Handley, Laura

About Mme Handley

Bonjour!

I'm excited about teaching another great group of first graders this school year at L'Etoile du Nord! I'm proud to say that I was our school's original kindergarten teacher since its inception in 1996. After teaching in Kindergarten for 15 years, I moved to 1st grade and have been teaching there ever since.  It has been very rewarding to take kindergartners from knowing almost nothing in French to being able to speak, read, and write all in French!  I enjoy teaching first grade students, which allows me to further grow and expand student's speaking, reading, and writing skills!  During my career, I've experienced four building moves, many staff additions, and a wonderful increase in student enrollment.  It's been a tremendously exciting journey watching our school grow and flourish and become the successful school that it is.    

My interest in French began in high school and continued at the University of Minnesota, where I pursued a double major in Elementary Education and French.  I studied abroad for one year at Univeristé de Paul Valéry in Montpellier, France, refining French skills and learning about French culture.  That experience, along with my studies in elementary education, instilled in me a firm belief that languages were best taught to young students.  It also inspired me to search out opportunities to teach French at the elementary level.  The start up of the French Immersion Program in St. Paul has allowed me to realize my dream and allowed my passion for languages and children to grow.        

It has been my privilege to have served on many committees that have supported the growth of our school.  Most notably, I have served as the Intern Coordinator for 10 years, which has provided me a wonderful opportunity to work very closely with our native French-speaking interns and our gracious host families.  While I no longer coordinate on that committee, I have served on it for all 27 years and this year will be supervising the interns at school.  In addition to this, I have served as a teacher representative on the Site Council for six years (1998-2004).  This committee allowed me to collaborate with the principal, staff members, and parent representatives to formulate and help regulate school-wide goals and  policies.   I've also worked five years on the fund-raising committee, in support of raising important funds for our valuable Intern Program.         

I look forward to strengthening existing partnerships as well as creating new partnerships with this year's students and families.  Parents and teachers working together is the best combination for student success!  Please feel free to contact me when you need.