Welcome to Peabody Elementary! I am so excited to start the 2020 - 2021 school year, and to see your child back in person! I'd like to take this opportunity to share a little bit about myself.

I am a native Texan. I received my degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Texas Lutheran University in 1985. After spending a few years in the classroom, I became a full-time mom. I returned to teaching when my youngest entered first grade. I have 23 years of experience. This is my sixth year at Peabody! I love being part of this awesome community. Last year I took on a new role as literacy specialist, and just LOVED working with small groups of readers! Prior to that, I worked for four years as part of the incredible first grade team. Before coming to Peabody, I spent two years at Field Elementary in LPS where I served as a 1st grade Teacher/ Literacy Coach. Before that I worked in Douglas County for 9 years teaching Kindergarten and First grade. In addition I've taught Jazzercise to adults, Sunday School to three year olds, and house-trained a large black Lab.

My family and I relocated to beautiful Colorado 17 years ago. My husband, Ben, and I celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary this summer. We have three grown children, Jenna, Emily, and Kyle, who are now all married. Our family has grown to include two incredible son-in-laws, Tim and Jason, and a beautiful daughter-in-law, Kaitlyn. We also have 5 precious grand-babies, Mack, Emma, Chloe, Sloan and the most recent addition baby Jett! We are truly blessed!

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, working out at Orange Theory and completing an occasional home improvement project.

Literacy is my passion! I love working with little people! I believe all children should be valued for who they are, and where they are in the learning process. I believe children can work hard, and deserve the opportunity to grow their sense of self-accomplishment. The students that I work with will be treated with respect, kindness, and a sense of humor. They will be pushed to reach their full potential, and through this process develop a love of reading!

My 2020-2021 Goals:

1. Encourage a LOVE for reading!

2. Through collaboration with classroom teachers 100% of my students will make a year's growth in reading as measured by their iReady growth target, Superkids benchmarks, and other progress monitoring data.

3. Continue to grow as an educator through professional development, PLC work, and collaboration.
a. Complete practicum to become certified in the Orton-Gillingham approach (Associate Level 1)