DonorsChoose
ACPS is an established district partner with DonorsChoose a national nonprofit that engages the public in public schools. Teachers create classroom project requests that are fulfilled by generous citizen donors. This partnership has resulted in more than $365,000 invested in ACPS classrooms.
Visit DonorsChoose to support teacher projects from across ACPS.
All projects are principal approved and adhere to ACPS regulations and guidelines.
Please view an introductory training video produced by ACPS Family Council and the Office of Community Engagement.
Sample DonorsChooose Projects
Reframing the Narrative
The following is sample language for a Donors Choose project that an ACPS teacher may want to post to get copies of the books that support the Elementary Reframing the Narrative inquiry units.
“Project title”
Fill My Classroom Library with Diverse Books that Support our Whole-Truth, Inquiry-Based Social Studies Curriculum
“About your project”
My students love to read thought-provoking books that allow us to have robust conversations as a class. The books I am requesting support Albemarle County’s culturally responsive and anti-racist/anti-bias inquiry-based K-5 Social Studies curriculum tied to the Virginia Standards of Learning. Having these books in my classroom library is very helpful to support lessons on [insert one or more examples of grade-level units from Reframing the Narrative].
“Summarize what’s in your cart”
Help me give my students access to diverse books that support a K-5 culturally responsive and anti-racist/anti-bias Social Studies curriculum. For more information about Reframing the Narrative, click here.
When you go “shopping” for your project…
On the “Go shopping for your classroom” page, it’s likely easiest to scroll down to the “other vendors” section and select Amazon Business.
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Kindergarten Fair vs. Equal, Citizenship & Fairness: 10/23 - 11/9
Belonging/Community, History & Citizenship: 1/2 -12
Fairness in Schools, Feb 5 - Feb 16
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1st Grade Past & Present and Important People, Jamestown & Indigenous Peoples: 10/16 - 11/21
Interactions between Africans, Indigenous Peoples, and Europeans: 10/16 - 11/21
Influential People, Jan 29 - Mar 8
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2nd Grade US Civics, Sept 5 - Sept 20
Cultures of Indigenous Peoples, Oct 31 - Dec 8
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3rd Grade Civics/SEL/Community, Aug 23 - Sept 11
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4th Grade Community Building & Intro to Inquiry, Aug 23 - Sept 1
Geography, Sep 18 - Oct 13
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5th Grade Community Building & Intro to Inquiry, Aug 23 - Sept 6
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Family Nights
ACPS elementary schools are planning family nights during this school year. DonorsChoose is a great way to purchase materials for school hands-on activities, and to send home with families!
Reading Night Examples:
Math and STEM Night Examples:
Social-Emotional Examples:
At last year’s Social and Emotional Learning Community Night, Agnor-Hurt provided calming kits to students and their families. These supplies would be great as a DonorsChoose project! (Contact: Kimberly Rambow <krambow@k12albemarle.org). They set up 6 stations:
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Identifying feelings—students will have laminated mats to use dry erase markers to identify where feelings live in their bodies on one side with a blank face to create feeling expression with playdough.
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Zones of Regulation—there will be a zones sorting activity and families will create feeling thermometers to take home.
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Mindfulness/Breathing—families will practice breathing with the aid of breathing boards and decorate a couple to take home. They will also practice breathing with a pinwheel they build and with bubbles they can keep.
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Sensory—families will have the opportunity to make stress balls, explore sensory bins, practice using playdough and theraputty with a laminated mat they can keep, and take home bubble wrap and crayons to use for coloring mandalas.
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Mindful movement—families will receive a mindful movement board with dice for creating brain breaks along with a set of yoga pose cards.
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Nature-based play==families will have the opportunity to explore creating a zen garden and take home materials to create their own.
Teachers, you can copy most project carts when you're browsing! Just select “Copy this cart.” To see all active ACPS projects, head over here.
Decodable Books Project
Decodable Books Sample Project
The following is sample language for a Donors Choose project that an ACPS teacher could post to get copies of decodable books aligned with the UFLI phonics program.
“Project title”
Help my Students Build Reading Skills … and Success!
“About your project”
Kids need LOTS of practice reading simple books to become strong readers. Our new phonics program (UFLI Foundations) includes suggestions for decodable books that give kids practice on the specific phonics skills they are learning in my classroom. Help fill my classroom library [and/or provide books to send home with kids] with high-quality early reader books so all kids get off to a great start in reading.
“Summarize what’s in your cart”
Help me give my students access to a reading practice with decodable books.
When you go “shopping” for your project…
On the “Go shopping for your classroom” page, it’s likely easiest to scroll down to the “other vendors” section and select Amazon Business.
Below is a sampling of UFLI-aligned books available through Donors Choose. A complete list those books series is available here.