American Education Week, Fall Semester 2005-November 14, 2005, Education Department, Eastern CSU

^{4) Diversity Seminar for all teacher candidates prior to student teaching,
Friday, January 29, 3:30 – 6 PM (snow date:
February 3, 2005, 3:30 – 6 PM), Johnson Community
Room, Library.}

posted on November 2, 2005

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Message from Mike Hetherington, Master of Science in Elementary Education program graduate, 2003

On October 7th, my 6th grade class at Horace W. Porter School launched their first podcast. A podcast is an Internet radio broadcast available for download. If you or the alumni would like to listen, just go to our class weblog at http://room613talk05.edublogs.org/tag/podcasts/ or look for Room 613 Talk in the Educational Podcast section of Itunes. My students worked collaboratively to write the introduction, feature stories, transitions and closing. So far we have received positive feedback on the podcast from listeners as far away as Georgia, Arizona, and New Zealand. As far as I know, this is the first class podcast in the State of Connecticut.

In other news, I'll be visiting China for 10 days starting on November 4th as part of a Connecticut Educators delegation. During that visit I will have a chance to teach at Horace Porter's sister school in Jinan, China. It's been an busy year so far!

Mike Hetherington

6th Grade Social Studies Teacher

Horace W. Porter School - Columbia, CT

MS Elementary Ed. - Dec. 2003

posted on November 1, 2005

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Good news from Michelle Ridolfi O'Neill -

Sharon Hagen was hired for one of a language arts positions in Montville.

posted on October 31, 2005

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Good news from Bethany Champagne (bethany_champagne@yahoo.com):

"Hello everyone

I just wanted to inform you that I have been offered a job as a long-term substitute counselor at DePaolo Middle School in Southington. I went today to meet everyone and it is wonderful. I love it. I will keep you posted. I should be there until Feb. or March because the person I am replacing just had TWIN BOYS! Yikes. I am so happy and finally using my degree. Thanks for everyone's support.

Bethany"

I am pleased to let you know that Windham Tech is employing two outstanding new educators, fresh from the latest graduating class:

--Glenn Anderson, English

--Chris Morgan, social studies

As you know, I recruited Chris Morgan for our system last year as a substitute after I saw first-hand the work he was doing in mentoring middle and high school students over the summer at ECSU. He soon became one of our most-requested subs that fall and student taught at Norwich Tech last spring.

Glenn Anderson was a student in my seminar for student teachers last spring. He completed an exemplary portfolio and had an outstanding student teaching experience at Dr. Helen Baldwin School in Canterbury.

Both have done a great job in their first week- a testimony to the instruction and experiences that they have had at Eastern. They are going to make a difference in the lives of our students.

Fred Ashton

posted on September 7, 2005

"Hello everyone, hope your summers are going well! I just wanted to
write you a quick email letting you know that I got a job for the fall,
teaching at a new school called "The Friendship School" in Waterford.
It's a magnet school with kids from New London and Waterford, and I
will be teaching special education preschool. I'm very excited!!!
Thanks for sharing your experiences and guidance with me, I can't wait
to use all I've learned!!!

Have a great school year,
Cherise Bernier"

ps. - let the other professors know if you wish."

posted on August 16, 2005

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Alumni news via Lana Pontbriant and Joy Goff (Institutional Advancement) after meeting Joan Disco (class of 1982) at the Eastern Alumni table at the Norwich Navigators' game on Friday, August 5.

Ms. Disco is currently teaching 5th grade at Andover Elementary School. Ms. Disco adds that "I have had two student teachers from ECSU, and both have been very qualified and excited about teaching. It was very rewarding to see the growth of these young women."

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Good news from Rebecca Stanger on 8/4/05:

I have accepted a position as a 4th grade teacher at Ashford School in Ashford, CT. There were at least 300 applicants for this position.

There are other ECSU graduates teaching in the school. Everything I learned at the program came up in the interview process. I was totally prepared. Thank you.

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Good news from Joy Goff and Kyle Verona - Institutional Advancement -

The Friendship School is "a model urban-suburban collaborative effort between Waterford and New London with LEARN, the regional educational service center for southeastern Connecticut, serving as the local educational agency for the school." For more information, please visit http://www.thefriendshipschool.org/ or go to the ribbon-cutting of the school on August 24, 2005. The Friendship School is expected to open on August 31, 2005, with slots for 220 kindergarten students and 300 preschool students, with 50% of the students coming from New London and 50% from Waterford. - July 27, 2005

James Hendricks, graduate of ECSU's undergraduate elementary education and graduate educational technology programs, reports that he continues to serve as a third grade teacher at Southeast Elementary School in Mansfield, CT - July 28, 2005.

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Dr. Richard Reynolds reports that recent graduate Scott Yeo has been appointed as a history/social studies teacher at Lebanon's Lyman High School. - June 30, 2005

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Good news relayed by Dr. Ann Gruenberg on June 29, 2005:

Hi everybody!

I wanted to tell all of you some more good news! My long term sub position at Hatton School ended. However, I have been hired in the town of Simsbury as a full time Kindergarten teacher (starting in August). I am so excited! I am going to have my own class and I cannot wait! My portfolio really helped me to get the job! Thanks again to you all!

Sincerely,

Jessica Biardi

Pattie Uccello (elementary certification master's student who will do portfolio in fall) just got a 6th grade position at Marlborough Elementary School yesterday! She called this morning all excited about it!

Enjoy your weekly info-mail. Just finishing my fifth year at Enrico Fermi High School in Enfield, CT.

We have a position opening up for AP Biology and 10th grade biology by year’s end. If you have a bio cert student, with general science cert a plus, please have them submit something soon. Applicants will be very competitive. Starting pay is among the state's highest. The Science Department is well run with a great crew to work with and the school is BEST Portfolio friendly.

Please say "hello" to your crew for me, and send my best wishes to Richard for continued good health!

P.S. Tell Hari that I've finally developed my mathematics vaccine, and have received F.D.A. approval for clinical trials following successful LD-50 tests. Pfizer and I are currently negotiating a marketing strategy to target those out of school for more than twenty years and others with mathematically-compromised immune systems and early-onset dementia--I think that's what it's called.

Old Guy with Beard :-)= John Hinchliffe "

Last time we spoke I may have told you that I have secured a position in Avon Ct, at Roaring Brook School Teaching 3rd grade as a long term sub for child rearing leave until the end of the year. I was hoping to start this position at the beginning of April. I have found myself taking over one month earlier. I have already learned so much. Things couldn't be better!! I am hoping to fill an open position at this school for the fall and will let you know when I do!! Thanks for all your help!!

ps: extremely valuable website www.schoolnotes.com for parent teacher communication. Highly recommended!!

A message from Bethany Champagne, [bethany_champagne@yahoo.com], former Education Department student assistant and near graduate of a graduate program in school counseling:

I just wanted to say hello. It has been a while since I have stopped by or written. I have been busy with my Practicum at Longmeadow High. I am liking it so far, but I cannot imagine myself working there-very intense environment. I will be done and ready to graduate with my Master's in May! Can you believe it? It has gone by so quickly. I will be coming to ECSU at the end of the month for the Education Career Fair to see if there are any guidance openings.

I am feeling a little overwhelmed with the college piece at the high school level and think maybe the middle school is a better fit for me. I really liked my middle school placement at Vernon Center Middle School. I think I may apply for both placements.

I am learning a lot and I have been doing a lot...teaching too! (David) Haha. Well, I hope all is well and let me know how you are and how the Edu. dept is doing. I keep up on the dept newsletters.

A message shared by Dr. Sudha Swaminathan on 2/22/05:

"Hi everyone,

I am writing to let everyone know that I have a job!!! I went for an interview this week for a long term sub position at Hatton Elementary School in Southington, CT and I got it. It is for an inclusive preschool classroom. I am so excited, it is like a dream come true! Thank you all for everything, without all of you I wouldn't have been given this great opportunity.

Thank you all,

Jessica Biardi"

Message from Christine Mengel, elementary education teacher candidate, January 2005:

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you for the wonderful instruction and guidance you have given me through core I and II. I took the Praxis in November for the first time and not only did I walk away from the test feeling confident but my confidence was assured when I found out I did very well and past the tests. So I wanted to thank all of you for your help in this process. Have a wonderful break and Happy New Year!

"Hi! I just wanted to tell you that I got a job!! Starting Monday I will be a preschool teacher in Waterbury. It's not in a school though, it's in a daycare facility, but I will have my own classroom of 3-5 year olds (although I think right now there are only 3 and 4 year olds). I am really excited to start, I really have a lot of freedom to teach what I want and how I want, it's a really exciting first teaching job, a really great experience, especially since I have to do most of the planning of what exactly I'm teaching, there is no curriculum to follow or anything. So I'm really excited to use a lot of the information I got from the core classes @ Eastern. I'm sure I'll be emailing you (300 times a day!) to ask you questions and get advice, I hope you don't mind! Just wanted to tell you because I thought you'd be proud :)"

Dr. Sudha Swaminathan reports that Leslie Labenski has been hired at Andover Elementary in a Kindergarten setting.

Joan Culpin was just hired as a third grade teacher in Columbia, CT.
posted on August 20, 2004.

I just wanted to share my great news with you! I have been offered a job as a K-8 Technology Integration Coach. I am very excited about this opportunity and feel that my work at Eastern was invaluable in preparing me for this role (especially the thesis). Some feedback I received was how pleased they were with my understanding of constructivism, project (problem-) based learning, ISTE standards, assessments, and learning environments. I wanted to share that with you because I feel it speaks directly to your program.

Once again, I am pleased to share more good news for the Vocational Technical School System and for ECSU: Mary Schlehofer will be appointed to a teaching position in the English Department at H.H. Ellis Technical High School in Danielson, CT. Mary did her student teaching here at Windham Tech this past spring semester with department head Jan Marie Weston and she did an outstanding job.

"More good news for Windham Tech, ECSU, and new graduate David Carter: David has been appointed to a math position at Windham Vocational Technical High School. David finished the year for us in a long-term substitute position that he started just after he finished his student teaching and he did a great job. We are looking forward to him starting the year with us. His content knowledge and pedagogy are strong and he is a most welcome and valued addition to the teaching faculty!"

A message shared by Dr. Ann Gruenberg from Cara Ravetto -

I took a long term sub position at the Borough Elementary School for a teacher on maternity leave with the expectation of continuing in the fall for her. As the last few days of school arrived one of the teachers in decided not to renew her contract and resigned, thereby creating an open position. After all was said and done, the position ended up being for first grade. I interviewed for it and was offered the job! I am very excited because I wasn't expecting anything in the district to be open! I was fully prepared to sub for the next year. Now reality sets in as I prepare to set up my classroom and plan the curriculum! My fellow colleagues seem very nice and the principal is very supportive. Hope all is well at ECSU and I plan to return in the spring to complete my Capstone. Take care!

Cara Ravetto

Call for Graduate News -

A request from Institutional Research -
Please share news about the plans of graduating seniors.
If they are going on to graduate school, please provide the graduate's name, undergraduate major,
graduate university, location (city, state), field of study and degree program sought, and any information
on scholarships and/or fellowships.
If they have been accepted for employment positions, please provide the graduate's name,
undergraduate major, company, location (city, state), position, salary.
Please email the information to David, who will compile it for the department. Thanks.

For opportunities for technology resources and recognition for exemplary leadership, please visit http://www.futureready.org/about/ .

Fee: $75.00 if you bring the Educational Testing Service Guide (Test Code 0011)

Recommendation from Diane Reale, OnlineCSU instructor, to subscribe to Edutopia:

"You may already be familiar with Edutopia, but I recently received an invitation to a free magazine subscription from them, in the mail, so I thought I would send the link along to you....(re: exemplary programs in K-12 schools)....thought your faculty and students might be interested.

http://www.edutopia.org/foundation/foundation.php

Diane"

Description: Free educator job search. Apply online, get email job alerts, find 1000s of teaching jobs from dozens of sites with the SchoolSpring SuperSearch. Apply to any job, anywhere with SchoolSpring PLUS!

Looking for an internship, co-op or full-time job? Then check out our new on-line system-eRecruiting at http://eastern.eRecruiting.com

Walter Diaz
Director
Career Services
Eastern Connecticut State University
83 Windham Street
Willimantic, CT 06226
Phone: (860)465.5244
Fax:(860)465.4440
Email: diazw@easternct.edu
University Web Page: www.easternct.edu
Department Web Page: www.easternct.edu/depts/career/

Announcement from Robin Shefts, Career Counselor, Career Services:

"I discovered this website recently which I wanted to share with you, faculty and students. http://careers.education.wisc.edu/projectConnect/MoreInfo.cfm

Project Connect is a national cooperative resource between school districts and universities to assist with teacher/education staff employment efforts on the internet. If you are not familiar with Project Connect, it's worth checking out!"

This scholarship program supports and encouraged persons of color who are committed to a career in public school teaching. A scholarship award of at least $1,500 a year for two years will be granted to an individual who has been admitted to a teacher-preparation program in a Connecticut College or university. For more information and an application, please contact David Stoloff in the Education Dept, Webb 129 or visit http://www.almaexleyscholarship.org .

1) Thank you, Ann, for enriching the Education Department Chair's office with

Cambre, M. & Hawkes, M. (2004). Toys, tools & teachers: The challenges of technology. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Education.

3) Ordered for the Curriculum Library -

Comparative guide to elementary and secondary schools: 2005. Millerton, NY: Grey House Publishing.

ACPA & NASPA (2004), Learning Reconsidered: A Campus-Wide Focus on the Student Experience. Washington, DC: ACPA - Advancing Student Affairs, Engaging Students and NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. and other materials from President Carter's Advance on August 17 & 18, 2004.

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Please contact David Stoloff at (860) 465-5501, email: stoloffd@easternct.edu if you have any questions or comments on this newsletter. Please invite others to receive this newsletter and be added to the Education Department e-mailing list by contacting David Stoloff.