My name is Melissa Mueller. I originally taught elementary school in Baltimore, Maryland, for 9 years.  I have been a Special Educator since 2015, including 7 years in middle school.  In my free time, I enjoy traveling with my son and family.  I love the beach, mountains, skiing, snorkeling, animals and theme parks.  We've even visited Tokyo Disneyland.  Jeffrey's Grove has been my home since 2022, and I truly have loved every minute with our learners.

Education:

State University of NY at Oneonta, Undergraduate. 

College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Masters Degree

My name is Faith Downey, I grew up and have lived in the Raleigh/Durham area all my life. I went college at ECU.  I have taught for 30ish years as a teacher and as a private tutor.  I have been with WCPSS since 2018 and at JGMES since 2022!!  I teach Special Education  students and I love my job! I have 2 awesome children that are wonderful adults!! I love spending time with them!  I LOVE the beach and all beach related activities. I enjoy spending as much time as possible there. In my spare time I love to spend time with the ones that I love!

Hello! My name is Jessica Tate and I am the EBS1 teacher here at Jeffrey’s Grove! I have been teaching in Wake County since 2022, and in EBS since 2023.

I am originally from Durham, NC and moved to Raleigh in 2021.  I went to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where I received my bachelor's degree in psychology. I then went on to complete my master's degree in psychology with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis at Capella University.

When I’m not working, I love spending time with my dog (Tilly) and cats (Jerry & Elaine - my boyfriend is a big Seinfeld guy), baking fresh bread, gardening, listening to live music and traveling.

My name is Jillian Fortmuller. I was born in Long Island, New York and moved to Fuquay Varina at the age of 11. I have lived in North Carolina ever since. I am a very passionate teacher. I began teaching in 2017. I have had experience in Self-Contained, Cross Categorical Resource, Cross Categorical Kindergarten, and EBS classroom settings. I went to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and received my Bachelor of Science in Special Education K-12. I am very happy to be working at Jeffreys Grove Elementary School. 

Beyond the classroom, I really enjoy spending time with my family and friends.I love running and swimming. I also really enjoy traveling to different places and learning more about the geography and culture of that area. A fun fact about me is that I just recently got married in July 2023. 

I am so excited to facilitate the academic and functional growth of your child, and I am looking forward to seeing each individual grow to their full potential this year.

Hi, my name is Pamela Fogg and I’m so happy to be working as a CCR IA here at Jeffreys Grove! This is my 2nd year here at the Grove, but I started my career in education as a school counselor back in 1989.  I have a Master's degree in School Counseling and Guidance from Oswego State University and have worked as a counselor in both the elementary and middle school settings.

I am originally from upstate NY but moved to NC over 30 years ago, and love living in the South! I have 3 adult sons and enjoy walking, reading, and spending time with my family and friends in my free time.