Bowman Elementary School in Lexington, Massachusetts on DonorsChoose

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Students have used the headphones when reading, writing, and working independently, and when they simply want a brief, calming break. Happily, I have noticed an increase in the quality and quantity of student work as well.\r\n\r\nOn behalf of my students this year and in the years to come, thank you so much for your support in enhancing their educational experience!","fullyFundedDate":1730079837119,"projectUrl":"project/the-soothing-sound-of-silence-student-f/8904313/","projectTitle":"The Soothing Sound of Silence: Student-Friendly Noise-Cancelling Headphones","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Curhan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8304148"},{"teacherId":8304148,"projectId":8780852,"letterContent":"Each year, I welcome to my class a new group of second-grade students, children who bring with them a wide variety of interests in reading topics. Some rave about the many adventures of Jack and Annie, the protagonists in Mary Pope Osborne's series \"Magic Tree House.\" Others delight in sharing the mischievous exploits of characters in Suzy Kline's \"Horrible Harry\" series. Still others express a desire to learn more about nonfiction topics, be it outer space, dinosaurs, flying animals, and many more. Students also have different strengths with their reading: some can fly through long chapter books, while others need word-by-word support with shorter texts. Thus, as a classroom teacher I feel it is incredibly important to provide numerous access points to books, both related to reading fluency and to the diverse interests.\r\n\r\nI also feel that it is important to keep my classroom library fresh, and update my selection of books. While some books, such as the series above, are timeless, others become outdated or less appealing as student interests change over the years. In addition, books can become \"well-loved\" after being read by many a student, and need to be retired or replaced due to heavy use.\r\n\r\nThe substantial donations by the SONIC Foundation have helped me with all of the above. Because of the SONIC Foundation's generosity, I have been able to update my library with new books at multiple reading \"levels,\" expand current series (including replacing \"well-loved\" books), and add new books across multiple genres. For example, students interested in learning more about pets now have \"Fly Guy: Dogs\" and \"A Pet for Fly Guy\" to grow and share their knowledge. Students wanting to read books with diverse characters have such series as \"Sadiq,\" \"King & Kayla,\" and \"Nikki and Deja.\" And students who love animals as protagonists can enjoy \"The Infamous Ratsos\" and \"Fox & Chick.\" \r\n\r\nIncreasing the variety of books available in my classroom library has promoted student reading engagement and allowed students to utilize the new strategies I teach with high-interest books. Students are able to practice summarizing new information learned through one of the series the SONIC Foundation funded, Tedd Arnold's \"Fly Guy\" nonfiction series. They can also practice techniques to decode and define challenging words through more advanced texts the SONIC Foundation funded, including Lenore Look's series \"Alvin Ho.\" And, students can look for trends across books within a series, and compare and contrast the events and characters, by reading multiple books in the same series, such as the multiple copies I was able to purchase of Dori Hillestad Butler's \"King and Kayla.\"\r\n\r\nThanks to the thoughtfulness of the SONIC Foundation, my students are able to jump into the world of reading through a variety of new fiction and nonfiction books. 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About this school

Bowman Elementary School is a suburban public school in Lexington, Massachusetts that is part of Lexington Public School District. It serves 429 students in grades K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 8.9:1. Its teachers have had 4 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Public School

Grades K - 5

429 Students

48 Teachers

9 Philip Rd

Lexington, MA 02421 View local requests

http://bowman.lexingtonma.org

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Bowman Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Mr. Curhan

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Bowman Elementary School Demographics

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

51%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Bowman Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.