Laura Gates is one of our amazing 1^st grade teachers.  With a Bachelor’s Degree from CSU Fullerton and a Masters Degree from Pepperdine in Education and Psychology, Mrs. Gates brings an extensive depth of knowledge to her craft.  She has taught both kindergarten and 1^st grade in her career, 6 years each.  Mrs. Gates’ brings an incredible energy, excitement, and care to her class every day.  Her students comment on her clever lessons, dynamic classroom, and joy she brings to learning. 

Mrs. Gates has 3 children, all attending Arroyo Vista K-8.  Meanwhile, her husband is serving our country in Kuwait currently.  Mrs. Gates would like to extend a thank you to all of the families and staff who have shown such care and support for her family during this time.

Mrs. Gates, Arroyo Vista thanks you for all that you do for students and staff daily.  You are a joy to those who know you.

Mr. Henry currently teaches 2^nd Grade at Arroyo Vista and is our Elementary Teaching Assistant Principal.   He has earned two Bachelor’s of Arts Degrees from USC:  Political Science and Communications.  Meanwhile, he holds a Master’s Degree in Administration.  Mr. Henry has taught 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd grades in his career, earning Teacher of the Year in 2002.  Mr. Henry brings excitement, creativity, and high standards to his classroom. 

 He is recognized throughout the school for his prowess as our resident DJ for events such as the Jog-A-Thon.  Mr. Henry has two interesting side notes relating to sports in his life:  he worked as a Student Manager for the USC Football team and he also met his lovely wife, Mrs. Henry at an Angels game.  Thank you to Mr. Henry for all you do to make learning valuable and enjoyable for our students!

Michele Elkin-Soble currently teaches 3^rd grade at Arroyo Vista.  She has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from SUNY at Albany and an MA in Teaching from Manhattanville College.  She has taught Kindergarten through 3^rd grade in her career.  Her formal education coupled with her vast experience makes her a wonderful asset to the Arroyo Vista team.

Her depth of experience and knowledge in the art of teaching is to be commended.  She has served as a District Mentor teacher, holds multiple certificates in reading strategies, has served as Union Representative, and mentored new teachers as a Master Teacher for  multiple years.  Meanwhile, she serves the entire student community through her role as Student Study Team Coordinator, setting strategies for improvements in learning K through 8. 

Through her high expectations, care for students, and collaboration with families, Mrs. Elkin has an impact on the entire Arroyo Vista K-8 School.   Parents, students, and peers respect and value her contributions to student success.  Thank you, Mrs. Elkin-Soble for all that you do for Arroyo Vista K-8.

Arroyo Vista students, Kindergarten through 8^th grade, benefit from the wonderful teaching talents of Kim Nason.  Her formal education comes from USC with a Bachelor’s in Music Education and California Teaching Credential.  Mrs. Nason brings the most positive, pleasant, and dynamic lessons to her students daily.  She has 21 years experience formally teaching music, with 30 years experience leading choirs, preschool through adult. 

Interesting notes, Mrs. Nason has had several unique performance opportunities.  She sang in the choir for the opening ceremonies at the 1984 Olympics in LA, sang with Barry Manilow at the Greek Theater, and directs an annual musical at her church.  She also leads the collaborative Winter Concert including students and staff in an entertaining new tradition at AV K-8.

Mrs. Nason’s students comment on her fun approach to education and can be often found singing under their breath the songs they have learned.  Thank you, Mrs. Nason, for all that you do here at Arroyo Vista and your wonderful work with students.

Mrs. Adlparvar teaches 5^th grade at Arroyo Vista K-8.  She brings a wide range of experience and care to her students daily.  Mrs. Adlparvar’s experience includes teaching grades K, 2, 5, 7, and 11.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Houston in Education and a Bachelor’s in English from the University of Zimbabwe. 

Mrs. Adlparvar shares that she is grateful to work doing exactly what she wanted for her career.  She has lived and /or worked on 5 different continents throughout her life.  She brings this broad perspective to her teaching as she has learned amazing people are everywhere and from all walks of life.  She continues to learn from and appreciate those she meets, including her students.  Mrs. Adlparvar’s students treasure her care, compassion, and high expectations that she brings to the classroom daily.  Thank you, Mrs. Adlparvar, for all that you do for Arroyo Vista K-8.

Mrs. Renz is one of our amazing 1^st Grade teachers.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree from UC Irvine and Teaching Credentials from CSU Fullerton.  She has taught grades 1 and 2 in her career.  Mr. Renz brings high expectations to her classroom and her students consistently rise to them.  She is fair, caring, and organized.  Her students benefit from her love of teaching as she truly has found a career that is her passion. 

Mrs. Renz has participated in after school tutoring, served on Leadership Team, coordinated DIBELS (common assessments monitoring student progress) for the school, and taught summer school.  She also earned an award this year where a student nominated her for Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year.