Meet   Miss Natalie Byerly

Dear New Friends,

Dear New Friends, 

My name  is Miss Natalie Byerly and I am honored to be your curriculum coach  at   Koontz again this year!  I am so eager and excited I can hardly wait to get started!

I  always wanted to teach school from the time I was a little girl in Kindergarten.  Cliché as it may sound, “I wanted to help save the world!”  I never veered from this course and always loved school.  I was the neighborhood kid you hated going to her house because I ALWAYS wanted to play school.

 ”As a classroom teacher for twenty years I am passionate about literacy, learning,and student success!

 In 1992 my life changed dramatically when I was one of thirty-five teachers from the United States to fly to New Zealand to observe their school system. (New Zealand could boast the highest literacy rate in the world to a disappointing 49th for the United States at the time)   I had never flown and left my Dad, wiping a tear or two that day at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.  I was determined to see the best schools in the world even if it meant risking my life.

 My teaching took a whole new direction as I learned about Child Centered Learning, Running Records, Marie Clay, Guided Reading, Shared Reading, and Donald Graves.   My passion for education grew to new heights and I would never again be the same teacher. 

 I came back to the United States that summer, as a “second year teacher to be”and threw out everything in my filing cabinets.  (and in my mind to search for better ways to teach—researched based  philosophies.)  There were no worksheets; round robin reading or art projects just because it was cute.   I was on a quest for Literacy and to be the best teacher in the world! Student success was my goal.  My personal life took a backseat to my teaching! Teaching was and still is, MY LIFE!

 As a lifelong learner, I am excited about this new position as Curriculum Coach.  I am looking forward to working collaboratively with each of you, to provide endless learning opportunities for our students. 

 My personal goal is to have every child at Koontz reading at or above grade level this year and I will strive to make our school number one in Rowan County. 

It is with much excitement and eagerness that I look forward to facilitating and implementing our Rowan- Salisbury School's Focus Areas.  Staff and students can look forward to Guided Reading, Shared Reading, Interactive Writing, Writer’s Workshop, Writing Across the Curriculum, a school wide pen pal program, the purchase and implementation of a school wide guided reading leveled library, new NC Math Partners’ Training, and a new math textbook Envisions and so much more!

This is going to be an amazing year at Koontz!

Watch us while we soar to the top!

 Sincerely,

Natalie Byerly 

Koontz staff would like to thank the  Blanche & Hubert Ritchie Foundation for their generous funding of Koontz Elementary's Guided Reading Leveled Library.  This tremendous grant of nearly $50,000 will purchase a complete K-5 Leveled bookroom.  The book room boasts new shelving that will house 1500 titles of books, each with six copies..  This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to thrive in reading.

  During Guided reading teachers pull small groups of students in groups of no more than six.  Books are selected on the student's level.  Skills are taught and students are given chances to read and thrive.  Groups are flexibly grouped and students move swiftly through a variety of books.  

This amazingly, generous gift from the Ritchie Foundation is one that promises to show huge growth in our reading scores and the individual success of each child.  

On behalf of Koontz School, I would like to extend our deepest most heart felt appreciation for this gift.  I promise, Our school will make you very proud!

I will post photos of our bookroom, soon!  Stay tuned! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~