B.S. in Early Childhood Education with dual major in Special Education from University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Experience
Joined Saint Ann School in 2010
Graduate of Father Ryan High School and an alumna of Saint Ann School
Member of Ladies Auxiliary at Saint Ann Church
Member of Strategic Planning Committee for Saint Ann School
Saint Ann School Eucharistic Minister
The Basics of My Classroom
Kindergarten is an exciting time as children embark upon new adventures in the world of learning. My goal is to make your child’s learning experience a fun and exciting one, as well as, instill a love of learning that will last throughout your child’s years of schooling.
In the kindergarten classroom, you will find a treehouse where children can read, use puppets, and engage in various literacy and math activities. You will see children dancing, singing, moving, and working around the room in kindergarten. Children engage in partner games and activities, group projects, family projects, science experiments, hands on learning, group discussions, and so much more!
Throughout the year, kindergarten goes on several field trips. Some of these are to the fire station, farm, zoo, theatre, and the Ronald McDonald House. We make it a goal to connect real life activities into our curriculum and lessons so that children truly know the reason they are learning various objectives.
We strive to create a Christ centered classroom, where everyone feels welcomed, loved, and known by all. Students love singing songs about Jesus, acting out Bible stories, and leading our class prayer services. We try to instill a moto of service in all that we do. At the kindergarten level, service is as simple as making a nice card for a friend or bringing in items for children at Vanderbilt Hospital.
By the end of kindergarten, your child will be a reader, mathematician, author, illustrator, scientist, and much more! They will be a confident young student and they will know that they can accomplish their goals if they do their best!
My Background
It is such a blessing to be working at Saint Ann School. This is my tenth year teaching here. I taught 1
st grade for five years and then moved to kindergarten. Needless to say, kindergarten easily stole my heart! I was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee and have lived here all of my life. I attended Saint Ann School from kindergarten through 8th grade. I have also been a parishioner of Saint Ann Church since I was little. I graduated from UTC and I am a graduate of Father Ryan High School, where I ran cross country, track, and played basketball. I have been happily married for a little over 4 years to my sweet husband, Patrick. We are expecting our first baby at the end of November and are over the moon about this sweet addition to our family! We love to travel, be active, and spend time with our family and friends. Mrs. Grigsby (the pre-k teacher) is also my older sister. I come from a wonderful, large Catholic family (my mom is 1 of 15 children). I love to workout, run, and do active things outside. I also love to work on house projects and find new and exciting activities for kindergarten.
Special interests
Kindergarten participates in activities with their 8th grade buddies throughout the year.
Saint Ann is a community where you feel at home.
Having a strong home-school connection is important in my kindergarten classroom.
Service is a key element in our curriculum in kindergarten– making cards for others, making Easter baskets, and much more!