On Fire with Chromebrooks

Second grade students now have their Chromebooks. Teacher Maureen Tecson wanted to see if the students would be able to understand after she taught them how to use it...and they did. They used their How-to-writing and created a slide show using Google Presentation. They learned how to change fonts, choose a theme, change background colors, and choose transitions. Then they emailed her their work. These students are only 7 years old. There is fun and learning. Awesome teacher. Awesome students.

2013 Teacher Dance

Outstanding choreography by Maureen Tecson.

Staff Summer Fun

Maureen Tecson, Vince Lindain, Sonia Wong loving it in the Bahamas.

Cuts in Education Funding

Cuts in education funding in the year 2010-1011 have affected classroom supplies for students. Teachers are now going out into the community to procure supples for their students. Second grade teacher, Maureen Tecson, has been a help to many of the Alvarado teachers. Maureen has made it part of her job to find out where to get donated materials teachers and students need. Much of the materials have come from online sources. She enlists the help of her friends and family to vote for her classroom to get books for the class library from Cash for Classrooms and even fruit donated by Del Monte Fresh Produce®. She has also used AdoptAClassroom.org to get classroom supplies.

Cathy Hampton received confirmation of a donation of approximately 100 fiction books geared specifically to boy readers! Thanks to Maureen and the donors @ donorschoose! Vince Lindain received individual listening centers--cd players with headphones to differentiate reading levels for listening to books for his first graders. A reading carpet to help students focus and have their own personal space on the carpet was funded for Suhky Gill's third grade class. Thanks to a tip from Maureen, Letty Muñoz Gonzalez received a new listening center donated to the class from Chevron. The media specialist, Alisha Valine, received $800 for DVDS for the library from the Donors Choose website. Anita Schumann first grade project was also funded. Maureen's reminder emails has helped Alvarado receive about $3000 of donated supplies.

Teachers have always applied for grants to support special programs. New Haven Unified School District has a mini grant program and many teachers apply for these. Teachers have always applied for big grants but not for regular classroom materials. Kim Pratt wrote a grant to fund the B-Wet science program at Alvarado and now it's also at Pioneer. The B-Wet grant is a huge grant. However, it's a sign of the tough financial times when teachers have to go the extra mile to get ordinary classroom supplies.

2004-2009 Memories, Photos, & Otis Amey

La Verne Sheu Chen
Some things that come to mind include Creanna and Lavontae discussing heaven and hell as 1st graders (It was pretty awesome.), Coach Simmons trying to teach kinders how to put on their flags for football, Keith Guernsey teaching the beginner's choir how to do the robot, happy hour at TGIF's on paydays, and crying in front of the 5th grade class when Faith played and sang a song on the piano for me on my last day at AES. Sigh... miss you guys!

Anna Calubiran
Besides our one in a million staff, one of my favorite things about being a teacher is that every new school year is a rebirth, a chance for all of us (teachers and kids) to refocus, resolve and reinvent ourselves. It's so exciting to get to know each person and build a team.

Maureen Leus Tecson
Today just reminded me of what a great staff we have! So glad to be at aes...

Carmen Jorgenson Principal
Wei Stevens Assistant Principal
2006-2007
Click to picture to enlarge.

In 2005 Otis Amey visits Alvarado. At the time Fred Otis Amey was a wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers. He was born in Union City and attended and played football at James Logan High School. His mother, Wynelle Amey, was a teacher's aide at Alvarado. She and coach Mark Simmons arranged the visit. As of 2009 Otis is in the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was willing to spend some his time talking to the students about the importance of education and hard work. He was fantastic. The students had so much fun learning more about football and hearing him tell about his life. Otis Amey was a huge inspiration.

Otis Amey & Coach Mark Simmons

Otis shows the students how to throw a football.

Teachers and Otis
Click on the photos to enlarge.