{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"The Soulard School","outOfStateSupporters":20.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10263180,"projectId":10469819,"letterContent":"Our artists have been able to kickstart the year on a new and exciting note! Your immense generosity has allowed us to provide students with incredible new supplies, tools, and a refreshed + updated classroom. \r\n\r\nArtists of all grade levels have been working hard on artworks that emphasize the Elements of Art. We have been learning that the elements of art are the foundation, or building blocks of creating meaningful pieces. The elements of art include: color, texture, shape, form, line, space, and value.\r\n\r\nJunior and senior Pre-K artists have been practicing with oil pastels and glue sticks, creating collages and paper dolls to represent themselves. Kindergarten and 1st Grades have been practicing with shape, line, and color, taking inspiration from Pablo Picasso, Alma Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, and Gordon Parks. \r\n\r\n2nd and 3rd Grades have taken inspiration from Kehinde Wiley on their self-portraits, focusing on line, form, and space. They are moving into a study of cartography (map-making) and working on their classes' collaborative auction projects. \r\n\r\n4th and 5th Grades have been working on value, form, and space, taking inspiration from portrait artist Amy Sherald on their self-portraits. They are moving into abstract art where they are focusing on line, shape, and patterns, inspired by artists Julie Mehretu and Firelei Baez. 4th and 5th Artists also had the opportunity to work with local artist Cbabi on a mural at LoveTheLou in North City of St. Louis. Check out their awesome work.\r\n\r\n Artists will continue skill-building with these elements in combination with taking inspiration from influential artists, such as Anna Atkins, Edgar Heap of Birds, Kara Walker, and Zanele Muholi.","fullyFundedDate":1787151211662,"projectUrl":"project/art-room-refresh/10469819/","projectTitle":"Art Room Refresh","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Mary","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10263180_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1790818710818","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10263180"},{"teacherId":10183368,"projectId":10464707,"letterContent":"Our Ready, Set, Learn last minute classroom essentials have already made a big difference in our classroom! These resources are being used throughout the school day to support instruction, independent work, hands-on learning, and classroom routines. Having these essential materials readily available means we can quickly provide students with the tools they need to participate and be successful. Whether we are working on an academic activity, practicing a new skill, or completing a hands-on project, these resources help make learning more accessible and engaging for our students.\r\n\r\nOur students were excited to see new materials arrive and were eager to explore and use them! One of the best parts has been watching students become more independent as they use the materials during daily activities. These resources are helping us make the most of every learning opportunity, especially when students need something a little different to help them understand or practice a skill. Our next step is to continue incorporating these materials into our daily lessons while building academic, communication, and independence skills. We are so grateful to our donors for helping us make sure our students have the resources they need to learn, grow, and feel successful!","fullyFundedDate":1787172750865,"projectUrl":"project/ready-set-learn-last-minute-classroom/10464707/","projectTitle":"Ready, Set, Learn! Last-Minute Classroom Essentials","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Keira","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10183368"},{"teacherId":10183368,"projectId":10523115,"letterContent":"Our new Motivating Manipulatives have already made learning more exciting and hands-on for our students! The alphabet and number Pop-Its give students a fun, interactive way to practice recognizing letters, identifying numbers, counting, and building early academic skills. Students who may not always be eager to participate in traditional worksheets are much more willing to engage when they can learn through movement and hands-on activities. The Teachers Pay Teachers resources are also giving us new activities that we can use to target individual student needs and keep learning fresh and engaging.\r\n\r\nThe Pop-Its have been an instant favorite! Our students love being able to touch, push, and manipulate the materials while working on academic skills. We have seen students who typically need extra encouragement become more interested in participating and staying with an activity. These resources are helping us turn practice into something students look forward to, while also giving them opportunities to build confidence and experience success. We are so grateful to our donors for helping make learning more motivating, interactive, and fun for our students!","fullyFundedDate":1789498199928,"projectUrl":"project/motivating-manipulatives/10523115/","projectTitle":"Motivating Manipulatives","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Keira","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10183368"},{"teacherId":10183368,"projectId":10288837,"letterContent":"Our classroom has already been transformed by these new resources! Our students are using the materials during small-group instruction, independent work, and hands-on learning activities. The new resources have helped us create a classroom environment that is more organized, engaging, and responsive to the different ways our students learn.\r\n\r\nWhen the materials first arrived, our students were excited to explore everything! They especially enjoyed seeing new hands-on activities and immediately wanted to touch, try, and figure out how everything worked. It has been wonderful to see students become more engaged and confident while learning through activities that feel fun and meaningful.\r\n\r\nOur next step is to continue incorporating these resources into our daily lessons while building independence and classroom routines. We are excited to keep using these materials to support academic skills, communication, problem-solving, and self-regulation throughout the school year. Most importantly, these resources are helping us create more opportunities for our students to experience success!","fullyFundedDate":1781211686187,"projectUrl":"project/special-education-classroom-refresh/10288837/","projectTitle":"Special Education Classroom Refresh","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Keira","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10183368"},{"teacherId":10183368,"projectId":10235978,"letterContent":"This project has made a meaningful difference in our classroom by giving students access to sensory and organization tools that help them feel comfortable, focused, and ready to learn. Students have been able to choose tools that meet their individual needs, whether they need movement, quiet, a hands-on sensory activity, or support with staying organized.\r\n\r\nWhen the materials first arrived, students were excited to explore the different options and quickly began discovering which tools worked best for them. It has been especially rewarding to see students become more independent in recognizing when they need a sensory break or support and choosing an appropriate tool.\r\n\r\nAs we move forward, these resources will continue to be incorporated into daily classroom routines and individual student supports. Our goal is to help students build self-regulation, independence, and confidence while creating a classroom environment where every student has the tools they need to be successful.","fullyFundedDate":1778263029598,"projectUrl":"project/sensory-organization-tools/10235978/","projectTitle":"Sensory & Organization Tools","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Keira","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10183368"},{"teacherId":10263180,"projectId":9716882,"letterContent":"Thank you SO MUCH for your generosity. Your donations allowed us to purchase supplies to create our class-wide auction projects to raise money for our school. Our projects converged art, history, SEL, and social justice under the theme Artists as Protestors and Peacemakers. Each class created a collaborative art piece inspired by books we were able to access because of your donations! Supplies you gave us access to, like canvases, paint markers, fabric, fabric markers, and wooden slabs made the pieces possible! Here's a brief description of the classes' finished pieces.\r\n\r\nPeaceful Hands, Kind Words\r\n\r\nJunior Pre-K artists read along to the story The Peace Book by Todd Parr and worked together to come up with words that remind them of peace. Some words that emerged included, kind, happy, and joy. Artists used their handprints to represent peaceful actions and their class community, and stamped kind words (with teacher help!) onto their banner. The result is a beautiful wall hanging that captures their little hands and big ideas.\r\n\r\nPeace Blooms Here\r\n\r\nSenior Pre-K artists read along to the story The Peace Book by Todd Parr and connected it to our study of nature art with the books The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and Nature is an Artist by Jennifer Lavallee. As a class we discussed beautiful and peaceful things we see in nature to include in our collaged garden. Artists then got to work collaging tissue paper, mosaic pieces, and other materials onto a canvas using brushes and mod podge. What emerged is a textured, colorful multimedia piece that represents the class's current love of butterflies and nature.\r\n\r\nWings of Change\r\n\r\nKindergarten artists read along to the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and talked about how caterpillars transform into butterflies. We connected this idea to how peaceful and kind actions can transform feelings, days, and lives! Artists used multimedia collage supplies along with mod podge and brushes to cover a papier-mâché butterfly form. After several class periods adding more layers and colors, the shining butterfly was complete, able to stand freely or be mounted on a wall, as a reminder of peace and change. \r\n\r\nPeace Flags from the Heart \r\n\r\nFirst Grade artists read the books The Peace Book by Todd Parr and Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds, and thought about messages they would speak from the heart to 'Say Something!' We then looked at videos of Tibetan Buddhist Peace Flags, believed to spread blessings and prayers of compassion and peace as the wind blows them. Artists then used felt and fabric markers to design their own peace flags for things they care about and wish for the world. We then collected the flags and strung them together in unified, colorful strands to be hung up and carry the class's messages of peace. \r\n\r\nEyes to Justice\r\n\r\nSecond Grade artists read the books Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds and Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson and discussed what justice and equality look and feel like. Artists then used pencil on small canvases to design their own eye and background to represent looking towards a more just and peaceful future. After artists finished initial sketches, they used acrylic paint markers to add color and detail to their eye paintings. We then assembled all the paintings onto three larger canvases that can be hung up to display the class's collective work for justice, love, peace, and fairness.\r\n\r\nPeace Gallery\r\n\r\nThird Grade artists read the books Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson and Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds and discussed what peace looks and feels like. We then watched a video on protest art and how influential artists have used their work to spread a message for something they care about. Artists then used their STEAM skills to design multimedia keepsakes and creations around the theme of peace to put in their painted shadowbox. Art pieces ranged from pipecleaner hearts and peace signs to fabric books and flags with peaceful imagery and 'no war' slogans. After the shadowbox was fully painted we assembled the pieces together as a class gallery that can be displayed free standing or hung on a wall.\r\n\r\nWords of Change\r\n\r\nFourth Grade artists read the book Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson and looked at videos on protest art and how influential artists have used their work to spread a message for something they care about. We also looked at contemporary artists in war-torn and politically strife countries like Ukraine, Palestine, and even the U.S. with current ICE detentions. Artists discussed what it means to be an artist using words and images to make a meaningful message, and how protest art can be a powerful change maker. Artists then got to work using magazines and books to find letters, words, phrases, and pictures that captured our theme and collaborated to collage everything onto a large canvas. The result is a dense, layered piece that represents causes and subjects students care about and find important with repeated images and words like butterflies, nature, transformation, and peace. \r\n\r\nThe Protest Wall\r\n\r\nFifth Grade artists read the book Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson and looked at videos on protest art and how influential artists have used their work to spread a message for something they care about. We also looked at contemporary artists in war-torn and politically strife countries like Ukraine, Palestine, and even the U.S. with current ICE detentions. Artists discussed what it means to be an artist using words and images to make a meaningful message, and how protest art can be a powerful change maker. Artists then got to work designing their own protest signs on issues they care about, with themes ranging from LGBTQ+ rights, to Black Lives Matter, to Self-Love. We then arranged the signs together to create a 'protest wall' of student messages for positive change.\r\n\r\nThank you again so much for helping to provide these meaningful learning opportunities for these thoughtful students!","fullyFundedDate":1758207126622,"projectUrl":"project/sel-artists-as-protestors-and-peacemake/9716882/","projectTitle":"SEL: Artists as Protestors and Peacemakers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Mary","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10263180_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1790818710818","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10263180"},{"teacherId":7212495,"projectId":9663733,"letterContent":"The class has been using the journals as a portfolio of all their learning for the year. We have been able to capture their learning across multiple subjects, such as literacy, math, science, social studies and social emotional learning in one place! The students get excited to work in these journals every time we pull them out because it signals the importance of what they are doing. When we introduced the journals, we explained how it was going to be a place to keep all of their best work to show each other and their parents. The freedom that the blank pages offer are more exciting and engaging to students than workbooks because they have the creative control to represent their learning in a way that makes sense to them.\r\n\r\nThe first page in every journal is a drawing of their self-portrait. I wanted them to feel a sense of ownership with these journals and the best way to introduce that is by having them draw a picture of how they see themselves and labeling it with their name. Some prompts we have used in our journals have been \"Tell about a time when you were a good friend\" and \"Write an opinion piece on your favorite food.\" We have also used it to capture their understanding of 2D shapes. The class sectioned a page into 4 quadrants and chose 4 shapes we have been learning about. They drew the shape, labeled it, and then drew pictures of real life objects that are those shapes. While these journals are not graded, they are great tools for seeing what each individual student is understanding because of the freedom to capture their learning in a way that makes sense to them. It naturally allows for scaffolding to meet each student's needs because some were able to label the shapes with the correct number of sides and vertices, others were able to draw multiple objects for each shape, and a few students needed cut out pictures of objects to match to each shape. The journals help meet each student where they are developmentally and offer an opportunity to apply their learning in a way that worksheets simply cannot. \r\n\r\nThey were also a great tool for parents during parent-teacher conferences. I was able to pull out each child's visual journal to show authentic work samples that reflected the students' grades. Parents found this helpful because I was able to show each family their child's strengths and how I will continue to support them in their goals. The positive feedback from the parents in my class have inspired other teachers to use this method of documentation too!\r\n\r\nI cannot thank you enough for helping me pilot these portfolios in my school and showing students, families, and other educators the importance of authentic student work that reflects their learning journeys. The students have felt so empowered this year to take control of their learning and you have gifted that to them!","fullyFundedDate":1756748889760,"projectUrl":"project/visual-journal-portfolios-for-reflective/9663733/","projectTitle":"Visual Journal Portfolios for Reflective Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jane","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7212495"},{"teacherId":10183368,"projectId":9613643,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous donation, I was able to create a space for deregulated and/or neurodiverse students to participate in calming/regulating activities. This space has proven to be beneficial and has helped greatly with reintegrating students back into their general education environments. Teachers appreciate having a safe place available to bring the students when they are having big feelings or just need to take a break. Being a small school, it can be difficult to get the funds to create spaces like this for students. This would not have been possible without your help! Thank you again for contributing to our students' success!!","fullyFundedDate":1755451765016,"projectUrl":"project/helping-students-thrive-in-their-everyda/9613643/","projectTitle":"Helping Students Thrive in Their Everyday Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Keira","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10183368"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_125660","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":138,"numTeachers":null,"percentFrplEligible":23,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":15,"percentWhite":62,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":7,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":13,"gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":null,"demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":80.0,"schoolId":125660,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about The Soulard School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"The Soulard School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/missouri/missouri-department-of-education/the-soulard-school-elementary-charter/125660"}