Heroes Team News
Welcome to the Heroes Team!
Important Information
Parent Orientation Night- August 28th, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Heroes Team Teachers
Special Education:
Ms. Amanda Benjamin is the Special Education teacher on the Heroes team. She brings five years of teaching experience. She taught her first three years in Saint Joseph, MO and last year in Park Hill. She attended MWSU for her BA in Elementary Education and Special Education. She also attended NWMSU where she obtained her MA in Educational Leadership and her Specialist in Superintendency. Ms. Benjamin has a beagle puppy named Millie. She also loves to travel and spend time with her niece Isla, and her nephews, Aiden and Evan.
Language Arts :
Mrs. Tara McCune will be teaching Language Arts this year. This will be her fourth year teaching. In May of 2015 she graduated from MWSU with her BA in Elementary Education. She completed her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction through UCM last December, and started her Education Specialists in Educational Technology. Mrs. McCune is recently married! She enjoys watching Netflix, eating Chipotle, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog, Toby!
Social Studies:
Mr. Brett Fleshman will be teaching social studies this year. He brings eleven years of teaching experience to the team. He is from Kirksville, MO and attended NWMSU, where he earned a BA in Elementary Education, a Master's degree in Educational Leadership, and a Specialists degree in Superintendency. Mr. Fleshman is also one of the Lakeview Lady Lynx basketball coaches. He has an English bulldog named Stella. He is also an avid Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Cardinals, and MU Tigers fan. He also really enjoys playing golf.
Science:
Ms. Christy Muehl (pronounced like “meal”) will be teaching science. She brings 18 years of teaching experience to the team. Ms. Muehl has lived in KC her entire life. She earned her BA in Elementary Education from Park University and her Master’s degree in Education from Webster University. She has an energetic eleven year old son named Ivan who will be attending Plaza this school year and a very silly rescue dog named Louie. Ms. Muehl enjoys being a sports mom, knitting, and other crafty activities. She is also a huge Royals baseball fan.
Reading:
Mrs. Cheryl Toby will be teaching reading. This will be her 11th year of teaching and her 11th year at Plaza. Mrs. Toby grew up in the Park Hill School District and has lived in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri. She earned her BA in Elementary Education from Park University and her Master’s degree in Education from Arkansas State University. She and her husband Pat have two sons, Nick (29) who lives in Germany and Ben (25) who lives in Colorado. She also has a playful Westie named Maggie. Mrs. Toby loves to read, cook, hike, and garden.
Math:
Mrs. Cindy Rietzke will be teaching math. This will be her 30th year of teaching in Park Hill. Mrs. Rietzke is from Woodbine, KS. She played volleyball and basketball while getting her degree in Education from Marymount College in Salina, KS. She and her husband Tracy have 2 daughters: Kylie, 25, and Morgan, 24. In her free time, she enjoys time with family, as well as supporting her husband who coaches college volleyball.
Reading Suggestions
- Check out your local library for lots of fun activities, events, and, of course, great books! https://www.mymcpl.org/summer-learning-program
· Sign up for a Goodreads account! You can keep track of books you've read, books you want to read, and write reviews for other students! https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/middle-school
· Scholastic suggests some great titles for 11-13 year old students! http://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/book-lists-and-recommendations/ages-11-13
Math Practice/Games
These math websites can be used for practicing skills or to play fun math games.
https://www.mathgames.com/grade6
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-sixth-grade-math
http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/grade/6th-grade-games/
https://www.coolmath4kids.com/
http://www.mathplayground.com/grade_6_games.html
http://www.softschools.com/math/games/
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/
http://www.hoodamath.com/mobile/games/6thgrade.html
Teacher Contact Information
Ms. Amanda Benjamin: benjamina@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Mrs. McCune: mccunet@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Mr. Brett Fleshman: fleshmanb@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Ms. Christy Muehl: muehlc@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Mrs. Cindy Rietzke: rietzkec@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Mrs. Cheryl Toby: tobyc@parkhill.k12.mo.us