I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with you and your student this year. I am looking forward to getting to know more about your child this year.

I would like to take the opportunity to let you know a little more about myself.

This is my eighteenth year teaching in Delano. All but one have been in first grade. I am married and have two children. My husband, Joe, teaches 4th grade in our building and has been involved in coaching football, basketball and baseball. Our son, Adam, is in 11th grade and our daughter, Anna is in 9th grade. Both of our children are very involved in sports and we spend much of our spare time attending their events. When not at a sporting event, I enjoy running, biking, hiking, gardening and traveling. This summer our family vacation took us to Los Angeles where we saw the Twins play the Angels, enjoyed the California beaches and toured Hollywood. I also actively serve on our Elementary School PIE committee, the Delano Youth Basketball Board, and coach in the girls basketball program.

I live in Delano and feel that being a part of the community in which I teach is a very rewarding thing. I grew up on a farm in a small town in southern Minnesota and love living in a community where there is the opportunity to cross paths with people inside and outside of school.

In the classroom, I enjoy trying the new technology that is available to teachers. I especially love our SmartBoards and the neverending possibilities they provide. I am a believer in showing "how" and "why" when I teach and the SmartBoards allow me to do this in a very visual and actively engaging way. I am very excitedto continue to implement the SmartTable that was purchased by PIE and look forward to incorporating more activities into our classroom as it is a fabulous cooperative hands-on learning tool.

I am looking forward to the new school year and learning experiences that we will have together.