NEW TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

Mrs. Megan Friedman First Grade Teacher

Hello, my name is Megan Friedman. I am proud and honored to introduce myself as a new First Grade Teacher at Tatem Elementary School. I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music along with my Certification in Elementary Education from Muhlenberg College. While I am new to Haddonfield, I am not new to teaching! I previously taught first grade for four years in Clark, New Jersey, and I taught pre-school for two years in my hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I am thrilled to continue teaching first grade for the 2015-2016 school year! My husband and I have recently relocated to this area to be closer to family. Everyone we have encountered has been so welcoming, friendly, and helpful! I have learned many lessons through my education and experience with children. I have taught using curriculums aligned with the Common Core. I will continue to use some of these programs at Tatem Elementary such as Guided Reading, Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, Responsive Classroom, and Everyday Math. I chose to further my knowledge by attending Columbia Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Workshop and Lucy Calkin’s Summer Institute on the Teaching of Writing. While curriculum is important, I teach the whole child. I am aware of social and emotional needs that children may have. I learn student interests, and I incorporate them into our learning. One of my strengths is that I help each child to feel valued and loved. This helps encourage each student to take risks while learning. I also differentiate my instruction

based on a child’s individual needs. This helps each student to be successful and develop a passion for learning that will last a lifetime. I have been interested in becoming a teacher since I was little. I grew up watching my mother teach kindergarten and dance. I then taught dance classes, swim lessons, piano and voice lessons, and became a summer camp counselor. These experiences have guided me to become involved in the school outside of the classroom. I love leading after school clubs and programs, and I will attend and support teachers and students in their events as well. I look forward to a cooperative relationship with the teachers and parents in the district. I believe that a strong home-to-school connection develops the most effective education for a child. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, dancing, singing, biking, and the beach. I value my relationships with family and friends, and I try to spend as much time with them as possible. I look forward to getting to know all of the families in Haddonfield! Here’s to a wonderful beginning at Tatem!

Sincerely,

Megan Friedman

Mrs. Rachel Gould Health Teacher Grades 1,2 and 4

Hello! My name is Rachel Gould and I am excited to introduce myself as the 1st, 2nd and 4th grade health teacher at Tatem Elementary School! I began my teaching career at Tatem 10 years ago and have since taught Health and Physical Education at Haddonfield Middle School and Haddonfield Memorial High School. In addition to teaching, I worked as the Certified Athletic Trainer at HMHS. I am very excited about returning "home" and working with the incredibly talented and dedicated staff here at Tatem!

I grew up in Haddon Township, NJ, where I played soccer, softball and was a member of the student council. I realized early on in high school of my desire to teach Health/PE and work as a Certified Athletic Trainer, completing independent studies in each area. I chose to continue my education at West Chester University in West Chester, PA, earning my Bachelor's Degree in Athletic Training.

I began my teaching career at Tatem and Elizabeth Haddon Elementary Schools as a Health and Physical Education Teacher. I have a passion for making exercise fun and promoting lifelong health and wellness. In the classroom, I believe that by getting to know my students and their interests, I can better provide them with the opportunities to be successful.

Throughout my time in the Haddonfield School District, I have been most rewarded by the opportunity to become a part of the Haddonfield Family. I enjoy getting to know my students, their families and our community. Together we all want to work to making each student succeed.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two daughters. Rylee is a sassy 4 year old who will be attending preschool at First Presbyterian Church Preschool in Haddonfield and Harper is my adventurous one year old who constantly keeps us on our toes!

I am extremely grateful to teach in the Haddonfield School District and am looking forward to be spending my time at Tatem, Central School and HMHS this school year!

Ms. Danielle Hayduchok Learning Support Teacher Grade 2

Dear Students, Parents and Families of Tatem Elementary School,

My name is Danielle Hayduchok and I am the recently-hired Learning Support Teacher to assist students in first and second grade at Tatem Elementary School. I am especially looking forward to becoming part of the Tatem community! I hope this letter gives you a little insight into who I am as a teacher and as a person. Hopefully, in the upcoming year, I will have the opportunity to learn more about you! I grew up in Westampton, N.J. and I attended Elon University in North Carolina for my undergraduate degree in elementary education. As alluring as the warmer climate and Southern culture might be, I decided to leave North Carolina for my home state and pursue a teaching position in a happy, supportive and nurturing school environment. I think I’ve found it! I have also recently completed Rowan University’s Graduate Endorsement program for Teachers of Students with Disabilities and I have plans of completing my Master’s Degree in the near future. In my previous positions, I taught low-income students in a charter school in Plainfield, N.J. The school was rewarding as I had an opportunity to nurture my students to love learning. In addition to challenging all of my students to do their best, I set up my classroom with a rainforest theme. This theme was incorporated into our reading and math activities and students learned about South American culture, endangered animals and planet conservation. I hope to incorporate my love of different cultures, nature and the belief that all students can learn into my new setting at Tatem Elementary. My most recent position prior to Tatem was in a self-contained autistic classroom as a teacher’s assistant. I was very successful in teaching all of the students and becoming trained in the Applied Behavior Analysis program. I learned so much about students with autism and differentiating lessons so all students can be successful. I hope to apply my special education knowledge to my current position at Tatem and assist all students. Although I love teaching all daily subjects, my all-time favorite is reading and writing. From kindergarten to now, my favorite way to relax is with a book. As a traveler, I consider books to be like an adventure taking the reader to many exotic, exciting and even scary places. I see reading as the open door to all of life’s opportunities. Additionally, I am a writer. In high

school, I self-published a book titled No More Trouble to teach families to make responsible pet care choices. This book is currently in Tatem’s library and I hope you will enjoy reading it! I am currently working on another story centered on the travels of a plastic lawn flamingo that I hope will be finished by the end of this school year. I have a few other interests besides teaching. I love to travel and have been to 30 out of 50 states and 8 countries. I am an amateur photographer and take pictures of people, animals and events. My favorite place to be is the beach, but I also enjoy skiing, ice skating and snow. I look forward to meeting you and learning more about my students and the Tatem family. Kind regards, Ms. Danielle Hayduchok

Ms. Alissa Mankowski

First Grade Teacher

(Leave of Absence Teacher for Kristin Seymour)

Dear Families of Tatem Elementary School,

My name is Alissa Mankowski and I am excited to be teaching at Haddonfield’s Tatem Elementary School during the 2015-2016 school year. I will be the Interim First Grade teacher for Mrs. Seymour while she takes care of her new bundle of joy! Although I grew up in the nearby town of Lumberton, I have multiple family members living in the Haddonfield community and have heard their many praises. I graduated from the College of New Jersey with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Spanish. ¡Sí, hablo español! My desire to work with children started at a very early age. While working towards my dream and degree, I was fortunate enough to teach in classrooms around the state, ranging from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade. I was also able to assist students outside of the country, during my time living in Spain. After graduating from college, I was then offered an amazing opportunity to teach First Grade in Maple Shade for a full year maternity leave. It is because of this past experience that I am bursting with excitement to teach First Grade again here at Tatem! I became very familiar with the curriculum, standards, and overall needs of this age group. I cannot wait to see how my new class will grow! I have always been passionate about working with children. I truly love the challenges and the rewards that teaching offers. One of my strengths is being able to identify children’s strengths and build on these strengths to encourage them to feel good about themselves. I believe that focusing on students’ achievements, especially at a young age, will nurture children’s ability to persevere and grow into lifelong learners. It is my belief that learning should be fun and I will always try to bring that into my teaching and classroom. Outside of school, I love spending time with my family, friends, and two adorable dogs. I enjoy reading and painting when I get the chance to let my creative juices flow outside of the classroom. I look forward to getting to know the students, parents, and staff during this upcoming year at Tatem. I know this will be a school year full of cherished memories! Please feel free to reach out to me anytime with comments, questions, or concerns.

Sincerely,

Alissa Mankowski

Mrs. Dana O’Reilly

Speech and Language Specialist

Dear Tatem Community, My name is Dana O’Reilly and I will be the new Speech-Language Pathologist at Tatem Elementary School this year! I am very much looking forward to working with the students, teachers, and families in a collaborative manner to optimize our student’s success and ability to communicate in the classroom. A little bit about me: I grew up in the neighboring town of Mount Laurel, NJ and currently reside with my husband and two dogs in Cherry Hill. I knew early on that I wanted to pursue a career in speech-language pathology, having always looked up to my aunt who was (and still is!) an SLP in the schools. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park and earned my Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Temple University. I am licensed as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, certified as a speech-language specialist in New Jersey, and have a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. While I am new to Tatem, I am not new to the field of Speech-Language Pathology. For the past five years, I have worked in the rehabilitative hospital setting assessing and treating individuals who sustained traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries and concussion. Prior to this, I worked in a public school and two different private schools for children with special needs, where I assessed and treated children with a variety of communication delays and

disorders. I have had extensive experience working with children on the autism spectrum and have had the opportunity to work under the guidance of a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst to learn and carry out Applied Behavioral Analysis programs. My professional experience has provided me with a diverse set of skills that I believe will present a unique perspective on treatment of speech and language in and out of the classroom. Communication is one of the most fundamental, yet complex skills that we as humans acquire. I strongly believe that change is made, not in my treatment room, but by using the tools that we learn in my treatment room, in the classroom and at home. I am not a believer in “speech homework” in the sense of worksheets or paper and pencil tasks, but will rather focus on practicing use of the tools and strategies in everyday communication within the classroom, in the community, and at home. I look forward to getting to know the students, families, and staff during the upcoming school year! Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns. See you in September! Warmest Regards, Dana O’Reilly

Ms. Christina Parady

Learning Support Teacher Grade 1

Hello! My name is Christina Parady and I am pleased to introduce myself as the new Title One Teacher at Tatem Elementary School. I am excited to be part of the Tatem community, and I am looking forward to meeting all of the students. I currently live in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. I recently graduated from The College of New Jersey with my degree in Early Childhood Education and English. This will be my first year teaching, and I am happy to begin my career in the Haddonfield Township School District. Although this is my first year teaching, I have a lot of experiences in the field. I student taught a first grade class in Burlington City School District, was a substitute teacher in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District, and tutored elementary students in reading, writing, and mathematics. All my experiences have given me so much knowledge on teaching and deepened my love for the profession. I always knew I wanted to be an elementary teacher. Ever since I was a child I enjoyed learning new things and teaching what I learned to others. As a teacher, I will make sure that school is a fun place where children feel safe and part of a community. I will use the students’ interests to develop a variety of fun, educational, hands-on lessons. Overall, my goal is to make sure that every student is successful and enjoys learning. During my free time, I enjoy reading, traveling, learning about new places, spending time with friends and family, baking, and arts and crafts. I am enthusiastic about the upcoming school year and can’t wait to meet the families of Tatem Elementary School! Sincerely, Christina Parady

Ms. Alison Reynolds

Kindergarten Teacher/Intervention Specialist

Hello! My name is Alison Reynolds. I am truly delighted to be joining the faculty at J. Fithian Tatem Elementary School as a Kindergarten teacher and Intervention Specialist. I look forward to collaborating with the talented and dedicated group of administrators, staff, and faculty to deliver the highest quality education to our community.

I was raised in the neighboring town of Cherry Hill, so I am very familiar with Haddonfield. Upon graduation from Cherry Hill High School East, I continued my education at Saint Joseph’s University earning my Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education. As an undergraduate, I also played on the women’s lacrosse team for three years until student teaching took precedence. In addition, I have received my Master of Science in Education with a Reading Specialist Certification at Saint Joseph’s University. While earning my masters degree, I was selected as one of the Graduate Assistants in the Education Department where I worked closely with several professors and participated in the research of literacy and educational instruction best practices. I possess an Elementary Education (K-5) and Teacher of Students with Disabilities teaching certificates in the state of New Jersey. Additionally, I am certified as a Reading Specialist (K-12) in Pennsylvania and am awaiting reciprocal certification in New Jersey.

Following graduate school, I taught second grade at Franklin Towne Charter Elementary School in Philadelphia. During my three years at Franklin Towne, I have had extensive classroom experience geared toward the empowerment of Elementary Education, Special Education, and Literacy Instruction. Throughout the course of my career, I have been blessed to work with many diverse students—these students include learning disabled, those who have performed at grade level, and those who are gifted and exceptional. As a

result, I have become highly proficient in designing creative lesson plans to keep students engaged and motivated while accommodating multiple learning styles in the classroom.

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to become an educator. In fact, my very first experience in a classroom was volunteering as a high school senior in my former elementary school’s kindergarten classroom. I was blessed to share this experience with an inspiring teacher, which affirmed my planned career choice. For me, the greatest joy of teaching is the ability to watch my students grow and make progress towards mastery of new concepts and skills. I believe all students deserve a classroom environment that is comfortable and safe where they are able to take risks and be challenged. Most importantly, I try to incorporate loads of fun, creativity and movement to keep my students engaged and eager to enter the classroom each day.

I am very excited to also be given the dual role of classroom teacher and intervention specialist. As the intervention specialist, I look forward to utilizing my knowledge of literacy instruction in a small group environment with referred students and addressing specific skills in phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension based on students’ needs. Aside from teaching, I love spending time with my family at the Jersey shore every summer. As a former athlete, I like to remain active by running, kickboxing, and taking spin classes. I am also interested in cooking, reading, and watching all Philadelphia sports teams. I realize that teaching children is a privilege, which comes with a tremendous responsibility. I will do my best to ensure that each student has a motivating and safe learning experience in the classroom. With your help and communication, we can make this your child’s best academic year. I plan to keep you informed of all assignments and subjects that are covered in class through our online class webpage. I look forward to begin working with you and your family this upcoming school year. See you in September!

Ms. Stephanie Virden Special Education Teacher

Hello Tatem Tigers! My name is Stephanie Virden and I am very excited introduce myself as a new special education teacher filling in for Mrs. Nave. I am a recent graduate of the Rutgers Graduate School of Education where I received my Master’s degree in special education and additional certification in elementary education. Although I am a new addition to Tatem, I am a proud Haddonfield alumnus (Go Dawgs!). Growing up in Haddonfield, I have been very fortunate with my educational experiences as a student, and I am even more excited to return to the district that inspired me to achieve my goals in becoming a teacher. I decided to become a teacher a long time ago, however, my love and inspiration to become a special education teacher stems from personal experience and a love for helping and serving others. My ambitions stemmed from a volunteer position at HollyDell School where I spent my high school summers in the classroom working with students with more involved disabilities and delays. From this volunteer position, I have been fortunate enough to work as a 1:1 assistant at HollyDell for the past five summers working with a wide range of students. From my work here, I established and realized my goals in becoming a special education teacher and have grown into a more patient and compassionate individual. As a teacher, I strive to bring a sense of enthusiasm and excitement to learning. I look forward to getting to know my students beyond instruction and working to provide an engaging and positive learning experience for all learners. I am excited to get to know students on a personal level and draw on their interests and strengths to provide individualized instruction catered to their needs.

Beyond the classroom, I have a strong interest in being and staying active in every sense of the word. I am always on the move and have recently started kickboxing, which is very helpful when you love pizza as much as I do! I also have a great love and appreciation for community service and spend as much time as possible helping others in any way possible. I also enjoy spending time with friends and family, and you might catch me walking my dog around town! This year I will be working closely with Mrs. Schneider’s fourth grade class and Mrs. Hall’s fifth grade class. I am very excited to get to know all of my students and earn my stripes as a Tatem Tiger!

See you all soon!

Best wishes, Stephanie Virden

Ms. Amanda West

Elementary School Counselor

Hello! My name is Amanda West. I am so excited to be joining the community at J. Fithian Tatem School as the school counselor. I am looking forward to working with all of the Tatem students, families, and staff. I grew up in Audubon and went to Paul VI High School, so I am very familiar with the Haddonfield area. Growing up, I always wanted to be an elementary school teacher. So when it came time to pick a college major, I easily decided on Education. I attended Camden County College on a NJSTARS scholarship, and graduated after a year and a half. While at Camden County, I was able to have my first field experiences in education. It was during one of those early field experiences that I found my passion was not only for education, but for working with students on their personal and social development. At that time, I decided that becoming a school counselor would be the perfect way to combine my interests of education and personal and social development. For the next two years, I attended Rutgers University and double majored in Childhood Studies and Psychology. While at Rutgers, I was a member of the Honors College and my capstone Honors project involved facilitating a literacy workshop for Camden students. From there, I attended Rowan University and received a Masters Degree in Counseling in Educational Settings. At Rowan, I was a member of Chi Sigma Iota International Counseling Honor Society and served as the chapter’s chair for community involvement. In addition to being a state certified school counselor, I also passed the National Counselor Examination, and am a National Certified Counselor. For the 2014-2015 school year, I completed my school counseling internship at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Berlin Township. While there, I counseled individual students, ran small groups, and also taught character education classroom lessons. One of the biggest aspects of my internship was my work with the school’s Positive Behavior Supports program, as well as serving as a member of the school’s Behavior Referral Team. My absolute favorite part, however, was getting to interact with my amazing students every day! I look forward to implementing a comprehensive school counseling program and assisting students with their personal and social development. Most importantly, I look forward to creating meaningful relationships with each and every student at Tatem. I am extremely excited for the new school year!

News:

Congratulations to Nina and Brandon:

Nina Wojtowicz, our Language Art Specialist, was married on August 1, 2015. Her beautiful wedding ceremony took place outside on a gorgeous summer afternoon at Liberty Lands Park in Philadelphia.

Miss Grillo is now Mrs. Bissinger:

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Bissinger and Flower Girl, Allie!

Gerry and Dana celebrated their special day on July 11, 2015 with a very special ceremony “under the stars” at the Franklin Institute.

Baby Harding:

Mrs. Harding reports she has had a great summer! “Landon loves to go swimming and has just started to crawl. He has brought so much joy into our lives, my husband and I feel so blessed."

Baby Miller: Colton Quinn Miller was born on July 1st weighing 7lbs 7 ounces and was 21 inches long. Mrs. Miller reports, “ We are so in love with our precious little boy”.

Baby Nave:

Tyler Christopher Nave

Born May 25, 2015

Thanks to all for your well wishes!

Kate and Chris Nave

Baby Seymour:

Wyatt James Seymour born 7/14/15! 8lbs 3oz. Big sisters Kay and Keira are over the moon excited!

Ms. Coluccio accepted a full time Counselor position at school another district. We are so sad to say good bye to Ms. Coluccio yet, we are truly happy for this wonderful and well-deserved career opportunity. Please see the note below.

Dear Tatem Families and Students, I hope you are enjoying your summer. It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that I will not be returning to Tatem Elementary School this upcoming school year. It has been a pleasure working with the wonderful students and families within this community. I am grateful to have been part of the Tatem family and I wish the best for all of you as well as for Tatem Elementary School, which will forever hold a special place in my heart. Warm Regards, Jena-Rose Coluccio, MA, NCC

*Tatem Elementary School will also welcome a new School Counselor and several new Educational Assistants. Please check future links to this Spotlight as we add additional

information and photos.