Back to ACES
With all of this cold weather, we needed an In School Snow Day with pajamas, movies and popcorn!!☃️❄️🍿
Village Staff Connection: Natalie Cerrone (Speech and Language Therapist) has been selected as this week’s Village Staff Connection. She has been recognized for her ability to craft engaging sessions for the students, being supportive at all times, and brightening up the classroom for everyone there. At the end of this school year, Natalie will be celebrating her 25th year at ACES. Over her time with ACES, Natalie has worked at both Village School and Mill Road School. Currently, she works with students in the EIBI program. The story behind how Natalie became a Speech Pathologist is a unique and funny one. One day when she was a sophomore in high school, her teacher had asked the classroom what field of work their families were in. A classmate of Natalie shared that a sibling was a Speech Pathologist. This intrigued Natalie so she looked to see what that was. As someone who was always getting in trouble for talking too much, Natalie thought this would be the perfect field for her! She has a true belief that every individual has the capacity to communicate and our job is to figure out how to help them access that communication. She loves being a part of that process and sees how as technology grows and changes we have more ways for students to communicate. Natalie says that “there’s no place like ACES” and she loves working here at Village School. One of the things she loves most about Village School is the manner in which the community celebrates what others may see as small victories. She has seen that is not something that happens everywhere the way it does here. Outside of work, Natalie keeps busy with her two children. She enjoys going to the gym, hosting events, cooking, and spending time with friends. She has also taken her love for accessing communication to her community. Natalie is working with her local Park and Recreation Department to place communication boards and AAC within the community activities. Natalie, thank you for always showing your Village PRIDE!!
Village Staff Connection: Sharnice Brooks (ABA Trainer) has been selected as this week’s Village Staff Connection. Colleagues share that Sharnice is always willing to assist, has a positive attitude always, and is a true team player! Sharnice started as an Individual Aide at ACES Mill Road School in the fall of 2020 and transitioned from Mill Road to Village School about a year later with a student she was working with. She was committed to helping her assigned student have a successful transition to his new school. Sharnice has a love and passion for working with students with special support needs. Seeing their success brings her joy. She was driven to learn more about working with students who experience behavioral challenges and how she can positively impact them so she sought to become an ABA Trainer. Understanding why the behaviors are occurring has helped her to better understand how to help students be successful. Outside of work, Sharnice is active in her church, she spends time with her two daughters, and she admits she likes to shop! As if all of that was not enough, Sharnice is a Parent Ambassador for the United Way where she provides feedback to the United Way on the parent needs of the community. Sharnice is dedicated to the special needs community and tries to help others access services through her work with the United Way. All of this has driven Sharnice to move forward with taking her RBT exam soon and she has enrolled back in school at Charter Oak where she is pursuing her Special Education degree. Sharnice shares that she loves working at Village School and everyone here is different but everyone requires love. Thank you, Sharnice, for showing your Village PRIDE!
🎭 ACES ECA and ACES Village School just wrapped up their first Unified Theatre collaboration! This groundbreaking initiative brought students together to explore the magic of theatre, fostering creativity, connection, and inclusion.
A huge thank you to ECA Theatre Instructor Liz Daingerfield, ECA Theatre Senior Kelsey Hargraves, and Village Music Therapist Jaime Plancon for their leadership and dedication in making this experience unforgettable.
We’re thrilled to see this unified theatre curriculum taking shape and can’t wait for future collaborations to inspire our students even more. Stay tuned for what’s next! 🌟 #UnifiedTheatre #Collaboration #CreativityInAction
Village Staff Connection: Nate Tate (Individual Aide) has been selected as this week’s Village Staff Connection. Nate has been recognized by several colleagues for being someone who is kind, caring, flexible, a team player, and meets the students where they are in the moment always letting them know he is here for them and listening! Nate began working at Village School in August of this school year and has already made a great impact on the lives of our students. Recently, Nate moved from an Individual Aide position to an ABA Trainer position where he hopes to continue to learn and grow in order to help students reach maximum success. Nate had moved to Connecticut from California to work with some friends on starting up a vintage clothing business prior to working at Village School. When he was looking for something different, a friend had suggested he consider working at ACES Village School. Nate said he has loved it here since day one. He shares that the students are his driving force each day. They always make him smile so he just tries to give them that same positivity back. They make him excited to come to school. He takes pride in building relationships with the kids and takes enjoyment in the little moments. Outside of work, Nate collects vintage t-shirts, enjoys skateboarding, and hanging out with his fiancé. They are preparing to start a family soon. Nate said that his best advice for anyone beginning work at Village School would be to enjoy every minute and remember to have fun with the kids. Thank you, Nate, for showing your Village PRIDE!
Village School staff were treated to pancakes this morning which were made fresh by the building administrative team (Ginny, Kristen, and James). Even former Assistant Principal Jenn came back to Village to help spread the holiday appreciation. In total over 400 pancakes were made and served. This annual tradition was started over 15 years ago as a way to show appreciation for the staff at the holidays. We are grateful for all that they do each day to make a positive impact on the lives of our students and families.
Lots of fun today at our Holiday Sing-a-Long with a special appearance by our Principal!!
Congratulations to our Village School Chorus on a wonderful winter concert! Led by Jaime Plancon, Music Therapist, the students performed several songs of the season to a packed audience of family and friends. Seeing our students perform certainly brought smiles and joy to all in the audience.
There will be a 2 hour delay today due to inclement weather. Staff should report at 10:00 am. Students should arrive at 10:30. Travel safe!
Village Staff Connection: Elizabeth Carozza (Speech and Language Pathologist) has been selected as this week’s Village Staff Connection. Elizabeth has been recognized for her strong work ethic, eagerness to learn, and her ability and willingness to always give 100% to all that she does. Elizabeth began working at ACES in November 2021 in the SAILS and EIBI programs before switching to be full time at EIBI this school year. Elizabeth “fell into” the field of Speech and Language after taking an introductory course in college to learn more. It was that course that helped her to decide to pursue this field of work. Prior to working at ACES, Elizabeth worked as a Speech and Language Pathologist with adults in the skilled nursing area. When Elizabeth looked to make a transition to the school-based field, she immediately thought of ACES as she had done her student placement at the ACES Whitney Academy program (which at that time was ACES East/West). Elizabeth shares that working with the students is her driving force. She says that it is great to see the progress they make and she feels like she is making a difference. Elizabeth truly enjoys working at Village School as it is a supportive environment and all the staff work together to implement what is best for students. The collaboration, teamwork, and comradery is palpable. She loves seeing the relationships that the staff make with the students and how much they care. Outside of work, Elizabeth is the proud mom of a 3 year old son. She enjoys cooking, hanging out with her family, watching TV, and sleeping when she can! Elizabeth says that anyone looking to get into the field of education or communication should pursue that work as it is always evolving and engaging but it is also nice to do something that is rewarding where you are making a difference! Thank you, Elizabeth, for showing your Village PRIDE!
Tomorrow is our PJ Day for Kids! We wear our PJs to stand together with kids fighting cancer!! We hope to surpass our fundraising goal for this special organization. You can send in your donations tomorrow or click the link below to donate. We appreciate your support! Students and staff are encouraged to wear their school appropriate pajamas tomorrow in support of CT Children’s Foundation.
Please vote!!!!!
Our staff had a fun and competitive afternoon with our first Gingerbread House contest! The challenge was for each classroom to create a special Gingerbread House using the kit and then adding 2 edible items and 1 non-edible item. Extra credit for adding student created materials was also an option. We are looking for all of our Facebook friends and families to vote by “ liking” their favorite creation !
The classroom that wins will get a special lunch !! A big thank you to Kenyena for organizing this fun event!
Pay special attention to all of the thoughtful and creative details the staff added!
Help support Connecticut Children’s Hospital by wearing your PJ’s and donating $1 !
Be safe everyone! 2 hour delay today. Staff should report at 10:00 am. Students should arrive at 10:30.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make the annual Holiday Fair a success!! We raised over $7,000 which will all be used to support the students at Village School. It was an amazing day and we are grateful for all your support.
Tonight is the annual Holiday Fair! Come join us from 5pm-8pm. All proceeds support the students at ACES Village School!
Village Staff Connection: Rob Parrett (TAD in Room 17) has been selected as this week’s Staff Connection. Rob is an integral member of the Village team having worked at Village School for the past 40 years in the role of Teacher Assistant Driver. Over the past 40 years, Rob has worked to make an impact in the classrooms by supporting students with medical complexities access a meaningful education. Rob shares that he loves the kids and has worked with such great people over the years making wonderful, life long friendships. He enjoys planning activities for the classroom and looks forward to the fun that will happen with the students. Rob indicates that the students have been such a big part of his life and he truly feels connected with each student he has worked with. Village School means a great deal to Rob and the work here is what drives him every day. This is evident in his desire to go that extra mile to ensure the school is successful. Rob is a key coordinator in the annual Holiday Fair as he leads the donation portion of the event. He starts working to collect donations for the raffles and more in the spring of each year, selflessly giving up his personal time to work on this event. Without Rob the Holiday Fair would not be as successful as it is as he collects over 70 items of donations each year. Outside of work, Rob enjoys being with his immediate and extended family. The family gatherings are special to him and he enjoys planning the time they spend together. Rob shares that working at ACES Village School has been such a joy in his life and he cannot express how much it has meant to him. Rob, thank you for all that you do to help make an impact each day. We appreciate you showing your Village PRIDE!!
Tomorrow is the day: Holiday Fair!! The staff were busy setting it up this afternoon to get ready for everyone. We hope you will join us and help us make it a success!
Staff in Room 6 today participated in a classroom potluck and Gingerbread House competition. Through this experience staff worked together on their communication skills, team work, and had a lot of laughs along the way!
All staff at Village will have an opportunity to participate in a Gingerbread House Competition in the coming weeks and we are going to invite our families to vote for their favorite creation! Stay tuned!!
The ACES Holiday Fair is next Friday 5pm-8pm!! We hope to see you there.
Village Staff Connection: Julie Couly (Individual Aide in Room 15) has been selected as this week’s Staff Connection. Julie was recognized by her colleagues for someone who has become a pivotal part of the classroom. In addition to the work she does with her assigned student, Julie takes the initiative to help with all the students in the classroom. Her classroom teacher notes that she has been the main catalyst for the progress and growth of her assigned student. It was noted that Julie has made a great deal of personal growth in her skills as an educator and always comes to work positive and ready to make an impact! Julie began at Village School in February 2023. Prior to working at Village, she was a PCA with elderly adults but she wanted to make the change to working with kids. Julie shares that she likes working with students and seeing the progress they make. Knowing that she has had an impact on the student’s ability to grow and expand her skills brings Julie great joy. She said she likes working at Village School because she can come to work each day and her herself. She enjoys the connection she has with her student and when she is having a bad day her student is the one who lifts her spirit and makes her happy. For anyone looking to work at Village School, Julie says she would definitely recommend working here because when she is here it feels like she is with family. Outside of work at Village School, Julie is pursuing schooling for her EMT license and also works a second job in home programming for students with behavioral support needs. When she is not working she enjoys reading and resting. Julie says she loves to read the Harry Potter and Twilight books! Julie, thank you for all that you do to help make an impact each day. We appreciate you showing your Village PRIDE!!
Thank you to everyone who fought in our Penny War for Breast Cancer! The RED Hallway pulled out the win in the competiton. But the real win was the funds raised for the fight against breast cancer. ACES Village School raised $887.70 for Susan G. Komen.
Village Staff Connection: Lisa Swift is this week’s Village Staff Connection. Lisa has been working at Village School for 19 years in the EIBI program. Spending over 17 years as an ABA Trainer, Lisa stepped into the new role of Training Support Interventionist (TSI) last school year. In this role, Lisa works to ensure staff are receiving the training and support needed to ensure students succeed. Lisa is always willing to help and is a listening ear to many. She is compassionate, sweet, and has a great sense of humor! One colleague noted that she is the “glue of room 20”. Lisa shares that she loves people, especially children, which is what drew her to working in this field. She loves being part of a team of people who come together to work for the students. She shares that what she enjoys about her team is that they laugh, share stories, and are always there for each other when someone is having a hard time. Everyone is supportive and that support keeps her motivated daily. In addition to the classroom she works in, Lisa enjoys building connections with the staff throughout Village. In her time working here, she has witnessed that the entire building is one big place of people that smile and spread kindness to each other. She shares that she has always felt supported by administration at Village School as well as her colleagues. One of the reasons she likes Village so much is because the support system throughout the building is “outrageous”. Lisa enjoys showing appreciation for her colleagues and feels that it is important for people to hear they are doing a good job. Outside of work, Lisa has taken her passion for working with others to her role as “Resident Mother” for the “A Better Chance” (ABC) House for five years. In this role, she worked to support students who were participating in an exchange program where they received the ability to get additional support and educational opportunities outside of their home community. Even though she is no longer working with this program, Lisa stays connected to the group of young adults she worked with. Lisa prioritizes spending time with her grandchildren and her entire family. Family is everything to her! She also loves her holidays, the New York Giants, and the Boston Bruins. Lisa, thank you for everything you do to make an impact on the lives of our students, families, and staff at Village School. You certainly demonstrate your Village PRIDE every day!
Help us wish Kathy Hassen-Stack (Physical Therapist) luck as she prepares to run in the New York City Marathon tomorrow! You got this Kathy! All of Village School is cheering you on!
Staff Login
