FOR INCLUSIVE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
F.I.R.E.

St. Elizabeth Catholic School is one of twelve Diocesan schools that benefit from grants through the FIRE Foundation.  What does that mean? We believe strongly in inclusive education where all children, regardless of ability, learn together. The benefits of inclusive education are numerous for both students with and without special needs. Inclusion also gives Catholic learning communities a unique opportunity to live our faith by modeling Christ’s love for others.   

Support F.I.R.E. (and STE's) with Amazon!

Amazon has an Amazon Smiles program that donates a percentage of what you buy back to different charities. If you are not already supporting a charity through this program please consider designating FIRE. If you already support another organization, that's great! We all need some help from our friends!

Click here to visit and engage with Amazon Smile. Review the explanation, purpose and how to get started.

Thanks for considering your participation, every little bit helps!

Find out morE ABOUT F.I.R.E.

Resources from Mrs. Moreland

SAVE THE DATE:

• September 29-October 23: 25 Days of F.I.R.E. 
• October 23: FIREball at Loews Hotel Downtown Kansas City

Click for more information about STE's 25 Days of Fire!

The history of our st. elizabeth school resource center

​Our Resource Room was started in 2000 by Jen Moreland and Peggy VanDyke in hopes of providing students the support they needed to gain success in school. From its humble beginnings, the Resource Room grew into a Resource Center that includes a Reading Room, a Sensory Room and the main Resource Room for specialized instruction and meetings. The staff has gone from 1 to 5, to include a Special Educator, a Reading Specialist, and three full-time paraprofessionals. 

The Resource Center provides support for all teachers academically, behaviorally and organizationally as well as providing direct support for more than 65 students. The Resource Center also provides the whole school with Second Step classes. These lessons teach our students how to best learn, focus, manage emotions and solve problems.  It also teaches junior high students about bullying and drug prevention. 
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In order to bring students the services they need, our Special Education Coordinator works with several outside agencies to bring Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Social Language Groups to our school. Agencies include Rockhurst University, Marian Hope and Speech and Language Solutions.

Get to Know Our Resource Center Staff...

jen moreland

​Jen Moreland has a degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from the University of MO-St. Louis and a Master of Arts in Education from Webster University.  She holds a Lifetime Certification in Special Education(K-12) and Elementary Education(1-8).  She has been at St. Elizabeth since 1999, first teaching 6th grade English, Religion and Social Studies before starting the Resource Center in 2000.  Prior to joining St. Elizabeth, she worked at Marillac Center for Children.  Her work on Inclusive Education at St. Elizabeth has been her passion for almost 20 years, and she continues to work to bring success to all students by making the most impact she can.  
Jen was a presenter at the 2017 FIRE Educator Conference and is an adjunct professor at Rockhurst University. Humbly, she is the first recipient of the Flame Award, from the FIRE Foundation. She and her husband, Brendan, are the proud parents of 3 girls and are very active in St. Elizabeth School.

Beth Koch

​Beth Koch has a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from the University of Central Missouri and a Masters of Arts in Elementary Education from Baker University. She began her teaching career at Shoal Creek Elementary in Liberty, MO where she taught 2nd grade for 12 years.  There she developed a passion for reading instruction and helping each student reach their maximum potential.  Beth is a graduate of St. Elizabeth’s (Class of 1995). She and her husband (Kevin) are proud parents of three children; Lucy, Maggie and James.
​She is excited to join the team as a reading specialist and hopes to contribute to the school and community she calls home.

Grace Dayson

Michael Graham

Michael Graham moved to Kansas City, Missouri from Northern Colorado with his wife Penny and two daughters, Hannah and Heidi, in 2016. He is a native of Buffalo, NY. After moving to Kansas City, Mike became very passionate about the Catholic faith and, more specifically, St. Elizabeth parish.
He and Penny became official members after completing RCIA in 2017. After a 20 year career as an airline pilot, Mike retired to pursue other opportunities. His hobbies are: gardening, collecting and listening to music, and spending time exploring Missouri with his family.
​He is blessed and honored to be a part of the St. Elizabeth family!

Leslye Lewis

​Leslye Lewis has rejoined our team as our 5th grade para professional.  Leslye has many years of experience as a para educator and classroom aide, as well as a massage therapist.  She has completed training in Wilson Language, Mindfulness for Children, and Meditation.  Her son Jadon, a STE graduate, is a student at Drake University.

Hannah Manes

Hannah Manes graduated from College of the Ozarks with a bachelors in child psychology. Previously, Hannah has been teaching preschool/pre-k.
She moved to Kansas City with her husband Zach and her many plants!  For fun Hannah bikes, runs, or watches/plays baseball.  She is excited for a new year in 3rd/4th grade as a paraprofessional.

Teresa Medina

​Teresa Medina has been a fixture in the St. Elizabeth School school community for several years, working as a volunteer, preschool administrator, Camp Shamrock director, paraprofessional, and FIRE conference speaker. Teresa is our part-time paraprofessional in Kindergarten. She also serves as the parish Social Services Director. She and her husband, Frank, have raised four children, all graduates of St. Elizabeth School. Teresa holds a BA in Mass Communications from Northeast Missouri (Truman) State University and an MBA from Rockhurst University. ​

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