Kiersten Bultema

P.O. Box 12102 • San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 • 949.280.5779• kdemmond1013@gmail.com

Dear Dr. Jason Kuncewicki,

Hello, my name is Kiersten Bultema and I am a third grade teacher at Dana Elementary School in Nipomo,
California for Lucia Mar Unified School District. I am very interested in applying for your VAPA Teacher Position
for the 2023/2024 school year. During my six years of teaching in Title 1 schools, I have been committed to
inspiring and encouraging my students through arts integrated strategies and opportunities. I have fostered my
students social-emotional wellbeing through implementation of our adopted district SEL curriculum-Caring School
Communities and through creative mediums of expression.

My qualifications include 6 years of elementary teaching experience, an Arts Integration and STEAM
Certification, and a Single Subject Teaching Credential for Art. In my most recent position as an elementary
educator for Lucia Mar Unified School District, I have taught 3rd and 5th grade. From my experiences of teaching
both primary and upper grades, I have developed ways to scaffold my lessons for a wide range of learners,
implemented Integrated-Ed Curriculum developed through The Institute of Arts Integration and STEAM, and used
instructional strategies that incorporated technology (Google Classroom, Dreambox, Reflex, PearDecks, Learning
A-Z, Canva and Kahoot).

Even though my experience has been in a General Education setting, I have always found opportunities to
integrate the arts. In both grade level settings, I also found opportunities to teach developmental art skills to my
students. For example, with my 5th graders we were learning about phases of the moon, so we created chalk
drawings of the moon and learned about value and shading. Also, with my 3rd graders, I integrated the paintings of
Wassily Kandinsky which focused on shapes and lines. Students used the See, Think, Wonder strategy while
observing these paintings. Through this activity, the students learned some history of the artists too. Then, they
created their own Kandinsky masterpieces and wrote a short paragraph explaining their artwork using math
vocabulary. Throughout my years of teaching, I have created a strong classroom management system by setting
clear expectations with my students. I have implemented Tiered Levels of Intervention to support all my students
to be the most successful in and out of the classroom. Also, I frequently communicate with families via Parent
Square to ensure the importance of parent-teacher support of each student. Furthermore, I have collaborated with
my SPED co-workers to create behavior charts with clear goals for my RSP students. My classroom fosters
opportunities for students to practice having a Growth Mindset through goal setting. Furthermore, I have
developed my leadership skills through my role as the GATE Coordinator at my school. Through this leadership
opportunity, I have been able to develop my budgeting skills as I buy materials and coordinate engaging field trips
(Getty Villas, Moxi Museum, etc.) for my students. Every week, my 3rd-6th grade GATE students are eager to
develop their artistic skills and discover new mediums of artistic expression.

From my research of your district, I understand that your schools are committed to fostering high expectations for
all students and creating lifelong learners. I really resonate with this commitment, and I am personally dedicated to
creating a classroom environment which models these values. It would be an honor to teach your students and
serve a district that provides students with opportunities for personal growth in all areas of their life.

Thank you for your time and consideration, I look forward to hearing from you soon. You can reach me at
949-280-5779 and my email is kdemmond1013@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Kiersten Bultema