Tag Archives: Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Class Act! 10 Questions for Diana Hulbert

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Submitted by Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Name: Diana Hulbert

Family: Husband, Clark; and three children, Trent, Danica and Vanessa

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy (DECA)

Subject taught: Transitional kindergarten

Experience and education: Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, 12 years of teaching experience.

What most inspires you about teaching? I am privileged to teach the youngest kindergartners.  TK serves students turning 5 years of age between September 2 and December 2.  I’m inspired by watching my students interact with one another and by the pure joy they find in learning.  By being one of the first teachers the students meet, I hope to set a positive tone that sets students up for success throughout their education.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher?  Sometimes students have difficult and unstable home lives.  In these cases, learning takes a back seat because basic needs are not being met at home.  It’s truly heartbreaking.  Students who are frequently absent have difficult time keeping up with the class.  There are not enough hours in the day for me to re-teach what was missed.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I love using music and movement to teach!  We sing throughout the day, and I give my students ample opportunities to move.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? Students are encouraged to talk to each other to solve problems.  It’s interesting to hear a five-year old explain how he or she got to a certain answer.

What do you want your students to remember? I’m sure some young students easily forget their earliest school experiences.  I hope my students will remember feeling safe and loved in our classroom. I hope they will remember the joy they brought to me and the fun we had together! Continue reading “Class Act! 10 Questions for Diana Hulbert” »

DECA Students Share Limousine Ride With Their Principal

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DECA Limo Ride

Submitted by Denair Elementary Charter Academy

How excited were a group of Denair Elementary Charter Academy students last month when they found out at a schoolwide assembly that they were going for a limousine ride to a special lunch with Principal Lucy Zamora?

“I felt like pinching my skin off to see if I was dreaming,” gushed fifth-grader Jason Murray.

“My legs were shaking when I had to walk in front of everyone,” admitted fourth-grader Andrea Padilla.

Wednesday – after three long weeks of anticipation – eight lucky students got their special ride. They first gathered for photos with Zamora outside the long, black stretch Lincoln. Then, one by one, they hopped into the luxury car, oohing and aahing at the built-in TV, refrigerator and other features.

“One of them said it felt, ‘Just like heaven,’ ” said Brittany Hughes, Zamora’s administrative assistance who accompanied the group on their short ride to McDonald’s on Geer Road.

For most of the students, it was their first time in a limo. They earned the reward by exhibiting the character trait emphasized in October – respect. When a teacher or other staff member sees a student displaying, they give the children Coyote Cash, when can be redeemed for prizes at the school store.

To add additional incentive for good behavior, Zamora took the rewards program a step further. Every two months, she will randomly draw eight names for a limo lunch ride from among those students who have received Coyote Cash.

The other positive character traits that can earn rewards are responsibility, trustworthiness, citizenship, honesty and fairness.

Zamora said she and her staff already can tell the incentive system is working. Continue reading “DECA Students Share Limousine Ride With Their Principal” »

Denair Students Can Reap the Rewards of Positive Behavior

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PAWS - Obed Gonzalez

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Most students appreciate it when teachers and others compliment their behavior, whether that’s quietly completing an assignment in class, showing respect for others or even helping to clean up the campus by picking up litter at lunchtime.

But back up those positive verbal strokes with a tangible reward and watch those many of those same students ramp up their good behavior.

That’s the thrust behind a new effort launched this year at two campuses in the Denair Unified School District. It’s called Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and it’s intended to enhance student success and reduce discipline problems by proactively focusing schoolwide attention on what children are doing right.

Teachers and staff at Denair Middle School and Denair Elementary Charter Academy spent much of the 2015-16 school year identifying the standards that would be expected of every student on their campuses. Employees went through extensive training, in part to ensure consistency in what behaviors would be recognized and rewarded.

“Each school will be different because each builds their program from the ground up,” said DMS Principal Kelly Beard.

At DMS, that evolved into what is called PAWS – an acronym that reflects youngsters who have a “positive” attitude, “act” responsibly, make “wise” decisions and “show respect.” PAWS print coupons are handed out by all staff members when they see students displaying those traits. When students collect at least five PAWS prints, they can redeem them for a range of prizes of different values – pencils, notebooks, extensions on homework assignments, passes on PE warmup laps, lunch with teachers. The big reward – worth 35 PAWS prints — is a half-hour with a friend in the “VIP room” playing video games, ping pong, foosball, indoor basketball and other games. Continue reading “Denair Students Can Reap the Rewards of Positive Behavior” »

Class Act! 10 questions for Zenobia Ochoa

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zenobia-ochoa

Submitted by Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Name: Zenobia Ochoa

Family: Joseph Allen, Dylan Rasmussen and David Rasmussen

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Subject taught: Kindergarten Dual Immersion

Experience and education: I worked for the Migrant Education Program for 15 years, taught  ESL for the Stanislaus County Office of Education for 12 years, Turlock Junior High for three, and dual immersion in Riverbank and Tracy. I also worked as a counselor assistant for the Modesto High School through Migrant Education. I graduated from Stanislaus State University with a double major in political science and education, and a minor in philosophy. Last, I finished my master’s degree in multilingualism, speak two languages fluently as well as some Russian, Italian and Portuguese.

Why most inspires you about teaching? My students feeling excited about learning and making progress at the end of the year.  That is my inspiration.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? My biggest challenge is to teach young students to think and explain every answer in a logical and sensible way. It is important to dig into ideas and add lots of details. Students at a young age have difficulties being rational, but have to be taught to think and have deeper understanding of the subjects. The task is not easy for me or my kids.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? Using lots of large dice and household materials that help students make a connection between math and the real world. I try to do activities that are fun and motivating to kids. Learning is a lot more fun when you are experiencing the world of learning, not just sitting through it.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? First, its goal is to prepare students for college or career. Collaboration and teamwork is one of my strategies I use in my classroom.  It teaches students how to be responsible for their learning and the learning of their peers. They learn to share ideas and work together. This prepares them for the future and the global business environment. Continue reading “Class Act! 10 questions for Zenobia Ochoa” »

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.