Please note that there is now a 5 MPH speed limit in the Temple parking lot. All families and staff who use this lot are asked to be neighborly and safe by keeping to this speed limit. Additionally, if you should see cones set up in the entrance, please understand that spaces are being reserved for a special service. Temple Shalom is very kind to allow the Peirce community access to its parking lot on a regular basis.
Job Title:
Social Emotional Learning Interventionist
Job Description:
My short answer is helping kids to be happier while they're at school. Students learn better when they feel engaged, emotionally and physically safe, and significant. I support that by working with small and large groups of students to make and strengthen friendships, build confidence, develop social skills, and practice emotional regulation.
First Year at Peirce:
2013
Favorite Animal:
Cats. Specifically my cats, Luna and Junko.
Favorite Travel Destination:
Anywhere I can drive to. My family takes a road trip each summer -- last year we visited 18 states and 5 National Parks.
Favorite Book:
As a kid, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. Now, it would be Indigenous Continent by Pekka Hämäläinen
Hobbies:
I've been involved in rugby union in New England for over 20 years, as a player, coach, referee, and analyst. My club is Charles River RFC in Boston, and I'm a huge supporter of New England's professional team, the Free Jacks, who play in Quincy and won last year's championship.
Who inspires you?
My children, who are 6 and 10 years old. They mean everything to me and make me want to leave the world better than I found it.
What is the best part of your job?
Being able to change the way students experience school for the better. There are a myriad of reasons why kids feel unhappy or disconnected, and neither we as a community nor I as an individual can solve all of those problems. But I am very grateful that I get to spend my professional life working towards that goal regardless of how long the journey might be.
What can parents do to support the social-emotional development of younger kids?
Don't solve their problems for them. When they grow frustrated something isn't working out, or angry because their blocks fell, or sad because a friend did not play with them, validate those feelings -- all feelings are okay, and they all tell us something about ourselves or the world. But also encourage them to identify their problems, how it is making them feel, how serious the problem is, and what they can do themselves to solve it. This builds their resilience, letting them tolerate bigger frustrations without becoming emotionally dysregulated, and strengthens the executive functioning skills that allow them to set and meet goals.
May 1- Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day
May 6-10- Teacher Appreciation Week
May 6 - Grade 5 Field Trip to Boston
May 9- Special Early Release
May 16- PEDP Longevity and 5th Grade Ceremony, 5:00
May 17- Grade 2 CAS: Caterpillars
May 17- Peirce Multicultural Night, 5:00
May 20- 3rd Grade Field Trip to the MFA
May 20- Principal Mann visits 5th Grade
May 23 & 30- Kindergarten Screening Dates
May 28 - 4th Grade Band, Orchestra, and Chorus Concert, 7:00PM
June 4- 3rd Grade Recorder Concert, 8:30
June 5- Color Day (Rain date: June 12)
June 12- Playdate for new Kindergarten Families & Students, 2:15-3:00
June 13- 5th Grade band, Orchestra and Chorus Concert, 7:00PM
June 14-3rd Grade Field Trip to Plimoth Pawtuxet
June 18- 4th Grade Living History Museum, 9:00
June 19- Juneteenth Holiday- No School
June 20- 5th Grade Graduation, 9:00
June 21- Family Dance, 6:00
June 26- Last Day of School, 12:10 Dismissal
MCAS DATES:
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ENGINEERING
Grade 5 only- May 2 & 3
MATH
Grade 4- May 6 & 7
Grade 5- May 13 & 14
Grade 3- May 16 & 17