St. Paul Lutheran School Welcomes New Pre-K Director, New Families

As St. Paul Lutheran School prepares to welcome students back on August 5, its youngest learners will be greeted by a new Pre-K director with experience spanning nearly every level of education.

Dr. Melanie Rosebrock has taught children as young as 2, high school students, and future educators at the university level. She has served as an elementary science specialist and a middle school principal, and she earned her doctorate in teaching and learning, curriculum, and instruction from the University of Houston.

Now, Rosebrock is bringing that experience back to a school setting as St. Paul Lutheran School’s new Pre-K director.

“I am most excited about having a strong team coming together and welcoming these kids and families,” Rosebrock said. “All of the progress that you see in a school year is incredible. I’m just excited about new families, returning families, bright young faces, new activities, new friendships being made, and all the wonder that comes out of being in a preschool.”

St. Paul Lutheran School still has limited openings in its Pre-K program for children ages 2, 3, and 4. The school’s 2-year-old classroom is nearly at capacity, while a few spaces are still available in both Pre-K3 and Pre-K4.

Children do not have to be fully potty trained to enter the youngest program. Teachers work alongside families to support each child’s progress and follow the methods already being used at home.

“We work with the families with their potty-training plan,” Rosebrock said. “We try to maintain consistency with whatever is working for mom and dad. We are a partner in potty training.”

Seeing each child

Rosebrock’s educational philosophy begins with recognizing that children do not all learn, grow, or become ready for new challenges at exactly the same time.

“I think the most important thing is just for each child to be seen, really, truly seen and known, and then valued for being just who they are, where they are,” Rosebrock said. “Every child is different. Every child comes with their own unique gifts and interests and spark, and the beauty in early childhood education is that you get to see this combination of all those little sparkling stars coming together.”

That individual attention, she explained, helps children develop a positive relationship with school before they are old enough to understand how important education will become.

Rosebrock’s doctoral research focused on integrating science and literacy in early childhood education. She studied how curiosity about the natural world can help young children expand their vocabularies, ask questions, build verbal skills, and begin connecting ideas.

At St. Paul Lutheran School, literacy, math, science, music, character development, and social skills are not treated as entirely separate subjects. Teachers look for ways to connect them while preparing students for what comes next.

The school also emphasizes vertical alignment, meaning teachers at each level consider what students will need as they move from the 2-year-old program into Pre-K3, Pre-K4, kindergarten, and the elementary grades.

“It’s really important to get in in Pre-K because of the vertical alignment that we do with curriculum, instructional strategies, and routines,” Rosebrock said. “It opens up their ability to be challenged more in first, second, third, and beyond the Pre-Ks.”

Building literacy without rushing childhood

For St. Paul’s youngest students, literacy begins long before a child is expected to sit down and read a book independently.

Children practice speaking, listening, recognizing letters, hearing the individual words within sentences, and learning how language works. A class might clap out the words in a sentence or talk through the language children use during everyday activities.

Some children may begin reading sight words at age 3 or 4. Others will become ready later.

“Each learner is different, and so that’s one of the great things that we are able to do here — meet each child as an individual and work with them,” Rosebrock said.

Teachers aim to find the level at which an activity is challenging enough to remain interesting without becoming so difficult that a child feels defeated.

“Some kids are going to learn to read when they’re 3 or 4, and then, for some, it comes later,” Rosebrock said. “That’s very natural. It’s just different brains.”

The goal, she said, is not to rush children through childhood. It is to help them enjoy learning, experience success, and develop the skills they will need when they are ready for the next step.

“As long as they are in the 2-year-old program learning to love school, finding success, feeling like they’re being celebrated, and learning that it’s fun to learn, then that sets them up for success in the next year,” Rosebrock said.

An educator rooted in the community

Rosebrock has lived in the local area for 12 years and resides in Sharpsburg. She has raised three children, including one now attending law school, another in college, and her youngest in high school.

Her children attended Christian schools, giving Rosebrock both a parent’s and an educator’s perspective on the role faith-based education can play in a child’s development.

Her professional experience has taken her from early childhood classrooms through high school science courses. She has also worked with future teachers at the university level, helping them learn classroom management and how to establish productive, healthy classroom cultures.

Rosebrock earned her undergraduate degree and master’s degree in educational technology from Texas A&M University. She completed her doctorate at the University of Houston in 2007.

Support for children and working families

The St. Paul school day begins at 8:15 a.m., with dismissal beginning around 3 p.m. However, families may drop students off as early as 7:15 a.m. at no additional charge.

Children begin their mornings playing in the school gym. A divider allows preschool students to play separately from older children who may be playing basketball or participating in other activities.

After-school care is available to enrolled St. Paul students without families having to compete for a limited number of spaces or join a separate waiting list, as can happen in public school after-school programs.

Children in Pre-K3 and older may remain until 6 p.m., while the school provides a shorter after-school schedule for its youngest students. The program is led by adults, although older students may also assist.

Principal Sharon Wallace said the extended schedule is designed to help parents who need time to reach work in Atlanta or elsewhere in the region.

“That’s why we have the morning gym, because people have to get to work,” Wallace said. “You can say, ‘If you get up early, you can go to the gym. You can go play in the gym before school.’ The kids love it.”

Optional catered lunches will be available five days a week during the new school year. Families may order lunch only on the days they choose or continue packing food from home.

Faith, confidence, and belonging

St. Paul Lutheran School’s Christian education includes Bible lessons and weekly chapel. Students are paired with chapel buddies, connecting younger children with older students who sit beside them, help them participate, and model leadership.

As students grow, they begin taking active roles in chapel by reading and speaking in front of the school.

Rosebrock had also heard positive comments about St. Paul Lutheran School from local families for years before seeing the opening for a new Pre-K director.

“I saw the posting and reached out,” Rosebrock said. “I thought, ‘I would love to be a part of this if y’all are looking,’ and it worked out great.”

The opportunity felt like the right place to begin a new professional chapter.

“I really think this is where I’m supposed to go, and every step of the way has just been so confirming of that,” Rosebrock said. “I couldn’t be more hopeful, happy, and optimistic about it.”

St. Paul Lutheran School is still accepting applications for the 2026–2027 school year. Families interested in the remaining Pre-K openings may complete the school’s online inquiry form to request information or schedule a tour.

St. Paul Lutheran School is located at 700 Ardenlee Parkway in Peachtree City. Visit stpaulptc.org/inquire to begin the admissions process.