Principal's Corner

Happy July Killam Families!

We hope you had a wonderful 4th of July holiday together and are soaking up some summer sunshine!

While I have been enjoying all the baby snuggles, I have also been connecting with Ms. Hallett to ensure our 2024-2025 school year kicks off with the same success as last year! A few things for your family to anticipate:

1. The tentative announcement for class placement is Friday, August 9th. You will need to login to the portal to access your child's classroom assignment.

2. Please save the date for Popsicles with the Principals. This will take place on Tuesday, August 27th from 4:30- 6:00 PM. 4:30-5:15 PM is reserved for Kindergarten students and grade 1-5 students are welcome to join us from 5:15-6:00 PM. We will let you know which new staff are attending prior to the event as well.

3. A reminder that the school supply box orders were due July 1st. The PDFs of the supply lists will be uploaded on the school website next week and they will be emailed to each grade level as well.

Lastly, we will be emailing and providing updates regarding August events and back to school dates and times as the dates approach! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and we look forward to seeing your students in August!

All the best,

Lindsey Fulton, Principal

Talia Hallett, Asst. Principal

We are thrilled to share our 2024-2025 teaching teams. Classroom teachers and special education case managers will reach out between August 12th and August 28th with specific classroom information! We will share paraeducator and support role updates in August!

Preschool-

Mrs. Tomkins, Mrs. Whalen

Kindergarten-

Ms.Cannata, Ms.Cole, Mrs.Wheaton

First Grade-

Mrs.Pegoraro, Mrs.Rice, Ms.Rice, Ms.Schultes

Second Grade-

Ms.Binns, Mrs.Nawrocki, Mrs.Gramolini

Third Grade-

Mrs. McGinnity, Mrs. Bruno, Mrs. Sweeney-White, Ms.Leveille

Please welcome Ms.Leveille to the 3rd Grade Team! Ms. Leveille has previously taught 2nd grade and 4th grade in Dover, NH. Ms. Leveille is known to have the heart and mind of an inclusive educator. She is also known for her caring, compassionate nature and is a passionate advocate for equitable access to rich learning experiences for all students.

Fourth Grade-

Ms. McGuire, Ms. Mead, Ms. Hogan

Please welcome Ms. Mead and Ms. Hogan to the 4th Grade Team! Ms. Mead previously taught 4th grade in Marlborough. She is known for fostering strong student relationships and building safe classroom environments where students feel excited to take risks in all classroom endeavors. Ms. Mead has presented about the Teaching of Mathematics at the International Conference in Honolulu, HI and brings a wealth of mathematical knowledge to our team.

Ms. Hogan has previously taught 4th and 5th grade in Salem. Ms. Hogan creates strong classroom environments that focus on high expectations and peer relationships. She believes all students should feel a sense of belonging in her classroom and works daily to help students become life-long learners.

Fifth Grade-

Mr. Stanley, Mrs. Palmieri, Ms. Flaherty, Ms. Travis

Please welcome Ms. Flaherty and Ms. Travis to the 5th Grade Team. Ms. Flaherty has previously taught third grade in Peabody. Ms. Flaherty played volleyball in college and has coached numerous teams. She enjoys motivating others and is known to have strong work ethic in and out of the classroom. Her most commendable quality is her commitment to continuous improvement as an educator, seeking feedback to improve student learning outcomes.

Ms. Travis previously taught 5th Grade in Melrose. She is a former Killam and Reading Public School student. She is known for her extraordinary talent for connecting with her students and teaching in a creative and engaging fashion, while setting high expectations. She also has a strong grasp on 21st century technology and how we can integrate these skills into our classrooms.

Specialists-

Library/Media- Mrs. Adamo

Music- Ms. Beckman

PE- Mrs. Snow

Art- Mrs. Hussey

Ms. Beckman is joining us from the KIPP Academy in Lynn. During her time there she founded the middle school theater program, which is noted to have shaped the school's culture. Ms. Beckman herself is a talented singer and member of a local band. She leverages student interest and creates mindful groupings in the music classroom to make it a place all students enjoy coming. Ms. Beckman is also a Reading Public School graduate. She attributes her passion for music to the RPS Music Program.

Special Education-

Mrs. Antell, Mrs. Garthaus, Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Buchholz, Mrs. Deblois

We are fortunate to be adding a new special education position at Killam this year! Please welcome Mrs. Buchholz to our special education teacher team. Mrs. Bucholz is a part time special education teacher transferring from Birch Meadow to support our students!

Literacy Specialist- Mrs. Matthews

School Pyschologist- Ms. Johnson

Ms. Johnson previously worked in Swampscott and Wakefield. She has provided 1:1 and group counseling, integrated social emotional activities into classroom settings, evaluated students, and shared resources with the communities she worked with. Ms. Johnson values her partnerships with families and is looking forward to building a rapport with all students on and off her caseload.

Speech and Language- Ms. Getchell

School Adjustment/METCO- Ms. Lomba

OT/PT- Mrs. Goldner, Mrs. Redard

MLL- Mrs. Litzenberg, Mrs. Henri

Friday, August 9th- Classroom Assignments released in portal

Tuesday, August 27th- Popsicles with the Principals & new staff

Wednesday, August 28th- First Day of School (1-5), Kindergarten Orientation Sessions

Thursday, August 29th- Kindergarten Orientation Sessions Day 2

Friday, August 30th- No School

Monday, September 2nd- No School, Labor Day

Please join us on Monday, July 15th at 7:00 PM for the next Killam School Building Project Meeting. This meeting will look at possible schemes and evaluate the possible alternative solutions.

This meeting will take place at the Reading Public Library.

Email: lindsey.fulton@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: https://killam.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US
Location: 333 Charles Street, Reading, MA, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JWKillamSchool
Twitter: @smorenewsletter