REACH - MCCSC High Ability

REACH groups begin TODAY, August 17th

Welcome back, REACH families!

I hope you had a wonderful summer and are ready for an exciting new school year. I am looking forward to seeing our returning students and welcoming our new REACH students as we begin another year of learning, growing, and challenging ourselves. I am excited for all the opportunities we have ahead and can’t wait to see what our students accomplish this year!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email (achurch@mccsc.k12.in.us) or Class Dojo.

What is REACH?

REACH is Mill Creek Community School Corporation’s high ability program for elementary students. In the REACH room, students are challenged with research-based high ability curriculum that focuses on inquiry-based learning, problem-solving, critical thinking, and discovery. Depending on your child’s area(s) of identification, they will come to the REACH room for reading, math, or both!

Will my child miss instruction in the general education classroom?

Not at all! REACH is part of our school’s daily small-group instruction model. During reading instruction, students rotate through different small groups based on their individual learning needs. Some students work in the learning lab, some work with a special education teacher, some work with an instructional assistant, some work with the classroom teacher, and some come to the REACH room.

All small-group experiences, including REACH, are approximately 30 minutes in length. Math instruction follows a similar small-group model, allowing students to receive targeted instruction and enrichment while remaining connected to their general education classroom.

Reading and Math Curriculum

Mill Creek West and Mill Creek East use the same curriculum and resources for REACH reading and math. This ensures that students receive consistent, engaging, and challenging learning experiences regardless of which building they attend.

📚 Reading/ELA

REACH reading focuses on high-quality literature, discussion, critical thinking, and writing. Students will read novels and Junior Great Books. The Junior Great Books program combines thought-provoking literature with student-centered discussion and activities designed to strengthen reading comprehension, critical thinking, speaking and listening, and writing.

In Grades 3–5, students will also use the Michael Clay Thompson (MCT) Language Arts Series. This award-winning curriculum takes a unique, story-based and visual approach to grammar. Students explore language through four layers: parts of speech, parts of sentences, phrases, and clauses.

➗ Math

REACH math provides opportunities for students to explore computation, logic, patterns and rules, problem-solving, graphing, and other challenging mathematical concepts. Our goal is to help students develop both strong mathematical skills and the ability to think deeply and creatively about mathematics. Some of the programs that we will be using are hightlighted below.

Grades 1–4: Students will use Beast Academy, a program designed by Art of Problem Solving (AoPS). Beast Academy emphasizes deep conceptual understanding and complex problem-solving through challenging math activities.
Grades 1–2: Students will use Project M²: Mentoring Young Mathematicians, which encourages inquiry, critical thinking, problem-solving, and mathematical communication through in-depth mathematics experiences.
Grades 3–5: Students will use Borenson Math's Developing Fraction Sense (Books A, B, C), which combines student workbooks with hands-on fraction blocks to help students visualize and master important fraction concepts and develop a deeper understanding of rational numbers.

Meet Mrs. Church

Teaching

This marks my 34th year in education, and I am so proud to have spent every one of those years right here at Mill Creek West Elementary! Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to teach 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, and this is my third year as the REACH High Ability teacher. One of my favorite things about being a longtime Wildcat is getting to teach second-generation Wildcats and watch our school community grow from one generation to the next!

Family

My family and I live right here in the Mill Creek community. My husband, Tony, and I have been married for 34 years this December. We have two adult children, twins Abby and Alex, who both graduated from Cascade in 2018. Alex is married to Loren, a 2019 Cascade graduate. We are also proud grandparents to our two-year-old granddaughter, Charlie, who brings so much joy to our family! And we have another little grandbaby on the way, arriving in January 2027. Needless to say, being grandparents has quickly become one of our favorite roles!

Favorites

One of my favorite things to do outside of school is spend time with my family, especially when we can travel and make memories together. We love taking family trips, and this year we had some pretty special adventures! We visited Disney World and later enjoyed an Alaskan cruise. Traveling with family gives us a chance to slow down, explore new places, and, most importantly, spend quality time together. I’m already looking forward to seeing where our next adventure takes us!

FUN FACTS about Mrs. Church

💚 My favorite color is green.
🐶 I have two dogs, Maddy and Molly.
👧 I am the oldest child in my family.
🏡 I was born and raised in Hendricks County.
✋ I am left-handed.
🍎 I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in 3rd grade.
🌮 My favorite food is Mexican food.
📚 I love reading biographies.
🧁 I love to cook and bake.
🏆 I was named Mill Creek Community Schools Teacher of the Year in 2016.
🎓 I am a graduate of Brownsburg High School and IUPUI.
➗ My favorite subject is Math!

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS

Jhett S. 8-1

Everly G. 8-2

Boone T. 8-8

Delaney S. 8-26

Brynlynn B. 8-31