Welcome to Room C3 for the 2014 - 2015 school year!

My name is Michelle Mula and I am pleased to welcome you and your family to my classroom this year. I have a multiple subject teaching credential from the Dominican University of San Rafael (2003) and a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology from San Francisco State University. I have been working for WCCUSD since 2003, teaching 4th grade since 2005, and joined Hanna Ranch in 2012. I live here in Hercules with my husband and 4 year-old son. We love walking to the Hercules's library, playing at Refugio Valley Park, and watching the BNSF trains pass through town.

Fourth grade is an incredible year, but it is not without its challenges. Students are expected to work more independently and also more cooperatively in partners and groups. Reading and writing is across the curriculum in all subjects. Students are expected to have a deeper understanding of what they have read and to be able to incorporate it into their world view. While some rote memorization is required (i.e., math facts), I prefer that students engage cognitively with what they are learning and discover how to learn more. Each student has a learning style that best meets his or her own needs. When students can identify how they think and are able to express this to their teachers, an amazing dialogue opens up that makes learning less of a struggle, and more enjoyable for everyone.

Going Paperless

I cannot even fathom how much paper crosses my path every school year. I see stacks of paper every day and to multiply that by 180 days in a school year is truly overwhelming.

As a school teacher, I can't go completely paperless, but I would like to try as much as possible.

Here is how you can help. (There will always be paper options if you do not have access to a computer. Please just let me know if you need this option.)

Rather than sending home slips of paper, which may never reach you, Remind lets me "send ... messages, photos or documents directly to … parents' phones. Communication is safe because phone numbers are always kept private and messages are one-way only."

You can also opt for email if you prefer.

http://www.remind.com/join/roomc3

"ClassDojo is a behaviour management tool for the classroom. Each student has a profile – complete with their own avatar – to which teachers can assign positive and negative points (or 'dojos') throughout the lesson."

ClassDojo parent accounts allow you to follow your child's behavioral progress. There are 2 ways to get a parent account

a. Ask me for an email invite or

b. Ask me for a parent account code

Scholastic Book Orders Online

To order books from Scholastic online, please use the following link. I will submit any orders as needed.

https://orders.scholastic.com/KYPWP

Contact Me

If you would like to discuss any concern you have about your child, you can e-mail me at mmula@wccusd.net to set up an appointment.