Together We Can

Happy May! As we enter the final stretch of the school year, we are filled with pride at all that our students have accomplished. From our youngest preschoolers discovering the joy of learning, to our seniors preparing for graduation, every student is growing, achieving, and preparing for their next steps. This month brings assessments, exciting end-of-year events, and celebrations across all grade levels.

Thank you for your continued support as we finish the year strong: Together we can!

Best,

Stacey Heiligenthaler, Ph.D.

Chief Officer of Special Education and Student Supports

stacey_heiligenthaler@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Ms. Micallef's North Street School preschool classroom traveled to the 50th state, Hawaii! To celebrate, students hula danced, did the limbo, made volcano explosions, went surfing, and colored tropical pictures. The students could also taste-tested papaya, coconut, and pineapple pieces.

Math is coming to life in Ms. Hyres’ classroom at Cos Cob School, where students are exploring new concepts with curiosity and confidence through the Bridges Math Program. Throughout the year, Ms. Hyres has been facilitating engaging and thoughtful lessons that not only help students sharpen their math skills, but also foster a genuine enjoyment of the learning process. Bridges combines hands-on activities, visual models, and real-world problem solving, allowing students to build a deep, meaningful understanding of math concepts. Whether they are exploring patterns, solving puzzles, or working in teams, students are developing critical thinking skills, growing in confidence, and discovering a true love for math.

With beaming smiles and books held high, Cos Cob School students proudly show off Camp Hilltop, a book in the Preventing Academic Failure (PAF) program that they are currently reading. Under the dedicated instruction of Ms. Hyres, these young readers have been immersed in PAF - a structured, multi-sensory approach to reading that builds confidence, skills, and a true love of learning. The students are thriving not only in their reading abilities, but also in their enthusiasm for learning. The joy they feel while reading Camp Hilltop is a testament to how PAF empowers students by meeting them where they are and helping them succeed, one sound, word, and sentence at a time.

Students in grades 3 to 5 from Hamilton Ave, Julian Curtiss, and New Lebanon Schools came together for "April Academy." This joint learning experience helped them gear up for the Smarter Balanced Assessments through fun and focused activities.

At a recent Riverside School Parent Coffee, GPS Reading Lab Specialist Ms. Jocelyn Bruchman facilitated an engaging and informative session on Best Practices in the Science of Reading. She highlighted the five pillars of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. She also shared valuable insights into how these elements work together to support strong reading development. Her presentation reinforced Riverside’s commitment to evidence-based literacy instruction and meaningful family engagement.

Students at the International School at Dundee are hard at work with Mrs. Babyak learning how to write strong, complete paragraphs. Together, they are focusing on including all the essential parts: topic sentence, details, and a closing sentence to become confident writers.

Students at North Mianus School are enjoying a fun, interactive game to review vocabulary words. By working together and engaging in friendly competition, they are strengthening their language skills. This dynamic activity helps deepen their understanding of word meanings while keeping learning enjoyable.

Students at North Mianus School are combining creativity and math in art class by designing their own tessellations. As they explore repeating patterns, they are discovering how math can be used to create vibrant and visually striking artwork. This hands-on activity brings artistic expression and mathematical thinking together in a fun and engaging way.

In sixth grade math at Eastern Middle School, students in Mrs. Cheney's and Ms. Fitzgerald's co-taught math class dive in to explore the concept of area. They discover how to calculate the area of various shapes, including rectangles, parallelograms, and triangles. Through hands-on activities, students learn to use formulas and understand the relationships between these shapes, enriching their mathematical understanding.

At Western Middle School, Special Education teacher, Ms. Catanzaro, is focused on developing students' reading skills through effective comprehension strategies. In her academic lab, students are actively engaging with texts by previewing, predicting, questioning, making inferences, and visualizing. These techniques help clarify their understanding and connect new information to what they already know, ensuring a deeper comprehension of the material.

I am happy to share that Ms. Aimee Farnum will be our supervisor for the 2005 ESY program. She will be the main point of contact for all things ESY. If you have any questions, please reach out to her at aimee_farnum@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Here is some basic information. Further information about registration and transportation will be forthcoming:

• ESY Dates: June 30-August 7 (Monday -Thursday, no Friday's)
• Time: 8:00-11:00 AM
• Location: PreK-4th @ New Lebanon School; 5th-12th @ Western Middle School; Community Connections @ Western Middle School
  

Please join SPED*NET Wilton for: Helping Your Child Understand Their Autism: When and How to Explain It.

When parents get an autism diagnosis for their child, they might be relieved to know what is happening, but most likely, they will also be fearful. What does this mean for the future? When and how do I tell my child? And how do children and teens react? Marcia Eckerd, PhD, and Rob Bernstein will explore these questions and more in this practical and helpful seminar. Please bring your questions and comments.

Marcia Eckerd has provided therapy, evaluation, and consultation for neurodivergent individuals since 1985. She serves on the CT ASD Advisory Council and the Board of Directors of Autism Today! A frequent presenter on webinars and podcasts, she has been featured at US national and international conferences, including AANE.org, the Autism Parenting Magazine National Summit, the US Autism Association National Summit, and the Autism Today! World Summit. She is a prolific writer, and her journal articles on diagnosing autistic adults and autistic women are read internationally. In addition to her therapy and consultation practice, she is co-authorizing a book on neurodivergent students and schools with Robert Bernstein.

Robert J. Bernstein, an educational and behavioral therapist, has been working with children on the autism spectrum for more than 35 years. His book Uniquely Normal: Tapping the Reservoir of Normalcy to Treat Autism (2017) won six awards, including the Independent Publisher Book Awards (gold medal for psychology and mental health). His newest book is Uniquely Normal Manual (2023). Rob has a personal link to autism, having grown up with an autistic brother and as the parent of an autistic son. His family experience led him to train in developmental psychology and education, the knowledge base that underlies his cognitive method for working with autistic children. He is well established with a media presence through his podcast, monthly webinars that he runs for the US Autism Association and his YouTube channel with Marcia Eckerd, Everything Neurodiversity. His work has been featured on Dateline and in the New York Times. Rob has presented dozens of workshops and keynote addresses, at both national and international conferences. He is an international consultant working with autistic children and special education PTA groups across the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. He is on the Board of Directors of ARC and the US Autism Association.

Presented by SPED*NET in partnership with Wilton Library, Wilton Public Schools and Newtown Sped PTA. Registration is suggested, so please go online to register.

The SESS Department held virtual information sessions on the bridging process during the month of March. Please watch the recordings if you have a child transitioning in Fall 2025 from preschool to kindergarten, elementary to middle school, or middle to high school and were not able to join us.

PreK - Elementary

Preschool to Elementary School → Special Education Parent Orientation SESS

Recording and Slideshow

Elementary - Middle School

Elementary to Middle School → Special Education Parent Orientation SESS

Recording and Slideshow

Middle School - High School

Middle to High School → Special Education Parent Orientation SESS

Recording and Slideshow

Our SES PTAC representatives want you to know that they are available to anyone who wants to talk with someone about your child's receiving school to learn a little bit more about the day to day. Please email them at ses@greenwichptac.org with what the new school will be and they will connect you with the correct person.

Greenwich Public Schools provides an account for every student to access text-to-speech and speech-to-text technology. Using your Greenwich Public Schools email, simply download Snap&Read and Co:Writer at the Chrome Web Store and enjoy the wonderful features each extension has to offer.

Follow the links below to watch quick tutorials on everything Snap&Read and Co:Writer.

Snap and Read (Text-to-speech reader- other features include: text simplifier, definitions, translations, annotating, note-taking)

Snap and Read- How To

Snap and Read- PDF Reader

Snap and Read- Translation Tool

Snap and Read- Vocabulary Simplifier

Snap and Read- Note Taking/Outliner

Snap and Read- Outlining Support

Snap and Read- Remove Distractions

Snap and Read- PDF Annotation Support

Co: Writer (Speech-to-text software- other features include: word prediction, dictation, and re-reading for editing/revising)

Co-Writer- How To

Co-Writer- Dictation Feature

Co-Writer- Editing Support

Co-Writer- Creating Topic Dictionaries

Please visit the new Special Education and Student Supports Department webpage on the Greenwich Public School Website. Information about Special Education supports and services as well as contact information is provided

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Email: stacey_heiligenthaler@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: https://www.greenwichschools.org/teaching-learning/special-education
Location: 290 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT
Phone: (203) 625-7493