{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Maple Hill Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":29.3,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":6915561,"projectId":10375484,"letterContent":"On behalf of all our young scholars, we want to extend our deepest gratitude for your incredible generosity in providing our classroom with the All-In-One Magnetic Phonics Kits! Because of your support, our students now have direct access to hands-on, multi-sensory learning tools that are transforming the way they read, spell, and grow every single day. In our classroom, phonics instruction is foundational and having interactive, tactile materials makes a profound difference in how each child processes and retains new literacy skills:\r\n\r\n1. Concrete Visual and Spatial Processing-from Abstract to Tangible: Letters and complex phonics patterns (like vowel teams and multi-letter blends) can feel abstract to young readers. Physically touching and moving tiles allows students to map spoken sounds (phonemes) directly to written letters (graphemes), making abstract spelling rules tangible.Spatial Alignment: Arranging tiles left-to-right reinforces proper reading directionality and helps students visually break down word structures, prefixes, suffixes, and syllable divisions.\r\n\r\n2. Tactile and Kinesthetic Reinforcement Building Muscle Memory: Physically building, swapping, and sliding magnetic tiles engages fine motor skills and builds muscle memory for orthographic mapping—the brain's process of storing words for instant recognition.Immediate Self-Correction: When correcting a spelling mistake, students don't just erase a written letter on paper; they physically swap out a tile. This tactile feedback makes self-correction instant, engaging, and low-stakes.\r\n\r\n3. Deep Support for Diverse Learning Profiles Intervention & Multimodal Learning: Multi-sensory instruction is crucial for students with working-memory challenges or reading difficulties. Engaging visual, auditory, and tactile pathways simultaneously creates multiple pathways in the brain to anchor phonics patterns.English Language Learners (ELLs): Categorized and color-coded phonics kits help reduce language anxiety. Our ELL students can build phonemic awareness visually and tactilely, gaining reading confidence without being slowed down by handwriting mechanics.Advanced & High-Rigor Challenge: Manipulatives allow our advanced students to rapidly explore multi-syllabic words, complex consonant clusters, and morphology at an accelerated pace.\r\n\r\n4. Active Engagement, Ownership, and Pride Interactive Discovery: Hands-on tools transform daily phonics practice into an interactive, engaging experience where students are active builders of language rather than passive receivers of information.Ownership of Learning: Having their very own kit gives each student a sense of pride and ownership over their personal growth, fostering a classroom culture where learning is celebrated.Your kindness has truly unlocked a brighter reading future for our students. Thank you for investing in our classroom, empowering our readers, and helping us build strong, confident lifelong learners!","fullyFundedDate":1790200708887,"projectUrl":"project/phonics-tools-for-striving-3rd-grade-rea/10375484/","projectTitle":"Phonics Tools for Striving 3rd Grade Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. FitzSimons","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp6915561_orig.jpg?crop=600,600,x0,y100&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753281523793","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/6915561"},{"teacherId":9144280,"projectId":10263809,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom and helping us bring our insect unit to life! Your generosity gave my students the opportunity to experience learning in a hands-on, meaningful, and exciting way.\r\n\r\nInstead of simply reading about insects in books, my students were able to make real-life connections by observing and learning from live ladybugs. Watching their excitement as they discovered how ladybugs move, eat, grow, and change made our learning come alive in a way that a textbook simply cannot.\r\n\r\nThis project also allowed us to connect learning across multiple subjects. Our ladybugs inspired science investigations, reading and writing activities, observation and recording, math connections, vocabulary development, and countless conversations filled with curiosity and wonder. Students were excited to share what they noticed, ask questions, make predictions, and learn from one another.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, your support helped keep my students motivated and engaged during a very busy and demanding time of year. As the school year comes to an end, maintaining that excitement for learning can be challenging, but having something so special and hands-on to look forward to gave my students an extra reason to stay curious, participate, and keep doing their best.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping make learning fun, memorable, and meaningful and for giving my students an experience they will remember long after our insect unit is over. Your generosity truly helped us end our school year with curiosity, excitement, and a little ladybug magic! 🐞✨","fullyFundedDate":1778694548755,"projectUrl":"project/bringing-ladybugs-to-life-in-our-classro/10263809/","projectTitle":"Bringing Ladybugs to Life in Our Classrooms!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Guardarramas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9144280"},{"teacherId":9144280,"projectId":10235407,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom through \"End-of-Year Magic: Supplies for Fun, Learning & Celebration!\"Your generosity helped make the final weeks of second grade feel extra special for my students.\r\n\r\nThe end of the school year is filled with so much learning, growth, and excitement, but it can also be a challenging time for young learners. Students are working hard to finish the year strong, demonstrate everything they have learned, and prepare for the next big step in their educational journey. They only get summer fever and motivation drops. Your generous donation gave us the opportunity to add a little fun and \"magic\" to those final weeks while continuing to encourage meaningful learning.\r\nThe supplies provided wonderful opportunities to motivate and engage students. Having special materials, activities, and celebrations to look forward to helped my students stay excited about coming to school, participating in learning, and giving their best effort right up until the very last day.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, these supplies helped us celebrate how far my students had come. This was a special group of learners! It was incredibly rewarding to celebrate those accomplishments and remind students that their perseverance and hard work mattered.\r\nYour support helped us end the year not only with learning, but with joy, laughter, celebration, and memories that my students will carry with them into third grade. You helped make the end of a busy and demanding school year feel like a celebration of everything they had accomplished.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in my students and helping make their final days of second grade so memorable. Your generosity made a meaningful difference in our classroom, and I am incredibly grateful that you helped us add a little extra magic to the finish line!","fullyFundedDate":1778227110110,"projectUrl":"project/end-of-year-magic-supplies-for-fun-lea/10235407/","projectTitle":"End-of-Year Magic: Supplies for Fun, Learning & Celebration","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Guardarramas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9144280"},{"teacherId":9514573,"projectId":10118707,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation toward our new classroom mailboxes! They have proven to be the perfect addition to our space, transforming the way our classroom stays organized each day. \r\n\r\nOur students can now effortlessly unpack their belongings, sort their daily papers, and find their learning materials whenever they need them. Having a designated spot of their own not only simplifies their morning routine, but it also teaches them valuable independence and organizational skills that make our entire school day run much more smoothly. \r\n\r\nWe are so grateful for your kindness and support in making our classroom a better place to learn!","fullyFundedDate":1775842831629,"projectUrl":"project/mailbox-madness/10118707/","projectTitle":"Mailbox Madness","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Budnick","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9514573_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1713406238676","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9514573"},{"teacherId":9308437,"projectId":10066390,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your donation to this project! The materials that came were more than enough for our family engagement events that we even have some left over for the next school year. \r\n\r\nStudents were able to grow their own plant (and gift them for mothers day!) with pride as we watched them bloom and grow in the classroom. \r\nWe were also able to share an immersive experience for our family cultural event with them pom poms and paint to explore the big 5 of Africa and make rain sticks! \r\nStudents are also able to become part of fire safety week with their firefighter hats. I'm so grateful for the donation that supports their childhood memories at school!","fullyFundedDate":1775151071804,"projectUrl":"project/family-engagement-supplies/10066390/","projectTitle":"Family Engagement Supplies","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Barton","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9308437"},{"teacherId":10414676,"projectId":10047471,"letterContent":"I want to thank you so much for donating the butterfly kits to the second-grade students. This correlated perfectly with two of their recent units of study: 'Cycles in Nature' and 'Butterflies, Bees and Beetles: Insects'. Watching the caterpillars progress through their life cycle and form into butterflies, all while in their classroom, was such a joy for the students. They enjoyed making connections between what they were observing in real time and what they were reading and learning in the classroom. Their excitement for learning was greatly enriched because of your donation. This created a valuable learning experience, but, even more importantly, a lifelong memory for them. Thank you again for making this learning experience possible for them.","fullyFundedDate":1769192044008,"projectUrl":"project/2nd-grade-butterfly-experience/10047471/","projectTitle":"2nd Grade Butterfly Experience","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Price","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10414676"},{"teacherId":2264782,"projectId":10237870,"letterContent":"Oh my goodness what a great way to keep my babies engaged!!! Thank you so much they absolutely loved the new math centers. It totally got them over spring fever and back into being engaged and showing 100 percent effort. This is just what they need and what I needed to make reviewing for third grade fun and enjoyable. Thank you so much for always seeing the value in my students and for understanding that these hands on materials is what will keep them motivated. Seeing the smile when they were working was such a treat !","fullyFundedDate":1778694724124,"projectUrl":"project/little-hands-big-dreams/10237870/","projectTitle":"Little Hands Big Dreams","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Berman","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2264782"},{"teacherId":10044481,"projectId":9381270,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom through DonorsChoose! Your generosity has already made such a positive impact on my students and our learning environment. Seeing the excitement on their faces when the materials arrived was such a special moment. My students were eager to explore everything right away, and they truly felt cared for knowing that people believed in them and their education.\r\n\r\nThe resources you provided have helped make our classroom more engaging, organized, and supportive for all learners. As a special education teacher, creating a classroom where students feel comfortable, confident, and excited to learn is so important. These materials are helping my students stay focused, participate more actively, and build independence throughout the school day. Even small changes in the classroom can make a huge difference in helping students feel successful.\r\n\r\nWe are already using these resources during small group instruction, independent work, and classroom routines, and they will continue supporting students all year long. Your kindness and generosity mean more than words can express, and I am so grateful that you chose to invest in my students and our classroom community.","fullyFundedDate":1750173843978,"projectUrl":"project/write-read-solve-shine/9381270/","projectTitle":"Write, Read, Solve, Shine","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Wilson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10044481_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1748472756535","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10044481"},{"teacherId":2264782,"projectId":10138968,"letterContent":"Thank you so much ! The shelves look brand new and amazing with the new liner and the kids are literally over the moon for the stickers. All your supplies just gave the students that spring boast that helps them stay motivated and engaged when we have been in school for over 100 days. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate you making my students and myself feel so special that you take the time and money to make our days a little brighter. I do believe money does not buy happiness but feeling valued and invested in certainly does so thank you a thousand times over.","fullyFundedDate":1773855121156,"projectUrl":"project/spring-into-the-future/10138968/","projectTitle":"Spring Into the Future!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Berman","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2264782"},{"teacherId":9715020,"projectId":9796253,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, our Kindergarten classroom now has a calm corner that helps students learn how to manage their emotions and refocus so they can be ready to learn. With the new squishy toys, calming signs, breathing light, and cozy reading nook, students have a safe space to pause, take deep breaths, and reset when they are feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Recently, during our reading block, one student chose to visit the calm corner when they were feeling upset. They squeezed a squishy toy while watching the breathing light and followed the breathing prompts on the calming signs. After a few minutes, they felt calm and ready to return to their work.\r\n\r\nWhen the materials first arrived, my students were so excited to explore the calm corner. Their faces lit up when they saw the cozy reading nook and colorful calming tools. We spent time learning how to use each item, practicing slow breathing together and talking about how these tools can help us when we have big feelings.\r\n\r\nAs we continue our school year, students are learning to recognize their emotions and independently choose strategies that help them feel calm and focused. Whether they take a few breaths with the breathing light, squeeze a squishy toy, or enjoy a quiet moment in the reading nook, these resources are helping create a supportive classroom where students feel safe, confident, and ready to learn.","fullyFundedDate":1766594923106,"projectUrl":"project/creating-calm-spaces-sensory-tools-no/9796253/","projectTitle":"Creating Calm Spaces: Sensory Tools & Nook for Kindergarten Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Schindler","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9715020_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753124287136","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9715020"},{"teacherId":9514573,"projectId":9903596,"letterContent":"Thank you so much! We've been using the board games during small-group rotations and choice time to reinforce academic skills while building collaboration and problem-solving. One standout moment was watching a group of students coach each other through a strategy game—students who are usually hesitant to participate were confidently explaining rules, negotiating turns, and adjusting strategies together. The games created a low-pressure environment where learning felt fun, and students stayed focused and engaged far longer than during traditional practice activities.\r\n\r\nThe excitement was immediate. As soon as the students saw the games, they were eager to explore them, asking questions and volunteering to help set them up. Many students recognized familiar concepts hidden inside the gameplay and were surprised by how much learning was built into something that felt like play. That initial enthusiasm carried over into deeper engagement and positive behavior during game time.\r\n\r\nNext, students will begin using the board games more independently as part of structured learning centers. They'll reflect on strategies they use, make connections between the games and our current lessons, and even create their own variations or rules to demonstrate understanding. These resources will continue to support both academic growth and social-emotional skills like teamwork, communication, and perseverance—skills they'll use well beyond the classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1766594736268,"projectUrl":"project/board-game-bliss/9903596/","projectTitle":"Board Game Bliss","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Budnick","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9514573_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1713406238676","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9514573"},{"teacherId":2264782,"projectId":9992620,"letterContent":"Thank you so much !! My students are already brainstorming their art projects for Tanzania. They were so excited to have real art supplies to work with so they can create something realistic such as jewelry and masks that we learned about from the African culture. These experiences will help shape my students for years to come. I know looking back on this year. This will be one of the experiences that they will remember and take with them going forward. I just hope you know how much I appreciate your partnership and making sure that my students have all the experiences that they need to succeed.","fullyFundedDate":1768772250748,"projectUrl":"project/the-arts-in-education/9992620/","projectTitle":"The Arts in Education","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Berman","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2264782"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_22264","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":1040,"numTeachers":97,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":2,"percentBlack":20,"percentWhite":7,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":66,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":3,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"10.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_FRINGE"},"inStateSupporters":70.7,"schoolId":22264,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Maple Hill Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Maple Hill Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-york/middletown-enlarged-city-sd/maple-hill-elementary-school/22264"}