{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"James Shields Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":39.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":547486,"projectId":9841680,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of the Running Builds Girl Power II project. Because of your kindness, our middle school girls now have the winter beanies, gloves, and salty snacks they need to stay warm and fueled as they train for their upcoming 5K. In the winter we also have the option to use the park district's gym across the street to get in our laps and physical activity when the weather is extreme. I was able to capture a few photos of the girls wearing their colorful new beanies as we headed to practice! These photos will be posted to the project page!\r\n\r\nYour contribution is providing more than just gear; you are helping our students build lasting self-esteem and confidence with every stride. By investing in their health and wellness, you've shown them that their community believes in their strength and potential. We are so grateful to have you on our team as we empower these girls to cross the finish line with pride! \r\n\r\nSeveral of our girls were part of our Fall Girls on the Run team and now they are on the Winter Running team to maintain their fitness (and have fun) until the official Spring season kicks off! \r\n\r\nWe so appreciate your support! XOXO","fullyFundedDate":1764601292860,"projectUrl":"project/running-builds-girl-power-ii/9841680/","projectTitle":"Running Builds Girl Power II","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Weiss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp547486_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467602111210","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jill-weiss"},{"teacherId":547486,"projectId":9884908,"letterContent":"On behalf of my students here in Chicago, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your incredible support of our math classroom. As a school with minimal funding for essential resources, we rely heavily on the kindness of donors like you, and your contribution has truly made a difference. By funding our project, you have provided more than just supplies; you have invested directly into an active, engaging, and high-impact learning environment. We are now equipped with the essential tools—protractors, highlighters, dry erase markers, and desktop sign holders—that empower every student to participate fully and succeed academically.\r\n\r\nThe impact of these tools is already being felt. The Desktop Sign Holders are a game-changer, transforming our classroom discussions by providing visible anchors for academic sentence stems and focused prompts, ensuring every student can articulate their ideas clearly and participate in high-level conversations. Our protractors are allowing for accurate measurement and precise graphing, while the highlighters are making active note-taking and identification of key concepts a regular practice. Furthermore, the dry erase markers facilitate low-stakes, high-frequency practice on personal whiteboards, encouraging collaboration and making it easy for students to take risks, solve problems, and correct mistakes without fear.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has given my students the confidence and the practical resources they need to excel in math and beyond. Knowing that our community—even outside of Chicago—cares enough to invest in their success is incredibly motivating for them and for me. Thank you once again for providing the resources that are helping us build a dynamic, supportive, and active learning environment where my students can truly thrive.\r\n\r\nWe so appreciate your support! XOXO","fullyFundedDate":1764598875778,"projectUrl":"project/essential-tools-for-active-learning/9884908/","projectTitle":"Essential Tools for Active Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Weiss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp547486_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467602111210","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jill-weiss"},{"teacherId":547486,"projectId":9740650,"letterContent":"We are so grateful for your support of our girls running club! Your recent donation has provided us with some fantastic, inspiring items that the girls LOVED. Your generosity has gifted our runners with Inspirational Canvas Bags. These beautiful bags are perfect for carrying personal items, offering a touch of personal style, and they serve as a daily reminder of their strength and positive affirmations. This project also provided High-Quality Wicking Socks which are essential for comfort and performance! These socks will help keep their feet happy, ensuring they can focus completely on their running and goals. Additionally, you provided salty snacks: The perfect fuel for post-run recovery! These snacks helped replenish electrolytes and energy after hard work on the track.\r\n\r\nWe believe in nourishing both the body and the spirit. Your contribution ensures they are physically prepared and emotionally uplifted. The canvas bags add a creative outlet and a boost of individuality, while the socks and snacks ensure they are comfortable and energized. Together, these items reinforce the message that they are worth investing in, both as athletes and as young women.\r\n\r\nThank you again for your unwavering belief in our runners and for helping us empower them with every step they take. We so appreciate your support!","fullyFundedDate":1760716986977,"projectUrl":"project/running-builds-girls-power/9740650/","projectTitle":"Running Builds Girls' Power!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Weiss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp547486_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467602111210","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jill-weiss"},{"teacherId":547486,"projectId":9500974,"letterContent":"On behalf of every girl in our running club, I want to express our deepest and most sincere gratitude for your incredible donation. Your support means the world to us and has brought so much excitement to our team! Thanks to your kindness, our runners are now equipped with fantastic new gear!\r\n\r\nWater bottles: Each girl carried their new leakproof sporty water bottle to every practice and to our end of season 5K! The water bottles are vibrant, trendy, and the girls stayed hydrated! \r\n\r\nHair Ties: Simple, but essential! These helped keep their focus on running, not on flyaway hairs!\r\n\r\nWicking Socks: Comfort is key! These high-quality socks help prevent blisters and keep our runners comfortable on the track. They will continue to run in these socks next season!\r\n\r\nRunning is about setting goals, pushing limits, and realizing potential. Your donation not only makes their physical journey more comfortable but sends a powerful message that they are supported, valued, and believed in. That confidence—that knowledge—is what truly fuels their spirit and drives them forward.\r\n\r\nThank you for being such an important part of our running club family and for investing in the future of these remarkable young women. We so appreciate your support!","fullyFundedDate":1755719833985,"projectUrl":"project/running-builds-girl-power/9500974/","projectTitle":"Running Builds Girl Power","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Weiss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp547486_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467602111210","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jill-weiss"},{"teacherId":4704618,"projectId":9478191,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating our rotating bookshelf! My students were immediately excited and gathered around it the moment it arrived. The new display makes it easier for them to discover books, explore different genres, and talk with classmates about what they're reading. I've already seen students who rarely checked out books become more interested simply because the shelf invites them to browse. Your generosity has created a more welcoming and inspiring reading space in our classroom, and it truly makes a difference every day. We are deeply grateful for your support!","fullyFundedDate":1754487538920,"projectUrl":"project/a-home-for-our-books-a-world-for-our-re/9478191/","projectTitle":"A Home for our Books, A World for our Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cabral","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4704618_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753532752460","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4704618"},{"teacherId":547486,"projectId":9363671,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating to our classroom! We so appreciate your support! Your donation ensures that every student has the essential supplies to fully engage with the curriculum and thrive in our Algebra classroom. Equipping students with essential tools like notebooks and folders might seem simple, but it lays a crucial foundation for their learning journey in a subject that often requires meticulous note-taking, organization, and practice. Students use their notebooks on a daily basis for notetaking and as a resource! We can't thank you enough!\r\n\r\nXOXO","fullyFundedDate":1757553268321,"projectUrl":"project/algebra-ready/9363671/","projectTitle":"Algebra Ready!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Weiss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp547486_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467602111210","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jill-weiss"},{"teacherId":547486,"projectId":9280108,"letterContent":"I want to take the opportunity to thank you for donating to our classroom. We so appreciate your support! My students use the whiteboards on a daily basis! With individual dry erase boards, students actively engage in graphing lines, exploring geometric transformations, and eventually will get to solving systems of equations right at their desks. The whiteboards provide students a space to explore without a fear of making mistakes. I am attaching some photos of how we are using the individual whiteboards in our math classroom. We love using them!\r\n\r\nThank you so much!","fullyFundedDate":1752853272479,"projectUrl":"project/graph-it-sketch-it-solve-it/9280108/","projectTitle":"Graph It! Sketch It! Solve It!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Weiss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp547486_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467602111210","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jill-weiss"},{"teacherId":9627315,"projectId":9390773,"letterContent":"I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your generous donation. The new overhead projector has made such a difference in our classroom! The students noticed it right away on the first day, with each class saying, \"Now we don't have to turn off all the lights to see the screen!\" Our old projector just wasn't doing the job anymore, so this upgrade has been a huge improvement.\r\n\r\nWhen my project was funded, I was overjoyed and so grateful to everyone who contributed, including friends, family, and friends of friends. While waiting for the projector, I learned that the projector I originally chose was no longer available, but a DonorsChoose representative went above and beyond to help me find the best alternative. She even helped me find a wireless adapter for the projector, which has made teaching so much easier. Now I can move around the classroom while projecting from my device. It has been a total game changer and has taken away one big classroom frustration.\r\n\r\nThank you again for your kindness and generosity. I know times are tough for everyone, and I truly appreciate that you chose to support my students. Your contribution has directly improved the quality of education for Chicago Public Schools students.\r\n\r\nUntil next time.","fullyFundedDate":1755776517541,"projectUrl":"project/an-overhead-projector-for-our-classroom/9390773/","projectTitle":"An Overhead Projector for Our Classroom!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lazaro","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9627315_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y836&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722911116484","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mslizetlazaro"},{"teacherId":547486,"projectId":9021658,"letterContent":"Thank you again for donating to our classroom. With your support, we now have a bright projector to bring lessons to life with crisp, clear images that captivate the attention of my students. It's amazing how one piece of technology truly makes a difference! Your donation has made a direct impact for each and every student!\r\n\r\nWe use the projector to view lesson slides, graphs, online tools, and to project lesson notes and student work for all to see! It truly helps keep students engaged and the classroom discussion focused - literally and figuratively!\r\n\r\nWe so appreciate your support! Thank you, again, for donating to our classroom! \r\n\r\nXOXO","fullyFundedDate":1742952566671,"projectUrl":"project/brighten-learning-with-a-new-classroom-p/9021658/","projectTitle":"Brighten Learning With a New Classroom Projector!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Weiss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp547486_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467602111210","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jill-weiss"},{"teacherId":4704618,"projectId":7146377,"letterContent":"Thanks to this project being funded, my students now have access to engaging, high-quality texts through Storyworks—and the impact is already unfolding. With a rich mix of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reader's theater, and grammar practice, students are more excited to read and write than ever before.\r\n\r\nThese resources have made it easier to differentiate instruction and bring in real-world topics that spark curiosity. Most importantly, students are discovering that nonfiction isn't boring and writing can be powerful, fun, and creative. The digital and print-ready activities allow for flexible learning, and the engaging content helps every student feel connected and confident.\r\n\r\nI'm so grateful to the donors who made this possible—your support is making a real difference in our classroom every day.","fullyFundedDate":1680228178251,"projectUrl":"project/no-writers-block-here/7146377/","projectTitle":"No Writer's Block Here!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cabral","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4704618_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753532752460","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4704618"},{"teacherId":9812781,"projectId":8897237,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my project. I teach 7th-grade students in Brighton Park, and I was so happy the day I found out it was fully funded. I couldn't wait to share the news with my students, and when I did, they were just as excited as I was!\r\n\r\nWe picked out the snacks, some fun, and some healthy options; when the packages arrived, the students helped unbox everything. They had so many questions like, \"Who gave this to us?\" and \"Why would someone send us snacks?\" This led to a really meaningful class discussion about how important they are, and how there are kind people who care about students and want to support their learning.\r\n\r\nThe snacks have had a big impact. Students are more focused and energized throughout the day. They feel cared for and seen, which makes a difference in how they approach learning. It's also created a positive and supportive atmosphere in our classroom and around the building.\r\n\r\nThe impact didn't stop there because staff in my building noticed how excited and engaged my students were. Several coworkers told me they thought this was a great idea, and some have even started their own DonorsChoose projects to bring snacks into their classrooms, too. It's been wonderful to see how your generosity inspired others and started a ripple effect in our school.\r\n\r\nThank you again for making this possible. Your support has brought joy, sparked important conversations, and helped our whole school community in a real and meaningful way.","fullyFundedDate":1739282342523,"projectUrl":"project/hungry-to-learn-providing-snacks-for-gr/8897237/","projectTitle":"Hungry to Learn: Providing Snacks for Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Salazar","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9812781"},{"teacherId":547486,"projectId":8954885,"letterContent":"I want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU again for donating to our classroom! This project provided grab-n-go snacks to keep students going until their next meal! We all know how hard it is to focus when you are hungry. My students need snacks to stay focused and energized! \r\n\r\nI have uploaded some pictures from my afternoon class. These students needed a snack to get them through the rest of the day! They are hardworking students. Students have 6 hour-long periods each day. This class is an intervention and enrichment class during which students work on their own personal learning plans while I meet with small groups. The snacks keep them focused and going after a long day at school.\r\n\r\nWe so appreciate your support! \r\n\r\nTHANK YOU!!! XOXO","fullyFundedDate":1741983912967,"projectUrl":"project/snacks-to-stay-focused/8954885/","projectTitle":"Snacks to Stay Focused!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Weiss","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp547486_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1467602111210","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jill-weiss"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_103755","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":375,"numTeachers":34,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":0,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":96,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"5 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"11.0:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":60.8,"schoolId":103755,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about James Shields Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"James Shields Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/shields-middle-school/103755"}