This will be an exciting new school year for both teacher Laura Sandgren and her CAPS intermediate students. She will be replacing Mr. Philips. Laura grew up in Oregon with her older sister and parents. She comes from a family of both artists and musicians. After Laura graduated from Barlow High School, she attended Western Oregon Univ. in Monmouth. She received her B.A. in Speech Communications and Business Administration. She then went on to earn her Masters degree at Portland State Univ. in Speech Communications with a focus on Advertising/Information Content and Intercultural Communications. In 2002, Laura earned her MAT (Master's in Teaching) from Concordia University. She then subbed in the Portland Metro Schools, teaching several blended classrooms from 3rd to 6th grade. Currently, Laura is involved in the classic film community and enjoys film studies. She also enjoys traveling, geocaching, reading, hiking, camping, star gazing, and volunteering. She is a regular volunteer at the Multnomah County Animal Shelter. She has two cats, named Triscuit and Thomas. She also has three Zebra Finches named Mr. Chubbs, Moon and Pie. The birds will actually be in her classroom this year. She wants all the students to have the opportunity to read to the birds. They will also assist with being the classroom zoologist! Laura is a strong believer that knowing about animals, arts and education is powerful for growth and opportunity. She wants to share all three with her students.
