Meet Ms. Rodriguez!

Welcome to Kindergarten! I am thrilled to be your child's teacher this year. My goal is to create a vibrant, supportive environment where we learn through multi-sensory experiences, direct instruction, creative arts, and exciting hands-on projects.

🍎 Professional Background & Expertise

With over two decades of experience in education. My journey in education has allowed me to serve in various leadership and supportive roles, including Principal/Director of Early Learning Academies, Director of Recruitment and Retention, Health Educator, and Parenting Class Instructor.

I specialize in targeted reading and behavioral interventions, and am formally trained in:

• The Orton-Gillingham Multi-Sensory Approach (Reading Intervention)

• CLASS Teacher/Child Interactions

• Behavioral Intervention Strategies

• Trauma Informed Classroom

🎓 Education

• Master Certificate: Diversity and Inclusion Leadership in ECE

• B.A.: Education/Communication (Minor in Leadership)

• A.S.: Early Childhood Education (ECE) 6 wks - 2nd grade

• Proud local alumni of Palmer H.S., Pikes Peak State College, the University of Colorado, and UC Denver!

🏔️ Community & Personal Life

I am a Colorado Springs native, a proud mother of two adult sons, and an active member of our community. When I'm not teaching or running my tutoring business, you can find me:

• Leading a non-profit El Cinco de Mayo Board to support underrepresented higher education students.

• Volunteering for Leadership Pikes Peak (Women's Community Leadership Initiative) and the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb.

• Exploring the Colorado mountains, hiking, camping, boating and paddle boarding with my dog, Mollie, or visiting family in Santa Cruz, California.

• Fueling my days with healthy snacks and my absolute favorite—a hot Coffee Americano!

🤝 Family Partnership & Volunteering

You are invited to come and support our class at any time! Friday Volunteers are especially needed so that I can dedicate focused time to small-group interventions and student assessments. If you would like to help out, please reach out!

📚 What We Are Learning This Year

Our curriculum aligns with comprehensive elementary standards to set your child up for lifelong success:

• Reading, Writing, & Communicating: Developing foundational literacy and collaborative communication skills.

• Science: Thinking like young scientists and engineers by exploring Physical, Life, and Earth/Space sciences.

• Physical Education & Comprehensive Health: Enhancing movement, safety, emotional wellness, and healthy living habits.

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade (5 - 7 Years Old)

Once students enter kindergarten, they will move into more advanced phonological awareness skills and begin to be taught foundational phonics skills.  Setting the foundation with phonological awareness and phonics will help children prepare for more advanced concepts helping them develop into fluent readers.  Fluency is the bridge to comprehension and typically develops around first grade.  Fluency can be practiced in several ways, including repeated readings, reader theaters, and decodable readers.

Check out these Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency Resources for parents of students in kindergarten through second-grade:

• Download this phonological awareness screener to understand where your child is with their PA capabilities

• Understand the difference between vowels and consonants 

• Check out these games and activities to practice CVC words

• Try a new way of playing Go Fish with this game sheet

• Help your child develop their pencil grip skills for writing