Hi! My name is Ms. Kristina Woods and I am so thrilled to be a part of the 2nd grade team again this year and have the opportunity to work with your son/daughter. It is also exciting to return to second grade, as it was the first grade level I taught at Casita in 2013. :)
This year is going to be full of changes for me... a new grade level and... a new baby!!! I am currently due to have a little boy on September 1. :) I was born and raised in Escondido where I graduated from Orange Glen High School. I received my BA in Psychology with a Minor in Child Development and a Specialization in Elementary Education from UCLA, and then went on the earn my Teaching Credential at Cal State, San Marcos. After graduating from CSUSM, I spent a year in South Korea teaching English to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. I loved every minute of my year abroad and feel that experience has help me to appreciate cultures other than my own… an appreciation that I try to incorporate into my classroom. This will be my 14th year teaching in Vista Unified School District, since returning "State Side." I taught one year of 5th grade at Breeze Hill Elementary, spent 5 years teaching 8th grade LA/Lit/SS, ELD, and ASB at Madison Middle School, 3 years of 3rd grade at Beaumont Elementary, and this will be my 5th year at Casita... moving back to second grade from 5th grade last year. This will be my second year teaching 2nd grade at Casita and I hope that Casita's 2nd grade will be my home for many years to come. I love traveling in both my home country and abroad. After graduating UCLA, I spent more than a month driving cross country to see 25 of the continental states in this amazingly diverse country of ours and have visited Hawaii three times . South Korea was my first passport stamp (15 years ago)… and I have since traveled abroad to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Australia, Fiji, England, Wales, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, and Ireland. I hope to be able to see many more in the years to come. I am looking forward to the 2017-2018 school year. I can't wait to see how far these young scholars can go, and watch them grow and become more independent, responsible, and open-minded world citizens. I believe that ALL students have a ability to learn and grow each and every year… it will take all of us (teachers, families, and students) to help achieve our goals. :) |