Paddington Station Preschool is getting ready for its new Kindergarten program beginning this fall. Heading up the classroom is its new teacher, Jessamyn Lockhart. Jess joined Paddington in 2005 and completed the Stanley British Primary Teacher Preparation Program in 2009. She is currently finishing her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Colorado Denver. Jess is looking forward to her new job as Kindergarten teacher and says the curriculum will be based around designated themes throughout the school year. “Paddington’s Kindergarten will offer a bit more structure for reading, writing and math, but will incorporate and emphasize Paddington’s philosophy of learn- through-play,” says Jess. The Kindergarten class will be small with two teachers. “The small class size allows for the curriculum to be developmentally-appropriate, fitting the needs of all its students,” she says. Jess is an experienced, avid runner. She has completed two marathons in Denver and Fort Collins and is training to qualify for the Boston Marathon. She shouldn’t have any problem making the cutoff since she missed her first qualifying attempt by only 62 seconds. A native of Massachusetts, Jess and her fiancé, Erik, plan to make their home in Denver after their June 2011 wedding. When Jess isn’t at Paddington or isn’t pounding the pavement in her well-worn running shoes, she enjoys skiing, baking and spending time with family and friends.

Cheri Overstreet teaches Pre-Kindergarten in the Johnny Town-Mouse classroom and Kindergarten in the Peter Rabbit classroom. She first worked at Paddington Station Preschool in 2005 and graduated from Metro State College of Denver with Bachelors in Fine Art. Cheri says what she loves most about Paddington is, “The great sense of community and, of course, all the amazing little souls that make it all worthwhile”! There are many children’s books that Cheri likes, but her current favorite is The Garden by Peter Brown. Cheri is a native of Colorado who grew up in Westminster. When Cheri is not teaching she enjoys cycling, photography, drawing and painting, camping, hiking, cooking, spending time with friends and family, going to comedy shows and art shows.

Paddington Station Preschool • 1301 Quebec Street • Denver, Colorado • 80220