Each year we say good-bye to some colleagues and welcome new members of our community. Working from early childhood grades up and ending with office staff, below is an overview of our staffing changes:
This year, we are pleased to welcome back two early childhood teachers. Lucas Rotman was on sabbatical last year studying the role of music in how children acquire literacy. He will be teaching kindergarten. Jackie Wong returns to first grade after spending the last couple years as a Reading Recovery teacher leader.
We also bid farewell to several teachers. Katie Mullaney has decided to return to Brooklyn. She is joining the staff at the Children's School where both her children are enrolled. Sonia Bicocchi has taken a job much closer to her home. Ryan Elias and MaryJo Stallone both are returning to their pre-kindergarten roots. Jennie Cohen decided to take a job as an ESL teacher at a District 2 middle school. Audra Benjamin is transitioning to a career in school counseling at the high school level.
It is a big task to fill the shoes of these professionals. We are fortunate to welcome new staff members to join our team.
Shirley Shum will be co-teaching in a third grade class. Jessica Kuhl will be teaching science to grades 4-6. Jessica has been working in our middle school and collaborating in science teaching with Youngjee and Shirley,
Our fifth grade is expanding to four classes this year. Mollie Gross and Rachel Hacker will be working with fifth graders. Both of them have taught upper elementary grades.
Pooja Shekar, who worked in first grade last year, will be our Spanish teacher for upper grades. Pooja has excellent Spanish skills and has a degree in teaching Spanish from NYU.
Natalie Delmonte will be working with middle school students in ELA and Social Studies. She comes to us with a degree in special education and history education.
Stevie Latham has worked in our middle school for the past three years. This summer, Stevie has taken the courageous step of transitioning to her preferred gender identity. I am honored that she feels safe in taking this step as a member of our school community. It is a testament to the welcoming and respectful tone in our school community -- a community that values diversity.
As many of you know, MaryLou Imbornone has retired. Erica Weldon will be taking her place. We welcome Susan Townes as our new parent coordinator. Susan was an active PTA member at NEST+M while her daughter was a student there. She brings a strong skill set to our community.
