Fifth Grade Team

Liz Thomas

Accelerated Math (3-5)/Instructional Coordinator(3-5)

Liz photo  Liz photo

Hi, Kendallvue community!  I am Liz Thomas and I will continue this year as the Advanced Math teacher for 3rd through 5th grade as well as the Instructional Coordinator for the Intermediate grades.  I have been lucky enough to be a part of the Kendallvue community for 13 years now and look forward to many more.  I knew that I wanted to work with children so I graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology thinking that I would become a child psychologist.  After observing in classrooms (and loving it) I changed my mind and went back to school to receive my Masters in Information and Learning Technology along with my teaching degree. Later on, I received my Administrative license from Regis University.  I have had many different roles in education including Assistant Principal, Instructional Coach, and classroom teacher for many different grade levels.  By far this has been my most fulfilling role.  I am constantly challenged to come up with new ways to incite my students to think deeper and apply their learning in new, real-world situations and at the same time I get to work with and support teachers with their instruction.

I am one of those rare “true natives”.  I have always loved the wonderful seasons Colorado offers us (especially the winter).  When I was younger, my family always spent a lot of time in the mountains and even now it is one of my favorite places.  I have a wonderful husband named Bill and 2 adorable fur babies named Bailey and Ralphie.  The 4 of us love to sneak away to the mountains whenever possible to enjoy all that they have to offer.

I believe that in order for students to learn, they first need to feel safe and valued.  When this is established, students are more willing to take risks and persevere to learn more while applying their learning in situations outside of the classroom.  I also believe that learning experiences reach so much further than just the traditional brick and mortar walls of the classroom.  I am so excited about all that we are offering our students at Kendallvue such as the overnight learning experiences, implementing technology and innovation, as well as performance tasks.  I am so excited for our students and their varied learning opportunities and experiences for this coming up school year.  It is going to be a great year!  I look forward to seeing all of you in a few weeks!

Elizabeth.Thomas@jeffco.k12.co.us

Rachael Alford

 


Hello! My name is Rachael Alford and I am so excited to be joining the Kendallvue Elementary family this year. I started my teaching career in the Green Mountain area, and for the past 5 years I've been teaching in the mountains. Although I love tshe Colorado mountains, I am eager to start a new journey down the hill, again. I have taught Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 4th Grade, and now 2nd and 3rd remote! Teaching is my passion and I absolutely love what I do each and every day. 

Along with loving to teach, I also have a love for the outdoors. I enjoy fishing, gardening, hiking, boating, snowboarding and traveling. My favorite place to be is in the middle of the ocean deep sea fishing, with my kids and husband. I have 2 kids, Troy who is 18 and Joyce who is almost 16. We have 3 dogs: Lucky, Duchess, and Belle, along with a leopard gecko named Joe.
 
I have always said that I teach like I parent. I have high expectations for my children and for my students. I believe that people learn best 2 ways: through hands on experiences and through making mistakes. When I teach, I get outside of the classroom as much as possible so the kids have the opportunity to do more 'out of the box' type of learning. 

I am excited to see what this school year brings, and am even more excited to watch your kids grow! Please feel free to reach out for any reason!


rachael.alford@jeffco.k12.co.us

Ian Kenison 


I am Ian Kenison, father of three adorable children and fifth grade teacher here at Kendallvue.  Born and raised in Colorado, I studied economics at the University of Colorado (Go Buffs), and earned my masters in elementary education at Metropolitan University of Denver. 

A lover of the outdoors, sports, books, music, and dad jokes, I strive to inspire your student to find their joy in life.


 

ian.kenison@jeffco.k12.co.us


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