Dear Sierra Vista Families,
I am Maria Bello and I am so happy to begin teaching kindergarten at Sierra Vista. I just relocated to Vacaville from Coral Springs, Florida, and I’m enjoying getting familiar with all this town has to offer. Although I grew up in South Florida, I am not new to the Bay area. When I met my husband, who is from San Francisco, I moved to Benicia and my children were born there. They are now 12 and 15 years old and excited to begin making new memories in Vacaville. Here is a little about myself: I’m originally from Cuba. Growing up, my parents taught me the importance of education, and working diligently to achieve my goals. I received an A.A. degree from Miami Dade Community College and a Legal Assistant degree from Florida International University. Later after becoming a Mom, I decided to pursue my passion for education. I returned to school and completed my Bachelor’s degree from Nova Southeastern University in elementary education with an ESOL endorsement. While in school, I worked as a substitute teacher giving me the opportunity to experience different grade levels. In 2015, I was blessed to begin teaching kindergarten in Parkland, Florida. During the past 7 years in kindergarten, I have continued to grow as an educator by collaborating with my colleagues as well as completing professional development courses. Now once again, I am blessed to be able to teach kindergarten at Sierra Vista K-8. When I am not teaching, I enjoy exercising, hiking, reading, relaxing at the beach, and spending time with my family.
My philosophy of teaching is student-centered learning. I will focus on the individual child and what his/her educational needs are. I will do this by being aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each of my students through continuous observations to identify what motivates them and how they learn best. I will challenge my students’ strengths and nurture any weaknesses. I will utilize creative teaching strategies to keep students motivated while guiding them and providing feedback for continuous growth. I always begin a new school year by building strong relationships with my students. This is important in order to create a foundation that allows learning to take place. I believe social, and emotional learning is an essential part of the whole child’s well-being. Some of my classroom daily routines include a brief morning check-in, flexibility to take advantage of teachable moments, and most importantly always being kind to one another. The most rewarding part of being an educator is having my students come back to visit me as they graduate and see how they have grown into confident leaders with a love of learning.
I’m excited to have you as a partner in your child’s education and with your support, we will make this kindergarten adventure a memorable one. We’ll laugh, have fun, and celebrate discoveries together. I look forward to a wonderful school year!
Kind regards,
Maria Bello
[email protected]
