{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"West Hempfield Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":18.5,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10463151,"projectId":10309639,"letterContent":"The First Chapter Friday project funded through DonorsChoose has transformed my classroom reading culture by building intrinsic motivation and genuine excitement around literacy. The students are excited to see what book is next and hear the first chapter of that book. For example, introducing engaging titles like Lost in the Pacific and Shadow Jumper through a weekly live read-aloud creates a shared classroom experience that eliminates the fear of picking up a new book, especially a new genre. By giving students a risk-free, captivating preview of different genres and styles, the project effectively lowers the barrier to entry for reluctant readers while keeping avid readers constantly eager for what comes next.\r\nBeyond building a love for reading, the project directly strengthens comprehension and critical thinking skills. Synthesizing the opening chapter into a short, written summary on their activity page teaches students how to identify main ideas without the pressure of a high-stakes assessment. Additionally, choosing what to read empowers students to take ownership of their literary choices, building confidence and self-direction in their independent habits.\r\nFinally, the long-term design of the project ensures a lasting educational return on the original DonorsChoose investment. Because the featured books remain readily available in the classroom library, First Chapter Friday creates a continuous, year-round demand for checkout. Rather than sitting forgotten on a shelf after a single lesson, these resources are continuously circulated, read, and recommended among peers. This steady engagement turns a simple Friday routine into a sustainable engine for ongoing literacy growth throughout the entire school year.","fullyFundedDate":1780412237481,"projectUrl":"project/first-chapter-friday/10309639/","projectTitle":"First Chapter Friday","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Castillo","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10463151_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1780278105061","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10463151"},{"teacherId":4932224,"projectId":10233106,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation of books to my Kindergarten classroom! Your support will help fill our classroom library with engaging and exciting stories that my students can enjoy throughout the school year.\r\n\r\nBooks are such an important part of a young child's learning. They help children build vocabulary, develop listening and comprehension skills, spark their imaginations, and most importantly, foster a love of reading. These new books will give my students opportunities to explore new ideas, discover new characters, and see themselves reflected in the stories they read.\r\n\r\nI am incredibly grateful for your generosity and for investing in my students and their love of learning. Your kindness will make a meaningful difference in our classroom and create many special reading moments for my Kindergarteners. Thank you for helping make our classroom library a place where children can learn, imagine, and grow!","fullyFundedDate":1780352409047,"projectUrl":"project/for-the-love-of-reading/10233106/","projectTitle":"For the Love of Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. YANIZESKI","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4932224"},{"teacherId":8672576,"projectId":10055724,"letterContent":"This project has immensely helped our Food2Go program. Our school population is 50% free or reduced lunch and increasing. Many of our students go home hungry on the weekends and with grocery bills ever growing; our program could not manage the funds. Receiving these food items helped balance our budget and keep students fed.\r\n\r\nAs we know, when students are hungry, they don't learn to their potential. Allowing families to have some support no matter how big or small has made a positive impact and increased relationships with the community.","fullyFundedDate":1769376966425,"projectUrl":"project/snacks-for-students/10055724/","projectTitle":"Snacks for Students!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. King","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8672576"},{"teacherId":3654757,"projectId":10065068,"letterContent":"Your generosity has made a meaningful difference in our kindergarten classroom, and we are so grateful for your support. Thanks to your donations, our students are enjoying the new magnetic boards every day during our literacy stations. These hands-on learning tools have brought excitement and engagement to our reading block while giving students the opportunity to actively practice important early literacy skills. Your kindness has helped create a classroom where learning is interactive, fun, and accessible for every child.\r\n\r\nOur kindergarten students were so excited when the packages arrived to our classroom. They were able to use the magnetic boards for a variety of hands-on activities, including magnetic word building, sentence building, and sight word practice. Students work together to sound out words, arrange letters to create new vocabulary, build complete sentences, and strengthen their recognition of high-frequency words through play-based learning. These activities encourage collaboration, confidence, and independence while reinforcing foundational reading and writing skills. Thank you for investing in our young learners and helping provide meaningful learning experiences that will benefit them throughout the school year.","fullyFundedDate":1772569486924,"projectUrl":"project/standing-magnetic-whiteboards/10065068/","projectTitle":"Standing Magnetic Whiteboards","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Correll","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-daniellecorrell"},{"teacherId":4855340,"projectId":10115977,"letterContent":"Because of your generosity, our classroom is truly driving into the future with Sphero Indi Robots! Your support has transformed our STEM learning environment into a space filled with curiosity, creativity, and hands-on discovery.\r\n\r\nOur K–5 students are not just learning about coding — they are experiencing it. With Sphero Indi robots, even our youngest learners are developing foundational computational thinking skills. They design color-coded paths, predict outcomes, test solutions, and revise their plans when things don't go as expected. What looks like play is actually deep learning in action: sequencing, problem-solving, critical thinking, and perseverance.\r\n\r\nOne of the most exciting moments is when a student realizes they can \"tell\" the robot what to do and watch it respond. Their faces light up with pride and amazement. Students who may not always see themselves as leaders or problem-solvers suddenly become engineers and programmers. They collaborate, communicate their ideas, and celebrate each other's successes.\r\n\r\nThe Indi robots make coding accessible and engaging for all learners, regardless of reading level or prior experience. Students build confidence as they experiment and learn from mistakes in a safe, supportive environment. They are not just consuming technology — they are creating with it.\r\n\r\nBecause of you, our students are developing skills that will prepare them for the future: logical reasoning, creativity, collaboration, and resilience. More importantly, they are discovering that STEM is exciting, empowering, and within their reach.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our young innovators and for helping us inspire the next generation of thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers. Your impact is seen every day in the joy, determination, and growth of our students.","fullyFundedDate":1771889767547,"projectUrl":"project/driving-into-the-future-with-sphero-indi/10115977/","projectTitle":"Driving Into the Future with Sphero Indi Robots!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Rakvic","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4855340_orig.jpg?crop=671,671,x1597,y429&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758203009379","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4855340"},{"teacherId":10349703,"projectId":9894013,"letterContent":"My students have loved exploring their new stem tools. Your generous donation has allowed us to construct, build and examine new tools with countless hands on learning opportunities. In particular, we have really enjoyed the levers and pulleys construction kit and have been able to pull these kits into our science class. Thank you so much for bringing a new level of creativity and exploration into the minds of my 5th grade students. Together, we thank you and look forward to a lot more learning in the future!","fullyFundedDate":1763990979261,"projectUrl":"project/stem-tools/9894013/","projectTitle":"STEM Tools","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Forte","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10349703_orig.jpg?crop=272,272,x0,y91&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1763757446751","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10349703"},{"teacherId":8672576,"projectId":9707652,"letterContent":"Kindergarten and first grade have LOVED the addition of their books! Teachers are using these to reinforce expectations and discuss feelings in class. Students have also been picking books out during independent reading time and recess! Students now understand that naming their feelings not only helps them calm down but helps them be a better friend and student. West Hempfield is a most positive and emotional intelligent place for kindergarten and first grade. Thank you for supporting this initiative and increasing our emotional vocabulary!","fullyFundedDate":1761053875011,"projectUrl":"project/little-spots-for-little-people/9707652/","projectTitle":"Little Spots for Little People.","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. King","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8672576"},{"teacherId":3435336,"projectId":9707339,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our STEM bins project! Your generosity means we will have the chance to build, create, and explore in ways that make learning exciting. With the materials you've provided, we'll be able to design boats, bridges, marble runs, catapults, and so much more. These projects will challenge us to think critically, work as a team, and keep trying until our ideas succeed.\r\n\r\nYour donation makes a big difference because it gives us the tools to learn like real engineers. Instead of only reading about concepts, we'll get to experience them hands-on and see how our creativity and problem-solving skills can make something amazing. Most importantly, you're helping us build confidence and discover that we can be innovators who shape the world around us.\r\n\r\nWe are so grateful for your kindness and support. Thank you for believing in us and helping make our classroom a place where imagination and learning come alive!","fullyFundedDate":1758716494078,"projectUrl":"project/stem-challenges-to-challenge-our-thinkin/9707339/","projectTitle":"Stem Challenges to Challenge Our Thinking","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Dominy","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3435336_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758213138922","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mscorrie4"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_91199","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":496,"numTeachers":39,"percentFrplEligible":53,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":90,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":1,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":5,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"12.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":81.5,"schoolId":91199,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about West Hempfield Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"West Hempfield Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/pennsylvania/hempfield-area-school-district/west-hempfield-elementary-school/91199"}