Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to the 2022-2023 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,  Mrs. Vine, Mrs. Wahl, and I will all be teaching science. If you are in my homeroom though, I will be your science and ELA teacher. New teacher, 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, they 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, almost all families were able to attend, which was very nice considering it was before school had even started. We are finally looking more like we have traditionally looked for going back to school. What I mean by that is, we have regular, full class sizes and students are able to sit in table groups. The first day was short and quick and pretty crazy too! When you consider that not only were kids coming back from summer break, to a school that is not a neighborhood school, and they could sit near each other (when they were individually spaced from each other the last two years) you can believe they were excited to not only see and catch up with friends, but were also very open to meeting new friends. 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. 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, just graduated from Wayne State. My daughter, Lindsay, is an actress living in New York. My son, Michael's big news is that he is a newlywed with his bride, Laney. And Sidney, my youngest daughter, also has her  'grown up' job, but recently decided she wanted to go to Cosmetology School so she is a student again too..We have a  'Pandemic Puppy' - Sammy - who is 2 years old and is definitely the baby of the family now. 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. Sammy, our pup, is at home and my turtle, Lucky, is now a part of our class. 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. 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

Below you will find links to the other Family Three teacher websites:

Mrs. Macek

Mrs. Wahl

Mrs. Vine