Thank you letter from Teacher Grant $500 recipient.

Dear Assistance League Members,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the generous grant that you gifted to our Kindergarten class at Abby Reinke Elementary School. We were able to purchase equipment for our playground to assist our teaching in our Social Emotional Learning program. After the pandemic, one of our school’s goals was to emphasize the social and emotional needs of our students as well as academics. With the help of your grant, we purchased playground spots and stretch bands. We taught the entire Kindergarten how to play different cooperative games with these (so the grant really has impacted three classes of Kindergarten students).

We were also able to purchase soccer goals to teach the students a modified game of soccer. We love to watch them invite others to join the game. We have mini street signs for our bike path now. We

were able to teach the meaning of the signs in our Social Studies unit

before placing them for the students to follow. Finally, we purchased

equipment for an obstacle course. My favorite part of this activity is that they build the obstacle course together first. Then, they practice running through it. There is so much teamwork in this activity.

These items not only encourage cooperative play but have drastically reduced the number of negative playground encounters, as well. There is an old saying that, “Everything I needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten.” Thank you for assisting us in making that saying a little more relevant when it comes to effective peer interaction and cooperating with others.

Kami Rollins

Kindergarten Teacher

Abby Reinke Elementary School