Owl Blog for December 2nd, 2022

AmPark's Book of the Month is I Am Love by Susan Verde and Peter Reynolds.  In this book, readers are invited to celebrate kindness, compassion, self-care, and love in all forms. As we share this beautiful text together, students are engaging in conversations on what love is and means. This book highlights that love can be showing empathy, gratitude, and attending to the wellness of ourselves and others, in the service of making the world a brighter, happier place.
  
Thank you so much to this month's Mystery Reader (Jaime!) for introducing this wonderful book to our students this week! ​

A Farewell & A Welcome

As many of you already know, our beloved English as a New Language Teacher, Andrea Dudzinski, is moving on from AmPark Neighborhood School to explore an exciting new opportunity.  Andrea has served AmPark for the last 5 years as not only our ENL teacher, supporting all of our ELL students, but also our Science cluster teacher, and in many other teacher leadership roles.  While we are sad to see her leave, I know we all share in the hope that this new chapter brings exciting new horizons for Andrea, and that the folks who get to work alongside her know how very lucky they are.

With Andrea's departure, we have been searching in earnest for someone to fill this integral role.  We are so excited to share that we have found, an excellent, experienced ENL Teacher who just so happened to be looking for us at the same time!  This week AmPark welcomed Ms. Gianine Bell to AmPark officially.  Gianine will be working specifically with our ELL students and we are feeling extremely fortunate to have her expertise in supporting them as they grow and develop their language skills.  Below is a brief introduction from Gianine herself, to her new AmPark family.   

​Hi!  My name is Gianine Beall and I am so excited to be joining the AmPark community!  I have my masters in TESOL from Manhattanville College and have been teaching English as a New Language for 14 years.  I have taught all ages and levels, from 1st grade to adult education.  I have always had a love for languages and studied Spanish and Italian closely in both high school and college.  I am still a work in progress, but continue to work on it as often as possible!  I have met with many of your children and I am looking forward to working with them on their journey to master the English language!  Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions and I look forward to meeting all of you throughout the school year!  

In Andrea's multifaceted role, the teaching of science as a cluster was a substantial part of her work at AmPark.  We are actively working to ensure that this science instruction continues with as little interruption as possible, by staffing someone wonderful in that specific position.  Please stay tuned. 

An AmPark Parent Association & School Collaboration: The Winter Festival of Lights

AmPark December Events Calendar

What's for Lunch?

Virtual School Tour for Prospective AmPark Families

Please sign up for our upcoming School Tour which is open to all prospective AmPark parents and families. 
The link below will allow you to register for our upcoming virtual tour. 

Thursday, December 8th @ 8:30am

We look forward to meeting you! 

Registration for Virtual School Tour