Way to go Jordan, Tyler, Elena, Laura and Hank!!  This team CRUSHED their first year of teaching by setting high expectations for their students.  We can't wait to see what their students will be able to accomplish in year two :)
Not pictured, Hank and Laura

Words from the Leadership team: 
"I cannot express how impressed I am with our team of first year teachers. They are committed, passionate, and effective. As a first year teacher, I was a mess! I am beyond proud of their progress this year and thankful for the impact they have had in their classroom and in our community."

Jordan Ross:
Jordan has so much love for her students.  She has created a warm and inviting classroom where students love to be.  I love to catch her sitting on the carpet surrounded by students clinging to her every word or sharing a read a loud with her students and accidentally slipping into a southern accent when doing a character's voice.  She has grown so much over her first year!

Tyler Powles:
Tyler is one of the hardest working teachers I have ever gotten a chance to work with.  He has created an amazing curriculum for his students in both social studies and science that is extremely rigorous and has utilized various scaffolds to push them into reading and writing about complex texts.  He cares deeply about each and every one of his students and has invested hours (for example almost every single one of his lunch times) into building positive relationships.  He has grown immeasurably this school year and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us during year 2! 

Elena Turanin:
I can't believe this is Elena's first year with her own classroom, she seems like a ten year veteran.  Elena's class is a joy to walk into.  Students know exactly what she expects and live up to it.  Her students have learned so much math this year.  Her SEL time is creative, warm and loving.  She has been a rock in 1st grade this year!

Laura Ticho:
Laura is the definition of grace under pressure.  She is always calm and caring and brings so much love to her children, many of whom are the students on campus who need the most love.  Kids love getting to be with Laura for small group time and have shown so much growth as a result of her support.

Hank Droege:
Hank is hard working and a dedicated coding teacher at Caliber.  He clearly has a passion for computer literacy and is always trying to find new ways to get students excited about computing. He loves watching students grow their skills and show their creativity.  His practice has grown a ton this year!  

Thank you for all of your hard work this year!  Enjoy a much deserved summer break :) 

Meet Evangeline Carillo, one of our founding Kindergarten teachers at ChangeMakers Academy. Evangeline  sets high expectations for her kindergartners and instills in them the values and independence that enables them to meet and exceed expectations on a daily basis!

Words about Evangeline from the CMA staff! 
"Evangeline is helpful and resourceful. She challenges her kiddos and has great classroom management. We are lucky to have her on our K team!" 

"Evangeline always has a positive outlook for all of her students.  She pushes her Kinder babies toward independence, and sets clear and high expectations for them.  Evangeline is always willing to lend a hand of support and collaboration with her colleagues, and is a bright face to see each day!"

​"Evangeline works relentlessly to ensure her students go above and beyond academically and socially emotionally! She loves to celebrate with her students and endlessly pours joy and excitement into her classroom!"

All about Evangeline: 
I hail from Cebu City, Philippines.  That's where I grew up and got my Bachelors in Elementary Education at St. Theresa's College, Cebu City.  I taught for 8 years there  before my family and I moved to California in 2008 and lived in Novato (Marin County) for 5 years.  We moved to Santa Rosa in 2013 and still live there.  I like to go on early morning runs on the weekends and  I love taking my kids on outings to picnic and movies at the park whenever  I can.

A recent interview with Evangeline: 

What is your favorite thing about being a Kinder Teacher at CMA?
My most favorite thing about being a Kinder Teacher is seeing the tremendous amount of growth in learning that each of my students gain throughout the year.  From being pre-readers and barely knowing and writing the alphabets to Level D-K readers, writing and illustrating a 4-page opinions and narratives containing 3 sentences per page.  That, for me, is awesome growth to witness! 

What was your favorite subject growing up? 
Math was my favorite subject growing up.

Did you always think you were going to become a teacher? 
Nope.  Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor because I love the thought of saving lives.  But I had a change of heart when I had a very personal/life-changing experience with my 6th grade Homeroom/Social Studies/English Teacher (May God bless her soul).  Inspired by her, I knew I would love to be a teacher because just like her I will not only save lives, but I will touch and change the lives of the next generation.

Favorite candy bar or sweet treat?
Funny thing is, I’ve always thought that chocolates were my favorite treat but the reality is, I can’t stop eating a very yummy moist cake recently!

If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go? 
To go to Vatican City, spend a day in Sistine chapel mesmerized by its works of arts, be enchanted by the voices of the choir and maybe… just maybe, have a glimpse of the Pope in person.

What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area (or specifically about Vallejo!)? 
With all honesty, my favorite spot in Vallejo is the Seafood City market, where I could eat all the Filipino foods that I love.

Anything else you want to share?
One of the awesome moments I would like to share was when I did F&P test with a student of mine.  He was very excited to take the Level D reading test where the book was entitled "What A Nice Little House".  When he opened the book. he stumbled on the word "horse" and read it as "house".  Just by timing, I made a sound on my throat to clear it before I will cough (allergies) and he thought that I was giving him the "not ok signal", so he went back to the word and examined it carefully letter by letter using his acquired phonic skills until he finally read the correct word "horse".  He continued and had always been careful from then on with that word and when he finally read the last "horse" word and the entire book, with so much pride and glory, he shouted "Yes! I finally made it!  I knew I will make it! Yeah!  Then pause for awhile and said, "Ooops! sorry Ms. Evangeline, I still have to answer comprehension questions."  I broke my poker face that moment and laughed so hard.