Hello, community! 

I am so glad to be teaching English for New Learners (or, Mulitlingual Learners, i.e., MLLs) at St. Anthony Park ("SAP")!

2023-24 marks my 28th year teaching in SPPS. I am happy to be joined this year by MLL teachers Mr. Ray Lynch and Mr. Jonah Weisbond, as well as our Multilingual Educational Assistant Mr. Yusuf Mohamed, who assists families in Somali and Arabic.

Your children work with the following MLL teachers:

Grades K and 2: Mr. Lynch

Grades 1 and 4: Ms. Tocher

Grades 3: Mr. Weisbond (Funk, Weisman), Mr. Lynch (MacGregor), Ms. Tocher (Weisman)

Grade 5: Mr. Weisbond

Other roles for me this year:

* Union steward

* Leadership/Steering Team member representing the MLL Department at SAP

* Literacy Team member

* MLL Team Lead

Before earning my ESL K-12 and French K-12 teaching licenses, I earned an MA in French at the University of Minnesota, with a minor in Advanced Feminist Studies. Music (Vocal) is another former area of study for me. In addition to English (my first language) I speak French and a bit of Spanish and German, with smatterings of Russian and a few others. I earned my Bachelor's Degree in French, minoring in Vocal Music, at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.

I hope your child thrives this year at SAP. We will do everything we can to teach the academic English they need to succeed in their classes, and to support their emotional/social health and skills as well. We take racial and gender equity seriously at SAP, so please let us know of any ideas or questions you may have in any of these areas.

Welcome back to 2023-24, the best year yet!

Ms. Tocher

eliza.tocher@spps.org