Dear Crow Island Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weekend. This is typically the email when I share staffing plans for the coming year. However, I first would like to pause and recognize what a unique and different year this has been all of us. Thank you for partnering with us over the past several months to best support our children's learning and social and emotional well being. I know it has been a challenge and your efforts do not go unnoticed. Thank you for your support, your understanding, your flexibility and your hard work during these unprecedented times. At this time, we do not know exactly what the fall will look like. However, we will be working all summer and aligning ourselves with the most up to date health and safety guidelines as we plan. The district will be in touch throughout the summer to update families on its planning process.
Now, a moment to reflect on our staff...
Eva Tarini
, one of our first grade teachers is retiring after 31 years at Crow Island and we wish her happiness and joy as she looks forward to more time with her friends and family. We thank her for her years of service and commitment to making Crow Island the "best school ever made".
We will be saying goodbye to another teacher,
Michelle Ney,
who will be moving out of state. We wish her every happiness as she embarks on her new journey.
We also have teachers leaving us to share their expertise at other schools and in other positions within the district. One of our amazing KW teachers
Kate Wilkinson
, will be moving to Skokie School where she will be part of their KW team. Our need for 2 full time teachers in the gym has shifted as we implement redistricting. I know our students will enjoy seeing her as they transition to Skokie. Social Worker,
Ellie Hotchkiss
, will be moving to Washburne to support our middle school students. Again, our students will be happy to reconnect with her at Washburne. Our Literacy Facilitator,
Jen Fiegen,
will be taking over the role of Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) where she will be working with teachers across the district. We have some associates that will also be moving on to other positions in the district. We thank our teachers and associates for their hard work and wish them all the best in their new schools and positions.
As we look forward to next year, based on our current enrollment numbers, we project that we will have three sections in kindergarten and first grade, and four sections at second, third and fourth grade. We are happy to welcome our Kindergarten students back to Crow Island next year.
Veronica Petrillo
will be moving down from first grade to teach kindergarten again.
Missy Parks,
who has spent the last three years teaching kindergarten at Greeley will be coming back to Crow Island, and we welcome
Heather Farnham,
who was part of the kindergarten team at Hubbard Woods.
Tammy Kerouac
will be joining our first grade team after spending several years in the TOSA position. Previous to that, she taught at Hubbard Woods for many years. We also welcome
Melissa Cook
who will be joining our third grade team. Melissa is coming to Crow Island after teaching third grade at Greeley.
Liz Marut
will be joining us from Washburne in our Literacy Facilitator position. We also welcome
Andrea Strening
, who will be moving from Skokie School to teach KW part time with us.
Here is a current plan for next year:
Staffing Plan for 2020-2021
Kindergarten:
Mrs. Heather Farnham
Mrs. Missy Parks
Ms. Veronica Petrillo
First Grade:
Mrs. Eve Creelman
Mrs. Marie Dickey
Mrs. Tammy Kerouac
Second Grade:
Ms. Joan Elliott
Mrs. Debbie Martin
Mrs. Eva Petersen
Ms. Melissa Wimer
Third Grade:
Mrs. Deb Ambrose
Mrs. Melissa Brody
Ms. Melissa Cook
Ms. Karyn Keenan
Fourth Grade:
Ms. Sidney Dechovitz
Mr. Mike Dugo
Mr. Brendan Dunn
Ms. Kate Miller
Library/RC:
Ms. Mindi Maneck
Technology Director
Mrs. Amy Banas
Kinetic Wellness:
Mr. Bob Sweene
Ms. Andrea Strening
Art:
Mrs. Lillian Johnston
Music:
Mr. Alex Novello
Elementary Strings:
Mrs. Sheryl Nussbaum
Spanish:
Señora Rebecca Landor
Señora Liz Winitz
Science Facilitator:
Mrs. Jean Bierner
Literacy Facilitator:
Ms. Liz Marut
Math Facilitator:
Mrs. Anne Hazelwood
Math Interventionist:
Mrs. Tanya Layne
Social Worker:
Mrs. Jori Schwartz
Student Support Team:
Mrs. Terri Atkinson
Mrs. Katherine Schuler
Mrs. Katie Zohn
Mrs. Virginia Cardoza
Ms. Ashley Voelker
Speech/Language:
Mrs. Rosemary Tuma
Ms. Michelle Tregloan
Reading Support:
Mrs. Christine Ng
SEL Coach:
Ms. Allie Szczecinzski
Psychologist:
Ms. Dana Ruecker
School Nurse:
Mrs. Chrissie Hahn
Principal:
Dr. Julie Pfeffer
School Secretary:
Mrs. Lindy Schmidt
Entrance Monitor:
Mrs. Christine Demas-Hall
Head Custodian:
Mr. Jesus Medina
Custodians:
Mr. Felix Velasco
Mr. Reinaldo Mora
We would also like to introduce a new staff member.
Ms. Allie Szczecinzski
will be joining us in the newly created role of SEL Coach. The SEL Coach will be working with all of our teachers to promote SEL practices and supports in all of our classrooms.
Of course, we continue to enjoy the support of our wonderful associates many of whom will be returning next year.
The office will officially close on July 1
st
and reopen on August 3
rd
. We will be in touch throughout the coming months as we get more information about what our school year will look like in the fall.
We wish you all a safe and happy summer.
Fondly,
Julie Pfeffer, Principal