{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Kurtz Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":17.9,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":6058207,"projectId":9900513,"letterContent":"I am writing to you with a heart full of gratitude and a classroom full of inspired builders. Your contribution brought the LEGO Orient Express and the LEGO Astronaut into our learning space, and the impact has been nothing short of transformative.\r\nWhen the package arrived, the atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. There was a collective gasp at the sheer size of the Orient Express box, followed immediately by cheers for the Astronaut. For many of my students, these aren't just toys; they are premium tools they rarely get to handle. One student whispered, \"Wait, we actually get to build this? Like, really build it?\" Their eyes were wide with a mix of disbelief and pure excitement.\r\nBeyond the excitement, these sets have sparked deep inquiry. The Astronaut set has ignited a desire to research NASA and space equipment, becoming a centerpiece that perfectly complements our science curriculum. Meanwhile, the Orient Express has become a hands-on history lesson. Students are diving into the history of American transportation and the significance of the railroad system; they are eager to understand the context before they even place the first brick.\r\nThank you for generating such electricity in our learning process. My students are incredibly grateful for your generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1763595288904,"projectUrl":"project/lego-museum-building-the-past-launchi/9900513/","projectTitle":"LEGO Museum - Building the Past, Launching the Future","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Phillips","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6058207"},{"teacherId":1518139,"projectId":9318065,"letterContent":"Your generosity has had an impact on my and my teaching partner's classroom! Your generous donation has affected 49 first graders! \r\nStudents start the day with Soft Start. This is a calm, collaborative way for students to start the day. Every morning, students find a table bin with a STEM activity to explore, engineer and create with peers. This provides a smooth transition from home to school before the rigor of the day begins. With your donation, I have been able to provide a variety of STEM activities to offer students each morning. \r\nThe students were overjoyed when the boxes arrived in our classroom. Students can't wait to build, engineer and create everyday! Thank you for your generosity! My students keep saying how thoughtful our donors are and how thankful they are for the new materials!","fullyFundedDate":1754914550554,"projectUrl":"project/off-to-a-soft-start/9318065/","projectTitle":"Off to a \"SOFT\" Start!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Rupp","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1518139_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1479403548652","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/kathyrupp"},{"teacherId":6058207,"projectId":9580050,"letterContent":"We wanted to send a huge thank you for your donations! The Vincent Van Gogh \"Sunflowers\" and the Porsche LEGO sets have brought more excitement to our developing Lego Museum. You've given a cool way to connect with the worlds of art and engineering, and we are very grateful. \r\n\r\nOur Museum is the theme for our classroom, which has been a point of pride and excitement for the students, and adding the news sets has garnered a lot of interest. The students have already begun researching other sets for the museum and are eager to start learning about these two new ones.\r\n\r\nThese sets have been perfect for teaching teamwork and how to follow tricky directions. The best moment happens when students work together to solve these problems. Thank you all again for always supporting our classroom and projects!","fullyFundedDate":1757973429724,"projectUrl":"project/our-museum-one-brick-at-a-time/9580050/","projectTitle":"Our Museum One Brick at a Time","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Phillips","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6058207"},{"teacherId":6058207,"projectId":9301373,"letterContent":"We are overjoyed to share the truly magical impact your thoughtful contributions have had on our 5th-grade classroom with the arrival of the LEGO Hogwarts Castle: The Great Hall and Hogwarts Castle: Flying Lessons sets! The excitement upon unboxing these iconic locations from the Harry Potter universe was palpable, immediately transforming our learning environment into a hub of creativity and collaborative exploration.\r\n\r\nThe Great Hall has quickly become a central point for visualizing the heart of Hogwarts. As students start to piece together the grand dining tables, the house banners, and the intricate details of this iconic space, they are not just following instructions; they are deepening their understanding of the characters, settings, and key events from the beloved novels. This hands-on engagement fosters rich discussions and strengthens their connection to the literary world in a way that simply reading cannot replicate.\r\n\r\nThe Hogwarts Castle: Flying Lessons set has added another dimension of learning, we have started students with enrichment science concepts like introducing exciting possibilities for understanding fundamental physics concepts like trajectory, balance, and the mechanics of flight in a tangible and engaging way. As they construct the training grounds and the broomsticks, students are developing spatial reasoning and fine motor skills. More importantly, they are actively bringing their favorite scenes to life, fostering imaginative play-based learning that solidifies their comprehension of the narrative.\r\n\r\nThanks to your incredible generosity, we've been able to move beyond simply reading about the wonders of Hogwarts to actively constructing and interacting with its world. This immersive experience has fostered a deeper connection to literature, sparked incredible collaborative projects, and made learning an enchanting adventure for each and every student. Your support has truly cast a spell on our classroom, making education a captivating and memorable journey.","fullyFundedDate":1746571510594,"projectUrl":"project/wizardly-word-alive-with-lego-bricks/9301373/","projectTitle":"Wizardly Word Alive with LEGO Bricks","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Phillips","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6058207"},{"teacherId":6058207,"projectId":9148141,"letterContent":"We wanted to share the incredible impact your generous contributions have had on our 5th-grade classroom! Thanks to your support, the LEGO Architecture sets of the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Taj Mahal have arrived and are already sparking a wave of excitement and learning amongst our students.\r\n\r\nThe moment these iconic structures were unveiled, you could feel the energy shift in the room. Students, wide-eyed with curiosity, immediately began exploring the intricate details of these architectural marvels. The Great Pyramid is allowing them to delve into the mysteries of ancient Egypt, visualizing the scale and engineering feats of this wonder. Simultaneously, the Taj Mahal is introducing them to the beauty and history of India, fostering an appreciation for diverse cultures and artistic expression.\r\n\r\nThese are not just toys; they are powerful tools for STEM enrichment. As students meticulously follow the instructions and connect each brick, they are developing crucial skills in spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and fine motor coordination. The process encourages critical thinking, patience, and a deeper understanding of geometric shapes and structural design.\r\n\r\nBeyond the technical skills, these LEGO sets are igniting a passion for history and global awareness. The students will be researching the building and using construction techniques, the historical context, and the cultural significance of both the pyramid and the Taj Mahal. Their enthusiasm has lead to rich classroom discussions and collaborative learning opportunities.\r\n\r\nThey have already begun building these models and will be displayed in our classroom and school, showcasing their hard work and knowledge to their school community. Your contribution has helped inspire young learners to become builders of knowledge and explorers of our world's incredible architecture.\r\n\r\nOn behalf of our 5th graders, thank you for investing in their education and for bringing these wonders into our classroom. Your generosity is truly making lasting impact.","fullyFundedDate":1745847089857,"projectUrl":"project/brick-by-brick-building-world-wonders/9148141/","projectTitle":"Brick by Brick: Building World Wonders","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Phillips","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6058207"},{"teacherId":5217108,"projectId":8866289,"letterContent":"We are so grateful for your generous support of our Donors Choose project! Thanks to your kindness, our classroom now has access to 8 Dash Robots and Botley Robots—and the impact has been incredible.\r\n\r\nMany of our students are familiar with technology at home, but using it in an educational setting is a whole new experience. With Dash and Botley, students aren't just playing—they're learning to think critically, solve problems, and collaborate. Through coding and hands-on exploration, they're developing computational thinking and learning how to break down complex tasks into steps they can manage. These are foundational skills not only for future STEM learning but also for real-life problem solving.\r\n\r\nThe most exciting part for our students has been the ability to bring their ideas to life. With the Dash Robots, students can program movement, sound, and even personality—suddenly, coding isn't just abstract; it's interactive and fun. Botley is especially beloved by our younger learners, who love seeing their commands translate into real-world action right away.\r\n\r\nThank you again for helping bring this opportunity to life. Your support is not only providing tools—we are building a community of curious, capable, and inspired learners.","fullyFundedDate":1736954933135,"projectUrl":"project/robotics-in-the-classroom-hands-on-stem/8866289/","projectTitle":"Robotics in the Classroom: Hands-On STEM!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Stuart","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp5217108_orig.jpg?crop=1170,1170,x0,y202&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1728409279016","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5217108"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_71729","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":400,"numTeachers":24,"percentFrplEligible":33,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":83,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":11,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"16.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":82.1,"schoolId":71729,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Kurtz Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Kurtz Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/michigan/huron-valley-school-district/kurtz-elementary-school/71729"}