Together We Can

In the world of SESS, "it takes a village" is not just a saying, it is our daily reality. From March 1-7, we will celebrate National School Social Work Week and this year’s theme: "Unite to Ignite: Celebrating our Impact."

Observed annually during the first full week of March and promoted by the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA), the week recognizes the essential role school social workers play in student mental health, academic success, and school climate. These dedicated professionals are the vital links uniting home and school, and igniting compassion when it is needed most. We are grateful for their commitment to connecting families, fostering positive environments, and ensuring every student has the resources to thrive in every environment.

Happy National School Social Work Week!

Best,

Stacey

Stacey Heiligenthaler, Ph.D.

Chief Officer of Special Education and Student Supports

stacey_heiligenthaler@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Ms. Mancini’s preschool class at North Street School has been busy learning exactly what it takes to stay warm in the winter. After some fun coloring activities featuring hats, boots, and mittens, our little learners geared up and headed out to turn the playground into a winter wonderland.

At Cos Cob School, Ms. Xhema's PreK learners have been busy bees, strengthening their fine motor skills while crafting heart wands and hole punching, making magnets, and decorating festive picture frames to celebrate the season of friendship. From threading beads to decorating our custom Valentine’s Day bags, every detail helped us practice our coordination and creativity. We topped off the week’s excitement on Friday by sporting handmade headbands to celebrate a major milestone: being 100 days smarter

Ms. LaRosa’s preschoolers at New Lebanon School are diving headfirst into their clothing unit by transforming the dramatic play center into a bustling laundromat. Students are building practical life skills by "washing" items in the sensory table and using clothespins to practice early math concepts by counting laundry items and identifying numbers by "clipping" the corresponding quantity.

Mr. Redmond’s preschool class at Julian Curtiss School transitioned their gymnastics skills from the gym to the classroom for some extra hands-on practice. The students had a fantastic time navigating the course while refining their balance and coordination. Beyond the physical activity, the session became a great lesson in social skills as classmates practiced patience and teamwork to decide who would go first.

Ms. Pearson's preschool class at Old Greenwich School recently dove into the world of anatomy by identifying key muscle groups like biceps, calves, glutes, and quads as part of the Exercise Unit. To bring the lesson to life, the students used red playdough and toothpicks to build creative models of their own strong bodies during project time.

Ms. Daniels’ preschool class at Hamilton Avenue School is busy exploring the world of clothes, and this week the students built their very own washer and dryer! After a group discussion about all the different kinds of machines, the children voted on their favorite colors (PURPLE!) and got to work painting and building. The finished project looks so real that the class is already having a blast using their new machines during Center Time.

Students at Julian Curtiss School worked in small group during special education with Ms. VerdoMorales, to sequence material with students. Students had to write what came first, second and last. This strategy helps the students be able to retell a book to others.

Parkway School celebrates students who achieved 100% on Reflex. Reflex is a program that supports students in building math fact fluency. Mastery of multiplication facts is a cornerstone of fourth-grade math because it frees up working memory, allowing students to focus on higher-level problem solving, multi-step tasks, and new concepts such as long division and fractions. When math facts come quickly and accurately, confidence grows, and math becomes more enjoyable and accessible. Celebrating this achievement is an exciting milestone that recognizes students’ hard work and sets a strong example for their peers to continue building speed, accuracy, and a love for learning.

At Riverside School, a second-grade student proudly participated in the class’s earned Fort Day celebration. Working collaboratively with a peer, she helped design and build a fort while actively communicating her ideas using her AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device. Throughout the activity, she used her device to share suggestions, make decisions, and problem-solve with her classmate. Her ability to communicate effectively allowed her to fully engage in the social and cooperative aspects of the experience, strengthening both her academic and peer relationships.

Students in Ms. McGowan first grade class at North Mianus School were wrapping up a unit on colonial times. The whole class was transformed into the Colonial Period. Students were going to engage the day as if they were in that time period and experience different parts of the Colonial Period to get a hands on history lesson.

Hamilton Ave School had each student showcase an art piece. The work is hung up all around the school. Each grade focused on parameters given. Many pieces had representation of things that were liked and shapes.

At North Street School, Special Education teacher Ms. Gordon provides direct, explicit instruction to strengthen students’ decoding skills. Decoding, the ability to apply letter-sound knowledge to read words accurately, is a foundational reading skill that supports overall literacy development. Through this instruction, Ms. Gordon guides the student in breaking down words into sounds and blending sounds smoothly to read words with confidence.

Sixth graders in Mrs. Cheney and Mrs. Kakadeles’ co-taught ELA class at Eastern Middle School have been diving into the world of digital literacy. After reading "Healthy Screen Time is One Challenge of Long-Distance Learning," students practiced their annotation skills using signposts and text structures. They also enjoyed the chance to brainstorm and share ideas in small groups. Every part of this lesson was built to support student goals while following the standard ELA curriculum.

During Language Arts at Western Middle School, Mrs. Rahaniotis led a lesson on Beauty and the Beast. Throughout the session, students practiced story-related spelling and tackled "wh" comprehension questions to sharpen their literacy skills. This activity was specifically designed to support each student's progress toward their unique individual goals and objectives.

During a collaborative math session at Eastern Middle School, Ms. Shive and Ms. Espinoza guided students through a lesson focused on fractions, percentages, and greatest common factors. The class practiced simplifying fractions by identifying common factors to reduce them to their simplest forms. To better grasp percentages, students utilized visual aids to represent fractional values as parts of a whole 100. Throughout the lesson, students made progress on their specific IEP math goals while staying closely aligned with the standard sixth-grade curriculum.

In Mr. Ligouri’s math class at Western Middle School, students practiced solving multi-step word problems using the CUBE strategy. By circling key numbers and underlining vital information, students were better equipped to translate the text into mathematical equations. This targeted instruction directly supported the specific math goals outlined in the students' IEPs.

During Ms Caldwell's decoding class at Eastern Middle School, the students build reading fluency by reviewing special vowel teams to help them develop strong automaticity. They are encouraged to visualize a "mental filing cabinet" to better organize and store these various letter patterns in their memory. During the lesson, Ms Caldwell modeled the different sounds for oo as heard in "boo" and "look" before having the students practice the sounds together. For teams like oi and oy, the students simultaneously write the letters and say the sound to reinforce the connection. Next the students worked with multiple patterns such as oo, ew, ue, and ui which often share the same sound, which can be remembered using the phrase: "Soon the new blue suit will fit."

This bulletin board in the Educational Wellness Center at Greenwich High School highlights the power of “yet” and encourages students to embrace a growth mindset. By reframing statements like “I can’t do it” into “I can’t do it yet,” it promotes perseverance, optimism, and resilience. The display serves as a daily reminder that learning is a process and progress comes with time and effort!

Students in Mrs. Bici's math class began a new unit on Measurement. Students participated in a hands-on lesson focused on measurement and real-world math skills. Using technology and visual supports, they are learning about tools like scales and exploring how measurement applies to everyday life in an interactive, fun, and engaging manner

The focus of Mrs. Fazzino's morning meeting was needs versus wants in relation to maintaining a set budget. Students spent time discussing various needs vs. wants while making connections to their own lives.

Mrs. White, district AT specialist is supporting students after midterms with AT tools. Students meet with Mrs. White to go over their classes and see what helps students learning. The students also get hands on tutorials to use the resources.

Special Education teachers at New Lebanon School went through a practice of using the QRI assessment. Jocelyn Bruchman, the district reading specialist, discussed ho this can be used as a tool after working on fluency and diving deeper into comprehension.

Staff were given training on restorative practices at the International School at Dundee. At the staff meeting teachers were given tools to use to have effective conversations with peers. Staff that is was beneficial to have these resources to be able to use as needed.

Please join us for the next Greenwich Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC), to be held on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 PM, via Zoom.

Zoom Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89489651093?pwd=5bsLSUdKKu9cCFcQ5QS8p6kkPCcl5x.

Meeting ID: 894 8965 1093

Passcode: 157867

The purpose of SEAC is to build full, equal and equitable partnerships between families, the school District and community partners, on a council that gives advisory opinions to the Board of Education on matters pertaining to the education and safety of students with disabilities.

General membership is open to any interested GPS parent or guardian of a child with a disability, previously known to have a disability, or suspected of having a disability, under the IDEA or Section 504, or who is currently eligible to receive Special Education or 504 accommodations and services, from ages 3-21, and who are both residents of the Town of Greenwich.

We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.

The SESS Department will be hosting virtual information sessions on the bridging process during the month of March. Please join us if you have a child transitioning in Fall 2026 from preschool to kindergarten, elementary to middle school, or middle to high school. We will be recording and posting the information on our website if anyone cannot make it. Please see the dates and Google links below:

Our SES PTAC representatives want you to know that they are available to anyone who wants to talk with someone about your child's receiving school to learn a little bit more about the day to day. Please email them at ses@greenwichptac.org with what the new school will be and they will connect you with the correct person.

Pre-K - Elementary

March 3: Preschool to Elementary School → Special Education Parent Orientation SESS (6:30-7:30 PM, Virtual)

Google Link: meet.google.com/ghn-ieun-bnx

Elementary - Middle School

March 4: Elementary to Middle School → Special Education Parent Orientation SESS (6:30-7:30 PM, Virtual)

Google Link:meet.google.com/djw-txwr-tdc

Middle School - High School

March 10: Middle to High School → Special Education Parent Orientation SESS (6:30-7:30 PM, Virtual)

Google Link:meet.google.com/dtt-ozuz-pfm

with Jocelyn Bruchman

Phonemic Awareness, Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and all the Phun!

A warm greeting on this frosty day from the District’s Reading Lab. All of these P-H- words are buzzwords in the LITeracy community these days, and I’m here to take some time to break the terms down, as well as their best practices!

Phonological Awareness: Working from the largest idea to the smallest, phonological awareness is the umbrella term that encompasses different ways in which students can hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken language. Some ways students can demonstrate phonological awareness include clapping out syllables (vol-ley-ball), producing rhyming words (do, shoe, who), or identifying words that begin with the same sound, also known as alliteration (jump, join, just). Research shows that among students who struggle with reading, 88% show deficiencies with some aspect of phonological awareness. Furthermore, the quintessential challenge of Dyslexia is a neurologically based deficiency in phonological awareness. Worth noting, both phonological and our subsequent topic, phonemic, awareness is demonstrated without letters. This is to say that students are not yet reading, but are showing their ability to auditorily identify (hear) the basis of written language: speech sounds.

Phonemic Awareness: Falling within phonological awareness, phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and handle the smallest form of language: phonemes or a single speech sound. While this skill has different levels of complexity, research has shown that there are two forms of phonemic awareness that are more necessary than the others. Segmenting, or being able to break a word into its individual parts (shock  /sh/ /o/ /ck/), and blending which is the inverse, combining sounds to form a fluid spoken word, are the two necessary skills in order to read and write in most any language. As you likely deduced, segmenting is the basis for spelling while blending is the basis for reading. Research shows that less than 15 minutes a day dedicated to phonemic awareness practice can have a significant impact on student reading success long after foundational decoding has been mastered. Again, phonemic awareness begins without letter involvement, but can be more effective when paired at the appropriate readiness.

Phonics: Finally, the involvement of letters are incorporated! Every letter has at least one sound related to its visual shape (m always says /m/ as in map). However, some letters have more than one sound (g can say /g/ as in game or /j/ as in gem). Some can be combined to make another sound (s+h = /sh/ as in ship). However, some letters can never follow each other (x can never follow a t). Those predetermined relationships in every language, according to its rules, are called phonics, and English has many of them. While some languages are more transparent with fewer rules, like Italian, English is more than 90% regular when all rules are learned. Therefore, it is important to teach the students the rules once we have taught them how to hear the sounds!

Stay calm and read on.

From the Pages of Greenwich’s 2E Handbook: Strengthen Executive Functioning Skills

Executive functioning skills—such as planning, organization, time management, and self-control—are the “brain tools” students use to manage learning and daily life. For 2E learners, these skills often lag behind their intellectual abilities, which can lead to frustration when they struggle to bring big ideas to life. While 2E students often think deeply and creatively, they may find it difficult to start tasks, stay organized, or follow through—especially when a task feels uninteresting or overwhelming.

The good news is that executive functioning skills can be taught and strengthened over time. Parents play a powerful role by creating routines and supports at home that foster independence and confidence.

Start by establishing predictable routines. Post visual schedules or checklists for homework, mornings, and bedtime. Predictability reduces anxiety and encourages independence. Tools such as planners, sticky notes, or apps can help track assignments and due dates.

Next, teach time awareness. Many 2E learners struggle to estimate how long tasks will take. Try using timers for short work sessions, then reflect together: “Did that feel like ten minutes, or longer?” This helps them develop realistic planning habits.

Model your own strategies. Talk through how you plan dinner, organize errands, or prepare for a meeting. Children learn by observing how you prioritize, adjust, and self-correct.

Finally, celebrate progress, not perfection. Notice when your child starts homework independently, remembers materials, or completes a plan without reminders. These small wins build confidence and momentum.

Executive functioning develops gradually—especially for 2E learners who are learning to balance their strengths with their challenges. With consistent support, patience, and collaboration between home and school, these students can learn to direct their remarkable potential with increasing independence and confidence.

The Greenwich 2E Handbook is an excellent resource for families and educators seeking to work together in teaching and reinforcing these essential life skills.

Please visit the new Special Education and Student Supports Department webpage on the Greenwich Public School Website. Information about Special Education supports and services as well as contact information is provided

Please share our newsletter with your friends and families. Anyone can easily subscribe by opening the newsletter through its link and hitting the "Follow" on the right.

Email: stacey_heiligenthaler@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: https://www.greenwichschools.org/teaching-learning/special-education
Location: 290 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT
Phone: (203) 625-7493