Saint James School is pleased to welcome Mrs. Deanna Simoncini as our new 6th Grade Home Room/Middle School Science Teacher.

Mrs. Simoncini comes to us with 10+ years of Middle School teaching experience, having taught Earth, Life, and Physical Sciences at a Catholic school in Georgia. Her husband’s job brought the family to Connecticut last year.

Mrs. Simoncini has a degree in Science Education from Florida State University. She also taught Middle School Math and various levels of Religion during her career, including 2nd grade and 4th grade faith formation within the Diocese of Atlanta.

In her free time Mrs. Simoncini spends time with her three children and husband. She also enjoys art, history, traveling to new places, hiking, and being part of both the Girl and Boy Scout programs.

She is excited about joining our Saint James School family and looks forward to meeting everyone next week.

As announced in our June Saber Stories Newsletter, we had a few staff members retire from teaching at the end of the 2017-2018 school year (and one staff member relocating to another state).  Over the past month we have also said farewell to Mrs. Wojtyna (5th grade), who has decided to take on a new challenge outside of Saint James School.

As we prepare for the first day of the 2018-2019 school year, we are excited to welcome several new members to our staff to continue the tradition of excellence at SJS.  They are all very enthusiastic to begin in their new roles and we feel blessed to have them!  Please join us in welcoming the following individuals to SJS:

Mr. John J. Adams – Middle School

We are excited to have Mr. Adams joining the SJS staff teaching social studies, U.S. history, and world geography to our 6th – 8th grade (middle school) students.  Mr. Adams, who will also be an 8th grade homeroom leader (replacing Mrs. Plourd who retired in June), brings a multi-faceted background teaching history, world geography, and ancient civilizations in both the Catholic and public-school arena.

Mr. Adams’ experience also includes teaching conflict mediation and extensive research on different cultures (including a Master of Arts degree in Irish Studies from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC).  Students will also benefit from his wealth of experience traveling and teaching abroad.

Mr. Adams holds several additional degrees and certificates (including a Master’s in education from the University of New Haven and a State of CT Teaching certificate in History and Social Studies).

Mrs. Andréa Piotrowski – 5th Grade

We are also excited to welcome Mrs. Piotrowski in the role of 5th grade teacher.

Mrs. Piotrowski comes to us with numerous years of teaching U.S. history & world geography to 7th and 8th grade students at a magnet school in Hartford and has also served as a reading intervention specialist at the elementary level.

Mrs. Piotrowski has a Master’s degree in education from St. Joseph College in West Hartford and is certified in the state of CT to teach grades 4 – 8. She is a graduate of Saint James School and East Catholic High School. Both her children, William & Alejandra, have attended Saint James since pre-kindergarten and she has been an active volunteer in our school community over the past several years serving on the Saint James School Board and Advancement Committee.

Mrs. Piotrowski is looking forward to continuing many of the fun classroom traditions of 5th grade and building upon the established foundation of preparing our students for a successful transition to middle school.

Ms. Katrina Burzynski – 2nd Grade

This year we also are pleased to welcome Ms. Burzynski in the role of second grade teacher (taking over for Mrs. St. Jean – see below).

Ms. Burzynski comes to us from the Glastonbury school system where she served in various capacities while working on her Master’s degree in elementary education and completing her state certification.

A graduate of East Catholic High School, she is overjoyed to begin teaching in a faith-based school and is looking forward to working with students during this critically important year when they reach so many academic and spiritual milestones.

Mrs. Laura St. Jean – Pre-Kindergarten Director

Mrs. St. Jean has been a teacher at SJS since 2007, beginning in the 4th grade for a number of years before switching over to teach 2nd grade in 2014.  Both of Mrs. St. Jean’s children have attended SJS since Pre-Kindergarten and are now enrolled at East Catholic High School (her own Alma Mater).  Prior to joining Saint James School, Mrs. St. Jean taught kindergarten and preschool in various locations and is very excited to be back working with our youngest learners!

Mrs. St. Jean has a Master’s degree in elementary education, a Bachelor’s degree in psyco-social dynamics of learning with a focus on early education, and holds her state certification for early childhood and elementary grades.

Other New Staff Members – Pre-Kindergarten Aides, Music Teacher, & Art Teacher

Other new staff members joining our pre-kindergarten program are Mrs. Vicky LaChance (teacher’s aide) and Mrs. Mary Holmes (teacher’s aide), replacing Mrs. Bevans and Mrs. Gregory who have both moved on to full-time positions outside of Saint James School. Both Mrs. LaChance and Mrs. Holmes have prior experience working in a preschool setting and are very excited to begin their new roles in our Saint James community.

We would also like to welcome, Mrs. Corcoran (wife of Mr. Corcoran) in the role of general music teacher for our K-8 students. She brings a wealth of experience teaching music to a variety of ages in a Catholic school setting. Mrs. Corcoran will be continuing the tradition of our children’s choir and is thrilled to be working at the school where she watched her own children perform in music performances several years ago.

Last, but certainly not least, we are excited to have Mrs. Megan Rafferty joining our staff as our new K-5 art teacher.  A graduate of Saint James School herself (along with her twin brother), Mrs. Rafferty has been busy planning a fun and interesting art curriculum, trying out many projects with her own daughter who is entering our kindergarten program this year.

 

Please note, teacher assignments will be e-mailed to parents by the end of next week.

 

Parents who plan to purchase their child(ren)’s school supplies through online ordering (School Toolbox) are asked to please place their order by this Monday (August 13th) in order to receive them in time for the first day of school.  For details and ordering information, please click the link below.

School Tool Box

 

If you need a new copy of the 2018-2019 School Supply Lists, you can access them using the links below:

2018-2019 School Supplies List Grades K-5

2018-2019 School Supplies List Grades 6-8

** We are in need of a new CHURCH LIASON to help coordinate our School Masses each month.  Mrs. Herr will continue for the 2018-2019 school year, but we are looking for a parent with a younger student to shadow her this year to ensure a seamless transition for Fall 2019.

** Feedback from the HSA Surveys indicated that middle school parents would like to see more social events focused on middle school students (a bowling night, etc).  Therefore, we are also looking for a few MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS who would be interested in coordinating two middle school events this school year.

** We are hoping to start a CHEERLEADING squad at the school and are in need of parent helpers.  Practice would be after school and students would cheer at basketball games primarily during weekday evenings.

If you are interested in helping with any the above, please contact Mrs. Zorger via e-mail or by calling the school.  Please note, we are all set with uniform closet help.