Special Education Title I/Intervention/ELL Program
Main Campus
Sara Chadwick
Special Education Director
This will be Sara Chadwick’s eleventh year at Acorn Montessori Charter School. She started out as the 8th grade substitute teacher, gifted teacher, fourth grade helper and math interventionist. The following year she moved into special education. Sara has her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Master’s in Special Education. She has worked in education for over 30 years. From preschool, where she owned her own LLC business, to ninth grade. As you can see, Sara loves all ages of children and wants to see them be the best that they can be. Sara has three children and eight grandchildren. Sara is active in her church and enjoys spending time with her children, grandchildren and taking them on trips.
“All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and somebody who believes in them.” Magic Johnson
Kathy Davis
Mrs. Kathleen Davis is entering into her third year with our Special Education Department. This will be her 16th year teaching and she has worked in almost every subject under the sun. She has a Masters in Mathematics Curriculum and Design from Concordia University. Her Bachelors degree is in Education and Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California. She is also nearly done with her Special Education Endorsement. One of her greatest joys is to see a child succeed. We are so excited to continue to have Mrs. Davis as part of the Acorn team.
Jennifer Beckwith
Ms. Jennifer Beckwith holds her Master’s degree in Elementary Education and has been in the classroom for over 13 years, 10 of which were here at Acorn. Her two sons are now in High School. When not at work Ms. Beckwith loves to travel, have adventures outdoors, enjoys most activities involving water, and loves animals.
Gina Vogel
Paraprofessional
Gina Vogel joined the Acorn family in July 2019. She holds her Associates degree in Elementary Education from Yavapai College. She has had experience working with children from kindergarten through 8th grade.She tries to strive to make learning fun, engaging, and accessible to all of her students. During her free time she loves to spend time with her husband and two boys that are 17 and 14.
West Campus
Emily Peterson
Emily Peterson has joined our team as a third grade paraprofessional. She is continuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education at NAU. Her favorite part of working with children is realizing what a huge impact she can make in each student’s life. When not in the classroom, she enjoys baking, being outdoors, and spending time with her boyfriend and family.
Kate Ganci
Mrs. Kate Ganci has been working in Acorn’s early childhood or special education program for the last 8 years. Mrs. Kate’s patience, joy for teaching, and kindness is wonderful to witness each day with her students. When Mrs. Kate is not working with students, she is enjoying every moment with her son, husband, and bulldog.
Reading Specialist
Jeanette Martinez
ELL Coordinator
Mrs. Jeanette Martinez is our English Language paraprofessional here at Acorn. She has over 20 years of experience teaching young children. This will be her 9th year teaching at Acorn Montessori and she has loved the family environment. She holds an Early Education Certificate from Yavapai College. The best part about working with children for Mrs. Jeanette are the connections that she makes with them. When she is not teaching, she enjoys hiking with her two kids and spending time with her husband.
Jennie Turner
Reading/Title I Specialist
Mrs. Jennie Turner is our Reading Specialist and Instructional Coach for our K-8 teachers. Entering her 15th year here at Acorn, Mrs. Jennie is excited to continue the adventure of mentoring staff and supporting a wonderful reading intervention program. Mrs. Jennie has a master’s degree in Elementary Education as well as reading and early childhood endorsements. She has taught grades ranging from kindergarten through 3rd grade. She absolutely loves children and is very excited about the upcoming school year.
Jessie Dera
Intervention Paraprofessional
Mrs. Jessie Dera is a paraprofessional at Acorn who supports the reading intervention team. She has an associates degree from Yavapai College. Mrs. Jessie has worked in the educational field for 8 years, 6 of which have been with Acorn. Mrs. Jessie continues to expand her knowledge through trainings such as Youth Mental Health First Aid and other professional developments. She loves working with students and seeing their growth.