A Class Act! 10 Questions for Gina Michael

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Gina Michael

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Name:  Gina Michael

Family: Husband, 2 sons, 5 dogs, 4 horses

School: Denair Middle School

Subject taught: World history in the Middle Ages for seventh-graders; U.S. history through industrialism & intro to civics for eighth-graders

Experience and education: Third year here at Denair Middle School. Five years at Hickman Charter School as seventh- and eighth-grade history teacher and education coordinator for families; administrative Assistant prior to that. B.A. in social science with a concentration in history and political science, Chapman University.

What most inspires you about teaching? I love it when I see students start to make connections about events happening currently in the world and realize that some conflicts and issues are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.  I really believe I get to teach the best subject because I get to introduce students to the story of our history as a nation and also the stories and cultures of people around the world.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? My biggest challenge is trying to connect things that happened hundreds or thousands of years ago to the daily lives of a middle schooler in 2016. At ages 12 and 13, kids often don’t see any relevance of historical events to their lives.  So many times, an understanding (and sometimes even love!) of history doesn’t come until we’re older and have been out in the world a little bit.  My goal is to spark some curiosity and lay a foundation so that when they get older they’ll say, “Hey! I remember when we learned about that in Mrs. Michael’s class!”

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I love using a variety of tools and techniques in the classroom.  I enjoy designing lessons in which the students use computers as an integral research tool and engage in self-directed learning activities so they are able to discover information on their own. I also enjoy adapting games like Jeopardy, Would You Rather, Guess Who? and others in order to have fun while we’re learning.  That’s one of the things I love about teaching – it can be different every day! Continue reading “A Class Act! 10 Questions for Gina Michael” »

Across-the-Board Enrollment Gains at Denair Schools Highlight Exciting First Day of Class

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The first day of classes went off without a hitch at Denair Unified’s four campuses Thursday. “Phenomenal” and “great” were among the words excited principals used to describe what happened.

And then the day got even better.

Denair trustees learned Thursday night that enrollment – which has been declining for more than five years – is up dramatically from last year and, most importantly, is significantly higher than what was planned for in the 2016-17 budget.

At Denair High School, which has seen the sharpest declines, there were 279 students Thursday. That’s up 35 students from the budget and 10 more than last year.

At Denair Middle School, there were 22 more students than the budget anticipated. The same was true at Denair Elementary Charter Academy, which has been in growth mode the past two years … and still had 27 more students than were budgeted.

The news also was positive at Denair Charter Academy, which had 225 home-school and independent study students enrolled Thursday. It typically adds students throughout the year and likely will end up with more than 300 later this fall.

In all, Denair had 1,306 students on its campuses Thursday, well above the budget forecast of 1,249.

The mood was buoyant in the board room. After three years of salary cuts and downsizing directly related to declining enrollment, Thursday was the most encouraging sign yet that the district has turned the corner. With the state providing about $8,000 in funding per student, having 84 more than expected is a nice “problem” to have.

“We actually saw enrollment coming in over the summer. It was gradual, but every couple of days it was getting better,” said Linda Covello, the district’s chief business officer. “Today was amazing.” Continue reading “Across-the-Board Enrollment Gains at Denair Schools Highlight Exciting First Day of Class” »

Nationally Known Teaching Experts Harry and Rosemary Wong Inspire Denair’s Staff

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Rosemary and Harry Wong

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Two of the country’s most respected experts on effective teaching brought their ideas to life Tuesday morning at a training event for nearly 100 Denair Unified teachers, principals and other staff members.

Harry Wong and his wife, Rosemary, alternately inspired and challenged their audience, infusing their talk with hands-on lessons from their own teaching careers as well as success stories from classrooms all over the country.

The Wongs are authors of many books on education, including “The First Days of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher,” with has been translated into seven languages and sold 3.9 million copies around the world. They are plenty in demand. They were in Wisconsin on Monday, flew back to California and then jumped into another plane to get to Texas for an event Wednesday.

With school beginning Thursday on Denair’s four campuses, Tuesday’s appearance was especially timely.

“Dr. Wong is the pre-eminent teacher trainer in our nation. His book … is a staple in university teacher training programs and is used by more teachers across the nation than any other resource,” said Superintendent Aaron Rosander.

Harry Wong began the session by reminding the Denair staff that “there’s only one way kids will ever learn and that’s from an effective teacher.”

“We live in Bay Area and are surrounded by technology, but technology doesn’t teach kids. There is no program that can replace a teacher,” said Wong, who was honored in 2016 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from National Teachers Hall of Fame.

The San Francisco native spent 17 years in classrooms in the Menlo/Atherton area before launching his career as a consultant. He met his wife – then a young teacher from Louisiana — while leading a seminar in Dallas in the mid-1980s. They have been married 37 years. Continue reading “Nationally Known Teaching Experts Harry and Rosemary Wong Inspire Denair’s Staff” »

School Begins Thursday, August 11, at all Denair Campuses

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Back to School 2016

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

School resumes Thursday, Aug. 11 in the Denair Unified School District with more than 1,200 students expected for classes across four campuses. School begins at 8 a.m. Class is over at 2:20 p.m. for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students, 2:40 p.m. for children in grades 1 to 5, and 2:45 p.m. for all other students.

Four new principals will be in place in the district – Kara Backman at Denair High School, Kelly Beard at Denair Middle School, Lucy Zamora at Denair Elementary Charter Academy and Brian LaFountain at Denair Charter Academy.

Parents are invited to read the district’s handbook, then sign and return the acknowledgement form to the office at their child’s campus. The handbook contains district policies and outlines the rights and responsibilities of parents.

All community members are reminded to be especially cautious of children walking or riding their bicycles to and from campus beginning this week. Parents driving their children to school are advised to give themselves plenty of time because traffic is predictably heavy before and after school.

Parents with questions about busing should call 632-7514, ext. 1230 or 1218.

Breakfast and lunch are served at all school food service sites between 7:30 and 7:55 a.m. Parents with questions should call 632-9920, ext. 1243.