Super Centers

Ali Pepper, Kindergarten

Holy Family School

$1,391.50

Having an engaging classroom environment is one of, if not, the most vital aspects of effectively teaching young children. Ms. Pepper's dream is to revitalize her learning centers so that she can do her best to teach her students while providing a safe and secure social environment. With your funding, Ms. Pepper will be able to bring new learning centers into her classroom so that she can provide a myriad of new learning experiences for her students, as well as advocate for more social activity and positive peer relationships.

"Studies show that when students are playing while learning, they are much more likely to absorb the information. Centers time also provides an incredible opportunity for students to take ownership of their learning and lead one another. Each day we see students lean on each other and support one another's goals of getting ready for first grade. New materials would significantly improve this vital time each and every day for learners by keeping them engaged and invested in the activities."

Reflex for Math Fact Fluency

Amy Stephens, 1st and 2nd

Pilgrim Lutheran School

$2,000

Reflex is a FUN way for students to engage and practice their math facts and become more fluent in math. This is why it is Ms. Stephen's dream to implement the use of Reflex. Reflex is a supplemental math fact fluency program on an iPad or Chromebook. The students at Pilgrim Lutheran School are all assigned individual iPads and Chromebooks. This program can be downloaded on each device to accommodate 168 students. The games are leveled by the ability of each student. The levels change as students progress and gain a better understanding of the skill.

Ms. Stephens believes, "Reflex is the most effective solution for any student that needs to build math fact fluency. Using fact families and delivering the right facts at the right time for each individual student, it meets students where they are. It's been used in thousands of classrooms to successfully support students at grade level, at risk, and with special needs."

Fund this dream and give the first and second graders at Pilgrim Lutheran School the gift of FUN MATH at their own pace!

Once Upon a Time

Amy Struve, Preschool

St. Paul Early Childhood Center

$1,484.35

Imagination is key to every early childhood program. Puppets help enhance this in children. Students retell stories they have heard, conversations they remember, and make up their very own during play. Conversations and vocabulary are also increased at this time. Adding a felt board, story pieces, a puppet theater, and a new table for our dramatic play area will allow their storytelling and play to soar to new heights!

Materials for Infant Room

Mariah Green, Infants

Concordia Place on Whipple

$1,838.00

The first year or two of our lives are some of the most important developmentally speaking. Our wonderful infant teachers are great at creating an enriching environment. The classrooms are lacking certain materials that would benefit the children physically, emotionally, and creatively. Materials such as sensory toys, mirrors, and sorting mats will allow the infant teachers to create new opportunities for exploration.

As a school that supports all children in an equitable manner, having materials that will enhance learning and development are integral. Fulfillment of this dream would allow our youngest learners to have learning and sensory experiences from the get go. Having new and well made materials will allow infant teachers to create experiences that will benefit their kiddos in multiple facets of development.

Gross Motor Materials for Concordia Place Students

Brianna Hyde, Toddlers

Concordia Place on Whipple

$1,770

Ms. Hyde is asking for materials that will allow Concordia Place's students to release pent up energy while working on developing and strengthening their gross motor development. Teeter totters, rocky boats, stepping stones, and mini trampolines are great tools in reaching this goal.

Kids are full of energy and always need a way to get that out. Gross motor development is all about running, jumping, climbing, twirling, and more. Caregivers and teachers help children strengthen this aspect of development by providing equipment that allows children to practice these skills. Being in Chicago, we have windy, snowy, and bitter cold winters which makes getting to the playground difficult. These materials will be a great alternative when mother nature doesn't allow us to get outside!

Classroom Library and Reading Nook

Brett Bravo, 7th and 8th Grades

Holy Family School

$1,000

Mr. Bravo's dream is to create a classroom library that is an inviting space and helps children fall in love with reading. His dream is to acquire a collection of new books that includes young adult novels and classics written by a diverse assortment of authors. The books would be chosen in consultation with his current students. His vision is to have books in a dedicated space with a bookshelf and a couch for independent reading.

"If they (my students) could have sets of new books, rather than the donations and out of date catalog I currently have shelved, as well as a comfortable and inviting space, they would be excited for independent reading and find a book to connect with that might inspire them," says Mr. Bravo.

Fund this dream and help Mr. Bravo to build a classroom library that is an inviting space and helps children fall in love with reading!

Roots in Reading

Rachel Lieneman, Kindergarten

Our Saviour Lutheran Preschool & Kindergarten

$1,284.77

When a kindergartener reads a page from a book for the first time, his confidence shines! Ms. Lineman believes that each of her students deserves to learn in an environment where students can choose to have moments to themselves to read independently or with peers. Having a space in the room devoted to only reading will create an atmosphere that is full of excitement, creativity, and wonder of what they will read next.

"In my short experience of teaching, I have found that a lot of insecurity and lack of confidence can stem from a student not quite being able to read, yet. However, with the books and resources I have included with my dream, I could help further their learning and create an environment to do so."

Grant this dream and help Ms. Lineman's students build confidence and shine!

A Diverse Library for 2022 and Beyond

Jennifer Goolsby, Multiple Grade Levels

Pilgrim Lutheran School

$1,063.05

The goal of this dream is to begin the 2022/2023 school year with a library fully stocked with new books that will engage, entice and represent all of our students.

Ms. Goolsby is determined to modernize Pilgrim Lutheran's lower school library with socially, culturally relevant, and historically accurate books that represent the world our children live in.

Receiving the Dream Award, would provide our library with books that will speak to our students, expand their horizons and spark their interests on subjects they don't even know about yet.

Little Hands

Judith Acosta, Preschool 4

Bethesda International Academy

$1,085.68

Ms. Acosta's dream is to have a rich variety of materials to help strengthen fine motor skills, like grasping, reaching, releasing an object and turning the wrist. She would like to create a Fine-Motor Center with inviting, colorful, challenging materials that could be available to them at any given time.

Ms. Acosta says, "Having materials available for students such as the ones I am requesting would create opportunities for fine motor development even during free play. This would enhance each child's development and learning."

Funding this dream would help facilitate opportunities to exercise students' fine-motor skills, while at the same time developing and practicing other skills such as letter recognition, number recognition, building, creating and much more.

Sharing Jesus

Jill Giannotta, Kindergarten

Grace Christian Academy

$1,037

"Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." Matthew 19:13-15

Mrs. Giannotta's dream is to bring her Kindergarten students closer to Jesus with the new CPH religion curriculum called Enduring Faith. She wishes for the teacher's kit and enough books for each student. This classroom has been making do with an incomplete series with a copyright date of 2001.

Grant this wish and help provide an updated series with new ideas to teach the wonderful stories of the Bible and enough material for the children to take home to share with their families.

Leaping Into Literacy!

Angela Balice, Pre K 4

St. Paul Early Childhood Center

$1,659

Early exposure to rich literacy experiences helps children understand the world and people around them. Ms. Balice wishes for nothing more than to provide her pre K students with engaging literacy lessons that shape their futures. This is why she hopes you fulfill her dream of a Language and Literacy Instant Learning Cart from Lakeshore Learning. This center provides many amazing options for young learners to enhance their literacy skills and work together during center time.

Ms. Balice adds, "We are wanting to enhance our small group literacy experience, and this bundle truly would be what we would need to do that. I know my students love to work hands on, and I see many great opportunities with this bundle. Thank you for your consideration!"

50 Voices to Foster Diversity and Inclusion in Our Library

Meagan Mesirow, Social Work

Pilgrim Lutheran School

$584.29

Books give students a window into what it is like to experience life in different ways. This is why Ms. Mesirow's dream is to add 50 books that feature authors and stories that celebrate diversity and send positive messages of belonging and acceptance to her students. Adding 50 new books, filled with stories that celebrate diverse voices and positive messages of acceptance to the library will enhance this classroom's learning of themselves and others.

Funding this dream will help Ms. Mesirow provide her students with the opportunity to learn from as many stories as they can and use the library to foster an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion of everyone.

Kindergarten Science Curriculum

Karen Nelson, Kindergarten

St. Paul Early Childhood Center

$2,000

Ms. Nelson truly looks forward to broadening her Kindergarteners' understanding of living things, our changing world and ways to protect our Earth. This is why she dreams of providing her students with a well-rounded science curriculum called Inspire Science. This curriculum is bright and engaging - perfect for the curious Kindergartener. It introduces little ones to topics such as the environment, plants and animals as well as direction and speed. This curriculum will benefit Kindergarteners as it reinforces concepts clearly and concisely.

Funding this dream will enhance Ms. Nelson's teaching skills and will provide her students with a solid science foundation. It may even INSPIRE a future scientist or two!

Dream Big in Dramatic Play

Lavell Ballard, Pre-Kindergarten

Holy Family School

$2,000

In Ms. Ballard's classroom, students often discuss their dreams for the future. One question that is often asked is, "If you could be anything in the world, what would you be?" However, Ms. Ballard wants to go beyond just discussion and wants to allow her students to become who they want to be in the classroom.

Funding her dream of a dramatic play area in a classroom will allow her to do so, and will give her students the opportunity to dramatize familiar stories and create their own. This PreK classroom is in need of clothes, food, and theme related materials such as doctor items, grocery store items, house products, puppets, and miscellaneous items such as a camera, sunglasses, and hair products.

If granted, the materials provided will enhance students' learning and give them multiple opportunities to play while gaining new skills!

Making Math Make Sense

Letica Bush, 5th Grade Math

Holy Family School

$1,000

Ms. Bush would love to be able to provide her students with various learning tools and resources to help her students grow in mathematics. The math tools she has highlighted in her dream give visual representations that help turn abstract mathematical concepts into concrete representations. The tool kits she wishes to supplement her instruction with include place value disks, centimeter cubes, and fraction tiles.

Ms. Bush believes that "Tool kits are perfect for skills practice, reinforcement learning, math learning centers and more. Portable tool kit provides year-round support for core math skills such as strategies, and fractions!"