Meet Your Teacher |
Mrs. Gillis |
Welcome to fifth grade! My name is Mrs. Gillis, and I am so excited to be your teacher this school year. This will be my ninth year as the fifth grade teacher, but my fifteenth year teaching at CKS. I taught fourth grade at CKS from 2001-2006. I came back to CKS in 2012 and worked with Mrs. Byrne in first grade. I was thrilled to accept the fifth grade teaching position (as you can tell I have a "thing" for CKS) for the school year 2013-2014. I love teaching at Christ the King because of the wonderful students, parents, teachers, and staff devoted to learning in a community of faith.
I grew up here in Vermont and attended St. Joseph School with my three brothers and sister. I then attended Burlington High School and played varsity basketball for four years. I was accepted at Champlain College and graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Early and Elementary Education, and a minor in Liberal Arts. I graduated with the highest average in the division and was named Student Teacher of the Year in 2001. I am a Level 1 Google Certified Educator, and I am currently training for my Level 2 certification. I only accept the best from myself, and this dedication carries over into my desire to provide the best learning environment for your child. I currently live in Burlington with my husband, Paul, and our two daughters, Isabelle, age sixteen, and Genevieve, age twelve. I spend a lot of time cooking, gardening, running, taking photographs, hiking, camping, paddling on Lake Champlain, and spending time with my family.
Philosophy
I love teaching. I am passionate about learning, and I love finding new methods or activities to share with my students. I strongly believe that this is the only job for me, and God has graciously given me the opportunity to spend my days assisting in educating your children. My goal as your child's teacher is to maintain a dynamic classroom environment that fosters cooperative learning, social and emotional intelligence, differentiated instruction, independence and responsibility, critical thinking, social awareness, confidence, and respect and love for all of God's creation. I feel that children learn best when they belong to a community that fosters security, allowing students to freely express their understanding in multiple ways, and encourages risk taking. It is my goal to make learning tangible for all children, and to create ways to challenge them, so they can improve or extend current successes. Through differentiation, students are able to complete work that is not too easy and not too challenging. Students will have choices in many assignments, and lessons will incorporate a variety of the multiple intelligences so students have access to all the ways they learn best. More than anything, I hope to provide for your child an environment where they feel comfortable, safe, important, and cared for.
I also believe that you know your child best. You are your child’s first teacher, and you continue to lead them throughout all of life’s endeavors. That is why I feel that communication and collaboration between teachers and parents is one of the best ways for a student to reach his or her fullest potential. My hope is to support your child in becoming the best fifth grader he or she can be. The more we communicate about your child, and how he or she learns best, the more effectively I can meet his or her needs in the classroom.
My goal this year is to fully prepare your child to move on to middle school. A big part of this is becoming self-disciplined and organized in the classroom and at home. I need your help! Fifth graders need reminders to keep papers organized and to use time management skills so they can accomplish tasks in a timely manner. Using a calendar is a helpful way for students to learn to budget their time and break down long-term projects into smaller tasks. Checklists are useful tools for tracking completed tasks, and will help your child feel accomplished, especially when completing projects.
We have a lot to look forward to this year, like STARBASE, the Wax Museum, Google Classroom, and the t-shirt book report, just to name a few. I am thrilled to be your guide this year, and look forward to getting to know each of you.
I grew up here in Vermont and attended St. Joseph School with my three brothers and sister. I then attended Burlington High School and played varsity basketball for four years. I was accepted at Champlain College and graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Early and Elementary Education, and a minor in Liberal Arts. I graduated with the highest average in the division and was named Student Teacher of the Year in 2001. I am a Level 1 Google Certified Educator, and I am currently training for my Level 2 certification. I only accept the best from myself, and this dedication carries over into my desire to provide the best learning environment for your child. I currently live in Burlington with my husband, Paul, and our two daughters, Isabelle, age sixteen, and Genevieve, age twelve. I spend a lot of time cooking, gardening, running, taking photographs, hiking, camping, paddling on Lake Champlain, and spending time with my family.
Philosophy
I love teaching. I am passionate about learning, and I love finding new methods or activities to share with my students. I strongly believe that this is the only job for me, and God has graciously given me the opportunity to spend my days assisting in educating your children. My goal as your child's teacher is to maintain a dynamic classroom environment that fosters cooperative learning, social and emotional intelligence, differentiated instruction, independence and responsibility, critical thinking, social awareness, confidence, and respect and love for all of God's creation. I feel that children learn best when they belong to a community that fosters security, allowing students to freely express their understanding in multiple ways, and encourages risk taking. It is my goal to make learning tangible for all children, and to create ways to challenge them, so they can improve or extend current successes. Through differentiation, students are able to complete work that is not too easy and not too challenging. Students will have choices in many assignments, and lessons will incorporate a variety of the multiple intelligences so students have access to all the ways they learn best. More than anything, I hope to provide for your child an environment where they feel comfortable, safe, important, and cared for.
I also believe that you know your child best. You are your child’s first teacher, and you continue to lead them throughout all of life’s endeavors. That is why I feel that communication and collaboration between teachers and parents is one of the best ways for a student to reach his or her fullest potential. My hope is to support your child in becoming the best fifth grader he or she can be. The more we communicate about your child, and how he or she learns best, the more effectively I can meet his or her needs in the classroom.
My goal this year is to fully prepare your child to move on to middle school. A big part of this is becoming self-disciplined and organized in the classroom and at home. I need your help! Fifth graders need reminders to keep papers organized and to use time management skills so they can accomplish tasks in a timely manner. Using a calendar is a helpful way for students to learn to budget their time and break down long-term projects into smaller tasks. Checklists are useful tools for tracking completed tasks, and will help your child feel accomplished, especially when completing projects.
We have a lot to look forward to this year, like STARBASE, the Wax Museum, Google Classroom, and the t-shirt book report, just to name a few. I am thrilled to be your guide this year, and look forward to getting to know each of you.