Tenure at SJT: 3 years

Education:  BA in US History from DePaul University

Hometown: Chicago

Bio: After teaching Special Education in Chicago, Stacy’s hometown, she moved to the DC area several years ago and participated in the DC Fellowship Teachers Program.  Stacy has been teaching at Strong John Thomson since January 2010 and has held multiple positions at the school including 3rd/4th grade teacher and reading specialist.  As one who enjoys the dynamic nature of teaching and the diversity of the student body at SJT, Stacy is especially looking forward to teaching ESL to kindergarteners next year.  In addition to teaching, Stacy enjoys working with technology, including computers and cameras, and serves as the informal “Tech Support” resource at SJT.  She’s captivated by the learning opportunities offered by emerging technologies, such as the iPad and iPhone, and is spending her spare time learning how to program iPhone apps, with the ultimate goal of developing an innovative teaching app. Prior to teaching Stacy was a professional dancer and teacher, and she summarized her teaching style as “Understanding challenges that are in front of you and taking them head on”.

Grade/Subject: Guidance Counselor

Tenure at SJT: At SJT since November 2010, in education and social work since 1988.

Education: BA in Clinical Special Education, MA in Counselor Education, Certificate of Advanced Study in Couple & Family Therapy, license social worker.

Hometown:  Bedford, NY. Lived in Maine from 1978-2010.

Bio: Marie provides career and life guidance to the students at SJT, including teaching essential practical skills.  Marie also works with the special education department to accommodate students with special needs. Marie became interested in helping children and families grow stronger after her parents died in her early childhood.  She prizes the chances to build relationships with students, parents and teachers that counseling encourages.  When she can find the time, she also enjoys biking, gardening and home remodeling. Marie has two children, a son who is a sculptor and a daughter who dances and works for a power company.

Grade/Subject:  3rd Grade/English Second Language (ESL)

Tenure at SJT:  3 year

Education:  BA in Psychology, MA in Early Childhood

Hometown:  Hampton, VA

Bio: Prior to joining SJT Elementary Allison’s work experience includes working 2 years in Baltimore, MD as a 3^rd grade teacher and 1 year as a preschool teacher in Trieste, Italy.  She joined the staff at SJT to directly be able to spend more time with and focus on ESL kids.  She loves the learning experience for both kids and teachers, and diversity associated with teaching at SJT brings.  She also appreciates that SJT is located in the heart of Washington DC and the ability to walk to museums.  In addition to being a passionate teacher, Allison enjoys hiking with her dogs, reading, and traveling to new locations.  She has two dogs that are named after famous sports players, Marino (named after football star Dan Marino) and Laf (named after ice hockey star Pat LaFontaine).  Allison was also recently married in October 2010.

Grade/Subject: 4th grade

Tenure at SJT: 3 years

Education: History major at Howard University

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Bio: Rhonda Quintanilla has taught 4th grade at SJT for three years. Before coming to SJT, Ms. Barnes taught at Garrison Elementary School, also in the District. Ms. Barnes is a passionate teacher that thrives off the interaction with her students. She says that the students at SJT have a great love of reading and willingness to learn. She cites a unit about revolution, both in American and world history, as the most memorable of the school year. Ms. Barnes is recently married and enjoys reading classic English novels in her free time. She is beginning to learn to speak Spanish as well.

The student’s favorite aspect of Ms. Malakani’s & Ms. Wallenberg’s teaching is their supportive nature and their desire to help out with their problems. In addition the students mentioned that although both teachers are from different countries, they are able to work well together.

The advice the students had for future 2^nd graders is to practice their multiplication/division, pay attention in class, work hard and persevere, and use your independence (a highlighted Primary Years Program (PYP) attribute).

Many of the students also identified with various learner profiles such as the Knowledgeable, Inquirer, and Risk Taker. Amaya mentioned she was risk taker when she stood up in front of the classroom and sang a song of her choosing.

Ms. Dixon’s 5^th grade class is very enthusiastic. The highlight of her day is welcoming her students in the morning. They love the projects and experiments they do to learn about science. One of the science projects the class worked on was building models of different atoms, which hung from the ceiling in the classroom.  The students also enjoy reading in class; some of their favorite books from the year are Little Women, Tom Sawyer, and The Secret Garden. One of the class’s favorite activities for math is Flowcabulary, where Ms. Dixon and her students sing songs to remember math facts.

Fifth-graders also have the opportunity to choose a project for the Exhibition at the end of the year. Several of Ms. Dixon’s students have created web pages and presentations for their final Exhibition topics. The students love the chance to express themselves and pursue independent interests.

Ms. Dixon’s classroom is a welcoming learning environment with plenty of student work on the walls, as well as symbols of respect, care, and understanding of others.

Grade: PS/PK Teacher

Tenure at SJT: 12 years

Education: University of DC

Hometown: Shanghai, China

Bio: Prior to her career in teaching, Ms. Gu worked as a flight attendant with China Air and in sales at the Capital Hilton.  She came to SJT in 2000 to support the ESL program until 2007, when she accepted a 2^nd grade teaching position.  She absolutely loves teaching and really devotes herself to bettering her students.  She gives her own time after school regularly tutoring students and instructing during summer school.  When not devoting her time to teaching and raising a fifteen year old son, she has numerous extracurricular interests.  Ms. Gu is passionate about ballroom dancing, has started a fan dancing club, an origami club, and loves spending time outdoors and at the beach.  She has lived in the U.S. for nearly thirty years.

Students of 2^nd grade are very enthusiastic and happy about all the cool units they have learned this year. In particular, the students like the “Animal Habitat” and the “Weather” units that taught them a lot about nature, ranging from the beautiful world of animals and their dwellings to the fiery nature of hurricanes and tornadoes. Students also loved the unit on ‘Heroes’. The students are also excited to learn new topics in science and math like multiplication operations.

The second grade teachers at Thomson are known for going above and beyond in the classroom. They promote an enjoyable classroom environment filled with exciting activities and opportunities for fun as a reward for outstanding work. They are very concerned about the well-being of the students and respond the needs of the children without hesitation. You can be certain that the children in our second grade class are always on track to maximize learning and fun!

A class is only as interesting as the teacher makes it for the students and the students in this grade are very appreciative of their teacher, Ms. Erika Bowman, who is very nice and helpful in explaining and answering to their queries. The students also love that Ms. Bowman rewards them with a lot of fun activities like camping, field trips and pizza parties when they do good work. Ms. Bowman is also a very caring person and students feel safe and comfortable that she will respond to them as needed in the classroom.

Working hard, staying on task, and being balanced with regard to learner profiles are key actions for success in the second grade at Thomson. Kids learn a wide variety of new subjects in second grade and get to read longer, more interesting books!

Second grade students enjoy growing within various learner profiles. The students resoundingly enjoy the “Caring” profile because they value concern for family and friends and believe that helping other is of the utmost importance. Students enjoy the “Inquirer” and “Thinker” profiles and express that these two profiles help them learn new things and answer questions that will help advance their knowledge. Students relate to the “Risk-Taker” profile because they feel that the more adventurous they are, the more interesting their learning and experiences will be.