Cheetah Pride Press!

Families,

We had another wonderful week at Memorial School. Now that our young learners have a handle on daily routines and expectations, our cheetahs are diving into new units of study, and completing universal assessments. These assessments help us identify your student's strengths, and determine next steps for instruction. Next week, we will begin the iReady Reading Diagnostic in grades 1-3. You may read more about this assessment below.

We are looking forward to seeing you at Open House next week! On September 21st, we will be hosting the parents/guardians of students in grades PreK, K, & 1; and on September 22nd, we will be welcoming the parents/guardians of students in grades 2 & 3. Both evenings will run from 6:30-7:30pm. As a reminder... Open House is an adult event.

As always, we appreciate your partnership. Have a wonderful weekend!

Joey & Andrea

Mr. Siena, our daytime custodian, (or "Mr. Anthony" as our student's call him), had a week filled with recognition. Mr. Anthony received our building staff recognition , the " Order of the Cheetah", as well as being named East Hampton Public School's Employee of the Month! Anthony received a large number of nominations from the staff at Memorial School.

He is credited with working “tirelessly to make Memorial School look beautiful.”

In addition, the staff appreciates that he takes the time to engage in a very positive way with the young learners of Memorial. Mr. Siena has been a great edition to our Staff. He goes above and beyond daily to make our building shine. It is hard to find a moment when Mr. Anthony is not doing something to help keep our building clean and healthy. And he does it all with a smile and a positive attitude! Thank you, Mr. Siena!

Smart Start made apple sauce!

Grade 3 Making Glyphs in Math!

A PAWsitive office referral is submitted when a staff member recognizes a student who is going above and beyond to exemplify one of our three school rules - taking care of others, taking care of self, & taking care of things.

Several students in Mrs. Gibson’s summer camp made decorations to beautify our Memorial School garden! Check out how beautiful their plant stakes and mushrooms look in the garden!

Hello Cheetah Families!

Music classes are off to a great start at Memorial School! It has been exciting to see familiar faces and welcome new students to the music room! This year, we will continue to create, perform, and respond to music through the use of instruments, singing, and movement!

Classroom Expectations:

During the first couple of weeks, preschool and kindergarten students have been learning routines, practicing names, and using singing voices and dancing bodies! First, second, and third graders have been reviewing routines and learning from the previous year, while playing fun music games together. Students will soon learn how to use our “resting spot” to calm their bodies and be ready to learn. They will also have classroom jobs to complete on a rotating basis, to help take care of things inside the music room.

More Information:

By accessing the music room website, you can learn more about our music program at Memorial School! Throughout the year, I will occasionally post pictures and updates to the site. Preschool song lyrics and poems can be accessed there so that you can sing with your student! When we start our recorder unit, third graders will be able to find resources there as well. Be sure to check it out by clicking here!

Contact Me:

Please reach out with thoughts or questions on parentsquare or via email at smaldonado@easthamptonct.org. I would love to hear from you!

Mrs. Maldonado

Each year the East Hampton Public Schools administers the i-Ready Diagnostic in Reading and Math in the fall, winter, and spring to monitor student growth and performance. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. These results are reviewed as one data point amongst other assessments, observations and data regarding student performance. The assessment is integrated into your child’s day as part of their academic learning and is paced to ensure that they work on the assessment in small chunks of time. The implementation of this assessment is completed in accordance with Connecticut State Department of Education guidelines. I-Ready will begin the week of September 19th.

The i-Ready Diagnostic will provide results that help our team identify your child’s strengths and determine next steps for instruction. All students in grades 1-5 will have access to i-Ready Instruction upon completion of the Diagnostic. i-Ready Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual strengths and areas for growth. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic supports to keep your child engaged as they learn. We will provide additional information about access to i-Ready Instruction and the frequency of use for that program once the Diagnostic is completed.

From left to right:

Ms. Andrea Winiarski is the district K-5 Math/Science Coordinator and 3-5 Math Specialist. This is her fourth year in East Hampton after previously working as a classroom teacher and instructional coach in East Hartford. She is very excited about our new K-5 math program, Bridges in Mathematics, and can’t wait for students to explore new concepts and hear the amazing mathematical discourse that will soon echo in the halls. Ms. Winiarski works at both Memorial and Center and enjoys working with students across the district. Her favorite thing about math is encouraging all mathematicians to find multiple ways to solve problems and show different ways of thinking.

Mrs. Elisabeth Ellis is the K-2 Math Specialist. This is her fifth year in East Hampton after previously working as a classroom teacher in Middletown. She is very excited about our new K-5 math program, Bridges in Mathematics, and its programmatic components, especially Number Corner! She loves being able to go into different classrooms to talk with Memorial Mathematicians. Her favorite thing about math is using manipulatives to show her thinking. Keep an eye out for Mrs. Ellis around town with her children!

Mrs. Abby Skarvelas is the 2-3 Literacy Specialists, and ELA Team Leader at Memorial School. This is her eighth year in East Hampton where she also spent her time as a second grade teacher. Before joining the Memorial team, she was a literacy coach and first grade teacher in New Haven. Her favorite thing about Memorial is the sense of community and the smiles she sees on students’ faces every day. Reading is her passion and she enjoys working to find ways to meet the needs of all learners. This year, she is looking forward to implementing the new reading intervention program, S.P.I.R.E. When she is not at school, her daughters Alexandra (age 3 ½) and Ellie (age 2) keep her very busy!

Mrs. Kerry Liebler is the K-1 Literacy Specialist at Memorial. This is her second year in East Hampton. Prior to that, she was a classroom teacher and instructional coach in East Hartford. Mrs. Liebler enjoys getting into the classrooms and engaging with students during their literacy activities. She especially enjoys an interactive read aloud. Mrs. Liebler is looking forward to meeting the needs of the students with a new intervention program this school year. In her free time, you can find Mrs. Liebler curled up with a good book!

From left to right:

Mrs. Wendy Sturmer has been working as a paraeducator at Memorial for fifteen years. She loves teaching literacy and math to students in grades K-3. Her favorite thing she loves about Memorial is the relationships she makes with students in her groups and watching them utilize what they are learning, making progress, and becoming self-assured and confident young learners each and every day. When she is not at Memorial, she can be found enjoying time with family and friends, traveling, and cuddling with one of her two kitty cats.

Mrs. Alexis Tammaro joined the Memorial Cheetahs last year as a Math and Literacy Paraeducator. She’s really excited to kick off the new school year with our young learners, and is especially excited to engage students in the new Bridges into Mathematics and S.P.I.R.E programs. Mrs. Tammaro really enjoys her time with the students, helping them grow, encouraging them to learn something new every day, and to not give up on themselves! She has two children who also attend Memorial, and is so excited to be a part of the community more. You can usually catch Mrs. Tammaro enjoying the outdoors with her family either on their boat, or exploring our beautiful state parks. She has a passion for always learning new things, be it with trying new recipes or helping her husband build something for the house.

Mrs. Linda Glaude is a Literacy and Math Paraeducator. This is her twenty-fifth year at Memorial. Her favorite thing about Memorial is how the staff collaborates and builds the confidence of all our young learners. She especially enjoys the occasions when a student has an “aha” moment when they discover that they can solve a problem that once was difficult. She is looking forward to welcoming new friends to the Reading Center and Math Lab this year. In her free time she can often be found walking with her dog on the airline trail or enjoying some kayaking adventures. She also loves reading books and spending time with her granddaughter.

Mrs. Nicole Tammaro-Arndt is a new paraeducator, joining the Memorial School literacy department last year. Her favorite thing about her new role is being able to instill confidence in her students that hopefully follows them throughout their educational career. When not at school, you can find Mrs. Tammaro at her home trying to perfect recipes, hosting family gatherings, walking around our beautiful lake or playing outside with her 10 year old son!

Mrs. Sarah Moore-Riddell has worked for Memorial as a literacy paraeducator for 5 years. She really enjoys working with kids in smaller groups, helping them persevere with new concepts. This year she gets to be involved with math groups, learning the new Bridges program with enthusiasm and eagerness. Mrs. Moore-Riddell especially feels rewarded after a student smiles when an idea clicks. In addition to loving Memorial school, she loves her daughter who is currently in 6th grade as well as hiking, reading, and playing/watching all kinds of sports. She is looking forward to a great year with many milestones to achieve.

The East Hampton Public Schools uses assessment data to measure student growth and skill development in both math and literacy. Through these universal assessments, the reading and math department identifies students who may need additional tiers of support to demonstrate grade level skill attainment. Our reading and math department will start meeting with students for additional supports based on spring data the week of September 19th. Once our fall assessments are completed, we will review student needs to determine changes to services or groupings of students. The reading and math department communicates directly with families regarding any additional services.

• 9/19- START with Hello Week begins
• 9/21- Wear GREEN to school!
• 9/21- Open house: Preschool, Kindergarten and Grade 1 from 6:30-7:30pm
• 9/22- Open house: Grades 2 and 3 from 6:30-7:30pm
• 9/26- BOE Meeting 6:30pm
• 9/30- PBIS Assembly and Spirit Day and Jog-A -Thon

When considering the number of absences your student has accrued, keep in mind that a student must be present for 195 minutes in order for the day to count! When bringing your student in late, or signing them out early if they have not been in school for a 195 minutes the day will be recorded as an absence.

The East Hampton Board of Education is committed to a safe and secure learning environment that honors and celebrates the diversity of our students, our community, and our nation. The Board of Education in partnership with the school community will not tolerate any threat of violence in the schools or any hate speech that targets any race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. Each student is held to the highest standards of responsible decision making within a culture that is expected to foster compassion, caring, and empathy.

The school community of East Hampton is committed to the mission of honoring and celebrating the diversity of our students, our community, and our nation. We strive to guide our students to conscious, deliberate, individual and collective actions that cultivate the respect of all races, religions, and social backgrounds. Our school community endeavors to produce graduates who are equipped with a greater understanding of the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The East Hampton Board of Education, in compliance with federal and state law, affirms its policy of equal educational opportunity for all students and equal employment opportunity for all persons. It is the policy of the District to promote nondiscrimination and an environment free of harassment regardless of an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, ancestry, disability (including but not limited to, intellectual disability, past or present history of mental disorder, physical disability, or learning disability), genetic information, marital status, or age or because of the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, marital status, or age of any persons with whom the individual associates. The District shall provide to all students without discrimination, course offerings, counseling, assistance, employment, athletics, and extracurricular activities. The District shall provide equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The District shall make reasonable accommodations for identified physical and mental impairments that constitute disabilities, consistent with federal and state statutes and regulations.

Email: jbauer@easthamptonct.org
Website: https://www.easthamptonps.org/o/memorial-school
Location: 20 Smith Street, East Hampton, CT, USA
Phone: 860-365-4020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ehmemorialschool