{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Union Primary School","outOfStateSupporters":43.4,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8567362,"projectId":9814398,"letterContent":"Hands-on math in kindergarten is crucial because it translates abstract concepts into concrete, tactile experiences, fostering deeper understanding and engagement. Using manipulatives—like blocks or counters—builds foundational spatial reasoning, improves retention, and turns math into an enjoyable, low-stress exploration. This approach also develops critical thinking and fine motor skills.\r\nKey Benefits of Hands-On Math in Kindergarten:\r\nBridging Concrete to Abstract: Kindergarteners learn best by touching and moving objects. Using counters to solve addition problems helps them understand that numbers represent real quantities.\r\nBoosts Engagement and Motivation: Interactive, game-based, and manipulative-driven learning increases student attention, making them more likely to stay focused and engaged compared to worksheet-heavy methods.\r\nBuilds Fundamental Understanding: Hands-on activities help students understand how numbers relate to one another (e.g., breaking numbers apart), which is a better predictor of mathematical success than merely counting.\r\nEncourages Critical Thinking: Using tools to solve problems encourages students to try, fail, and try again, building confidence, persistence, and a deeper grasp of mathematical concepts.\r\nDevelops Spatial Skills: Manipulating objects helps students understand shape, spatial relations, and patterns, which are critical for future STEM proficiency.\r\nAllows for Individualized Learning: Hands-on activities provide a \"safe space\" for children to explore at their own pace, fostering confidence as they see themselves as capable mathematicians.\r\nThank you so much for your donation. We are able do to more math activities because of your generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1763567186798,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-math-fun/9814398/","projectTitle":"Hands-on Math Fun!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Coomer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8567362_orig.jpg?crop=288,288,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1683289962871","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/c-coomer"},{"teacherId":10328817,"projectId":9856482,"letterContent":"Literacy Enrichment\r\nWe are so appreciative of your generosity that a \"Thank You\" just doesn't seem sufficient. It has meant so much to my students, and as a teacher, it makes my job a little easier and more engaging for everyone.\r\n\r\nYour donations have been valuable and supportive to our learning environment. The students have been actively engaged with the science of reading, \"hands-on\" learning games that you so graciously donated.\r\n\r\nThe Elkonin Box Magnetic Answer Board has been beneficial in our small intervention groups. All of my students absolutely love these games and manipulating these boards to demonstrate what they are learning. These research-based materials enable me to explicitly teach phonemic awareness and phonics depending on how I structure the lesson and my students, of course. The students are more confident in applying the strategies to their reading, and they are feeling more successful. My students and I are grateful for your support. God bless everyone who supported this project.","fullyFundedDate":1762443504838,"projectUrl":"project/literacy-enrichment/9856482/","projectTitle":"Literacy Enrichment","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Brooks","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10328817_orig.jpg?crop=1859,1859,x293,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1761306886002","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10328817"},{"teacherId":10306779,"projectId":9878500,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my classroom! Because of you, my students have been able to use these amazing new materials and they're already making a big difference in their learning.\r\n\r\nThe blends and digraphs blocks and Elkonin box magnetic boards have been a game changer for my first graders. My students love being able to move the sounds around and it's really helping them break apart and build words with more confidence than before. Students who have struggled with decoding in the past are starting to figure out words on their own. \r\n\r\nMy third graders have been enjoying the Flat Stanley book sets. They have been very engaged with the stories and it's helped make reading more fun and meaningful. They're excited to see what adventure comes next!\r\n\r\nI work with multiple groups of students ranging from kindergarten to third grade daily. Having hands-on and engaging resources like these has made such a difference in meeting student needs. \r\n\r\nThank you again for making this possible and for supporting my students.","fullyFundedDate":1764693040233,"projectUrl":"project/building-strong-readers-one-page-at-a-t/9878500/","projectTitle":"Building Strong Readers, One Page at a Time","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Edens","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10306779_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1760092208654","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10306779"},{"teacherId":8638436,"projectId":9881971,"letterContent":"Thank for all the wonderful storage items for all our STEM materials. Pre-k itself is organized chaos and these bins and bags help us navigate our day. Students are learning autonomy, sorting. responsibility and cooperation as they select activities from our STEM shelf. Items are kept neatly sorted and students are able to find them quickly without delays in exploration or instruction. Simple solutions like the items you provided are so helpful in a classroom environment, yet can be very expensive, I truly appreciate your support. The details make the difference.","fullyFundedDate":1765295106133,"projectUrl":"project/organized-stem-chaos/9881971/","projectTitle":"Organized STEM Chaos","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Greear","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8638436_orig.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1661354920439","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8638436"},{"teacherId":8567362,"projectId":9814245,"letterContent":"I am writing to share the incredible impact that our new STEM curriculum has had on our kindergarten classroom this year. By introducing weekly hands-on challenges—such as building bridges for toy cars or exploring magnetic force—I have observed a remarkable shift in my students' engagement and development.\r\nKey Impacts:\r\nProblem-Solving Skills: Students are no longer afraid to fail; instead, they say, \"I can't do this yet,\" and try new solutions, building resilience.\r\n\r\nCreativity and Collaboration: Working in pairs to create structures has significantly enhanced their communication and teamwork abilities.\r\n\r\nIncreased Engagement: Even hesitant learners are now eager to participate, fostering a lifelong love of learning and curiosity.\r\n\r\nThanks to your support, these children are developing early engineering skills and confidence in their ability to understand the world around them.","fullyFundedDate":1762402635518,"projectUrl":"project/stem-activities-for-kindergarten/9814245/","projectTitle":"STEM Activities for Kindergarten","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Coomer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8567362_orig.jpg?crop=288,288,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1683289962871","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/c-coomer"},{"teacherId":1030873,"projectId":9907854,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity! My students love their new toboggans and mittens. Each child keeps their own set at their desk in their chair pocket. When we get ready to go outside, they can put them on to keep warm if they'd like. They were so excited to pick out the colors that they wanted. \r\nOutside recess is very important. Students need to be able to run around and have fun. Thanks to you and your donation, my students can do this even when the weather is not as nice as we would like it to be.\r\nI appreciate your kindness and giving heart.","fullyFundedDate":1767312582649,"projectUrl":"project/lets-keep-warm/9907854/","projectTitle":"Let's Keep Warm!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Beverly Hurley","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1030873_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y386&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1678290965361","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrsbeverlyhurley"},{"teacherId":3701111,"projectId":9757225,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your support. Because of your generosity, my students now have access to hands-on materials that make learning to read engaging, interactive, and fun! \r\n\r\nThe tools you helped provide are already making a difference. Students are strengthening their phonemic awareness, building fine motor skills, and practicing foundation literacy concepts in ways that feel like play! The excitement they have when using these new materials says it all!\r\n\r\nReading intervention is often where confidence is rebuilt. Your donation doesn't just purchase supplies; it creates opportunities for growth and pride. You are helping children develop skills that will impact every subject area and shape their academic futures.\r\n\r\nI am deeply grateful for your investment in our students and for believing in the power of early literacy! Thank you for making a difference in my classroom!","fullyFundedDate":1760929433458,"projectUrl":"project/hands-on-reading/9757225/","projectTitle":"Hands on Reading!!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Angela Ellis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3701111_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1764694235976","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3701111"},{"teacherId":9510785,"projectId":9903769,"letterContent":"The Christmas book and Magna-Tiles project brought so much joy and excitement to my students. Each child was thrilled to have something special to take home over the holiday break, and the gifts encouraged meaningful learning beyond the classroom. The books allowed students to continue developing their reading skills while bonding with family members, and the Magna-Tiles inspired creativity, problem-solving, and hands-on exploration. Many students shared stories of building imaginative structures or reading their new books with siblings, showing how much the experience meant to them. Thanks to this project, the students felt valued, supported, and inspired to keep learning even while on break. Thank you so much for donating to this project.","fullyFundedDate":1765576803933,"projectUrl":"project/stem-stories-for-christmas-smiles/9903769/","projectTitle":"STEM & Stories for Christmas Smiles","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Roberts","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9510785_orig.jpg?crop=950,950,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1712942827391","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9510785"},{"teacherId":9524253,"projectId":9827020,"letterContent":"Second graders are growing and maturing at such a fast pace! They sometimes become overwhelmed and need a little help understanding and expressing their strong feelings. The books are such a useful tool, not only practice reading skills, but also to explain coping strategies and offer encouragement to students struggling with managing big emotions. I especially love the books about managing anger and sadness. My students deal with grief, separation, and family issues among other problems. \r\nThe fidget seats help the extremely active students get their \"wiggles\" out and help them focus. Fidget toys are also helping students who need some time to calm themselves down.","fullyFundedDate":1764692873526,"projectUrl":"project/strong-emotions-at-work/9827020/","projectTitle":"Strong Emotions at Work!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Green","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9524253_orig.jpg?crop=766,766,x360,y152&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1715127020514","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9524253"},{"teacherId":8638436,"projectId":9881896,"letterContent":"My students are loving the new STEM additions you helped to provide through your generosity and willingness to support student growth in my classroom. \r\nMy students love any kind of building materials and magnets are always a class favorite. Some of my students use the guide books for their creations, others just see where their imagination will take them as they build with these engaging STEM magnetic tile kits. These kits allow for open ended play, problem solving and brainstorming conversations between me and my students and between them and their peers. Thank you again!","fullyFundedDate":1763566896162,"projectUrl":"project/full-stem-ahead/9881896/","projectTitle":"Full STEM Ahead!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Greear","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8638436_orig.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1661354920439","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8638436"},{"teacherId":8638436,"projectId":9836661,"letterContent":"My students are LOVING the new community helper role playing items! Thank you for investing in their learning journey. So much of our learning in Pre-K occurs through play. These items add so much dimension to our center time. We love exploring the books and reading about different roles in the community and acting our these roles through play and real world scenarios. You are helping them make meaningful and lasting connections while scaffolding what they already know with new discoveries. Thank you so very much!","fullyFundedDate":1761419451241,"projectUrl":"project/who-are-the-helpers/9836661/","projectTitle":"Who Are the Helpers?","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Greear","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8638436_orig.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1661354920439","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8638436"},{"teacherId":9478332,"projectId":9656972,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my project and helping me provide sensory supports for the students I serve. As a traveling Early Childhood Special Education teacher, I work with young students across multiple classrooms and schools, so having tools I can bring with me to support them throughout the day is incredibly valuable.\r\n\r\nWhen I first introduced the materials, the lava tiles immediately grabbed the students' attention. They were fascinated watching the colors move under their feet and loved taking turns stepping on them. We've started using them during transitions or when students need a quick movement break. The tiles give them a safe and fun way to move their bodies and reset before returning to learning activities.\r\n\r\nThe weighted animals have also been a big hit. Several students have been using them during circle time or while sitting at the table for activities. One student in particular quickly connected with a weighted animal and now keeps it in their lap during story time. It has been wonderful to see how something so simple can help a child feel calm and ready to participate.\r\n\r\nAs I continue working with my students across classrooms, these tools will travel with me and be used during lessons, transitions, and small group activities. They will help students practice regulating their bodies, staying engaged during instruction, and participating more comfortably in classroom routines.\r\n\r\nYour generosity is helping create more supportive learning experiences for young students who benefit from these sensory supports. Thank you for believing in them and for making such a positive difference in the classrooms I visit.","fullyFundedDate":1758190708062,"projectUrl":"project/meeting-sensory-needs-to-maximize-learni/9656972/","projectTitle":"Meeting Sensory Needs to Maximize Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Morgan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-7_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9478332"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_34616","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":809,"numTeachers":46,"percentFrplEligible":93,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":89,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":2,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 4","studentTeacherRatio":"17.6:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"TOWN","ncesMetroType":"TOWN_DISTANT"},"inStateSupporters":56.6,"schoolId":34616,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Union Primary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Union Primary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/virginia/wise-county-school-district/powell-valley-primary-school/34616"}