{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Margaret C. Ells School","outOfStateSupporters":26.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9097574,"projectId":10356050,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity and for supporting our project, \"Building Kind Hearts Through Stories.\" Your kindness has helped create a more welcoming and meaningful learning environment for my Pre-K students. Through these wonderful resources, my students are learning important lessons about kindness, friendship, empathy, respect, and understanding one another.\r\n\r\nMy students are excited to explore new stories and participate in classroom discussions and activities that encourage positive relationships. During read-aloud time, we connect the stories to real-life situations, such as sharing toys, helping a friend, expressing feelings, and making kind choices. These experiences are especially important for young children who are still developing their social and emotional skills.\r\n\r\nOur next steps are to continue building these lessons into our daily classroom routines through storytelling, role-playing, partner activities, and meaningful conversations. My goal is for every child to feel loved, included, respected, and confident. Your support is helping us build not only stronger learners but also kinder hearts.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in my students and giving them opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Your generosity is making a difference in our classroom, and we are truly grateful!\r\n\r\nWith heartfelt appreciation,\r\n\r\nA Grateful Pre-K Teacher and Her Students 💛","fullyFundedDate":1789410072773,"projectUrl":"project/building-kind-hearts-through-stories/10356050/","projectTitle":"Building Kind Hearts Through Stories","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Toro","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9097574_orig.jpg?crop=1692,1692,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1765025349489","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9097574"},{"teacherId":9780883,"projectId":10387575,"letterContent":"A Heartfelt Thank You to The Peach Tree Charitable Foundation and Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation! ❤️\r\n\r\nFrom the bottom of my heart, I want to thank The Peach Tree Charitable Foundation of Turners Falls, MA, and the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation for matching this donation and helping make my classroom project possible. Your generosity has helped me reach my goal and provide my students with wonderful new toys, learning materials, and organizational tools that will make a meaningful difference in our classroom.\r\n\r\nMy students were so excited to see their new toys and activities! One of the most special things about these materials is that my students can learn while playing, exploring, and having fun without even realizing how much they are learning along the way. These toys help strengthen their fine motor skills, develop hand and finger coordination, and work different muscles throughout their bodies.\r\n\r\nEven more importantly, these new resources give my students the opportunity to choose what they want to play with based on their own interests and preferences. For my students, having a choice can make all the difference! When a child is excited about a particular toy, they are often more motivated to explore it, participate, and keep trying. For example, a student who loves trucks may be much more engaged with a truck sorter because it combines something they already love with opportunities to practice important skills. By following their interests and allowing them to make choices, I can encourage learning in a way that feels natural, fun, and meaningful to each child.\r\n\r\nI am also incredibly grateful for the organizational materials that will help me keep our classroom neat, organized, and ready for learning. Having the tools I need to keep materials within reach makes our daily routines easier and allows me to focus more on supporting my students. One of my favorite additions is my new rolling desk, which I can use during circle time to keep everything I need right at my fingertips!\r\n\r\nAlthough one item on my original list was unavailable, I was fortunate to select other wonderful resources that will benefit our classroom. Every item will help create more opportunities for my students to explore, learn, grow, and build confidence in their abilities.\r\n\r\nThe Peach Tree Charitable Foundation and the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, thank you for believing in my students and investing in their growth. Your generosity goes beyond providing toys and classroom supplies. You are helping create opportunities for my students to make choices, discover their interests, develop new skills, and experience the joy of learning in their own unique ways.\r\n\r\nI am truly grateful for your kindness and for the difference you are making in our classroom. Your support means so much to me and my students, and I cannot thank you enough for helping make this project a reality.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping my students learn through play, grow through exploration, and shine in their own special ways! ❤️","fullyFundedDate":1789590973720,"projectUrl":"project/small-hands-big-learning/10387575/","projectTitle":"Small Hands, Big Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. B","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9780883_orig.jpg?crop=480,480,x0,y25&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1728934845642","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9780883"},{"teacherId":10470851,"projectId":10171374,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your support in helping us obtain these requested supplies. They are already making a meaningful impact by encouraging our students with autism to engage more actively in the classroom and learn through play in PreK.\r\n\r\nThe materials have created more opportunities for students to explore, interact, and participate in meaningful play, which in turn increases their opportunities to learn and develop important skills.\r\n\r\nYour support has been invaluable in helping us create an environment where our students can build confidence, develop independence, and become lifelong learners.\r\nThank you for helping make these learning opportunities possible!","fullyFundedDate":1778025523117,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-learning-for-pre-k/10171374/","projectTitle":"Hands on Learning for Pre-k!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Singer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10470851"},{"teacherId":10470851,"projectId":10267763,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your support in helping us obtain these requested supplies. They are already making a meaningful impact by encouraging our students with autism to engage more actively in the classroom and learn through play in PreK.\r\n\r\nThe materials have created more opportunities for students to explore, interact, and participate in meaningful play, which in turn increases their opportunities to learn and develop important skills.\r\n\r\nYour support has been invaluable in helping us create an environment where our students can build confidence, develop independence, and become lifelong learners.\r\nThank you for helping make these learning opportunities possible!","fullyFundedDate":1778107244947,"projectUrl":"project/learning-through-play/10267763/","projectTitle":"Learning Through Play","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Singer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10470851"},{"teacherId":9793585,"projectId":10542702,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our \"Little Learners, Big Feelings\" project! Your generosity has made such a meaningful difference in our classroom. My students are using the new materials to learn how to recognize, express, and manage their emotions in healthy ways. The resources have helped us create a welcoming space where children can take a moment to calm their bodies, identify how they are feeling, and practice strategies that help them feel ready to learn again.\r\n\r\nThe excitement on their faces when they first saw the new materials was priceless! They immediately wanted to explore everything and learn how each item could be used. One of my favorite parts has been watching students begin to independently use the resources when they are experiencing big feelings. At this young age, learning how to communicate emotions can be challenging, so seeing them practice calming strategies and become more aware of their feelings has been incredibly rewarding.\r\n\r\nMoving forward, we will continue incorporating these materials into our daily routines and social-emotional learning activities. We will practice naming different emotions, talking about what can cause those feelings, and learning appropriate ways to respond to them. These are skills that will support my little learners not only in our classroom, but as they continue to grow. Thank you for helping us create a classroom where every child feels safe, supported, and understood!","fullyFundedDate":1789590975149,"projectUrl":"project/little-learners-big-feelings/10542702/","projectTitle":"Little Learners, Big Feelings","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lopez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9793585"},{"teacherId":10171345,"projectId":10285167,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of my classroom! I am incredibly grateful for the laminator and laminating pouches. These materials have already made such a big difference as I prepare my classroom and learning activities for the upcoming school year.\r\n\r\n I use many hands-on and visual materials to help my students learn and stay engaged. With the laminator and pouches, I have been able to prepare durable, reusable materials that will hold up throughout the school year. I can now laminate activities, visuals, classroom resources, and other materials that my students will be able to use again and again.\r\n\r\nHaving these supplies has also made preparing for the school year much easier and more efficient. I have been able to get a head start on creating materials and organizing my classroom so that I can spend more time focusing on my students and their learning. Knowing that these resources will last longer means they can benefit not only my students this year, but future students as well.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in my classroom and helping me create a welcoming, organized, and engaging learning environment!","fullyFundedDate":1784249793756,"projectUrl":"project/creating-durable-learning-materials-for/10285167/","projectTitle":"Creating Durable Learning Materials for Every Student","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Feliciano","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10171345_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y378&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755626010577","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10171345"},{"teacherId":10171345,"projectId":10243328,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my project, Buckets of Fun: End-of-Year Student Gifts.\" Your generosity helped make the end of the school year extra special for my preschool students.\r\n\r\n I was able to create personalized gift buckets filled with fun and educational items for each child. Every student received tracing workbooks to continue practicing important preschool skills over the summer, along with reusable cups, bubbles, silly straws, rubber ducks, beach balls, sand buckets and shovels, fun pencils, and colorful stickers. I also used the permanent vinyl to personalize each cup with the students' names, making their gifts even more meaningful.\r\n\r\nThe students were so excited to celebrate the end of the school year and receive their personalized gifts! Their smiles and enthusiasm made the celebration even more memorable, and they couldn't wait to explore everything in their buckets. It was a wonderful way to recognize all of their hard work and growth throughout the year. \r\n The educational workbooks will help them continue building their fine motor, handwriting, and pre-writing skills during the summer, while the outdoor toys encourage active play and family fun.\r\n\r\n Thank you for helping create lasting memories for my class and for investing in their learning, growth, and happiness.\r\n\r\nFrom the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making this project possible. Your kindness has had a lasting impact on my students and our classroom community.","fullyFundedDate":1778107248206,"projectUrl":"project/buckets-of-fun-end-of-year-celebration/10243328/","projectTitle":"Buckets of Fun: End-of-Year Celebration Gifts for My Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Feliciano","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10171345_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y378&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755626010577","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10171345"},{"teacherId":10171345,"projectId":10183230,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my project, Rewards That Inspire: Building Positive Classroom Behavior.\" Your generosity has made a meaningful difference in our preschool classroom.\r\n\r\nMy students have been motivated and excited to make positive choices every day. Our prize box quickly became a favorite part of the classroom, encouraging children to be kind, responsible, respectful, and helpful. Whether they had a great day following classroom expectations, helped a friend, cleaned up without being asked, or showed perseverance during a challenging activity, they were proud to earn a special reward.\r\n\r\nThe excitement on their faces each time they earned a prize was priceless. The mini bubbles and slime were by far the biggest hit; they were first items to disappear from the prize box! The fidget toys, stress balls, stamps, bracelets, and other small prizes have also been incredibly popular and continue to motivate students to make thoughtful choices throughout the day.\r\n\r\nBeyond the prizes themselves, you helped create a positive classroom environment where students are recognized and celebrated for their efforts. These rewards have reinforced important social-emotional skills and have encouraged children to take pride in being caring classmates and responsible learners.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in my students and investing in their success. Your kindness has brought so much joy, encouragement, and motivation to our classroom. We truly appreciate your support and the positive impact you've made on our school community.","fullyFundedDate":1778024329678,"projectUrl":"project/rewards-that-inspire-building-positive/10183230/","projectTitle":"Rewards That Inspire: Building Positive Classroom Behavior","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Feliciano","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10171345_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y378&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755626010577","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10171345"},{"teacherId":5752995,"projectId":10153523,"letterContent":"Because of your kindness and support, our preschool classroom has been transformed into a vibrant, literacy-rich environment where our youngest learners are discovering the joy of books every single day. Thanks to you, our students now have access to engaging, age-appropriate literacy materials that spark curiosity, build language skills, and nurture a lifelong love of reading.\r\nBefore your donation, many of our children had limited access to books and hands-on literacy tools. Now, they eagerly gather for story time, explore colorful books independently, and use new materials to practice early skills like letter recognition, storytelling, and vocabulary building. It has been incredible to watch their confidence grow as they begin to express themselves, ask questions, and connect stories to their own experiences.\r\nOne of the most meaningful changes has been in our daily routines. Students who were once hesitant are now excited to participate, turning pages carefully, pointing out familiar letters, and even \"reading\" to their classmates. These moments may seem small, but they are laying the foundation for future academic success and a lifelong love of learning.\r\nYour generosity has given our children more than just supplies—it has given them opportunities. Opportunities to imagine, to communicate, and to see themselves as readers and learners. For many of our students, this project has opened a door to experiences they may not have had otherwise.\r\nFrom the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in our students and investing in their future. Your support has made a lasting impact that will continue to grow each time a child picks up a book with excitement and confidence.","fullyFundedDate":1778025524055,"projectUrl":"project/diving-into-the-world-of-reading/10153523/","projectTitle":"Diving Into the World of Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Talevi","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp5752995_orig.jpg?crop=880,879,x0,y32&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1558971205317","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5752995"},{"teacherId":9780883,"projectId":10151945,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for funding our project, Hands-On Learning for Growing Hands. Your generosity has brought so much joy and learning into our classroom.\r\n\r\n The biggest surprise for my students was the new kitchen set. It is the perfect size for their little hands, and they absolutely love pretending to cook and create together. The stepping stones have also been a wonderful addition for indoor movement on days when the weather keeps us inside. My students especially enjoy the textured turtle stones, even exploring them barefoot for extra sensory input. They are durable and will be enjoyed for years to come.\r\n\r\n The fine motor toys have quickly become classroom favorites. \"Pedro the Peacock\" has made practicing pinching skills fun and engaging. The pounding ball toy helps students learn cause and effect while building coordination. The wooden stacking rocks encourage creativity and problem-solving as students build different structures. The matching letters sensory sorting toy supports both learning and exploration, and the Big Feelings Pineapple gives students a meaningful way to express and talk about their emotions.\r\n\r\n The iron-on vinyl will also help us create many future memories through special field trip shirts and personalized graduation gifts for our students.\r\n\r\n Thank you again for supporting our classroom and helping provide meaningful, hands-on learning experiences for my students.","fullyFundedDate":1778107248437,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-learning-for-growing-minds/10151945/","projectTitle":"Hands-On Learning for Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. B","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9780883_orig.jpg?crop=480,480,x0,y25&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1728934845642","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9780883"},{"teacherId":9355171,"projectId":9856024,"letterContent":"Thank you all so much for donating to help us create an amazing unit about identity and portraiture! With your support we were able to make quilts out of a wide variety of fabrics that were authentic to the students and their interests, exploring texture and some of the rich history of quilting as we went. Students were then able to create self-portraits with the other supplies, creatively and joyfully rendering artwork that was authentically representational to how they perceived themselves on top of their unique quilts.\r\n\r\nStudents were overjoyed by the range of supplies, fabric prints, face shapes and tones, buttons, sequins, glitter glues, and more, that they had access to with your support. They utilized all of these supplies with the same creativity and unbridled joy that they used to celebrate their portraits at the art show where they were all featured afterwards. The art show was afterschool in addition to during school hours. This meant that not only were the students all able to see and celebrate their displayed artwork, but many of the families were able to as well.\r\n\r\nI am personally so grateful for your support in this as well. Opportunities such as this unit and the following art show are so meaningful for our students and their families and community. Creating art that is representational of their appearances, their interests and surroundings, and seeing that art displayed and celebrated in a public setting isn't only affirming, it is empowering. All of your generosity made this happen, and for this my students, their families, and myself, all thank you.","fullyFundedDate":1771448347733,"projectUrl":"project/quilted-self-portraits-art-supplies-fo/9856024/","projectTitle":"Quilted Self Portraits - Art Supplies for Self-Expression","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Rose","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9355171"},{"teacherId":5752995,"projectId":9939005,"letterContent":"This project will directly benefit my preschool students, many of whom come from high-need and underserved backgrounds with limited access to books, language-rich experiences, and literacy materials at home. For my students, school is often the primary place where they are exposed to consistent storytelling, vocabulary development, and shared listening experiences.\r\nThe Toniebox and related literacy materials will be used daily during whole-group, small-group, and independent learning times to support early language development in a joyful, screen-free way. Through stories, songs, and interactive listening, students will strengthen foundational skills such as listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, focus, and expressive language. These hands-on materials allow all children—regardless of reading ability—to independently engage with stories, helping them build confidence and a positive connection to learning.\r\nMost importantly, these resources help bridge opportunity gaps by giving my students equitable access to high-quality early literacy experiences. For children who may face social, economic, or language barriers, the Toniebox creates moments of comfort, engagement, and inclusion while fostering a love of stories and learning. Because of donors like you, my students will gain skills that support kindergarten readiness and lay the groundwork for lifelong literacy success. Thank you for investing in our youngest learners and helping give them the strong start they deserve.","fullyFundedDate":1774914378671,"projectUrl":"project/igniting-a-love-for-stories-with-tonies/9939005/","projectTitle":"Igniting a Love for Stories with Tonie's Story Corner","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Talevi","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp5752995_orig.jpg?crop=880,879,x0,y32&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1558971205317","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5752995"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_60894","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":141,"numTeachers":15,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":2,"percentBlack":17,"percentWhite":3,"percentIndigenous":1,"percentLatinx":70,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":4,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - Pre-K","studentTeacherRatio":"9.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":73.2,"schoolId":60894,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Margaret C. Ells School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Margaret C. Ells School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/massachusetts/springfield-public-school-district/margaret-c-ells-ecc/60894"}