Mr. Faccio's Class

Dear 5th Grade Parents,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 School year!  I am so glad to have your child in my class.  I look forward to meeting each of you and working with your children to help them unlock their inner genius.  It is going to be a great year!  

A little about me:

I grew up in Wisconsin, graduated from Drake University in Iowa, lived in Denver for 10 years, and moved to San Diego in 2009.  I have a BA, a BS, and a MA in Education and this is my 28th year of teaching.  I have been a 3rd grade and 5th grade teacher, a Computer teacher, and an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher for SDUSD coaching teachers on integrating technology into classroom curriculum.  In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my wife and children, playing and watching sports, and geeking out about new ways to teach with technology. With two children who have graduated from Marvin (now both attending Patrick Henry High School), I really feel that this is an exceptional school!

Since this is your student’s final year before going to middle school, our class is structured in a way that will begin to prepare your student for the transition.  We will be using a variety of different technologies, not as toys, but to learn about the world around us and to create and share our work in ways that did not even exist when we were kids.  We are preparing today’s students to be thinkers and problem solvers in the world of tomorrow.

This year, our students will connect with their teachers, classmates, and parents on several different platforms such as Google Classroom, Class Dojo, and others.  Students will be introduced to computer coding and robotics.  Students will also be able to invent, create, build, and tinker as part of a STEAM MakerSpace.  More information will come home as we get closer to launching each of these strands.  

Students should bring the following materials on the first day of school:  School issued Chromebook computer with the charger, 3 ring binder (I will provide one if they do not have one), Backpack, Refillable water bottle, Snack and Lunch (school lunch is free to all students this year).

• Marvin will be hosting Back to School Night August 27th.  I will pass along more details once I have them.  We will review student expectations, homework, curricular content, our weekly schedule, online platforms, and ways that we can support our students.  Students are also encouraged to attend.

• As Soon As Possible:

  • Join Class Dojo, as this will be the main portal for communication.

  • Have your student join our Google Classroom www.classroom.google.com 

  • Fill out the Parent Contact Information Form linked on the Main page of this class website (to the left of this letter).

I want to assure you that your child’s education is the utmost priority for me.  Please feel free to reach out with any thoughts, ideas, questions, or concerns.  Also, please let me know if you are interested in volunteering and I will get back to you with some ways that you can be involved in the classroom.  Right now, we cannot have parents on campus, but there are other ways in which you can volunteer.  I want the children to know that we are all here for them and that our goal is for them to grow up to be happy, healthy, productive members of society.  

Sincerely,

Dana Faccio

5th Grade Teacher 

Marvin Elementary School Room B19

dfaccio@sandi.net