Dear Colleagues,
Welcome! Welcome to an End-of-Year Celebration representing many of our staff who were hired in the last two years. The teachers, TAs, counselors, psychologists, and administrators you will learn about all have one major element in common: They were all hired right before or during a pandemic! Hence, there is a very good chance that you are unfamiliar with many of the amazing educators recently hired in KLSD. To that end, we offer a glimpse into the professional lives of our 1st and 2nd year staff and the amazing work they do each day!
Please know that more HR-type newsletters will be created next year to highlight a wider variety of KLSD staff in every corner of the district.
Thank you for all that you do for our community and one another- and- I hope you all have a fantastic summer!
Sincerely,
Neill Alleva (Assistant Superintendent of HR)
Enjoy the images and quotes produced by your colleagues!
"I created a bulletin board outside of my ENL classroom with photos of my students and flags from their home countries to celebrate their heritage, language, and culture. They were all ecstatic to be a part of this effort and to see their flags. Listening to the chatter of numerous students as they stroll past it and speak about how much they enjoy the map and seeing their classmates is the nicest part. Many students stop by to learn about different countries and to talk about 'how great it is to speak another language.'"
Candice Lee- IMES ENL Teacher
"This year, we worked as a team to earn celebrations in which the room was transformed into a Glow in the Dark Adventure, an Underwater Scape, A Doughnut Shop, and Camp Kindergarten. The students loved to participate in these themed days, complete with engaging and thoughtfully aligned work in all subjects.
As part of the Doughnut Shop transformation, the students participated in a classroom economy system, in which they could earn “Buddy Bucks” to be spent on items to rent or buy in the classroom. Through this, students sharpened their addition and subtraction skills, and learned lessons around working towards a goal, saving, and even delayed gratification."
Rebecca Corrigan, Kindergarten Teacher, KES
"Starting in a new school during a pandemic gave us both 'first day jitters,' but after getting to know the staff and students of KLSD, we feel so lucky to be part of this amazing community. Working with different grades, teaching styles and personalities, has brought to light new perspectives and mutual respect. We are also so proud of the amazing work our students have accomplished this year. They have become stronger readers, writers, and mathematicians, and come to school excited to learn each day. Watching them grow is the reason for teaching!" -Rosina Bain, KLSD Quarantine Teacher and Service Provider
"This year, I revolutionized math class by rolling out 360 math. Students are up out of their seats—talking, learning, and engaging. Valuable learning can be heard throughout the room as students construct meaning through purposeful conversations. Rather than having just one teacher in the classroom, we now have 25 as peers support each other in solving math problems. My students take the center stage while I help facilitate their learning as an audience member"
Lindsy Panesar, Grade 5 Teacher, IMES
"The pictures below are from our unit on the human body. My kindergarteners engaged in a weeklong study where they investigated the role and functions of their primary organs. Each student cut out a traced outline of their body. They also cut out replicas of their main organs and glued them onto their life size cut outs. Just for good measure, they coiled up 22 feet of yarn for the small intestines. During math centers, they worked with a partner and used Unifix cubes and links to measure and record different body lengths. They also looked through supermarket flyers and created a shopping bag book filled with healthy foods. Finally, each student made a working model of their lungs. Using 22-inch straws and small plastic bags, students created a visual to help them better understand how their lungs expand and contract when they breathe in and out. When we practiced our mindful breathing techniques, students commented that their lungs were " filling with oxygen." It was just another fun week in kindergarten!" Donna Dooley, Kindergarten Teacher, IMES
Mural in Progress
"Becoming the advisor for JJHS Art Club has been a highlight of my first 2 years at JJHS. This year, students began working on a mural in the "Relaxation Room" in the counseling center which is a space where students can go to relax and de-stress when they are feeling overwhelmed. Students helping other students has given them a great sense of pride and rebuilding this community of artists after the shutdown has sparked joy for all of us."
-Kristen Lowe (she, her) JJHS Art Teacher
Adrionna Palmiero, John Jay MS Health and PE Teacher
"During the school year in PE, I had put together a fitness unit for the students. As many know, John Jay has a gorgeous fitness center at the high school with a whole list of different machines/fitness equipment to use. Here at the middle school, we are lucky enough to have a handful of equipment and room for the students to try out, and learn about different techniques or exercises that will keep their body healthy.
During this unit, students moved through about 10 different exercise stations that worked on different parts of the body, using different pieces of equipment at each station. I was proud of this unit because I had incorporated the use of technology into it, which is not something that is too commonly used during class! At each station, the students were able to visually see the exercise on the ipad, as well as read a description of the exercise. Students could also choose the level of intensity at which they would perform the exercise. This decreased the explanation time with the class, while increasing my one-on-one feedback / assessment of the students while moving around the classroom."
The unit was set up and executed with many modifications and differentiation of intensity/weight during each station. The students enjoyed the tasks and got in a great work out along the way!"
"Pictured here is student work from our homeostasis/body systems unit in Honors Biology. Students were tasked with a biological phenomena/essential question at the beginning of the unit--why do some marathon runners collapse or faint during their race? As they learned about different body systems and cellular processes throughout the unit, they gathered evidence to answer this question. The result was a visual and scientifically accurate model of why a particular marathon runner overheated and collapsed during the race, compared to what should normally happen had the runner hydrated prior /during the race."
"This is a proud moment for me because it shows that students were able to apply their content knowledge to a unique, real-life scenario and master the important skill of scientific modeling. No one student’s work was the same, but all were accurate and reflective of their hard work!"
Barbara Spanos, John Jay High School Biology Teacher
"I am so lucky to work in a district and community that supports each other! Here is a little note from one of my graduating seniors as she heads off to college in the fall. It serves as a great reminder to remember that we all make such a big impact on the lives of our students – and encourages me to continue to grow, learn, adapt – and to always put our students first!"
-Rebecca Davidson (She/her/hers) John Jay School Counselor
Credits:
Created with an image by gitusik - "Christmas composition. Christmas golden glittering decorations on color background. Flat lay, top view, copy space - Image"