September 1st, 2010
Dear Parents:
Welcome to Kindergarten! We are excited to start off the school year with your child. We are looking forward to
another great year at ULA Ann Arbor Trail. Throughout the year, we will be keeping you informed about unit projects,
field trips, and school events.
KA Classroom:
Email Ms. Deeb – ndeeb@ulapsa.org
Hello Families! My name is Natalie Deeb and I am really glad to welcome you and your child to my classroom this year. I
graduated from Wayne State University as a major in Science. This is my second year teaching at ULA AAT. I am
interested in reading, sports, cooking, and gardening. I am always on a quest to meet new people and study their
language and culture.
I am excited to meet as well as know each and every student of my class and their parents too. I am preparing activities
to expand the student's creative skills and interests. I expect this academic year to be an educational as well as a fun-
filled year for the students. Your child is my priority!
KB Classroom:
Email Ms. Blazo – sblazo@ulapsa.org
Welcome! My name is Sarah Blazo and I am so excited to be one of Universal Learning Academy’s Kindergarten
teachers. I hope that we can work together to make effective contributions to the children’s learning. In prior
experiences, I have worked in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms in the Haslett, Okemos, and Lansing
School Districts. I received my undergraduate degree from Michigan State University with a major in Child Development
and Language Arts. I am continuing my studies in utilizing technology in the classroom through MSU’s Masters of
Educational Technology Program.
When I am not busy designing learning activities for my students or cleaning up the classroom, I am enjoying the
company of my friends and family. We like cheering for the MSU Spartans, biking, and vacationing.
KC Classroom:
Email Mrs. Cullen – kcullen@ulapsa.org
Kindergarten is going to be great! My name is Karen Cullen and I cannot wait to begin this school year! I was a
paraprofessional in Kindergarten last school year and I am eager to begin teaching my own class. I have also had
experience teaching first and fourth grade. I attended Wayne State University where I earned my degree in Elementary
Education with a major in Language Arts. I love to read and I am excited to share that love with my students! I hope to
learn as much from each student as they learn from me. After school I enjoy reading, trying new recipes, scrapbooking,
and shopping.
KC is going to have a lot of fun this year, and don’t forget that my door is always open!
Our Mission
Our mission as a Kindergarten team is to make positive connections with the children, families,
staff, and volunteers, to reflect on our teaching strategies daily and make necessary adjustments
that will insure that all our students will benefit from classroom activities. We believe that children
learn best by engaging in hands on, whole development experiences. Also, we believe that learning
rates vary among individuals so it is very important to provide numerous types of materials and
approaches that are developmentally appropriate. These experiences will allow children to be intrinsically motivated to
pursue new tasks, extend previously acquired information, and search for answers to their own questions.
Our goals for children are to become caring and cooperative members of society, to engage in healthy and safe
practices, to have positive dispositions towards learning, to challenge and question information to seek answers, and to
be respectful of themselves and others. We will support and encourage children as they develop to their highest
potential.
Behavior Management
The Traffic Light System works as a visual reminder to the students and keeps them focused on
his/her goal of making good choices. Each child begins the day with their clothespin on the green
light. After a repeated warning, the student’s clothespin moves to the yellow light. This allows the
student time for reflection to work towards moving his/her name to the green light in the afternoon.
When a student’s name moves to the red light, a time out is administered and the student must fill
out a form describing the reason they received the time out to be signed by his/her parent, the teacher, and returned to
school the next day. This note helps spark discussion between parent and child. If a student’s name moves to the top of
the traffic signal, a phone call home is made immediately and the student receives an at home consequence from
his/her parent (not playing on the computer for the night, not watching favorite tv show that night, etc..)
Homework Policy
Throughout the week, students will be working on strengthening and extending skills learned in the classroom
by completing weekly homework packets. These packets will be sent home every Monday and are due back the
following Monday. This gives your child 7 nights to complete their work.
It will be very important that throughout the school year students are completing the homework they receive
with assistance from parents. We ask the support of parents by working with your child on homework each day by
modeling and showing them how to do the work. We ask that as parents you do not complete the work for the child as
it will negatively impact your child’s success and confidence as well as their grades. The kindergarten team will be
looking very closely at homework packets making sure that it is not only completed but that the child has attempted
doing the work as they demonstrate in class. This means that adults or siblings should not write the answers in order to
make sure students at this grade level take the time to establish good work habits. Students at this grade level feel a
strong sense of accomplishment when they can be guided by an adult to complete a task.
We are looking forward to an exciting, productive year in kindergarten. Please do not hesitate to contact us for
any reason at all. We can be reached by school phone (313) 724-8350 or email.
The ULA Kindergarten Team
Ms. Deeb, Ms. Blazo, Mrs. Cullen