Beverly Cleary School

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the beginning of an exciting school year.  I will be your child's 4th or 5th grade teacher in a blended classroom.  Until we have the opportunity to become better acquainted, I thought I would tell you a little about myself.  I'm excited to be starting my 12th year of teaching.  Before I came to Beverly Cleary I taught at Jackson Middle School in Southwest Portland for 11 years.  While at Jackson, I taught 6th grade self contained (6 years), 7th grade math and self contained (2 years), and 8th grade block (3 years).  My experience at Jackson was very rich in the arts, collaboration, and differentiation.  I can't wait to bring and use my prior knowledge about teaching into an elementary setting. 

Prior to moving to this area, I grew up in Bend.  If you've ever visited you understand how hard it was to leave such a beautiful area.  I attended and graduated from Central Oregon Community College with my Associates.  Then I transferred to Western Oregon University and completed my undergraduate degree in Education.  While at Western, I spent a semester abroad at Cambridge University in England studying education and geography.  After graduating, I substituted in the Bend and Portland area for a year and taught summer school before getting hired by Portland Public Schools.  I completed my graduate work at Lewis and Clark in school counseling. 

I'm an avid sports fan and enjoy many types of sporting events like college football and basketball, baseball, and hockey.  I also enjoy and spend time engaging in outdoor recreation like snowboarding, fly fishing, camping, wake boarding, water skiing, running, hiking/mountain climbing, and cycling.  When I'm not outdoors I love to read, travel, cook, shop, and spend time with family and friends. 

I consider myself a life-long learner and try hard to instill that value in my students.  I take the education of your child very seriously and work very hard and passionately to prepare them for their future education and life.  As a parent myself, I teach your child with the care and concern I'd want for my own daughter.  I look forward to working with you this school year.  I believe in a strong collaboration between parent(s) and the teacher.  The key to this relationship is communication.  Please do not hesitate to call, email, or meet with me about any concerns, questions, or comments regarding your child throughout this year.  I know with dedication on everyone's part, we'll have a successful experience. 

Best Wishes,

Liz Kobs