September 6, 2016
I welcome everybody back as it’s going to be another exciting school year! I wanted to keep you up to speed with the latest news from the summer months in preparation for the new school year. We have had a few schedule modifications, various program ideas, as well as new additions to our staff.
Within the schedule, we were able to integrate a longer block of language arts time for our students, which truly allows for a more consistent approach to teaching reading, writing, speaking and listening. We were also able to schedule more consistency with our special education teachers and students, which will certainly prove beneficial for them throughout the year.
Not only will we continue to provide common planning times for our middle school teachers, we were also able to schedule common planning times at the lower grade levels as well. In the ever evolving field of education, teachers gaining access to collaborative work sessions goes a long way when it comes to planning instruction, analyzing data, and simply sharing best practices. We are very excited about these changes as our goal is your goal – to provide the best education possible for our student and your children!
This year, we are hoping to continue to provide after school enrichment programs. Our goal is to expand this endeavor moving forward. We are also integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) activities/lessons during your child’s school day. These activities will be infused into various scheduled blocks of time when a student might have his/her regular science class, for example.
We were fortunate enough to hire some really talented individuals over the summer. I am extremely excited about the current team we have in place. Our very own Mrs. Charleston moved from teaching our self-contained fifth grade class to teaching our middle school language arts classes. She is very excited about having the opportunity to impact their reading and writing abilities as they transition into high school.
In second grade, we hired Mrs. Alison DeMarco. Mrs. DeMarco has eight years of experience teaching in the Newark Public Schools along with one year in West Caldwell. She has over 300 hours of training under the very coach from Rutgers University who coached our teachers on best practices in literacy development. In addition, she holds a school counseling certificate.
Mrs. Jessica Ryan-Firko is our new fifth grade teacher. She is also a parent in our district. Mrs. Ryan-Firko has experience teaching several grade levels and has also worked for the Sparks Foundation and Science Explorers. She is very busy in her community and is a part of a number of different organizations.
Ms. Ann Marie DeAngelo is our new middle school science teacher. She will also be responsible for infusing STEAM activities into various grade levels throughout the school year. She is certified to teach elementary grades K-6 and middle school science. Most recently she was the Science Department Head for the Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology.
We also hired Mrs. Susan French-Gonzalez, our new paraprofessional. In addition to her responsibilities as an instructional aide, she brings with her specialized reading instruction training via Wilson Reading. I’m sure you will join us in welcoming them and we all wish them the best with their new start here in Califon Public School!
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