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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!
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.
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