{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Myrtle Avenue Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":41.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9779202,"letterContent":"These instructional and sensory materials are strengthening my students' academic, functional, and self-regulation skills by providing hands-on, engaging learning experiences that meet a wide range of needs. The magnetic money, counting centers, and sorting games allow students to practice foundational math skills such as counting, number recognition, matching quantities, and early money concepts in concrete, meaningful ways. Students are able to manipulate materials, make choices, and demonstrate understanding beyond paper-and-pencil tasks, which increases engagement and comprehension.\r\n\r\nThe jumbo magnetic letters and daily handwriting practice support letter recognition, fine motor development, and early writing skills, while magnets and dry erase circles allow lessons to be easily adapted for small-group instruction, visual supports, and interactive participation. Timers help students understand expectations, manage transitions, and build independence by visually tracking time during activities. Sensory tools such as the pin art boards and noise-canceling headphones support self-regulation, allowing students to remain calm, focused, and ready to learn throughout the day.\r\n\r\nTogether, these materials create a structured, supportive learning environment where students are actively engaged, better regulated, and able to make consistent progress toward their IEP goals. Because of these resources, students are participating more independently, generalizing skills across settings, and building the academic and functional foundations they need for long-term success.","fullyFundedDate":1760547948748,"projectUrl":"project/counting-calming-and-creating-in-our-l/9779202/","projectTitle":"Counting, Calming, and Creating in Our Life Skills Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9626862,"letterContent":"These stainless steel tumblers have had a meaningful impact by allowing students to actively participate in running our school coffee cart and serving beverages to staff in a safe, organized, and professional way. Using durable, insulated tumblers with lids and straws helps students practice functional life skills such as following routines, handling materials appropriately, and completing multi-step tasks while delivering hot and cold drinks throughout the building.\r\n\r\nBecause of these materials, students are able to take ownership of the coffee cart, build confidence, and interact positively with staff members. The tumblers support consistency and efficiency, allowing students to focus on skills like communication, independence, and responsibility rather than managing fragile or disposable cups. This experience provides meaningful real-world learning that supports IEP goals related to vocational skills, social interaction, and independence, while also contributing positively to school culture and staff morale.","fullyFundedDate":1758809194037,"projectUrl":"project/fueling-independence-coffee-tumblers-fo/9626862/","projectTitle":"Fueling Independence: Coffee Tumblers for Our Classroom Coffee Cart","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9445907,"letterContent":"These sensory and calming resources are already making a powerful difference in my students' ability to regulate their bodies, emotions, and attention throughout the school day. The LED bubble fish tube and liquid sensory viewers provide consistent visual calming input that helps students feel safe, reduce anxiety, and successfully transition between activities. Several students independently seek out these tools when they need to calm their bodies, allowing them to return to learning more quickly and with greater focus.\r\n\r\nThe weighted lap pad provides deep-pressure input that supports body awareness, improves seated engagement, and increases students' ability to attend during small-group instruction and independent work. Therapy putty and the buckle activity toy are strengthening fine motor skills, hand strength, and problem-solving abilities while also giving students appropriate sensory outlets that reduce off-task and unsafe behaviors. The soft knot pillow helps create a calm, inviting space where students can take structured sensory breaks and practice self-regulation strategies.\r\n\r\nTogether, these materials are helping students stay regulated, engaged, and ready to learn for longer periods of time. As a result, students are participating more consistently in instruction, demonstrating increased independence, and making meaningful progress toward their IEP goals. These resources have created a calmer, more supportive learning environment where students feel successful and ready to grow each day.","fullyFundedDate":1758294384060,"projectUrl":"project/tools-to-help-us-regulate-refocus-and/9445907/","projectTitle":"Tools to Help Us Regulate, Refocus, and Recharge","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":4797735,"projectId":9473844,"letterContent":"Thank yo so much for helping our project! Students are taking flight in a SOARing school year. Showing self-control with their bodies and words. Being on task throughout the entire school, while keeping an always kind attitude. As well as, embracing respectfulness and responsibility. With the use of our new cart, fidgets, toys, prizes, and new drawers, we are able to provide a store for our students to enjoy. While earning MAE dollars, students are able to purchase fun prizes to continue showing positive behaviors.","fullyFundedDate":1755202759270,"projectUrl":"project/soaring-to-a-new-school-year/9473844/","projectTitle":"SOARing to a New School Year!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Ruddon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4797735_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1752760269546","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4797735"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9445904,"letterContent":"This project has had an incredible impact on my Life Skills students by providing access to high-quality, specialized resources tailored to their individual needs. The Teachers Pay Teachers gift cards allowed me to purchase targeted IEP goal materials that align with each student's learning level and support their academic and functional growth. The CVI resources have been especially meaningful for my students with visual impairments, helping them access instruction through high-contrast visuals, simplified layouts, and engaging activities designed specifically for their needs. In addition, the new behavior supports have strengthened our classroom routines, allowing students to better regulate their emotions, make positive choices, and participate more successfully in learning activities.","fullyFundedDate":1755203883010,"projectUrl":"project/teachers-pay-teachers-resources-and-acti/9445904/","projectTitle":"Teachers Pay Teachers Resources and Activities","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9346658,"letterContent":"This project has made a huge difference in how my students learn, communicate, and engage in hands-on activities each day. The laminating pouches and dry erase sheets help me create durable, reusable visuals, task cards, and checklists that support my students' daily routines and IEP goals. Having materials that can be wiped clean and reused means I can quickly adapt activities to meet each student's needs while keeping our resources organized and long-lasting.\r\n\r\nThe communication buttons have opened new opportunities for my students who are nonverbal or developing language skills. By recording simple words and phrases, my students can express choices, make requests, and participate more actively in classroom routines. It's incredible to see their excitement when they realize they can use their voice buttons to be heard and understood.\r\n\r\nThe hot glue gun supports our daily life skills, art, and sensory projects—allowing us to repair materials, create adapted tools, and add hands-on crafting opportunities to our lessons. Together, these materials bring creativity, communication, and independence to life in our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1755212556153,"projectUrl":"project/building-voices-and-independence-in-our/9346658/","projectTitle":"Building Voices and Independence in Our Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9325110,"letterContent":"This project has a meaningful impact by helping my Life Skills students develop real-world job skills through our classroom coffee cart. The Luxor 3-shelf utility cart serves as the foundation of our mobile coffee station, giving students a clean, organized, and accessible space to prepare and deliver coffee throughout the school. Its sturdy shelves and easy-to-move design allow students to safely transport drinks, supplies, and materials while practicing responsibility and teamwork.\r\n\r\nThe children's aprons give each student a sense of pride and professionalism as they take on their roles in the coffee cart business. Wearing aprons not only protects their clothing but also helps them feel confident and part of a team. These experiences support communication, social interaction, fine motor skills, and functional life skills—helping students gain independence and prepare for future community-based experiences.\r\n\r\nTogether, these items turn our classroom coffee cart into a powerful tool for hands-on learning, giving students the opportunity to practice essential skills while spreading joy (and caffeine!) throughout our school.","fullyFundedDate":1752601576583,"projectUrl":"project/coffee-confidence-and-community/9325110/","projectTitle":"Coffee, Confidence, and Community!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9300088,"letterContent":"The Really Good Stuff® Bamboo 27-Slot Mail Center with Boho Trays has become an essential part of our classroom organization system. I'm using it to sort and store materials by week, which has streamlined my planning and made daily prep more efficient. Each tray holds the activities, visuals, and data sheets needed for specific weeks, allowing me to stay ahead and maintain consistency for my students. The organized setup helps ensure smooth transitions and reduces downtime during instruction. The calm boho design also blends beautifully into our classroom, creating a functional and visually appealing space.","fullyFundedDate":1746785835903,"projectUrl":"project/special-delivery-organizing-our-classro/9300088/","projectTitle":"Special Delivery: Organizing Our Classroom for Success","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9283490,"letterContent":"This project had a powerful impact on my classroom by providing essential tools and resources to support differentiated instruction. The Teachers Pay Teachers gift cards allowed me to purchase high-quality, ready-to-use educational materials that are specifically designed for students with disabilities. These resources helped me better target IEP goals, create engaging independent work tasks, and support communication and behavior strategies across subject areas. The Scotch thermal laminating pouches made it possible to prepare durable, reusable materials that can withstand daily use by my students. These items have truly enhanced the structure, consistency, and accessibility of learning in our life skills classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1746785475357,"projectUrl":"project/creating-laminating-and-learning-reso/9283490/","projectTitle":"Creating, Laminating, and Learning: Resources That Last!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9282346,"letterContent":"This DonorsChoose project has had a meaningful impact on the learning experiences of my elementary life skills students. The Lakeshore Big Knob Learning Puzzle Set and Simple Shapes Puzzle Board have become essential tools for building fine motor skills, visual discrimination, and shape recognition in a hands-on and engaging way. The Tactile Lowercase Letters have helped support early literacy development by giving my students a multi-sensory approach to letter recognition and phonics. The Toddler Lacing Keys have provided an opportunity for students to strengthen their hand-eye coordination and fine motor control while also practicing matching and sequencing skills. Additionally, the TI-30XS MultiView Calculator has supported my higher-level learners as they work on functional math skills, offering them accessible support during independent and small group tasks. Altogether, these materials have enriched our classroom environment and allowed my students with diverse needs to access learning through developmentally appropriate and interactive tools.","fullyFundedDate":1746481431865,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-learning-for-bright-minds-puzz/9282346/","projectTitle":"Hands-On Learning for Bright Minds: Puzzles, Sensory Tools, and More!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"},{"teacherId":7487656,"projectId":9225691,"letterContent":"On behalf of my students and myself, I want to extend a sincere thank you for your generous donations to our classroom. Your support has made a meaningful impact—and we are truly grateful.\r\n\r\nThanks to your kindness, our students now have their very own toothbrushes and are becoming more engaged in learning about personal hygiene. They're excited to use their new supplies and are taking pride in building healthy daily routines. These small but important lessons are empowering them with lifelong habits that support their overall well-being.\r\n\r\nYour contribution is helping us go beyond academics and nurture our students in all aspects of their development. Thank you for being a part of that growth.","fullyFundedDate":1746565295649,"projectUrl":"project/personal-care-drawer-supporting-student/9225691/","projectTitle":"Personal Care Drawer: Supporting Student Comfort and Confidence","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Miller","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7487656_orig.jpg?crop=720,720,x0,y117&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1727288242684","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7487656"},{"teacherId":9208227,"projectId":9192201,"letterContent":"The new shelf for our independent work station has quickly become an essential part of our daily routine. As soon as it was set up, my students were immediately curious and excited. One student, who usually needs a lot of prompting, walked straight over and began exploring the bins on the shelves without being asked—a huge step toward independence! Now, each student has a personalized set of tasks placed on the shelf each morning, and they've learned to follow their schedules to choose the appropriate activities. It's been incredible to watch their confidence grow as they complete tasks with little to no adult support.\r\n\r\nOne specific moment that stands out was during our life skills unit on sorting and categorizing. I prepared individualized task boxes and placed them on the shelf. Students rotated through the shelf independently, completing their sorting tasks and returning the materials without reminders. It was a proud moment to see them successfully navigating the routine from start to finish!\r\n\r\nThanks to the support from Ripple, our classroom is better equipped to foster independence, responsibility, and meaningful skill practice. Looking ahead, we're working on a classroom store project where students will practice matching money values to items and completing simple purchase exchanges. The shelf will play a big role in organizing the materials for this project and giving students a consistent place to access and return their work. We're so grateful to have this resource that supports real-world skills in such an accessible and student-centered way.","fullyFundedDate":1745847059560,"projectUrl":"project/independence-in-action-a-shelf-for-our/9192201/","projectTitle":"Independence in Action: A Shelf for Our Work Station!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Brandt","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9208227"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_88602","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":312,"numTeachers":27,"percentFrplEligible":70,"percentAsian":13,"percentBlack":8,"percentWhite":69,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":3,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"11.6:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":58.4,"schoolId":88602,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Myrtle Avenue Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Myrtle Avenue Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/pennsylvania/keystone-oaks-school-district/myrtle-avenue-elementary-school/88602"}