{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Edwin J Kiest Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":29.7,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8547735,"projectId":10321598,"letterContent":"Thank you for fully funding \"Storytelling Starts Here: Read it, Create it, Tell it!\" Your generosity will help my first graders bring stories to life through reading, writing, drawing, crafting, and performing.\r\n\r\nWith our new supplies, students will create story projects, draw characters, and practice retelling important events. The storybook backdrops will help transform our classroom into a setting where students can act out stories and share their learning.\r\n\r\nThese opportunities are especially meaningful for our English language learners and students with diverse learning needs. Creating and performing will give them engaging ways to practice language, strengthen comprehension, and build confidence expressing their ideas.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in my students and giving them more ways to discover the joy of storytelling. We are so grateful for your support!","fullyFundedDate":1785200867446,"projectUrl":"project/storytelling-starts-here-read-it-creat/10321598/","projectTitle":"Storytelling Starts Here: Read it, Create it, Tell it!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Burns","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8547735_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y120&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722431858655","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8547735"},{"teacherId":10441374,"projectId":10118029,"letterContent":"Thank you for supporting our classroom and helping make our dream of forming a student band possible! Your generosity has provided a drum set that gives students the opportunity to explore rhythm, express their creativity, and make music together.\r\n\r\nWe are using our new drum set to create music and complete our Modern Band ensemble. One memorable classroom moment was seeing students' reactions as I demonstrated how the drums accompany a variety of songs. Hearing the drum set in action helped students understand how it holds a band together and connects our classroom learning to the music they know and love.\r\n\r\nOur next step is to work toward performing songs for our school and community. We will practice keeping a steady beat, listening to one another, and coordinating the drums with other instruments and vocals. Students will have opportunities to explore different roles as they build confidence and learn to collaborate as a band.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our young musicians. Your support is helping bring their musical ideas to life!","fullyFundedDate":1777985112560,"projectUrl":"project/music-in-the-classroom-becomes-the-real/10118029/","projectTitle":"Music in the Classroom Becomes the Real World Experience","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Rodriguez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10441374_orig.jpg?crop=1705,1705,x187,y38&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1771947137063","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10441374"},{"teacherId":8547735,"projectId":10518159,"letterContent":"Thank you for providing our Girls on the Run club with equipment that makes movement engaging, accessible, and empowering. Your generosity has given our students new ways to build strength, coordination, balance, speed, and endurance while developing confidence in their abilities.\r\n\r\nWe are using the equipment to create age-appropriate fitness stations. During one practice, the girls rotated through jump-rope, agility, strength, and balance activities before completing a short run together. They encouraged one another, celebrated each completed station, and learned that progress looks different for everyone. It was wonderful to see them persevere through challenges and feel proud of what their bodies could accomplish.\r\n\r\nThe girls were thrilled when they first saw the new materials. They immediately began asking how each item would be used and were eager to try every station. The equipment made practice feel exciting and helped students who were initially hesitant become more willing to participate and take healthy risks.\r\n\r\nOur next steps are to help the girls learn how to warm up properly, pace themselves, set personal goals, build endurance, and recover safely after physical activity. We will track individual progress while emphasizing that success is not about being the fastest. It is about perseverance, self-belief, healthy habits, and encouraging teammates.\r\n\r\nThank you for helping us create a lasting opportunity for girls to move, grow, lead, and believe in themselves. These resources will support our current students and future Girls on the Run clubs for years to come, one stride at a time.","fullyFundedDate":1789393401781,"projectUrl":"project/girls-who-run-girls-who-rise-building/10518159/","projectTitle":"Girls Who Run, Girls Who Rise: Building Confidence Through Running","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Burns","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8547735_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y120&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722431858655","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8547735"},{"teacherId":8547735,"projectId":10183147,"letterContent":"Thank you for providing our first graders with powerful, multisensory resources to strengthen their phonics, phonemic awareness, and writing skills. Your generosity is helping me provide differentiated instruction that meets students at their individual learning levels, including students with autism, learning disabilities, and those learning English.\r\n\r\nWe are using the new materials during whole-group lessons, small-group instruction, and literacy stations. \r\n\r\nThe students were immediately excited when they first saw the materials. They were eager to explore them and could not wait for their turn to practice. Because the activities feel interactive and engaging, students are more willing to take risks, try unfamiliar words, and continue working when reading feels challenging.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in our students and helping us place effective reading tools directly into their hands. Your support is building their confidence, closing learning gaps, and creating a strong foundation that will help them thrive in every area of their education.","fullyFundedDate":1785533515121,"projectUrl":"project/reading-writing-phonics-oh-my-this-i/10183147/","projectTitle":"Reading, Writing, Phonics… Oh My! This Is How We Thrive!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Burns","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8547735_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y120&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722431858655","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8547735"},{"teacherId":8547735,"projectId":10326240,"letterContent":"These new books have introduced and strengthened many important literacy skills in our classroom. Students are practicing phonics patterns, decoding unfamiliar words, building fluency, expanding their vocabulary, and answering comprehension questions. We also use the stories to identify characters, settings, problems, solutions, and important events. \r\n\r\nReading in our classroom happens in many ways. Students read independently, with partners, in small groups, and as a class during read-alouds. I am able to match students with books at their individual reading levels, allowing every child to experience both appropriate support and meaningful challenges. The classroom becomes filled with the wonderful, calming sound of children reading, sharing discoveries, and proudly discussing their books with classmates.\r\n\r\nOur developing readers have especially enjoyed finding books they can read successfully on their own. That success is helping them become more confident and willing to try unfamiliar words. Students who are ready for an additional challenge are excited to begin reading their first chapter books. \r\n\r\nThese books have helped make reading feel exciting, accessible, and rewarding for every student. Thank you for helping us create a classroom where children can see themselves as capable readers and develop a love of books that can last a lifetime!","fullyFundedDate":1785171471650,"projectUrl":"project/growing-readers-one-book-at-a-time/10326240/","projectTitle":"Growing Readers, One Book at a Time!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Burns","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8547735_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y120&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722431858655","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8547735"},{"teacherId":8547735,"projectId":10321345,"letterContent":"We have been using the new materials to get students moving while practicing math skills both inside the classroom and outdoors. During one activity, students moved from station to station to solve addition problems and explain their thinking to classmates. It was wonderful to see them learning through movement, teamwork, and play!\r\n\r\nThe students were extremely excited when they first saw the materials. They immediately wanted to explore everything and were eager to learn how we would use each item. Their enthusiasm brought new energy to our math lessons and helped make challenging skills feel more approachable.\r\n\r\nStudents will continue practicing addition and subtraction, making a friendly ten, comparing numbers, and solving word problems. These resources are helping our first graders become more active, confident, and engaged mathematicians!\r\n\r\nWe are very appreciative of your support.","fullyFundedDate":1784571368341,"projectUrl":"project/making-every-move-count-mastering-math/10321345/","projectTitle":"Making Every Move Count: Mastering Math through Movement","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Burns","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8547735_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y120&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722431858655","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8547735"},{"teacherId":9522782,"projectId":10293146,"letterContent":"My first graders are already benefiting from having a more organized and functional classroom! The chair pockets help students keep their personal materials close by, while the storage bins make it easier to organize and access the literacy and math materials we use during centers and small-group instruction.\r\n\r\nMy students are learning to take responsibility for their belongings, work more independently, and transition between activities with greater confidence. Having an organized space helps them spend less time looking for materials and more time exploring, practicing, and learning.\r\n\r\nNext, we will continue building independence and responsibility as students use these resources throughout our daily literacy and math activities. I am so grateful to our donors for helping create a classroom where my students can feel confident, stay organized, and focus on growing as learners. Your generosity makes a meaningful difference in our classroom every day!","fullyFundedDate":1789043601661,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-organization-for-growing-minds/10293146/","projectTitle":"Classroom Organization for Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Navarro","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9522782_orig.png?crop=1357,1357,x348,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1778873546217","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9522782"},{"teacherId":8547735,"projectId":10326280,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous gift to our first-grade classroom! These beautiful books are helping our students explore complex topics such as space, Earth, the human body, engineering, rocks, and dinosaurs in engaging and age-appropriate ways.\r\n\r\nAs we read, students build background knowledge, learn new vocabulary, identify main ideas and key details, ask and answer questions, and make connections between the text and the world around them. They also learn to use nonfiction text features and illustrations to strengthen their understanding.\r\n\r\nReading in our classroom is interactive and exciting! We enjoy teacher read-alouds, partner discussions, small-group reading, and opportunities for students to explore and reread books independently. Students eagerly study the illustrations, share new facts, and ask thoughtful questions.\r\n\r\nThe engaging pictures and fascinating topics encourage them to participate, discuss what they notice, and share what they have learned. Students who are interested in science, space, animals, and dinosaurs are especially excited to read these books and make connections to real-world careers.\r\n\r\nYour support is helping us encourage curiosity, strengthen reading skills, and inspire our young learners to dream big. Thank you for investing in our students and helping them develop a greater appreciation for the amazing world we all share!","fullyFundedDate":1784939085654,"projectUrl":"project/exploring-our-earth-through-books/10326280/","projectTitle":"Exploring Our Earth Through Books","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Burns","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8547735_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y120&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722431858655","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8547735"},{"teacherId":8547555,"projectId":10493109,"letterContent":"My students were so excited to see all of our new materials arrive! They ESPECIALLY loved the mini vacuum and Bluetooth speaker and were immediately ready to put them to use. It was so sweet seeing them excited about even the simplest things that help make our classroom feel like their own space.\r\nWe are currently using the photo boxes to organize our small group math and science activities, which has made it much easier for students to grab the activity they need and get started. The Flair pens have also been a favorite during our lessons as we annotate, work through problems, and highlight important information together. Our new organization supplies have helped me keep student data, exemplars, and activities easily accessible so I can quickly pull resources based on what my students need.\r\nAs we continue through the year, we will keep adding new activities to our small group boxes as we learn new skills. My goal is to build a collection of hands on activities that students can use throughout the year while I work with small groups or use as extension and review activities for early finishers. Thank you for helping us create a classroom that is organized, engaging, and ready for learning!","fullyFundedDate":1787137672351,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-organization-glow-up/10493109/","projectTitle":"Classroom Organization Glow Up","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Contreras","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8547555_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1691343400665","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/kasscontreras"},{"teacherId":2367633,"projectId":10393773,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping me create a classroom where hard work, positive choices, and academic growth are celebrated! My scholars absolutely love going to our treasure box, and it has quickly become one of their favorite classroom rewards. Whether they are choosing a fun treasure, enjoying a Blow Pop, or picking out a Jolly Rancher, you can see the excitement on their faces. These may seem like small treats, but to my second graders, they are a BIG deal! They look forward to earning them and are so proud when their effort, behavior, and accomplishments are recognized.\r\n\r\nWe use these incentives to celebrate so many different successes throughout our school day—from working hard on an assignment and showing growth to demonstrating kindness, responsibility, and making great choices. I especially love being able to recognize students for their individual progress. Every scholar has something worth celebrating, and these resources give me another fun way to say, \"I see you, I see your effort, and I am proud of you!\"\r\n\r\nAs we continue through second grade, our goals will become bigger and our learning more challenging, but so will the opportunities to celebrate their growth! Your generosity has helped make our classroom a place where students are excited to learn, motivated to do their best, and proud of their accomplishments. Thank you for giving me another way to bring a little extra joy into their school day. We are incredibly grateful for your support and for believing in my amazing scholars! ❤️","fullyFundedDate":1784883258229,"projectUrl":"project/small-rewards-big-student-growth/10393773/","projectTitle":"Small Rewards, Big Student Growth","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Quiroz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2367633_orig.jpg?crop=360,360,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1778010944837","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrsquiroz2nd"},{"teacherId":2367633,"projectId":10281531,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping us bring recess to life at our new campus! Your generosity has made an incredible difference for my scholars, especially as we begin the school year in the August heat without a playground. Our outdoor playground will not be completed until Phase Two of our campus, so having engaging indoor recess options has been essential. Because of you, my scholars have a wonderful collection of games, building materials, puzzles, and hands-on activities that give them opportunities to play, create, move, and simply enjoy being kids.\r\n\r\nOne of my favorite things about this project is seeing how naturally my scholars gravitate toward these materials. Instead of asking for iPads during indoor recess, they are excited to build with LEGO bricks, create with construction toys, challenge one another to games, solve puzzles, and invent new ways to play together. These moments may look like play, but so much learning is happening. My scholars are practicing cooperation, communication, problem-solving, creativity, patience, and good sportsmanship while building friendships and learning how to navigate play with their classmates.\r\n\r\nThanks to your support, being indoors has not meant missing out on the joy and connection that recess should provide. Until the day our new playground is ready, these materials are giving my scholars a recess they genuinely look forward to each day—and even after our playground opens, they will continue providing meaningful opportunities for choice, creativity, and connection. Thank you for helping make our new classroom and campus feel more like home and for giving my scholars the gift of joyful, screen-free play!","fullyFundedDate":1778725702936,"projectUrl":"project/help-us-bring-recess-to-life-at-our-new/10281531/","projectTitle":"Help Us Bring Recess to Life at Our New Campus","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Quiroz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2367633_orig.jpg?crop=360,360,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1778010944837","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrsquiroz2nd"},{"teacherId":2367633,"projectId":10270293,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for making this project possible! Your generosity has made a tremendous difference in our classroom by providing the supplies we need to keep our classroom restroom and shared spaces clean, fresh, and healthy. Having these materials readily available means I can quickly take care of everyday messes and maintain a clean environment without worrying about whether we have the supplies we need. Most importantly, it helps ensure that my students have a classroom where they can feel comfortable, cared for, and ready to learn.\r\n\r\nThis project has also helped my second graders learn an important lesson about responsibility. Our classroom is our shared space, and my students have become more mindful about doing their part to take care of it. They clean up after themselves, help keep our classroom organized, and take pride in maintaining a healthy environment for their classmates. Seeing them develop that sense of ownership and accountability has been one of the most meaningful impacts of this project.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support, we can spend less time worrying about messes and germs and more time focused on learning, growing, and enjoying our days together. These everyday supplies may seem simple, but in a busy classroom, they truly make all the difference. Thank you for helping me provide my students with a clean, welcoming space and for showing them that there are people in our community who care about their well-being and success.","fullyFundedDate":1778209903758,"projectUrl":"project/keeping-germs-out-so-learning-can-thriv/10270293/","projectTitle":"“Keeping Germs Out So Learning Can thrive.”","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Quiroz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2367633_orig.jpg?crop=360,360,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1778010944837","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrsquiroz2nd"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_17193","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":573,"numTeachers":40,"percentFrplEligible":92,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":6,"percentWhite":2,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":90,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":0,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 6","studentTeacherRatio":"14.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":70.3,"schoolId":17193,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Edwin J Kiest Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Edwin J Kiest Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/texas/dallas-independent-school-district/edwin-j-kiest-elementary-school/17193"}