New Teachers Prepare For A New School Year

Another school year is set to begin. With each new year, a new class of teachers joins the Newtown School System, and a few weeks before the start of school they go through five days of orientation and training.

This year just over new 40 educators used the sessions to prepare themselves for the first day of school, Tuesday, August 28.

The following teachers were added this year to the Newtown School System:

Hawley School has two new teachers – Lisa Barr in first grade and Brandi Grove in third grade.

Head O’ Meadow welcomes three new teachers – Bonita Cartoun and Kelcy Napolitano in grade three and Susan Ruddock in grade one.

Middle Gate has six new teachers – Elizabeth Corrigan and Lisa Saxenmeyer in fifth grade, Nicole Galla and Richard Neeb in third grade, Edward Wolf in second grade, and Aimee Sorrentino in kindergarten.

Sandy Hook adds seven new teachers – Kristen Anderson and Sally Calbo in second grade, Carolyn Monahan and Kristen Snopkowski in first grade, Peter Bernson and Matthew Dalton in fifth grade, and Amber Gervais in fourth grade.

Allison Kirby will work as a speech pathologist and Molly Tobin will work with the band in the elementary schools.

Newtown Middle School welcomes eight new teachers – Sheila Blachman, grade six resource room; Matthew Brown, sixth grade math; Judith Catanese, seventh grade science; Mary Connolly, eighth grade English; Michelle Fontaine, physical education; Oona Mulligan, seventh grade social studies; Janet McCabe, sixth grade math/science; and Todd Stentiford, sixth grade science.

Newtown High School adds 14 to its staff – Kelly Aldrich, social studies; Karolyn Baumgartner, earth science; Jessica Blake, social studies; David Foss, social studies; Kirsten Hardy, social studies; Steven Malary, physics; Molly McDougal, Latin; Ana Mendez, guidance counselor; Walter Nakonechny, biology; Rory Perry, English; Tina Porco, mathematics; Sabrina Post, chorus; Maria Price, English; and Melissa Tobey LaBelle, French.