{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Milbank Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":34.4,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":4962635,"projectId":10433355,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity and for supporting our classroom! Your donation has brought so much excitement, creativity, and learning into our first grade classroom. The puzzles, rock-painting markers, and brain games have quickly become some of our favorite classroom resources, and I am so excited to share the impact they are already making with our students.\r\n\r\nIn first grade, there is always a wide range of learning happening in our classroom. Some students may finish an assignment quickly, while others need a little more time to complete their work. Before receiving these materials, finding meaningful activities for students who finished early could sometimes be a challenge. I wanted our early finishers to have choices that were fun and engaging, but I also wanted those activities to keep their minds working. Your generosity has helped make that possible!\r\n\r\nThe puzzles have been a huge hit! Students love working together or independently to put the pieces together, and I love watching them use problem-solving skills, patience, perseverance, and logical thinking without even realizing they are learning. There is something special about seeing a group of first graders gathered around a puzzle, talking about where pieces might fit, encouraging one another, and celebrating when they finally complete it. What looks like play is actually helping them develop important skills that they will use throughout their school years.\r\n\r\nThe brain games have also become a favorite choice for students who finish their assignments. These games give them an opportunity to think, reason, problem-solve, and challenge themselves in a way that feels completely different from regular schoolwork. I have heard students say things like, \"This one is tricky!\" followed quickly by, \"I figured it out!\" Those moments are exactly what I hoped these materials would create. Students are learning that it is okay for something to be challenging and that sticking with a problem can be rewarding.\r\n\r\nAnd then there are the rock-painting markers! These have added a wonderful creative element to our classroom. My students absolutely love having the opportunity to create something of their own. Rock painting allows them to use their imaginations, make choices, experiment with colors and designs, and express their personalities. For young children, opportunities to be creative are so important. Not every child shows what they know through a worksheet or written assignment, and these markers give students another way to express themselves and feel successful.\r\n\r\nOne of my favorite things about these materials is that they give students meaningful choices. When a child finishes an assignment, the next step doesn't have to be, \"Here is more work.\" Instead, they can choose a puzzle, challenge their brain with a game, or create something with the rock-painting markers. These activities feel like a reward, but they are also helping students build important academic and life skills.\r\n\r\nYour donation has helped us create a classroom where learning doesn't stop when an assignment is finished. Instead, students can continue exploring, thinking, creating, and working together. They are learning how to be independent, how to solve problems, how to persevere when something is difficult, and how to enjoy learning simply for the sake of learning.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, these materials bring smiles to our classroom. My first graders are energetic, curious, creative, and eager to explore. Seeing their excitement when they get to choose a brain game or start creating a painted rock reminds me that learning can—and should—be fun!\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in our students and for investing in their learning. Your generosity has provided much more than puzzles, markers, and games. You have provided opportunities for creativity, problem-solving, independence, perseverance, and joyful learning. You have helped make our classroom a place where students can finish their work and think, \"What can I learn or create next?\"\r\n\r\nWe are incredibly grateful for your support. Thank you for helping make learning fun!nk you for your generous donation to our Donors Choose project!","fullyFundedDate":1788546825740,"projectUrl":"project/engaging-activities-for-early-finishers/10433355/","projectTitle":"Engaging Activities for Early Finishers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Johnson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4962635_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1510194280927","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4962635"},{"teacherId":8645238,"projectId":8269652,"letterContent":"From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for purchasing the Creative Inside Recess Manipulatives for our classroom through DonorsChoose. Because of your generosity, our students now have access to hands-on materials that are already transforming the way they play, learn, and connect with one another during recess.\r\n\r\nRecess is often seen as a simple break in the day—but in our classroom, it is so much more. It is a time for students to practice problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, and emotional regulation. With these new manipulatives, our students have meaningful opportunities to build, design, experiment, and collaborate in ways that strengthen both their academic and social skills.\r\n\r\nThe excitement on their faces when the materials arrived was unforgettable. Students immediately began exploring the different pieces, working together to create structures, invent games, and challenge each other's thinking. Instead of feeling limited by rainy days or indoor schedules, they now look forward to inside recess with enthusiasm and imagination.\r\n\r\nThese manipulatives are doing more than keeping hands busy—they are building confidence. Students who may struggle during unstructured time are now finding success and leadership opportunities. Some are discovering a talent for engineering and design. Others are learning how to share ideas, compromise, and persevere when their creations don't go as planned. Every day, we see communication skills growing alongside towers, patterns, and imaginative builds.\r\n\r\nAs their teacher, I am deeply grateful. Resources like these enhance not only recess, but the overall classroom community. Students return from break refreshed, proud of what they created, and ready to learn. The positive energy carries into our academic time, strengthening focus and motivation throughout the day.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our classroom, in creativity, and most importantly, in our students. Your gift will continue to inspire imagination, collaboration, and joyful learning every single day.","fullyFundedDate":1716404522443,"projectUrl":"project/make-inside-recess-creative/8269652/","projectTitle":"Make Inside Recess Creative","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Anderson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8645238_orig.jpg?crop=1920,1920,x0,y211&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1765378912630","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8645238"},{"teacherId":4962635,"projectId":9416728,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation to my DonorsChoose project,\"Hook the High Flyers on Reading\". Your support helped provide my higher-level students with engaging new books that truly challenge and inspire them.\r\n\r\nBecause of your kindness, my students now have access to literature that matches their abilities and fuels their love of learning. The excitement on their faces when they opened the box of books was priceless, and it wouldn't have been possible without your generosity.\r\n\r\nWe're so grateful to have someone like you who believes in the power of education and invests in our future readers and thinkers.","fullyFundedDate":1760051628868,"projectUrl":"project/hook-the-high-flyers-on-reading/9416728/","projectTitle":"Hook the High Flyers on Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Johnson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4962635_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1510194280927","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4962635"},{"teacherId":4962635,"projectId":9574421,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping fund our project! \r\nWe have had to have several indoor recess already this year due to rain. The games and activities purchased through this funded project have helped us during those indoor recesses. We have used our math skills as well as our fine motor skills while playing some of the games.\r\nOur creative side came out while creating our own stickers to be printed in our sticker maker. Then we colored them once they were printed.\r\nThank you for helping keep recess fun, even when we have to stay indoors.","fullyFundedDate":1757704507115,"projectUrl":"project/games-giggling-growth/9574421/","projectTitle":"Games, Giggling & Growth","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Johnson","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4962635_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1510194280927","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4962635"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_91876","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":429,"numTeachers":30,"percentFrplEligible":38,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":76,"percentIndigenous":1,"percentLatinx":19,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":1,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"14.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_REMOTE"},"inStateSupporters":65.6,"schoolId":91876,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Milbank Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Milbank Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/south-dakota/milbank-school-district-25-4/koch-elementary-school/91876"}