The Connection Corner
Your Whole Child Hub
Welcome to your "Whole Child Hub"!
What does it look like to partner with your child's school?
At Hawthorn, we believe children learn best when families and schools work together as a team. Each of us sees different parts of a child’s world, and when we share information and collaborate, we can support the whole child academically, socially, and emotionally.
We know families want the very best for their children, and so do we. While no one has all the answers alone, we make real progress when we combine our efforts. With open and supportive communication, students benefit from consistent expectations, strong relationships, and a united group of adults working toward the same goal: helping every child grow and thrive.
How to promote the home-school partnership:
- Ask questions to understand the situation rather than assuming the worst.
- Check in with your child’s teacher early when concerns come up instead of waiting for problems to grow.
- Assume positive intent and remember that school staff want the same thing you do: a successful, supported child.
- Share helpful information about your child’s needs, routines, or stressors so we can better support them.
- Follow through at home with agreed-upon consequences or expectations so your child receives a consistent message.
- Talk with your child about how school is going, what is expected, and how they can handle challenges.
ReferralGPS: Connecting Families to Mental Health Resources
- Searchable Database: Offers a database of treatment options for easy access.
- Care Navigation: Provides services to support families in triage, appointment scheduling, and follow-up care.
- Inclusive Insurance Coverage: The service is compatible with all types of private and public insurance, including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and it caters to uninsured or underinsured families.
- No-Cost Access: Available free of charge for use by district students, staff, and families.
- Confidentiality Assured: Rest assured that all information entered into the ReferralGPS tool is kept completely confidential and securely stored.
The Connection Corner Archives
Social Workers
Our students benefit from access to school social work services. Our social workers provide ongoing support in several ways. They collaborate regularly with grade-level teams to promote a positive school climate for all students, and help support staff in using instructional practices that support social-emotional learning across all subjects. Our social workers may also lead class lessons or work in small groups with students to provide more targeted support.
District Social Workers:
Meghan Frazier - Lincoln School - frazierm@hawthorn73.org
Rhonda Malina - Hawthorn School for Young Learners - malinar@hawthorn73.org
Sydney Pacernick - Elementary North/Aspen - pacernicks@hawthorn73.org
Anna Bach - Aspen -bacha@hawthorn73.org
Ashley Zarinana - Dual Language - zarinanaa@hawthorn73.org
Kathleen Falotico - Townline - faloticok@hawthorn73.org
Grace Haggerty - Townline-Dual - haggertyg@hawthorn73.org
Paul Mazzetta - Elementary North - mazzettap@hawthorn73.org
Connie Travis - Elementary North - travisc@hawthorn73.org
Nesrin Unlu - Elementary South - unlun@hawthorn73.org
Brittany Langton - Elementary South - langtonb@hawthorn73.org
Lauren Brownstein - Middle School South - brownsteinl@hawthorn73.org
Amunn Jaffery - Middle School South - jafferya@hawthorn73.org
Jaime Medbery - Middle School South - medberyj@hawthorn73.org
Brian Van - Middle School North - vanb@hawthorn73.org
Kelli Cordes - Middle School North - cordesk@hawthorn73.org
Scarlett Davalos - Middle School North - davaloss@hawthorn73.org
Connect with ME!
Megan Goldman
Director of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Learning
847-990-4269
Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @D73SOARS
Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj-L3MVWzHT7xxgWytCWmYA