By Lindsay Peyton

Jude Miqueli looks every bit the part of rocker turned teacher – and she wears both hats equally well.

She sports neon green nail polish, a tousle of short brunette waves and bright tattoos on her forearms – as well as a t-shirt bearing the logo for “Bloomz,” an app that supports parent-teacher communication.

Despite her patient, soft-spoken cadence, Miqueli is obviously stoked about the software.

Miqueli serves as ambassador for “Bloomz” on the West Seattle Montessori campus. She describes it as basically like Facebook, only reserved for parents and teachers. She can post photos that only parents see, send regular notes and even create a fun way to reinforce positive behavior for her students.

Miqueli regularly gathers her first, second and third graders around her computer and asks them to nominate each other for good deeds, like sharing, saying thank you and any other positive behavior. They are also allowed to thank each other and mention traits for which they should be rewarded themselves.

Each time a child receives an award, a graphic of a plant on Bloomz grows. Eventually, the plant flowers and Miqueli then gives the students their own flower to take home.

“It’s a small moment, but repeating it weekly makes an impact,” Miqueli said. “And they love it.”

Trying out new technology is just one way the teacher’s creative energy shines in the classroom.

One parent, Rachel Paz, said Miqueli’s originality in her teaching methods has benefited her son who has special needs. “The thing I appreciate most about her is her willingness to look outside the box for something that works for him,” she said. “She’s super accommodating – and we feel really welcomed there.”

Tara Requa’s 6-year old son Cassius is also in Miqueli’s class. Requa also works as assistant director at West Seattle Montessori.

“Jude is amazing,” Requa said. “She’s super creative, and she’s really dialed into the technology. We see so lucky to have her; she’s such a gift.”

Requa said Miqueli turns the classroom into a community, regularly consulting her students for input.

“They all have a voice, and they’re all in-tune with each other,” Requa said. “I’m impressed with Jude’s openness and tolerance. She’s such an empathetic person, and it’s rubbing off on all the students.”

Thanks to Miqueli’s energy, Requa said her son is eager to go to school every day. “We love her,” Requa said. “She’s a gem, and my child is just thriving and loving school.”

Miqueli is originally from Long Island. Like many teachers, she was drawn to the profession at an early age.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” she said.

When she was 22, she took a position as an assistant at a preschool in Annapolis, Maryland and stayed at the post for a year, then became the school’s music teacher.

But her own music was also calling her name. “I decided to move across the country to pursue music,” she said.

Miqueli landed in Seattle and, for her day job, she worked at Pacific First Montessori, then Bright Horizons in Bellevue. She received her bachelors in elementary education and got a job as an instructional assistant at Chestnut Hill Academy in Bellevue.

Her next gig was subbing for Seattle Public Schools, before working in Highline Public School’s special education department and tutoring teens with chemical dependencies at the Lakeside Milam Recovery Center.

Miqueli was then hired as a kindergarten teacher in Bellevue. While she loved the school, she wanted to serve the community where she lived, which was White Center at the time.

When Miqueli saw an ad for a position at West Seattle Montessori – and is now in her second year at the school.

“I really love the environment here,” she said. “The classrooms here are so conducive to creativity and student choice.”

At the end of the school day, Miqueli often heads to practice for one of her two bands – Tenderfoot and Moon Palace. She usually drums from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at twice-weekly sessions and gigs as often as possible on the weekend. The bands are also busy working on recordings.

“This school wants you to have a life,” Miqueli said. “They want you to have personal time to pursue your passions – and bring them into the classroom.”

And she does incorporate music whenever possible – bringing out her acoustic guitar for sing-alongs and passing out hand drums to practice syllable segmentation.

In the future, Miqueli hopes to do even more with music, possibly using music therapy to help students with special needs.

“I’m know there’s always a need, and I want to help,” she said. “I want to be a teacher leader of some sort, whether it’s technology, creativity or special needs.”

And when she’s not diving into her career at school, she plans to focus on promoting the two records coming out this year.

“My goal is to play a lot of shows, as many as I can,” she said. “We spent last year recording. We created and created. Now it’s time to share.”

To hear some of her music, visit http://tenderfootmusic.com and follow Tenderfoot on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tenderfootmusic. A web site for her newer band Moon Palace will be out soon.

To learn more about Bloomz, visit www.bloomz.net. For more information about West Seattle Montessori School, visit www.westseattlemontessori.com.