Ms. Kaos Music Classroom

The Description

Next month, I will be setting up my very first classroom, and there are a lot of items required to make a classroom a welcoming and healthy environment.  In the Mississippi Delta, some students can not afford the basic supplies necessary to complete their work, and their families cannot be burdened with providing shared classroom materials. I spoke to experienced teachers about the supplies that they depend on to keep their classrooms running smoothly, and the costs were daunting.  With at least 5 class periods of roughly 25 students each, I will have over 100 students, who all need pencils and paper and organizers and kleenex.  A small donation will provide those basic materials that many of us took for granted during our time at school, and you can ensure that a student has what they need to succeed.

 

Here is a prioritized list of supplies to obtain:



Supply

Price per unit

Units needed

Total cost

Units per student (when applicable)

Binder paper:

$3/200 sheets

7.5

$23

10 sheets of paper

Blank paper:

(for projects and printing staff paper)

$15/1500 sheets

2

$30

20 sheets of paper

Kleenex

$11.71/6 boxes

2

$23.42

(0.08 boxes)12.5 students per box

Pencils

$12.99/96 pencils

2

$25.98

1.28 pencils

Dry erase markers

$1.80/marker

50

$90

0.6 markers

Index cards

$10/1000

5

$50

33 cards/student

Binders

(for sheet music)

$2/binder

30

$60

1/choir member

Sheet protectors

(for individual dry erase boards)

$20/200

1

$20

1.3/student

Trays for collecting/distributing paper

$3/per tray

10

$30

 

Painter’s tape

(the only kind that can withstand MS humidity)

$4/per roll

6

$24

 

Pencil sharpener

$20

 

$20

 

Filing Boxes

$10 each

5

$50

 

Feminine hygiene products

(my school may not have a nurse for teenage girl emergencies)

$10/box

1

$10

 

Silver Sharpies

(to label black objects)

$6/4 markers

1

$6

 

Chart markers

$1/each

8

$8

 

White labels

$10/200

1

$10

 

Hand sanitizer

$4.25/bottle

5

$21.25

 

Anchor chart paper

$25/100 sheets

1

$27

 

Post-it notes

$1/pad

24

$24

6.25 students/pad

Conductor's Music Stand

(For holding scores, since I will be a regular classroom, without music supplies)

$65

 

$65

 

Erasers

$2.50/3 erasers

2

$5

 

Cleaning wipes

$4/pack

5

$20

 

Staple remover

$5

 

$5

 

Paper towels

$25/24 rolls

1

$25

 

Decorations

$200

 

$200

 

Keyboard

$250

     

Speakers

$150

 

$150

 

Back Up Plan

If I do not meet my goal, I will purchase the supplies at the top of the list, which are the most essential for students on a day to day basis. The cumulative cost of all these materials would be three times as high as my fundraising goal, so I will be paying for supplies out of pocket throughout the school year, as necessary.  Donations of any size will be immensely helpful, and I would also be very grateful for donations of materials.  My current mailing address is listed below, and if you have classroom items to donate, they will be so useful to me and my students.

 

Nina Kao - CM

c/o TFA - Delta State University

Box B4

1003 W. Sunflower Road

Cleveland, MS 38733

Fundraiser Updates (3)

School has started!

August 6, 2016

My first two days were inspiring and challenging! I was lucky enough to be placed at a school with an amazing faculty and brilliant, driven students.  I spent last week training and decorating, and finally meeting my students.  I'm excited to take things up a level and post some of their work after our first full week. Thanks for the help!

 

Thank you!

June 30, 2016

Wow.  I am a little bit speechless.  In 48 hours, we raised almost $1000, which means that my students will have normal school supplies AND a keyboard!  If you have ever taken a music class, you understand how big a deal having a keyboard is. Thank you so much for making this happen and giving my students the tools they need to be successful.  I'll post updates of the supplies we get and of the classroom when we get it set up.

"In America, every child deserves access to an excellent education, no matter who they are or where they live."

-Barack Obama, Teach for America 25th Anniversary Summit.

Goals Goals Goals!

June 28, 2016

Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and shared this cause! I am blown away by your generosity and support.  We are well on our way to meeting the $350 dollar goal, which will buy paper, pencils, kleenex, dry erase markers, index cards, binders, sheet protectors, and paper trays.  To be totally transparent, I set a relatively low goal to avoid the high processing fees of bigger ones.  The total cost of the supplies on this list would be closer to $1000 dollars all together.  However, if we can double our goal and raise another $350, we will be able to buy everything except decorations and the big equipment (keyboard and speakers), and my students will have supplies for more creative projects and materials for the classroom to make it more sanitary and more organized, so that students feel comfortable and cared for in their schools.  

 

Thanks for all the help!

Comments (4)

Gail June 28, 2016

Congratulations!
Good luck!

Sydney Kranzmann June 28, 2016

Good luck Nina!!! Bet those kids are gonna love you. XoΧΩ

Maria FD June 28, 2016

So excited for your pupils. They are lucky to have you, Ms. Kao! Best of luck!

Peace and love,
Ria

Vicki and Eric June 28, 2016

So proud of you, Nina! You rock! Love you!

Leave a Comment

About the Creator

I am a first year music teacher with Teach for America in the Mississippi Delta. This fall, I will be teaching Choir and General Music with 9th-12th graders in a low-income area. I have aspired to be a music educator for many years, and I am thrilled to be able to do so in a community with such a rich musical history. I am excited to help my students develop the skills to understand, appreciate, and use music throughout their lives.

Investments (36)

$21

Karen Oberkamper

8 years ago

$10

Anonymous

8 years ago

$50

Julia Gangy Bluth Krasner

8 years ago

$52

Samantha Maaslehbrown

8 years ago

$8

Anonymous

8 years ago

$21

Lisa Raymond

8 years ago

$103

Billy Clarke

8 years ago

$31

Jin Xie

8 years ago

$3

Anonymous

8 years ago

$50

Samuel Kao

8 years ago

$50

Sylvia Barry

8 years ago

$100

The Caldwell Family

8 years ago

$10

Virginia Walcott

8 years ago

$21

Cynthia Klinkman

8 years ago

$17

Anonymous

8 years ago

$52

Gail Beach

8 years ago

$10

Pinsons FromNovato

8 years ago

$10

Braden Amundsen

8 years ago

$21

Victor Kao

8 years ago

$21

Stacy Wheeler

8 years ago

$10

Sydney Kranzmann

8 years ago

$10

Megan Lacey

8 years ago

$100

Eugenia Chang

8 years ago

$50

Danny Kao

8 years ago

$10

Queen of Genovia Lydia Kao

8 years ago

$26

Andrei Nagornyi

8 years ago

$10

Caroline Ohlson

8 years ago

$21

Rigel Swavely

8 years ago

$10

Maria Fumai Dietrich

8 years ago

$50

Vicki and Eric Sutton-Beattie

8 years ago

$41

Claire Schmidt

8 years ago

$41

Lauren Marquez

8 years ago

$52

Monica Cho

8 years ago

$5

Rosa Escandon

8 years ago

$20

Leah Quinn

8 years ago

$10

Spencer Winson

8 years ago