Hello families! 

My name is Natalie Renschen and I'm one of the first grade teachers here at Mississippi Creative Arts. I graduated from University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. This is my fifth year of teaching and third year at Mississippi. I live in Minneapolis and love to run, hike, cook, listen to music, and spend time with friends and family. I'm looking forward to working with you and your child this schoolyear!

In first grade, your child will work on developing their reading, writing, math, and phonics skills through a combination of hands-on activities, pencil & paper, and educational apps such as Seesaw or Raz Kids. Your child also has daily specialist classes that include music, drama, dance, and art. In first grade, we work to develop your child's social-emotional skills by encouraging partner/group work, teaching conflict resolution skills, and allowing opportunities for play outside of recess.  It's very important that your child reads outside of school for at least 10 minutes everyday! Whether it's from their home book bag or on Raz Kids, finding the time to squeeze in some reading will significantly improve your child's reading fluency and stamina. Sometimes I will send homework packets that can be done throughout the week based on the skills we have been learning in class. Other times, I will assign Seesaw activities or encourage your child to work on a variety of educational apps at home (Raz Kids, ABC Spelling, IXL, Line 'Em Up, Tumblebooks, PebbleGo). 

If you have any questions or concerns, the best way to contact me is through email natalie.renschen@spps.org or by phone 651-293-8840.