{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Vegas Verdes Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":51.9,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":3287815,"projectId":10600443,"letterContent":"Subject: Project Update: \"Unlocking Words, Building Futures\" is Underway!\r\n\r\n\r\nThank you so much for your generous support of our Donors Choose project, \"Unlocking Words, Building Futures: PreK–5 Speech Therapy.\" Because of your kindness, our speech and language therapy room now has the tailored resources our students need to build foundational communication skills.\r\n\r\nWorking across PreK through 5th grade means supporting children at vastly different stages of development—from toddlers learning their very first words to older elementary students mastering complex language structures and articulation. When the new materials arrived, the excitement in our room was immediate. Having access to these versatile tools has completely transformed our sessions, allowing me to target specific speech and language goals through engaging, hands-on activities tailored to every age level.\r\n\r\nOne memorable moment happened just this week: a student who is usually very hesitant to speak during sessions used our new materials to confidently express a complete thought. The pride on their face was unmatched, and they immediately turned to share their success with a peer. Seeing their confidence grow in real time was a powerful reminder of what happens when students are given the right tools to express themselves.\r\n\r\nYour generosity did more than just supply our therapy room; it showed our PreK–5 students that a whole community is cheering them on as they unlock their words and build their futures. Thank you for investing in their growth and helping break down communication barriers every single day.","fullyFundedDate":1789091106157,"projectUrl":"project/unlocking-words-building-futures-prek/10600443/","projectTitle":"Unlocking Words, Building Futures: PreK–5 Speech Therapy","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mooney","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3287815_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1699306725917","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3287815"},{"teacherId":8985891,"projectId":10575962,"letterContent":"My students were so excited to see our new phonics materials! We are using the phonics games, flashcards, and instructional resources during small-group lessons and independent practice to work on letter sounds, blending, decoding, and reading words in English. The hands-on activities have made practice more engaging, and students are excited to choose a game or activity to show what they know. The incentives have also been a wonderful way to celebrate students when they demonstrate effort, participate, or make progress. Seeing students proudly choose an incentive after working hard has been such a rewarding classroom moment.\r\n\r\nOur next step is to continue building on these foundational skills as students become more confident and independent readers. We are practicing using phonics strategies when we come across unfamiliar words and applying those skills while reading decodable texts and completing classroom activities. I am so grateful for the opportunity to provide my English Learners with resources that make learning accessible, engaging, and fun. Thank you for helping my students feel successful and encouraging them to keep trying, growing, and believing in themselves!","fullyFundedDate":1788558804080,"projectUrl":"project/building-confident-readers-phonics-for/10575962/","projectTitle":"Building Confident Readers: Phonics for English Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Frontczak","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8985891"},{"teacherId":9511666,"projectId":10042088,"letterContent":"Thank you again for your generous support of my classroom! Our materials arrived during the last month of the school year, so my students were excited to receive and begin using them before summer break. Now, as we begin a new school year, both my returning students and my new students are getting to enjoy and benefit from the materials you helped provide.\r\n\r\nThe dry-erase boards have quickly become one of our most-used classroom resources! We use them throughout the day for practicing writing, spelling, math, answering questions, and participating in lessons. They give my students an engaging, low-pressure way to practice skills, make mistakes, erase, and try again. It has been wonderful to see students excited to grab their boards and participate in learning.\r\n\r\nAs the school year continues, we will keep finding ways to incorporate these materials into our daily lessons, small-group activities, and individualized learning. Your generosity has made an impact that extends beyond the students who originally received these materials—each new group of students who enters our classroom will continue to benefit from your kindness. Thank you for helping me create a classroom filled with opportunities to learn, practice, and grow!","fullyFundedDate":1777506291126,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-learning-for-growing-minds/10042088/","projectTitle":"Hands-On Learning for Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Gladden","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9511666_orig.jpg?crop=1430,1430,x0,y166&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1777699510418","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9511666"},{"teacherId":995876,"projectId":10242821,"letterContent":"Thank you so very much for helping us fund our projects. The students have been very excited to use our new wobbly chairs. For the firs time every student is able to use a wobbly stool to fidget as they're listening, participating group discussions and staying on task. A few of our students lean back in their chairs, which is a safety hazard. Thanks to the wobbly chairs, they now have the ability to move in their spots safely. Thank you again for helping keep our students safe a motivated to learn.","fullyFundedDate":1777570331695,"projectUrl":"project/help-us-get-the-wiggles-out/10242821/","projectTitle":"Help Us Get the Wiggles Out!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Katz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp995876_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1464627944703","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/995876"},{"teacherId":995876,"projectId":10240594,"letterContent":"Thank you so very much for helping us fund our projects. The students have been very excited to use our new wobbly chairs. For the firs time every student is able to use a wobbly stool to fidget as they're listening, participating group discussions and staying on task. A few of our students lean back in their chairs, which is a safety hazard. Thanks to the wobbly chairs, they now have the ability to move in their spots safely. Thank you again for helping keep our students safe a motivated to learn","fullyFundedDate":1778068729495,"projectUrl":"project/we-need-more-wobbly-stools/10240594/","projectTitle":"We Need More Wobbly Stools","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Katz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp995876_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1464627944703","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/995876"},{"teacherId":995876,"projectId":10033123,"letterContent":"Thank you so very much for helping us fund our projects. The students have been very excited to use our new wobbly chairs. For the firs time every student is able to use a wobbly stool to fidget as they're listening, participating group discussions and staying on task. A few of our students lean back in their chairs, which is a safety hazard. Thanks to the wobbly chairs, they now have the ability to move in their spots safely. Thank you again for helping keep our students safe a motivated to learn.","fullyFundedDate":1778261913913,"projectUrl":"project/please-help-get-our-wiggles-out/10033123/","projectTitle":"Please Help Get Our Wiggles Out!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Katz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp995876_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1464627944703","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/995876"},{"teacherId":5140117,"projectId":10002522,"letterContent":"The doors you opened for my students are endless! Their love of reading grew so much. They do not want to stop reading. Having the extra books has been a true blessing. \r\n We read everywhere: inside on our flexible seats, outside on the field, in our school garden, everywhere! We even go read to pre-K classes and to the office secretaries. Students ask daily when and where we get to read and are so excited.\r\n While this may not seem a big deal to people outside of school, it is a very big deal to me and my students. Most of my students are bilingual and a still grasping English. Their desire to read more and more in English is helping them so much. Not only is their reading improving, so is their English skill level. It's a win-win! \r\n\r\n Thank you for your generous gift. We appreciate it more than you could ever know!","fullyFundedDate":1768181347754,"projectUrl":"project/help-third-graders-thrive-through-books/10002522/","projectTitle":"Help Third Graders Thrive Through Books & Essential Supplies","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Johnson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5140117"},{"teacherId":2360861,"projectId":10065115,"letterContent":"We are so thankful for our new cordless vacuum! Although we haven't started our messy science units yet, it has already come in handy. My second graders were so excited when they first saw it and loved seeing it in action! We have already used it to clean up breakfast crumbs like cereal and muffins before they get smushed into our carpet, along with scraps from our get to know you crafts and learning centers. It has already made our classroom clean-up and transitions much easier!\r\n\r\nMy second graders love learning with their hands. They are curious, ask thoughtful questions, work together, and aren't afraid to get a little messy while exploring new ideas. Our next step is beginning our Amplify Science unit on plant and animal relationships, where students will explore soil and how living things depend on one another. The vacuum will be especially helpful during this hands on learning and will also come in handy during our future Properties of Materials and Landforms units. Thank you for helping make hands on learning easier, safer, and more enjoyable for our classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1778068705234,"projectUrl":"project/a-sparkly-shiny-room-for-my-2nd-grade/10065115/","projectTitle":"A Sparkly & Shiny Room for my 2nd Grade Scientists!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Mulvey","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2360861_orig.jpg?crop=1441,1441,x149,y216&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1747804581846","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/b-mulvey"},{"teacherId":5655614,"projectId":10238783,"letterContent":"The grant funding for \"Exploring Earth's History Through Geologic Time\" has provided my 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade gifted students with exciting, hands-on opportunities to investigate Earth's history. The new resources allow students to explore fossils, rocks, and geologic time in ways that make complex concepts meaningful and engaging. We are using the materials to investigate how Earth and life have changed over millions of years and to create a large geologic timeline that puts Earth's history into perspective. When students first saw the materials, they were immediately excited and curious! \r\n\r\nOur next steps are to continue investigating different periods of geologic time and the evidence scientists use to understand Earth's past. Students will research significant events, examine fossils and other evidence, connect environmental changes to changes in life, and refine their timelines. They will then share their discoveries and explain how the evidence supports their conclusions. These experiences are helping my gifted students strengthen their critical-thinking, research, collaboration, and communication skills while developing a deeper appreciation for Earth science.","fullyFundedDate":1783343257665,"projectUrl":"project/exploring-earths-history-through-geolog/10238783/","projectTitle":"Exploring Earth’s History Through Geologic Time","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Nagel","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5655614"},{"teacherId":434277,"projectId":10240672,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for donating to our hydroponic gardens project. The funding for this project will impact multiple grade levels across our school as teachers bring the magic of hydroponic gardens into their classrooms.\r\n\r\nFirst grade teachers have already started extending and expanding their science curriculum with the hydroponic materials we received from this Donors Choose grant! Students will be planting lettuce, kale, and spinach so they can eventually enjoy a salad made from items grown right inside their classrooms!\r\n\r\nThank you for helping our student expand their learning and engage with science in a brand new way!","fullyFundedDate":1779412228440,"projectUrl":"project/lets-grow-with-hydroponic-gardens/10240672/","projectTitle":"Let's Grow with Hydroponic Gardens!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Marsh","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp434277_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1633366036875","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/434277"},{"teacherId":10405956,"projectId":10027764,"letterContent":"When I first saw that people had given to my project, I was thrilled because it meant I could get the activities I needed to engage students in learning to read. My students were so excited to get the new games and activities. Their faces lit up when I opened the packages and showed them the new things they were going to use to support their reading.\r\n\r\n I use some of the activities in my small groups and have the students use the other games when they work in their centers with their peers. These new items make learning to read fun for my students. They are always so proud when they can read new words in these activities.\r\n\r\nSince we got most of the order in February and started using the items right away, the students' reading abilities have improved so much. I really attribute their improvement to having engaging activities to do every day. Thank you so much for funding my exciting learning centers project. You have made a difference in the lives of my students.","fullyFundedDate":1768686148335,"projectUrl":"project/exciting-learning-centers/10027764/","projectTitle":"Exciting Learning Centers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. McArthur","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10405956"},{"teacherId":5437389,"projectId":10015136,"letterContent":"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible generosity. In a Title 1 Reading Center, we know that students can't focus on phonics or fluency if they are thinking about an empty stomach. By providing snacks, engaging new books, and exciting incentives, you have helped expand a Reading Center that supports the whole child. My K-5 students are now more motivated than ever to reach their reading goals, knowing there is a special reward and a snack waiting for them. You've helped make our Reading Center a place where they feel seen, fed, and inspired.\"","fullyFundedDate":1768505205255,"projectUrl":"project/every-book-a-brighter-future/10015136/","projectTitle":"Every Book a Brighter Future","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Rivera","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-aliciarivera"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_82995","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":664,"numTeachers":41,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":3,"percentBlack":12,"percentWhite":4,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":74,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":3,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"16.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":48.1,"schoolId":82995,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Vegas Verdes Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Vegas Verdes Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/nevada/clark-county-school-district/vegas-verdes-elementary-school/82995"}