Welcome to Room 209!
August 13, 2017 | Posted in: Class Updates
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Hello! Welcome to the online home of PGS Room 209. During the school year, I will update this web site regularly with information about activities happening in Room 209, bulletins and news items, current events related to what we’re studying in social studies, online assignments, and much more.
It’s going to be a great year in fourth grade. There are so many new things to learn, and there are some really interesting activities coming up! Remember, I’m hosting a meet & greet on Tuesday, August 29th, at 3:00pm.
About Me
I asked my son (who is starting second grade) what I should tell you about myself. Here’s his report:
- I have two kids: Charlie and Caroline.
- I like to play Word Blocks on my phone.
- I love our dog, Rimley.
- I don’t like shows that imitate Paw Patrol. (The real Paw Patrol is the best! Puppy Dog Pals is a copy!)
- I like to go biking on the Rails to Trails path.
- I enjoy going on vacation to Atlantic City (my birthplace).
- I love to cook dinner.
- I really don’t like the movie Happy Feet.
Caroline (age 4) would also like you to know that I like to be silly with her and Charlie.
I live locally with my wife, my son (Charlie), our daughter (Caroline), and our dog (Rimley). In my spare time, I like working on home improvement projects, making things in my woodworking shop, especially using my new lathe, finding “good eats” at local farmers’ markets, or just relaxing by cooking, listening to old time radio shows from the 1940s and 50s, reading comic books, or watching the news. I collect old reel to-reel tapes of music, antique or unusual telephones, submarine paraphernalia, and all things related to Star Trek. This summer, I spent a lot of time working at a local summer camp, setting up my classroom, and traveling with my family.
I enjoy tinkering with my computer and coming up with interesting ways in which I can use technology in the classroom. (You can definitely expect to use computers a lot in Room 209! I enjoy using Chromebooks, our class’ SMART Board, and other technologies while teaching.) Of course, I also love cheering on my favorite sports teams, the Boston Red Sox (Don’t worry Yankees fans, I promise not to be mean!) and the New Britain Bees!
Click “more” to learn more about me and fourth grade!
I graduated from the University of Rhode Island summa cum laude in 2004 and have a degree in Elementary Education and Psychology. I also have a Masters Degree in Educational Technology from Central Connecticut State University‘s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Technology. In addition to my teaching role at Pine Grove School, I support beginning teachers in our building, serve as team leader for the fourth grade team, and I work to help teachers integrate technology into their teaching in meaningful and valuable ways.
This will be my 14th year teaching at Pine Grove School. I taught third grade at PGS for five years before moving to fourth grade. While at URI, I taught grades 3, 4, and 5. I have also taught kindergarten, first, and second grade summer school, and I have interned with an elementary school principal in East Hartford. I teach technology and engineering to middle and high school summer campers. I have a background in experimental research in the field of social psychology, so you’ll probably see my interest in research and statistics come through this year during math lessons!
It’s going to be a great year in fourth grade. There are so many new things to learn, and there are some really interesting activities coming up!
We’ll learn about…
- the science behind some of your favorite playground activities
- how you can draw your way to solving math word problems
- ways you can craft a story that is well-developed and captivating for your reader
- how you can learn to enjoy poetry, not just understand it
- some of our country’s most fascinating landmarks, big and small
…and so much more. Hold on tight – it’s going to be an amazing 180 days!
Welcome to fourth grade!
Best,
