In this month's Staff Spotlight, we are highlighting someone who is relatively new to D38, but has already received high praise from both her students and school leadership. She says her school feels like home and tries to bring fun and joy to learning in her classroom. This month's Staff Spotlight features Katie Garrett, Fourth Grade Teacher at Prairie Winds Elementary.
What drew you to work in D38, and what has been your journey in education?
We moved from a small town out of state, with a small district that was very highly rated. When we moved to Colorado, we knew we wanted our own three children to be in a small district with great ratings, and D38 is closer to us than our home district's elementary school. My cousin attended Prairie Winds Elementary, and our family spoke so highly of her experience here, so this was our first choice! It was such a blessing and bonus that I was able to get a fourth grade teaching job at the same school our own kids attend. As for my journey in education, this is my third state I’ve taught in, my sixth year in elementary school, and my ninth year teaching overall.
What is your favorite thing about working in D38 and at Prairie Winds Elementary?
Prairie Winds feels like home. I absolutely love the staff, and our administration. We have so much fun! Everyone agrees that we will do what is best for kids, and we prioritize communication throughout grade levels, so that expectations stay consistent from kindergarten through sixth grade.
How would you hope your students remember their time in your classroom?
I hope they remember all of the fun things we get to do in the classroom, like building our own zoos in math to find area and perimeter, or the research projects we’ve done, like researching an influential person in Colorado’s history, or dissecting squids (I’m sure they will remember that one!). Overall, I hope they remember the fun and joy we brought to learning in fourth grade.
Can you tell us about a time a student or staff member inspired you or just brightened your day?
I think one of my favorite things that always brightens my day is when my students choose “lunch bunch with Mrs. Garrett” for their ClassDojo points rewards. The fact that they want to hang out with me during their lunch and just chat about all sorts of random things is the sweetest! I love hearing about all of their favorite things and what’s going on in their worlds.
We hear that you plan to do something kind of unique with the garden at Prairie Winds (something involving bees). Can you tell us about that and the garden at Prairie Winds?
My husband runs a small scale commercial beekeeping business, so I will be bringing honeybees back to Prairie Winds this spring! We will bring a few hives here, which will help with pollinating our incredible garden that Mrs. Cooley runs for us. Mrs. Cooley has an observation hive that I am so excited to pull a frame of bees for and be able to show kids up close (safely!) how honeybees work in a hive. We have so many amazing things that we can do with the honeybees, and products from the hives at Prairie Winds. I have already brought in honey for one of our Try it Tuesdays, and we can do all sorts of things with harvesting honey, pollen, propolis, and wax. I can’t wait to get the kids excited about all the good that honeybees and native pollinators do for our environment.
Is there anything you would like to say to, or a message you would like to share with the rest of your team/school?
Prairie Winds is such an incredible school. I am grateful every single day to be here! It really does feel like home, both being a teacher here and also having my own kids attend here. I am so proud of all the hard work our staff puts in every day, and am so lucky to be a part of it.