{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Pine Grove Learning Center","outOfStateSupporters":30.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9756514,"projectId":10243693,"letterContent":"My students are using the new puzzles as a fun and meaningful way to build important skills while working together and independently. In our young adult classroom, we focus on functional academics, communication, problem-solving, fine-motor skills, independence, and social skills. The puzzles provide a great opportunity to practice these skills in a way that feels like play rather than traditional schoolwork. Students can work on completing puzzles independently, with a peer, or with staff support depending on their individual needs.\r\n\r\nWhen the puzzles first arrived, my students were excited to see the new materials and immediately wanted to explore them. Some students were drawn to specific pictures and designs, while others enjoyed the challenge of figuring out where the pieces belonged. It was wonderful to see students encouraging one another, asking for help when needed, and celebrating when they completed a puzzle. These moments may seem small, but they provide meaningful opportunities for communication, patience, problem-solving, and independence.\r\n\r\nAs we continue using the puzzles, we will work toward having students choose an activity independently, gather the materials they need, complete the puzzle, and clean up when finished. We will also use the puzzles to practice communication skills, such as requesting help, asking for a turn, commenting on what they see, and appropriately expressing when they are finished. As students become more familiar with the materials, we hope to increase their independence and encourage them to use these skills across other classroom activities and settings.\r\n\r\nThank you to our donors for helping provide resources that make learning engaging and meaningful for my students. Your generosity is helping us create opportunities for our young adults to learn, practice independence, and have fun while doing it!","fullyFundedDate":1778182114018,"projectUrl":"project/building-success-one-piece-at-a-time/10243693/","projectTitle":"Building Success: One Piece at a Time","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kelsey Billing","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9756514_orig.png?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1777567073971","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9756514"},{"teacherId":9756514,"projectId":10243308,"letterContent":"My students and I have been using the new sensory seating resources throughout our school day to provide students with safe and appropriate options for movement, sensory input, and self-regulation. The seating options are available during lessons, independent work, and other classroom activities. One moment that really stood out to me was watching students begin to independently choose a seating option that helped them feel comfortable and ready to learn. Instead of always relying on staff to determine what they need, students are learning to recognize which options work best for them and appropriately make those choices.\r\n\r\nWhen the materials first arrived, the students were immediately excited and curious! They wanted to explore the different seating options and see how they worked. Their excitement also created a wonderful opportunity to practice important classroom skills, including waiting for a turn, sharing, asking before using materials, and respecting one another's personal space. It has been so rewarding to see their initial excitement turn into appropriate and purposeful use of the resources.\r\n\r\nOur next steps are to continue building independence and self-advocacy skills. We will work with students on recognizing when they may need a sensory break or a different seating option and appropriately communicating what they need. We will also continue practicing making choices, waiting, sharing, and cleaning up or returning materials when finished.\r\n\r\nThese skills are especially important for my young adult students as we prepare them for greater independence in school, community, employment, and future adult settings. The sensory seating resources have become more than just classroom materials—they have provided meaningful opportunities for students to practice self-regulation, functional communication, decision-making, and independence in their everyday routines. We are so grateful to our donors for helping us create a classroom environment where students have the tools and support they need to feel comfortable, engaged, and ready to learn!","fullyFundedDate":1778545613564,"projectUrl":"project/relax-to-refocus-sensory-seating-for-st/10243308/","projectTitle":"Relax to Refocus: Sensory Seating for Student Success","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kelsey Billing","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9756514_orig.png?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1777567073971","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9756514"},{"teacherId":2708755,"projectId":9257823,"letterContent":"What can I say? We are blown away by the support of our family, friends, community and even strangers! This slushie machine has been such a fun way for us to engage with our school community while learning skills such as employment, communication, socialization and money. \r\n\r\nWhen started with a test run and gave away slushies to people who made a purchase at the school store as a way to work out any kinks ahead of time. We thought we were good to go and planned to sell drinks at our carnival kickoff that occurs at the beginning of the year. Well, we soon learned that things don't always go as planned and had to be flexible! Due to the high demand, the machine couldn't keep up and we couldn't produce as many slushies as we had hoped. We used this as a learning experience, making adjustments while learning patience and flexibility. We have now established a routine and schedule that works and allows everyone equal opportunity to purchase a slushie each week, with our featured flavors rotating.\r\n\r\nOne of the most positive things to come from this project is the engagement from a student who has struggled in the past with appropriate engagement and interactions with others. His past behaviors have been quite explosive at times, limiting his ability to interact with staff and students. Every Thursday, on his classes assigned day for slushie purchasing, he comes into our room with a huge smile, money ready to hand to us. He rings the doorbell to signal that he is there and walks into our room. He is even beginning to help pour his own slushie and giving staff high fives as a thank you. This has helped foster much more positive interactions and feelings for both the student and the staff. It has been amazing to see him get excited about something and engage appropriately. \r\n\r\nOur class is excited to see how far we can go with this new business adventure. Thank you once again for your generosity and support of our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1753663059123,"projectUrl":"project/from-brain-freeze-to-business-savvy/9257823/","projectTitle":"From Brain Freeze to Business Savvy!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Megan Wilson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2708755_orig.jpg?crop=1240,1240,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1697125068379","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2708755"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_100701","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":71,"numTeachers":null,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":3,"percentBlack":20,"percentWhite":42,"percentIndigenous":2,"percentLatinx":24,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":7,"gradesServed":"Not specified","studentTeacherRatio":null,"demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_SMALL"},"inStateSupporters":69.4,"schoolId":100701,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Pine Grove Learning Center on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Pine Grove Learning Center","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/michigan/grand-rapids-public-school-district/pine-grove-learning-center/100701"}