DECA Establishes Little Free Library on Campus

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Submitted by Denair Elementary Charter Academy

There’s nothing like a book to open a child’s mind. No matter the age, a picture book, a fairy tale or a more modern story can spark a lifelong joy for reading and learning.

The children at Denair Elementary Charter Academy – and the larger Denair community – now have one more source for books.

Two weeks ago, a Little Free Library was installed on the DECA campus. As its name suggests, there is no cost for students of all ages to borrow a book from the library, return it when they’re done and even donate gently used titles from their own homes.

The Little Free Library program is a national movement that has grown in popularity in the past few years. DECA’s library is one of more than 30 in Stanislaus County.

The library was donated to the campus by Becky and Eric Julien, two retired teachers who live in Turlock but have strong connections with Denair. Becky taught for many years at Denair Elementary School and later at the Denair Academic Avenues charter school. Eric was a science instructor for 37 years at Turlock High School.

The Juliens live not far from and are close friends with DECA fifth-grade teacher and leadership adviser Brenda Ranes. When she mentioned the possibility of adding a Little Free Library to the DECA campus, the Juliens jumped at the chance.

They ordered a library kit online for $460 that included all the materials for the structure, plus $100 worth of books. It has two shelves, a Plexiglas door and shingles to help make it weatherproof. The library was pre-painted lavender, the closest color to Denair purple the Juliens could find.

When it arrived in February, Eric Julien oversaw construction of the project one day after school by DECA’s leadership team – fourth- and fifth-graders Vanessa Hulbert, Julia Hayes, Emily Roland, Isabelle Prescott and Alaiza Campos.

“I brought a power drill, hammer and the kit,” he said. “I don’t think any of the kids had used a power drill or hammer before. … It was a ton of fun. They traded using the safety glasses and took turns helping. The holes were pre-drilled. When they squeezed the trigger on the drill, I was afraid they were going to drill right through the wood.” Continue reading “DECA Establishes Little Free Library on Campus” »

Class Act! 10 Questions for Stephanie De Muro

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Submitted by Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Class Act – 10 questions for a Denair teacher

Name: Stephanie De Muro

Family: Husband Jason and son Casper

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Subject taught: Special education for transitional kindergarten through fifth grade

Experience and education:  For my undergraduate degree, I attended Johnson & Wales University in Denver. I received my Master’s degree at CSU Stanislaus and my Multiple Subject and Special Education Credentials at Brandman University.

Why most inspires you about teaching? My students. I love it when they finally grasp a concept and I see the light come on.  They keep me searching and learning about new ways to teach them.  I want them all to succeed.  My students inspire me to do the best I can for them.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? The biggest challenge for me as a special education teacher is planning for all of the different levels of students I work with.  I also have to be a scheduling genius to be able to juggle an SDC class and RS caseload.  I have to be very organized and on top of all my deadlines, which can be challenging at times.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I love teaching math and bring in a lot of manipulatives and hands-on activities to bring real meaning to math.  Math can be very difficult for my students and showing them how it pertains to the real world is important for their learning.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? My students are unique and because of the way they learn I was already using some of the concepts that Common Core is teaching.  I use a lot of hands-on activities and tools to help teach concepts.  I think the biggest challenge with Common Core has been the curriculum. It assumes my students have more foundational knowledge than they do and there is not a lot of review.  A concept is taught and mastery is expected; that is not the case with my students.  I do a lot of re-teaching and spiraling. Continue reading “Class Act! 10 Questions for Stephanie De Muro” »

Improvements to Football Field Turf Already Evident

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

It’s no longer safe to be a gopher on the Denair High football field. Though not completely gone – yet – the critters that had turned the sod at Jack Lytton Stadium into a pot-holed minefield are almost completely gone and their tunnels filled in. In their place is an emerald carpet of smooth, lush turf.

The massive improvement in field condition is due to hard work on two fronts: Eradication and restoration.

The first phase included an aggressive trapping project that killed more than 50 gophers by the end of February.

“There are two or three active gopher holes on the football field,” said Facilities Director Brian Holloway. “I’m going to require therapy if I don’t get them soon.”

The second step happened in late February when the pros from West Coast Turf showed up.

Five dump trucks delivered about 125 tons of specially formulated sand, which was spread a quarter-inch deep across the turf. Small tractors loaded with a mixture of Kentucky blue grass and rye seed then worked their way from one end of the field to the other. Fertilizer was applied, followed by another quarter-inch of sand. The final step was to drag the field, helping to fill in the low spots to make for a more uniform surface.

The rains helped. So did all the recent sunshine. Holloway and his staff have kept everyone off the turf for now. The field is mowed twice a week.

“The grass is thicker and greener than when I started,” said Holloway, who was hired in January 2016. “It’s no longer difficult to run on.” Continue reading “Improvements to Football Field Turf Already Evident” »

Class Act! 10 Questions for Rhonda Bird

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Submitted by Denair Charter Academy

Name: Rhonda Bird

 Family: I have two boys, Jackson, who will be leaving to attend Kansas State in the fall, and Colton, who is a student at Hughson High.

School: Denair Charter Academy

Subject taught: Special Education

Experience and education:  I have been teaching for 23 years and 17 of those years have been at the Denair Unified School District.  I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree from CSU Stanislaus and my Master’s Degree from Grand Canyon University.

Why most inspires you about teaching?  The students. I enjoy the interactions with them.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? I think the biggest challenge as a special education teacher is working with the varied abilities of students.  I find it challenging to modify curriculum for every student to make sure he or she is working at his or her ability without frustrating the student.  Another challenge is working with general education teachers and modifying the curriculum to make sure every student is working at his or her ability level and learning the material.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite teaching tool is technology now.  You can find any activity and lesson on the Internet.  It allows me to modify curriculum easily and still get the same standard taught to the student at his or her reading ability level.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? Common Core has given me the opportunity to give more projects and have more work moving away from the pencil and paper assignments.

What do you want your students to remember? Every student is smart and everyone learns in his or her own way.

How can parents support what you do? Be involved in their child’s education and ask what was learned at school. Continue reading “Class Act! 10 Questions for Rhonda Bird” »