Clinton Township Newsletter

1 7 o c t o b e r 2 0 2 4 EVERY STUDENT INSPIRED, EVERY TEAM MEMBER SUPPORTED, AND EVERY FAMILY ENGAGED. teaching and my return to the classroom after an extended time at home with my young children. I received my Master of Art in Teaching from Quinnipiac University after also gaining a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Minor in Theatre Studies from the same university. My career began with three years teaching third Grade in the inner city of New Haven, Connecticut, followed by six years in second Grade in Rutherford, NJ. Having lived in Clinton Township for a few short years, I knew this was a community in which I wanted to work! I firmly believe in high expectations for all students and the theatrical principle of learning by doing. I am committed to providing meaningful instruction to every one of my students and aim to instill the values of respect, self-worth, and pride in one's own achievements! Welcome to RVS, Marissa Finelli! Hello! My name is Marissa Finelli and I am so excited to begin my teaching career here at Round Valley School. I am here as a leave replacement for Mrs. Philips, and I will be working closely with Mrs. Tyers in third grade. I graduated from Kutztown University with a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and then pursued my Master's degree in Elementary Education K-6 at Walden University. My goals for this school year are to create a safe learning space for the students and aim to bring in more creativity, engagement, and motivation towards their learning! I look forward to getting to know all the students and parents within these next couple of months. RVS Welcomes Wendy Lertola! Hello! I'm excited to join the third grade team as a Special Education m a t e r n i t y l e a v e r e p l a c e m e n t teacher. I've been in the district for the past five years as a TA and as a leave replacement teacher for Spanish and STEM/Technology. My goal is to create a warm, welcoming classroom where students feel valued and are encouraged to take risks with their learning. I graduated from the College of St. Elizabeth with a bachelor's degree in Sociology, and this summer I completed my Master's degree in Special Education from Ramapo College. All four of my children have attended CTSD, and now my granddaughter is following suit as she enters kindergarten at PMG:-) Welcome to RVS, Samantha Bori! Hello! I am very excited to join Round Valley's Third Grade team as a Special Education Teacher. I have worked in CTSD as a special education Teaching Assistant for the past six years and this is my first year stepping into a teaching position. I graduated from Moravian College with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and an Early Elementary Teaching Certification. I am also currently attending classes at Centenary University to further my teaching career. I look forward to a great year with my students creating a welcoming environment and focusing on achieving challenging individual achievements. Clinton Township Middle School CTMS Welcomes Nicholas Cosimano! Nick earned degrees from The College of New Jersey with a B.A. in Education and History and a M.A. in Educational Leadership from Centenary University. Before getting his start as a full- time teacher, he completed his student teaching and substituted in the Clinton Township School District. He has been a Social Studies teacher for ten years, serving the Andover, Bernardsville, and Butler communities. In addition to his time in the classroom, he has also been a Head Coach for the Belvidere High School Swim Team for nine years and worked with the Belvidere Barracudas for two. He also works in the Clinton community at Winnewald Day Camp, joining in 2013 as the Counselor for Boys-12 group; then took on the Ropes and Team Challenge Program. In 2020, he became the Pool Director and member of the leadership team merging his love of swimming and desire for leadership experience. He is now a Co-Director overseeing the day to day and instructional programming for the camp. Nick enjoys traveling to the beach and exploring outdoors with his wife and his two daughters, Brooklyn and Chloe. He is excited to be back at CTMS after getting started here! C T M S W e l c o m e s K e v i n O a t e s ! M y name is Kevin Oates and I attended Drew University in Madison, New Jersey for both my undergraduate and graduate studies. I graduated from Drew University in 2020 with a B.A. in History and then in 2021 with a Master's Degree in Teaching. I first taught at Lenape Valley Regional High School in Stanhope, New Jersey teaching U.S. History I, U.S. History II, and World History from 2022-2024. I am now a resident of Clinton Township and excited to continue my educational career at Clinton Township Middle School as a Hawk! CTSD Welcomes Adele Marky! Adele Marky has joined Clinton Township Middle School as an Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant (LDT-C) on the Child Study Team (CST). She will be working to ensure special services are provided to students with Individualized Educational Programs. Adele has worked in Special Education for the past 17 years from Preschool to High School levels in various educational settings. She started her career in education as a paraprofessional in Bernards Township in 2005. After 11 years in Basking Ridge, she worked for a non-public school; Far Hills Country Day School. Adele earned her LDT-C certification from Rutgers University in August 2022, where she also earned her Masters degree in Special Education. For the past two years she worked at Hillsborough High School on the CST. Adele enjoys reading, running, and skiing. She describes herself as an avid nature lover. Adele is thrilled to have joined the Clinton Twp. community and she looks forward to working closely with the school district, families, and students she serves.

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