{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Candlewood Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":11.1,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":5171998,"projectId":9701365,"letterContent":"Our students are using the new resources we received from Donors Choose for our Coffee Cart program. This has been such an exciting time for us. We designed our Coffee Cart specifically for our Middle School special needs classes. Our students sell coffee and other morning beverages to faculty and staff. This hands-on initiative is more than just a fun project. It is a powerful learning opportunity that helps our students build social skills, money management skills, and workplace readiness skills in a real-world setting. Through daily interactions with staff, our students practice communication, teamwork, and customer service, while also learning how to handle money, make change, and follow multi-step directions. Beyond academics, our students are gaining confidence, a sense of responsibility, and are showing an increased level of independence. These are essential life skills that will serve them well, far beyond the classroom experience. One unexpected outcome of this program has been our increased presence around our school building. Not all of the staff had frequent interactions with our special needs population. We have now increased their visibility throughout the building resulting in a better understanding of our students and their abilities. We are increasing disability awareness while simultaneously decreasing stereotypes and stigmas. We're thrilled that we are able to offer this meaningful experience for our classes. We are thrilled to watch our students grow in new and exciting ways!\r\n\r\nOur students were beyond excited to see all of the amazing donations we received from Donors Choose. They had been hearing all about this project since the beginning of the school year. To see it actually come together right before their eyes was amazing. Our students all come to us with different levels of background knowledge. To see their peers explain the items we received and how they work was an unexpected teaching opportunity. We are so proud that we are able to provide our classes with this incredible experience. \r\n\r\nWe have so many grand plans for our Coffee Cart program. We have mastered making and serving coffee, tea, and specialty drinks with a variety of creamers and sweeteners. We started off serving once a week and have currently grown to two mornings and one afternoon delivery. Looking ahead, we are introducing hot chocolate for the holiday season. We have also started offering gift cards. Many of our customers are looking forward to gifting their colleagues Coffee Cart gift cards for the holiday season and beyond. We have even been asked if we will be starting a rewards program. All of these ideas are useful skills that we know can be transferred into the real-world. As we look towards 2026, we are planning on expanding our services to offer a variety of snacks. Our amazing staff in the building are so supportive and continue to ask us to provide more opportunities for them to support and interact with our students. We are so proud of how much our students have already accomplished and cannot wait to see what they will continue to do for the rest of their time here in Middle School.","fullyFundedDate":1758237274782,"projectUrl":"project/special-education-coffee-cart-program/9701365/","projectTitle":"Special Education Coffee Cart Program","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kaplan, Magali, Galdorisi, Stein & Mr. Hagans","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5171998"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_22864","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":688,"numTeachers":64,"percentFrplEligible":23,"percentAsian":22,"percentBlack":15,"percentWhite":38,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":16,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"10.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":88.9,"schoolId":22864,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Candlewood Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Candlewood Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-york/half-hollow-hills-central-school-district/candlewood-middle-school/22864"}
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About this school
Candlewood Middle School is
a suburban public school
in Dix Hills, New York that is part of Half Hollow Hills Central School District.
It serves 688 students
in grades 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 10.8:1.
Its teachers have had one project funded on DonorsChoose.
Public School
Grades 6 - 8
688 Students
64 Teachers
1200 Carlls Straight PathContact info is sourced from our partners at MDR Education, and DonorsChoose updates our site ahead of each school year.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
of students receive free or reduced price lunch
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
53%
of students are Black, Latino, Native
American, or Asian
Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.
Candlewood Middle School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Dec 4, 2025
DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students
in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.
Candlewood Middle School
$1,253
raised using DonorsChoose
1
project
funded
1
teacher
funded
27
donors
Candlewood Middle School has received support from
24 individuals from New York and
3 individuals out-of-state.