Gildo Rey Elementary

We had a great time at our spring dance..

Staff appreciation week is May 4-8! Show our staff some love!

🍎✨ TEACHER APPRECIATION GIVEAWAY ✨🍣

Teachers deserve it ALL… so we’re showing up the Trapper’s way 💙
We’re giving away TWO catered sushi lunches — one for a school in each region:
📍 Arizona
📍 Washington

🏆 The schools with the MOST nominations win!

HOW TO ENTER:
👇 Nominate your school in the comments
📣 Tag your fellow parents, students & staff to vote
❤️ One Comment per person!
Let’s show some love to the teachers who do it all 🍎✨

📅 Nominations close April 29th 🍣💥

** Trapper's will NEVER ask for financial information or send you to another website to claim a prize.

This Saturday April 18th Red Robin will give 20% of food sales to Gildo Rey PTA. You can support our school and enjoy a meal with your loved ones. Mention this fundraiser to your server at 1002 Super Mall Way, Auburn, Wa 98001 or order online details below.

🌟 Big News: Celebrating Mrs. Maria! 🌟
We are beyond thrilled to announce that our very own Mrs. Maria, Head Custodian, has been named our Classified Staff Member of the Year! 🏆

If you know Mrs. Maria, you know her title only tells a small part of her story. While she works tirelessly behind the scenes, her impact on our campus is felt by everyone, every single day:

Pride in Every Detail: Mrs. Maria takes immense pride in her work, ensuring our school isn't just clean, but a place we can all be proud of.

Keeping Us Safe: She is a fierce protector of our school environment, working dedicatedly to keep our students and staff in a safe, healthy space.

A Recognized Leader: Mrs. Maria was recently honored by the Mayor as an outstanding Latinx Leader for Hispanic Heritage Month! 🏅

A Trusted Mentor: She doesn't just care for our building; she cares for our students. She spends her time mentoring, listening, and guiding our kids with heart and wisdom.

Mrs. Maria is a role model of hard work, leadership, and kindness. Her role goes far beyond her "official" duties—she is truly the heartbeat of our school. 💙✨

Please join us in the comments below to thank Mrs. Maria for her incredible service! 👇

🌟 CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE: Julie McKenzie is Teacher of the Year! 🌟

We are thrilled to announce that the incredible Julie McKenzie has been named Gildo Rey's Teacher of the Year! 🍎✨

If you’ve ever stepped into Julie’s classroom at Gildo Rey, you know her motto: "All of the kids, do all of the things… all of the time!" She is a powerhouse of "rigorous joy," combining high academic expectations with a deep love for every student she teaches.

Why we are celebrating Julie:
✅ A Literacy Leader: As the district’s Kindergarten Learning Lab teacher, Julie is a "North Star" for the Science of Reading, helping students achieve record-breaking academic growth.
✅ Community & Family Champion: Julie is a master at building bridges between home and school, ensuring every family feels heard, seen, and empowered.
✅ Beyond the Classroom: From leading district-wide teacher training to serving 8 years on the Sumner-Bonney Lake SD Advisory Committee, Julie’s heart for service impacts our entire region.

Julie doesn’t just teach children how to read; she empowers them to change their life trajectories. We are so lucky to have her leadership and passion in our halls!

Please join us in the comments by sharing a favorite memory or a note of congratulations for Mrs. McKenzie! 🎉🙌

Blue Friday Vibes at Gildo Rey! 💙💚We’re proud to stand behind our Seahawks. Let’s Go Hawks!

Meet Mrs. Leticia our family engagement liasion. Mrs. Leticia is our classified staff member of the week.

We asked Mrs Leticia the following questions and here is her responses:

How long have you been in education?

I started working as a Family Engagement Liaison in December 2024, just a little over a year , but prior to that I was a parent volunteer and I was a member of the PTA here at Gildo Rey since my oldest son started back in 2018.

What do you like about working at Gildo Rey?

I have been a part of the Gildo Rey community since 2018, and from the start I have felt that Gildo Rey really cares about their students and tries to help all students, treats them with respect and that is from both being a parent and staff of the school . I also love building connections with all the students and families here and being able to help families and see them grow and have positive experiences here at Gild Rey.

Why did you get into education?

I have always wanted to be a special education teacher since I was in middle school . I just saw how it helps many children, but unfortunately, I was not able to pursue that dream, so to be able to be the Family Engagement Liaison means so much to me because I am still about to help students and family.

Your favorite subject when you were in school?

My favorite subjects in school were science and choir.

Meet Mrs. Adams our certificated staff of the week. Mrs. Adam’s is our resource room teacher. We asked Mrs Adam’s the following questions and here were her responses:

1. How long have you been in education?
I’ve been in education since 2019. I started as a paraeducator and became a teacher last year.
2. What do you like about working at Gildo Rey?
I love the strong sense of community at Gildo Rey and the joy I get from the kids every single day. The relationships, smiles, and small moments make this school feel like home.
3. Why did you decide to become a teacher?
My mom was a teacher, and I was always in awe of watching her teach. She was a special education teacher, and seeing the love, patience, and impact she had on her students helped grow my own love for teaching.
4. What was your favorite subject in school?
Science was my favorite subject because I loved experiments, hands-on learning, and discovering how the world works.

Meet Ms Rebekah Lindblom our certificated staff of the week. Ms. Lindblom in a 5th grade teacher at Gildo Rey.

We asked her the following questions and here was her answers:

How long have you been in education?
I have been teaching for 4 years.

What do you like about working at Gildo Rey?
I really love the other teachers that I get the privilege of working with each day. They make me a better teacher through their mentorship and collaboration! I also love getting to spend time with awesome students who make the days fun!

Why did you get into education?
I became a teacher for a few reasons. First, I really love school and found it to be such a fun place when I was growing up. Second, I truly believe that education changes lives and I want to help students grow in their abilities to read, write, do math, and reason about the world. My goal is to help students get to know who they are becoming and that they have significant value to those around them! I want them to see themselves as capable learners with something to share in our world.

Your favorite subject when you were in school?
When I was in elementary school, my favorite subject was math. But when I entered high school, I joined the theater class and that quickly became my favorite. That's part of the reason I helped start the Theater Club here at Gildo Rey!

Meet Mrs. Dina Polanco our classified staff member of the week. Mrs. Polanco is a special education para at Gildo Rey Elementary.
We asked Mrs. Polanco the following questions and here was her response:
Answer’s:

How long have you been in education?
I’ve been a SpEd para at Gildo Rey since 2023.

What do you like about working at Gildo Rey?
Working at Gildo Rey gives me a sense of community which I love. Everyone helps everyone and every educator that I've encountered at the school treats every child as their own. As the saying goes, your kids are our kids, and it truly is that. I love the inclusion program as it teaches to be empathetic towards everyone for who they are and not for their disabilities.

Why did you get into education?
I got into education because teaching is my passion. I love to see every kid's educational growth.

What was your favorite subject when you were in school?
My favorite subjects in school were math and chemistry because I like how they correlate with one another. Math provides the "how much" and "how fast" while chemistry asked about the "what" and "why" about substance