Special Projects
Donors Choose
Donors Choose is an established online charity which facilitates tax exempt support for school projects. Individual teachers create, plan, and post classroom projects on their website. Donors may select projects for their contributions. Teachers at our three adopted schools regularly develop projects to enhance their academic programs. Since 2019, Adopt-A-Class has monitored the Donors Choose website and contributed to many of these projects. In 2021, our organization has supported a total of 12 projects at our schools.
Literacy
Highlights Magazine
A special program has been initiated to give children at Loudon, Steekee and Vonore Elementary Schools individual subscriptions to Highlights Magazine, an established publication for children 6 - 12 years of age. Highlights's goal is to promote the 4 C's, helping children become curious, creative, caring and confident. Successful fundraising, grants and monetary contributions have enabled purchase of 400 individual subscriptions of Highlights Magazines for all second and third graders and their teachers, which the students are allowed to take home and keep. Teachers can use project ideas and content in their classrooms.
Adopt-a-Class promotes literacy and a love for reading. Members want children to develop an appreciation for reading to learn, communicate, and entertain. The Literacy Program includes the purchases of enriching periodicals, books, and writing resources.
Scholastic Storyworks
Storyworks is a Scholastic publication created just for grades 4 - 6. Adopt-a-Class is now providing both digital and print subscriptions to all fourth graders and their teachers at our 3 adopted schools. Using unforgettable texts and rich language arts activities, Storyworks will build strong readers, writers and thinkers. In addition to receiving 6 issues during the school year, teachers will also have access to digital versions published in the 3 previous years.
Reference Books
Adopt-a-Class has provided personal dictionaries and thesauruses for 5th grade students to use in their Language Arts classes.
Books
Adopt-a-Class purchases books requested by teachers for their classrooms, and for rewards to students who achieve reading goals. We also distribute donated books.
Family Engagement Program
Learning to read is a challenge for kindergarten and first grade students, and most children benefit from practice at home. This program is designed to provide guidance and resources to participating families. Children who would benefit from this enrichment are identified by teachers' assessment, with materials provided to families who commit to home learning. Resources include the Family Engagement Reading Pack and decodable books.
With a generous foundational grant and additional foundation support, this program will be funded through 2025.
Mathematics and STEM Support
Adopt-a-Class has received a generous grant from the Loudon County United Way to support this new program, which will be launched in the 2023-2024 school year. With additional support from our general funds, all 3 schools will receive support. Teachers and administrators will select items for purchase by Adopt-a-Class within three categories: resources for mathematics enrichment, reusable scientific tools, and consumable STEM supplies.