The Fletcher Elementary School welcomed several new teachers to the school this fall, and they have begun the school year with tremendous enthusiasm and energy.

We are fortunate to add the following professionals to our school:

Blythe Baskette is our new preschool special educator. Ms. Baskette earned both a Master’s Degree in Education from Saint Michael’s College, as well as a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Special Education. She has extensive experience in the field of Early Childhood Education as a childcare director and teacher. She has been a special educator and teacher at the elementary level for several years, as well as a behavior interventionist. Welcome, Ms. Baskette!

Emily “Lisa” Coale joins our school as the new school counselor and PBIS coordinator. Ms. Coale earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Islamic Studies and Arabic from Middlebury College, as well as a Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in School Counseling from George Mason University. She completed counseling internships at JFK Elementary School in Winooski and Colchester Middle School. Ms. Coale was a kindergarten teacher in the DC Public Schools for two years and received Middlebury College’s Kathryn Davis Fellowship, an award that recognizes students who build cross-cultural connections and international peace through language. Welcome, Ms. Coale!

We welcome Jennifer McConnell to F.E.S. as our school’s music teacher. Ms. McConnell earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Church Music and Voice from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Castleton State College. She has been the elementary music teacher at Franklin Central School since 2004. Ms. McConnell also taught in Sheldon as the general music and chorus teacher for several years. She will share her time between Franklin and Fletcher this year. Ms. McConnell enjoys composing music and being part of a small, tight-knit community. Welcome, Ms. McConnell!

Michele Michalski is a new first and second-grade teacher. Ms. Michalski earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from California State University – Bernardino and a Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Reading and Language Arts, also from California State University. Ms. Michalski has completed a variety long-term teacher substitute assignments, most recently in third grade at BFA Fairfax as a third through fifth-grade academic interventionist. Ms. Michalski has taught all elementary grades, as well as preschool. Welcome, Ms. Michalski!

Kathleen Pellegrino joins the F.E.S. team this year as a first and second-grade teacher. Ms. Pellegrino earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Multidisciplinary Studies with a minor in Science from Castleton University. Most recently, Ms. Pellegrino has served as a long-term substitute in third grade in Fair Haven and first grade in Sheldon. She comes to F.E.S. with a wealth of experience with young children including being a volunteer mentor for 10 to 12-year-olds. Welcome, Ms. Pellegrino!

We are welcoming Phyllis Quarles as our new speech-language pathologist. Ms. Quarles will be half-time each at Fletcher and Georgia Elementary and Middle School. Ms. Quarles graduated from the University of Colorado – Boulder and alternated between working part-time and raising her family. She likes to mountain bike, dance, be in nature and is committed to the practice of meditation. Welcome, Ms. Quarles.

Welcome to Justin Wills, our new sixth-grade teacher. Mr. Wills is a graduate of B.F.A. Fairfax, followed by earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy with a minor in Music from UVM. Additionally, Mr. Wills earned a Master’s Degree in Teaching with a concentration in Middle-Level Education from UVM, and a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from Concordia University in Montreal. Mr. Wills has taught middle school math, science and language arts at Browns River Middle School was a grade 5-8 middle school teacher in Williston and a sixth-grade classroom teacher in Swanton. Mr. Wills has served as a volunteer in a children’s hospital in Boston, as well as a mentor and Odyssey of the Mind coach here in Vermont. Welcome, Mr. Wills!

We are also excited to have a few existing staff members in new positions this year.

Lorrene Palermo, a long-time classroom teacher here at F.E.S., will become our school-wide math and literacy interventionist. Ms. Palermo will work with students needing support in those academic areas four days per week. On her fifth day, she will teach library classes to all of our PK to grade six students.

Denette Locke, who most recently has provided both academic intervention and teacher support with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (S.T.E.M.), will become a full-time instructional coach. She will be dedicating her time to supporting teachers in providing the highest quality instruction possible in S.T.E.M. and Literacy. Denette will not be directly responsible for student instruction other than that provided as part of teacher coaching.

We are excited to be working with our new colleagues. Here’s to a great year!

Christopher Dodge is the Principal of Fletcher Elementary School and is a regular contributor to THE FWSU STORY. You can follow him on Twitter @FletcherFalcon

Mrs. Jennifer “Jenny” Blackman has taught Kindergarten at the Fletcher Elementary School for the past 13 years and is beloved by her students, their families, her colleagues and the community at large. She will retire from teaching in on Monday, with the tremendous respect of all who have had her as a teacher and those who have worked with her.

Jenny Blackman and Melissa Sargent-Minor

Present and former students, families, and colleagues honored Mrs. Blackman at a reception earlier this week, where the Fletcher School Board presented her with an apple tree, which she and her husband, Oliver, promptly planted near their pond at their Waterville home.

The Apple Tree

Mrs. Blackman has exemplified what it means to be a lifelong learner, graduating from Champlain College with her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education in the spring of 2016. She took great pride in sharing her extensive knowledge both with student teachers and with colleagues, including those at regional and national conferences such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She is a strong advocate for play as a learning tool and outdoor learning in the natural world. No matter who or what she is teaching, her strengths include honoring the natural curiosity of the student and balancing the academic and social curriculum.

Mrs. Blackman served as the Co-Chair of the Lamoille North Standards Board, supporting the certification and relicensure of professional educators. She was a Lamoille North Literary Magazine judge, Upward Bound Instructor and Assistant Postmaster in Waterville. She has been a School Board Member, Lister, Welcome Baby Home Visitor for Waterville and Belvidere, Community Literacy Team Member, a member of the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra, Johnson State College Concert Band and the Morrisville Military Band.

Mrs. Blackman in her classroom with her students.

In 2004, her then Superintendent, Bob McNamara, wrote the following in his recommendation to the Fletcher School Board about Mrs. Blackman as she applied to join the F.E.S. staff.

Mrs. Blackman with students on a field trip earlier this year.

“I find Jenny to be an active and engaging teacher. Her instructional goals are clear and her presentation is crisp and engaging. She holds the students’ attention and encourages them to actively engage in their learning.”

Students engage in many hands-on learning activities in the classroom.

Mrs. Blackman’s teaching has stood the test of time. As she says farewell to our school and teaching, her smile, humor, skill, and compassion become her legacy that lives on in the hearts and minds of those she taught.

Mrs. Blackman’s smile and humor will be missed!

Thank you, Mrs. Blackman. 

MC Baker, Art Educator at the Fletcher Elementary School, has worked with students to produce an award-winning video featuring the technology tool, OSMO, and to showcase students’ use of the cutting-edge computer accessory with students.

OSMO works with students’ iPads and utilizes a small reflector that covers the device’s camera to allow the iPad to recognize moveable objects in front of it. Students can use the technology to learn everything from drawing and music to coding and core academics like math and reading, through hands-on games and activities. OSMO creators call the technology, “tangible learning.”

“Having our video selected as the winner by OSMO really validates how we have incorporated OSMO into our students’ learning,” Baker said. “It recognizes that technology tools are not separate and apart from academic content. Rather, they go hand in hand to support and enhance each other and offer engaging learning opportunities that would not otherwise exist. We are redefining the way students learn, and they love it.”

According to Baker, the making of the video provided students with a new and different way to showcase their work and demonstrate proficiency with academic skills.

“It was important to me to create the video with my students, not for my students,” Baker said. “It gave them an opportunity to use another art form – video – to tell the story of their academic learning to the world. That’s real integration. Each layer of the project was one more teaching and learning opportunity and allowed students to think creatively about how they show their skills.”

Fletcher students in grades three through six are currently part of the school’s “one to one” iPad program, ensuring that students have immediate access to a device when learning calls. Younger students share moveable iPad carts that may be brought into the classroom or used in the library.

Baker is one of a handful of teachers across the United States, known as OSMO Ambassadors, who participate in monthly challenges posed by the makers of OSMO. The video creation is the result of one such challenge. She frequently corresponds with the company to give feedback on the product, as well as to share and receive new ideas for its use in the classroom. Last year, Baker accompanied several students to Dynamic Landscapes, a technology conference at Champlain College, where they demonstrated OSMO and mentored fellow students and adults in its use.

“MC’s work as an OSMO Ambassador is important because there are many, many classrooms and schools that are resistant to trying new things, particularly when the new things involve expensive, fragile equipment like an iPad,” said Kira Westbrook, spokesperson for OSMO. “With the help of educators like MC, we can show other educators that not only is trying new things okay, but it’s necessary. MC does a fantastic job of that.”

“There are many different ways to learn and just as many ways to prove what you have done,” fifth-grader Lily Sweet, who helped create the video, said. Sweet and Baker collaborated to plan the major themes of the slightly more than two-minute documentary before Sweet took over videotaping and interviewing her peers and taking pictures of them using OSMO in the classroom.

The Fletcher video was selected from entries submitted to OSMO from across the country. According to Westbrook, “promoting and supporting educators, like MC, who have open minds and an eagerness for the future of education, will make a huge difference in the lives of students and teachers alike.”

As recognition for the award-winning video, Baker will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the International Society for Technology In Education (ISTE) Conference in Chicago in June, where she will showcase her use of OSMO with students

“This is a great opportunity to be proud of one way that Fletcher is integrating technology into its classrooms in a meaningful way,” Superintendent Ned Kirsch said. “It’s a bonus that they have received this recognition about technology, using technology to showcase their efforts.”

In January 2017, the Fletcher School began showcasing its work with OSMO through the FWSU Blog, Fletcher Students Explore Tangible Learning with OSMO.