{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Dyess Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":20.4,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9164643,"projectId":8291386,"letterContent":"Our kindergarten class was overjoyed to receive the donation of Play-Doh, and it has already become one of our most loved and effective learning tools. We are using the Play-Doh daily to support hands-on learning across multiple subjects, including literacy, math, science, and fine motor development. One of the first projects we began after receiving the materials was our \"Build a Word\" center. Students roll and shape the Play-Doh into letters to spell sight words and vocabulary from our weekly lessons. This activity allows them to connect tactile learning with phonics and spelling while keeping engagement high. It also supports letter formation practice for early writers who are still developing hand strength and control.\r\n\r\nAnother exciting use has been during math lessons, where the students use Play-Doh to form numbers, create shapes, and model addition or subtraction problems. During a recent math station, students worked in small groups to \"build\" a number using different colors of Play-Doh to represent tens and ones. This made abstract math concepts much more concrete and fun. In science, the Play-Doh has helped us explore topics like the five senses, animal habitats, and the structure of plants. For example, when we studied how plants grow, students molded Play-Doh stems, leaves, roots, and flowers, labeling each part as they built. The pride they took in creating and explaining their models showed how much deeper their understanding became through this kind of hands-on exploration.\r\n\r\nWhen the Play-Doh first arrived, the students' reactions were priceless. Their faces lit up with excitement as I opened the boxes and revealed all the colorful containers. They immediately started discussing what they wanted to create—some wanted to make animals, others wanted to build letters or numbers. Many exclaimed things like \"This is the best day ever!\" and \"I can't wait to play with it!\" For many of my students, having access to new classroom materials like this is a special experience that helps them feel valued and excited to come to school. The joy in the room was contagious, and their enthusiasm has continued each time we use the Play-Doh.\r\n\r\nOur next steps are to continue integrating the Play-Doh into creative learning projects that build both academic and social-emotional skills. We plan to use it in our upcoming unit on community helpers, where students will sculpt different community roles—like firefighters, teachers, and doctors—and then share about how those helpers make a difference in our world. This will tie together art, literacy, and social studies, while allowing students to express themselves creatively and develop their vocabulary.\r\n\r\nWe are so grateful for this donation because it has given our classroom more opportunities for active, joyful learning. The Play-Doh has transformed ordinary lessons into interactive experiences that encourage creativity, collaboration, and curiosity. Each day, my students are learning that school is not just about sitting and listening—it's about building, exploring, and discovering together.","fullyFundedDate":1717723602382,"projectUrl":"project/kinder-play-doh/8291386/","projectTitle":"Kinder Play Doh","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Vela","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9164643"},{"teacherId":7689954,"projectId":9065063,"letterContent":"I would like to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your support of this project. What makes my students truly special is their incredible diversity of needs and learning styles. With your generosity—and the support of Ripple—we've been able to create a space where every student has access to a calmer, quieter environment that meets their unique needs.\r\n By introducing softer lighting, I've been able to support students who are especially sensitive to their surroundings. This simple change has had a profound impact on their ability to focus, feel safe, and engage more fully in their learning.\r\n One standout piece of equipment has been the water light fish bubble tubes. These have quickly become a favorite among the students. Sitting near them helps students self-regulate, refocus, and return to learning with a sense of calm and clarity.\r\n Thank you again for your incredible support. Your contribution has made a meaningful difference in our classroom and in the lives of our students.","fullyFundedDate":1746787130067,"projectUrl":"project/lighting-the-way-by-calming-my-big-emo/9065063/","projectTitle":"\"Lighting the Way\" by Calming My Big Emotions!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Zamora","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7689954_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1644366168446","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7689954"},{"teacherId":7689954,"projectId":8981803,"letterContent":"I am writing you to express my deepest gratitude for your generous donation in helping my students with funding our GO GO Gadgets project. This was so exciting to tell the students that it was funded and then their reaction to actually receiving the robotics made them rethink decisions with their behaviors so that they can self-regulate. This will help the students learn valuable team work skills needed, which offers fresh insights into modern technological applications, as well as their resilience and creativity, which can be harnessed through innovative educational tools like robotics. Thank you again and we appreciate your support.","fullyFundedDate":1735772079344,"projectUrl":"project/go-go-gadget-we-can-problem-solve/8981803/","projectTitle":"Go Go Gadget! - We Can Problem Solve","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Zamora","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7689954_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1644366168446","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7689954"},{"teacherId":7689954,"projectId":8981517,"letterContent":"Let me start with sending you a big virtual Thank you for supporting my students. We have been hard at work learning to understand our emotions and behaviors during class. The students have been doing so good to be able to self-regulate and control what needs to be controlled to be successful. \r\n When we received the new items for the store they were super excited and have stayed focus on learning to stay positive and keep succeeding so they can receive the many rewards daily and weekly. Your donations have helped me in continuing this for three years now and I can not thank you enough for the support. We have been using social contracts, check in and out lessons and individualized point sheets to help support this store and it has been wonderful to see the improvements of these students and the joy it brings to their self-esteem to see how just a little motivation has helped them so much. Thank you so much again.","fullyFundedDate":1734410654353,"projectUrl":"project/superstar-behavior-store/8981517/","projectTitle":"Superstar Behavior Store!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Zamora","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7689954_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1644366168446","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7689954"},{"teacherId":9629481,"projectId":8564887,"letterContent":"My little ones love doing these folders. It has truly been amazing watching how focused and engaged my students are when working on these folders I have created with your help. The students that have the hardest time focusing and completing work are so in tuned and absolutely love to find the matching pieces to these folders. I have put each folder in a ziplock bag and have added Velcro dots to each piece, so all the students has to do is match where it goes. After completing a certain amount, they are rewarded with a prize. This donation has truly helped all my students stay on task and enjoy learning. This wouldn't have been possible without your generosity! 🙏","fullyFundedDate":1726676308392,"projectUrl":"project/centersstations-help/8564887/","projectTitle":"Centers/Stations Help","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Zonker","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9629481_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723257908988","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9629481"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_11721","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":594,"numTeachers":31,"percentFrplEligible":91,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":11,"percentWhite":41,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":33,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"19.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_FRINGE"},"inStateSupporters":79.6,"schoolId":11721,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Dyess Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Dyess Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/texas/abilene-independent-school-district/dyess-elementary-school/11721"}