Friday, August 4, 2017

Welcome to 3C!

Dear Parents and Guardians,
                
Welcome to third grade, and welcome to section 3C. My name is Kellie Bowers, and I am truly honored to be your students’ third grade teacher.  Here is some more information about me:
                I am originally from Mission Viejo, California.  I received my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in History from the University of Southern California in 2013.  In college I tutored students from kindergarten-twelfth grades in all subjects and on the SAT.  In addition, I worked for a summer program called Breakthrough, which works with highly achieving underprivileged children.  That experience led me to Teach for America.  Teach for America is an AmeriCorps program that places teachers in underserved schools throughout the country.  I taught in Glendale, Arizona for two years in both 5th and 6th grades.  During my first two years of teaching I pursued a masters degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University, which I completed in May of 2015.  In the summer of 2015 I moved to Gilbert and started teaching at Archway Arete.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my two years at Archway Arete due to the wonderful students, parents, teachers, and leadership here.  I love teaching third grade and I am looking forward to working with the other third grade teachers and assistants this year, as well as our talented specials teachers.
                When I am outside of the classroom I love to read!  Some of my favorite classics are Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, and Anne of Green Gables. In the fall, I love spending the weekends watching football games in person or on television (Fight on USC Trojans!).  In May my husband Stephen and I welcomed our first child, Lily, who has been an absolute joy.  The day after she was born we also celebrated our first wedding anniversary.  I am going to be extending my maternity leave until October 3rd, when I will return as the lead teacher for 3C.  I will be around for special occasions before then, but I am entrusting my class to Mrs. Chilson and Ms. Warren for the first two months.  We have worked together to create a cohesive classroom plan and I am confident that they will get our school year off to an excellent start. 
                Third grade is going to be a very exciting year! We will be writing in cursive and deepening our understanding of Spalding over the course of the year.  We are also going to be using Singapore math, which helps students truly conceptualize the concepts we will be covering.  We will be doing a lot of bar modeling!  I know bar modeling can seem intimidating, but I truly believe the method helps students understand math more deeply and cultivates critical thinking skills.  In addition, it is critical that our students master their multiplication tables in third grade- something you can start working on at home right away!  For Literature, we have many engaging novels to read, starting with Pinocchio.  As historians, we will begin our year with Geography.  In addition, we will cover Ancient Rome, the Vikings, Native Americans, and the Thirteen Colonies.  Finally, as scientists we will be starting off the year with a unit on the classification of animals.  We will cover many other topics including ecology, the human body, light and sound, and space.
                I am committed to keeping communication between you and myself very open. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. Email is the best way to contact me. (KBowers@archwayarete.org) I encourage you to regularly check my blog as I update it weekly with useful information about what’s happening in the classroom.  The link for my blog is: http://mrsbowersarete.blogspot.com/. I highly encourage you to sign up to follow by blog by e-mail (it can be found on the left hand side of the page).  Blogger will e-mail you every time I post.  Let me know if you have any trouble with this process and I will do my best to troubleshoot with you. Mrs. Chilson is your point of contact for the first quarter.  I will be in close contact with her, and I look forward to hearing about all of the progress the students will make in the first quarter. 
                I am really looking forward to meeting with you all on Meet the Teacher Night on Friday August 4th! Please have your child bring his or her school supplies.  If you ordered them online, the boxes have arrived to our classroom and will be waiting for you.  Nearly all of our supplies will be communal including: pencils, glue, white board markers, and paper. Feel free to label you child’s binder and notebooks.  You are also welcome to bring in your child’s copy of Pinocchio, since that is the first novel we will read. 
                I am looking forward to a productive year in which all of us in 3C will nurture our love of moral and intellectual virtue.  Archway Arete is a very special place and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to teach your children this year.  I look forward to working together and making the 2017-2018 school year unforgettable!
Yours in Learning,

Mrs. Kellie Bowers 



Dear Families of 3C,
Welcome to third grade, I am excited to begin this journey with you! My name is Victoria Chilson and I am honored to be a part of the third grade team this year and to be working with Mrs. Bowers! I will be acting as the lead until Mrs. Bowers returns from her maternity leave.  Ms. Catrina Warren will be assisting me for the first quarter. We are looking forward to this fun time of year to get to know your children and embark on our journey of learning together.
It is important for me to get to know our students and families, but my hope is for you to get to know me as well. I am an Arizona native and grew up in Scottsdale. While completing community service as part of my high school experience I quickly fell in love with elementary education and helping children learn. I volunteered as a tutor at my elementary school and worked with students in summer camps throughout the summer. I am an NAU Lumberjack and have put the finishing touches on my degree in Liberal Arts this past summer.  I have been a part of the Archway Arete family for three years now and I am so grateful for the community and family I have gained here! Prior to joining the third grade team I was part of the Kindergarten team for the past two years. I am excited to join third grade and dive into the literature and history we will be discussing this year!
I have been married for three years to my husband Michael and we have a 15 month old daughter, Charlotte Isabella, who lights up our world. While a big portion of my free time is spent enjoying time with my family, I also enjoy taking our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Lou for walks, baking, decorating, watching and playing sports, and reading. I am fluent in Italian and Spanish, which is a really fun connection that the scholars seem to enjoy as well!
Please feel free to come to me with any questions or comments, as I am happy to answer them and get to know all of our families better as well!

Warmly,

Victoria Chilson




Hello everyone!  My name is Catrina Warren and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself.  I am a California native who played volleyball on a full scholarship at Iona College in New York.  At Iona College I earned my bachelors in Criminal Justice.  From there I worked at Enterprise Holdings until I moved out to Arizona this summer and found my home at Great Hearts.  In addition to my duties as a third grade assistant teacher, I will also be coaching one of the varsity volleyball teams at Cicero Preparatory.  I am extremely excited to start working alongside the amazing teachers at Archway Arete and learning with my students this year.  I am looking forward to a great year with you all!



We look forward to meeting our scholars and your families this evening! Have a wonderful day!

Warmly,

Mrs. Chilson, Mrs. Bowers, and Ms. Warren



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