“We all know that due to COVID19, “school” looks very different these last nine weeks,” said Notus Elementary teacher Jen Wright. “We would like to provide “Family Field Day” buckets to our 140 families at Notus Elementary. All our end of year celebrations have been canceled, including field day. We would love to provide “field day” in a bucket. These buckets would have activities and items for families to host their own field days at their home to celebrate their end of distance learning at home.”

The buckets - which will include things like water balloons, beach balls and Otter-Pops - were distributed to students and also included their summer reading logs and end-of-year awards!

“With the COVID-19 closure of schools, we shifted to online learning,” said Island Park Charter School teacher Connie Day. “I suspect we may have other times when we will need to teach/learn remotely in the fall and winter. The supplies and books you are providing will make this much easier and more effective. Students will be able to continue “hands-on” lessons even when we are meeting remotely.”

Island Park Charter School opened last year, running entirely on community donations and volunteer teachers. Prior to the school’s opening, students spent 3-4 hours every morning on a school bus! The new school has impacted the entire rural community by allowing elementary school studnets to learn and grow in their own community.

This classroom wishlist will not only help students currently learning remotely in Island Park, but will also continue to impact students next school year.

“If I were to receive a Surface Pro I would be able to create videos for my students so that they might be able to understand what I am trying to explain without relying on YouTube to find videos that were created by other educators,” said Otterstein. “It would help bring some consistency to the learners because they would hear me teaching and would not have to get use to someone else explaining the mathematical concepts.

It may seem like this would not be needed after things start going back to normal and students are back in classrooms next school year; however, I have some plans of how I could use this device during this time as well. One of the most frustrating things as a student is missing content when they are absent for a vacation, illness, or appointments. I would be able to use the Surface Pro to make videos for students that they could access on my website. It would allow them to get the essential information from the day’s lesson and alleviate some of the stress that comes with missing school.”

“This assignment requires the students to use skill, craftsmanship, and creativity to design and build a well thought out tower or building,” said Priest River Lamanna High School teacher Rebecca Chaney. “They will use white glue to carefully and patiently bond the toothpicks together, while problem solving how to create a stable, well constructed and aesthetically pleasing piece of architecture.”