Personal:

I was born in Cali, Colombia and grew up in Panamá City, Panamá.

I am the oldest of 6 children and 5 of us live here in Marietta.  I have been married for 20 years and have 2 children, Christopher who is 12 and Carolina 9.  I love to play tennis, cook, read, and spend time with my family.

 

Education:

I graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Finance and a minor in Accounting.  While working at Arthur Andersen in Chicago, IL I was asked to teach Spanish to new partners.  We started with 3 and ended up with a group of 10.  I enjoyed it a lot, but little did I know then how much would I get to love teaching, especially elementary school.  I have been teaching Spanish in the East Cobb area for 7 years now.   I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to share this wonderful language and culture with your children who are embracing it with great enthusiasm.  To really capture the rhythms and sounds of a second language and to develop correct pronunciation is imperative to introduce it at the elementary level.

 

Goal:

To introduce the Spanish language and Hispanic culture through songs, games, manipulatives, artifacts and real life examples with oral and written exercises in order to develop effective communication skills and the desire to pursue further study.

 

Giannina Gotuzzo 

 

¡ HOLA !

 

 My name is Giannina Gotuzzo and I am excited to be the Spanish Teacher for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade at Murdock.

 

 I was born and raised in Lima, the capital city of Peru, a country seven times smaller than the US located in South America on the side of the Pacific Ocean. My mother belongs to a German family and my father belongs to an Italian family.  I went to school in Peru where my interest in Foreign Languages started when I was 9 as I met teachers from different nations that spoke different languages.

 

 In 2003, I went back to work as a Spanish Teacher at Mountain Park Elementary School in Roswell where I worked for three years and had a great time.  During the 2004 – 2005 school year, I had the honor of being nominated finalist for Teacher of the Year as well as Chairman of the Multicultural Committee at school.  In January 2006, I was nominated Teacher of the month in North Fulton County, and in May 2006, I was nominated Teacher of the Week by the Rotary Club of the city of Roswell.  These recognitions have made it even more fun to teach Spanish.

 

 This academic year, I am proud to say that I belong to the Murdock Staff and that every week I look forward to meet my students to teach them what means to me a lifetime gift, a second language.

 

 My goal in the World Language classroom is to teach the children to communicate in situations that are meaningful for them.

 

 I love to travel and to learn about different cultures, I love to listen to music, I love computers, I love to create language classes for children, I love to spend time with my family, I love chocolate and “dulce de leche”, I like to learn new languages, and I love soccer.

Spanish Program

Program Overview

Curriculum / Program Guidelines / Booklist / Online Resources

Meet the Teachers

 

Señora  Curry

 

¡Hola mis Amigos!

 

I am so excited to be back here at Murdock and offer Español for the entire school. ¡FANTÁSTICO! 

Señora Giannina

Señora Curry

MESF

 Murdock Elementary

 School Foundation, Inc.

Educate, Equip, Excel

Established 2004

How Will My Child Benefit?

 

Cognitive Skills

• Increases intellectual growth & overall school performance.
• Standardized test scores are higher.
• Enhances problem solving skills and creativity.

 

Communication Skills

• Improves and accelerates a child's understanding of their native language and in developing math skills.
• Gives a child the ability to communicate with people s/he would otherwise not have the chance to know.

 

Personal Benefits

• Improved self-concept and sense of achievement at school.
• Helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries.