Ashley Ortiz
2018 Fund A Teacher Recipient
Dear Alpha Beta Foundation,
I want to start off by thanking you again for your generosity. When I was notified that I had been selected to receive the Fund a Teacher Stipend, I was overjoyed and extremely grateful for this opportunity. With this stipend, I was able to purchase tools to help create an engaging environment for all students in my classroom.
Being a special education teacher, I am always looking for new ways to help my students be successful and engaged in the classroom. I purchased stress/sensory balls for calming and alerting. These tools have helped to promote focusing and concentration, decrease stress, and increase tactile awareness of hands/fingers. This has been a tool that many students have utilized successfully. The second item I purchased to help students with auditory defensiveness that sometimes go into “sensory overload” or for the students who need to calm their minds. I purchased two CD players to play calming music while they are working to help calm their minds and keep them focused and engaged in a task.
Lastly, I purchased a few pieces to help begin my journey to a flexible seating classroom. I purchased stools for the conferencing table which allows more students to be present at the table and a surf portable lap desk which is a versatile work surface for writing or using a laptop. Again, I want to thank you so much for helping build my classroom!
Thank you,
Ashley Ortiz
P.S. 4 The Maurice Wollin School
Staten Island, NY
