{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Charles P Smith Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":36.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10333979,"projectId":9884326,"letterContent":"The Chompsaw cardboard cutter and accessories you provided to our school have been essential to launching our new Makerspace. Students come in with their entire class and in small groups to create with the Chompsaw and other cardboard cutting tools. When creating with these tools in Makerspace students have the opportunity to engage in a design engineering process. They not only create original expressions of their ideas, but they also develop and practice problem solving and collaboration skills.\r\n\r\nSome ways the cardboard tools have been used already this year:\r\nStudents creating masks and puppets (and exploring movement)\r\nStudents exploring how to make 3D shapes from 2D material\r\nSpecial educators working with students to create physical manipulatives to support student storytelling.\r\nStudents inventing games to show off at an upcoming science and invention fair\r\n\r\n\r\nOne of the amazing things about doing this kind of work with students (which would not be possible without the cardboard tools you provided) is that students see that they can use material that is being discarded and turn it into something new and original. Even when the class is all making the same thing (e.g. puppets) no two puppets look the same. Each puppet is an original expression of each of the students. The cardboard tools are also proving to be excellent for prototyping by students who want to test out their science and engineering ideas and skills (such as cat powered feeders or cardboard tabletop hockey games)\r\n\r\n\r\nPrior to your support our school did not have a Makerspace. Makerspaces provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively to explore design engineering, to tinker and to be creative. Thanks to the acquisition of these cardboard tools, we have been able to show how Makerspace can work in our school setting and have already been able to expand it beyond cardboard to include sewing machines and a variety of handicraft supplies. \r\n\r\n\r\nThank you for helping us get a Makerspace started at CP Smith Elementary.","fullyFundedDate":1763210353468,"projectUrl":"project/elementary-makerspace-seeks-cardboard-to/9884326/","projectTitle":"Elementary Makerspace Seeks Cardboard Tools to Support Student Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Arlyn","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10333979"},{"teacherId":10333979,"projectId":9861213,"letterContent":"The audio recorders you provided to our school are helping my 4th grade students learn media literacy skills by creating podcasts. My students are creating podcasts about the people and places that are important in our community. Through this work students are also practicing digital citizenship skills. We would not be able to do this type of student centered learning without your support.\r\n\r\n\r\nRecently, students have been exploring how to effectively use the recorders to capture sounds that will help tell the story of their podcast. Students have also been practicing interview skills using the recorders in preparation for their podcasts. They are enthusiastic about the work and find it deeply engaging. It is so powerful for these 4th grade learners to see what they are able to achieve when they work together towards a shared goal that is also driven by their personal interests. Their podcasts are covering topics from historical figures who lived in our community, local eateries, parks, teachers, book awards, libraries, little league and hockey teams, and more. All students in my classes are engaging in this project and are proud of what they are accomplishing. \r\n\r\n\r\nWithout these audio recorders my students would not have had this opportunity to podcast and practice being ethical and responsible users of technology with a real world application. This equipment allows my students to deepen their understanding of media literacy by being media creators. Thank you for your support.","fullyFundedDate":1761959826945,"projectUrl":"project/podcasting-recorders-for-upper-elementar/9861213/","projectTitle":"Podcasting Recorders for Upper Elementary Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Arlyn","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10333979"},{"teacherId":8358113,"projectId":9660137,"letterContent":"Wow, the students felt like it was a holiday to open the boxes of supplies. Hearing that a total stranger thought their learning was important enough to fund was mind-blowing to them. With the daily news full of hate and fear, being reminded that there are caring folks out there is even more meaningful. Your gifts are truly making a difference. \r\n\r\nThe beads and snapping blocks are a big hit with the kids. Several students were proudly showing others their \"power bracelet\" of sight words to practice. Students in groups liked to build words out of blocks for each other to read or give each other words to make. The tracing books and other beads are fun to experiment with. Brining joy and play to learning to read lights up their brains by fostering neural network growth, enhancing cognitive flexibility, and promoting emotional regulation. Your gifts are empowering kids in ways that will effect them long into the future.","fullyFundedDate":1764715130363,"projectUrl":"project/tactile-abcs-touch-and-learn/9660137/","projectTitle":"Tactile ABCs! Touch and Learn","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Wright","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8358113_orig.jpg?crop=425,425,x243,y172&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1646751442668","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8358113"},{"teacherId":8101262,"projectId":9673961,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the materials to launch us into our year. All the materials have been incredibly engaging and helpful. We are very grateful.\r\n\r\nThe writing tablets are so popular for showing thinking. The writing tools and magnets help display our work and share our thinking. The pencil grips and pencil holders have been game changers for so many of the students! They are comfortable writing and our pencils have a safe space to hang out until they are needed!\r\n\r\nWe use these items daily and throughout our day. We are very grateful for your generosity!","fullyFundedDate":1760732254753,"projectUrl":"project/materials-for-launching-into-third-grade/9673961/","projectTitle":"Materials for Launching into Third Grade!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bahrenburg","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/bahrenburg"},{"teacherId":7712809,"projectId":9864244,"letterContent":"Thanks to this project, our digital piano is now protected with a safe, durable transportation case, allowing us to move it easily throughout the school. We use the piano in multiple classrooms and performance spaces, so having a secure way to transport it has made a huge difference in how often and confidently we can use it. One memorable moment was when we rolled the piano into a new space for rehearsal—students immediately gathered around, excited that we could bring our music with us without worrying about damage.\r\n\r\nWhen the students first saw the case, they thought it was great. They understood right away how important it was and felt proud knowing that their instrument was being cared for properly. It also helped them learn responsibility for shared classroom resources.\r\n\r\nLooking ahead, this means we can use the digital piano more than ever as part of our ongoing lessons and projects. Whether we are rehearsing, composing, or performing in different areas of the school, we now know the piano is safe during transportation. This project has truly expanded our opportunities for music learning, and we are so grateful to our donors for making that possible. 🎶","fullyFundedDate":1761924672227,"projectUrl":"project/save-our-digital-keyboard/9864244/","projectTitle":"Save Our Digital Keyboard","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Dave","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7712809_orig.jpg?crop=1199,1199,x2741,y1466&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758218523325","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/david-nacmanie"},{"teacherId":2820326,"projectId":9779650,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom project! Your generous donations have made it so that we are able to get the books and supplies we need to make learning about weather fun! The materials have started to arrive and we've been so excited to use them! We read the Tornado/Hurricane book this week and learned so much.Students are writing reports on their weather phenomenon so we enjoyed learning all the new and interesting facts. We also loved adding the debris to the motorized tornado to see how it is swept up in the storm.\r\n\r\nThank you again for supporting us, we truly appreciate you!","fullyFundedDate":1764685982352,"projectUrl":"project/stem-and-engineering-weather/9779650/","projectTitle":"STEM and Engineering Weather!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. M.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2820326"},{"teacherId":2820326,"projectId":9746416,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donations for our egg drop engineering activity! I'm so excited to do this activity with my class. The eggs we got are magnetic and will be perfect for multiple trials and improvements to be made during this engineering lesson. Donors Choose projects make learning so meaningful and fun for our students and it's thanks to you that we get the opportunity to do this fun hands on learning! Thank you for supporting us and for taking an interest in our learning. We apprechiate you!","fullyFundedDate":1758849726737,"projectUrl":"project/stem-and-engineering-egg-drop/9746416/","projectTitle":"STEM and Engineering Egg Drop!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. M.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2820326"},{"teacherId":7712809,"projectId":9661244,"letterContent":"Our 3rd grade students all have recorders this year. Your donation allows all students, regardless of their financial situation to have a brand new instrument that is theirs to keep. This also keeps sickness down, as we are not sharing instruments. Recorders help build students personal confidence, hand eye coordination, fluency in reading musical notation, aural skills, and most importantly a love for music.\r\n\r\nIt takes a village to keep the music room up and running and your donation has us tooting along with joy. We couldn't do it without you.","fullyFundedDate":1758232607790,"projectUrl":"project/3rd-grade-recorders/9661244/","projectTitle":"3rd Grade Recorders","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Dave","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7712809_orig.jpg?crop=1199,1199,x2741,y1466&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758218523325","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/david-nacmanie"},{"teacherId":2820326,"projectId":9706429,"letterContent":"Thank you again for supporting our classroom and generously donating to our Donors Choose project. This afternoon 40 third graders came together to engineer dinosaurs that moved and walked. They had so much fun working together as a team and following the directions to engineer these creative projects. \r\n\r\nWe noticed our third graders depending on their partners to communicate well and work together to be successful. These are all important skills they need to learn as future engineers. Thank you again for supporting us. Because of your donation, we were able to make learning in the classroom FUN!","fullyFundedDate":1758128222184,"projectUrl":"project/stem-and-engineering-for-third-graders/9706429/","projectTitle":"STEM and Engineering for Third Graders!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. M.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2820326"},{"teacherId":2820326,"projectId":9688547,"letterContent":"Your support means the world to us! My class is so excited to receive the engineering materials and we can't wait to put them to good use! It is very important to me to create engaging and meaningful lessons for my students, and with these classroom materials, this will be possible!\r\n\r\nEngineering and STEM lessons provide numerous benefits to the future of our students. They are able to connect the learning they are doing in real life situations and problem solve with each other. We appreciate your generosity and support.\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU!","fullyFundedDate":1757528049126,"projectUrl":"project/stem-and-engineering-learning-made-fun/9688547/","projectTitle":"STEM and Engineering Learning Made Fun!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. M.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2820326"},{"teacherId":2820326,"projectId":9623728,"letterContent":"You wouldn't believe the excitement in my students when I shared with them that our engineering items would arrive and that our project was fully funded. I have many exciting ideas for how we can use our engineering materials. \r\n\r\nI like to connecting science and engineering in many different content areas of learning. I find it is best for students to make real life connections with engineering, as it is everywhere! Later in the school year, my students learn about Traditional Tales (fairy tales) and I will incorporate these engineering tools into those stories we read. EX: What is the most efficient way we can get Cinderella to the ball? We will use the STEM kit and the rubber band kit and have partnerships engineer a new mode of transportation.\r\n\r\nWe need more supporters such as yourself. You generously donated because you believe in our students and the hard work they do in the classroom. Learning is meant to be fun and meaningful, and that is exactly how we intend to learn this year. Thanks to you.","fullyFundedDate":1756672907628,"projectUrl":"project/creative-engineering-in-the-classroom/9623728/","projectTitle":"Creative Engineering in the Classroom!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. M.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2820326"},{"teacherId":8101262,"projectId":9170219,"letterContent":"Thanks to you we had a very successful and memorable Poetry Cafe! Students brought creativity and joy into our poetry unit. \r\n\r\nThey were able to use the different poetry activities to try out styles and voice! The magnets were a big hit as were the feather pens, journals, and new books! I was so impressed with the poems, thoughts, and styles students tried out. We had so much fun!\r\n\r\nOn the day of out cafe students dressed in aprons and served and recited their poems for the community!\r\nThanks again!","fullyFundedDate":1743120006418,"projectUrl":"project/third-grade-poets/9170219/","projectTitle":"Third Grade Poets","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Bahrenburg","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/bahrenburg"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_35171","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":248,"numTeachers":23,"percentFrplEligible":33,"percentAsian":4,"percentBlack":9,"percentWhite":71,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":5,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"10.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_SMALL"},"inStateSupporters":63.4,"schoolId":35171,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Charles P Smith Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Charles P Smith Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/vermont/burlington-school-district-15/charles-p-smith-elementary-school/35171"}