Please welcome another new member of the Maercker D60 team, Fifth Grade Special Education Teacher Danielle Christiano! She has been an educator for 20 years and was attracted to D60 because of the approach to meeting the diverse learning needs of all students through a co-teaching model.
“I’m excited to collaborate with others who share this goal and for the support that is given to teachers to further develop their skills in planning and instruction,” said Danielle. “I believe empowering students to become lifelong learners begins with creating a safe classroom environment that allows for all students to participate, ask questions, think critically, and reflect on their learning.”
Welcome Danielle!
The school year is rolling and we are hiring lunch and recess supervisors and instructional assistants to support our school day! Browse open positions and apply today: https://www.applitrack.com/maercker/onlineapp/default.aspx?all=1’
Our staff had a great time preparing for the school year last week! At Holmes, Assistant Principal Megan Hansen led the staff and got them excited! #d60learns
Maercker School District 60 sends regular email newsletters to parents and staff and would like to open this communications platform up to members of our community! If you want the latest news, fun stories, and updates from the D60 Board of Education in your inbox, subscribe with the form here: https://www.maercker.org/article/1721605
Maercker D60 is proud to have so many amazing teachers and support staff in our schools! We are excited to welcome Stephanie Jankowski to Holmes as a School Social Worker to provide additional support and resources for our students and their families.
“I was attracted to the field of education because it allowed me to combine my strong interest in the social emotional development of children and special education with my desire to make a positive impact in the life of a child,” said Stephanie. “I will empower and inspire lifelong curiosity for learning by fostering a growth mindset in my students. We will use mistakes as learning opportunities for growth and I will also encourage them to become active participants as we work on their individual goals and use their interests as learning opportunities.”
Welcome Stephanie!
Here are a few more Maercker D60 students kicking off the 2024-25 school year last week! Thank you everyone for sharing your photos with us! #d60learns
Some of the incredible Instructional Assistants at Holmes were able to get outside on a beautiful day last week before school started. We are so grateful to everyone who works so hard to make our student’s school day a success! #d60learns
Let’s welcome another new teacher to the Maercker D60 team! Cammie Zamin will be teaching fifth grade at Maercker School and says she chose to work in our district because of the commitment to inclusion, diversity, and the high teacher retention rates here!
“I became a teacher because I love building relationships with students and families and helping them become lifelong learners,” said Cammie. “I hope to empower and inspire students by connecting their interests to what they are learning in the classroom.”
Welcome Cammie!
Here are some more great first day of photos that were sent our way! Thank you everyone for sharing your excitement about the first day of the school year with us! #d60learns
We love hearing about why teachers choose to become educators. For new Maercker Third Grade Teacher Anna Love, it started with her family of teachers and incredible teachers along the way who supported her throughout her life.
“I will empower and inspire lifelong curiosity for learning in my students by encouraging questions, connecting their learning to real-life, fostering a growth mindset, providing opportunities for exploration, and celebrating their progress,” said Anna. “Watching the lightbulb glow as students understand a topic, connecting with students on a deeper level, helping them through hard times; my teachers did this for me growing up, so I wanted to do this for my students!”
Welcome Anna!
Give a big Maercker D60 welcome to Brittany Stock, who will be joining our team as the Fine Arts Teacher at Holmes! She has a background in both theater and teaching and feels that education provides opportunities to make local and global communities better.
“I consider myself a lifelong learner, and I hope to model a sense of curiosity, passion for learning, and willingness to try for my students,” said Brittany. “When in my classroom, I hope that students feel they have the freedom to make mistakes, see the value in a variety of voices and perspectives, and feel both challenged and inspired. Regardless of what they choose to do in life, I hope that my students are empowered to continue to learn at Holmes and beyond!”
Welcome Brittany!
We hope everyone had a great first day of school! See you tomorrow for day two! #d60learns
We've gotten some great photos of students on their first day of school! We especially love seeing our new kindergarten students ready to learn! #d60learns
We have some stylish students on the first day of school! The staff at Holmes even got into the first day of school photo fun! #d60learns
We're off to a great start with some first day of school pictures from around the district! Send yours to d60communications@maercker.org for consideration! Have a great first day Maercker D60 staff and students! #d60learns
Today is the first day of school! We want to see and share your first day of school photos, send them to d60communications@maercker.org and let’s kick off an amazing year of learning! #d60learns
We are excited to kick off the school year tomorrow! This week we held an opening day all staff meeting and were able to honor staff members for their achievements! Congratulations to Samantha Herrera, Kate Cannova, Michelle Chick, Thatcher Ramirez, Tania Yackle, and Patrice Malamis for attaining Tenure and to Sam Williams, Cesar Tamayo, and Desiree Regalado for earning their master's degree! #d60learns
Let’s welcome another new teacher to the Maercker D60 community! Melissa Wych will be joining the team at Westview Hills to teach Spanish. She says that she chose to work at Maercker D60 because of the district's passion and dedication to their students and for having values that mirror hers including diversity, inclusivity, and family community alongside academic strengths.
“As cliche as it sounds, I have always wanted to be a teacher,” said Melissa. “ I love being a positive light in children’s lives and being able to teach them new things every day. The Spanish language has always been important to me because I am of Latin descent. Teaching the language which my family speaks and the culture that we share is an honor. My mission is to make sure each student is filled with motivation to learn and grow not just as students, but as people!”
Bienvenida Melissa!
We are fortunate to have such incredible educators in Maercker D60! We celebrated our staff during our opening day to recognize their years of service. Congratulations to everyone and thank you for your dedication to our schools!
15 Years of Service: Lorrae Finkbeiner, Kelly Russo, Stephanie Walker, Not Pictured: Joanne Van Hoegarden
20 Years of Service: Lorenzo Parker, Mike Ryan, Amy Griffin, Mary Jo Lopez, Megan Casey, Katie Pebler, Lissa Blake, Trudy Vacek, Not Pictured: Nicole Pervan
25 Years of Service: Lynn Donahue
30 Years of Service: Robert Goss
Maercker School Families, join us tonight (Wednesday, August 21) from 4-5 p.m. for Meet the Teacher and Supply Drop Off. We can’t wait to see everyone and start the school year! #d60learns
