Tigers Welcome Some New Faces On Campus

Mrs. Ruiz’s long term sub, Chloe Negrey

Have you noticed a few new faces around our campus?  We have three student teachers from National University working on our campus for the next few months. These teachers are observing our wonderful teaching staff, working with small groups of students and teaching whole group lessons under the supervision of their master teacher.   Wendy Lockridge is working with Mrs. Davis, Lara Landry with Mr. Blumfield and Andrea Vansameno with Ms. Wadley.  We also welcome Chloe Negrey who will be the long term sub in Mrs. Ruiz’s class through the end of the school year.  Please join me in welcoming these new teachers to La Mariposa.

Hover over the images below to match the faces with the names.

Lara Landry, Student Teacher with Mr. Blumfield

Wendy Lockridge , Student Teacher with Mrs. Davis

Andrea Vansameno, Student Teacher with Ms. Wadley

–Erica Williams, Principal

 

Meet Our New Tech Tiger, Ms. Smith

Our new technology specialist is off and running.  Students in all grades have begun receiving technology specific lessons.  

“It is my joy and pleasure to teach and I welcome each one of you to my classroom. I am excited to teach and to learn as I dive into the world of elementary education. It is my desire to provide a safe, fun, and loving teaching environment where my students will have the freedom to explore learning — yet it is my hope that they will always know the responsibility falls upon them to take what is taught, use it, and succeed. I will raise my expectations of each one of you and my goal is you will rise to them and be the best you can be.”

–Ms. Cindy Smith

Ms. Cindy Smith has been a classroom teacher for 26 years, working at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. She has taught courses in all levels of dance, mathematics, and computer applications.

Ms.  Smith moved back to California from Idaho in June with her daughter.  Her daughter, Ashlyn is 16 and a sophomore at Newbury Park HS.  She is also much closer to her son Lane, now 20 and a sophomore at Biola University.  She loves to read mysteries and crime solving books.  She loves music – all kinds of music and the last movie she saw that she loved was “The Way Way Back”.  She loves the sun and the beach and is happy to be back in California.  Her favorite poem and one sheI hope you all read is “Our Greatest Fear” by Marianne Williamson.

Along with her love of music, comes a love of dance.  Ms. Smith has also coached school dance teams — including two state champions and one national champion — for 30 years. Her Bachelor’s degree, from California State University, Fullerton, is in Business with Minor equivalents in Dance and Mathematics. Ms. Smith also holds a Masters in Computer Applications, from United States International University.  Ms. Smith has been a regional and national judge for dance competitions and dance competition director. She also served as the dance program director for the United Spirit Association. She was named Idaho Coach of the Year in 2006.

Let’s all give Ms. Smith a huge Tiger welcome to the La Mariposa family.

Our Tigers benefit from technology instruction thanks to your generous donation to the Jog-a-thon and Dinner Dance.

Meet Mrs. Duran: Resource Specialist

Ceylina Duran is the newest addition to La Mariposa’s resource team.  She works mostly with students who have mild to moderate learning disabilities.  This is her 4th year teaching.  Her first two years were spent at ACE Charter High School which is under Oxnard Union High School District. There, she taught everything from Algebra to Life Skills.  Participating in ACE’s first graduation is a highlight of her career. Last year, she was at Mesa Union School in Somis. She enjoyed working at Mesa and loved being back at the elementary level.  However, Mesa Union is a one school district and being the last one hired meant she was open to accept an opportunity at La Mariposa!

Mrs. Duran is a dedicated animal lover.  She enjoys helping and working toward a better environment for wildlife (and people, too).  She volunteers with Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Rescue (CIMWI), rescuing and rehabilitating sick and stranded wildlife.  She also has a number of pets: a dog “Nelle”, a corn snake “Jake” , and two turtles “Skip” and “Toni”.

On a perfect day, you might find Mrs. Duran at Disneyland with her family which is made up of herself, her husband,  and her 17 month old son.  She describes her son as a monster disguised as a good boy.  He is very active and has a lot of energy.  He keeps everyone he meets very busy!  They have had a great summer going new places and learning new things together.

Mrs. Duran is excited to be at La Mariposa and is looking forward to meeting everyone! She hopes to make La Mariposa her “work home”!  Let’s make sure to give her a bunch of tiger hugs and handshakes when we see her on campus!

Meet Ms. Ruiz: New Fourth Grade Teacher

La Mariposa is pleased to introduce Ms. Kathleen Ruiz.  Mrs. Ruiz has taught in two other counties besides Ventura.  Previously she’s taught middle school math, science, and health.  She’s also taught 4th grade.   Ms. Ruiz loves to bake and cook…her favorite book is any cookbook.  Her favorite foods are BBQ hamburgers or anything from Urth or Urbane Cafe.  She also loves taking walks, reading for pleasure, and spending time with her three parrots.   Let’s make sure we all give Ms. Ruiz a huge Tiger Welcome!

Meet Mr. Blumfield: New Third Grade Teacher

La Mariposa is pleased to introduce our new man on campus, Mr. Shaun Blumfield.  Mr. Blumfield comes to us most recently from Dos Caminos where he’s taught 5th grade for the past six years.  He also taught 3rd grade for four years at a private school in LA.  He will be joining the 3rd grade team at LM.

Mr. Blumfield is accustomed to being surrounded by girls.  His amazing family consists of his wife Erica, who teaches at Dos Caminos, Zoe who is 4 and loves to sing and dance, and Kylee who is 16 months and loves to climb and get into everything.  There are no pets in the Blumfield house, but Shaun admits he’s always wanted a dog.

Mr. Blumfield seems to have a true zest for life.  His favorite movie is Forest Gump…or any movie that has sports in it.  No surprise then, that among his favorite places are Dodger Stadium and Staples Center.  He also loves Disneyland and Glacier National Park in Montana.  When he’s not teaching, you’ll find Mr. Blumfield playing golf, softball, or basketball, traveling, or just hanging out with his girls.  Put a Harry Potter book in his hands and a good steak on a plate and you’ll have a very happy third grade teacher.

Mr. Blumfield is really looking forward to becoming part of the La Mariposa Family.  Let’s make sure we all give him a huge Tiger Welcome!

Meet Mrs. Salas: New Second Grade Teacher

La Mariposa is pleased to introduce Mrs. Katrina Salas.  Mrs. Salas will be joining the 2nd Grade team this year.  Before coming to LM, Mrs. Salas taught second grade at Dos Caminos.  She has also taught all grades at Dos Caminos as their Title I teacher.  Mrs. Salas loves to cook, go to the movies, swim, camp, and go hiking.  Her perfect day might include watching Sweet Home Alabama, reading Water For Elephants, and eating a steak with baked potatoes at Outback…and if you are camping at Carpenteria or Mugu, you might just run into her.  She loves camping at the beach and those are her favorite spots.

Mrs. Salas has an amazing family.  She lives with her husband John and daughter Mikayla. They are all very busy, but take the time to have dinner together nightly.  Mikayla is going into third grade, and she loves to swim and play the piano. Mr. Salas restores and repairs VW’s so their driveway is always full.  They got married in Makena Beach, Maui in 2005.  They have two dogs, Bentley and Milo, and two cats, Kona and Gizmo.  (Great names, right?)   She is very excited to be at LM, and looks forward to meeting all the students and to get to know the families as the year goes on.

Let’s make sure we all give Mrs. Salas a huge Tiger Welcome!

Meet Mrs. Hanks: New Third Grade Teacher

La Mariposa is pleased to introduce Mrs. Devon Hanks.  Mrs. Hanks will be joining the 3rd Grade team this year.  Before coming to LM she taught 3rd Grade in Bakersfield and has also worked in higher education with the California Reading and Literature Project at Cal Lutheran University.  Newlywed, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her hubby of nine months.  Her favorite place to visit in the summer in Zion National Park in Utah.  In the winter, she loves to snowboard in Mammoth while her husband skis.  While attending college she swam on the Cal State Bakersfield swim team and continues to swim in her free time.  She also loves taking pictures and has even done a few weddings.  For now, it’s just Devon and her husband, but there may be little puppy in their future.  Let’s make sure we all give Mrs. Hanks a huge Tiger Welcome!

La Mariposa to Welcome New Teachers & Principal for 13/14

La Mariposa welcomes six additions to our community this fall: one principal, four classroom teachers, and one resource specialist.

2^nd Grade: Katrina Salas is our newest 2^nd grade teacher.  She comes to us from Dos Caminos where she has worked the last three years as both a 2^nd grade teacher and a Title 1 teacher.

3^rd Grade: Devon Hanks will be joining the 3^rd grade team.  She comes to us from CLU where she worked as the administrative assistant for the California Reading and Literature Project.  Prior to that, she was a 3^rd grade teacher in Bakersfield.

3^rd Grade: Shaun Blumfield comes to us from Dos Caminos where he was a 4^th and 5^th grade teacher for the past 6 years.

4^th Grade: Kathleen Ruiz will be joining the 4^th grade team, coming from Tierra Linda.  She began  teaching in California in 1996. She  taught in two other counties before moving to Ventura County to teach.  She began teaching in PVSD in 2000.    Most of her teaching within PVSD has been teaching math and science at the middle school level.

RSP:  Ceylina Duran is our new Resource Specialist.  She comes to us from Mesa Union School district where she was a Resource Specialist.

Principal: Erica Williams comes to us most recently as principal of Dos Caminos where she focused on staff and instruction to raise their test scores 56 points in one year.  Read more…

Getting To Know Our New Principal, Mrs. Erica Williams

I’m sure you all have heard by now, La Mariposa will start the 2013-14 school year with a new principal.  The Pawprint has been nosing around a little bit and here’s what we found out.

Erica Williams comes to us most recently as principal of Dos Caminos where she focused on staff and instruction to raise their test scores 56 points in one year.  That bears repeating: 56 points in one year.  Prior to Dos Caminos, she was an assistant principal at Berylwood Elementary and Wood Ranch Elementary Schools, both in Simi Valley.  She has also taught at Wood Ranch along with Big Springs Elementary, and Sunset Lane Elementary.  Aside of her successful track record, Erica is known by her peers for her strength in instruction, exceptional problem solving skills, and for being a genuinely good person who is great to work with.

We were pleased to hear such wonderful things about Erica so we decided to go straight to the source and ask her a few questions:

Why do you look forward to coming to LM?

There seems to be a real sense of community.  Staff and parents all working together to provide the best possible education for the children.

Can you share one of your proudest moments with us?

When I was teaching second grade I had a student that had always been home schooled due to health issues.  He was painfully shy.  He had a hard time even speaking to his seat partner.  At the end of the school year, he was the star in our class play.  At that point, I knew I had forever made a difference in the life of this student.

Can you tell us about your family?  Do you have pets?

My husband Charlie and I have three children– Emma, Ethan and Cole.  We have a Golden Retriever named CodyBear.

…and some other fun facts:

• She loves to scrapbook and read.  Her favorite book is Jane Eyre.
• Her favorite sports team is the Angels.
• Shes loves to travel and has been to almost all of the 50 states.  If she could travel anywhere it would be to Ireland.  Her favorite place is Yosemite.
• Her favorite animal is a monkey.
• Here favorite movie is “Say Anything.”

You can all meet Mrs. Williams on Open House Night, next week, May 29th!

LM Says Goodbye To Three of Our Dearest Tigers

Two Teachers To Retire, One Principal On The Move

Christine Elliott, 1st Grade Retiree

Mrs. Christine Elliott has taught in PVSD for 27 years, nearly all of which have been in the Mission Oaks area. Though she is best known as a 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Elliott has also taught special education. Over her career, including her classroom and Primary Hour, she has taught upwards of 1,000 students how to read. Her impact on this school, district, and community is priceless. What makes Mrs. Elliott special is her desire to learn and grow. Even as she eyes retirement, she is attending workshops and trying new strategies. At the start of her final year of teaching, where others might have looked to coast into retirement, Mrs. Elliott rearranged her teaching to put the Daily 5 into practice. She is a true professional. Additionally, Mrs. Elliott has mentored dozens of new teachers as a master teacher and beginning teacher support provider. Mrs. Elliott has taught at a number of schools, but holds LMS close to her heart. In fact, she has already started to talk to me about her volunteer schedule for next year. Mrs. Elliott’s impact on students, parents, and our school’s culture and climate will be missed.

Louisa Angeli, 2nd Grade retiree

Ms. Louisa Angeli has been teaching for 35 years. She has taught most recently at Las Posas and La Mariposa. Mrs. Angeli has taught 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, and numerous combinations thereof in the past. Mrs. Angeli has big plans for her retirement: she plans on continuing her lifelong pursuit to help others. Mrs. Angeli is a licensed MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist), and she intends to use that training, along with her extensive teaching experience, to continue to help families successfully manage stress. It says a lot about Ms. Angeli that she intends to use the time that should be “hers” on helping others.

Dr. Jay Greenlinger, Principal On The Move

It’s pretty much old news by now, but just in case you haven’t heard, Principal Jay Greenlinger will be leaving us to take a new position in the district office, Director of Educational Technology.  We all will miss him dearly, but he will be an invaluable asset to all our PVSD schools as technology continues to change the face of education.  But…we couldn’t let him leave without reliving some of his most embarrassing moments.

If YouTube is your thing…

• The Big Smooch 2012 – Mr. Greenlinger Kisses A Pig
• Slimed 2011 – Mr. Greenlinger Gets Slimed
• JAT Kinder Obstacle Course 2010 – Mr. Greenlinger completes the kinder obstacle course

…and a few pictures…