The Adopt-A-Classroom Blog

Adopt-A-Classroom is growing!

2011-09-19T14:20:00.001-04:00

We're honored to announce a new Executive Director, Bob Thacker, who brings four decades of experience in business and marketing at OfficeMax, Target, Sears and beyond. We're thrilled to have him join our team and are opening a second office in Minneapolis so we can continue to push beyond on boundaries to support more teachers and their classrooms across the country. You can learn more about Bob and his aspirations for Adopt-A-Classroom at http://tiny.cc/AAC2011. Please join us in welcoming Bob!

-- Jamie Rosenberg
President & Founder

Contest Alert!

2011-02-09T11:49:00.013-05:00

We hope 2011 has been off to a fantastic start for you! At Adopt-A-Classroom, we've been involved in the Members Project contest and it's ending soon on Feb 20, so if you haven't voted for Adopt-A-Classroom this week (you get 1 vote per week), would you please vote today? Your vote can help us win $200,000! www.takepart.com/membersproject/vote

Separately, we recently came across two contests that sound like they could be fun for your students / children. If you're a teacher, perhaps it could be a classroom project. These contests are not associated with Adopt-A-Classroom in any way, but we wanted to put it on your radar in case your students / children would like to participate:

IN CONNECTICUT: K-5 Contest to Dream Big! The 2011 CHET Dream Big! Competition is a drawing and essay contest for K-5 students in Connecticut. The contest aims to encourage families to start thinking about how higher education may help children realize their dreams and make a difference in the world, and to promote the importance of saving for college early. Children will be able to express themselves creatively for a chance to win prizes.

PLUS! The top ten teachers whose students submit the most entries will receive a $50 prize to help purchase classroom supplies.

The contest will run from February 7 through April 4, 2011. For more details, go to http://www.chetdreambig.com/.

NATIONAL: Doodle 4 Google
Doodle 4 Google is a national competition inviting K-12 students across the US to use their artistic talents to think big and redesign Google’s homepage logo for millions to see. The theme of this year's contest is "What I’d like to do someday..."

Guest judges include Whoopi Goldberg and Jim Davis, the creator of "Garfield"... sounds pretty cool to us!

One lucky student artist will take home a $15,000 college scholarship and $25,000 technology grant for their school, among many other prizes.

Registration closes on March 2, 2011 and entries must be postmarked by March 16, 2011. The winning doodle will be featured on the Google.com homepage on May 20, 2011! For more details, go to www.google.com/doodle4google.

Supporting Our Friends at Kids In Need Foundation

2010-12-20T10:23:00.009-05:00

Our friends at Kids In Need Foundation are in this week's Target Give Joy Promotion and we are happy to support their participation! They'd like you're support too and here's what you can do to help Kids In Need Foundation receive up to $50,000 this week: go to www.facebook.com/target and create a wish list. For each wish list that's created, Target will give a $5 donation, up to a maximum of $50,000 per nonprofit organization.

Kids In Need Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. If you're a teacher at a Title 1 school located near one of their 25 resource centers, you should make a trip out to pick up free supplies!

So here are more detailed instructions about the Target Give Joy Promotion- we promise it's very easy to do:

Go to facebook.com/target
Click on the “Give Joy” tab, then click the “Get started now” button and allow permission
You will see 20 products – select 5 to add to your list by clicking “Click to Add” under the products of your choice
Click the red “Submit your list” button
On the next page, a pop-up will ask you to share your list on your Facebook wall. You can add a personal comment – add something about why you support Kids In Need Foundation and why your Facebook friends should help out by creating their own wish list too!
Click “Publish”

After you submit a list, you can enter the sweepstakes to win a Target gift card to purchase your wish list items. You can only enter the sweepstakes for the gift card once during the week. However, as far as we know, you can create one list a day to for the $5 donation to Kids In Need Foundation.

Please share this with all family, friends, and colleagues!

Guest Blogger: TIMING IS EVERYTHING, ISN'T IT?

2010-12-15T15:57:00.009-05:00

By Laurie Johns, 1st Grade Teacher, Greenbrae Elementary

Teachers: The whole idea behind Adopt-A-Classroom is to get your classroom adopted, correct? That requires getting friends, family and businesses to adopt you. To do that you need to ASK, ASK, ASK. The more businesses and people you get supporting you, the more money for your classroom. What a sweet deal!

We as teachers all know it’s expensive to get things we need for our classrooms. What a better way than to have someone “adopt” your classroom, or your special project. Now, I am a true believer that timing is everything. The end of the year is a perfect time to ask family, friends, businesses to consider adopting your classroom. Many people and businesses are looking for last minute, end of the year, tax write-offs. Why not have them donate to your classroom! The time to act and ask is NOW!

My suggestion is to make several copies of the Adopt-A-Classroom donation form (click here for a copy) with your school and classroom information already filled out, then take them with you in the car, in your purse, your work bag so you have them with you wherever you go and ASK everyplace you go. What can it hurt? You never know who will be looking for you at this time of year… Remind them that making a donation is 100% tax deductible and you may get more than you thought. You never know unless you try and you may just get what you ask for just because timing is everything!

Guest Blogger: USING THE WEB TO FINANCE AND ENHANCE THE CLASSROOM

2010-12-13T11:36:00.017-05:00

By Amy Bennett-Rosado, Kindergarten Teacher, Lexington Elementary

Thanks to technology, I as a teacher now have the power to fund and implement a technology-integrated classroom. I realized quickly big plans and no funds were a common aspect of teaching in public education. So here is a peek into part of a typical day in my kindergarten classroom that I partially funded and integrated with technology:

I arrive at school and turn on my laptop, projector, and interactive white board and document camera. I review my lesson plans using my online plan book, a resource I learned about through a teacher in Canada, via an online learning group. I print any pages that I need using a donated printer, from an online school-technology donation program. Class begins, and during reading, my students are divided into groups based upon the results of their assessments, administered through online software.

One group heads toward two computers to play web based reading games. The monitors and the mice for these computers were funded through an Adopt-A-Classroom donation. Another group huddles around a basket with electronic reading pens and e-books, which were also purchased with funds from my Adopt-A-Classroom donor.

While these students are engaged in stimulating reading, I read with a third group of students and record notes about their reading using a free online grade book. As Reading time ends, I use my tablet, connected to my interactive white board, to remotely play a children’s music video; this familiar song signals my students to transition to Math. The tablet I use was purchased at a local technology conference that I was able to attend for free because I signed up online to volunteer service time.

This is how my students and I progress through the day, integrated and interacting with technology thanks to Adopt-A-Classroom and other web based programs that gave me, a teacher, the power to fully fund a technology-integrated classroom.

Guest Blogger: A TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE

2010-12-03T10:42:00.008-05:00

By Jake McDuffee, Language Arts Teacher, Winchester Village Elementary

When I first signed up for Adopt-A-Classroom, I was excited about the opportunity to get supplies for my classroom. I was fortunate enough to be adopted by a donor almost immediately. I told a colleague about the program and the following year, we both were adopted by the same donor. Both of us have been adopted for five straight years now. The feeling I get every year is one of validation.

In a time when education is a political position, a tax-raising proposition to vote down, or just one number to be wrung out of an entire year of effort, it is so relieving to be appreciated through the Adopt-A-Classroom process. Each year, the donation I receive says to me, “I trust in your judgment. I believe you know what your students need to know, how they can be led to what they need to know, and what tools are needed along the way.”

Teaching is sometimes referred to as the noble profession. In the Merriam-Webster thesaurus, noble can be replaced with words like exalted, glorified, or venerable. These are not words I would use to describe my feelings at the end of the day. However, the affirmation I feel every year when I receive an email from Adopt-A-Classroom lifts me up for a while. This program and my donor remind me of the importance of the choice I made when I decided to become a teacher.

12 Champions of Change™

2010-12-02T14:47:00.007-05:00

It's almost 2011 and we are proud that Adopt-A-Classroom is featured in the 2011 Champions of Change calendar! The calendar is designed to raise awareness for charitable organizations and we are highlighted in the month of August, right in time for the Back-to-School season.

Each month of the calendar features a different organization and we are pleased to be in the company of outstanding groups such as City Year, Smile Train, Goodwill Industries, and Ronald McDonald House.

It's hard to believe that 2011 will be here soon, but if you (or your company) are shopping for 2011 calendars, please consider purchasing this one! It's a different way to support school fundraising efforts because 10% of sales will be donated to the featured organizations. A single calendar is $14.99 and discounted pricing is also available for bulk orders. Take a look at www.metrocanyon.com/products.html or you can make a purchase directly on Amazon.

Adopt-A-Classroom selected for Members Project! November 29~February 20

2010-11-03T10:18:00.008-04:00

We are very excited that Adopt-A-Classroom has been selected to participate in the next round of Members Project voting! This means that we will have a chance to win $200,000 in funding from American Express through Members Project - as long as we get enough votes. The next round of voting starts on Monday, November 29; here's how it works:

Anyone can vote – no need to be an American Express card holder.
Voting only requires a one-time registration which takes 1-2 minutes.
Voters make one vote during each week of the campaign (there will be 12 weeks total).
Voters can only vote for 1 charity only per week (not one charity per category).

There are so many more students and teachers that Adopt-A-Classroom could help and if we won the $200,000 in funding, we would use it to improve and expand our program in order to provide resources to more classrooms.

We will keep you posted when voting begins. You can also stay up to date with us through our Facebook page - please 'Like' our page at www.facebook.com/adoptaclassroom - or on Twitter @adopt_classroom.

Boost Mobile and Danica Patrick support Adopt-A-Classroom

2010-10-13T11:37:00.004-04:00

We are excited to announce that on Thursday, September 30, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick (far right) presented a charitable donation to Adopt-A-Classroom as part of a partnership with Boost Mobile! Our Programs Director, Sujey Acuna (far left), and Director of Finance, AnaLauren Pamintuan (second to left), were on site at the Boost Mobile store in Pembroke Pines, Florida to accept the donation for Adopt-A-Classroom.

A Day Made Better for teachers across the country

2010-10-05T14:52:00.013-04:00

Today, Tuesday, October 5th, OfficeMax and Adopt-A-Classroom celebrated 'A Day Made Better' by surprising over 1,000 very deserving teachers across the United States each with $1,000 worth of school supplies. The pictures, videos, and thank you notes are rolling in, and here are a few we can share with you already:

PS 282 in Brooklyn, New York

OfficeMax employees bringing the A Day Made Better gifts up to the teacher's classroom at PS 282 in Brooklyn, New York.

Mrs. Lee-Chong checks out the great gifts in her box while the principal, Mrs. Alexis, looks on.

Mrs. Lee-Chong, in purple, is a 3rd grade teacher at PS 282. She poses here with OfficeMax employees, Jose and Shawn (left), Adopt-A-Classroom's Director of Development, Fong Wa Chung (center) and the school principal, Mrs. Alexis (right).

Shawn, OfficeMax assistant store manager, with Mrs. Lee-Chong

Larne Elementary in Clover, SC

Mrs. Debbie Faulkner at Larne Elementary in Clover, South Carolina is an Arts in Education teacher. Read about their school's A Day Made Better story here.

You can help to make any day better for a deserving teacher by making a teacher grant through Adopt-A-Classroom. You can make a classroom grant to an elementary school teacher or high school teacher because every school in the United States is listed in the Adopt-A-Classroom website at www.adoptaclassroom.org.

Jonas Brothers Kick Off 'A Day Made Better'

2010-09-30T14:41:00.007-04:00

Earlier this week, the Jonas Brothers showed their continued support for teachers and students by helping to kick off the annual 'A Day Made Better' campaign with our national sponsor, OfficeMax. They surprised the entire teaching staff of Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts in Los Angeles with $25,000 worth of school supplies from OfficeMax on behalf of the cause campaign. Check out the video above and the details in the press release here!

In 2007, Adopt-A-Classroom and OfficeMax created the 'A Day Made Better' campaign to bring awareness to the issue of teachers paying money out of their own pockets, anywhere between $600-$1,000 annually, to make up for inadequate classroom supplies. Teaching is already challenging, but not having enough classroom supplies and resources makes it even tougher. So our idea was to take one day out of the year, the first Tuesday of October, to recognize our exceptional teachers and reward them with $1,000 worth of school supplies to help ease the burden.

This year's event is coming up on Tuesday, October 5th, and it will be our fourth year surprising 1,000 teachers each with $1,000 worth of school supplies across 800 cities across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Des Moines, Kansas City, Orlando, Phoenix, Minneapolis, and even in Puerto Rico!

In honor of this day, if you would like to support a teacher by providing a classroom grant, please make a donation at www.AdoptAClassroom.org.

Find us at the NYSSBA Convention ~ Oct 21-24

2010-09-29T15:01:00.023-04:00

Coming up in October is the New York State School Boards Association's annual convention in New York City (October 21-24). Adopt-A-Classroom will be hosting a panel session titled "Engaging Your Community to Support Teachers and Raise Classroom Funds" on Saturday, October 23rd at 1:00pm. If you are attending the convention, please drop by to say hello - our Executive Director, James Rosenberg, will be moderating the panel session.

Adopt-A-Classroom was also selected as the Community Project at the NYSSBA convention. We will be on the trade show floor on Friday and Saturday at the NYSSBA Services Booth. Attendees will have the opportunity to adopt classrooms and learn more about how the program can help with school fundraising in districts across New York state.

The convention is held at the Sheraton Hotel, just north of Times Square! Depending on whether you like the hustle and bustle, this could be a plus or minus. However, when we attended last year's convention, we found it entertaining to be in the middle of the mix...

THE TEACHER SHOW on Martha Stewart

2010-09-21T16:53:00.010-04:00

Tomorrow's edition of The Martha Stewart Show will celebrate teachers and highlight the joy of learning. Food writer and cooking teacher Nick Malgieri will share baking techniques; FIT professor Kenneth D. King will demonstrate how to make DIY fashion accessories; Jones New York stylist Lloyd Boston will provide tips for how to upgrade your wardrobe.

AND!... *All teachers in the studio will have their classrooms adopted by our national sponsor, Jones New York In The Classroom!*

Be sure to check out the show tomorrow, Wednesday, September 22nd on the Hallmark Channel. Here's a preview: http://www.marthastewart.com/show/the-martha-stewart-show/the-teacher-show

'Like' OfficeMax on Facebook and They'll Donate $1 to Adopt-A-Classroom

2010-09-21T15:09:00.011-04:00

*Attention Facebook Users*

Today through October 5th, for each 'Like' on OfficeMax receives on their Facebook page, OfficeMax will donate $1 to Adopt-A-Classroom! Go to www.facebook.com/officemax!

Adopt-A-Classroom is also partnering with OfficeMax once again on the 3rd annual A Day Made Better event and it's coming in exactly two weeks on Tuesday, October 5th. That means we'll be surprising 1,000 teachers in 1,000 schools across the country each with $1,000 worth ofclassroom supplies! Surprise celebrities are showing up at a few of these schools... stay tuned here and on our Twitter for the details :)

Genji's "A Special Roll For A Special Cause" at Whole Foods

2010-09-08T13:54:00.011-04:00

If you've been to a Whole Foods market then you've most likely seen the neatly stocked sushi bar managed by Genji Sushi. Each month, Genji hosts a campaign called "A Special Roll For A Special Cause." In August, the program featured The National Wildlife Foundation. This month, the program will benefit Adopt-A-Classroom!

Now through Sunday, October 3rd, 5% of sales of the special roll will be donated to Adopt-A-Classroom. So if you buy sushi from the Genji sushi bar at Whole Foods this month, thank you for helping to support our cause! We use funds like these to help us expand our reach to more schools across the country so that we're able to help secure more teacher grants and school donations.

Here are some great pictures of the program taken in-store at a Whole Foods market. If you take any of your own pictures with the promotional signs in a Whole Foods and would like to have it added to this blog post, just send them over to us at WeSupportTeachers [at] gmail . com.

$10,000 match from Ford's Operation Goodwill

2010-08-27T09:56:00.011-04:00

Ford Motor Company Fund's Operation Goodwill is supporting classrooms in Miami-Dade County Public Schools with a $10,000 match for Back-to-School!

Here's how it works: starting Friday, August 27th, online credit card donations made to M-DCPS classrooms will receive a $25 matching donation, generously provided by Ford Motor Company Fund. The $25 match is available on a first come, first served basis until the $10,000 is used up.

Miami-Dade Teachers: let every potential donor know about this opportunity and encourage them to adopt your classroom today.

Donors: if you would like to support a classroom in Miami, this is an easy way to increase the value of your donation. Click here to see all classrooms in Miami and make a donation today!

Stay tuned, more Back-to-School partnerships to come!

Chevy will donate $10,000 to classrooms

2010-08-24T14:45:00.012-04:00

Are you in the market for a new car? Residents of Northern California have a way to car shop and help a local classroom at the same time! Chevy dealers in Northern California have partnered with Adopt-A-Classroom to donate up to $10,000 to classrooms in the local area.

Here's how it works: anyone who takes a test drive at a participating dealer will receive a gift code to donate $50 to a local classroom* through Adopt-A-Classroom. Go to adoptaclassroom.org/ChevyTestDrive for more details.

Participating cities are: Chico, Colusa, Gridley, Oroville, and Redding in California.

If you know of teachers in any of these 5 cities in California, please encourage them to register so that they can potentially receive a donation. Feel free to forward them these promotional flyers (in black and white or in color).

*The $50 code is valid for adopting a classroom in the same city where the test drive is taken. For example, if the test drive is taken in Redding, the gift code will only be valid for adopting a classroom in Redding.

Post Cereals and got milk?® “Unlock Their Potential” Instant Win Promotion

2010-08-20T14:35:00.005-04:00

Post Cereals and got milk?® are hosting the Unlock Their Potential promotion through Monday, August 23rd. Anyone can go to www.whymilk.com/unlock and play the instant win game to enter for a chance to easily win Back-to-School Prizes.

There will be 50+ winners each day! Prizes include laptops, back packs, magazine subscriptions, and gift cards, among others. Winners have the opportunity to donate their prize to a local classroom in need through Adopt-A-Classroom. More details here: www.whymilk.com/unlock

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C. who are, as of Entry, 18 years of age or older. Promotion starts at 11:00:01 AM (ET) on 7/25/10 and ends at 5:59:59 PM (ET) on 8/23/10. See Official Rules for details. Sponsor: The National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board. © 2010 Post Foods, LLC

Write a Facebook Note to raise $10

2010-08-10T15:25:00.015-04:00

Great news about the Elmer's "Bag It Forward" campaign: now Facebook users can help!

Elmer's has pledged to donate $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom and, at first, only blog posts were accepted as a form of support. However, you can now create a Facebook Note to help raise $10 towards the $10,000 goal.

So if you have a Facebook account, here's what you can do write a Facebook Note worth $10:

Log in to Facebook and at your profile page, there's either 1) a Notes tab or 2) the option to go to Notes by clicking on the + sign.
Include the Rules. Write a quick message about the purpose of creating this Note and share the Note with friends (nothing fancy required - you can just say you're creating the Note to help Adopt-A-Classroom). Then copy and paste the campaign rules (see them below).
BEFORE you publish ... change the privacy setting by going to "Note Privacy" which appears just above the Publish button. Make sure you've selected "Everyone" so that it's a public note (no other privacy settings for your account will be changed).
AFTER you publish... show Elmer's that you've created the Facebook Note! Copy and paste the URL for your post here: http://bagitforward.org/donate-a-bag/#comment.

Click here for an example (you'll have to log in to see it).

And that's it! You'll have helped to raise $10 for Adopt-A-Classroom, towards our goal of $10,000.

Deadline is Friday, September 10th so please create your note today if you'd like to help!

***

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

Copy and paste these rules into your blog post or Facebook Note
Create a post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip
Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies (or share the message with other friends)
Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by September 10, 2010).
Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

Contest Alert!

2010-08-05T12:07:00.009-04:00

We bet you're gearing up for Back-to-School -- at Adopt-A-Classroom, we certainly are! There are lot of great partnerships that we're involved with across the country. It's our hope that these programs create awareness and encourage people to support your classrooms by making donations at AdoptAClassroom.org. When we're able to announce details about these partnerships, we'll share them with you here at our blog.

For now, we found two contests that are not associated with Adopt-A-Classroom in any way, but we thought they might be of interest:

1. Bounty's Art Classroom Makeover

Bounty is hosting a “Make a Clean Difference” contest that will award one school with an art classroom makeover worth $25,000 designed by a celebrity design team.

10 finalists will also be awarded with $5,000 grants to use toward transforming their school art rooms, along with a visit from the “Make-A-Messterpiece” activity bus, an experiential art studio on wheels.

You can go to Facebook.com/Bounty for more details. Nominations will be accepted until August 9, 2010.

2. Really Good Stuff's Classroom Makeover Contest

Teachers that are preparing their classroom for the new school year have a chance to win $100 shopping spree from Really Good Stuff. They’re in search of the most creative classroom ‘makeover’. We know that so many teachers often spend their own money to turn their classrooms into a vibrant place of learning. So in addition to using Adopt-A-Classroom as a resource to raise money for classroom supplies, this is a neat opportunity to win a little extra money.

To participate, you’ll have to post 2 photos (1 before and 1 after of your classroom) or a video to the Really Good Stuff Facebook page. You can find the rules here: http://blog.reallygoodstuff.com/?p=3871. The contest ends August 29, 2010.

Blog to Raise $10K for Adopt-A-Classroom

2010-07-22T10:19:00.012-04:00

For Back-to-School this year, Elmer's pledged to donate $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom as part of its Bag It Forward campaign. Anyone who has a blog can help to raise $10 just by writing a blog post! Here's how it works:

Elmer’s will donate $10 per each post written to Adopt-A-Classroom, up to $10,000. Bloggers participate by giving away a *virtual* bag of school supplies (you don't have to actually buy anything!) and creating a blog post with these specific rules:

Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.
Create a blog post giving a virtual bag of school supplies to another blogger – you can give as many virtual bags as you want.
Link back to person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.

This starts today and ends midnight EST on Thursday, August 12.

Remember! Your blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section here for your participation to be counted.

We're very excited to be working with Elmer's on this campaign. If you don't blog yourself, please tell any friends that do and have them participate.

More cool partnerships to come for Back-to-School...

Contest Alert!

2010-07-01T18:06:00.002-04:00

We read recently that Dell is hosting a contest to award $20,000 worth of technology to a school - what an awesome school grant! You'll have to submit a 3 minute video (or shorter) about how your school would use the Dell equipment to enhance the learning experience and then there's a voting process. More information is available at the contest's website - www.connectyourclassroom.com.

Happy July 4th to everyone!

Supporting Classrooms in Nashville

2010-06-28T13:05:00.004-04:00

Being based in South Florida, the Adopt-A-Classroom team is familiar with the damage that heavy waters can cause. So our hearts went out to everyone who experienced the floods in Tennessee last month. While we were saddened by the destruction and losses, it was also heartening to see the outpour of support that followed. We were very glad to learn that schools received attention as well. In fact, on June 10th, Lady Antebellum held a fundraising concert benefiting schools in Nashville!

For this concert, OfficeMax, one of Adopt-A-Classroom's national sponsors, committed $50,000 to a fundraising challenge that matched every dollar donated for Nashville-area schools up to a total of $50,000. The money will help replenish much needed classroom supplies for the schools affected by the floods.

While classes are out for the summer, you can still support our students and teachers in Nashville and all across Tennessee and, in fact, throughout the United States. We know that the teachers would sure be happy to have a classroom grant and donated funds available for when school starts up again in August/September. Just go to www.AdoptAClassroom.org.

'Thank You' Note of the Day

2010-06-09T12:41:00.003-04:00

We bet you’re excited for summer vacation! Here in Miami, Adopt-A-Classroom’s headquarters, today is the last day of school for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. To all of our teachers here and around the country – enjoy the summer!

We know that some teachers are still wrapping up the school year and have heard that others are already planning for the next one so we’ve still got plenty of activity at Adopt-A-Classroom. We’d like to share a thoughtful ‘Thank You’ note, also known as an ‘Impact Report’, recently sent from a teacher in San Francisco, California to the classroom donor:

“I purchased markers and colored pencils for my classroom. We have many projects where students make posters and present their information to the class. Communicating scientific discoveries is one of our California standards for the seventh grade. Through the course of the year, we do posters about genetics families, plant experiment posters, and human body system to name just a few. With 150 students, we go through markers and colored pencils like crazy. The visuals that students create to learn about science concepts as well as help their fellow classmates learn these concepts, are invaluable to their science education. Thank you for your donation!”

If you have any fun, inspiring, interesting stories from your Adopt-A-Classroom experience this year, please share them with us as well! You can email us at wesupportteachers (at) adoptaclassroom.org.

Teacher Appreciation event at JFK Magnet School in NY

2010-05-17T17:54:00.009-04:00

For Teacher Appreciation Week earlier this month, a group of volunteers visited the teachers and students of the classrooms they adopted at JFK Magnet School in Port Chester, New York. On a beautiful, sunny day, the volunteers planted annuals and perennials that they purchased for the school's courtyard. They also dedicated a Japanese maple tree in honor of the teachers of their adopted classrooms. See their pictures below!

As the school year draws to a close, many teachers and donors are connecting to coordinate classroom visits of all sorts. If you have a story or pictures that you would like to share on this blog from any end-of-year visits, please send them to us at wesupportteachers (at) adoptaclassroom.org.

The volunteer team

Volunteers at work

Beautification under way!

Japanese maple tree dedication

97% of Teachers Will Do Whatever it Takes to Help Kids Learn

2010-05-06T12:30:00.007-04:00

A national survey conducted by Kelton Research in April 2010, "National Teaching Realities Survey", found that 97% of all teachers will go the extra mile to create an effective learning environment for their students, even if it means dipping into their own pockets to purchase necessary supplies.

Do you have stories about teachers that go the extra mile for their students? Please share them with us! You can comment here or write to us at wesupportteachers (at) adoptaclassroom.org

At Adopt-A-Classroom, we're critically aware of the issue and we're glad that others are paying attention as well. Other facts that the survey found:

Essential Resources - 69% of teachers believe that having the right tools in the classroom is essential for their success as an educator.
Classrooms Are Lacking - As school budgets shrink, 70% of teachers report their schools are unable to provide them with the necessary tools to effectively teacher students.
Selflessly Devoted - 82% of teachers think it is their responsibility to ensure students have the best learning experience possible - spending an average of $623 of their own money on supplies for their students each year.
Parents Can Help - About 2/3 of teachers say parents have the opportunity to help by either donating school supplies to their classroom or helping organize fundraisers for classroom supplies.

Adopt-A-Classroom is very proud to do be able to do our part to support our nation's teachers. With every school in the United States listed in our database, we make it easy for any individual to adopt a classroom, anywhere in the country.

If you know of friends/family members who would like to adopt classrooms, share this PDF with them: click here

And if you know a teacher who is not yet registered with Adopt-A-Classroom, share this PDF: click here

Field Trip to the Natural History Museum with a Jonas Brother

2010-04-29T17:41:00.010-04:00

Earlier this week, one of Adopt-A-Classroom's teachers, Mrs. Khristi Phillips at Manhattan Place Elementary in Los Angeles, was able to take her second graders on a field trip provided by LUNCHABLES. We visited their classroom before their trip to meet Mrs. Phillips and her students in person and found a vibrant learning environment funded in part by classroom grants from a very generous donor through Adopt-A-Classroom.

As background - Mrs. Phillips' class donor is a former resident of the school's neighborhood who wanted to give back. Mrs. Phillips had written a compelling class description that helped to convince the donor to select her classroom. Starting at the beginning of this school year, the donor has made donations in small increments throughout the year that have amounted to more than $1,000!

With these funds, Mrs. Phillips and her students now have daily journals used to improve their writing skills, color pencils and crayons for their art projects, and storage boxes and file folders to organize their classroom, among other supplies.

Learning doesn't just take place in the classroom though and Mrs. Phillips' second graders wanted very much to go on a field trip. Luckily, LUNCHABLES was able to help make this happen as part of their 'Field Trips for All' program! The class went to the Natural History Museum for their first field trip of the school year. See below for pictures of the class, their trip, and the special guest!

Mrs. Phillips (far right) with her second graders and Fong Wa Chung (far left),
Director of Development of Adopt-A-Classroom.

Special guest Kevin Jonas welcoming the students to the Natural History Museum.

Mrs. Phillips with her class and Kevin Jonas in the Fin Whale Passage exhibit

The students learning about sea anemone in the Natural History Museum's Discovery Center.

"Chatting Across the USA"

2010-04-23T13:03:00.006-04:00

We wanted to share with you a fantastic story that we came across about a teacher in Brewer, Maine who created an innovative, video-conferencing project called "Chatting Across the USA". At a time when field trips and the like are a luxury that classrooms cannot afford, this is a creative way to take students on a 'trip' (...more about field trip opportunities coming next week!)

Teacher Cherrie MacInnes set up internet learning sessions with 3rd grade classrooms in all 50 states and connected her students online with just a laptop, webcam, and projector. While the students get to see, hear and interact with students all across the country, they are not only learning about geography, time zones, and regional differences, they are also learning about how to communicate through technology, networking and teamwork skills. Read the inspirational story here.

Spotlight: Key Biscayne Women's Giving Circle

2010-04-16T14:28:00.007-04:00

Today we would like to shine a warm and appreciative spotlight on the Key Biscayne Women's Giving Circle. The organization recently put together an intimate fundraiser held at the Rosa De La Cruz gallery in the Design District benefiting Adopt-A-Classroom. The event was a tremendous success, raising over $8,000 in one afternoon! The funds will be used to adopt classrooms in need throughout Miami.

The very kind Mrs. Rosa De La Cruz was present to share heartwarming stories that demonstrated her ongoing commitment to education. Jamie Rosenberg, Executive Director of Adopt-A-Classroom, also spoke to the women philanthropists about the positive impact that their generous donation would make on hundreds of students. Jacqueline Vega, a registered teacher with Adopt-A-Classroom since 2007, was another special guest speaker who eloquently recounted personal experiences with the program and the difference it's made for her students.

We are very thankful for the kindness of the members of the Key Biscayne Women's Giving Circle.

Members of Key Biscayne Women's Giving Circle with Rosa De La Cruz (center, in white), James Rosenberg (Executive Director of Adopt-A-Classroom) and Jacqueline Vega (far right, Adopt-A-Classroom teacher and guest speaker)

Adopt-A-Classroom & Jones New York In The Classroom in Ladies' Home Journal

2010-04-15T17:35:00.003-04:00

We are so pleased that Jones New York In The Classroom, a national sponsor of Adopt-A-Classroom, was honored by Ladies' Home Journal with it's 'Do Good' stamp.

Jones New York has done some exceptional work in the education space, e.g., through Adopt-A-Classroom, they have generously provided classroom grants to thousands of teachers through the United States. Also, as you see in the below post about 'Back to School, Back to Style' they have created other fun, engaging ways to support teachers.

You can read the Ladies' Home Journal story here.

A Successful Art Walk Event!

2010-04-12T17:28:00.009-04:00

We are very appreciative for the support from all the members of the Adopt-A-Classroom community in South Florida who came out to our spring fundraiser event last Saturday evening! Thankfully, the rain held off until 10pm, just as we closed up shop - incredible timing!

If you are ever in the area, especially for the monthly Wynwood / Design District Art Walk (second Saturdays of each month), check out The Awarehouse where our event was held. They have a sizable indoor and outdoor area as well as very impressive audio/visual technology that we came nowhere close to taking advantage of.

Guests raved about the very tasty hors d'oeuvres provided by Teresa Bajandas at tbTaste Catering. Teresa was incredibly generous and donated the food and service for the evening. Also very generous with their time is the team at Supermarket Creative who helped us to put together this wonderful event as part of their Philanthroparty Program.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Venue: The Awarehouse and Luis Perez Galeria

James Rosenberg (Founder, Executive Director of Adopt-A-Classroom) and Lilia Garcia (former Administrative Director at Miami-Dade County Public Schools)

Guests and Frank Bolaños (center)

Guests in front of work by Edgar Negret

Guests and Eddy Barea (right), Board Member of Adopt-A-Classroom

Nominate Your Teacher To Go Back To School... IN STYLE

2010-04-09T10:50:00.011-04:00

Your minds may be on the upcoming summer, but Adopt-A-Classroom and our national sponsor, Jones New York, are already planning for Back to School with another 'Back to School, Back to Style' contest. Check out the 2009 winners here.

Now you have the opportunity to nominate your teacher for the 2010 contest! 7 grand prize winning teachers will receive a trip to New York, a Jones New York shopping spree at Macy's and will be featured on The Martha Stewart Show with JNY Style Guy, Lloyd Boston. Winning teachers will also receive a donation to their classroom through Adopt-A-Classroom.

Winners will be chosen from the following areas: New York tri state area, Miami, Northern California, Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, and St. Louis.

You can make a nomination today at www.jnyintheclassroom.org!

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Separately, Jones New York in The Classroom has a very fun public service campaign called "Behind Every Famous Person Is A Fabulous Teacher." The PSAs feature celebrities and notable figures with the teachers that inspired them. Take a look:

Join us this Saturday for art, wine, and music

2010-04-08T23:50:00.002-04:00

If you are in South Florida this weekend, please come out to our spring fundraiser during the Wynwood Art Walk this Saturday, April 10.

We will be at The Awarehouse from 7-10pm and there will be art and music and - just as importantly - complimentary wine, beer, and hors d'oeuvres too.

The exhibition features art by Tata Navia, Soto, and Edgar Negret.

Please RSVP at www.adoptaclassroom.org/artwalk

Favorite 'Thank You' Note of the Day

2010-04-08T13:34:00.000-04:00

Teachers across the country in Adopt-A-Classroom's program are working on wonderful projects with their students and we are so glad that donors out there are supporting their efforts by donating funds.

Now as you may be aware, when teachers use donated funds to shop through the Adopt-A-Classroom network of vendors, teachers must write a personal thank you note to the donor. It's our way of making sure that donors understand how their generous contributions are being used to enhance the classroom.

Here is our favorite 'Thank You' note of the day from a teacher in Austin, Texas to the classroom donor:

"Thank you so much for adopting our classroom! We are in the middle of an Insect Unit. When you made your generous donation, we were outside on a Bug Safari! We caught a butterfly, some ants, a fly, and a wasp with our nets. We put them in jars and are observing them in our science center. We are eager to get to work on the new garden that you have provided for us! We will definitely need to start out by getting some quality compost and pulling lots of weeds that have grown in our courtyards' muddy clay soil. We are looking forward to keeping in touch with and sending you pictures of our new garden as it makes transformation! Thank you so much!"

There are so many other great stories like this one from teacher all over the country and we'll try to share as many as we can.

If you are a teacher and would like to register for Adopt-A-Classroom, go to www.adoptaclassroom.org/registration.

Great article about Adopt-A-Classroom Founder Jamie Rosenberg

2009-04-22T16:55:00.000-04:00

We're so excited about this great piece on the cover of the Tropical Life section of the April 20, 2009 Miami Herad. Click here to read the article.