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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!
Village Staff Connection: Cathy Grammatico has been working at ACES since 2018 when she started as an Individual Aide in Village School. Cathy became a TAD in the EIBI program in 2023 and has been making a positive impact in that program since she started. Cathy has been nominated for this week’s Village Staff Connection by numerous staff members. Cathy is dedicated, kind, extremely hardworking, and has great energy. She is engaging with the students all day long and is constantly making sure they are working or engaged in an activity. Cathy is always happy to help and gives 100% effort all day. Cathy shared that she enjoys working here because she likes helping others and the energy of her co-workers gives her a smile daily. She says that everyone should be compassionate and understand that sometimes people are struggling so it is important to be there and help make other people’s lives a little bit easier even if it is just for one day. She enjoys to help people find “little bits of joy” because life can be hard. Cathy shares that she truly enjoys working with the little kids in Room 20. It helps her to remember what it was like at that age and that helps her to connect with each student. Outside of work, Cathy likes hanging out with her four sisters who live locally. They have always been close to each other and get together often. In addition to this, she has two children who mean the world to her. One son is a freshman at UCONN in the School of Business and the other is currently in trade school pursuing mechanics and automotive. She said that these things bring her joy. Cathy shares that if you have empathy, compassion, a desire to help others, and want to have fun while helping to make an impact then Village School is an excellent place to work. She finds the job very rewarding and exciting. Cathy, thank you for all you do daily to show your Village PRIDE!!
Students and staff had a fantastic time at our annual Trunk or Treat on Friday night. Thank you to everyone who made it a fun evening for all.
Staff Connections: Meet Chris Jones, Individual Aide in Room 5 at Village School. Chris joined the Village team in May 2023 after having visited the ACES Career Fair. She was looking for a chance to work with kids and make a difference in their lives. Since joining Village School, she has been doing just that! Chris has been nominated and recognized for her dedication to the work, her calm and positive demeanor, her work ethic and ability to think outside of the box for students, and her genuine care for all those around her. Chris is currently enrolled at Albertus Magnus College for a dual degree and license in Art Therapy and Counseling. She shared that she was drawn to Art Therapy as she believes that being able to foster creativity and have a sense of communication through artistic expression is powerful and she enjoys working with students in that space. Chris brings these talents into her current classroom at Village School running art groups with the students in the room. Outside of work and school, Chris enjoys completing crossword puzzles (including the New York Times Crossword Puzzle), cooking, and dancing. Chris says she enjoys her work at Village School as she appreciates being able to make a difference and being a presence when times get hard. She cautions those considering to work at Village School to prepare to have a lot of fun but also work with integrity! She lives by the model that you must “walk the walk if you are going to talk the talk”. Chris certainly walks the walk every day and we are grateful for how she demonstrates her Village PRIDE to help our students succeed!
Learning is more impactful when it is engaging and meaningful through different activities that students can connect with. Our students are engaging in fall themed books and activities while working to increase their communication and language skills.
ACES Village School is committed to helping the next generation of educators and therapists in developing their skills as they prepare to work within this important field. Our Physical Therapy Department at Village School has developed a strong working relationship with many local universities including the Quinnipiac University Physical Therapy Doctoral Program. Recently, as part of this collaboration, approximately 25 Physical Therapy students from Quinnipiac visited ACES Village School as part of their pediatric physical therapy course to participate in a handling facilitation learning lab.
This lab allowed Quinnipiac PT students to observe and participate in supervised hands on facilitation which allowed them the opportunity to learn through clinical observation and supervised hands on facilitation.
It was a great experience for the Quinnipiac students as well as our Physical Therapists as they were able to demonstrate their commitment to the field and participate in the growth of future therapists.
Our students learn in many different environments both within our school building and in the community. Recently, Ms. Nicole's classroom went to the grocery store to practice their independent living skills. Students were supported in shopping off a visual grocery list and paying for items using a debit card.
Village Staff Connection: Angela Limosani (BCBA Room 20) is someone who is positive and can always be counted on to be there for others. She has been selected as this week’s Village Staff Connection. Angela was nominated to be recognized by those that work closest with her as someone who never hesitates to jump in and offer assistance or volunteer to take on any task presented. Her knowledge and leadership have helped to guide many within the EIBI program. Angela is a true team player who values the collaborative team that is needed for our students to succeed. Angela began working at Village School in 2011 as an Individual Aide in Priscilla Remington’s classroom. Having received her undergraduate degree in Psychology, Angela was unsure what to do next. It was her mother who encouraged her to try working with students with special needs. This encouragement led to her coming to Village School where she fell in love with the work and found her career. As her classroom teacher, Priscilla recognized her talent and encouraged Angela to return to school to obtain her BCBA. Angela then became an ABA Trainer in the EIBI program while enrolled in school and began working as a BCBA at Village School in August 2020 after having left for a brief period of time to work elsewhere. Angela shares that she enjoys making an impact on the lives of our students. She truly enjoys watching the growth of the students from the time they enter to the time they graduate. Angela was drawn to return to Village School in 2020 as she appreciates the collaboration and family feel present at the school. This is coupled with knowing that everyone is here for the kids and for the same purpose. Outside of work, Angela is a talented crafter and just became an Aunt in July! She likes to spend her time at the beach and at the lake in Maine. She enjoys being outside and her favorite thing to do is sit in her Adirondack chair reading a book. Angela, thank you for showing your Village PRIDE every day and doing all that you can to help every student succeed!
"On Wednesdays we wear PINK!"
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As part of our efforts to bring awareness and support to those impacted by Breast Cancer, ACES Village School staff and students are wearing PINK every Wednesday during the month of October. Our Penny War fundraiser kicked off last week. The Blue Hallway is in the lead with 2025 points. The Blue Hallway has 1029 points. Please consider sending in your donations to help our fundraising efforts for Breast Cancer Awareness and Treatment!
We are in our final days of our Fall PTO Fundraiser ! Take a moment to shop in our online store and support the students at ACES Village School before it closes on October 18th. All items will ship directly to your house!! We are just $1100 in sales away from our fundraising goal! Please consider helping us reach that target!
Village Staff Connection: Kenyena Amiker is an ABA Trainer in Room 6 at Village School. She has been selected as this week’s Village Staff Connection due to her dedication to students and colleagues. Kenyena can be counted on to do whatever is asked of her throughout the day. She has amazing connections with the students and you can tell how she truly cares for each of the students she works with. She excels within every aspect of her position and her classroom leadership have shared that “they are so lucky to have her in Room 6”. Known to her colleagues as Kiki, she has been working as an ABA Trainer at ACES for a year. She began at SAILS and then transitioned to Village School in February 2024. Kiki shares that she was encouraged by the principal at Dr. Mayo School in New Haven to pursue working in Special Education. She saw the potential in Kiki and encouraged her to work with the students in this fashion. She fell in love with the work and wanted to expand her skills by coming to ACES. Kiki said she enjoys the structure of the program and enjoys working with the younger kids. She takes the time to get to know them and says that their energy keeps her young and youthful. Of course, it could also be her busy life with three kids of her own who are all involved in sports. They keep her busy with cheering, baseball, basketball, football and jujitsu. Her family is also very adventurous and enjoys going camping. Kiki set a goal to go to all 50 states with her family before they graduate high school. So far, they have visited 20 states and this year they hope to get to Texas. In addition to work and motherhood, Kiki spends time advocating and supporting her local community. She runs events to help support families in the area and she has a goal to start a non-profit group to help children in the inner city to be able to get outside of their local environment and experience new things. Kiki has a passion for making a difference in the lives of others. She encourages anyone to consider working at ACES because “making a difference in their lives will make a difference in yours”. Kiki, thank you for all that you do each day to demonstrate your Village PRIDE!!
Our Fall PTO Fundraiser is still open! Take a moment to shop in our online store and support the students at ACES Village School before it closes on October 18th. All items will ship directly to your house!! Please help us reach our sales goal of $3500 in sales.
https://shop.meadowfarms.com/aces-village-school-100401?fbclid=IwY2xjawF0ikRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTFax4ahAjsvy7AXgSJ0msF45YGidCEMPIFRgsyTlXUYKBUabTi0bFAlGg_aem_IkRu1E_q51HMCJn-OYtb_Q
A big thank you to the North Haven Fire Department for visiting us today and teaching us about fire safety! We all loved the 105 foot ladder!!🚒🧑🚒
Village Staff Connections: Alyssa Marie Rodriguez is our Staff Connection this week! Alyssa is the Special Education teacher in Room 17 at Village School where she has been for the past 4 years. Alyssa began her career at ACES as a Student Teacher with Penny Bobarsky (ACES Village) and Carissa Lockett (ACES Whitney North) in 2021. Upon receiving her degree, she accepted a position at Village School and has been making an impact in the lives of her students, families, and staff ever since. Alyssa is compassionate, flexible, caring, passionate about her work, and a quiet leader. Alyssa shared that she chose a career in Special Education due to her own family’s experience. She experienced first hand the challenges for families and had a desire to help others who may be in similar situations. She stated that she brings her best self to work each day and always strives to put her “best foot forward” and give her all to the students in her classroom. It is the students who bring her great joy. Alyssa enjoys watching them grow and succeed. She likes working at Village School as it is a family environment and she feels supported by everyone. She loves her classroom staff and the commitment they all share for the students. Outside of work, Alyssa likes to workout, go for walks, and just be in nature. She also prioritizes spending time with her husband with whom she will be celebrating their 5th anniversary in December. In May 2024, Alyssa received her master’s degree from the University of Southern Maine in Data Directed Instruction. Alyssa clearly has a passion for this work and loves what she does! Thank you for bringing your PRIDE to Village School!!
Congratulations to the Village School Staff celebrating over 40 years of service this year. Jonna, Rob, Judy, and Penny, we appreciate all that you do to make an impact every day!
Today is National Custodian Day! A great big thank you to Frank for all you do to keep our school running each day!
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