Save the date!
Tomorrow is the Back to School Bus Tour!
Please give a warm welcome to a new 6th grade teacher, Ms. Gerfen!
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Lindenwood University. I have been teaching for 3 years. I began my teaching journey in 5th grade, but moved up to junior high after 1 and a half years. A big reason why I became a teacher is because of my family. I originally wasn’t going to school to be a teacher, but my grandmother knew it was the path for me. I come from a large family of teachers, and she could see that I was a teacher at heart. I love working with children, and am so glad I decided to change my career path! It is amazing to be able to have the opportunity to watch children grow and develop, and also be able to positively impact people at such an important and influential stage of their lives. I am so excited to get to become a part of the Harmony-EMGE family! It is easily seen how much this school cares for its families and that they want the best for them, and I love that! I am SUPER excited to be able to utilize all of the amazing technology this school has to offer, like in the STEAM room! I can’t wait for the school year to begin and meet everyone! :)
-Ms. Gerfen
Our school store is BACK! Get your school spirit wear while you can! The store will close August 10th, 11:59 p.m. Here is the link to access the store.
https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/8NZXmmZMtA
Fall Sports Tryout Schedule!
Welcome, Mrs. Becherer, Ellis Elementary School's new Counselor!
My name is Mrs. Becherer. I attended University of Missouri-Saint Louis where I received my Masters in School Counseling. I have been working in schools since 2013, but this will be my first year at the Harmony-Emge School District. I'm so excited to join the team and can't wait to get started!
We are so excited to have you Mrs. Becherer!!
TOMORROW is Registration!
Mr. Armstrong is in the Teacher Spotlight today! Mr. Armstrong is a Permanent Sub for the district, here is a little about him...
I served 21 years of active-duty military service with the Air Force and then graduated with my B.S. in Workforce Education and Development through SIU Carbondale in 2017. I then earned my MBA in 2020 through Maryville University in St. Louis. As the permanent substitute for nearly 4 years, I could be in any classroom, any given day to pick up for teachers that are absent. I'm excited to get the 2023-24 year started and continue to provide a safe, learning environment for our students.
District #175 thanks you for everything you do!
In-Person Registration is this Thursday! Please review the flyer for what to bring sso you can be prepared.
There will be more information for Soccer and Cross Country tryouts at our registration day this week. If you are not able to make it to school, the information will be posted on the school's live feed and Facebook page. Tryouts for soccer and Cross Country will start some time the week of August 7th.
Please make sure that students wanting to try out have been registered for school, and that they have an updated physical on file.
Any questions, please contact Mr. Bauer
Baseball will have another day for a tryout, since we were able to hold tryouts before we left for the summer. This day will serve as a tryout, and as our first team practice. If you did not make the team from our last tryout, please come back out to show what you have worked on over the summer!
There will be another schedule handed out on that day, along with other paperwork. Students in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade a eligible to tryout for baseball. Please make sure student(s) are registered and have an updated physical on file. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Bauer.
Signal Hill Park, Belleville, IL 62223
8/7 (Monday)
4:30-6:00 p.m.
Bring
- Water
- Glove
Softball tryouts will be held at the Signal Hill fields from 7/31-8/4. Times will be from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Grades eligible for tryouts are 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Students must be registered for school, and must have an updated physical on file.
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Bauer. We will again be partnering with Signal Hill this year to field a softball team. The fields are behind their gymnasium. If you park in their school lot, there will be steps that lead you down to their softball fields.
40 Signal Hill Pl, Belleville, IL 62223
9:00-10:30 a.m.
Bring
- Glove
- Water
Today's Teacher Highlight is Kindergarten Teacher, Ms. Barbeau!
I graduated from Missouri Baptist University with a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. I became a teacher to encourage and inspire students to be successful, my second grade teacher, Mrs. Edwards, was this to me, and I hope to be that spark in my students' education. This will be my second year at Ellis Elementary and I cannot wait to get back in the classroom to meet my students!
Thank you for all that you do!
Mark your calendar!
Let us give a warm welcome to our new 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Campbell!
Hi! My name is Morgan Campbell. I graduated from SIUE where I received my bachelors degree in Elementary Education. I worked at a daycare for many years and thats where my love for children began. I am so excited to start this journey at Ellis and cant wait to meet all the awesome faculty, students and families!
Welcome to District 175, we are so happy to have you!
New Teacher Welcome!!
Hi! I'm Mrs. Hibler! I received my Elementary Education Degree from SIUE. This will be my first year teaching at Harmony175 and I am excited to be joining the team! I've always knew my dream was to be a teacher and help young minds grow. I am really excited to meet everyone this year!
District #175 is so excited to have you Mrs. Hibler!
Today's Teacher Spotlight is Ms. Engelbrecht!
Message from Ms. Engelbrecht-
The 2023-2024 school year will be my 8th year of teaching! These 8 years have flown by! I started out my first year as the 7th grade math teacher at Emge. The next 5 years were spent coteaching in 4th grade, and last year I moved back to Emge to teach math once again. If it's not obvious already, I LOVE math! I was inspired to become a teacher by my 8th grade teacher. She helped me fall in love with Algebra and made everything so easy to understand. I wanted to do that for others and I've always enjoyed being around kids, so I knew teaching was the way to go. I love seeing that "light bulb" moment with my students when they finally understand a new concept! I am excited to help create more "light bulb" moments in this coming school year and to help foster an appreciation for math.
Thank you for all you do!
To the District #175 community –
It is with great excitement that I would like to formally announce my new role as Assistant Principal of Harmony Intermediate and Emge Junior High. After spending the last six years in the Harmony-Emge School District #175 as a classroom teacher and coach, I could not dream of a better place to start my journey in administration.
I officially joined the Harmony-Emge family in the Fall of 2017 as a fourth grade teacher. In the years that followed, I have built treasured relationships and connections with the students and families of our district. During my years in the classroom, I cultivated strong abilities in curriculum planning and design, positive relationship building, and collaborative practices; all of which led me in the direction of pursuing administration. After studying under the mentorship of Dr. Kraemer, I completed my Masters of Educational Administration from SIUE this past December. While I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the classroom, I am ready for the chance to expand my impact in a district that already holds such value for me. Alongside our wonderful administrative team, teachers, staff, and the families of our community, I look forward to continuing to help provide your students with the best opportunities for success and achievement.
I cannot wait to welcome our students back for a new year! Please feel free to contact me with any questions at arueter@harmony175.org. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we look forward to another great year with you and your students.
Ms. Allison Rueter
Ms. Eckert is our Teacher Spotlight of the day!
I just celebrated 25 years of teaching at Emge Jr. High. I currently co-teach 7th and 8th grade Language Arts and Math. I earned my bachelor's degree in Special Education at Eastern Illinois University, Master's Degree in Elementary Education at SIUE, and a Master's Degree in Administration at Lindenwood University. District #175 has been a second family to me for my entire career. I am excited to work with some of the best co-workers and students in the area.
-Ms. Eckert
Today's teacher highlight is a current teacher, Ms. Steward!
I started teaching English at Emge in 2001. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in English from McKendree University, my Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Lindenwood University, and my National Boards Specialization in both grade level and subject area through Illinois State University.
-Ms. Steward
Thank you for all that you do!!