Hello,

Welcome to Bruce Vento Elementary School and the PreK Class! We are so excited to have you as part of the PreK family!

I am part of the PreKindergarten team at Bruce Vento Elementary School. My teaching role is to support what students are learning in the PreK classroom through enriching lessons and activities to guide each student to meet their learning potential and help them be ready for Kindergarten. I see each of the 4 PreK classes every day. The students come to my PreK Specialist classroom, along with the class Teacher Assistant, to learn with me. As the PreK Specialist Teacher, I present the students with a phonemic awareness lesson, I read a story that is connected to the PreK Area of Study, and I teach a lesson about the ' Alphabet: Letter of the Day'. I also have an active learning time that includes specific learning activities, allowing students to explore, play, and learn. During the active learning time, I meet with the students in small groups. Small groups are a time to focus on specific skills to help support and build the foundations of literacy and language. I work closely with the PreK teachers to provide the students with a unique learning opportunity at Bruce Vento Elementary School.

As a long-time educator (over 20 years),  I graduated from Rockford College in Rockford, Illinois with my Masters in Teaching, and I earned my PreK license from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul.  This is my 5th year of teaching at Bruce Vento School working with PreK students.

When not in school, I enjoy spending time with my grown children, reading, watching movies, riding my bike, going for hikes, and spending time with my dog, 'Dory'.  My favorite place to travel is Fort Myers, Florida, so I can spend time at the beach.  I also spend time visiting family back in Illinois.  I live in Woodbury and enjoy living close to the twin cities. I love visiting all of the parks and recreation areas to enjoy hiking and seeing the great outdoors that Minnesota has to offer.

I am happy to be supporting our youngest scholars in building the foundation to become life-long learners, as the PreK Literacy Specialist. 

"Play is the work of the child."  Dr. Maria Montessori