Greetings!  My name is Daniel Cubit, and I teach fourth grade here at Jackson Elementary.  I began my teaching career in Waterloo, Iowa, after graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in 2010.  My wife and I moved to the metro area in 2015, and I started my tenure at Jackson Elementary.  I am grateful for the staff, students, families, and community that Jackson shares.

Student Environment/Class Description 

My teaching philosophy is simple: I want to inspire students to believe in themselves and find their potential.  All students that join my classroom become Cubit Cubbies.  As a Cubbie, they are joining a team of supportive learners who share a common goal of learning in a welcoming environment.  All students share leadership responsibilities and take ownership of their learning.    I am an empathic teacher who values honesty and understands that making mistakes is part of the learning process.

My name is Jennifer Newell and I love teaching 4th grade at Jackson Elementary. I have been teaching in Des Moines Schools for 16 years. I have been at Jackson for 6 years. I have taught 4th grade for a total of 12 years. I have also taught 3rd grade and 1st grade. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Upper Iowa University. After several years in the business world, I went back to college and graduated from Upper Iowa University with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. The decision to pursue a degree in Elementary Education was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

Student Environment/Class Description

I strive to make every student feel welcome, safe, and important in my classroom. I want every student to feel like they belong and to feel like they are a leader. I believe every child has the potential for greatness. My students set goals for themselves and they monitor their goals throughout the school year. When our learning gets hard, we learn how to persevere and keep trying. We learn how to work with others, and we learn how to listen and embrace other people’s ideas and differences. We work on being kind, caring, respectful and responsible students and we learn and practice the 7 habits of The Leader in Me.