{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Houston Upper Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":71.4,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9476048,"projectId":10199674,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your donation to our classroom! My students are becoming better leaders by seeing leadership qualities in others. They have to notice or observe another student being a leader or \"stepping up\". Examples, see another student help pick up a spill, volunteer to help a student that is struggling. When they see these actions, it's not the teacher that rewards, it's the students! \r\nWhen they first saw the materials and described how they would be in charge of finding leaders. I could see their eyes light up with ideas and ways they could utilize the materials to reward and encourage other students.","fullyFundedDate":1778859626905,"projectUrl":"project/caught-ya-being-kind/10199674/","projectTitle":"Caught Ya Being Kind!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Storey","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9476048"},{"teacherId":9466896,"projectId":10201794,"letterContent":"Our new resources are being used in our school store to reward students for showing kindness and making positive choices! Students have the opportunity to earn rewards for acts of kindness, helping others, demonstrating good character, and being a positive example to their classmates.\r\n\r\nWhen students first saw the new toys and rewards, they were so excited! Their faces lit up as they looked at all the fun options available. The new items have given students even more motivation to practice kindness and make good choices throughout the school day.\r\n\r\nOur next steps are to continue encouraging and recognizing positive behavior. We are excited to watch students earn opportunities to visit the school store and choose a reward they are proud of. These resources are helping us create a positive school environment where kindness is noticed, celebrated, and rewarded. Thank you for helping us encourage our students to make a difference through their everyday actions!","fullyFundedDate":1778866829855,"projectUrl":"project/kindness-counts/10201794/","projectTitle":"Kindness Counts!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hodnett","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9466896"},{"teacherId":6111579,"projectId":10196906,"letterContent":"We are so grateful for the glow items you donated to our school. The students have been busy making positive labels for the items. Many have created \"You make my day brighter\" labels and placed them on several of the glow items. \r\n\r\nThe glow items are being handled out and are making a big impact. With each item handed out, another person is smiling big has they receive the glow item and the positive message attached to it. The glow items are being given to our students in our school and will also be given to our local assisted living homes.\r\n\r\nThank you for making this project a reality.","fullyFundedDate":1776975918724,"projectUrl":"project/we-shine-brighter-when-we-spread-kindnes/10196906/","projectTitle":"We Shine Brighter When We Spread Kindness","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Alford","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6111579_orig.jpg?crop=956,956,x1797,y783&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1585527049113","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/amy-alford"},{"teacherId":7272495,"projectId":10193609,"letterContent":"The funding from DonorsChoose has made an immediate and meaningful impact in our classroom. With these new resources, my students are able to actively participate in projects that focus on kindness, creativity, and community involvement in ways that simply weren't possible before. The materials have given them ownership over their work and excitement about making a difference beyond our classroom walls.\r\n\r\nWhen the materials first arrived, the excitement was immediate. Students were eager to explore everything, asking questions and brainstorming ideas before we even began. \r\n\r\nAs we move forward, students will continue building on this momentum by expanding our kindness initiative into a larger, student-led effort. They are currently planning ways to recognize acts of kindness school-wide and are discussing how they can extend their impact into the community even more.","fullyFundedDate":1776875542111,"projectUrl":"project/art-with-heart/10193609/","projectTitle":"Art with Heart!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Burt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7272495_orig.jpg?crop=427,427,x922,y267&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760540866789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7272495"},{"teacherId":5266413,"projectId":9635278,"letterContent":"I wanted to thank you so much for your generosity! Our students always look forward to visiting our class library and reading one of the new books you graciously donated. It has inspired a love of reading and impacted them in other ways; like through their art and writing. They love drawing pictures and writing their own versions to their favorite stories. Many often choose to do this over other activities, like computer or board games, during privilege time. \r\nIn our fourth grade ELA room, we approach reading many ways. First, we read to learn through Accelerated Reading. At the beginning of the year, our classroom didn't have any books other than a few I had purchased throughout the summer. Your donation gave them a wide variety of high interest books to read and take an AR test on to strengthen their comprehension skills. We also read for fun; which I feel is so important. This is another reason your donation was so impactful. The books you gave were specifically requested by my students and they counted the days until they arrived. \r\nAll of our students enjoyed the books immensely, but there was one student that was benefited both academically and behaviorally by this donation. We'll call him B. B has a huge heart and is amazingly smart but struggles with his anger sometimes. At first, I struggled to find an incentive to help B work through his anger and learn to regulate his emotions. When surveying students about which books to request, I learned that B really wanted a book about horses. Once it arrived, it hardly stayed on the shelf because B would spend any free moment he had flipping through the pages, pointing to the illustrations, and telling me all about his own horses. We agreed on his good days, he could hang on to the book and have extra time to read it. Five months has went by, and B has grown so much! His office referrals went down and grades went up. He has become a true leader in our classroom and I feel like what sparked it all was finding the right motivation through his book. \r\n\r\nIn saying that, I'm extremely thankful to you for investing in my students through your donation. It may seem like just a box of books, but to them it means so much more.","fullyFundedDate":1757100603855,"projectUrl":"project/hilltoppers-read-to-succeed/9635278/","projectTitle":"Hilltoppers Read to Succeed","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Owen","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5266413_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1522288767104","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/flexibleseatingmindfullearning"},{"teacherId":2920150,"projectId":9607121,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our project! My 4th graders had a great time building their 3D water cycle models, and it was so fun watching them get excited when their \"clouds\" formed and the \"rain\" started to fall. It made the whole lesson click in a way that a worksheet never could.\r\n\r\nWe're also really excited to use the rest of the materials you helped provide. The kids keep asking, \"What are we doing next?\" because they know more hands-on activities are coming. It's awesome to see them looking forward to science and feeling confident in what they're learning.\r\n\r\nThank you again for helping bring these experiences to our classroom. We appreciate you more than you know!","fullyFundedDate":1757100472598,"projectUrl":"project/water-waves-and-wonder-bringing-4th-g/9607121/","projectTitle":"Water, Waves, and Wonder: Bringing 4th Grade Science to Life!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kipapa","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp2920150_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1471194339290","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2920150"},{"teacherId":9466896,"projectId":9601487,"letterContent":"We just got our containers in and are ready to get organized and stocked. Thank you so much for this opportunity to keep things easily accessible and to allow things to run smoothly while giving our students incentives for good behavior. This is something our students look forward to monthly. In the past, things have gotten unorganized and we really needed a way to fix that. These different storage items will make a world of difference. Now, just to get it packed and ready for the kiddos. You truly are the BEST!","fullyFundedDate":1757100625568,"projectUrl":"project/stocked-for-success-organizing-our-pbis/9601487/","projectTitle":"Stocked for Success: Organizing Our PBIS Store!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hodnett","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9466896"},{"teacherId":10011697,"projectId":9636793,"letterContent":"On behalf of our students, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for your generous contribution that made it possible for us to purchase three large drums for our drum circle and music class.\r\n\r\nThe students were so excited to see the new drums arrive! They could hardly wait to try them out, and the joy and energy in the room were truly contagious. These instruments are already becoming a favorite part of our music time.\r\n\r\nDrumming offers so many benefits for our students—it helps relieve stress, improve focus, and build a sense of teamwork and community. It also encourages each child to play an independent part while contributing to a larger, unified sound. These experiences support not only musical growth but also positive classroom management and emotional well-being.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has created an opportunity for our students to grow both musically and personally. Thank you for helping us make learning more engaging, creative, and joyful.","fullyFundedDate":1757100451740,"projectUrl":"project/beat-stress-with-a-drum-circle/9636793/","projectTitle":"Beat Stress with a Drum Circle","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Harrelson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10011697"},{"teacherId":7272495,"projectId":9600422,"letterContent":"The new resources are trickling in and we are so excited to start this project. Every year, we try to do a little something for our community and this year we want to give Christmas gifts to our local nursing home. These supplies will allow us to write Christmas cards for over 100 residents. We plan to buy other items to fill their bags, too. The students get so happy about giving back and I cannot wait to teach them all about empathy and compassion for others. The holiday season is coming soon, so these supplies will arrive in perfect time to get started! Thanks again, SONIC!","fullyFundedDate":1757100578307,"projectUrl":"project/bridging-generations-with-kindness/9600422/","projectTitle":"\"Bridging Generations With Kindness\"","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Burt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7272495_orig.jpg?crop=427,427,x922,y267&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760540866789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7272495"},{"teacherId":7272495,"projectId":9595642,"letterContent":"We have started getting our supplies in and are hard at work with glow projects for our art show. The students are beyond excited. This is an event that has never been done before. We will be working the rest of the semester on cool glow projects we can incorporate into the show. It is going to be amazing! Some of our upcoming projects include: glow crabs, glow value sharks, self portraits with glow paint, and more. This would not have been possible without the generous donation from the Sonic Foundation. We can not thank you enough!","fullyFundedDate":1757100536010,"projectUrl":"project/glow-art-show/9595642/","projectTitle":"Glow Art Show!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Burt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7272495_orig.jpg?crop=427,427,x922,y267&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760540866789","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7272495"},{"teacherId":6111579,"projectId":9587702,"letterContent":"Our students love to succeed and these sweet treats made it even more special for each of them. The various types of cookies, the suckers, and the individual snack packs were a huge success with our students. They loved everyone of them and enjoyed eating them as a reward for meeting or exceeding their Accelerated Reader goals.\r\n\r\nThis incentive encouraged our young readers to worker even hard and master their reading goals. We truly appreciate you supporting our students and their goals by rewarding them with this amazing treat. Thank you again for all you do for our school and our community.","fullyFundedDate":1757100493894,"projectUrl":"project/it-is-sweet-to-read-succeed/9587702/","projectTitle":"It Is Sweet To Read & Succeed","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Alford","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6111579_orig.jpg?crop=956,956,x1797,y783&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1585527049113","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/amy-alford"},{"teacherId":6111579,"projectId":9673901,"letterContent":"Our students have had so much fun showing many acts of kindness toward the students in our school and towards people in our community. The glow sticks, glow disc, glow rope necklaces, and glow flower headbands have been a big hit. Each item was given out with kindness and very appreciated by the person that received it.\r\n\r\nA kind message was attached to each item that was given out. The \"You Make My Day Brighter\" message made each person smile as they received the glow item with the kind message attached to it. Thank you again for helping us spread kindness in our world.","fullyFundedDate":1757100558150,"projectUrl":"project/kindness-makes-a-day-brighter/9673901/","projectTitle":"Kindness Makes A Day Brighter","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Alford","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6111579_orig.jpg?crop=956,956,x1797,y783&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1585527049113","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/amy-alford"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_15094","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":407,"numTeachers":29,"percentFrplEligible":78,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":33,"percentWhite":43,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":9,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":13,"gradesServed":"3 - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"14.0:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_REMOTE"},"inStateSupporters":28.6,"schoolId":15094,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Houston Upper Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Houston Upper Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/mississippi/chickasaw-county-school-district/houston-upper-elementary-school/15094"}