Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! I am Mrs. Lorna Rootare and glad to be in Family Three, my happy place. Again this year, I am part of a five-person team with all of the Family Three teachers working together. All teachers will be teaching multiple subjects, so it is not a simple thing to say a particular teacher will be teaching a specific subject. For example,  I will be teaching science and so will Mrs. Nikki Nicholl and our newest teacher, Mrs. Meghan Templeton. If you are in my homeroom though, I will be your science and ELA teacher and Mrs. April Smalley, will be teaching you social studies. When I say this is my happy place, it is! I have been a Family Three teacher,  teaching the 5th and 6th grades at Webster for over 20 years! I love these ages, students are old enough to understand humor, have many things going on, and are pretty willing to try new things.  My first-grade teacher was a hero to me and I have wanted to be a teacher since being in her class. I attended Eastern Michigan University for both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Elementary Science and Math. 

At Open House, many families were able to attend, which was very nice considering it was before school had even started and it was SO HOT. If you were not able to make it that night the Open House paperwork that was handed out will go home with you on Monday. It is in your mailbox. Also, all students will be getting GO HOME folders from the PTA  to help with that.  Getting to meet and see some of you last week was a great start, and Monday will be even better with seeing almost all of your faces. One student will be out that day but he has no other option, with a health concern. He will join us very soon. I hope you are all as excited as I am. It is going to be a great year! 

Now, to learn a bit more about me, read on! The kinds of things that bring balance to me are relationships; with my family, friends, and students. I also try to treat each day as a new day for students and myself. I like to keep busy with the things that I feel feed your soul. This includes some walking, paper crafting with others, and in the summer kayaking with my daughter, Sidney. (That is us in the pic with her wearing a Barbie T-shirt before we left for the movie.) My husband, Niel, and I are parents to four awesome kids, (yes, I may be a bit biased.)  Our children are pretty much grown. My 'baby' Ryan is in another pic with my mom to show the height differences. He is definitely ours, but taller than both parents by a lot! (He has tall uncles!)  My daughter, Lindsay, is an actress living in New York. My son, Michael's big news is that he and his wife, Laney, had a delayed honeymoon due to her being in law school and they just honeymooned in Paris during August. My youngest daughter, Sidney,  also has her  'grown up' job in the day time and goes  to Cosmetology School in the evenings,  so she is one busy lady! We have a new addition to our family this summer and that is our dog, Luna Mae, (see pic) Making cards is a favorite creative outlet for me, as is baking, and both are hobbies that I love to share. At school, math and science are my main background, but I also like to help students find ways to incorporate creativity into their learning and just plain have fun too. Animals are another love. Luna Mae is at home and my turtle, Lucky, is soon to be a part of our class again. He is the happiest turtle you will ever meet, truly! He very much prefers being in school and getting almost unlimited attention from students as compared to only a few people at home. He will join us after the Labor Day weekend. Finally, the last major thing that makes me happy is reading. I am a news junkie and am always reading multiple books at a time. 

Having a little background on me professionally and personally, I want you to also know it is my most sincere wish that home and school will work together to form a support team for the students in my classes. If you are a returning student and family, you know this already. Positive attitudes and consistent support make the school experience good for most students and are even more important for those dealing with difficulties.  Together, we can be the difference that helps your child to be successful. If you need to reach me please use email as this is checked multiple times daily. Thank you for entrusting your child and their learning to me. 

Sincerely,

Lorna Rootare