Submitted by Denair Unified School District

John Plett, the senior member of the Denair Unified School District board, submitted his resignation at Thursday night’s meeting. It is effective immediately.

In his letter to Superintendent Terry Metzger and board President Regina Gomes, Plett said he needed “to focus on my health.”

The remaining four trustees decided they will appoint Plett’s replacement rather than hold a costly special election. His term ends in November 2020.

Interested community members who live within the district’s boundaries and who are registered to vote may pick up an application at the district’s office or download the form off the district’s website.  Applications will be accepted Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Aug. 19.

A question and answer session will take place Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the district office for those interested in learning more about the board position prior to applying.

On Aug. 29, Trustees Kathi Dunham-Filson, Regina Gomes, Ray Prock Jr. and Crystal Sousa will hold a special board meeting at 7 p.m. to interview all the applicants. After discussion, trustees will vote that night to choose Plett’s successor. The new trustee will be sworn it at the Sept. 12 board meeting.

Those with questions about the process should call Daisy Swearingen, executive assistant to superintendent and board, at (209) 632-7514, ext. 1202.

Plett, 68, was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015. A retired law enforcement officer, he is known for the pride he takes in the community as well as the students and staff on Denair’s four campuses.

He and his wife, Kathy, have lived in Denair for nearly 40 years. All four of their daughters attended Denair schools and one of them, Kara Binkley, is a counselor in the Denair district. Many members of Plett’s family were in the audience Thursday night.

Continue reading “Denair School Board Member John Plett Resigns; Applicants Sought to Fill Out Remaining 16 Months of Term” »

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2019-20

Family: Just me and my Boston terrier baby, Token 

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy State Preschool

Subject taught: Preschool 

Experience and education: I have been teaching preschool for almost 15 years. I started my career at the CSU Stanislaus learning center.  I have had the opportunity to work for a variety of preschool programs in different capacities.  I hold my California Child Development Master Teacher Permit, and am working toward obtaining my Site Supervisors Permit and completing my B.A. in child development.  

What attracted you to Denair? DECA was home for me five years ago, when I worked as a paraprofessional in the morning preschool class, and now I am so happy to be returning to this great program, school and district. DECA incorporates many wonderful programs that help the children of this community to grow and succeed in their lives. It introduces children to programs such as academic adventures, character bound and college awareness, starting as early as kindergarten.  The small town environment and involvement is what drew me to DECA in the first place and is what has drawn me back!

Why most inspires you about teaching? The children whom I have been able to be a part of their lives, even if it was only for a few months, are the reason that inspires me to keep teaching. Seeing their minds grow, their experiences flourish and their relationships become stronger, is why I do what I do. Not having any children of my own, I always tell everyone, the children in my classroom are my children! They always will be! I can’t wait to meet this next group of wonderful children that I get to explore the year with.  

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? By coming back to DECA after five years, I hope to challenge myself and become incorporated back into the district family.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite teaching activity is anything I can get the children engaged in and maybe get a little messy, while exploring our environment. This is how children develop at the preschool age and learn to their full potential. I always want to provide hands-on experiences in which they are able to use their problem solving, communication and many other skills to explore and learn through: STEM/STEAM, TinkerToys and process art are just a few examples.

What do you want your students to remember? I want each of my students to remember that Ms. Cassie is a safe person that they can always come to and have fun with. I want them to remember that their preschool life was a time they felt safe, worry-free, happy and ready to explore. 

How can parents support what you do? Parental involvement is so key to the preschool learning environment. I love when parents want to attend field trips, volunteer in the classroom, or just need to sit and talk with someone.  My classroom is always open to parents, and while there are a couple hurdles to volunteering, don’t let it stop you.  Come be a part of your child’s preschool experience! You are their FIRST teachers. Please encourage them to ask questions to increase their problem-solving  and communication skills. 

What would surprise people about your job? I think people would be surprised at how much teachers think of your wonderful children as their own and how much time we take to make their educational experience, hopefully, a wonderful one. 

What do you do for fun? I love to spend time outside, relaxing or adventuring.  I love hanging out with my Boston terrier and friends.  

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2019-20

Family: Husband, Paul, and children Aidan, 17, and Kellan, 13

School: District

Subject taught: Speech therapist

Experience and education: I graduated from Fresno State with a master’s in communicative sciences and disorders, and a clinical rehabilitative services credential. I also hold a state license in speech pathology. I have worked in the school setting for my entire career and also take private speech therapy clients.

What attracted you to Denair? My friend Suzie Ramirez raved about this district and the leadership. I also was attracted to the idea of the small-town, small-district atmosphere.

Why most inspires you about teaching? Giving a child the gift of communication. Knowing that my interventions are helping a child communicate and that those skills will help them their whole life is the very reason I do what I do. It’s an amazing feeling to watch them make progress over time and meet goals. Let me tell you how awesome it to watch a child go from having no words to speaking in short sentences! Just the best feeling ever!

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? I will be spending my time working in two different districts this year for the first time in my career.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I have many therapy tools and tricks I have gained through the years. I would say with the expansion of technology the iPad apps that are now available for speech therapy are an awesome tool to keep students engaged.

What do you want your students to remember? You will never regret being kind.

How can parents support what you do?  This is one of my most favorite parts of this job. I love educating and empowering the parents of the children I work with. Watching a parent have an “aha” moment as we are working together is amazing. Knowing that the “aha” moment will lead to more progress in their child is priceless.

What would surprise people about your job? One trait that is crucial for speech language pathologists (SLPs) to have is the ability to be creative. It is part of the job. Because each client is never like the one before, we are always using our creativity to keep therapy interesting, motivating and efficient.  For example, because SLPs do not have a curriculum to follow, the schools SLPs often use their creativity to pull together lessons that both are individualized for the students as well as follow along with the general education curriculum. We also often tailor therapy to our student’s interests to help motivate and therefore build success. This takes time, patience and a lot of creativity!

What do you do for fun? I love music, enjoy attending concerts and wine tasting. I love spending weekends hanging out with friends and family.

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2019-20

Family: Married with two daughters

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Subject taught: Fourth-grade Dual Language Immersion

Experience and education:  More than 20 years in various education positions: including instructional aide, migrant education homeschool preschool teacher, substitute teacher and, for  the last four years, elementary school teacher.

What attracted you to Denair? The small-town feeling and the Dual Language Immersion program.

Why most inspires you about teaching? To see students grow and when they have their (aha moment) when they actually get it.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? I will be teaching fourth grade for the first time in my career.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I enjoy using technology for various activities.

What do you want your students to remember? How much fun they had learning in fourth grade.

How can parents support what you do? By having an open communication and to let me know if they have any questions, comments or concerns.

What would surprise people about your job? I will be teaching 50% in English and 50% in SpanishWhat do you do for fun? I love to go to the beach and watch my daughter play volleyball.

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2019-20

Family: I live with my husband, Ian, and our cat, Graycie.

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Subject taught: Third grade

Experience and education: BA in elementary education and minor in English language learning from Central Washington University. MA in english language learning from Western Governors University 

I have taught kindergarten (2015-18) and fourth grade (2018-19).

What attracted you to Denair? I have been a resident of California for a little over a year.  I was commuting a ways for my previous job and wanted to find a district closer to home. That is when I heard about a beautiful town just east of Turlock called Denair. I found that the district’s philosophy on education is very similar to my own. It provides excellent programs like PBIS and believes in doing all that it can to provide students with an education to help prepare them for their future. I knew immediately that this is where I wanted to be! 

What most inspires you about teaching? One of the things that inspires me the most about teaching is providing students with a love of learning that will make them want to continue coming to school each and every day. My favorite teachers and professors have also inspired me to teach by always making learning fun and engaging, by pushing me to try new challenges and believing in me when I struggled the most in school. These are some the things I want to do for my students, so I can provide a positive difference in their lives like my teachers have done for me.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? This will be my first year teaching third grade, so learning this new grade level, and working with 8- and 9-year-olds is going to be a challenge I look forward to tackling.  I cannot wait to start this new school year with my students, and my DECA team!

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity?  I absolutely love reading, and love to use rich and engaging texts to introduce new lessons.  Using books to teach new concepts helps get kids excited about the topic and can provide some background knowledge. It also allows students to make a connection between the lesson and real-world applications. 

What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember to never give up and keep trying when challenges come their way.  I want them to remember that failure is okay, and that mistakes allow thinking to happen!How can parents support what you do? Parents can support what I do by working with me as a team to help their child grow.  This can be done through communication and collaboration, as well as reinforcing classroom/school rules at home so your child knows we share the same expectations.  Parents can also support by letting their child play and take a break at home because the school day can be exhausting, and also take time to read with their child every day to help them gain a love for reading.