Counselor

Mrs. Patricia (Patty) Kretzmar NCC, LPC, RPT, CCTP

Hello Columbia Cougars,

    I am Patricia (Patty) Kretzmar (Dennard) and I am proud to serve Columbia Elementary as a part of this amazing team of educators and as your School Counselor.  I have been working with students in education for over 25 years and absolutely LOVE what I do!  Throughout my career, I have been a teacher, a counselor and have even served in administration and principal leadership positions.  I adore children, the arts, 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 artistic expressions, techniques and strategies!

    Building meaningful, supportive and productive relationships with students, parents, staff and community members are my true passions as a counselor, educator and building leadership team leader.  At Columbia 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 providing 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 Social Emotional Learning Competencies (SEL).  I support teachers by reteaching, reinforcing and assessing additional student needs based on Panorama Data.  I also engage individually with students to check in on specific personal challenges and refer students and families to services when the supports required are beyond the scope of what I can offer as a School Counselor.

     I collaborate with mental health teams to include fellow counselors, social workers and school psychologists. Often, I have the opportunity to supervise counseling practicum and internship students and mentor new counselors to District 11.  Interns and practicum students also support students in partnership with me by utilizing research-based approaches.  Practicum and intern students develop and expand their knowledge base while giving our student body additional support and services. 

We welcome volunteers as well from our parent groups, the Columbia 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 who you are and what makes you excited to be at this amazing integrated arts school!  I love drama and art especially!  I am married to an amazing man and we have one daughter who has become one of the most amazing humans I know! My husband and I often ride motorcycles and are supporters for BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse).  I have a 96 year old grandmother who is one of my favorite people on the planet and I am blessed to care for her.  I also have 3 dogs, 2 crested geckos, a leopard gecko, 3 rabbits, 1 bearded dragon, 1 beta fish and 2 guinea pigs. I LOVE animals. Please set up an appointment soon.  I am curious to learn more about you too!