Specialized Instruction

Specialized Instruction

Room 108

Hi, my name is Melissa Howa and I am currently the Special Education Coordinator here at Odyssey Charter School. I was raised in St. George, Utah and graduated from Dixie High School. I have my bachelor’s degree in elementary education and my graduate degree in special education. I have been employed by Odyssey Charter School for the last 8 years. I started as a third-grade teacher for many years and then moved to the Special Education Coordinator position and have loved both.  I love watching children learn to love learning, grow academically and personally, and be successful in their home and school environments.  I am married, have 2 children and was just blessed with my 3rd grandchild. I love reading, camping, riding motorcycles and horses, continuously learning new hobbies and spending time making wonderful memories with my family. I am excited for the 2023-2024 school year to begin.

 

Room 102

I grew up in Fresno, California.  Shortly after getting married, I moved to Utah and it has been my home for the last 29 years.  I have 4 beautiful daughters, 2 sons-in-law, and 1 grandson. My daughters and 1 of my sons-in-law attended Odyssey, and 2 of those daughters now work here with me. I came to Odyssey as a parent in 2006 and started working here in 2010. I have had many roles here at Odyssey. I started off as the parent volunteer coordinator and have helped the front office, working as a full-time instructor, and teacher. I am now heading up our new gifted and talented program. In addition to helping our gifted and talented students reach new heights, I am also the Literacy Director. I had always wanted to be a teacher but took a break from school to become a mom.  When my girls were all in school, I took the opportunity to go back to college and finished my teaching degree.  I graduated from WGU, Kappa Delta Pi. In addition to my teaching degree, I also have an endorsement in gifted and talented education.  I was a 2022 Utah Teacher of the Year nominee, which has brought me some amazing learning opportunities.  I taught kindergarten, 1st/2nd-grade combo online, and 2nd-grade.  I am very grateful for this opportunity to bring a gifted program to Odyssey. I have always been an advocate for student learning, as I am a lifelong learner myself. My passion is literacy, so I am also grateful to step into the role of our Literacy Director and help our teachers and students reach their literacy goals.  When I’m not at school, I enjoy vacationing at Disney Parks and spending time with my family, especially with my grandson.

 

Room 131

I love being a part of Odyssey Charter School!  I have enjoyed Odyssey, both as a parent and as a teacher, since the doors opened in 2005.  My family found Odyssey when we were looking for a school that was a good fit for our kindergartner.  All four of my children have attended Odyssey since then.  It has become my second home as well.  While at Odyssey I have taught reading and math groups, kindergarten, reading intervention, and for the last few years-Self Regulation skills that will help students be the best they can be. I love the positive atmosphere and dedicated staff here at the school, along with the well-rounded and challenging curriculum.

I grew up here in American Fork only two miles from the school.  I graduated from American Fork High School before earning my Associates Degree at Snow College.  I then attended Utah State University where I attained my Bachelor Degree in Special Education with a Minor in Music.  While at Utah State, I met my sweet husband of 21 years.  Together we have four children-Jerek, Landon, Ellie, and Brooklyn.  We are currently living in Saratoga Springs.  I love spending time with my family whether it is camping, vacationing, or playing games around the kitchen table.  I enjoy photography, traveling, spending time outdoors, and trying new things.  Some of my favorite travel destinations include England, Italy, France, Czech, Austria, Hungary, New York, and Washington D.C.  I love pasta, Chinese food, bread and ICE CREAM!!

 

jwhite@odysseycharter.net

I am excited to be back at Odyssey for another year.  I enjoy being with the students everyday and cannot help but smile when I see their smiling faces.  Before getting into education I spent over 30 years in retail and Retail Management.  When not working I enjoy sewing, working in the yard and spending time with my family.  I have 5 amazing kids, 22 grandkids, two great-grandsons, and a great-granddaughter.

sbutts@odysseycharter.net

Hi!  My name is Sandra Butts and I grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho with three brothers and no sisters and I was the youngest.  It was survival of the fittest!   I graduated from Twin Falls High and continued my education and graduated from BYU with a Bachelor of Science.

I have had a lot of work experience throughout the years.  I was a Recreation Therapist Technician for seven years, taught preschool, substituted in all grades, taught Special Education in different capacities,  and now I have been working at Odyssey Charter School going on fourteen years. I have also served as a paraprofessional in many positions at Odyssey, anywhere from instructor to Special Education, Reading Club and Math Club! At this time I am working with Reading Club and I love it.  I love teaching these young children and want them to succeed in school as well as life.  They are so talented and creative.   I also love our staff.  We have amazing teachers and I love working with them.

I wanted to end by talking about my greatest accomplishment.  I am a mother of four children, two boys and two girls.  They are all married now and have given me eight grandchildren (so far). They are such a blessing to me in my life.

 

rgalatsatos@odysseycharter.net

“If they can’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn.” – Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas

Hello! My name is Roberta Galatsatos and I am returning to Odyssey for my 3rd year! I love this community and I am happy to be part of such a great team of educators! I teach small group math for 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th grades.

My family and I moved to Utah 2 years ago and we love it! We love beautiful Utah and the many places there are to explore.

I became interested in the field of Special Education when I was just out of high school. I graduated college with a BA in Liberal Studies (pre-teaching) with a concentration in Child Development. I then went on to CSU Sacramento to complete a teaching credential in Special Education- Mild/Moderate Disabilities. Once I moved to Utah, I also obtained a Utah Special Education teaching license.

I have worked in charter schools for the majority of my work experience, including a Montessori school and an Independent/home school setting. I love teaching in Charter schools, with a smaller population of students, which has always afforded me opportunities to connect with each student and to teach to their strengths. I love seeing my students progress, however big or small. Each bit of success is so exciting to see!

When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my quirky little Greek-American-Latino family. We are enjoying the outdoors, exploring Utah, watching movies in our theater room, and finding new places to eat! I love walking and fitness, reading & listening to audio books, puzzles, listening to music, and learning languages. (I speak Spanish, a little Greek, a little Sign Language, and a smattering of phrases in other languages). I love learning!!

I am excited to teach my students in the fall and look forward to seeing their faces as they begin another new school year, in which they will likely learn many things. Each year brings so many different learning opportunities!

dlewis@odysseycharter.net

Room 215

My name is Debbie Lewis and I love working at Odyssey Charter School!  I was born and raised Provo, and have lived in Utah county most of my life.  I graduated from BYU with my Bachelor’s degree and then got my Master’s degree in Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix.  I have worked as a school counselor for 16 years.  I have worked with just about every age group, including college students, high school students, and elementary students.  Elementary students are my favorite!! I have 4 children, two boys ages 20 and 17, and two girls ages 15 and 11.  My husband is a coach at Lehi High School.  As a family we love watching and playing sports, going on bike rides, hiking, camping and just being together! I’m looking forward to another great year at Odyssey!

jjackman@odysseycharter.net

Room 225

Hello Odyssey Families! I’m so happy to be here at Odyssey for my eighth year! I am the Speech Language Pathologist and have been in this profession for 23 years and I love my job! I love working with the teachers and the students here at Odyssey. Please email me if you have any questions about your child’s speech and language development including:

Articulation

Listening skills

Language processing skills

Expression of Language

Phonemic and Phonological Awareness Skills

Fluency

Social Language

Executive Functioning

 

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