Testimonials:

My students have been using the calm down corner in my classroom all year. With the funds provided to South Elementary from the foundation, my students have had a space where they can go to regroup, process their feelings, and “take 5” before returning to the activity we are involved in. Throughout the year, students have advocated for when they need to use the calm down corner. Having this space within the classroom has allowed for little to no disruption to their learning or the learning of others.

The calm corner has been a beneficial and welcome addition to our fourth-grade classroom. Many students have benefitted from the opportunity to take a breath, reset themselves, and come back to the lesson ready to go. I have one student, in particular, this year who has been helped by the ability to use the calm corner. When this student starts feeling overwhelmed, he gets upset, frustrated, and starts shutting down. Without the opportunity to step back and take a minute, the situation continues to get worse. The calm corner has been the perfect place for this student to get that breather and take time to refocus. We have a signal either one of us can use if we see a need for the calm corner. I love that it does not interrupt the whole group lesson or call negative attention to this student in front of others. The timer is right there for the student to set, and when time is up, he knows to come back to the whole group. Almost every time this student has used the calm corner, it has helped to decrease his frustration and he comes back to the whole group in a better mood. He jumps right back into what we are working on and is in a much better place to tackle the assignment that was frustrating to begin with. An added bonus of having the calm corner in the classroom is that students can still hear what the class is doing, so when time is up, they usually know exactly what the class is doing and are easily able to rejoin us. The calm corner has been a great space to support students who need a few minutes to take a break and refocus, so they can come back ready to give their best effort!

I am pleased to share the final piece of the inclusive playground equipment was installed in early January and we couldn’t be happier!  Students of all abilities are enjoying tic-tac-toe, making music, and gathering around to take turns with the shifting sands panel. Thank you for supporting this grant request and helping to make recess a more inclusive experience for our children.

I wanted to express my sincere gratitude to you and the Foundation for approving and funding the purchase of the FlipForms for the music classroom at South.  We have been thoroughly enjoying them over the past few weeks and are excited to explore them even more.  Attached are a few pictures from a Kindergarten music class.

In 2011, the Foundation supplied an iPad and an Apple TV to our computer lab that teaches computer science courses. The engagement, interaction and excitement that this new technology has created for my students create an ideal learning environment. It has truly transformed the way I teach. Recently, the donations received from Ambler Savings Bank allowed the Foundation to purchase 10 iPads for student use.  Specifically we plan on creating and testing apps and learning how the hardware and software interact. It is something we have never been able to do and it is made possible by the generosity of community members, administration and the Foundation. Thank you for giving me the tools to make learning cutting edge and exciting!

Many thanks to the Perkiomen Valley Foundation for giving all of our PVHS students an opportunity to meet and hear from Jullien Gordon during our annual Career Fair in November 2013.  Mr. Gordon is a motivational speaker, author and performance coach whose company has worked with Fortune 100 companies, start-ups, non-profits and universities to recruit talent and increase productivity.  His speeches have been shared via TED Talks and focus on career advancement, finding purpose, goal achievement and closing the college-to-career gap.  By partnering with the Foundation, we were able to provide an opportunity that would otherwise not have existed for 1,800 students.  The feedback that we received from our students was overwhelmingly positive.  Thank you!

On behalf of everyone at Skippack Elementary – thank you! The laptop cart is an outstanding addition to our technology hardware and takes us a step closer to providing each student with an opportunity to utilize technology for learning. We appreciate the support of the Foundation.

I just wanted to thank you all for your help on the design, support and installation of my classroom. Going into the school year, I can honestly say I have a tremendous amount of excitement to show my students their new classroom.

I wanted to extend a huge thank you for the Foundation grant that supported the expansion of our MLK Day of Service event. We estimate that close to 500 students participated. The Foundation grant allowed us to include middle school students who participated in activities like putting hygiene kits together for migrant workers, making knit hats for those in need, and making fleece blankets for One House at a Time. The 80 volunteer spots we had open for middle schoolers filled up right away, so it is obvious that they appreciated having the opportunity to join in on this Day of Service.