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My name is Tanya Mircheva.  I was born and raised in Bulgaria, a small country in Eastern Europe.  When I was 15 years old, my mother won the green card lottery, and my parents and I moved to the United States in search of the American dream.  The transition was challenging, but today I love the United States as much as I love my home country and I can proudly say that this is my home.  Now I live in a Chicago's suburb of Buffalo Grove with my husband and two daughters ages three and four.
I graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education.  I completed my student teaching at Booth Tarkington Elementary School last year and this year will be my first as a kindergarten teacher.
I have a passion for teaching and watching children grow, explore new things, learn and progress.   Since I was a little, teaching and working with children has been my dream.  I have never held a job that didn't involve children.  I was a babysitter, a tutor, an assistant and a lead teacher at a local daycare center.   In my spare time, I love reading, needlepoint, and spending time with my family.  We love the outdoors, boating, fishing, and camping.  Our favorite spot is the zoo where we love learning new things about different animals every time we visit.
I am beyond happy that today I am part of this school and can't wait to make this kindergarten classroom a very positive and safe environment where the children will expand their curiosity, and we will learn together.  I believe that every child can learn and want to make their experiences positive and fun.  I will be working with you the parents for the best outcomes for each child.
I am looking forward to a great year!

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This month we will not have school on November 1st, 9th, 12th, 16th, 29th and 30th
On the 1st we will have a staff admin day
On the 9th we will have our Remembrance day
The 12th will be a non attendance day in observance of Veterans day
On the 16th we will have our Parent teacher conferences
On the 29th and 30th will have no school for our Thanksgiving Break
On the 8th the Report Cards will go home

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I chose a few educational websites that will serve as an aid in additional learning for curious minds.
1. Wonderopolis
- This website has great content that aligns with the Common Core Standards that we follow in the classroom. It will help with critical thinking and can target the specific interests of the students. You and your child can search topics and find answers with visuals, vocabulary lists, word games. This website expands curiosity and keeps students learning.
2. PBS Kids
- This website provides children with the opportunity to explore new ideas and see new worlds through educational videos and games.  There is a link to parents where you have the option to sign up for parenting resources and tips on raising children, planning birthday parties and kids activities
3. National Geographic Kids
- This website has content that is centered mostly on animals and the natural world.  Children can explore virtual tours of countries around the world and learn fun facts.  They can also create site profiles and can submit photos, answer quizzes, and play educational games.

The links to the websites can be accessed from here:
https://wonderopolis.org/

https://pbskids.org/

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

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I chose a few resources with educational activities where children can work at home by themselves and with the help of the parents.  We also work on those websites at school, but our time in the classroom is limited, and I would like the students to practice whenever they can. They are interactive, and the students like them a lot.  The resources can be accessed through the school website.  Just log in with the school email, pick one and let the fun learning begin:
1. Brain Pop Jr.
- This resource has many videos on the different content areas - Science, Health, Reading and Writing, Social Studies, Math, and Arts & Technology.  After students watch each video there is a small follow up quiz.  The quiz focuses on the important concepts learned in the video.
2. Raz-Kids and Tumble books
- These resources provide the students with many interactive books on many reading levels.  When students strengthen their listening and reading skills, they can progress on the next level.
3. ABCya
- This resource provides the students with educational games.  If you wish this can easily substitute other screen time.  The children can play games without even noticing that they are learning essential concepts aligned with the standards that we work on in the classroom.

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Being part of the community and teaching our children to respect it is very important.  We reached out to local businesses, the library, and some community helpers to be part of our school events.
For our literacy night, we will have Orange Julius come over and offer their snacks and healthy smoothies to help us refresh during the event.
A few times during the year a volunteer from the library will come during lunchtime and read to our students.  Each student will receive a free book that will be funded by the Friends of the library.  This event will help the collaboration between library and school
We will have a community helpers night where we will present a police officer, a doctor and a firefighter.  They will come and share what their job consists of, and they will share what they do for our community.  They will bring community helpers coloring books and crayons for the students.

Our Community Helpers:
- Indian Trails Public Library
- Orange Julius
- Wheeling Police Department
- Wheeling Fire Department
- Northwest Community Hospital

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Booth Tarkington Elementary School    (2018). Retrieved from https://tarkington.ccsd21.org/research-resources/
Friends of Queen Anne's County Library (2018).  Retrieved from https://friendsofqaclibrary.org/guys-read-2018/
National Geographic Kids (2018). Retrieved from https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Neil Dennis Kematch Memorial School (2018). Retrieved from http://www.ndkms.com/calendar.html
Orange Julius (2018). Retrieved from http://www.orangejulius.com/us-en/?localechange=1&

PBS Kids (2018). Retrieved from https://pbskids.org/

Wonderopolis (2018). Retrieved from https://wonderopolis.org/