Thank you so much for your donations and all your kind words! It means so much to have great donors like all of you supporting all my eager students. These books will greatly help my students become better readers. All my students will be so excited to read all the new books and work on their reading skills. I cannot thank you enough for your continued support.
With gratitude,
Ms. Zupka"
We received further updates from her with photos. Exciting!
Dear VPL vplstore.com,
Thank you again for all of your donations! All these books have had a great impact in our classroom. I have been able to use these books during our guided reading lessons. During this time I meet with different groups based on the students reading levels. These books allow me to teach different skills. For example I have used these books to teach making predictions, retelling the story, main idea, and much more. By teaching these skills my students have been able to move up reading levels. I have seen great gains in reading by all of my students.
Not only do the students use these books during guided reading, but they also are able to read them at another center. During centers students are able to partner read. My students love reading with a buddy. They chose a quiet place in the classroom and read to one another. My students help one another while reading and also learn from one another as well. The skills I teach during our guided reading are enforced during partner reading as well. Students are now able to have a conversation about the book.
My whole class has found these books as a great addition to our classroom. Thank you so much again for all of your generosity!
With gratitude,
Ms. Zupka
*This project got fully funder and reaches 20 students.
She says:
"The students in my class enjoy playing games, so the Multiplication Electronic Flashcards and the fractions games with surely be enjoyed by all."
We gave a seed fund to kick start her campaign, and received a note from her recently.
"Dear VPL vplstore.com,
Thank you for funding my at home math project. This project will allow my students, parents, and siblings the opportunity to share in the learning that is going on in the classroom at home. They will also be able complete math homework and projects using the necessary supplies needed to complete them. Again thank you for always supporting our future,
With gratitude,
Mrs. Baham-James"
We are so happy to hear about the news.
*This project will reach 20 students.*
]]>The female students I teach are low-income but high-energy middle school students with a desire to start a journey in programming and robotics.
Females have always been underserved in the robotics world. Our magnet schools promote project based learning, creativity and problem solving. Building these 21st century skills is an essential vision we have for our middle school students, especially the girls. Sometimes our school budgets don't equal our vision. These young minds could excel with the proper tools." In order for her to start her library, we have given a seed fund to kick start his campaign.
Mr. Hopkins sent us a note informing us that the project got fully funded now...along with some pictures. We are excited for the girls to have an amazing teacher like Mr. Hopkins and the opportunity given to them.
I want my students to have access to a different genre of books: math novels.
I would like to introduce my students to math novels that are both educational and entertaining. I want them to read classics like Flatland, or a Japanese comic series called Math Girls, or books about how much mathematics is found in The Simpsons.
My goal for this project is to build an in-class math library and I hope that you help me spark in my students a seed of joy for mathematics." I learned the world history illustrated in Japanese comic book style! It's interesting, so we funded seed money to kick start his campaign here.
My students and I were so thrilled to have received funding for our in-class math library called: Acute Library. I enjoy reading about mathematics and how it relates to the world around me. It was my hope to pass that feeling to my students so that they could see how mathematics is found in the world around them.
One of the ways that I am implementing mathematics reading in the classroom is by dedicating one period a week for reading. Students are encouraged to check out a book of their choice and to read during class. Then, students are asked to share some of the new ideas they have learned. For example, one of my students was reading a book titled Math Girls, and she read about absolute value from a more advanced and formal standpoint. She was very excited to notice a concept that we are learning in math class in the book that she was reading.
Some other students like origami, and they join me during their lunch period to do some origami from the new origami books. Students found out that following directions from an origami book is different from an origami video, but they are quickly adjusting to it, and self-teaching during the process.
Finally, some of my students met the author of How To Bake Pi, and they are most excited about reading this particular book because they have a direct connection to the book.
You have opened such a large door to a new world to my students, and for that I cannot thank you enough.
With gratitude,
Mr. Saltos"
The fifth graders at Carver Elementary are setting standard for the future minds of America.
They are growing and learning together in a warm and welcoming environment. With students willing to overcome all obstacles with victory in mind, this year has been the best one for me, thus far."
She requested microscopes and math and science manipulatives to become successful learners. She said "I am positive that students will increase their classroom assessment grades as well as their state exams, with the use of microscopes and math and science manipulatives." VPL gave a seed fund to kick start her campain, and now we heard the amazing news from her that the project is now fully funded and everything she wanted on her wish list had been delivered the her classroom!
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She wanted to get a SparkFun Inventor’s Kit to introduce elementary students to circuit boards and programming with the Arduino programming language. Hmmm, that sounds exciting. So we gave a seed fund to kick start her campaign.
We heard immediately from her that the project got fully funded with a thank you note:
"Dear VPL vplstore.com,
]]>
In order for her to teach students to develop gross motor skills and muscles, we have given a seed fund to kick start her campaign.
Mrs. Duvnjak wrote us a note:
"To: VPL Women's Active Wear Company. Thank you for supporting public education and making a donation toward my project. Teaching is my passion and I enjoy watching little minds grow. I look forward to using the P.E. equipment with my kindergartners once my project has been fully funded."
Update:
"Dear VPL vplstore.com,
]]>Ms. Mobarik sent us a note:
"VPL, thank you for the donation and thank you for valuing education. My students will benefit greatly from these added pieces of technology!"
Technology cannot replace a passionate teacher like Ms. Mobarik, but it helps children expand their intellectual horizon!
"Dear VPL vplstore.com,
]]>Ms. T Wrote us a note:
"Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for the kind words and donation! It means so much to me and I can't wait to share what you've done for us in class tomorrow. Thank you, truly!"
Here is the update from her:
"Dear VPL vplstore.com,
]]>Ms. Muhammad sent us a note thanking us:
"Thank so much for supporting my class. All things are possible with donors like you."
"Dear VPL vplstore.com,
They are so lucky to have a teacher like Ms. Muhammad who started the campaign.
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"Dear VPL vplstore.com,
I cannot thank you enough for the generous contribution to our Lego robotics program. Your donation allowed us to buy a Lego robot specifically for a female team. The girls are now learning how to build and program the robot. Our goal is to enter the team in the Lego competition next fall.
Recruiting more female students into robotics, computer science, engineering, etc. is one of our charges as public educators. Middle school is a great starting point. The Lego robotics program provides the opportunities for problem solving and team work with technology and the girls love it. It becomes a wonderful launch into the world of computer science.
We hope to build more momentum and recruit more girls as a result of getting the robot and we will. Thanks again for your generous contributions. The students are loving the robot.
With gratitude,
Mr. Hopkins"