TWO'S CLASS
Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday
Monday / Wednesday: Mary Bozymski and Katie Sutherland
Tuesday / Thursday: Mary Bozymski and Megen Vesser
The Two-Year-Old class provides a loving, safe, developmentally appropriate and positive first group experience for the youngest class of students at UPPS. We help children to successfully handle separation from parents; provide opportunities to develop language, fine and gross motor, social and independent self help skills; offer a variety of materials to encourage and stimulate creativity; assist children in understanding and following basic classroom rules, and help children to feel that school is a fun and safe place to be.
Although our philosophy does not include a formal teaching of ABC's and numbers, we do incorporate these skills in our daily activities in a practical way. A few examples of using numbers are by counting children during our transitions; counting the number of children engaged in specific activities; counting foods on the snack plates. Playing with sand also introduces measurement (filling different sized containers with sand) and block playing also helps children understand size, weight and number concepts. The alphabet is learned as we spell out names when writing on artwork, by reading names on our bulletin boards and coat hooks, by pointing out words as we read stories, write snack on the snack board, and of course, singing the "ABC" song!
Mary Bozymski
Mary was born in Chapel Hill, grew up in Raleigh and ended up back in Chapel Hill with her husband Mark and daughters Sarah and Abigail. Both girls started at UPPS as Turtle Two's and stayed through the Five's class loving every minute of it! Mary and her family are active church members at UPC where she also enjoys teaching Sunday School. She likes spending time with her family, hiking, biking, collecting sea shells, fly fishing, trying new recipes and volunteering. Mary is very excited to work with Virginia and Lee Ann in the Turtle Two's class and to be part of the UPPS family.
Katie Sutherland
Originally from Nebraska, Katie made her way to North Carolina studying at Meredith College. After graduation, she and her husband knew they wanted to make North Carolina home. She taught preschool for 3 years before staying home to raise their 3 boys who all attended UPPS. Through their time at the preschool, Katie fell in love with the UPPS philosophy and community. She is passionate about play-based learning and helping children create a love for school. In her free time, you'll find her around town biking with her family or off on an adventure with her boys.
Megen Vesser
Megen was born and raised in Chapel Hill and currently calls Chapel Hill home with her husband and three children. She attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she played soccer and earned her degree in Elementary Education. After attending college, Megen returned to Chapel Hill to fulfill her dream of becoming a Kindergarten teacher. She taught for 9 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom to her young children. Megen is passionate about creating a safe, loving and nurturing environment that meets each child where they are. She loves cheering on the Tar Heels, spending time with her family, being outside, and reading. Megen is so excited for the opportunity to join the wonderful staff at UPPS and is thrilled to be apart of the Turtle Twos.