{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Nightingale Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":34.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":3163087,"projectId":9437842,"letterContent":"I want to thank you for your donations and generosity to my students. \r\nBecause of your generosity, our students now have access to diverse, meaningful literature that reflects a variety of voices, experiences, and perspectives. Thank you for supporting our project, *\"Building a Diverse Classroom Through Literature.\"* Your donation has made a lasting impact on our classroom community, and we are incredibly grateful.\r\n\r\nThese new texts have transformed the way students engage with reading. In our classroom, books are not simply stories to finish—they are opportunities to think critically, build empathy, and make meaningful connections to the world around them. Through these diverse texts, students are learning important literacy skills such as identifying themes, analyzing character development, citing textual evidence, and understanding how an author's perspective shapes a story. Just as importantly, they are learning to ask questions, consider different viewpoints, and engage in thoughtful discussions about identity, resilience, justice, family, and belonging.\r\n\r\nMany of the books we received have opened doors to conversations our students may not have had otherwise. Students are learning that literature can act as both a mirror and a window—a mirror reflecting experiences similar to their own and a window into lives and cultures different from theirs. These texts encourage students to think deeply about challenges people face, historical events, personal struggles, and the power of perseverance and community. They are strengthening not only reading comprehension skills, but also compassion and critical thinking.\r\n\r\nReading in our classroom is active, collaborative, and student-centered. You might see students annotating passages, discussing ideas with partners, participating in small-group literature discussions, or independently reading while jotting down questions and reflections. We often pause to examine powerful quotes, discuss a character's decisions, or connect themes to current events and personal experiences. Students engage in creative projects, writing activities, and evidence-based discussions that help them dive deeper into the texts. Reading has become a space where students feel safe sharing ideas and discovering their voices.\r\n\r\nSome students, especially those who previously struggled to see themselves reflected in books, have been particularly excited about the new additions. One student who rarely participated in discussions has become eager to share thoughts after connecting with a character's experiences. Another student, who often said they \"didn't like reading,\" now asks if they can borrow books to continue reading at home. Students who are reluctant readers have become more engaged because the stories feel relevant, authentic, and relatable.\r\n\r\nPerhaps most importantly, these books have helped students realize that their stories matter and that understanding others' stories matters, too. Your support has done more than place books on our shelves—it has helped create a classroom where every student feels seen, valued, and inspired to grow as a reader and thinker.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our students and helping us build a stronger, more inclusive classroom through literature.","fullyFundedDate":1755460946499,"projectUrl":"project/building-a-diverse-classroom-through-lit/9437842/","projectTitle":"Building a Diverse Classroom Through Literature","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Perez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3163087_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467417837617","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/alexandra-perez"},{"teacherId":10442335,"projectId":10120736,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation! It is so heartening to know my students have a 'community hero' like you in their corner. We've already started using the new materials, and the energy in the classroom is incredible. Thank you for investing in our success and making our day!\r\n\r\nThese supplies are exactly what we needed to keep our momentum going this semester. Because of your kindness, my students have the tools they need to stay organized and focused on learning. We are so grateful for your support!","fullyFundedDate":1773864506164,"projectUrl":"project/the-art-of-wellness-student-led-commun/10120736/","projectTitle":"The \"Art of Wellness\" Student-Led Community Service Initiative","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hernandez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10442335"},{"teacherId":3530736,"projectId":9371364,"letterContent":"On behalf of our entire second-grade classroom, I want to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thank you for your generous donations that allowed us to purchase new Spanish-language books. Your kindness has made an extraordinary difference in the daily lives of our students, and I am honored to share with you the many ways your gift has impacted their learning, confidence, and joy.\r\n\r\nFrom the moment the books arrived, the classroom atmosphere changed. Students rushed to the shelves with excitement, flipping through pages filled with vibrant illustrations and stories that reflected their language. For many of our bilingual learners, this was the first time they held books in Spanish that truly felt like they belonged to them—books they could read with pride and understanding.\r\n\r\nYour donations also helped nurture a love of reading among students who previously felt unsure of their skills. With texts that matched their linguistic strengths, these children gained the confidence they needed to engage with stories more deeply. I have watched reluctant readers transform into enthusiastic participants during reading time.\r\n\r\nPerhaps the most significant impact of your generosity is the sense of empowerment it has given our students. By placing high-quality Spanish-language literature in their hands, you have shown them that their voices and identities matter. You have given them the tools to dream bigger, read more bravely, and learn with joy.\r\nThank you, truly, for investing in our students' future.","fullyFundedDate":1758221850420,"projectUrl":"project/spanish-reading-is-fun/9371364/","projectTitle":"Spanish Reading Is Fun!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Galvan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp3530736_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1465921897513","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3530736"},{"teacherId":6603804,"projectId":9577084,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating to my classroom project. Having this large rug with a dedicated space for each student has made such a positive difference in our learning environment.\r\n\r\nMy students love coming to the carpet and sitting in their assigned spots to learn together each day. Beyond our daily lessons, the rug has become a favorite place for flexible seating time, where students feel comfortable collaborating, reading, and working independently.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has truly enhanced our classroom and helped create a space where students feel excited and supported as they learn. Thank you for making this possible.","fullyFundedDate":1755192078589,"projectUrl":"project/new-classroom-rug/9577084/","projectTitle":"New Classroom Rug","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Alvarez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6603804_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755195207493","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6603804"},{"teacherId":8109297,"projectId":9356429,"letterContent":"Our preschool students have been joyfully exploring our new sensory table during our Pets Study. We recently filled the table with Cocoa Puffs to represent \"edible pet food,\" and students practiced feeding pretend animals while quantifying how many scoops each pet needed. This simple but powerful activity strengthened counting skills, one-to-one correspondence, and language development as students compared amounts and explained their choices. During our Farms Unit, we filled the table with dried corn so students could repeat the activity, this time exploring farm animals, measuring scoops, and discussing how farmers feed their animals. These hands-on moments brought our themes to life and helped students connect learning to real-world experiences.\r\n\r\nThe students' reactions when they first saw the sensory table set up for each study were priceless. They were excited to touch, scoop, pour, and explore the new materials, often gathering in pairs or small groups to share tools and talk about what they were doing. Many were eager to \"feed\" their animals and proudly counted out loud as they measured scoops. Their enthusiasm showed how meaningful and motivating sensory-based learning can be for young children.\r\n\r\nLooking ahead, the sensory table will continue to support upcoming studies by offering a variety of engaging materials such as flour, sand, beans, slime, and more. These materials will help students explore texture, measurement, scientific inquiry, and early math concepts in each new unit we introduce. Thanks to your generosity, our sensory table has become a core part of our classroom, and we look forward to sharing even more of our students' discoveries with you.","fullyFundedDate":1757550925392,"projectUrl":"project/tiny-hands-big-discoveries-donate-to-o/9356429/","projectTitle":"Tiny Hands, Big Discoveries: Donate to our Sensory Table!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Palomino","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8109297_orig.jpg?crop=750,750,x0,y65&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1646761364786","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8109297"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5697","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":959,"numTeachers":59,"percentFrplEligible":94,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":0,"percentIndigenous":1,"percentLatinx":97,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":0,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"16.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":65.4,"schoolId":5697,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Nightingale Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Nightingale Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/nightingale-elementary-school/5697"}