Coolidge is a wonderful place and my staff and I look forward to working with you to help each of our students reach his or her potential. At Coolidge School our goal is to “Create a Caring Community” each and every day.
We are a school that is committed to academic excellence and is proud of the warm and caring environment we provide for our children. A close supportive team effort and family-like atmosphere in which our staff provides a student-centered learning environment is the main characteristic of Coolidge School.
We are proud to say that we are a Responsive Classroom School. Responsive Classroom is a schoolwide approach that emphasizes social, emotional and academic growth in a strong and safe school community. Our teachers are committed to applying this approach to their own classroom practices and to our school community. Our intention is to help our students foster cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy and self-control. This research-based approach to education is associated with greater teacher effectiveness, higher student achievement, and improved school climate. Our teachers build competencies in four interrelated areas: engaging academics, effective management, positive community and developmentally appropriate teaching. Daily Morning Meetings and monthly school-wide meetings help us grow as a learning community and build connections with each other.
Teachers, recognizing community demands for a high priority on excellence, provide an atmosphere for excellence in teaching and learning. They regularly participate in strong in-service programs to improve instructional skills in the areas of technology integration, language arts, inquiry-based math instruction, bullying prevention, social-emotional learning, and much more. Our instructional coach regularly works with teachers to provide modeling and professional development, as well as plan instructional approaches to meet the needs of all learners. Most important, however, Coolidge School teachers truly care about the academic and social well-being of their students, and make learning meaningful, engaging and challenging.
There is a wide range of technology available for all students throughout our school. Computers in each classroom provide a variety of multimedia technology. Teachers consistently infuse technology into their daily lessons using chromebooks, tablets/ipads, document cameras, Google chromecasts, flat screen TV's and Smart Boards to implement interactive lessons for their students. Students in grades 1-5 are given a chromebook as part of our 1:1 initiative and each have their own Google Docs account to regularly collaborate and share with each other. The Coolidge STEAM Lab was designed to allow our students to be creators, innovators and designers. It is a place where they will learn to be independent workers and responsible collaborators. We believe this approach will prepare our students for future learning and the workplace. It is our goal to provide our 21st Century learners with the tools needed to be successful in their lives.
Outstanding parental involvement in our PTO affords us the opportunity to present many programs and events in our school. We use the money raised by the PTO for cultural assemblies, field trips, science and art days, technology, media equipment, and campus beautification.
I look forward to our continued work together and collaboration.
Sincerely,
Robert Famularo, Ed. M., Principal
rfamularo@wyckoffschools.org
@wpscoolidge