Hello Dry Creek Families,                                                                                                            

My name is Marci Dixon, and I am very excited to be teaching kindergarten again at Dry Creek this year.  This is my 21st full year teaching here and my eleventh year back in kindergarten (I taught kindergarten at another school and then 10 years of 3rd grade here at Dry Creek before switching back to kinder). The growth students make during their kindergarten year is tremendous and you will be amazed at how much they change and learn over this time. I'm also excited to have numerous younger siblings of past students in my class again this year. It is always so fun getting to make those family connections over the years. 

I actually attended school in the Rio Linda Union School District as a kid, and spent my Kindergarten through Sixth grade years at Woodridge Elementary School.  During that time, I had some truly amazing teachers who had a huge impact on my life.  They directly influenced my decision to go into teaching.  Their warmth as individuals and expertise as educators led me to believe that teachers were some of the most highly respected people in the world, and I knew very early on that I wanted to someday earn that same respect for myself.  They taught me that I had a lot to offer to children, and helped me believe that I could someday do with other children, what they had done with me.  For that, I am extremely grateful!

A short background of my schooling:  I got my Bachelor's Degree in Child Development from San Jose State University, and my teaching credential from CSU, Sacramento.  After years of trying to find the time, I finally decided to work on earning my Master's degree, and spent two years in the rigorous iMET program through Sac State. In May 2013, I was so excited to earn my Master's degree in Educational Technology from CSUS! This was a lifelong goal of mine and definitely was not easy while also teaching full time, but I am very proud of myself for this accomplishment. It also means that I have sooooo much information about technology to utilize in my classroom on a daily basis. Even in kindergarten, kids can learn to use technology tools to help them learn and grow. And again this year, it is likely that kids will be using computers starting from the very beginning, so I hope to be able to use my technology experience to help everyone have a successful kindergarten year. 

I truly believe that all students are capable of achieving anything they set their minds to, and that it is up to me as the teacher to lead them in the right direction to accomplish that goal.  That is what I hope to achieve with every class of students I teach, and I am sure that with the connection between families and myself, together we will be able to send our children off on the right path. 

I know that sometimes kindergarten might be the first time your children have been away from you, so please know I understand this and want to make this year as wonderful as I can for both the students AND families. If you are ever uncertain about how something works at school or have questions about why we are doing something, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at any time. I have come to learn over the years that some of the things that are second-nature to those of us in the education world, are not always understood by families who haven't had to send kids to school in awhile. It is always my intention to make school a positive experience for both you and your children. I really am available anytime, so please reach out with any questions you may have. :-)  

Marci.Dixon@trusd.net