Welcome to 2nd Grade      

Dear Rustler Family, 

       My name is Eric Dennard and I will be your child's 2nd Grade teacher this year.  I have a bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology with a Minor in International Politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz.  I have a master's degree in Teacher Education from the Claremont Graduate University.  In addition, I have a daughter who attends Cal State San Marcos, so I understand education from the perspective of a parent and a professional.  

     I started my education career by working with children at the Chaffey College Children's Center.  After graduating from UCSC, I worked with students, teachers, principals, and community leaders to improve the quality of three elementary schools in a South African village as a Peace Corps volunteer.  Upon returning to the U.S., I became a substitute teacher for a year.  I have taught Kindergarten as well as 3rd Grade, and this will be my eighteenth year teaching 2nd Grade.  This will be my ninth year at Howard Cattle.  Altogether, I have about twenty-seven years of experience in education. 

     I have attached a school supply list that I recommend you purchase before school starts on August 7.  If you need help purchasing these materials, please let me know.  Parents, thank you for your help and diligence in making sure your child is prepared with all their materials on the first day of school. 

     Make sure to mark your calendar for Thursday, August 24... "Back to School Night"... to go over our 2nd Grade program.  You may choose between 2 sessions to attend.  The first session will be from 6:00 PM- 6:45 PM and the second session will be from 6:45PM-7:30 PM.

     I look forward to working with you and your child to make sure they maximize their potential as well as take the next step in reaching their future goals. 

Sincerely, 

 Eric J. Dennard 

   

 

more about Mr. Dennard:

• Birthday Month/Day: 04/10
• Favorite Colors: Navy Blue/Black
• Favorite Places to Shop:  Target, REI, Amazon, /https://www.evo.com/shop/outlet/surf, 
• Favorite Restaurants: Lucille's Smokehouse Grill/Ono Hawaiian BBQ/Casa Victoria Cocina Mexicana/Cannataro's/Wood Ranch BBQ Grill/Dog Haus
• Favorite Snacks: Cheeze-Its/BBQ flavored almonds/peanuts
• Favorite Candy:  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups/Lemonheads
• Favorite Pie: Pecan
• Favorite Cake:  German Chocolate
• Favorite Sports: football/rugby
• Favorite Sports' teams: Dodgers/Lakers/Steelers/Bears/New Zealand All Blacks/South Africa Springboks
• Favorite cartoons:  original Scooby-Doo/Avatar: The Last Airbender/SpongeBob Squarepants/original Voltron/Mobile Suit Gundam
• Favorite movies:  Star Wars:The Empire Strikes Back/Black Panther/Lord of the Rings/Spawn/Red Tails/Hero/Fearless
• Hobbies:  reading/camping/watching Shaw Bros.' Kung Fu Films/learning different languages/learning about space travel/mountain biking/learning to surf/ hopefully starting mma (grappling/striking) classes soon.
• Retirement dream: "Pura Vida" in Costa Rica