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Meet Our Teachers
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Lauren Bernard - Kindergarten, Room 2
"This is my seventh year at Sacajawea, and I love being part of this community as a teacher and as a parent of two students. I have been in primary education for 15 years and receive much joy working with kids and their families. One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is seeing the magic that happens for kids. Kindergarten is a great adventure, full of exploration and learning. Five and six year olds are constantly discovering the "how and why" of their world and I feel privileged to be part of their day. One thing that is special about a year in Room 2 is the spontaneous and creative learning that takes place. We jump into each day with gusto and take as many opportunities as possible to weave students' interests into the curriculum."
Gretchen Rowe - Kindergarten
Kit Norman - Kindergarten, Room 3
"I taught preschool for seven years, then Kindergarten and second grade. This is my fourth year teaching Kindergarten at Sacajawea. I love the school, staff, students and families in our supportive community. I love helping kids learn to read. The pride on their faces when they accomplish something they could not do before keeps me inspired. I also enjoy helping children in their first year of school be successful as they learn how to be students and to enjoy school. Room 3 is full of excitement all year long as we learn about animals, dinosaurs and insects. The children enjoy art, movement and songs as we make our way through the year. At Sacajawea, I have been able to become the teacher I had hoped to be. It is my goal to help all of my students feel that they can be the best they hope to be."
Chrissy Jackson - First Grade, Room 1
"I've been a teacher for eight years, and this is my fifth year at Sacajawea. I love building relationships with children and watching them grow each day. Every day is exciting and new, and we get to develop a love of learning together. In first grade, we are learning how to read. Often when I meet my children at the beginning of the year, they are working on letters and sounds, and when they leave, they are true, confident readers. We build a community in Room 1. It is important that we love and respect each other. We take care of each other and we also really love to learn!"
Sue Rappleyea - First Grade, Room 7
"I've taught for 28 years; the last 11 wonderful years have been in first grade at Sacajawea. I love watching the students' little faces light up when they learn something new or when they figure out the solution to a problem independently. These are joyful daily occurrences in first grade. Our reading workshop is structured to encourage independence and responsibility for learning using The Daily 5 format. We work to create a warm, welcoming, respectful and enriching classroom environment where all children feel they belong. My goal is to nurture the innate love of learning in each child. When their faces light up with pride, I know I'm on the right track!"
Mary Ellen Hanson-Piano - Second Grade, Room 4
"I've taught for ten years and this is my fourth year at Sacajawea. The most rewarding aspect of my job is the relationships I build with my students and having them come back to visit me, or invite me to a party, years later. Making a difference in their lives and futures is an amazing feeling! We have many exciting activities and field trips planned for the school year. Something special about my class is our daily class meetings. Students share how they are feeling each day, bring up questions or concerns and we do problem-solving. The class really bonds through this daily routine. Student voices are heard and students learn how important they each are to our classroom community."
Sharon Rings - Second Grade, Room 5
"This is my fifth year at Sacajawea, and in 25 years of teaching, these are the best I've ever had! I use movement strategies to engage my students and meet individual needs. This springs from writing my master's thesis on the relationship between brain and social development. I deeply love helping my students learn about their needs and those of others, as well as how to meet them: social, emotional and academic. Along with that comes finding meaning in an interaction and applying that to an academic concept, and sometimes turning that into a new skill. We will be applying this insight and create a performance on stage for the whole school."
Betty Terrell - Third Grade, Room 101
"I am the "old lady" of Sacajawea, I guess! having been here 26 years, I have seen a lot of things and people come and go. One thing that remains the same is the wonderful warm atmosphere of a smaller school. I love knowing all the children by face, if not by name! I love seeing children get excited as they wonder about things and share their questions! I also love to unlock the puzzle of each child's unique strengths and talents! There have never been two exactly alike!"
Karen Warner - Third Grade
Katy Maynard - Fourth Grade, Room 102
"I taught math at Salmon Bay Middle School for seventeen years and this will be my third year teaching at Sacajawea. The best part about teaching is that I can share the world with my students and that I end up learning just as much as they do during the school year. This year, I'm excited to have the opportunity to team teach with Mr. Dickerson. My students love his active and artistic style."
Jesse Dickerson - Fourth Grade, Room 103
"I love teaching at Sacajawea. This is my third year here and my fourth year teaching. One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is seeing students grow in confidence. As we study, work together, exercise, perform and enjoy each other's company throughout the year, students rise to the challenges before them and develop a healthy sense of confidence. Another special thing that happens is the integration of singing, movement and drama. We perform a concert in December and a musical in June."
Jennifer Fontaine - Fifth Grade, Room 104
"This is my second year of teaching here at Sacajawea. I am also the parent of two students here, one in fourth grade and one in first grade. I feel lucky to be part of this great community as both a teacher and a parent. The most rewarding thing about teaching for me is seeing students get excited and enthused about new things. They come into class in the morning and can't wait to tell me the latest things they've learned; that makes it all worthwhile. One special thing we'll be doing in my class this year is learning to play the harmonica. Linda Wilson, parent and musician, will be teaching us some early American songs. We're going to start with "Yankee Doodle Dandy." I can't wait!"
Mary Mills - Fifth Grade
Deborah Davis - Reading Specialist
"I've been a public school teacher since 1986 (taught at the university level before that). This is my seventh year at Sacajawea, and I love it. The staff, families and especially the students all make it a joy to come to work each day. My special delight is helping students who are struggling with reading develop the skills, strategies and confidence that will help them be successful wherever their lives take them. I also enjoy supporting families and staff as they work with their students in all reading skills. Sacajawea truly is my home-away-from-home, and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather work, thanks to the wonderful students, staff and families, and the joys teaching will always bring to me."
Deborah Sherwood - Special Education Teacher
"I've been teaching since 1983 and the last twelve years have been at Sacajawea in the Resource Room. How time flies when you're having fun! I have the privelege of working with students in all grade levels--it is very rewarding as a teacher to watch the amazing growth that occurs from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. I work with children in small groups or individually, as well as to support them in their classrooms to provide appropiate learning environments. This year's Fifth Graders are already looking forward to the yearly tradition of walking to my house for pizza--I am very fortunate to live and work in the same neighborhood!"
Ann Streeter - Bilingual Education Teacher
"I've been teaching English Language Learners for fifteen years and am now in my third year at Sacajawea. I so much enjoy seeing students make great progress in learning English so they can succeed and excel in their regular classroom academic work. Bilingual students and their families enjoy many enriching events at Sacajawea throughout the year, put on by the Family Partnership Committee to help families connect with the school community."
Roger Palmer - Physical Education Teacher
"I've taught reading at the community college level and have taught P.E. to middle and high schoolers. This is my seventh year as the P.E. teacher at Sacajawea. I enjoy watching students progress in developing their physical skills and their emotional control. A new student will come to the gym with few physical skills but lots of enthusiasm, fear, anger, sadness and silliness. I enjoy watching students change during the year as they gain confidence in their abilities to control the physical and emotional situations they find themselves in when they are at play. Some special events during the school year: archery, roller skating, the high climber and P.E. Records Day."