{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"William A Welch Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":14.3,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9886219,"projectId":9051252,"letterContent":"I want to thank you again for your very generous donation! I appreciate it, but I know that my students appreciate it even more. At a time when resources are hard to come by, receiving these books has made such a difference in how I'm able to teach phonics and reading. So much of today's instruction is done through devices, so having an opportunity to actually hold books in our hands and being able to turn pages is a welcomed break. Technology has made instruction more convenient and accessible, but I also believe it is still important for students to be actively engaged in their learning. Besides giving them a break from screens, these books have allowed them to process the text they're reading in a slightly different way.\r\n\r\nWithout the benefit of any type of phonics curriculum, I'm often left trying to figure out what to teach and how to teach it. This typically results in rushing to find resources online at the last minute. The books you donated are organized into series, based on different phonics skills (e.g., CVC words, digraphs, consonant blends, etc.). Because each book targets a specific word pattern, addressing an individual's learning needs has become much easier. As a result, it makes differentiating my instruction more effective and efficient. In addition, the stories and presentation of the material is much more contemporary than the typical sets of decodable readers that are used. This makes reading the books more inviting for my students and has increased their overall engagement during our independent reading time.\r\n\r\nWorking in schools today is more challenging than ever, for so many different reasons. One of the first areas to be affected by budget cuts is the access to critical resources, such as books. Not just online books, but real books that require one to manually turn the pages. I've learned and discovered through experience that teachers are some of the most resourceful people. Can we figure out how to teach our students without having all the necessary materials? Yes, we certainly can! However, receiving such generous donations like yours, makes our job that much easier. The result is less time worrying about where to find the text we need and more time planning how to make our instruction engaging and impactful.\r\n\r\nI cannot say it enough, but I'll say it again. Thank you for your generosity and for helping to support the Welch and Peabody Schools!","fullyFundedDate":1737145658917,"projectUrl":"project/making-phonics-phun/9051252/","projectTitle":"Making Phonics \"Phun\"","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Dorn","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9886219"},{"teacherId":6224172,"projectId":9112042,"letterContent":"We put the table an chairs up as soon as they arrived! The students were elated to have enough seats for everyone and there was even some wiggle room for elbows on the table! Because we were able to get this table and the seating, we could shift existing furniture to make larger seating areas in each of our three 'corners' in the classroom. Now when all three teachers have a full boat, nobody needs to sit on the floor and they have proper surfaces for writing. \r\nThis one table has aleady enabled us to expand our group activities and the kids couldn't be happier! We no longer have to waste time borrowing chairs and shifting things in the classroom which has increased our learning time by about 10 minutes for each of our pull out group times. This is 10 more minutes for reading, writing or practicing math facts. \r\nOne of my students actually commented that it's 'like being at a family table.' This is exactly the type of environment we want for the kids and are so very grateful that we are able to provide it with your help! \r\nThank you, thank you, thank you!","fullyFundedDate":1741367615414,"projectUrl":"project/a-seat-at-the-table/9112042/","projectTitle":"A Seat at the Table!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Akerley","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6224172_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x376,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723572642431","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6224172"},{"teacherId":9801753,"projectId":9069430,"letterContent":"The new books, whisper phones, and CVC word building materials are quite the hit in my special education classroom! At this point, I'm convinced that I'll need to get another set of each of the book series because the students are so excited to read them in order and follow the heroes on their adventures. My most reluctant reader has already read the entire Alba series and is moving on to the Magic Belt this week. It's done them so much good to be able to read books that don't look babyish. The exciting pictures and story lines are just what they needed!\r\n\r\nThe added benefit of the whisper phones has had a great impact as well. The students are all able to read aloud (as most readers need to when they are still learning to read) but they can all be reading a different book and not bother each other with the noise level. Plus having a fun new tool is motivation in and of itself. \r\n\r\nYour generosity is greatly appreciated and has made such a difference in our reading groups already.","fullyFundedDate":1738350577965,"projectUrl":"project/struggling-readers-need-tools-too/9069430/","projectTitle":"Struggling Readers Need Tools Too","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Sadaphal","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9801753"},{"teacherId":6224172,"projectId":8861143,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity and thoughtfulness! Because this project was funded, my students have had resources to take home and share new reading skills with their families. These resources also give my students a sense of independence in the classroom because they now have books they can read at their individual level as well as printed work books that cater to their independent work levels. My students are often worried that they are 'not as smart' as other students and having these workbooks and books they can read at their own levels makes them feel accomplished and proud of themselves.","fullyFundedDate":1729296960856,"projectUrl":"project/we-want-to-read/8861143/","projectTitle":"We Want to Read!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Akerley","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6224172_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x376,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723572642431","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6224172"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_40952","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":297,"numTeachers":24,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":3,"percentWhite":35,"percentIndigenous":1,"percentLatinx":55,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 4","studentTeacherRatio":"12.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":85.7,"schoolId":40952,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about William A Welch Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"William A Welch Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/massachusetts/peabody-public-school-district/william-e-welch-elementary-school/40952"}
Join the 105 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
William A Welch Elementary School is
a suburban public school
in Peabody, Massachusetts that is part of Peabody Public School District.
It serves 297 students
in grades K - 4 with a student/teacher ratio of 12.4:1.
Its teachers have had 40 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
of students receive free or reduced price lunch
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
60%
of students are Black, Latino, Native
American, or Asian
Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.
William A Welch 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.
William A Welch Elementary School
$22,570
raised using DonorsChoose
40
projects
funded
13
teachers
funded
105
donors
4
projects
for
basic supplies
3
projects for
technology
4
projects for
books
1
project
for
art supplies
William A Welch Elementary School has received support from
90 individuals from Massachusetts and
15 individuals out-of-state.