Greetings!
Welcome to fall at the Peabody! It has been a great couple of weeks. The school has been jam packed with learning, excitement and fun. Of course, this week was a little more challenging. The way our community came together to support one another was truly uplifting to be a part of. I have the great privilege of saying good morning to all your children every morning and saying good bye to them each day. This is a wonderful feeling of connection for me personally. I love seeing their smiles. Even on days when a few are not as “morning ready” as they usually are, I can assure you that within moments into the classroom, their outlook completely changes! This is good news for all of us! They really do love school.
I am excited to tell you that our new Family Room, located in my office was unveiled at curriculum night this week. I hope you will take advantage of this new, comfortable space. Some of the amenities this space will offer are:
- A computer for parent and caregiver use.
- A parent lending library that includes many books regarding parenting, special issues, family engagement, as well as some cultural proficiency books.
- A play space for younger children.
- Coffee and water available.
The hours for the family room are:
8:40 – 10AM and 1:30 – 2:55PM or by appointment.
Over the past few weeks I participated in a 25-hour course at Harvard University. During this course, I was trained to facilitate a class called Mind Matters. Mind Matters is a 20-hour hands-on-learning series that actively teaches you how to help build the social-emotional-intellectual skills of your child. You will learn about current research on childhood brain development and how to use the findings from these studies to help foster your child’s lifelong development. Please look for this parenting class to be offered to families later this school year.
We will also offer the Tech Goes Home course for families again later this fall. For those of you who are new to the Peabody, Tech Goes Home is a free 15-hour course for parents/caregivers and their children. This class teaches you how to navigate different family friendly websites as well as helpful apps for Cambridge residents. At the end of this course, each family is offered a brand new Chromebook for just $50. I would also like to share with you that I am currently reading the book: Mind In The Making. This book by Ellen Galinsky is about the seven essential life skills every child needs. When I am through with it, you may borrow it from our new lending library in the family room.
Thank you and I am looking forward to a great year!
Nicole Sullivan
Next we hear from our School Psychologist
I would like to welcome back the children and families to a new school year! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Carmela Ulmschneider and I am the School Psychologist and Special Education Team Chairperson for the Peabody School. My role involves consulting with teachers and completing evaluations which provide information about student's learning strengths and weaknesses. I evaluate and address academic and/or social emotional concerns for children who are referred for special education services. I strive to work closely with parents in order to help them understand the procedures and steps involved in the special education process. I am also supervising two interns this year. Samantha Glynn is joining us from Northeastern University and Caroline Calewart from the University of Wisconsin. Please feel free to contact me via email if you have any questions regarding special education services or your child’s Individual Education Program. My email address is [email protected]. I hope you all have a successful school year.