Summer Update
Kennedy School News
School Supply Kits via the ABC Parent Group
If you are unable to come to the Meet & Greet, your child's supply kit will be delivered to their classroom for the 1st day of school on August 12th.
Meet & Greet
Your child will have the opportunity to meet their teacher and familiarize themselves with their classroom. We strongly encourage you to drop off your child’s school supplies on this day. It will make the first day transition much smoother if the children do not need to manage large amounts of supplies on the first day of school.
1st Day of School
Our first day of school for Pre School students will be Monday, August 17th.
Securing the Main Entrance
Congratulations to our Newlyweds!
Ms. Aghajan (multiage) is now Mrs. Marzec
Ms. Taylor (Kindergarten) is now Ms. Lane
All three of these teachers were married over the summer in beautiful ceremonies. We are excited for your future!
New Staff at Kennedy School
Ms. Callie Biasco, Speech-Language Pathologist
Callie Biasco grew up in Mt. Prospect, Illinois and is very glad to be back home in the Chicago area after residing in St. Louis, Missouri for the past seven years. She earned both her Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Saint Louis University. Having a family full of speech-language pathologists, she knew early on that it was also her passion. She previously worked in the Wentzville School District in Wentzville, Missouri with students having diverse communication needs including: articulation, receptive and expressive language, social communication, voice, and fluency disorders. She loves working with children and is looking forward to bringing her experience and positive attitude to the students at Schiller Park. In her free time, she enjoys hanging with her family and friends, playing tennis, traveling and shopping. She has also stated that she is very excited to join the family here at Schiller Park!
Amanda VanderWaal, Psychologist
Alicia Villanueva, Kindergarten Teacher
Marissa Zaprev, 1st Grade Teacher
Misti Peppler, Occupational Therapist
Misti Peppler is an occupational therapist who has worked in pediatrics for 12 years in a variety of clinical, pre-school and school settings. She works to help students either improve fine motor, visual motor or self-regulation skills they don’t have; or teach students strategies that will help them to work around their limitations in those areas. She received her B.S. in special education at Illinois State University in 1988. After teaching for many years, including 5 years with Mannheim District 83, she went back to school and received her M.S. in Occupational Therapy at Rush University. She has worked in schools and in private clinics as an OT with an emphasis on working with children who have sensory processing disorders. She took some time out of the workplace to take care of her 3 babies. Her experiences as a parent greatly inform how she works with students as she has learned so much from watching her own children struggle with learning disorders and ADHD. She has a strong belief that children learn best through meaningful activities and is excited to be working with the students, staff and parents in Schiller Park District 81.
Jennifer Fullone, Multiage Teacher
Jennifer Fullone is is excited to be back at Kennedy Elementary School. After working with the Specialized Learning and Behavioral Center team last year, she will now be joining the multiage team. She recently graduated from DePaul University with her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Mathematics. She is returning to school this fall to complete her English as a Second Language endorsement by the summer of 2016. When she’s not in the classroom, you can find Ms. Fullone with her nose in a book, baking goodies, or roaming around Chicago looking for delicious places to eat!
Ms. Fullone joins the Kennedy team as Mrs. Lisinski is on maternity leave the first half of the school year.
Meagan Basler (formerly Ulmer), 2nd Grade Teacher
Mrs. Meagan Basler grew up in St. Louis, Missouri; she graduated from DePaul University in 2008 with a bachelor’s in Communication. After a few years in business, she decided to follow her passion and earned her MAT in Elementary Education from National Louis University in 2012. Mrs. Basler spent her last year of grad school as an intern and student teacher in Kindergarten at CICS Bucktown in Chicago. After student teaching, she remained at CICS Bucktown as a first and second grade assistant, then as a Kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Basler spent last school year as a kindergarten paraprofessional at Kennedy and finished the year in Mrs. Howlett’s room when she had her baby. She also completed her ESL Endorsement. She is excited for the opportunity to continue teaching second grade. Mrs. Basler was married in July 2015 and when she’s not at school you can find her on the lake in Wisconsin, reading a good book, or spending time with friends and family. She lives in downtown Chicago with her husband, cat, and dog.