Meet Mrs. Farrugia Hello!
I am so happy you've arrived at my site!! First, let me invite you to attend our Open House on Wed. September 13th from 5:30-7:30pm. I hope you can come and meet me and explore our new art room - room 3! As the year progresses I will be adding more information to my website about not only what we are doing in the art room, but how you can do some easy art at home with your child, and finally what's going on in our community involving art! This is my 13th year teaching at Mattawan Early Elementary! If you didn't know...I taught first grade for 10 years and then in 2015 after Spring Break, I moved into the art room! I cannot even describe how excited I am to be back in an art room! It's been quite a journey...I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in painting and drawing. I have been working with children in a variety of settings for over 25 years. I began working with children as an art therapist after receiving my Masters in Art Therapy from Vermont College. After 15 years working as an art therapist, I decided to work towards a teaching certification in not only Elementary Education, but Art Education K-12. I completed my Masters in Education from Grand Valley State University 5 years ago. It is hard to believe it's already been 15 years since my husband and I, along with our 3 children, moved back to Michigan after living in the San Francisco Bay area for 10 years. We love southwest Michigan! I personally know what a wonderful learning community Mattawan is, because we are also a Mattawan family! Lily is now a Junior at Mattawan, Nick is a Sophomore at U of M, and Lucie is a Senior at U of M! Just to let you know, when we moved to Mattawan, Lucie was just starting 1st grade, and the time has truly flown by! We are a family that has/is involved in tennis, soccer, ski team, Science Olympiad, Model UN, marching and symphonic band, and dance, choir and musicals! I also cannot forget our dog Milo - a corgi who will be 6 in November, and Mickey our beloved goldfish who celebrated his 9th birthday in July! Back to the art room- I feel I have come full circle back into the art room with a wealth of knowledge both as an art therapist and a classroom teacher as well as someone who whole-heartedly believes in the power of the arts! I am excited to develop an innovative art program that approaches working with a variety of art materials with a focus on choice and problem-solving while exploring the principles and elements and art and design along with art history. My goal is that students will leave the Early Elementary building with not only a love and appreciation for the arts, but with transferrable skills from their experiences in the art room solving problems creatively!! I want to let you know that I am a teacher who truly believes in focusing on the WHOLE child. Along with fostering creative growth in the art room, I also place great importance on social and emotional growth. It is going to be a fantastic year! I welcome you to come visit our art room any time! Building relationships and a sense of community is the foundation of my classroom! I work hard to create a comfortable learning space in which I can challenge them and encourage them to do their personal best! Looking forward to meeting you, Mrs. Farrugia |