Page 39 – Catapult Learning

Meet the Team: Anastasia McGlone

Anastasia McGlone, Special Education Teacher I choose education because I realized that I enjoyed working with children and seeing their growth and those “aha” moments when they figured it out. I found my niche with Special Education when I worked with an amazing special education teacher and saw the growth among her students and it motivated me to pursue special education. Each day I teach language arts, math, and science social studies and art elective. I work in small groups with my students for LA and math which allows more direct instruction. [...]

2019-02-04T22:40:13-05:00February 4th, 2019|

Meet the Team: Alba Rodriquez

Alba Rodriquez, Special Education Teacher After receiving my Bachelor's degree in General Education, I went on to earn my Master's in Special Education. All along, I've know that I wanted to work with students with special needs. Every single day is different, but generally I'm working with my class of students. This can involved supporting their individual needs, providing academic support, or assisting another team member during the day. For some, this may seem like a small thing, but it's a victory none the less. For me, when my [...]

2019-02-04T21:55:55-05:00February 4th, 2019|

Student & Staff of the Month- February

Andy Correa, a 7th grade student has been selected to be High Road Hartford Primary’s student of the month for February, 2019! Andy is new to our program this year. Andy is a very hard worker who gets along well with all of his peers and staff members. Staff who work with Andy say that he is pleasant to have in class and is an excellent helper with tasks that have to get done around the classroom. Andy has had very few time outs this year and is very good about using positive coping and communicating skills when [...]

2019-04-08T21:36:24-04:00February 3rd, 2019|

The Importance of Empathy in Our Work with Students with Special Needs

A debate currently rages about the nature of autism. Within this debate are two important questions: Is autism a disorder to be treated? Or should society be treated to fit the needs of everyone? Like other writers who try to avoid falling into the pit of political despair, this blog will serve only to say what Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would say—“It doesn’t matter!” for our day-to-day activities. I know what you’re thinking—“What a crock!” “Take a stance!” “Stir the pot!”—but my goal is not to figure out everything there is to know about people with autism, whether you see it [...]

2019-03-01T21:38:09-05:00February 1st, 2019|

Meet the Team: Traresse Walker

Traresse Walker, Teacher During the day, I do my best to come up with new and innovated ways to keep my students engaged and interested in the material. My job is to teach, and that starts with gaining the interest of our students. Honestly, my entire class has had Little Victories so far this school year. They have progressed so far both academically and behaviorally just in the last couple of months. It’s really exciting to see happen! I would say that every student is unique, with their own individual challenges and obstacles to [...]

2019-01-31T21:49:15-05:00January 31st, 2019|

Meet the Team: Jessica Miccio

Jessica Miccio, Teaching Assistant & 1:1 I chose this specific field because of my experience in dealing with children with trauma and attachment issues. I've been a foster/adoptive parent for over 13 years and have dealt with kids with all types of background histories. I've also been on the Board of Director's with Children's Community Programs in New Haven and have lead several RAD training classes. I volunteer at my children's school and have been an AAU and Little League coach for several years as well. My day starts with [...]

2019-02-02T16:18:46-05:00January 31st, 2019|

ESEA Conference

Catapult Learning, a leading provider of instructional intervention and professional development solutions that generate academic gains and better life outcomes for students, will be exhibiting at the 2019 National ESEA Conference (formerly, the National Title I Conference). The event, happening through February 2nd in Missouri, is one of the most highly sought-after professional development events of the year. In addition to being the largest conference focused on federal education programs, the conference now includes all programs within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) affecting disadvantaged students. The 2019 conference will feature a multitude of opportunities for everyone to “Integrate, [...]

2019-09-04T10:28:43-04:00January 31st, 2019|

Meet the Team: Christine Hartwich

Christine Hartwich, Special Education Teacher I chose special education as I have family who has received special education services in their schooling and have seen the good and the bad. I wanted to be a positive role model for those who may not always have a voice. Christine has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education (Providence College) and a Master’s in Mathematics for Certified Teachers (Central Connecticut State University) On a typical workday, I welcome all students until the majority of my class is in when I will then [...]

2019-02-06T09:16:09-05:00January 31st, 2019|

Educator Spotlight – January

Announcing the January 2019 Educator Spotlight Honorees! The Educator Spotlight is a monthly feature on our Catapult Corner Blog that highlights the teachers, assistants, specialist, coaches, and professionals across the Catapult Learning community who make a positive impact on our students and schools throughout the country. They are our very own shining stars! The January 2019 Educator Spotlight honorees are: Jennifer Chamberlin, Transition Coordinator, Sierra School at Eastern, Upper Extension, Sacramento, California Aimee Hwang Russo, Transition Coordinator, High Road School of Norwalk, Norwalk, Connecticut Jennifer and Aimee are transition coordinators. Transition coordinators are a valuable link between students’ academic and [...]

2019-02-08T11:04:06-05:00January 31st, 2019|

Meet the Team: Melissa Dirzius

Melissa Dirzius, Special Education Teacher & Art Teacher I began volunteering with special needs students in my High School Child Development Center. I had considered several other fields as I continued my education — psychology, Social Work, BCBA but found they did not quite provide me what I needed. In the end, I found that the combination of the creativity of programming and assessing our students, along with the personal time spent educating each one individually, allowed me to see their little victories were exactly what I wanted. There is [...]

2019-01-31T21:33:05-05:00January 31st, 2019|