{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Kennedy Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":22.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10575839,"projectId":10444679,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for bringing these incredible hands-on STEM resources into our kindergarten classroom! When the packages first arrived and my students saw the colorful boxes filled with Minecraft magnetic blocks, magnetic marble run sets, and wooden puzzles, their eyes lit up with pure joy. There were audible gasps and eager chatter across the carpet as they realized these were real engineering materials just for them. Their immediate reaction was a mix of awe and unstoppable curiosity, and they couldn't wait to dive in, touch the pieces, and start building.\r\n\r\nWe have been using these materials daily during our tactile STEM stations, where play quickly transforms into deep, critical thinking. During a recent physics exploration, a group of young engineers worked together using the magnetic marble runs and building sticks to create a gravity-powered track. They faced an initial challenge when their track collapsed, but instead of giving up, they embraced the trial-and-error process, testing structural balance and magnetic forces until the marble successfully rolled all the way to the end. Watching visual and tactile learners test hypotheses, swap ideas, and cheer when their 3D structures held steady has been nothing short of magical.\r\n\r\nLooking ahead, our next steps involve taking these spatial reasoning and fine motor skills to the next level. As we move deeper into our geometry and physical science units, students will use the Coogam wooden puzzles to solve multi-step logic challenges, and they will use the Minecraft blocks to design and build physical models of habitats we are studying in science. Thank you for giving my sweet learners the tools to test their ideas, embrace problem-solving, and build a lifelong passion for discovery!","fullyFundedDate":1787165402124,"projectUrl":"project/stem-in-kindergarten/10444679/","projectTitle":"STEM in Kindergarten","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kuehl","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10575839_orig.jpg?crop=2062,2062,x0,y164&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1785886953334","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10575839"},{"teacherId":10575839,"projectId":10444700,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for bringing these incredible interactive felt book sets into our classroom! Your generosity has transformed our storytime into an active, hands-on learning experience that brings classic stories to life for my students every single day. Through these new texts and felt pieces, we are building foundational literacy, math, and science skills in a deeply engaging way. During our Eric Carle author study, students practice pattern recognition and retelling with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and we turn letter and number recognition into an exciting game as characters climb the coconut tree with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We even bring cross-curricular concepts to life by using The Very Hungry Caterpillar felt pieces as a dynamic visual guide to track growth when we hatch real caterpillars in class, dressing felt figures in seasonal clothing for our weather unit, and acting out fairytales to master story sequencing and character roles.\r\n\r\nReading in our classroom is a vibrant, tactile, and collaborative event. Instead of just passively listening to a story, my five-year-olds are physically involved in the narrative—swapping out felt characters, constructing scenes on the storyboard, and singing along with predictable texts. Our visual and hands-on learners, as well as students who are still building the confidence to speak in front of the group, are especially thriving with these new materials. Having physical, colorful objects to hold gives them the tangible support they need to express their thoughts, retell plots independently, and fall in love with reading from day one.\r\n\r\nWhen you supported this project, you gave my students the tools to not just listen to stories, but to hold them, act them out, and deeply understand them. Thank you for creating a joyful space where our little learners can build both essential skills and a lifelong enthusiasm for books!","fullyFundedDate":1786321399394,"projectUrl":"project/bringing-books-to-life-in-kindergarten/10444700/","projectTitle":"Bringing Books to Life in Kindergarten!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kuehl","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10575839_orig.jpg?crop=2062,2062,x0,y164&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1785886953334","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10575839"},{"teacherId":10575839,"projectId":10443989,"letterContent":"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing Pete the Cat into our kindergarten classroom! Your generosity has turned our reading carpet into a safe, joyful haven where my five-year-olds are learning so much more than just early sight words and repetitive text patterns. Through Pete's adventures, my students are absorbing essential life lessons about resilience, maintaining a positive mindset, and realizing that when unexpected challenges happen, \"it's all good.\"\r\n\r\nBecause of you, storytime in our room is an active, singing, and deeply comforting experience. Our anxious little learners and hesitant readers are especially loving these new materials—holding the soft Pete the Cat plush puppet during read-alouds gives them a squeezable companion that turns morning nerves into smiles and confidence. You haven't just bought books and a puppet; you have wrapped my little rockstars in love and showed them that our classroom is a place where they truly belong.","fullyFundedDate":1786250795720,"projectUrl":"project/rockin-into-kindergarten-help-warm-hea/10443989/","projectTitle":"Rockin' into Kindergarten: Help Warm Hearts with Pete the Cat!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kuehl","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10575839_orig.jpg?crop=2062,2062,x0,y164&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1785886953334","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10575839"},{"teacherId":10575839,"projectId":10444593,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for bringing the A Little Spot of Emotion series into our kindergarten classroom! Your generosity gives my five-year-olds the exact tools they need to navigate big feelings, build empathy, and practice self-regulation every single day. Reading the book set together during carpet time provides my students with simple words and memorable visual concepts to name complex feelings like anger, anxiety, peacefulness, and sadness. Paired with the color-coded plush spots, our anxious learners now have a soft, squeezable companion to hold during quiet moments, giving them an immediate sense of comfort and safety when words fail them.\r\n\r\nThis project also brings social-emotional learning to life through powerful, hands-on experiences. The interactive felt emotion faces let my visual and tactile learners physically construct facial expressions on our storyboard. By swapping out eyes, eyebrows, and smiles, my students can explore how feelings look and feel, making abstract emotional concepts completely concrete. Watching them proudly identify their emotions and use these tools to self-soothe has transformed how our classroom community supports one another.\r\n\r\nWhen you supported this project, you did so much more than donate supplies—you equipped my little learners with lifelong emotional intelligence. Your kindness ensures that our classroom remains a loving, secure space where every child feels seen, understood, and truly ready to learn. We are so grateful for your investment in our students' well-being and growth!","fullyFundedDate":1786061178051,"projectUrl":"project/helping-kindergartners-navigate-big-emot/10444593/","projectTitle":"Helping Kindergartners Navigate Big Emotions","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kuehl","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10575839_orig.jpg?crop=2062,2062,x0,y164&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1785886953334","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10575839"},{"teacherId":10098227,"projectId":9509850,"letterContent":"Thank you to your generous contributions to my project \"Learning from the Ground is Fun.\" As a first year teacher, I started my classroom setup back in August with few resources and limited furniture. I have noticed the positive impact of flexible seating options throughout my teaching experiences so far and noticed a lack of it in my new classrooms space.\r\n\r\nWith the lap desks, donated by you, my students can sit around the classroom for both independent and partner or group work. They have played an instrumental role in meeting the needs of all my students as well as providing more options and autonomy. I truly appreciate your commitment to education and supporting educators like myself.","fullyFundedDate":1754337556675,"projectUrl":"project/learning-from-the-ground-is-fun/9509850/","projectTitle":"Learning from the Ground is Fun","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Korbitz","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10098227"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_37135","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":496,"numTeachers":38,"percentFrplEligible":62,"percentAsian":7,"percentBlack":40,"percentWhite":29,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":10,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":11,"gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"13.1:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":78.0,"schoolId":37135,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Kennedy Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Kennedy Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/wisconsin/madison-metropolitan-school-district/kennedy-elementary-school/37135"}