{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Tompkins Square Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":30.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":3726916,"projectId":9800123,"letterContent":"Thank You for Bringing Mythology to Life!\r\n\r\nI wanted to take a moment to send a huge, heartfelt thank you for fully funding my project, \"Kid-Friendly Greek Mythology Books for Engaging Reluctant Readers!\" Your generosity has truly transformed our reading unit this year, and my students are absolutely buzzing with excitement about their new books.\r\n\r\nMiddle school can be a tricky time for young readers—they often feel like they \"shouldn't\" have to read anymore and would much rather be on their phones! But as any teacher knows, the best way to improve reading skills is simply to read as much as possible. This project, focused on engaging texts about Greek mythology, is our secret weapon. Our whole unit centers around The Lightning Thief, and now, thanks to you, our classroom library is overflowing with relevant, kid-friendly books on figures like Zeus, Hades, and Medusa. Reading in our classroom now looks like students racing to the library shelf during independent reading time or break-out discussions, not just to pick up a book, but to satiate their genuine curiosity. These new texts aren't just for fun; they are introducing crucial literacy skills like non-fiction analysis, synthesizing complex information, and making intertextual connections between the stories we read in class and the deeper background found in these supplemental books.\r\n\r\nSeeing the impact has been the most rewarding part. We have several reluctant readers who previously would stare at a blank page, but now they are asking questions and eagerly sharing new facts they learned about figures from the books. One student, who has told his classmates he doesn't read, flipped through a book on beasts and monsters, and shared some cool facts when one of the monsters came up in a class discussion. That moment—that spark of ownership and pride in reading—is every Humanities teacher's dream, and you made it happen. These books are allowing my students to build confidence as readers while connecting them to a rich, exciting world of ancient stories.\r\n\r\nThank you again for investing in my students' reading journey and helping us make our classroom a place where curiosity leads to reading!","fullyFundedDate":1761241303362,"projectUrl":"project/mythologists-in-the-making/9800123/","projectTitle":"Mythologists in the Making","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Nico","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3726916_orig.png?crop=1078,1078,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1754829609446","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-shiu"},{"teacherId":3726916,"projectId":9418806,"letterContent":"What a difference a special reading zone makes! Thank you for your support in creating a cozy reading area for our sixth graders. The carpet arrived a few days ago and we set it up with some bean bags and comfy floor seating. Our students flocked to the space. This is our second cozy area, but it is by far the most popular. We've even created VIP passes for students who embody our school values: kindness, safety, and productivity.\r\n\r\nThe carpet looks fabulous and our classes like to show it off to other teachers and students as they walk by in the hallway. They hold our classroom door open and tell people they should check out our cool rug that looks like one of our notebooks. They really take pride in their special space and we have you to thank for it.","fullyFundedDate":1753107604405,"projectUrl":"project/creating-a-cozy-reading-zone/9418806/","projectTitle":"Creating A Cozy Reading Zone","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Nico","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3726916_orig.png?crop=1078,1078,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1754829609446","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-shiu"},{"teacherId":3726916,"projectId":9037504,"letterContent":"What can I say? You cannot believe the impact a few green floor seats have on a classroom full of 6th graders. Getting 6th graders to settle in and read for 30+ minutes is a challenge. Some of them don't want to read. Some of them don't want to be quiet. Many of them can be incentivized to get to reading more easily with the promise of a fun/cozy/comfortable space to read in. \r\n\r\nFrom the moment we opened the chairs, students were scrambling to be the lucky handful to get to sit in them for a particular reading period. They were so popular, we made a \"green chair priority\" list for students who actually sat and read quietly the day before. Students who would otherwise \"pretend read\" or ask to go to the bathroom twice during reading time suddenly got into their books. We were thrilled that something so simple was such a huge motivation. Thank you for making a difference in our classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1744898656874,"projectUrl":"project/help-6th-graders-curl-up-with-a-good-boo/9037504/","projectTitle":"Help 6th Graders Curl Up With a Good Book","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Nico","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3726916_orig.png?crop=1078,1078,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1754829609446","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-shiu"},{"teacherId":7382882,"projectId":8461434,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support, our classroom was transformed with the addition of color ink! What might seem like a small change has made a big difference in how my 6th graders engaged with their learning. With access to color printing, they created vivid, professional-looking projects that reflect their effort, creativity, and understanding.\r\n\r\nWhat excites my students most is the chance to see their work come alive. They're incredibly proud when they see their projects printed in full color—it makes their efforts feel real and valued. One student, in particular, who normally shies away from class presentations, was thrilled to share her color-printed research project with the class. \r\nThe bright visuals helped her feel confident and in control, and her classmates were genuinely impressed. This project has opened doors for expression, collaboration, and pride in learning that simply weren't possible with black-and-white materials. Thank you again for making this possible!","fullyFundedDate":1723306649564,"projectUrl":"project/color-ink/8461434/","projectTitle":"Color Ink!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Maginnis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7382882_orig.jpg?crop=2204,2204,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1751972181402","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7382882"},{"teacherId":3726916,"projectId":8956067,"letterContent":"Have you ever seen a group of 11 year-olds so excited to borrow books that they can't sit still? It's an amazing thing. A big box of books arrived during one of our independent reading periods and I couldn't restrain myself from opening it up and exploring its contents. At first no one noticed. I gave an excited yip and a few students looked my way and saw I was holding several copies of a book I had recently done a book talk on. At the end of that book talk the two copies of the book I had flew out of my hands and I had a waiting list ten names deep. I heard whispers throughout the room and I could hear excited yelps and inhales as more students noticed the stack of *that book* I had in front of me. I could feel the vibrations in the air. My sixth graders were ready to pounce on me to get their hands on that book and see what else was coming out of that box.\r\n\r\nIt's fair to say we are very grateful for your generosity and support. Not only did our new books inspire our students to read more, the stories in those books were about characters with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Some students chose books with characters like them. Many had never read a book that had someone like them before. Other students chose books about characters with very different lives. \r\n\r\nEven though we've had the books for some time now, they're still in demand and featured in a special display in our classroom. Thank you for the representation. Thank you for the diversity. Thank you for the literacy. You've impacted all of our lives in a very beautiful way.","fullyFundedDate":1732326322415,"projectUrl":"project/reading-and-representation-seeing-ourse/8956067/","projectTitle":"Reading and Representation: Seeing Ourselves and Others in Books","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Nico","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3726916_orig.png?crop=1078,1078,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1754829609446","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-shiu"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_30080","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":291,"numTeachers":29,"percentFrplEligible":68,"percentAsian":9,"percentBlack":16,"percentWhite":18,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":53,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"10.0:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":69.2,"schoolId":30080,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Tompkins Square Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Tompkins Square Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-york/new-york-city-dept-of-ed/tompkins-square-middle-school/30080"}