August 24, 2018
Dear Peirce Families,
I hope that summer has been a wonderful time of rest for all of you! As my own children enter Fourth and Eighth Grades, I join all of you in wondering where the time has gone and reflecting on the joys of a slower pace and new adventures that summer has brought to us. In less than two weeks, our school hallways will be filled once again with your children’s laughter and enthusiastic conversation, and I look forward to hearing about the diverse ways in which they have spent their summer weeks.
At Peirce, we believe that academic and social/emotional learning are equally important, and we look forward to partnering with all of you to help your children develop a deep knowledge base and strong communication skills so that they can effectively work with and learn from each other. We want each of them to feel at home in our learning community, and we are thankful for the privilege of forming a partnership with all of you.
We will welcome students in Grades 1-5 and Kindergarten, Group A to Peirce School on Tuesday, September 4th, and we look forward to seeing Kindergarten students in Group B on Wednesday, September 5th. On both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings of that week, we will have a coffee for new families, 8:30-9:15 a.m., in the cafeteria. Our Back-to-School Picnic will be held on Friday evening, September 14th, 5:30-7:30 p.m., and Curriculum Night will be held on Tuesday, September 25th. We hope that all of you are able to join us at those evening events for enjoyable moments of community-building.
As of this date, we are planning for 270 students in 13 classrooms for the 2018-19 school year. Our one new classroom teacher this fall is First Grade Teacher Amanda Berneburg, who is joining us from her role as a teacher in the Everett Public Schools. Amanda is a graduate of Bridgewater State College, and she impressed our team with her enthusiasm for Early Childhood Education, strong knowledge of curriculum, creativity with integration of technology into instruction, and passion for effective collaboration.
Arrival Procedure: As you plan your routines for the new school year, please keep in mind that instruction begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. Doors will open for students to enter at 8:20 a.m., and we ask all adults to support your children with an on-time arrival each day. During the first week of school, parents will be able to walk their children into the building if they wish to do so. Following the first week, parents will be asked to stop at the front or back door and allow children to enter the building independently. Staff members will be in the hallways to provide assistance to students as needed. The one exception will be for Kindergarten families, who will begin the new procedure on Monday, September 17th.
Traffic Reminders: Please remember that the curb in the back parking lot by the sidewalk is not for parking. It is for live drop-off only, and the driver must stay with the car. If you plan to park your car and walk up to the building with your child, please park on one of the streets surrounding the school. This leaves the parking lot open for staff and the driveway curb open for live drop-off. Please plan ahead to help your child have the strongest start to each school day and help all families experience the morning routines as fairly as possible.
Staffing Updates: It is a pleasure to welcome several new team members to our school family, including:
Amanda Berneburg, First Grade Teacher
Leah Carboneau, Inclusion Facilitator
Rebecca Gabovitch, Graduate Intern
Morgan Harper, Library
Jacquelyn Kesner, Graduate Intern
Congratulations to Fourth Grade Teacher Katie Christ, who got married during the summer and is now Katie Busk!
Madison Hicks, who has served our school as a graduate intern and substitute teacher during the past couple of years, will continue to be Second Grade Teacher Sarah Hawke’s Maternity Leave substitute during the months of September and October.
The list below is a complete roster of our 2018-19 Peirce School staff, including both new and returning team members:
Kindergarten/Room 204 Melina Crovo
Kindergarten/Room 205 Madison Kenyon
First Grade/Room 209 Amanda Berneburg
First Grade/Room 210 Erin Tracey
Second Grade/Room 213 Sarah Hawke (Madison Hicks- Maternity Leave Substitute)
Second Grade/Room 214 Nicole Capodilupo
Third Grade/Room 216 Gennie Salzsieder
Third Grade/Room 218 Emily Donahue
Fourth Grade/Room 201 Anne Carey
Fourth Grade/Room 215 Katie Busk
Fourth Grade/Room 212 Laura DiSipio
Fifth Grade/Room 202 Kelly Champagne
Fifth Grade/Room 206 Katie Meehan
Art: Georgia Smith
Music: TBD
Library: Morgan Harper
Instructional Technology: Brian Hammel
PE: Gary Nye
Learning Center Teachers: Jennifer Mead and Katie Miller
Inclusion Facilitators: Leah Carboneau and Kara Smith
Special Education Team Specialist: Kristine Barker
Instructional Assistants and Behavior Therapists: Julie Andersen, Nadine Houston, Dave McVey, Sarah Montana, Kristin Moore, Jackie Sosa, and Julie Wilkie
Math Coach: Elka Kuhlman
Literacy Specialist: Brett Aronne
Graduate Interns: Rebecca Gabovitch and Jacquelyn Kesner
Early Literacy and Math Intervention Aides: Yvonne Gunzburger, Kim Hanlon, and Marisa Talarico
ELL: Elsa Carvalho
ELL Assistant: Josephine Bryant
Occupational Therapists: Svea Hall (Jackie Arnaudo, Maternity Leave Substitute)
Speech and Language: TBD
Psychologist: Alison Mountford
Board Certified Behavior Analyst: TBD
Nurse: Chloe Ainley
Lunch Attendant: MaryJeanne Censullo
Instructional Support Staff (substitutes): Madison Hicks, Anjali Lappin, Heather Paige Jackson, Mahima Shukla
Building Aide: Becka Smillie
Senior Custodian: Jose Filomeno
Evening Custodian: TBD
Administrative Assistant: Trisha Carey
Principal: Mark Chitty
Class Lists: Links to class lists, which contain final teacher assignments for the 2018-19 school year are located at the end of this message.
Lunch: You will find information regarding the lunch program, offered through Sodexo, at the following link: https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/799. You may sign up to purchase hot or cold lunches, or children may bring their own lunches. School lunch will start on Wednesday, September 5th. We are a tree nut and a peanut free school.
Back to School Picnic: Our Back-to-School Picnic will be held on Friday evening, September 14th, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Additional information will be distributed in the classrooms and through the PTO Email. We hope to see you there!
School Supplies: If you did not pre-order school supplies through the Peirce PTO last spring, please see the lists at the following link:
https://peircepto.com/school-supply-lists-by-grade/. All pre-ordered kits will be delivered next week and will be available for students in their classrooms on the first day of school. Many thanks to parent volunteers Stan Helinski and Ayse Takacs for their hard work with the school supply orders!
Our custodian, Jose Filomeno, is working hard to prepare the building for your arrival on September 4th. I look forward to a new year of working together to provide an excellent learning adventure for your children, and I always welcome your questions, concerns, and thoughts. I encourage you to contact me at (617) 559-9630 or [email protected]. Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer and we will see you on September 4th!
With best August wishes,
Mark Chitty
Classlist 2018-2019.pdf