Dear Students and Parents,

Welcome to 7th Grade ELA at Akimel A-al Middle School, home of the Rattlers!  

I hope that you had a relaxing summer and are ready to begin the 2023-2024 school year. As you know,  we will begin school a bit earlier than usual, and I think the schedule will end up being a  positive adjustment.   

A little bit about me: I am a native of the great state of Virginia and have been living in Arizona for the last 20 years. Even after all this time, I am still struggling to love the “dry heat.” I received my undergraduate degree in from James Madison University and proceeded to have an amazing career for 20 years in corporate finance and executive sales. I moved to Phoenix in 2000 and entered the Internet Finance field, again in corporate sales, setting up large banking networks for Internet based companies. In 2002, after having my beautiful daughter, I decided to leave sales and become a stay at home mom until she began school. I absolutely loved this time in my life! Since I had always been interested in teaching, I decided to enter graduate school and in 2009 I received my Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University. Additionally, I hold a K-12 Reading Endorsement along with endorsements for middle school ELA and Social Studies.

This year will be my fourteenth year teaching; my 10th year in the Kyrene School District and my seventh year teaching English Language Arts, as part of the Akimel A-al team.

As a parent, I know there are always concerns and there will be questions that surface throughout the year. I will work to answer questions promptly and alleviate any concerns that arise. A strong partnership with parents and guardians is key to having a successful academic year. Honestly, I cannot do my job without you. Since my roster will have over 170 students, sending an e-mail first would always be appreciated.

Again, I look forward to working with all of you, and I am positive that with your support we can make this a successful and productive year. 

Sincerely,

Melissa M. Wicks, M.ED