Welcome to the Jungle!

Welcome to my class!

My name is Melissa Dimitriou. I love teaching Kindergarten! This is my sixth year teaching kindergarten and each year I learn more about myself as a teacher and more about what five years old need in order to grow and exceed learning goals. I truly enjoy being the person that gets to introduce your child to the world of learning and to help instill in them a desire to be a life long learner!

Before coming to Haigh Elementary to teach Kindergarten, I taught Kindergarten in Hamtramck. I loved my students and their families. It was so exciting to watch former students grow up and to have siblings of former students. I love getting to know the community that I work in and growing with the families I teach! I am very excited to have the siblings of past students at Haigh this year!

I received my Bachelor’s degree from Oakland University in Elementary Education and my Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Grand Valley State University. I am currently working on a second Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration from Eastern Michigan University. As you can see, I love to learn and love to foster a love for learning in your children.

I got married on October 4, 2014! My husband is truly my best friend. We try to make each other laugh as much as possible and maintain positive attitudes. My husband and I enjoy traveling together and learning about new places and new cultures.

George and I on our wedding day!

My husband is very silly and does lots of impressions and sound effects with his voice. For March is reading month, my husband usually comes in and reads a book to my class using funny voices for each character in the story. The children love laughing at his voices!

George reading during “March is reading month” to my class in Hamtramck

I take pride in creating an atmosphere in which the children feel safe and comfortable. I truly believe that if a child does not feel safe in their environment, they will not learn. I have taken a lot of time to turn my classroom into a jungle! Everything in my room relates to the jungle theme in some way. I have parrots, lions, and gorillas on the wall. My reading groups are named after different jungle animals, and even my classroom jobs are jungle themed with little chameleons! Below are a few pictures of these decorations:

These are the children’s lockers outside of our classroom.

Watch out! It’s a jungle in here!

Reading Hut – This is where the children can look at books from the shelf. The bins to the left are the “book boxes” we will use each day for our Daily 5 reading and writing block.

I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you this year! I consider it a privilege to be a part of your child’s learning career!