Hello from our Lower School Librarians

Welcome to the Watt Library!  I am Allison Williams, the head librarian in the Lower School. Many of your children will have already met me if they attended Cubs Camp or Getting Ready for JK this summer. I will be working with your children in the library this year, along with my colleague Susan Overton.  

We like to think the Watt Library is at the heart of the school and also an extension of what goes on in your child’s classroom. We will be sharing stories and songs with your children as part of their regular schedule. Each student at Collegiate has his or her own library card, and soon after the beginning of school your child will begin to check out a library book to take home.  Caring for the book and returning it on time is part of a Junior Kindergartner’s responsibility. To help them in this task, each child has a Paw Pouch in which to keep their books. 

I know that Collegiate families are reading families, and I encourage you to share this pleasure throughout the year.

I look forward to meeting you all on Parent's Night when the Watt Library hosts a Book Sale of new books for our collection.  

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Allison Williams 
Susan Overton

Hello from Academic Services

Hi, and welcome to the Collegiate community!  

My name is LaNessa West, and I am the Co-Chair of Academic Services: Differentiation / Literacy Specialist.  I am delighted that your precious "babies" will be joining us this year in our Lower School.

I serve as a point guard for students, teachers, parents and the Lower School Academic Services Department.  I am dedicated to meeting the needs of ALL students, especially those needing extra support with literacy.  Assisting in developing a plan for instruction and suggesting strategies to help students work toward their academic potential is my "claim to fame"!  I love seeing their smiling faces as they enter our buildings!  I already consider it a privilege to be even a small part of one of the most important milestones of your little one's life.

I would also like to ask that you join me in welcoming the newest member to our Academic Services Team, Cathy Gregory. Cathy will serve as the Co-Chair of Academic Services: Learning Specialist. Cathy will also be dedicated to meeting the needs of ALL students, especially those with learning differences. She will assist classroom teachers, parents and the Lower School Academic Service Department with developing a plan for instruction, and suggesting strategies to help students work toward their academic potential. I know she is eager and excited to join the Collegiate community and to be a new COUGAR just like your sweet cherubs!

Please feel free to email me with any questions at lwest@collegiate-va.org or stop by anytime just to say hello and introduce yourself.  I hope to meet as many of you as possible over the course of the school year!

Sincerely,

LaNessa West

Lower School Co-Chair Academic Services

 Hello everyone.  It's so hard for me to believe it's August!  I hope you are having a wonderful summer.  

I wanted to introduce you to several resource teachers who will work with your children during their JK year.  We are so blessed at Collegiate to have such wonderful faculty to love and care for our children.  I'll start with Christine Hoffman, one of our fantastic music teachers who will work with our littlest Cougars!

Anne Bruce


Hello Junior Kindergartners and Parents,

My name is Christine Hoffman, and I will teach Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade music this year.  I am excited to meet you at the end of August!

In my music room, we will explore ourselves, our community, and our world through music. We will sing, play instruments, dance, and play lots of games. I believe in four stages of music learning, taken from the Orff Schulwerk approach to music education:  imitation, exploration, improvisation, and composition.  We will use our voices, bodies, unpitched percussion instruments (such as drums, triangles, maracas, wood blocks, guiros, tambourines, etc.) and pitched barred instruments (such as xylophones, glockenspiels, and metallophones) to move through these four stages.  I believe in creating a comfortable and respectful environment in my classroom that allows for mistakes and promotes creativity.  

I maintain a website throughout the school year with pictures and videos from class, as well as information about my curriculum, upcoming performances, and other information that I hope you find to be useful.  Please check my website for updates throughout the year. 

http://musicwithmrshoffman.weebly.com

I'm looking forward to a wonderful year together.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Christine Hoffman
christine_hoffman@collegiate-va.org