{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Umphrey Lee Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":42.7,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":7756673,"projectId":8561187,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous support, our 2nd-grade classroom has been transformed into an exciting and engaging learning environment. Many people are familiar with using technology at home, but in our classroom, it's being used as a powerful tool to enhance student learning in meaningful ways. Whether students are practicing math facts, exploring science topics, or building literacy skills, the technology you helped provide allows them to work at their own pace, collaborate with peers, and stay actively engaged throughout the day.\r\n\r\nOne of the biggest hits in our room has been the new writing boards. The kids absolutely love using them during our small group and independent work time. They make practicing handwriting, spelling, and math so much more fun and hands-on. The classroom rug has also been a favorite—students love gathering on it for lessons, reading, and discussions. It's not only a comfortable space but also helps create a sense of community in our classroom. One student who used to be shy about participating has really opened up during our rug discussions and now raises her hand with confidence. These resources are making a real impact, and I'm so grateful for your support in bringing them to our students.","fullyFundedDate":1729912221291,"projectUrl":"project/help-level-up-our-safe-space/8561187/","projectTitle":"Help Level Up Our Safe Space","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Walker","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7756673_orig.png?crop=816,816,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1690993859014","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7756673"},{"teacherId":2390026,"projectId":9138033,"letterContent":"Thank you one more time for funding our project. The project's purpose was to celebrate the success of the students on achieving their goals during this school year. They worked hard everyday to reach their individual goals and they did. All of the students grew academically and reached their end of the year goals.\r\n\r\nMy students were exited when they got their prices and celebrations. They got sunglasses and personalized water bottles for their filed day, a sand bucket with chalk, beach balls, and bubbles, and an end of the year goodie bag with a sketch board, a scented pencil and eraser. In addition to that, they had a classroom party in which they got to use the glow bracelets, glasses, and fidget spinners. They had a lot of fun!\r\n\r\nI hope that the incentives received at the end of the school year will motivate them to continue to achieve excellence in the next grade level. Thank you again, and your donation matters.","fullyFundedDate":1742962606663,"projectUrl":"project/celebrating-success/9138033/","projectTitle":"Celebrating Success","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Vazquez","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp2390026_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1470446233903","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2390026"},{"teacherId":9246949,"projectId":7777130,"letterContent":"I sincerely appreciate your generous donation. The majority of my students do not have books at home, and many had never shown an interest in reading. Some even disliked it because they struggled with fluency. But the books we received through your kindness have truly changed that. They've ignited a genuine excitement for reading in my classroom.\r\n\r\nNow, reading is no longer something my students feel they have to do — it's something they want to do. They are eager to explore more books and are developing a love for reading that I hadn't seen before. Your gift has made a meaningful and lasting impact on their lives. Words can't fully express the joy I feel when I hear my students asking, with bright eyes and big smiles, if they can read. Thank you for making such a powerful difference.","fullyFundedDate":1701792739994,"projectUrl":"project/wild-about-reading/7777130/","projectTitle":"Wild About Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Simuel","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9246949_orig.jpg?crop=4284,4284,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1739148608264","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9246949"},{"teacherId":9629226,"projectId":8561661,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generous donation, our Pre-K classroom has been able to offer consistent, healthy snacks to all of our students—something that might seem small but makes a huge difference in their day. One moment that stood out was during story time, when a student who's often quiet said, \"I love school because I'm not hungry here.\" It was such a powerful reminder of how meeting basic needs lays the foundation for learning.\r\n The kids were so excited to see the variety of snacks! Their eyes lit up, and many asked if they could have seconds. Some even asked if the snacks were a \"special treat\"—and I was happy to tell them that thanks to kind donors like you, we'd have snacks every day.\r\n Although I've since moved on from that school, I saw firsthand how much of a difference your support made. During my time there, snack time became more than just a break—it was a moment of comfort, consistency, and learning for children facing real challenges. Your generosity helped create a warm, caring environment where students could focus on growing and learning without the distraction of hunger.","fullyFundedDate":1723190886488,"projectUrl":"project/fueling-curiosity-pre-k-snacks-for-grow/8561661/","projectTitle":"Fueling Curiosity: Pre-K Snacks for Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Valenzuela","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9629226_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1747109635266","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9629226"},{"teacherId":9545145,"projectId":8561664,"letterContent":"Thank you for supporting our classroom with the HP printer. This has had a major impact on my students writing/typing their short constructed responses and extended constructed responses. Students were able to get their typed responses along with AI suggestions to upgrade their writing to improve their writing scores. My students are proud to see their own typed assignments. It allowed them to upgrade their capitalization, punctuation, and usage as well as their ideas and organization. Again, thank you for sponsoring our classroom through Donors Choose.","fullyFundedDate":1733198658548,"projectUrl":"project/seeing-the-reading-writing-connection/8561664/","projectTitle":"Seeing the Reading & Writing Connection in Print","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Ramsey","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9545145_orig.jpg?crop=793,793,x0,y504&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1723296813242","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9545145"},{"teacherId":9833821,"projectId":8939606,"letterContent":"I wanted to take a moment to share how your generous gift has made a lasting impact on our students. When I first introduced the mallets to play our xylophones, the excitement was memorable. I demonstrated how to hold the mallet, saying \"Thumbs up, Candy on top,\" and asked the students to repeat the slogan before playing. Their smiles were priceless as they eagerly mimicked the gesture. It was heartwarming to see them trying to match the notes with the sheet music, making the learning experience both hands-on and fun. Thanks to your donation, we've been able to prepare for our upcoming Cinco de Mayo performance, and the students are progressing, recognizing notes and even playing a short verse by memory.\r\n\r\nIn one of my 5th-grade classes, we began exploring the guitars, and I could hardly keep up with the students' enthusiasm as they couldn't wait to get their hands on the instruments. It was like watching them unwrap a long-awaited Christmas gift. With the help of our tuner, we worked to get the guitars in tune, and the students were amazed to hear how they could match the pitch of my voice with the strings. Many had never touched a guitar before, and were fascinated by the different sounds the instrument makes when played with fingers versus a pick. \r\n\r\nDue to testing and the school year ending soon, I plan to introduce piano on the Casio keyboards next year. We've made a lot of progress in a short time and the students are inspired. While we still have a long way to go in learning to play full songs by memory, we now have the tools to make music thanks to your support!","fullyFundedDate":1735840743430,"projectUrl":"project/help-no-tools-no-music/8939606/","projectTitle":"Help! No Tools. No Music!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Broussard","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9833821_orig.jpg?crop=2208,2208,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755447734073","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9833821"},{"teacherId":9140683,"projectId":8561670,"letterContent":"I can't thank you enough for your generous support through Donors Choose! Thanks to you, our 3rd-grade classroom now has headphones, erasers, pencils, sharpeners, and chair organizers, all of which are making a huge difference every day. The headphones have been a game-changer, allowing my students to focus during independent reading and digital activities without distractions. They're enjoying audiobooks and improving their reading fluency.\r\n\r\nThe new pencils, erasers, and sharpeners have eliminated interruptions from broken supplies, keeping the creativity flowing smoothly. The chair organizers have transformed our classroom's organization, giving each student their own space to keep things neat. It's been wonderful seeing them become more responsible and independent.\r\n\r\nYour generosity has truly made our classroom a better place to learn. I am incredibly grateful for your kindness and support. Thank you once again for making such a positive impact on my students' education!","fullyFundedDate":1733287556565,"projectUrl":"project/ules-reading-jockeys/8561670/","projectTitle":"ULES Reading Jockeys","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Willis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9140683"},{"teacherId":9246943,"projectId":7777123,"letterContent":"My students were super excited to see the new books added to our classroom library. Some books they were familiar with, others they looked forward to reading. It is always a pleasure seeing their eyes get big with excitement at the sight of books.\r\n\r\nThese books are now in the hands of my new fourth grade class and a few of my students are on their third read of some of the same books. I find great joy in hearing my students ask if they can read a particular book after they have finished their assignments. They you so much for your generosity. Having a classroom library is so much fun that my students do not see it as work at all.","fullyFundedDate":1696021245355,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-libraries-are-essential/7777123/","projectTitle":"Classroom Libraries Are Essential","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Thomas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9246943"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_18073","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":431,"numTeachers":38,"percentFrplEligible":84,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":42,"percentWhite":1,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":52,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"11.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":57.3,"schoolId":18073,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Umphrey Lee Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Umphrey Lee Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/texas/dallas-independent-school-district/umphrey-lee-elementary-school/18073"}