support. Your contribution has made a real and lasting impact, and I am deeply honored to have your support.","fullyFundedDate":1758842139460,"projectUrl":"project/fresh-pages-fresh-spaces/9725434/","projectTitle":"Fresh Pages, Fresh Spaces","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Alcaraz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8983880_orig.jpg?crop=271,271,x143,y189&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1678808599787","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8983880"},{"teacherId":2454366,"projectId":9528036,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for contributing to my project. My students are so grateful to have the extra materials and supplies in the project, and it helps round out the classroom. The calculators are used every day and will continue to be used every year. The chart paper and chart markers allow me to create anchor charts, as well as provide students with a medium for working on larger projects using the chart paper as well. The tissue was so needed as we enter cold and flu season, and every day, someone has a cold. Thank you so much for helping our students have what they need to thrive.","fullyFundedDate":1760735152307,"projectUrl":"project/help-diverse-learners-with-needed-materi/9528036/","projectTitle":"Help Diverse Learners with Needed Materials","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Szymanski","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2454366_orig.png?crop=664,664,x0,y216&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1754154951123","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/pirates"},{"teacherId":9483198,"projectId":9529299,"letterContent":"As the equipment and the soccer balls were received. I brought them into practice. The students in the team were excited and grateful to be able to practice with new equipment.. that helped them develop their skills for the season. We were able to use the soccer balls in our matches.\r\nBut what this did to the team was developed their confidence in the game of soccer and also to get experience at a higher level of training. So with the current equipment, we will use it also for the spring and the girls season where they also get experience. To develop their talent.","fullyFundedDate":1754684830020,"projectUrl":"project/kicking-into-soccer-season/9529299/","projectTitle":"Kicking into Soccer Season","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Bonilla","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9483198"},{"teacherId":6397262,"projectId":9201409,"letterContent":"Your generous contributions have made a tangible impact on math engagement and skill development in our classrooms! We've fully integrated the 24® Game into our school day, maximizing its potential for flexible, focused math practice. Students enthusiastically use the games during our WIN (What I Need) period, as a productive activity when they finish classwork early, and even to bring some fun to indoor recess on rainy days. Our math club is also benefiting greatly; we always start our meetings with a round of the 24 Game to \"stretch our brain muscles\" and get everyone focused on mathematical reasoning. A particularly memorable moment was watching two students, who typically struggle with mental math, erupt in cheers after they successfully solved a challenging card together (worth 3 points!) — an excellent example of the collaborative, low-stress environment the game fosters. Their initial reaction to seeing the boxes of new games was pure excitement; they were thrilled to open a new card game, and knowing the games would be easily accessible in every classroom throughout the school made them feel like they had a shared, accessible resource to continuously improve their skills.\r\n\r\nThe excitement and healthy competition surrounding the 24 Game have truly invigorated our students' math identities. The games have become a powerful tool for building self-confidence as students realize they can perform complex mental calculations quickly and accurately. Our next steps are centered around sustaining this momentum and leveraging it for a major school-wide event. We will continue to play the 24 Game daily, and students will keep building their skills as they work towards the first-ever all-school 24 Game competition at the end of the school year! This upcoming competition serves as a motivating goal, encouraging sustained practice and helping students see themselves as capable, successful mathematicians. Thank you again for providing this engaging, impactful resource that is making math both fun and fundamentally rewarding for our students.","fullyFundedDate":1746455637200,"projectUrl":"project/the-24-challenge-sharpening-mathematica/9201409/","projectTitle":"The 24 Challenge: Sharpening Mathematical Minds Through Play","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Aranda","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6397262_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723749550612","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6397262"},{"teacherId":6397262,"projectId":9200161,"letterContent":"The arrival of the new robotics kit and expansion set was a moment of pure joy and excitement in our robotics afterschool club. When my students first saw the boxes, their eyes lit up, and they immediately started buzzing with ideas for the robot they could build. Thanks to your generous donation, we were able to unbox a world of possibilities, moving from theoretical designs to hands-on creation. We are using these resources every week as the foundation for our First Lego League team. A particularly memorable moment was watching a small group of 3 students use a unique piece from the expansion kit to design a grabbing claw they had been struggling with for days. When they finally attached it to the robot and successfully programmed it to open and close the claw to pick up a game piece, the cheers of \"Yes! We did it!\" echoed through the room, perfectly capturing the spirit of discovery and collaboration this project has ignited.\r\n\r\nThis grant has been transformative, providing the essential tools for our students to develop critical thinking, programming, and engineering skills. The resources have not only sparked a deeper interest in STEM but have also fostered incredible teamwork and perseverance. Our next step is to prepare for the upcoming First Lego League competition. The team is currently focused on refining their robot's design to make it more durable and efficient for the competition table. They are also learning more advanced programming techniques to tackle the complex, multi-step missions required to score points. This season's theme is archaeology. The students are now thinking as engineers as to how they would be able to help out archaeologists out in the field. Your donation is at the very heart of this journey, giving my students the confidence and the capability to turn their ideas into a functioning robot they are proud of.","fullyFundedDate":1743010059278,"projectUrl":"project/code-crafters-building-tomorrows-probl/9200161/","projectTitle":"Code Crafters: Building Tomorrow's Problem Solvers with Robotics Kits","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Aranda","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6397262_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723749550612","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6397262"},{"teacherId":10248189,"projectId":9697279,"letterContent":"Words cannot express how grateful my students and I are for your generous donation of a document camera to our classroom! Your support has already made a powerful difference in how we learn and engage with each other every day.\r\n\r\nSince receiving the document camera, I've been able to model writing strategies and math problem-solving live in front of the whole class. Students can now clearly see every detail—whether it's a passage in a book, a step-by-step math example, or even their classmates' work shared for discussion.\r\n\r\nThis tool has completely transformed our classroom into a more interactive, inclusive, and visually engaging learning space. My students are more focused and enthusiastic because they can follow along so much more easily.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in our classroom and helping us bridge the gap between traditional teaching and modern learning. Your generosity continues to inspire not only me as a teacher, but my students as well. We are deeply appreciative of your kindness and investment in our future.","fullyFundedDate":1757889300050,"projectUrl":"project/bring-lessons-to-life-with-a-document-c/9697279/","projectTitle":"Bring Lessons to Life (with a Document Camera)","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sosa","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10248189"},{"teacherId":9417854,"projectId":9703646,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your donation. I'm a mom of two who works on the Southwest side of Chicago teaching middle school Science. I used to (and still do!) spend alot of my personal money on supplies for my classroom, but since having two babies in the past two years, I haven't been able to contribute financially to my work kids in the same way I used to! I really appreciate you taking time to look through the Donor's Choose sight, choose my project, and donate your money and time to purchase things for my classroom. I'm a teacher who really loves my students and treat them as if they were my own kids, and I always strive to give them the best and the same opportunities as any other student would receive. \r\n\r\nThese materials have helped me already implement differentiated instruction to my classroom. My students range in their Reading and Math levels from 3rd grade all the way up to Geometry skills! As you can imagine, it's difficult to always have the resources and materials to provide something for them to learn the skills at all of these different levels! This has saved me time and provided for my students with what they need to grow and hopefully, get into a great highschool and college.\r\n\r\nThank you thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1758420646245,"projectUrl":"project/differentiated-math-and-reading-material/9703646/","projectTitle":"Differentiated Math and Reading Materials for Southwest Chicago Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Johnson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9417854_orig.png?crop=760,760,x101,y963&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1704727824091","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9417854"},{"teacherId":9417854,"projectId":9523861,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your donation. I'm a mom of two who works on the Southwest side of Chicago teaching middle school Science. I used to (and still do!) spend alot of my personal money on supplies for my classroom, but since having two babies in the past two years, I haven't been able to contribute financially to my work kids in the same way I used to! I really appreciate you taking time to look through the Donor's Choose sight, choose my project, and donate your money and time to purchase things for my classroom. I'm a teacher who really loves my students and treat them as if they were my own kids, and I always strive to give them the best and the same opportunities as any other student would receive. \r\n\r\nMy kids were so excited to open the boxes and see all of the supplies. They were especially pumped to get a new prize box for completing academic competitions, opening each of the little prizes to put in the treasure box. Personally, I was excited to have a new stapler (hah) and some Lysol wipes and tissues to get us through a tough Chicago winter!\r\n\r\nThank you thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1755686528746,"projectUrl":"project/back-to-school-supplies-for-southwest-ch/9523861/","projectTitle":"Back to School Supplies for Southwest Chicago Students!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Johnson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9417854_orig.png?crop=760,760,x101,y963&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1704727824091","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9417854"},{"teacherId":2454366,"projectId":9196191,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for contributing to our grant. We are so happy to have a reward system in place and my kids are responding to it. I want you to know that you have made such a big impact for my students. We are working towards strong academic and behavior goals every single day. Your kindness has really created the path for us to work closely together so that we are developing new habits and patterns. You can see the impact on the students' work. We are now making connections between behavior and work and the progress is starting to show. Thank you SO much! Dr. S.","fullyFundedDate":1746480950563,"projectUrl":"project/help-create-a-reward-system-for-a-specia/9196191/","projectTitle":"Help Create a Reward System for a Special Education Class","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Szymanski","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2454366_orig.png?crop=664,664,x0,y216&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1754154951123","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/pirates"},{"teacherId":9973051,"projectId":9194513,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous donation, our classroom has been able to keep up with one of our most essential needs — copy paper! While it may seem like a simple supply, it plays a huge role in our self-contained classroom, where visual supports are the key to daily learning and communication.\r\n\r\nAs soon as the paper arrived, we got right to work printing visual schedules, communication boards, adapted books, behavior supports, and hands-on learning materials. One specific project that stood out was creating individualized visual learning binders for each student. These binders help students with routines, academic tasks, and emotional regulation — and because of you, every student has access to clear, consistent, and personalized visuals that meet their unique needs.\r\n\r\nRight now, we're working on a life skills unit, and the copy paper is allowing us to print task cards, step-by-step visuals, and adapted worksheets so each student can fully participate and succeed. We're even preparing for a classroom \"grocery store\" project, where students will use printed shopping lists, money visuals, and role-play menus to practice real-world skills.\r\n\r\nYour support has made a real and lasting difference. Thank you for helping us create a classroom environment that is structured, accessible, and empowering for every student. We couldn't do it without you!","fullyFundedDate":1743515671194,"projectUrl":"project/please-supply-my-cluster-classroom-with/9194513/","projectTitle":"Please Supply My Cluster Classroom With Copy Paper","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Gonzalez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9973051"},{"teacherId":9870074,"projectId":9003771,"letterContent":"My students and I can not thank you enough for your donation. We really appreciate you funding our grant!\r\n\r\nYour donation has made it possible for special education students who are struggling with reading to have books at their level. My fourth grade classroom consists of many students reading at the kindergarten through second grade levels. \r\n\r\nPreviously, there were not any decodable books, based on the science of reading, which would allow my students to practice their ever expanding skills. Thanks to you, that is no longer the case! Now, every child in the room can find a book at his/her level to call their own.\r\n\r\nIt has been so rewarding to see students head to the bin of decodable readers because they know they can find something that is manageable for them. Previously, they were feeling like they were not a reader. Not any more, thanks to you!!!!!!!","fullyFundedDate":1739369079545,"projectUrl":"project/books-we-can-read/9003771/","projectTitle":"Books We Can Read!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Schusterman","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9870074"},{"teacherId":373203,"projectId":9132667,"letterContent":"It's difficult to engage your students in class when many struggle to read and write; but when it comes to creativity, there is no limit. This is exactly what having Legos has brought to my classrooms; it has sparked imagination and innovation! \r\n\r\nMy students were super excited to open up the Lego boxes and start building. We have even put some out in the main building hallway for others to admire our building skills. Students who have trouble concentrating in class are the first to take out the sets and complete them on their own. \r\n\r\nWe now have an official Lego club in our classroom and students have begun to build their own creations! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for inspiring innovation and creativity in my classroom. Thank you for fueling our passion for learning!","fullyFundedDate":1744033077276,"projectUrl":"project/visualize-and-build-a-zen-garden-for-our/9132667/","projectTitle":"Visualize and build a Zen garden for our classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Cisneros","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp373203_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1486579993060","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/melissacisneros"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5583","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":717,"numTeachers":53,"percentFrplEligible":93,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":0,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":98,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"13.5:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":65.3,"schoolId":5583,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Gary Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Gary Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/gary-elementary-school/5583"}