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Anne Marie McNichol, Reading Specialist |
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Anne Marie Mc Nichol, reading support teacher,
came to Green Woods in September 2005 with
a diverse background in education and social
work. From1997 to 2005 she worked at Norwood-Fontbonne
Academy as the learning support teacher.
In her capacity there, she coordinated and
facilitated the process of meeting the needs
of students who may be struggling or who
learn differently than most. Another aspect
of her job was helping students learn to
read. In order to best meet students' needs
she received training in various programs
that are proven to help students increase
their reading skills. The Lindamood-Bell
LIPs program and the Wilson Language System
target the skills that are the building
blocks of reading and spelling words correctly.
The Lindamood-Bell programs: Seeing
Stars and Visualizing and Verbalizing
further develop these skills and provide
students with skills to increase their reading
comprehension in a variety of ways. She
recently received her Certification as a
Wilson Reading Program Instructor. This
is a multi-sensory, structured method of
teaching reading. Her other experiences
in education include: five years as a classroom
teacher for fifth and sixth graders: two
years in Lancaster and three years in North
Philadelphia, and two years as the social
worker in a center-based early intervention
program. She is a graduate of Rosemont College
and Temple University. Anne Marie was honored
in the 2005-2006 edition of "Who's Who Among
America's Teachers" for high academic excellence,
community leadership, and positive performance.
As a social worker Anne Marie had the privilege of advocating for and helping to establish a residence for women with severe and persistent mental illness who were homeless. She worked at Women of Hope for seven years. In her spare time Anne Marie likes to walk, read, and listen to many different types of music. She creates pins and magnets from corrugated cardboard and makes original cards.
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| WHAT
IT'S LIKE TO TEACH AT GREEN WOODS |
Teaching at Green Woods Charter School is a privilege and an adventure. It is a privilege because it is such a unique school. It focuses on environmental education and parental involvement. The teachers and staff are creative and dedicated. The students are enthusiastic and friendly. The parents truly want the best for their children, and thus for the school. It is an adventure because it is still a "new" school. This challenges me to be open to new and different ways of doing things. It isn't always easy, but I grow both personally and professionally as I encounter unexplored territory.
Care for our environment has always been important to me. Teaching in a school that emphasizes environmental education matches my values. As the reading teacher I work with students in an area of weakness, thus it is marvelous that they can teach me things about the environment that I do not know. Parental involvement is key to the success of any school, however it is also challenging because we all have various opinions and views about how things should be done. Green Woods tries to embrace this challenge by holding town meetings and establishing the Home/School Committee. I see these as important vehicles for further developing parental involvement.
The "newness" of the school allows for growth and development in all areas. This is where the talented team of educators with whom I work truly shines. Teachers are constantly refining the work they do with students to keep it interesting and engaging. They also work very hard to integrate, with the support of the School Leadership Team, environmental education into all content areas. This is no easy task! The students are the heart of Green Woods. They make all the hard work worthwhile. When I started at Green Woods, the students were welcoming and friendly. This helped put me at ease. In my role as reading support teacher I am often in the role of asking students to do the thing that is most difficult for them to do. I am encouraged by the determination, humor, and inquisitiveness the students bring to their work. For all these reasons I believe that I am lucky to have found Green Woods Charter School.
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| Email Her Now! |
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Jean Wallace, Academic Director
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As the Academic Director and CEO, Jean is responsible for guiding the design and implementation of our unique K-8 curriculum and for supporting the direction of all areas of school life. Jean works in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and Green Woods' Business Director to build on our successful past toward an even greater future.
Jean is responsible to the Department of
Education for ensuring that Green Woods
students are receiving a standards-based
learning experience within the guidelines
and mandates of Federal, State, and Charter
School Law. In addition to the many responsibilities
associated with curriculum and instruction,
Jean supports Green Woods through successful
grant writing, ongoing website communication,
developing our student voice through the
Jr. SLT, and by networking with key partners
from within and outside the Green Woods
community.
Jean's volunteer efforts as a member of
the Governor's Council for Environmental
Education provide a rare and exciting opportunity
to work with many of the state's environmental
experts and agencies. "By working collaboratively
with the Department of Education and the
many outstanding environmental agencies
throughout our state, Green Woods is able
to gain both valuable resources along with
well-deserved recognition for the exceptional
work being done by our teachers and students,"
Jean said. "Our innovative curriculum design
allows us to use environment and ecology
as the theme for integrated learning. Receiving
the 2007 Governor's Award for Environmental
Excellence was proof of our success in delivering
a high quality educational program at Green
Woods."
In addition to the daily interactions with
Green Woods dedicated staff and parents,
Jean enjoys those special times when she
gets to trail along on hikes with our budding
naturalists. "Hiking with even our youngest
students and seeing how they interact with
the natural world is always an incredible
learning experience for me. While many young
children enjoy walking in the woods, Green
Woods students are skilled observers, able
to take in the big picture of the field
ecosystem while at the same time patiently
exploring the leaf litter in search of the
smallest signs of life."
Jean holds a PA Certification for Supervisor
of Curriculum and Instruction and dual Pennsylvania
teacher certifications, which recognize
her ability to teach both K-12 Environmental
Education and Elementary Education. She
holds an Associate Degree in Health Science
from Gwynedd Mercy College; a BA in Elementary
Education from Beaver College, and a MAEd
in Environmental Education from Arcadia
University. Jean is currently enrolled in
a post-graduate School Leadership Program
at Arcadia.
Jean lives in Flourtown with her husband Frank, her mom Mary, her daughter Mary who attends the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University, and their black lab, Murphy. |
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| WHAT IT'S LIKE TO
TEACH AT GREEN WOODS |
As our very talented maintenance person, Joe Bauer, always says, "Working at Green Woods isn't a job, it's an adventure!" I agree. Each day is a new day of exploration and discovery as we challenge ourselves and each other to provide the best possible learning environment for our students.
In three years time the teaching team at Green Woods has taken teaching and learning to a whole new level. Through the in-house development of our award-winning EIC Curriculum, we are afforded the rare opportunity to design and implement engaging, integrated learning experiences while utilizing our 350-acre learning laboratory as an outdoor classroom. Our partnership with the Schuylkill Center continues to grow and thrive as their educators spend countless hours working with our teachers to enhance the teaching of environmental concepts.
Green Woods is the only public/charter school in the entire country to be housed directly within a nature center. Years ago I earned my graduate degree in Environmental Education by utilizing this same setting as my own learning lab. It is so rewarding to now spend my time observing our students as they explore and discover new things while hiking in the same woods where I learned so much about the natural world.
The Department of Education challenges Charter Schools to be innovative and to serve as models for traditional public schools. Through the development and implementation of an innovative, standards-based curriculum and by using sound instructional practices I believe we have far exceeded the expectations of both the School District of Philadelphia and the State Department of Education.
Green Woods charter was recently approved for an additional five years. We look forward to even more exciting adventures! |
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Her Now! |
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