{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Tega Cay Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":30.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":5850451,"projectId":10426642,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity in funding our DonorsChoose project! Because of your support, our kindergarten classroom's dramatic play kitchen and café are officially up, running and filled with vibrant, hands-on learning every single day.\r\n\r\nSince setting up our new play space, the impact on my students has been nothing short of magical. Every day, I watch our young learners eagerly step into new roles—taking orders, serving meals to their classmates, and working together to run their mini café. Through this joyful, creative play, they are doing so much more than just pretending. They are actively negotiating roles, practicing clear communication, solving problems together, and building essential language and social-emotional skills!\r\n\r\nYour willingness to invest in our classroom has given these children a rich, welcoming environment where their imaginations can thrive and their confidence can grow. You haven't just provided play materials; you have helped build a strong foundation for both their academic and personal success.","fullyFundedDate":1786453629141,"projectUrl":"project/stirring-up-imagination-our-kindergarte/10426642/","projectTitle":"Stirring Up Imagination: Our Kindergarten Cafe!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Miller","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5850451_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1536512077643","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-miller1819"},{"teacherId":10506779,"projectId":10280479,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for these valuable novels. The impact is incredible. It is teaching them valuable critical thinking skills. They are recognizing the impact of figurative language and imagery in writing. As well as recognizing the proper use of dialogue and how it can amplify a story.\r\nThey have been using these skills and applying the knowledge they have learned in their own personal narrative writing. They have been able to use sensory words, dialogue and figurative language to enhance their own writing.\r\nThese novels are significant in growing a reader and getting them excited about diving into a book. They are high interest and have been much more impactful then I realized. Thank you so much for the valuable novels.","fullyFundedDate":1780652595652,"projectUrl":"project/novel-study-in-the-classroom/10280479/","projectTitle":"Novel Study in the Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Burrell","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10506779_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y640&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1778332797803","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10506779"},{"teacherId":302212,"projectId":10362872,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible support of our classroom! Because of your generosity, our reading block has completely transformed, and my struggling readers are finally experiencing those vital \"lightbulb\" moments that bridge the gap between sound and sense.\r\n\r\nWhen my students first saw the new 95 Group lip placement cards and individual mirrors, their eyes lit up with excitement. They thought it felt like a fun science experiment, but I knew the magic of what was happening. During our phonics lessons, students now hold up their mirrors to check their mouth shape while looking at the cards.\r\nA standout moment happened just last week during a small-group intervention. One of my second-graders, who has consistently struggled to differentiate between voiced and unvoiced consonant sounds, looked into his mirror and gasped, \"Teacher, my tongue has to peek through my teeth for this one!\" By literally being able to see how their mouths move to form complex sounds, the physical mechanics of reading finally clicked for him in a way flashcards never could.\r\n\r\n\r\nBuilding on this momentum, our next step is to tackle a collaborative reading and sequencing project. Students will take the decoding skills they've practiced in their activity books and apply them to short, leveled informational texts about animal habitats. They will work in pairs to map out the vocabulary, identify key facts, and present their findings to the group, boosting both their reading fluency and their public speaking confidence.\r\n\r\nThank you again for investing in my students and turning them into confident, fluent learners. Your kindness has made a lasting difference in our classroom.\r\n\r\nWith deep gratitude,","fullyFundedDate":1786453628491,"projectUrl":"project/from-sound-to-sense-building-fluent-rea/10362872/","projectTitle":"From Sound to Sense: Building Fluent Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Catledge","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp302212_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1596549713177","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrscatledge"},{"teacherId":2781083,"projectId":10206715,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our fourth grade classroom and helping make our read-aloud project possible! Your generosity has given my students new books and stories to enjoy together as a class.\r\n\r\nThese books will help us laugh, learn, imagine, and explore new adventures while building a love of reading. I am so excited to share these stories with my students and watch their curiosity and excitement grow with each read-aloud.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in our students and investing in their learning. Your kindness truly makes a difference in our classroom!\r\n\r\nWith gratitude,\r\nOur Fourth Grade Class","fullyFundedDate":1778087865619,"projectUrl":"project/read-today-lead-the-way/10206715/","projectTitle":"Read Today, Lead the Way","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Lord","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2781083_orig.jpg?crop=1000,1000,x0,y30&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1662314517297","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2781083"},{"teacherId":1513735,"projectId":10203815,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the much needed resources from my project \"Resources to Make the School Day Go Around\". The resources are so heavily used by my students.\r\nThe tool used every day by my students that keep their ideas sharp is the heavy duty pencil sharpener. It is used every day by my two classes. To accompany the now always sharp pencils are the student journals. We will be using those journals for nature writing. I want to incorporate writing with science and the power to incorporate sensory details with observations.\r\nThank you again for funding my project.","fullyFundedDate":1778087866619,"projectUrl":"project/resources-to-make-the-school-day-go-roun/10203815/","projectTitle":"Resources to Make the School Day Go Round","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jordan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1513735_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1469021475221","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1513735"},{"teacherId":1513735,"projectId":10252755,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for funding my project on \"Seeing through Doing\". Our science curriculum includes eyes and the materials purchased through this project include sheep eyes.\r\nMy students loved dissecting sheep eyes last year. It was a wonderful experience that finished up our living organisms unit. When the students looked back to describe their favorite moment, the sheep eye was mentioned over and over again.\r\nThrough our sheep eye dissection, the students learn to read step by step instructions and follow directions. The students identify the different parts of the eye and know the functions of each component. Thank you again for your support.","fullyFundedDate":1778087865783,"projectUrl":"project/learning-about-seeing-through-doing/10252755/","projectTitle":"Learning About Seeing Through Doing","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jordan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1513735_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1469021475221","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1513735"},{"teacherId":7155524,"projectId":10192723,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support of our \"Coping Can Be Fun\" project, my students now have fun and engaging resources to help them learn healthy ways to manage stress, emotions, and challenging moments. We use these materials during classroom activities and discussions, giving students opportunities to practice coping strategies in a way that feels positive and enjoyable. When the materials first arrived, my students were excited to explore them and especially enjoyed learning that coping skills could involve activities they actually enjoy.\r\n\r\nOne special moment was seeing students begin to recognize which strategies work best for them. Through games, creative activities, movement, and classroom conversations, they are learning that it is okay to have big feelings and that there are healthy ways to handle them. These resources have helped create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable talking about their emotions and supporting one another.\r\n\r\nOur next step is to continue practicing these coping strategies and encouraging students to use them independently when they feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or stressed. Thank you for helping make this learning experience possible. Your support has given my students tools they can use not only in our classroom, but throughout their everyday lives.","fullyFundedDate":1778087865255,"projectUrl":"project/coping-can-be-fun/10192723/","projectTitle":"Coping Can Be Fun","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. OHara","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7155524"},{"teacherId":1513735,"projectId":10066048,"letterContent":"Thank you for funding my project \"Molding Minds\". Our third science unit is about earth processes. The bags of sand are used to demonstrate weathering, erosion, and deposition.\r\nThe group demonstration gives students an opportunity for hands on activities. The students can examine multiple scenarios to show weathering, erosion and deposition.\r\nThe earth processes unit examines fossils. We have students bring in objects found in nature and they caste that object in plaster.\r\nWithout your funding these experiences would not be possible.","fullyFundedDate":1776120158040,"projectUrl":"project/molding-minds/10066048/","projectTitle":"Molding Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jordan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1513735_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1469021475221","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1513735"},{"teacherId":1513735,"projectId":10272483,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for funding our Scholastic Super Stem magazine subscription. The first issues just arrived and we can't wait to investigate the digital portion of the magazine.\r\nThe magazine offers many opportunities for the students to use graphs and data with current event topics. The magazine provides STEM activities with a chance to build and innovate. The other section of the magazine includes a massive technology piece that the students enjoy. Thank you so much for your support to my students to further their educational futures.","fullyFundedDate":1780652594988,"projectUrl":"project/read-and-innovate/10272483/","projectTitle":"Read and Innovate","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jordan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1513735_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1469021475221","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1513735"},{"teacherId":1513735,"projectId":9979363,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your amazing donation. With the materials from this project we are \"doing\" science in the classroom!\r\nWe are able to utilize the science tools to maximize student engagement. It is laying the foundation for student to grow their natural curiosity. So many factors prevents a hands on , minds on science activity to occur in a classroom, but these resources enabled us to go over the barrier of not having the resources available.\r\nI want to sincerely thank you for making the many science projects possible for my students. The excitement and smiles generated through these experiences was contagious.","fullyFundedDate":1776120158598,"projectUrl":"project/science-through-doing/9979363/","projectTitle":"Science Through Doing!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jordan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1513735_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1469021475221","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1513735"},{"teacherId":302212,"projectId":10242849,"letterContent":"The introduction of these decodable books has completely transformed how my students approach reading. While traditional children's books are wonderful for storytelling, they often rely on guessing words from pictures or context clues. Decodable books, however, are a critical tool for teaching the actual mechanics of reading. They focus on specific phonics skills—such as short vowel sounds, consonant blends, or digraphs—that we are actively learning in class. Because the texts only include words that students have the phonetic tools to sound out, the books act as a bridge from isolated letter sounds to fluent, independent reading.\r\n\r\nWith these new resources, reading time in our classroom has shifted from a place of anxiety to one of vibrant energy. Today, a typical reading block looks like small groups of students huddled together, proudly pointing to words and sounding them out aloud. There is no more guessing or feeling defeated by \"trick\" words. Instead, you hear the steady, confident hum of children decoding text, followed by the immediate excitement of comprehension.\r\n\r\nThese books have had a profound impact on my struggling readers and English Language Learners in particular. One of my students, who used to shut down and close books when frustrated, recently finished an entire decodable book from cover to cover. They looked up with a massive smile and said, \"I can actually read this!\" That shift from \"I can't\" to \"I can\" is entirely thanks to your generosity. You haven't just given us books; you have given my students the gift of confidence and a foundational love for reading. Thank you","fullyFundedDate":1778087866930,"projectUrl":"project/decoding-through-mycodables/10242849/","projectTitle":"Decoding Through MyCodables","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Catledge","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp302212_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1596549713177","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrscatledge"},{"teacherId":302212,"projectId":10085273,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous contributions toward our classroom's new library of decodable books. For a developing reader, the transition from recognizing individual letter sounds to fluently reading a full sentence is one of the most cognitively demanding tasks they will ever face. Before your gift arrived, many of our students felt a heavy sense of \"reading fatigue\" when faced with books filled with unpredictable patterns or complex words they hadn't yet been taught how to break down. However, the arrival of these high-quality, systematic texts has fundamentally shifted the energy in our room from one of hesitation to one of unbridled curiosity and joy. Because these books are precisely aligned with our phonics instruction—meaning a child is never asked to read a word containing a sound they haven't mastered—the \"guesswork\" that often leads to frustration has been replaced by the \"logic\" of language. When a student opens a book featuring a familiar character and realizes they can decode every single word on the page using the tools I've given them, their entire posture changes. They sit up taller, their eyes light up, and that spark of self-efficacy begins to glow. You haven't just provided us with paper and ink; you have provided the physical proof to these children that they are, in fact, real readers. This foundational confidence is the single most important predictor of a child's future relationship with learning, and seeing them dive into stories about characters they love—armed with the skills to actually read them—is a joy that I wish you could witness firsthand during our daily reading circles.\r\n\r\nThe impact of your donation extends far beyond the four walls of our classroom and the duration of this single school year, as you have effectively invested in the lifelong literacy of every child who walks through my door. In the world of early childhood education, we know that the earliest experiences a child has with a book set the tone for their entire academic journey; by providing these decodable resources, you are ensuring that my students' earliest memories of reading are defined by \"I can\" rather than \"I can't.\" We have already integrated these texts into our small-group instruction, and the results are tangible: fluency rates are climbing, and more importantly, the emotional barrier that prevents learning when a child feels overwhelmed has dropped significantly. Students who used to hide or disengage during independent reading time are now racing to the bins to find the next adventure featuring their favorite heroes. This level of engagement is a rare and precious gift that transforms the classroom environment. Your willingness to support the \"science of reading\" through these specialized materials shows a profound understanding of what it takes to build a truly literate society. You have bridged the gap between the hard work of phonics drills and the magical world of storytelling, allowing my students to see that the code of the English language is a puzzle they are fully capable of solving. Thank you for believing in our mission, for valuing the hard work of these young learners, and for putting the right books into the hands of the children who need them most. Your kindness has made an indelible mark on our community, and we are forever grateful for your partnership in opening the world of literacy to these bright young minds.","fullyFundedDate":1776120155103,"projectUrl":"project/decoding-for-success-structured-literac/10085273/","projectTitle":"Decoding for Success: Structured Literacy Resources for Early Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Catledge","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp302212_orig.png?crop=398,398,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1596549713177","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrscatledge"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_105800","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":716,"numTeachers":52,"percentFrplEligible":15,"percentAsian":16,"percentBlack":3,"percentWhite":62,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":8,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":6,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"13.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":69.4,"schoolId":105800,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Tega Cay Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Tega Cay Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/south-carolina/york-csd-4-fort-mills-schools/tega-cay-elementary-school-opening-august-2014-/105800"}