It is an honor and privilege to be teaching at St. Brigid School where I have been teaching third grade for thirty-two years. I love coming in each day and working with such faith filled teachers and staff. Having grown up Catholic, I knew I wanted to teach in a Catholic school where I could share my faith and love of God.
I have lived in the Dayton area my entire life. I attended St. Helen School and Carroll High School. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree from Wright State University.
It is my goal to challenge not only myself, but to challenge my students daily, with learning that is meaningful and engaging. I provide my students with many opportunities to grow and become critical thinkers and problem solvers. I like to see my students enjoying themselves, but I also insist on hard work. I set high expectations and teach that with hard work and a little grit anything is possible. I expect my students to try their hardest and strive for improvement every day. EVERY student is capable of learning! In my classroom it’s OKAY to make mistakes as they are an integral part of learning.
Curriculum
Religion
- The spiritual emphasis in third grade focuses on the four Marks of the Catholic Church. The children will also learn about the different Sacraments, many influential Saints, and how to be true disciples of Jesus. We attend mass weekly and participate in prayer services throughout the year.
Language Arts
- Our Reading curriculum focuses on skills in reading comprehension, vocabulary, identifying the main parts of the story, decoding skills, and phonics. The third grade reader provides a variety of fiction and nonfiction stories. Students also take part in the Third Grade Reading Guarantee test.
- In Grammar, they will study sentences, parts of speech, punctuation, and capitalization. Our focus in Writing is on the six traits of writing: ideas, sentence fluency, organization, word choice, voice, and conventions.
- Cursive writing is taught throughout the year.
Math
- During third grade Math class, our students learn how to add and subtract larger numbers, work with fractions, measurement, graphing, and how to multiply and divide. Difficult concepts will be taught using manipulatives in order to meet the varied learning styles of the children.
Social Studies
- The students have fun learning about citizenship and being active consumers and producers. They also learn various skills in the areas of government, economics, and history.
Science
- In Science, students are introduced to the scientific method and complete various activities and labs. Subjects of focus include matter, plants, the Earth’s resources, energy, and health.