Hello Grant Lions,

    I am Patricia (Patty) Kretzmar and I am proud to serve Grant Elementary as a part of this amazing team of educators and as your School Counsleor.  I have been working with students in education for over 24 years and absolutely LOVE what I do!  Throughout my career, I have been a teacher, a counselor and have even served in administration leadership positions.  I adore children, animals (especially frogs), problem solving, having fun, celebrating successes and even being present with others in the most difficult of times or situations. I believe that both physical and mental health go hand in hand, so I strive to enjoy the outdoors, seek new learning opportunities and treat my mind and body well!  I encourage others to do the same through engaging, energizing and exciting techniques and strategies!

    Building meaningful, supportive and productive relationships with students, parents, staff and community members are my true passions as counselor, educator and building leadership team members.  At Grant Elementary, I engage with students in many ways.  First and foremost, I believe in creating a welcoming, friendly, safe and educationally engaging atmosphere where students excel academically, physically, socially and emotionally!  Some of what I offer, is that I provide a variety of whole group classroom lessons that dovetail with the Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) curriculum taught by our amazing K-5 teachers.  The classroom RAK curriculum addresses the Social Emotional Learning Competencies (SEL).  I support teachers by reteaching, reinforcing and assessing additional needs-based assessments.  I also engage individually with students to check in on specific personal needs and refer students and families to services when the assistance needed is beyond the scope of what I can offer as a School Counselor.

     I work with an amazing mental health team that includes our School Psychologist, Kelly Reynolds,  and sometimes have the opportunity to supervise counseling internship students.  Interns and practicum students seek to work at Grant.  They support students in partnership with me and Mrs. Reynolds by utilizing research-based approaches and continue to develop and expand their knowledge base while giving our student body additional support and services. 

We welcome volunteers as well from our parent community, the Grant community and various organizations.  Please contact me or our front office for more details on volunteer opportunities!

I am excited to meet each and every one of you and the members of your family!  Please introduce yourself and tell me an exciting fact about what makes you unique!!  What makes me unique is that I have 2 dogs, 2 crested geckos a Leopard Gecko, 3 rabbbits, 1 bearded dragon, 1 beta fish and 2 guinea pigs.  As I mentioned, I LOVE animals. Set up an appointment soon.  I am curious about what you will share with me:)