Welcome to First Grade!

Below you will find information about our classroom and all of the learning that takes place! 

For our classroom rules, we learn how to become a leader through our Leader in Me program: We teach the children about the 8 Habits of Success, which are: 1. be proactive, 2. begin with the end in mind, 3.  put first things first, 4. think win-win, 5. seek first to understand, then be understood, 6. synergize, 7. sharpen the saw, 8. find your voice. We celebrate this learning through earning leadership tickets, having leaders of the week, and having monthly assemblies! 

For Social Studies, first grade focuses on communities and maps. We learn how to be a good citizen, how to get along with others, and why maps are important. 

For EL (whole group reading) and science, we use an integrated curriculum! Our EL program teaches kids about our science standards through researching, reading, writing, and creating. We learn about tools and how they help us do a job, about the sky (star, moon, and sun patterns), and we learn about animal survival (birds in particular) and their life cycles. 

For PL reading groups, we group the children based on exactly what skills they need  to work on. We use a Reading Simplified approach, where the students re-read, engage in word work, and do a new guided reading everyday. Reading Simplified includes a pathway with certain sound patterns. The sound patterns that your child will be working on in their group depends on their individual needs and skills to help your child become the best reader they can be! 

For Math, we use our IL curriculum and Better Thinking Classroom strategies. Our units include whole group lessons and digital centers,  which helps us differentiate based on your child’s needs for math. Our units include fluency with adding and subtracting 1-20, adding and subtracting 1-99 (using tens and ones), story problems, shapes, fractions, and telling time. Our Better Thinking classroom strategies have children work in partners at a whiteboard, so they are doing their own thinking and taking ownership of their learning in a way that’s best for them! 

I am Mrs. MacKinnon and so happy to begin my 25th year teaching in the Meeker family. This is such an amazing learning community!  I received my Masters in Education at The Evergreen State College in Western Washington before moving to Fort Collins in 2007.  I have taught Kindergarten through 4th grade and love the learning opportunities at each grade level.  I value relationships and love to include families into the classroom to collaborate in our learning. 

When I am not teaching, I love hiking with my husband and two dogs, Winnie and Kirby.  I also love cooking and gardening. 

Hello Meeker families! I am Ms. Applegate, I was born and raised in Wyoming and taught there for 12 years, before moving to Colorado. This will be my fourth year teaching at Meeker and I very excited for it! I have taught pre-k through 3rd grade and I have my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and my Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with a reading emphasis. I love teaching first grade because of the tremendous growth that occurs at this level! I like to create a fun and engaging classroom, while the kids feel safe and comfortable. 

I recently got engaged and my fiance and I have one dog, Vayda. We enjoy taking her on walks and spoiling her! I also enjoy doing crafts, reading, playing board games, attending concerts, and outdoor activities. 

Aloha! My name is Mrs. Guerrero. This is my seventh year teaching at Meeker and my tenth year teaching in District 6. I’ve taught preschool to third grade and everything in between! This will be my third year teaching first grade. It’s so amazing to see the growth that happens over the year! 

I was raised on the island of Oahu, HI and moved to Colorado to attend CSU. When I’m not at school, I enjoy reading, being outside, camping, and paddleboarding, I live in Fort Collins with my husband Jeremiah, our 2 ½ year old daughter Mahealani, and our dog Olive. 

I am very excited for this school year and am looking forward to working together to help your child be a strong learner and a leader!