Grade 1
Mrs. Wise
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John Carroll University Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education with a Reading Endorsement Philosophy I believe each child is an individual with their own timing of growth, learning style, and personality. Each student has the right to learn in a safe, nurturing, and fun environment. As a teacher it is my job to create this environment and to provide children with authentic learning opportunities. megan.wise@st-gabrielschool.org |
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University of Dayton Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education Philosophy I believe that every child should have an equal opportunity to learn in a nurturing, loving, and fair environment. christine.rusnak@st-gabrielschool.org |
![]() Miss Breonna Strong will be joining our First Grade team. Miss Strong has a Masters degree in Education in Early Childhood Education from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre Performance from Kent State University. She has previously worked at St. John Lutheran School and the Goddard School. Miss Strong is believes in creating a nurturing and inclusive classroom community that fosters collaboration, respect, and creativity.
breonna.strong@st-gabrielschool.org |
Mrs. Colacarro, Aide Grade 1

Education
Bowling Green State University
Bachelor of Science in
Child and Family Community Services
Philosophy
Investing in the lives of children through prayer, encouragement, and instruction is an essential role of a teacher. I am committed to supporting a loving atmosphere of trust which will enable each child to feel valued for who they are. When children feel valued, they are more likely to eagerly embrace learning and they begin to understand how God, their Creator, loves and accepts them. “Always try to be kind to each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Bowling Green State University
Bachelor of Science in
Child and Family Community Services
Philosophy
Investing in the lives of children through prayer, encouragement, and instruction is an essential role of a teacher. I am committed to supporting a loving atmosphere of trust which will enable each child to feel valued for who they are. When children feel valued, they are more likely to eagerly embrace learning and they begin to understand how God, their Creator, loves and accepts them. “Always try to be kind to each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Grade 1 Overview

Welcome to our Primary grades, Grades One, Two, and Three, at St. Gabriel School! By providing a warm, supportive, and nurturing CHRIST centered environment, St. Gabriel Primary classrooms provide opportunities for children to learn and grow. We strive to place our students in a safe environment that says, “yes, I can be successful!” We take great pride in sharing with you the academic, social, and faith components of the Primary program.
Philosophy
We believe that children in the early childhood years possess unique needs, learning styles and potential as they move from the Kindergarten experience into the middle childhood years. They go through many changes in these critical years of developing a new independence, and learning many basic foundational skills, and moving bit by bit from concrete to more abstract thinking and problem solving.
We strive to provide a high quality early childhood program that promotes a broad spectrum of support for the child’s spiritual, cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. We believe in the concept that knowledge is constructed by the child through his or her interactions with the physical and emotional world. This concept places the child and their unique gifts, needs, ideas, and explorations as the central point in the classroom. By providing rich, hands-on, discovery based learning opportunities, the children are provided a safe learning environment where they are encouraged to take risks in order to maximize their learning potential.
Our goal is that they move into the middle childhood grades, ready to use their basic skills more in depth to learn and grow in all areas, especially in the deeper content areas of science and social studies. Another goal is that they also are beginning to develop a strong sense of personal faith life and relationship with Jesus, and begin to see more clearly how loving and serving others is being Christ every day, everywhere.
Philosophy
We believe that children in the early childhood years possess unique needs, learning styles and potential as they move from the Kindergarten experience into the middle childhood years. They go through many changes in these critical years of developing a new independence, and learning many basic foundational skills, and moving bit by bit from concrete to more abstract thinking and problem solving.
We strive to provide a high quality early childhood program that promotes a broad spectrum of support for the child’s spiritual, cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. We believe in the concept that knowledge is constructed by the child through his or her interactions with the physical and emotional world. This concept places the child and their unique gifts, needs, ideas, and explorations as the central point in the classroom. By providing rich, hands-on, discovery based learning opportunities, the children are provided a safe learning environment where they are encouraged to take risks in order to maximize their learning potential.
Our goal is that they move into the middle childhood grades, ready to use their basic skills more in depth to learn and grow in all areas, especially in the deeper content areas of science and social studies. Another goal is that they also are beginning to develop a strong sense of personal faith life and relationship with Jesus, and begin to see more clearly how loving and serving others is being Christ every day, everywhere.
St. Gabriel Catholic Church
9935 Johnnycake Ridge Road Concord Township, OH 44060 School Phone: 440-352-6169 Week Day After School Hours: 440-354-7843 (until 6 pm) Learning Loft PS Phone: 440-354-7574 Fax: 440-639-0143 St. Gabriel School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. The enrollment for the 2023-24 year in grades JK-8th is 560. All employees and volunteers who have contact with students undergo thorough screening, including background checks through the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation & Identification (BCI&I). For complete information on screening policies, see the revised Policy for the Safety of Children in Matter of Sexual Abuse, section 1.2 (p.3). |