Wendy Hagmann English and social studies 7th and 8th grade Dixon Montessori Charter School
2017-2018 marks my first year at DMCS and I could not be more excited! I have been a public school teacher for well over 20 years and am so excited to be a part of all the great teaching and learning being done at Dixon Montessori.
This year, I will be teaching 7th- and 8th-grade English and social studies, PBIS, leadership and the brand new elective - Ready, Set, Create!
I grew up in Los Angeles and attended UCLA for both my undergraduate and credentialing programs. I have two kids - one at DMCS with me and one at a charter high school in Vacaville. My husband works in Emeryville at an educational toy company, so education and its value is all around our lives.
My family and I are avid readers, explorers and animal lovers (always with a camera in hand). We love to volunteer at the Milo Foundation in Point Richmond where we work with rescued pets as they wait for their future homes. As much as we love travel, we also love to spend time at home with our two rescue pups - Fergus and Vera.
Homework - In English, we will have homework Monday - Thursday. These 4 nights a week, students will silently read a book of their choosing (my hope is that the people at home are actively involved with the selection!) for 30 minutes each night and then will write a one-page journal entry in a composition notebook provided by me at the start of the year. There is a format that is required, and it must be in blue or black ink...your students can show you just what is needed. In addition, students will be doing book reports - likely one a trimester - and much of the work will be done at home for these reports.
For social studies, we will be completing most of the work in the classroom. We will have projects each trimester that will require work at home, and for these, a letter will be sent home explaining the expectations.
Below are a few pics of our classroom - on the shelves and on the walls are many books, quotes and images that motivate and inspire me...check out the beautiful school pics, too.
In class, I will be using the California State Standards to drive our instruction. iReady will be used to help direct and personalize some of the standards-based instruction. Additionally, I will be using Kickboard to track behavior, PowerSchool for attendance and grade reporting, and Montessori-based ideas in the course of the year.
The students will be expected to practice three simple but important ideals daily - be safe, be respectful and be responsible. Following these expectations will allow everyone in the classroom and school to learn and explore.
If there were to be a breakdown in the following of those three ideals - there would be consequences which will vary depending on the situation. Generally, students will receive a warning...then a detention, a think slip and possibly a referral to the office were the behavior to continue.
The students will be expected to practice three simple but important ideals daily - be safe, be respectful and be responsible. Following these expectations will allow everyone in the classroom and school to learn and explore.
If there were to be a breakdown in the following of those three ideals - there would be consequences which will vary depending on the situation. Generally, students will receive a warning...then a detention, a think slip and possibly a referral to the office were the behavior to continue.