Hello! My name is Melissa Tardif and I am thrilled to be a kindergarten teacher at Gudy Gaskill Elementary School. I am so excited to be opening this new school and part of its history! This is my 15th year of teaching and my 8th year teaching kindergarten. I am a proud Colorado native, LPS graduate, and CSU Alumni. I love teaching kindergarten and I believe it to be a sacred year that I am honored to share with you and your child. In kindergarten, children begin their education paths and it is my goal for every child to leave me with a passion for learning, an enthusiasm for school, and memories to last a lifetime.

When I am not teaching I enjoy spending time with my family; my husband, three children, and 2 pups. I love to run, cook, do yoga, and read. My happiest place is at the beach! I look forward to meeting you and having a wonderful year together!

Hello! My name is Jamie Beecher. I am beyond excited to be a kindergarten teacher at Gudy Gaskill this year. My love and passion for teaching started when I was very young. My mother was also a kindergarten teacher. I grew up watching her build and mold young children’s minds. I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Child Psychology with an emphasis in The Exceptional Child. I then went on to earn my Masters Degree in Elementary Education. I have wide and varied experience in early childhood education having taught in Montessori schools, preschools and daycares. Since 2005 I have been working in public education as a kindergarten and first grade teacher in the Denver Public School and Littleton Public School systems. What I find most rewarding about teaching is making connections with each individual child, learning their strengths, and finding opportunities for each student to develop a lifelong love of learning.

Outside of the classroom, if I'm not busy taking care of our 3 dogs, 2 cats and 8 chickens, my family and I love traveling, skiing and the outdoors. I married my high school best friend. We have three sons ages 20, 19 and 17. Our boys are products of LPS having gone through Goddard Middle School and Heritage High School.

Hi! My name is Avery Wiley and I am so excited to be teaching Kindergarten as a Gaskill Trailblazer this year! I attended James Madison University in Virginia and earned my bachelor's and Masters degrees in Elementary Education. I have previously taught First Grade in Virginia and this will be my first year teaching in the beautiful state of Colorado. Outside of the classroom, you may find me trying to make the perfect craft, shopping at Target or spending time with my friends and family and pets!

As an educator, my goal is to make sure every child succeeds in my classroom. I believe in interactive learning, where students are provided the opportunities to really dive into the curriculum, through many types of lessons, and create connections to the real world. Students should drive the discussion and the teacher is merely a guide. Every child brings something special to the class, and each child should feel seen, heard, and loved. I wish to embrace all children's differences and unique life experiences in order to use them as an aspect of learning. My goal is to create an inclusive learning environment so that all my students are comfortable and ready to learn! I cannot wait to be apart of the Littleton community and help create an incredible school full of productive and kind little learners!