Meet Mrs. Lochel

Today is an exciting day--it's Meet the Teacher! 

All of my new parents will be coming in today to, well, meet ME!

Here's a little bit about me just to get us started. 

This is me and my husband, Mr. Lochel, on a weekend trip to Asheville, NC this summer.  We have been married for 4 years!  

We have 2 sweet cats at home.

We love to go white water rafting!  We have season passes to the USNWC in Charlotte and took a trip into Tennessee for our anniversary and rafted down the Nolichucky River!

I am from Fort Mill and have lived here my entire life.  My Mom and Dad are both still living here too!

This year marks the start of my 8th year teaching.  I have been at Sugar Creek since it opened 3 years ago.  I have taught 1st grade for 6 years and this is my 2nd year in Kindergarten.

I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember.  See if you can find me in this picture.  This was the end of my pre-school year. I was just months away from becoming a kindergartner myself!



Last year I was honored with the award of Fort Mill School District Teacher of the Year.  I had a fantastic year meeting up with other DTOYs from across our state, attending state forums, and hearing people talk about education.  This year, I will head up the Fort Mill Teacher Forum which brings together teacher leaders from each school.  This is a picture from my day at the State House with my DTOY friends from York and Clover.

And, I won a CAR for a year!  I'll be giving it up soon, but I've enjoyed every minute of it! Thank you again Toyota of Rock Hill!

In my free time I love to read and spend time with my amazing Mom.  This is a picture of us from my wedding day.

Above all, I just love to teach.  I love the children and I love providing them with a solid foundation and a love for learning that will stay with them for many years to come.

I hope that helps you get to know me a little better. 

I couldn't be more thankful or thrilled to be starting a new school year with a group of eager kindergartners. 

Hopefully we'll all be able to Keep Up With The Kindergartners!

Meet The Teacher

The day we first lay eyes on each other - teacher and student - has to be one of the most exciting times that we'll experience all year.  As the waiting and the nerves and the anticipation all come to fruition in an instant, we are, in that same moment of time, soon calmed and filled with shy handshakes, smiles, hugs, and laughter.

This year our Kindergarten team will be doing Meet the Teacher differently than any other grade level at our school.  Meet the Teacher happens in our district on the elementary level the Monday before school begins on Wednesday.

We decided that since many of our parents will be bringing their first child to school, they deserve a little more time and attention than other grade levels that have "been there, and done that" before.  And, we love the idea of making the parents feel more welcome and comfortable in this place where they'll be sharing their children with us for the next 5 years. 

So, instead of having three "drop in" sessions from 4:00-6:00 that have become quite informal, we will be holding 4 or 5 scheduled, sit down, sessions. When our families receive their placement letters, they will also see a time scheduled for Meet the Teacher.  Sessions will be on the same day as the rest of the school but will be at either 10:00, 11:00, 1:00, 2:00, or 3:00.  This way, we can ensure a small group of parents to sit and talk with.  Parents will be encouraged to bring their kindergartner(s) in with them!  Our assistants will take the children on a tour of the school (playground, cafeteria, etc) and work with them in the hallway. 

I will go over my "ABC's of Kindergarten", share my procedures and expectations, and answer any questions.  I will also share all the elements that make up my "Shark Files Notebook" which includes a weekly newsletter, behavior sheet, reading log, homework, notes and money pouch, etc.

This is also a GREAT time to get parents to fill out name tags for their own children for the first 4 or 5 days of school.  This saves me a lot of time AND since they are writing down how their child will go home those particular days, there is less room for questions and confusion.  There are always some that will be bus riders for the year, but that want to be car riders for the first day or two. We also encourage them to bring in any supplies this day so we have another workday to sort them all out before school begins. 

Do you have a "Meet the Teacher" type day before school begins?