Science Teacher Introduction

Hello, I am Anna Kelly. I've been a licensed MN elementary teacher since June 2019. This is my 3rd year of teaching. 

I started working for the Northfield school district in 2008, in Early Ventures. I left Early Ventures in 2013 to become an Americorps Math Corps tutor here at Greenvale. I was a math tutor for 2 years. During that time, I also started leading after-school clubs. In 2016, I started working in the media center; I handled book checkout and some technology support. Also at this time, I also started taking online classes towards a degree in Elementary Education; I graduated from Bemidji State University in May 2019. I briefly worked at the High School media center from March to June 2021.

I taught 2nd grade during the 2021-2022 school year. Last school year, I taught 5th grade. This year, I am teaching Science.

I am still leading after-school clubs (for 3rd-5th graders) through Community School. This year, my plan is to have Doodle Club on Wednesdays (this is the 10th year for this club) and STEM Club on Thursdays. I will most likely have the 3Doodler Club on Tuesday evenings, for 5th grade and up (due to the heat produced by the 3D pens, I cannot have younger students). Stay tuned for updates on that.

I am from the Philippines and migrated to the US in 2002. I've lived in Northfield since then. I speak Tagalog (one of the hundreds of languages in my country of 7,000+ islands). I know a few Spanish words, but not nearly enough to carry a conversation. I will keep learning.

When I am not busy at work, I am typically at home with my husband and our dog, Cocoa. He is a 7 1/2 (mostly) Pitbull mix who is afraid of many things. He is a rescue and a work in progress.

I also have many hobbies, mostly in the area of arts and crafts. I grew up idolizing Leonardo da Vinci and thought I would be a painter. I still draw (mostly on the iPad these days), crochet, do origami, use a laser cutter, and practice calligraphy (although I am not a pro at this). I do occasionally play some (single player) games on my computer as well.

I am excited to teach Science to ALL Greenvale Park Geckos. My goal is to make Science interesting to all students and to encourage students to stay curious, even when they are not in Science class.

I intend to send a weekly update every Friday. It might be in the form of a Google Doc file that has the newer entries on top of the page. Expect to find my contact information within the update for anything you would like to ask or tell me.

Have a wonderful new school year!