IAA Newsletter

It is a pleasure to be a part of the IAA school community and I am thankful for the warm welcome I have received from so many of you. I believe the school year has gotten off to a positive start as I have observed students and staff productively engaged in activities within our classrooms. As I visit classrooms I see students learning the routines of their community and demonstrating respect for their fellow school citizens. There has been clear evidence of our staff using purposeful strategies to get to know students as individuals as they seek to ensure that learning experiences are tailored to meet the needs of each student. I have appreciated seeing so many of you, the parents and caregivers, here in the school on a regular basis supporting the learning process that is happening in your child’s classroom. I encourage you to continue to be an active participant in our school community. One way to do so is by joining us for our Monday Morning and Friday Town meetings. The schedule and format for our Monday Morning meetings will be a little different this year. Please visit our school website for more information. I look forward to connecting and partnering with you over the course of the school year.

- Kevin Robinson

Happy New Year IAA!

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and invite you to reach out do the same. I am a native Vermonter, a graduate of Peoples Academy in Morrisville. Through the years I have served as a visual art teacher in the Boston-area, Austin, TX, and Toronto, ON. Most recently I was the Arts Specialist for the the Vermont Agency of Education. I am thrilled to be back in a school and to have joined the IAA community as the Arts Coach. Before teaching I dabbled in graphic design, but my medium of choice is printmaking. I have spent the first few days of school meeting as many students as possible and spending a bit of time in each classroom. I am looking forward to learning everything about IAA and the people that make it tick. At our first Friday Town Meeting on September 6th, we celebrated the start of school and welcomed all of the new IAA members with a welcome back video.

-Emily Titterton

Follow IAA on Instagram @iaavt

• Sept. 6th: Friday Town Meeting

• Sept. 13th: Friday Town Meeting

• Sept. 20th: Friday Town Meeting

• Sept. 27th: Friday Town Meeting

• Sept. 24th: Open House, 3rd-5th graders, 6:00-7:00

• Sept 25th: Open House, PreK-2nd graders, 6:00-7:00

• Sept. 30th: Monday Morning Meeting (Always the last Monday of the month) 8:10-8:40AM

We are excited to welcome all of our students and families to the IAA Preschool! We are looking forward to seeing students grow and learn in the context of themselves and others. We are ready for a year of curiosity, creativity, exploration and playfulness!

Mr. Eric, Ms. Coreen, Ms. Kele, Mr. Eric W., and Ms. Jackie

Ms. Taylor and Ms. Emily have had so much fun welcoming the kindergarten students into IAA. We are lucky to have a shared Kindergarten Para, Ms. Erica, between the two classes and to start the year off with Ms. Holly (Ms. Emily's long term sub for maternity leave). Ms. TT is also joining Ms. Emily's classroom as a special education para! Both classes have been learning about the many different routines of school and the kids have been doing a great job. We were excited to eat lunch in the cafeteria this week for the first time and to meet all the different specialist teachers we will be working with this year!

We hope to see families at the Kindergarten Open House on Wednesday, September 25th from 6:00-7:00 PM. We have a shared class website and will start posting photos of our kindergarten adventures once we have had a chance to review the media opt out policy with families. http://iaakindergarten.weebly.com/

Cheers to a great year ahead!

We are so excited to welcome our new students to first grade! We have had such a great start to our year, and can’t wait to get started on all the fun things to do in first grade! Our focus thus far has been to establish our classroom communities and to practice routines and procedures. It has been so wonderful getting to know each of our classes, and seeing our students interact with each other in meaningful ways. Here’s to a fantastic first grade year!!

Email:

Ms. Rose mrose@bsdvt.org

Ms. D ldvorak@bsdvt.org

Social Media:

Twitter (Ms. Rose): @IAA_MsRose

The Second Grade is off to a fabulous start! We’re forging dynamic new classroom communities and creating rules to guide us on the journey. We have been learning how to become learners--paying attention to how our minds work and discussing ways to maintain focus so we can grow our brains. A lot of our focus these first few weeks is on the social-emotional learning that is so important at this age. Thus far, we have enjoyed getting to know one another! We are excited for all the learning and growth that lies ahead.

Ms. Heather and Mr. Leal

Twitter: @IAA_MsHeather; @2ndGradeFun

Facebook: George Leal--find by searching for the email account (Weeklyleal@gmail.com)

We are so lucky that Quinn Davis is our new STEP 2 teacher at IAA!

In order to learn more about Quinn, we asked her a few questions:

1. What were you doing before you started teaching here at IAA?

Before I started working at IAA I was the Assistant Academic Director at the Burlington Boys and Girls Club! I was there for one year, and I loved the kids I got to meet! I did work at IAA’s afterschool program, and am so lucky to know kids at the school I now work at!!

1. Why do you want to teach English Learners? How did you first get interested?

I have wanted to be an ELL teacher for about 10 years now! I was embarrassed that I did not know this population existed around me while I was in highschool, and I knew that it was my job to be an advocate for our New American population, and that it was my job to help them find “home” in the United States.

1. Why did you choose IAA and the STEP program?

Working at IAA through the Boys and Girls Club was so much fun, so when I saw the position open, I was thrilled to apply! I have worked hard in the neighborhood for a year, and having the chance to be a permanent educator in this community makes me so proud!

1. What do you like most about IAA?

The people and community feeling at IAA is essential to me. Our jobs are hard, and sometimes we struggle; knowing that you have people that can help you, and resources to make you more successful has made me confident in becoming the best teacher I can be.

1. What do you like most about working with newcomers?

Cultural richness, variety of backgrounds, and a thirst for learning are just a couple of the things that I like most about working with newcomers. They brighten my life, and seeing them grow is invaluable to me as an educator!

1. What is on your “life” bucket list?

I want to travel the world! I want to visit the home countries of my students, eat their food, listen to their music, live in their houses, and experience their lives! The world is so vast, and being able to explore and meet people from all walks of life truly is a gift.

1. Is there anything else you want to share with us? Anything we might not know about you? (hobbies, interests, favorite foods, etc.)

When I am not at school I love to read, sing, watch movies and play with my dog outside! I love to spend time with my family, too!

Mr. Scott and Mr. Whitman are excited to welcome all of our new students and families to IAA for 3rd Grade! The year has been going really well in both of our classes and we look forward to seeing the children grow and develop in many wonderful ways. All families are welcome to join us for our upcoming IAA Open House from 6 - 7pm on September 24th. Please feel free to email us with any questions or concerns you may have about our school year together.

Sincerely,

Mr. Scott and Mr. Whitman

showard@bsdvt.org and pwhitman@bsdvt.org

Welcome back,

The 4th grade team of Mr. T and Mr. Mike would like to welcome everyone back for another exciting year at the IAA. We are beyond excited to get the year rolling. Be on the lookout in your child's backpack for your 4th grade newsletter that gives you an update on specific things like special schedule, key dates, and much much more. For the first few weeks we will be focusing on building community and creativity. Have a great week!!!!

Sincerely,

Mr. T & Mr. Mike

We have had a busy first couple of weeks of school! We have been getting to know each other, getting to know our new teachers at IAA, practicing community circles, establishing routines, and of course doing a little reading, writing, math, and art-making! We are also looking forward to starting our first Integrated Arts unit this week around Drama and Writing with our returning Drama Coach, Ms. Piper!

We are also hard at work on planning for our fall field trip series. We’ll be sailing and going to Starbase to do hands on science activities (including building rockets!) in October. These field trips give us a great opportunity to learn by doing, connect with some of our local resources, connect to our science and social studies units, and build community. Give us a wave if you see us walking through the neighborhood! Also let us know if you’d be willing to chaperone. Stay tuned for a field trip related letter going home shortly.

We look forward to another wonderful year of learning, community-building, and art-making at IAA!

Take care,

Ms. B and Mr. Currier

(below@bsdvt.org, mcurrier@bsdvt.org )

Hello all!

My name is Christine Princi and I am delighted to be the new Visual Arts teacher at IAA. During the first month of school, we will be delving into a number of artistic elements and principles, including rhythm, pattern, unity, scale, composition, and shape! I will be sending student work home consistently throughout the year for students to be able to take ownership of their own artwork. Student work will also be showcased throughout the school. I intend to document and share class processes through Instagram, which I will provide in the next submission! Thank you!

Warmly,

Christine

Hello IAA! My name is Ms. Piper. Many of you may remember me as I was here as the drama teacher two years ago and I am thrilled to be back this year! I am looking forward to integrating drama into the curriculum and bringing our learning to life. During our first 6 weeks we are laying the foundation for the year as we learn to act and act to learn. Stay tuned for social media updates!

Welcome Back IAA!! The books missed you (and so did I)!

It's been a wonderful first few days meeting new friends and checking in with familiar faces. We have been remembering what ROAR looks like in the library and how to use the space. We've also already checked out a LOT of books!!

Over the month of September students will be working on our Square 1 Art fundraiser during their library time. This fundraiser is very important, as it raises a lot of funding for the library and allows me to buy more books and materials. Square 1 Art turns your child's beautiful art into memorable keepsakes that make wonderful holiday gifts (all orders will be ready for the winter holidays). More information about this fantastic fundraiser will be coming your way shortly, so keep watching your child's take home folder.

If you are looking for ways to help the library out, there's always the Library Wishlist on Amazon, or come see Ms. Jen if you want to volunteer your time.

Stop on by or email me with any questions and follow the library on Instagram: @iaa_library,

Thanks,

Ms. Jen

jpeake@bsdvt.org

How goes it wonderful IAA families and community! My name is Miss Molly and I am the new P.E. teacher this year! It has been such a pleasure getting to know your children. I am so excited to plan the rest of the year centered on student interest. If you would like to learn more about me, take a look at my bulletin board outside of the gym. Your children are so wonderful, and full of energy that it makes my job the best job in the world. I am delighted to begin my teambuilding unit to help all students understand the relevance and importance of teamwork & cooperation. This unit will require students to use out of the box thinking while trying to achieve a common goal. Please feel free to stop by my gym or shoot me an email. Coming soon to a school near you: Social Media!

Lots of love,

Miss Molly

Hi! My name is Mr Myregaard and I am the music teacher at the IAA. The new school year is always so exciting, as I see how the students in each grade have grown up over the summer, along with meeting the new kindergarteners. So much musical talent at the IAA! We have already made some great music in the music room and there’s more to come. There are many musical opportunities at the IAA, including vocal skill-building, playing instruments, learning beats and rhythms, and composing. Drop in any time to chat, email me, follow me on Twitter and check out the music room website!

Bill Myregaard

bmyregaa@bsdvt.org

Iaamusic.weebly.com

@IAAMusicVT

Hello IAA Community! The Special Education team is happy to be back and we are excited to welcome new members to our support staff for the 2019-2020 school year.

Front Row: Dianna Leclerc (K,3), Catherine Armani-Munn (Occupational Therapist), Cassie Dimmick (1,2), Virginia Cheng (Speech Language Pathologist).

Back Row: Jordan Goodrich (4,5), Michelle Anderson (School Psychologist) and Katie Bowman (½ 5th grade special educator ½ IAA interventionist).

Hi Everyone,

I’ll continue to teach SEL (social emotional learning) classes to grades K-2 throughout the entire school year and bullying prevention to K-5. I will also run small groups and meet with students individually. Please contact me if you are looking for support or resources. Jessie Donnelly is at IAA until mid-December as a school counseling intern from UVM’s Graduate Counseling program. She will support me in my role as school counselor and also have a small caseload of students. Take care.