{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Washington Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":16.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10045495,"projectId":9384093,"letterContent":"I was working as a paraprofessional aid in self-contained rooms for about 4.5 years and loved being able to help each student that I met year after year. This year was my first year as a lead teacher in a 2nd-grade self-contained classroom. The amount of time, dedication, and love that goes into getting a classroom ready is overwhelming. But there are amazing people all over the world who help teachers take some pressure off themselves. You and your team were a huge part of that, and for that, my students, my paraprofessionals, and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.\r\n\r\nThe students in my class are in my self-contained classroom because they need extra assistance and support academically, emotionally, socially, behaviorally, and physically. Your donations have helped each student build their confidence day after day.\r\nYour donations, such as the playdough, magnetic lined paper, and whiteboards, have been used to help them practice their sight words and their handwriting skills. A project we started working on is learning about animals. As a class, we pick an animal on Monday and we learn about its diet, habitat, characteristics, and fun facts. I use the magnetic lined paper to guide students on how to write the sentences in their notebooks; it is their favorite part of their school day! Another project we are working on is learning sight words. I watched a video that said, \"before kids can start writing, they need to know how to build the letters with manipulatives\". Students use the play-dough to shape out the 3 sight words we learn a week, and on Fridays, we start practicing writing them on their whiteboards. We end the day with the \"conversation card game\" that you donated. We sit in a circle and we practice taking turns, asking the next person the question, and giving compliments. This helps them with their social skills. \r\n\r\nWhen I shared with the students that we had special friends who donated so many incredible items to our classroom, a lot of them were confused as to why. Why so many items, why so much money, and why did you pick us? Such simple questions from 7-8-year-olds, which as teachers were hard to answer. When I tried my best to answer their questions, they could not help but cheer and use their \"Outside Voice\" which I did give them approval for. The students were extremely happy, thankful, and continued to love using each item you donated. \r\n\r\nThe school year just started and I have so many plans on what to do throughout the year. I have a plan to dedicate an hour each day using the social/emotional games to work as a class and participate. Many general education teachers do not have that in their schedule to teach. With my students, it is a must for them to learn. Before students can learn academically, we need to teach them appropriate/expected behaviors and how to regulate when having a difficult time. Your donations will help them thrive and prepare them for their future. \r\n\r\nTo wrap up this letter, I still have the same questions that the students had. Why so many items, why so much money, and why did you pick us? While we may never find out, we appreciate your donations, we appreciate the support, and we appreciate you all. Thank you for caring about our students.","fullyFundedDate":1749683513388,"projectUrl":"project/2nd-grade-adventures/9384093/","projectTitle":"2nd Grade Adventures!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Ambriz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10045495_orig.jpg?crop=999,999,x1213,y785&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1749486145851","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ambrizadventures"},{"teacherId":10068898,"projectId":9442722,"letterContent":"When my students first walked into the classroom and saw the new stools and the adjustable whiteboard, their faces absolutely lit up. They were excited to try out the stools right away, and many commented on how comfortable and fun they were to sit on. The whiteboard that can move up and down quickly became a favorite feature, as students love the chance to come up and write or solve problems at a level that works for them.\r\nWe've been using the stools during small group lessons and independent work, and I've noticed how much they help with focus. Students who usually fidget now have a seat that allows them to move slightly without being distracting, and it's making a real difference in their ability to stay engaged. The whiteboard has been a wonderful tool during math and reading. Recently, during a math lesson, students took turns coming up to the board to solve word problems, and they loved being able to adjust the board themselves to make it comfortable for them to work on.\r\nThanks to your generosity, our classroom feels more interactive, engaging, and welcoming. These tools have already become part of our daily routines, and I can see the positive impact on both learning and student confidence. Our next step is to continue using the whiteboard for collaborative group work and math problem-solving challenges, and I'm excited to see how the stools support students during upcoming writing projects.","fullyFundedDate":1752671507563,"projectUrl":"project/flexible-learning-dry-erase-board-sto/9442722/","projectTitle":"Flexible Learning: Dry-Erase Board & Stools for First Grade","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Czapla","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10068898"},{"teacherId":3711726,"projectId":9292142,"letterContent":"How are you and your students using the new resources? Share a specific classroom project or moment.\r\nThe classroom store materials have become an exciting and engaging part of our learning environment. We use the store as a practical tool to teach students about financial literacy—specifically how to save, buy, and spend responsibly. One specific project involved students earning classroom currency through positive behavior and completed assignments. \r\n\r\nHow did your students react when they first saw the materials?\r\nWhen the students first saw the classroom store materials, their faces lit up with excitement and curiosity. They immediately started talking about what they might \"buy\" and how they would earn their classroom money. It sparked a lot of enthusiasm and opened up conversations about saving and making smart spending choices. \r\nWhat are the next steps for your students on a current classroom lesson or project?\r\nThe next step in our project is helping students set short- and long-term savings goals. We'll be incorporating simple tracking sheets where students can plan their spending and saving over time in the outside world.","fullyFundedDate":1746787093055,"projectUrl":"project/student-lead-classroom-store/9292142/","projectTitle":"Student Lead Classroom Store!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Guerrero","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3711726_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1686251750421","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/sra-guerrero"},{"teacherId":3711726,"projectId":9001551,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for making the Disney Classroom transformation possible for my wonderful students. My students were so excited to open the boxes full of nice materials. On the day of the transformation, they enjoyed getting their baggies full of coloring packets, bracelets, stickers, and pens. \r\n My students played the games and learned to work as a team. They showed kindness and helped each other during the scavenger hunts and bingo. My students expressed it was the best day ever and would love to have another fun and educational classroom transformation again. Thank you again for making a difference in the social interactions and learning of my students.","fullyFundedDate":1740532276648,"projectUrl":"project/bringing-disney-characters-to-life-throu/9001551/","projectTitle":"Bringing Disney Characters to Life Through Fun Interactive Strategy Games","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Guerrero","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3711726_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1686251750421","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/sra-guerrero"},{"teacherId":9928722,"projectId":9124676,"letterContent":"Reading in my room is about discovering the English Language. For my young students' books are a wonderful way to do this. We read books together looking for connections to the students' lives to bridge their two languages. We look for cognates (words that are similar or almost the same in the two languages). Students look for words they have already mastered such as the, and, like, them, she, he, when, where what, how, etc.\r\n\r\nMy students are also allowed to check the books out from my room to share at home. This is very valuable as many don't have a lot of books in English at home. So, this helps supplement the regular school library checkout. I do my best to have books in my room more relatable to my ESL student's lives as well as more varied levels to be able to help them with reading overall. \r\n\r\nI had two students that stood out who really enjoyed the new books. They are siblings and came to the US with nothing. When they left their worn-torn country they also left behind their life, one that had a lot of books in it. They have shared to me that their bedroom had a big library. So, for them having access to books it really helps their adjustment to their new life.","fullyFundedDate":1744290669423,"projectUrl":"project/building-futures-advancing-english-lite/9124676/","projectTitle":"Building Futures: Advancing English Literacy for Lifelong Success","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Potter","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9928722"},{"teacherId":9652705,"projectId":8642879,"letterContent":"I hope this letter finds you well! I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible donations you made to my second-grade dual language classroom. \r\nYour generosity has made a tremendous impact on our learning environment, and I wanted to take a moment to share just how much it has mean to all of us. \r\nThanks to your kindness, we now have a set of eight stools that allow my students to sit comfortably during small group activities. Before this, we often had students move chairs from one place to another and didn't quite fit the needs of our learning environment. \r\nThe stools have transformed our small-group work by giving students a designated, comfortable space to focus and collaborate. As you can imagine, this has made a huge difference in how students engage with one another and the lessons. They are able to focus more effectively and take ownership of the learning because they now have a dedicated space to work. \r\n\r\nIn addition to the stools, your donation of the new mailbox cabinet has been such a blessing. In our busy classroom, staying organized is key to maintaining a smooth workflow, and the mailbox system has allowed us to do just that. With space for all 20 students' important papers—newsletters, parent notes, homework assignments, and class announcements—everything has a place. The kids are able to easily check and retrieve their notes from school to home, and vice versa. This has not only helped us stay organized but also helped foster a sense of responsibility in my students. They now feel a sense of ownership over the materials that travel back and forth, and it has made communication between school and home so much easier for everyone involved.\r\nAnother piece of the donation that has truly made a difference is the store shelf you provided to help us organize classroom materials. Before this, our materials were scattered around the room, making it difficult for students to quickly find what they needed. The new shelf has helped us create an organized, easily accessible system for everything from books to art supplies. This change has allowed my students to become more independent in managing their own supplies, which has been such a wonderful development in their growth as learners. They know exactly where to find what they need, and they take pride in keeping things neat and orderly.\r\nOverall, the transformation in our classroom has been remarkable. Not only have the students benefited from a more comfortable and organized space, but I have also noticed an increase in their focus and enthusiasm for learning. They are so excited to have a classroom that feels like a place where they can be proud to learn and grow. Your donation has made our classroom a space where students feel valued and empowered, and it has fostered a positive learning environment for all of them.\r\nI cannot express enough how much this has meant to both myself and my students. Your generosity has truly enhanced their educational experience, and I am deeply grateful for your support. The donations have helped us create an environment where students feel more comfortable, organized, and ready to learn. This has allowed me to focus more on their growth and success as learners, knowing that we have the tools we need to thrive.\r\nThank you again for your thoughtful and generous contribution. Your kindness has made a lasting impact on our classroom, and we are all truly grateful. It is because of donors like you that we are able to provide students with the best possible learning experience. We are so fortunate to have your support!\r\nWith sincere gratitude,\r\n Analucia Tenorio\r\n 2 grade Dual language Teacher - Washington School Mundelein IL.","fullyFundedDate":1733275612933,"projectUrl":"project/building-a-classroom/8642879/","projectTitle":"Building a Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Tenorio","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9652705"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_30352","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":461,"numTeachers":36,"percentFrplEligible":33,"percentAsian":5,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":38,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":49,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 2","studentTeacherRatio":"12.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":84.0,"schoolId":30352,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Washington Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Washington Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/mundelein-elementary-school-district-75/washington-elementary-school/30352"}