Together We Can
October 13 , 2025
As we reach the midpoint of October, I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the fall season. It has been a busy and productive time across our schools, and we are grateful for your continued partnership and support as we work together to create a positive and inclusive learning environment for all students.
I am pleased to share that an updated Special Education Action Plan has been posted to our website. This revised plan reflects our ongoing commitment to improving services and outcomes for students with disabilities. We encourage you to review the plan, which outlines key goals, strategies, and timelines for implementation.
👉 Click here to view the updated Special Education Action Plan
As always, thank you for being an essential part of our school community. Please keep reading for upcoming events and highlights from our classrooms.
Best
Stacey
Stacey Heiligenthaler, Ph.D.
Chief Officer of Special Education and Student Supports
Pumpkin Science in Action
Ms. Yates' class at Hamilton Avenue School has been investigating pumpkins. They have reviewed pumpkin vocabulary, including: pumpkin, orange, seed, stem, leaf, jack-o-lantern. They have also discussed the weight of the pumpkin (heavy or light?) and observations (what do you notice about the texture or color?).
Learning About Our Community
Ms. O'Neill's class at North Street School has been learning about people in their community, especially the friends in their classroom. Students were asked to decorate a cut-out person and present "All About Me" to their class.
Benny Bear Helps Us Learn the Letter B
At Julian Curtiss School, Mrs. Horan's class studied the letter B through the poem, Benny Bear. Students were detectives and had to search for all of the Bb's and they also rolled out Play-Doh to make the letter B on mats.
Brilliant Letter B Explorers at Cos Cob
Ms. Xhema's class at Cos Cob School has also been learning the letter B. They practiced making the sounds, talked about words that /b/ is the first sound. They even noticed that no one in our class has B as their first letter! The class reviewed the Fundations lines and used our skywriters (pointer finger) to name an uppercase B and lowercase b. Learning continued with a game of Bingo.
Big Brain Detectives at Work
Students at North Mianus School in related services works on finding the areas in the big brain. Students use inferences and context clues to support finding the object.
We are Bucket Fillers
Cos Cob School kindergarten co-teachers Ms. Bennett and Ms. Bee foster a positive classroom environment by encouraging students to make good choices and follow district norms. They celebrate these positive actions by inviting students to “fill their buckets”—a fun and meaningful way to acknowledge kind and respectful behavior. When a student's bucket is full, the class recognizes their actions and celebrates them with a special song tied to the theme of kindness and community. Positive reinforcement like this helps young learners build confidence, internalize good behavior, and feel proud of their contributions to the classroom.
Small Steps to Big Math Success
Ms. Ceci, one of North Street School's Special Education teachers, is working with a small group of students to support them in becoming more confident problem solvers in math. In this session, students learn simple strategies to find important numbers and clue words in word problems, helping them to figure out what the problem is really asking. By breaking the problems into smaller steps, students can focus on what matters most and choose the right way to solve them. This kind of focused support helps students feel more successful and prepared when tackling math on their own.
Activating Prior Knowledge: Exploring Emotions and Evidence
During academic lab at Central Middle school, Mrs. Shearer activated students’ prior knowledge about emotions and guided them in using evidence to support a claim in response to a question. The discussion was engaging, and students participated actively. The use of a video further captured their interest and involvement.
Empowering Students: Tailored Reading and Math Support
In Mrs. Cheney’s class, at Eastern Middle School, students worked on reading and math activities that were tailored to their individual IEP goals. Each assignment was designed to meet their specific needs. While they were working, Mrs. Cheney met with a small group to help them read a text and practice supporting their claims with evidence.
Executive Functioning in Action
In Mrs. Bernard’s class at Central Middle School, students practiced executive functioning skills. They checked their Aspen accounts to review their progress in each class. For every subject, they noted one detail and identified any missing assignments. An email was then sent to their parents to share their progress.
Reading with Purpose
In Mrs. Espinoza's sixth grade academic lab at Eastern Middle School, the students practiced identifying signposts while reading. They reviewed types such as Memory Moment, Tough Questions, gain and Again, Words of the Wiser, and Aha Moment. Students read together, paused to explain the significance of each signpost, and discussed examples like, “Sandy River is a special place.” They stayed engaged by sharing their ideas and writing explanations beside the related text.
Students Analyze Plot Structure Together
In a collaborative sixth grade class at Central Middle School with Mrs. McKay and Mrs. Gale, students explored the concept of plot structure. They learned to identify its key components and apply them while reading. As they read a short story aloud, students noted or highlighted moments when conflicts appeared in the plot.
Health Class Tackles Internet Safety and Responsible AI Use
In ninth grade health class, students explored Internet Safety and Digital Wellbeing. They learned how to protect personal information, respond to cyberbullying, and manage the impact of social media on mental health. They also discussed AI Risks and Safety, developing critical thinking about responsible AI use. Students left the session more informed and empowered to make safe, thoughtful choices online.
Using Clues, Touch, and Teamwork at Community Connections
Mr. Cowit, the teacher of the visually impaired, worked with a student at Community Connections on answering, “What room are we in?” using context clues such as whether there was a stove, classroom items, or a bathroom. The student practiced raising the right or left hand with prompting and feedback, while data was collected on responses. In daily living and job training activities, the student identified and sorted utensils by placing forks in front and spoons on a plate to the left. Mr. Cowitt gave precise directions and incorporated tactile learning by comparing the ridges of a quarter to the smooth surface of a penny before having the student sort pennies into a bowl.
Wear Green for World Mental Health Day
Central Middle Schools’ mental health team wore green for World Mental Health Day. World Mental Health Day, observed every October 10, raises global awareness about mental health issues and promotes efforts to support mental well-being. It encourages open conversations, reduces stigma, and highlights the importance of accessible mental health care for all.
Building Confidence with Q-Global
At the in-person program meeting, the team worked together to practice Q-global. The team worked collaboratively across schools to support each other with the testing management system. Q-global is an online platform developed by Pearson that provides digital tools for administering, scoring, and reporting a wide range of psychological and educational assessments. It streamlines the testing process by allowing clinicians, educators, and other professionals to manage assessments more efficiently and accurately.
Coffee, Conversations, and Collaboration
The North Mianus School team held their first coffee with the SES parents. We enjoyed greeting each other and going through the IEP process. The team talked about what to expect during a PPT and how to reach out if needed.
From Knowledge to Practice: Our Clinicians Dive into ADOS
All GPS psychologists and speech pathologists will be trained to use the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). ADOS is a standardized, semi-structured assessment used to evaluate and diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Special Education & Student Supports Information and Resource Website
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
The Office of Special Education and Student Supports
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