April 2017

Mrs. Michelle Esquivel is the kindergarten teacher at MacArthur Park Lutheran School.  When her students are tested at the end of the year, they know 135 sight words.  In public school, students have learned an average of 40 sight words.

In addition to having a great teacher, Mrs. Esquivel’s Mac Park kindergarten students have the advantage of getting to work with two volunteers.

Mrs. Virginia Stowell works with the students on Mondays and Wednesdays.  She does guided reading for 15-20 minutes with each student on each of the two days.  She also guides them in writing sentences.

Volunteer Mrs. Starla Sweda, who is also a school board member, gives her time weekly to teach the kindergarten students “Handwriting without Tears.”  She also serves as a resource for the Mac Park faculty and staff on questions regarding occupational therapy that is her area of expertise.