I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen. -A.A. Milne
Getting to Know Mrs. Afshar:
Favorite Children's Author(s): Mo Willems is my favorite picture book author. Willem's characters are hilarious and loving. Kate DiCamillo is my favorite read-aloud author. DiCamillo uses exquisite vocabulary and writes breathtaking explanations on the complexities of life in her novels. Shel Silverstein is my favorite poet (besides Rumi & Hafez).
Favorite Illustrator: Vladimir Randunsky. I love his conversations with students on the recordings for his Woody Guthrie book, Howdi Do. Rundunsky's illustrations maintain incredible texture, scale, color, and life that remind me of Romare Bearden's work.
Favorite Sesame Street Character: Groover. Groover still makes me giggle and he has a beautiful song with Dave Matthews that my boys love.
Favorite Children's Music/Albums:
I play guitar and sing with my students all the time. Here are some of my favorite albums ...
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Elizabeth Mitchell- calming, beautiful, American traditional music- Mitchell does amazing work for the Smithsonian Institute. I enjoy all of Mitchell's albums-, particularly her Woody Guthrie work.
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Sandra Boynton (yes, she writes music too!) Frog Trouble is a fantastic album with lots of silly twangs.
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Jack Johnson- Sing A Longs & Lullabies: Curious George Soundtrack
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Buckwheat Zydeco- Choo Choo Boogaloo a favorite for my boys and an excellent intro to Zydeco. Stanley Dural was a regular performer at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.
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Sesame Street - Jason Mraz, Usher, India Arie, Feist, and more!
Favorite Food: Persian food. My father-in-law makes the best kebab and khoresht (Persian stew)! We have a large extended family that spends a great deal of time preparing and sharing Persian dinners.
Favorite Pastimes: Gardening (especially succulents & cacti) I am not allowed to go to Flora Grub anymore. Running, biking, traveling, playing music with friends and family. Live music anywhere. I spend a great deal of time outdoors with two active little boys.
Heros: Leonardo (the terrible monster), Ramona Quimby, Lucille Ball, Shirin Ebadi, Anne of Green Gables, John Muir, Jhumpa Lampiri, Gillian Welch, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Aaron Douglas
Our PE team has a history of investing carefully in students developing coordination, endurance and comraderie while increasing their physical health. PE lessons are carefully designed to meet students at their developmental level and to keep kids moving. Ms. Young will visit on our Back to School Night to share more about our PE program.
Mrs. AFshar
PE: Mr. Nelson, Mr. Fates
& Ms. Young
Our students have the wonderful opportunity to work with two fantastically talented music instructors.
Burlingame families greatly respect Mrs. Prater's long commitment to music development with our children. My husband remembers learning to sing, play clarinet and saxaphone with Mrs. Prater's guidance. Mrs. Prater is also a published author and worked in leadership roles supporting children through philanthropic organizations.
Mr. Collaros is an inspiring and uplifting choir teacher with a wealth of tools to guide students along in their singing endeavours. I was able to partner with Mr. Collaros for BIS Graduation planning and was impressed with his kind and thoughtful work with students. I cannot wait hear the music and song that will develop out of the hearts of our kindergarteners this year.
Music: Mr. Collaros &Ms. Prater
Librarian: Mr. Navarro
My passion has always been my strength. And my passion has always been in books, children, and in educating children with books. Lots of books.
-Mr. Navarro
Mr. Navarro is our incredible district media specialist. I had the priviledge of working with Mr. Navarro for several years at BIS. I know first hand of Mr. Navarro's excitement in sharing literature, expository texts, and facilitating 21st century understanding of technology for our students. Mr. Navarro regularly collaborates with teachers to design forward-thinking instruction while thoughtfully maintaining book collections and collaborative work spaces for kids.
This is my 13th year as an educator. I earned my teaching credential and Masters in Curriculum Design in San Diego and taught for many years with Chula Vista Elementary School District before moving to Burlingame to raise our family in my husband's hometown. My two young boys, Michael and Reza, are the joy of my life and my role as a parent provides a positive new perspective in my instruction. After six years teaching primary grades, and six years teaching in middle school (English, history, art), I am thrilled to share this upcoming year with your family in Kindergarten.
