Starting School


As a new school year begins for your child as one of my fourth grade students, I felt it was important to introduce myself. My journey with the Alaska Gateway School District began in the fall of 2012. For the first two years, I was teaching the kindergarten through 2nd grade groups in Tetlin. For the next two years, I taught the same ages at another village school in Northway. Last fall, I began teaching 4th grade at the Tok School and will be continuing in that position this year.

Before moving to Tok, my background consisted of four years living in Botswana, Africa, with my husband where I taught mostly English as second language learners in grades kindergarten through fourth. Previously, we were long time Alaska residents. Most of our years in Alaska were spent living in the interior bush community of Galena, where I taught an alternative program for teens, 7th and 8th grades, Title 1 reading, and kindergarten. For a number of years before obtaining my teacher certificate, I was part of the classified support staff in addition to serving on the local school board. My husband and I also ran a small air taxi service from our home. For over 30 years, we were very happy living in a rural community among the Athabascan people of the Yukon River region. It has been great to be back in Alaska, and Tok has been a good fit for us.

In the classroom, I have a genuine passion to teach children of any age, and I honestly do, "whatever it takes" to see my students succeed. It is my belief that every child is precious and deserving of a quality education in a culturally relevant and a secure surrounding in which knowledge can increase. I feel that all children are capable of learning, but do not always learn in the same way or at the same rate. Individuals learn in a variety of ways, and children deserve equal opportunities to learn through educational approaches that blend and stimulate all multiple intelligences found in the classroom population. It is my goal to provide an atmosphere where students feel comfortable to take risks by testing new ideas in a safe classroom environment, and develop to their fullest potential.

I am confident that with your support, we can make this an exciting and successful year for your child! Please take a few minutes to look at the following page with my contact details and some procedural information.
                                               
Please feel free to call me if you have any questions about the start of school.


Weekly Communication: At the beginning of each week, I will be sending home a letter informing you of our weekly goals. As a result of this information, I am hoping we will become a team in your child’s education. The letter will also be posted in an online blog at: mrsbrownsfourth.blogspot.com

Homework:  To give the class some time to settle back into a school routine, I will start sending weekly homework beginning the first week in September, Monday through Thursday nights. It will be practice and enrichment assignments to reinforce concepts presented in class. Also home reading will be encouraged nightly, and a reading log will be sent home each Monday that will be returned on Friday. Students will have a 30-minute time slot at the end of the day for any unfinished assignments, or make up work, so I can oversee their progress. Classwork will not be sent home as homework.

Class Supply List:

Please note- An item that was not on the Tok School Facebook post was a class water bottle

·      Three ring notebook (Please, DO NOT bring a Trapper/Keeper style notebook)

·      Package of tabbed dividers (8 tabs) for the three-ring notebook

·      Three packages (approximately 450 sheets) of wide-lined notebook paper

·      Box of colored pencils

·      Set of watercolor paints

·      Scissors

·      Six glue sticks

·      #2 Pencils  (about 36 will last through the school year) 

·      Ear buds (that can be left at school)  

·      Gym shoes (that remain at school)

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