{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Watertown Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":29.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9329503,"projectId":9924411,"letterContent":"We are deeply grateful to the generous donors who made our DonorsChoose project a reality. Your contribution has provided our middle school with multiple copies of current, high-interest titles that will serve as options for this year's schoolwide summer reading assignment. Without your support, we would not have been able to purchase enough books to ensure every student has access to engaging, relevant literature during the summer months. Your investment in our students' reading lives is truly invaluable.\r\n\r\nThis year, we've taken a new approach to selecting our three final summer reading options. A dedicated group of student volunteers has formed a book club that meets during our Friday Flex block, creating a collaborative space where young readers can discuss their thoughts, debate the merits of each title, and ultimately help choose which books will be offered to the entire middle school. Beyond this core group, all students are welcome to check out the donated books and participate in the selection process, even if they cannot attend the book club meetings. This inclusive model ensures that student voices—not just teacher preferences—shape our summer reading choices.\r\n\r\nBecause of your generosity, we're doing so much more than simply assigning books for summer reading. We're fostering a community of engaged readers who talk about what they're reading, defend their favorite plot points, and take genuine ownership of their learning. Your donation has empowered students to become decision-makers in their own literary experiences, transforming summer reading from a passive assignment into an active, meaningful conversation about books and stories that matter to them. Thank you for believing in the power of reading and in our students.","fullyFundedDate":1767103508440,"projectUrl":"project/turning-pages-casting-votes-a-student/9924411/","projectTitle":"Turning Pages & Casting Votes: A Student Summer Reading Project","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Cabral","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9329503_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y504&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1701137366795","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9329503"},{"teacherId":9405404,"projectId":9696041,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation of snacks. What student doesn't enjoy an after-school treat? It's even better that we were able to provide some healthier alternatives such as granola bars, fruit-filled bars, and whole wheat Goldfish (which were a hit)! Students enjoyed these snacks while engaging in community and relationship-building discussion Circles. Any time students receive a treat like this, you can see how much they appreciate it, but I think since they were staying after school for this activity, after a long day, it made it even better. Thank you again for your generosity and for supporting our initiative to foster student relationships and social connections.","fullyFundedDate":1764649983322,"projectUrl":"project/snacks-for-an-after-school-circles-club/9696041/","projectTitle":"Snacks for an After-School Circles Club!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Cochran","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9405404_orig.png?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1704035643789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9405404"},{"teacherId":981380,"projectId":8967110,"letterContent":"Our 7th-grade teaching team is delighted to see the impact of ending the year with project-based learning. We have put aside our usual schedule and are spending our final three weeks of the school year with our students fully immersed in working collaboratively to plan and design a city for the future with a focus on stormwater management and sustainability. It's a bit wild, but our students are all in! This keeps student engaged in something fresh and exciting so they channel all of their year-end energy into learning. A project like this requires creativity -- but to make it work well, we also need lots of supplies. The index cards, soil, sphagnum moss, sand, paint, and hot glue guns are all essential to turn the students' vision into a 3-D model. This grant provided key supplies that make this project work, and that we certainly could never access with our limited school-supply budget. We are so appreciative!\r\n\r\nWe began by building some background knowledge. Students learned about how the ancient Romans created a template for city design and water management that they replicated throughout the empire. Students learned how to think about and calculate proportions using math skills to help them design their cities to scale. Students learned about stormwater management practices and conducted an experiment to measure how water infiltrated through different natural materials, including soil, sand, gravel, and clay. A wonderful crew of professionals from the Watertown Stormwater Committee volunteered to lead our students on a walking field trip from our school to the Charles River to learn about stormwater management. A building challenge gave students the opportunity to create a tower designed to keep water in place. Each team had a limited amount of sphagnum moss, soil and, and gravel to include in their design. Each tower had to pass the test of holding 1 cup of water. All of those supplies let students experiment with how water could be managed in a tactile way.\r\nNext up, students will begin designing and building their cities. Our wonderful friends at Iggy's Bread donated the 20 large flat boxes that we will line with graph chart paper for students to begin to sketch and figure proportions. Students will dive into the paint, glue, and glue guns to turn their ideas into a scale model. We will end with a showcase and welcome back our community volunteer team of architects, city planners, and environmental engineers to see the final showcase. (Since we have not yet begun the models, I will include pictures from last year's designs.) The ample supplies will be essential for this project's success. \r\n\r\nWe can't thank you enough! Students will remember this for many years to come.","fullyFundedDate":1735657689687,"projectUrl":"project/future-cities-interdisciplinary-projec/8967110/","projectTitle":"Future Cities - Interdisciplinary Project","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. McDonagh","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/981380"},{"teacherId":981380,"projectId":9057166,"letterContent":"I wanted to extend my sincere gratitude for your generous donation of a class set of headphones! Your support has made a meaningful difference for my seventh grade English Language Arts classroom. We are so appreciative for this kind gift!\r\n\r\nThe headphones have been incredibly useful across many aspects of our curriculum. Students have used them to listen to audio versions of class texts, enhancing their access to and comprehension of challenging material. The headphones have also been valuable for watching videos related to research. For example, for our recent argument writing unit, students choose one of several topics such as driverless cars, required military service, and the existence of aliens. Students, then set off to explore and research from a variety of sources. While many sources were newspaper and journal articles, we also wanted to include videos and podcasts. The headphones made it possible for students to listen to the sources with audio without interrupting the focus of their peers. \r\n\r\nThe headphones were also useful for catching up on mini-lessons I've recorded when a student has been absent. This ensures all students can stay engaged and on track, even when they miss a day. Listening to music while studying or reading has also been a great addition for students who find this helps them to focus.\r\n\r\nThe headphones have been especially impactful for our multi-lingual learners, who benefit from being able to slow down or replay content as needed. Having this level of accessibility empowers them to better understand lessons and build confidence in their language development. \r\n\r\nThe class set has so many uses and is a gift that will remain in use for future years. Thank you again for your thoughtful support—it has truly enriched our classroom and the learning journey of every student.","fullyFundedDate":1738769004543,"projectUrl":"project/class-headphones-set/9057166/","projectTitle":"Class Headphones Set!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. McDonagh","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/981380"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_61821","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":583,"numTeachers":52,"percentFrplEligible":65,"percentAsian":7,"percentBlack":4,"percentWhite":56,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":23,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"11.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":70.4,"schoolId":61821,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Watertown Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Watertown Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/massachusetts/watertown-public-school-district/watertown-middle-school/61821"}