The Fletcher School is a busy place, full of incredibly skilled and dedicated educators. It can be easy, during the hustle and bustle of daily school life, to lose track of being purposefully thankful. With the Thanksgiving season upon us, it seems appropriate to recognize each and every Fletcher staff member for their unique contribution to our school community. The following was shared in a Thanksgiving letter mailed to staff last week.
Sherrie Adams, I am thankful for your unwavering flexibility. Whenever you are asked to change roles quickly, you do so without hesitation. I am also thankful for all of your office check-ins, whenever you have a free moment. You take on so many little projects that ease the load for so many people. Thank you, Sherrie.
M.C. Baker, I am thankful for your tireless positive energy and your drive to collaborate with other teachers. Your efforts to be part of a team have brought our school closer together, which benefits our students tremendously. Thanks, M.C.
Jenny Blackman, I am thankful for your strong ability to always communicate positively with families. Even when you need to communicate students’ challenges, you go the extra mile to emphasize the positive and help children feel cared for and appreciated. This goes a long way to support the relationship between school and home. Thank you, Jenny.
Rebecca Cardone, I am thankful for your expertise in literacy and your willingness to share your professional knowledge with others. Your efforts help our school build and sustain high-quality instruction and help us learn new ideas and strategies that support children. Thank you, Rebecca.
Emily DiGiulio, I so appreciate your support of new and exciting technology at F.E.S. Your work is often “behind the scenes,” supporting teachers with the integration of technology. Thank you for the many ways – seen and unseen – that you help expose children to global opportunities and technology learning. Thank you, Emily.
Jim Ellsworth (Beepa!), I appreciate your constant eye on the safety of our students on your bus. With both elementary and high school students on your bus, I recognize that you have a constant balancing act to help every student feel safe and secure. Thank you, Beepa, for all you do.
Ariah Friley, I appreciate your ability to interact with our youngest students in such a developmentally appropriate way. You are able to differentiate your responses to students, despite having so many students in preschool each week. This is a testament to your drive to know each and every child individually. Thank you, Ariah.
Tracey Godin, I am thankful for your strong family communication. I have noticed how thoughtful and courteous your emails to families have been and your “4th Grade Flyers” newsletter is very informative and easy to read. Thanks for working so hard on communication, Tracey.
Kevin Mahoney, I am constantly impressed with your ability to be a high school senior and work to keep our school clean and safe. You contribute to our community in so many ways, both as an employee and as a volunteer firefighter (you looked great dressed as the fire dog on Fire Safety Day!). Thank you, Kevin.
Nancy Hurt, I appreciate your unwavering advocacy for play as an essential part of education. As a lifelong learner, you are able to take in the latest and most creative ideas and share those with your colleagues. One great example is your ongoing role as our loose parts champion! Thank you, Nancy, for all you do.
Ann Jutras, I am thankful for your willingness and enthusiasm for using P.B.I.S. on your bus. Many people may not know that you single-handedly designed a “bus token” to be given out when students meet expectations on the bus. Your emphasis on the positive and recognizing student success is appreciated. Thank you, Ann.
Ellen Knowles, I am thankful for the skilled ways in which you communicate so clearly with families about their children’s challenges and successes. Speech and language conversations can often take on a clinical feel that can be confusing for families, but you amaze me by speaking with families in a friendly, supportive, understandable way that helps them feel like valued members of the team. Thank you, Ellen.
Kathy LeMay, I am thankful for your willingness to spend an hour in the office at the end of every day, on top of your full paraeducator day. You give so much of yourself during your regular day, and I so appreciate that you give even more by supporting the end-of-day routines and any bus issues that arise. Thanks, Kathy.
Denette Locke, I am thankful for the wacky and zany ways you model risk-taking for students and contribute to our positive climate. From dancing with a feather boa at whole-school meetings, to leading us in the Fletcher song, students not only see you as our STEM expert but a trusted adult. Thank you, Denette.
Amy Macbeth, I am thankful for the relationships that you develop with students. You have a natural ability to be supportive and show how much you care about students both as learners and as human beings. You take the time to get to know them in different ways. Thanks for caring so deeply about our students, Amy.
Tara McMahon, I am thankful for the many, many ways that you support the office beyond your nursing duties. In addition to your kind, caring, organized clinical expertise, your flexibility and willingness to pitch in wherever needed is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Tara.
Cathy O’Brien, I am thankful for the many, many ways you accommodate your student’s needs for movement and breaks in the daily routine. From Brain Breaks that help your students center and focus, to more active opportunities for students to “get their wiggles out,” thank you for recognizing that the key to accessing academics begins with these types of body-mind opportunities. Thank you, Cathy.
Jen O’Neill, I am thankful for the positive energy you are putting into giving our students authentic performance opportunities. You are continuing to grow our vocal and instrumental programs, and inspire students to see themselves as performers. Thank you, Jen.
Lorrene Palermo, I am thankful for the many ways that you share your personal expertise with children through activities like the Sheep to Shawl project. Not only was this a brilliant collaborative math effort with Dr. Tapper, but it capitalized on your love of the arts and natural materials. An exciting combination of academics and the arts (Go S.T.E.A.M.!) Thank you, Lorrene.
Erin Shaw, I appreciate your willingness to take on a leadership role, representing the paraeducators as part of the F.E.S. Leadership Team and as part of the Fletcher Education Association. Your contributions are both thoughtful and essential to our school’s success. Thank you. Thank you, Erin.
Sandi Simmons, I am thankful for all of the tireless work you do as our P.B.I.S. Coordinator. As our advocate for the social/emotional curriculum, I recognize how tirelessly you work to support individual students, groups, classes, teachers, and families. Thank you for being the glue to makes all of these pieces cohesive. Thanks, Sandi.
Kaitlin Spano, I am thankful for your skillful use of your very limited time. You work hard to be flexible and creative when supporting your students and families. I also appreciate the student-centered approach you take with children. While you always accomplish your goals, you allow student interests to guide your work. Thank you, Kaitlin.
Julie Steves, I am thankful for your willingness and ability to step in for me in my absence. While being out of school is never easy, I am reassured to know that you always have things under control with your thoughtful, reasoned responses to issues that arise. Thank you, Julie, for your leadership.
Kellie Stilianessis, I am so thankful for your willingness to pitch in as needed throughout our school. From stepping in as a substitute for a teacher, to taking on projects for the office, you are valuable to us in so many ways. Thank you, Kellie.
William Stilianessis, you serve our school in so many important ways, from keeping our kids safe on the bus as their driver, to substitute teaching and filling in for our custodians, as needed. You are truly a jack of all trades, and you are so appreciated. Thank you, Will.
Matt Sylva, I am thankful for your willingness to take on any task and to research creative solutions to problems. Our school is the center of our community and I appreciate your hard work in making it such a welcoming place. Thank you , Matt.
Sharon Tinker, I appreciate your sense of humor, tolerance, and patience. As the face of our school in the office, you approach families with respect and courtesy. You are so very accommodating (often with little notice) and I appreciate the countless ways you keep me afloat every day. Thanks, Sharon.
Becky Tourangeau, I am in awe at how you prepare breakfast and lunch for our students and staff, single-handedly, each and every day. While your job title may be “cook,” I recognize that your responsibility to the many other planning and paperwork tasks in your role means that you do much more than simply provide great meals. Thank you, Becky, for everything.
Jasmine Tremblay, I am thankful for your sense of humor, as well as the clear, consistent expectations you use with children. You are masterful at balancing students’ individual needs and learning styles with your need to support their academic and social proficiency. Thank you, Jasmine.
Cassie: Underwood, I am thankful for your willingness to try new things in your classroom. From IVECA and the virtual farm tour to your upcoming team-building overnight, your enthusiasm for technology and providing students with never-before-seen opportunities to grow as learners and leaders, I appreciate all you do. Thanks, Cassie.
Doug Young, I am thankful for the way that you support the health and wellbeing of our students by exposing them to so many options for an active lifestyle. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and I appreciate you showing our students many ways to stay healthy.
Thank you all for your unwavering dedication to the children of Fletcher.
Chris Dodge
Principal
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