Team Penn
Your weekly bulletin 8/10-8/14
Welcome Everyone!
2015-16 School Year!
We are almost...there!
Are you ready? I am! I am ready to meet our bright little faces and hear about their summer. I'm ready to get to know everyone on our new team, see your creative classrooms and be a support for you. And I'm ready to impact student learning! Get ready!
To help you get ready, I have included two short videos on setting expectations from Day One.
This year, we are fortunate to have some extremely talented teachers and staff on our team. They will be introducing themselves below. When you see them, please greet them with a Penn welcome and help them to get ready for the school year!
Tori Panetta, First Grade
My name is Tori Panetta. I am a recent sociology graduate from James Madison University. I grew up in New York but moved to Virginia for college. At school, I was a community service liaison between our college campus and the community of Harrisonburg. I also was involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters. My experiences in these organizations led me to Teach For America to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a teacher while working towards social justice. I am excited to be a part of the Penn community because of Penn’s emphasis on building strong relationships with students and faculty/staff. I know the support systems in place will help me learn more about Oklahoma, my kids, and myself.
Morgan Sherry, Parent Facilitator
My name is Morgan Sherry and I am from a small town nestled in the mountains of New Hampshire. I have just moved to Tulsa with my partner Dan who will be teaching 4th grade at Academy Central this year. We are excited to live in a totally new part of the country and experience all the exciting things Oklahoma has to offer! We have just come back from over a year abroad; traveling, working and living in New Zealand and South East Asia. We cherished our time abroad but after a year of being on the go we were excited to move back to the states and settle somewhere new for a while! I received my bachelor’s degree in 2013 in Anthropology and Sociology and had a focus in peace and justice. I am so excited for my role at Penn Elementary as the new Parent Involvement Facilitator. I am passionate about the importance of parent involvement in every child’s education and will do my best to provide resources to make sure our students have the support they need at home. I cant wait to meet all of the staff, students, and parents of the Penn community!
Michell Champlin, 4th grade
Hello! My name is Michelle Champlin and I will be teaching 4th grade Math and Science this year at Penn Elementary. I received my Bachelor's in Elementary Education from Wichita State University. I have two beautiful children ages 10 and 4 who have been very positive through my recent marriage and relocation from Wichita, KS. I am a driven, passionate, and highly motivated individual and I look forward to learning more about myself and the art of teaching during my first year here with all of you.
Josh Thomas, 3rd grade
Jennifer Gonzalez, 6th grade
Hello, I am Jennifer Gonzalez. I will be teaching 6th grade Language Arts and Social Studies. I am from Chicago. I have two daughters-Diana 12 yrs. old and Loraine 4 yrs. old. I enjoy watching baseball, sewing, scrapbooking, playing Facebook games, listening to music, and singing. I taught High School Spanish for 2 years and subbed in Elementary Schools for 3 years in Chicago before moving to Little Rock, AR where I taught ESL Resource for 3 years. I am bilingual and am willing to help with Spanish-speaking parents when needed. I am excited about my new job opportunity here in Tulsa and can’t wait to work with all of you!
Marlo Schulz, 3rd grade
Jennifer Kerns, K-3rd Special Education
Hi! My name is Jennifer Kerns. I am so happy and excited to be joining the staff at Penn as the new K-3rd Special Ed Teacher. I have been with TPS as a Speacial Ed Paraprofessional for 12 years. I have worked at Roberston, Eliot Elementary and Eisenhower International Schools. I graduated in May of this year with my BS in Elementary and Special Education degree. During the summer I work at a Day Camp at First Baptist Church, where I work one on one with two Special Needs 6th graders. I really love working with these kiddos!
I have been married to my husband John for almost 18 years (Dec 11, 1997). We have no children at this time, but we do have 3 dogs.....Morgan, Jazmine and Josie. We were Theraputic Foster Parents a few years ago. We are hoping to adopt this year or next, My husband is adopted so it is near to our hearts.
I am looking forward to a great first year! I have heard some wonderful things about Penn, its staff and students.
Wayne Cohran, 4th-6th paraprofessional
Brittany Wiltshire, 2nd grade
Rolinda Vreeland, 2nd grade
Kathryn Groves, English Language Development
My name is Mary Kathryn Rhoads Groves. I go by Kat Rhoads – I am about to legally drop the “Groves”. I was an Air Force brat, and lived overseas twice. I have been in Tulsa for 33 years. My degrees are: B.A. in Spanish, Education minor; and B.S. in Accounting. I have two sons – Stephen, 30 and Zackary, 22. My first career was in accounting. I have been teaching for 13 years, 12 of which has been for Tulsa Public Schools. I am moving from high school to elementary school this year, and am really excited!