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More new teachers in New London

Elementary, middle schools welcome staff

By Bert Lehman


When school started Sept. 1 elementary and middle school students in the New London School District were greeted by several new teachers.

Here are New London’s new elementary school teachers.

Kristin Ahrens
Ahrens received her bachelor’s degree from UW-Oshkosh and her graduate degree from Silver Lake College.

She has seven years of experience teaching at Amherst Elementary School. She taught kindergarten six years and second grade for one year.

In the New London School District, she’ll teach kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary School.

“I love seeing the smiles and excitement on my students’ faces when they learn something new,” Ahrens said.

She added, “This year I hope to get to know the great families of Lincoln, having a strong relationship with my families is very important to me. My other goal is to ensure success for all of my students.”

Erin Besaw
Besaw received a college degree from UW-Oshkosh.

She taught fifth grade for one year in Green Bay. She also has one year of experience teaching in a Head Start program.

She will be a fourth grade teach at Parkview Elementary School this year.

Watching students develop ideas and personalities is one of the things she enjoys about teaching.

“My goal for the school year is to have a fun and productive classroom,” Besaw said.

Danielle Buchman
From Hortonville, Buchman graduated from UW-Oshkosh and has six years of teaching experience.

She’ll be a special education teacher at New London Intermediate/Middle School.

Buchman said she enjoys making learning individualized and watching her students succeed.

Goals she has for the school year include getting to know and work closely with the families of her students, and implementing a variety of engaging teaching strategies to make learning more exciting.

Kristin Gustafson
At UW-Oshkosh, Gustafson majored in Elementary Education and minored in Language Arts.

She is entering her second year of teaching. Her previous experience includes one year of teaching fifth grade students at 21st Century Preparatory School in Racine.

In the New London School District she’ll teach sixth grade math and language arts at the Intermediate/Middle School. She’ll also coach junior varsity volleyball at New London High School.

“I enjoy sharing my love of learning with my students and to help them achieve their very best,” Gustafson said.

She said her goal is to utilize technology as a tool to enhance student learning and motivation.

Katie Hintzke
From New London, Hintzke received a degree in Elementary Education from UW-Oshkosh. She also received a minor in Language Arts.

Her previous work experience includes working at Day Care Center of New London, and working with 4K students in the Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District.

This school year she will teach at Readfield Elementary School in New London. She’ll teach 5K literacy in the morning and 4K in the afternoon.

One of my favorite things about teaching is seeing the growth young students make from the beginning to the end of the year,” Hintzke said. “It is very rewarding to know that I am providing so many skills and so much knowledge for each student to learn and grow for years to come.”

She said her goals include: Being a positive role model for her students; to provide a safe, fun and nurturing environment for all students; to learn something new that she can share with her students and colleagues; to see success and love of learning in all students; and to be part of the district, community, and to support and help at various events.

Katie Kovalaske
Kovalaske attended UW-Oshkosh, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She also minored in Library Science. Currently, Kavalaske is taking graduate courses towards her master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy at UW-Oshkosh.

She will be an instructional resource coach at New London Intermediate/Middle School. With a flexible schedule, she’ll work with all teachers on research, digital citizenship and technology.

Collaborating with students and staff, as well as learning about and using new technology are items that she enjoys about her job.

“I would also like to help the staff incorporate digital citizenship in their lessons and promote our maker-space in the library,” Kovalaske said.

Getting to know the staff, students and families in New London is also a goal of hers.

Trisha Miller
Miller received an undergraduate degree from UW-Milwaukee, and a master’s degree from UW-La Crosse.

This year she’ll teach third grade at Lincoln Elementary School in New London.

“I hope to have a positive impact on my students, the school community of Lincoln Elementary and the community of New London as a whole,” she said.

Iris Perdomo
Perdomo has a bachelor’s degree in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry.

She has eight years of experience as a bilingual elementary teacher and science teacher in Honduras. In addition, she has one year of experience as a para educator in Green Bay.

In the New London School District she’ll teach English language learners in the bilingual program from kindergarten to fourth grade at Lincoln Elementary School.

“I enjoy working with children, helping them achieve their best,” she said.

She added that she wants to “be the best possible teacher for my students, develop great relationships with their families and the community.”

Aurea Poppy
Poppy has a bachelor’s of science degree in Science/Biology from the University of Puerto Rico. She has also received a Certificate in Translation/Interpretation Spanish from Fox Valley Technical College.

In addition to experience in laboratories in biotechnology, water testing and product research, Poppy has spent two years as a bilingual tutor in the New London School District.

This year she will teach classes for bilingual students at New London Intermediate/Middle School. This includes bilingual language arts, bilingual resource and supporting students in their core subjects.

She said she enjoys helping students succeed in schools.

“My goals for this school year are to be able to get the students to advance on their ACCESS scores and to teach them good study habits,” Poppy said.

Jennifer Tate
From Bear Creek, Tate has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish from Lawrence University. She also has a master’s degree from Lakeland College in Counseling.

She was a school counselor at Marion Elementary School for 11 years.

In the New London School District, she’ll be a school counselor at Lincoln and Sugar Bush Elementary Schools for grades kindergarten through fourth grade.

“I enjoy seeing students reach their goals and feel proud of themselves,” Tate said.

She added, “My goal is to build positive relationships with students, staff, parents and the community.”

Lauren Thompson
Thompson attended Lawrence University and received a bachelor’s degree in Instrumental/General Education, with a minor in Psychology.

She was a Shar Apprentice for one year, and most recently was a preschool teacher at KinderCare.

Thompson will teach morning 4K at Sugar Bush Elementary School this year, as well as music at Sugar Bush and Readfield Elementary Schools to students in kindergarten through fourth grade.

“I love being able to watch my students grow,” Thompson said. “It’s such a privilege to be able to introduce them to their musical and academic journeys.”

In addition to becoming part of the 4K and music teams, she said she wants to challenge herself as an educator.

Sam Van Alstine
Van Alstine is a New London alumnus and graduated college from UW-Stevens Point.

This will be his first year of teaching.

He’ll teach first grade at Lincoln Elementary School.

“I enjoy seeing the students progress from the start of the year to the end of the year, and watching them grow,” Van Alstine said. “I also enjoy getting to know all of my students and personalities.”

He said his goals for the year include helping his students become better readers and writers.

“I also want my students to work together and help each other out when it is needed and help each other grow as learners.

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