Special Education Teachers: Amanda Figel, Taylor Baker and Katie Lance

Amanda, Taylor and Katie serve as the special education teachers for Booth Hill Elementary School.  The special education teachers serve as support staff to the students and faculty at Booth Hill School.  The model at Booth Hill School involves supporting students who have Individualized Educational Plans.  Based off of these plans, the special education teachers can be seen supporting students in their classrooms or supporting students outside of their classroom in the resource room to work on skills specific to the individual student’s needs.  Not only do the special education teachers support students, but they also support classroom instruction through continuous collaboration with the classroom teachers at the school.  The special education teachers help classroom teachers modify specific material to make it appropriate to their student’s needs in addition to reviewing and reinforcing some of the grade level material that students will be exposed to in their classroom.   

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Social Worker: Lauren Meli

As the Booth Hill School Social Worker, I support the faculty, students and their families by addressing the psychological and social well-being of the students. I provide information and counseling, and help students, parents and school staff work together to solve problems through communication and effectively addressing issues. I support the faculty and staff by providing them with essential information to better understand factors (cultural, societal, economic, familial, health, etc.) which may be affecting a student’s performance and behavior. Some of the areas I help with include social interaction skills, coping skills, anger management skills, and anxiety. I also work with the Special Education staff creating and implementing special education programs. I may work directly with a student or group of students, or provide class support through lessons and activities.

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Speech Language Pathologist: Elissa Murnick

As the Booth Hill School Speech Language Pathologist, I provide therapy to students that are identified under Special Education) in the following areas: Articulation, receptive and expressive language, fluency (stuttering), auditory processing, pragmatics (social language), oral motor and feeding, and voice disorders. I typically service the child in a small group of same aged peers with similar goals and objectives.  My time with students includes a multitude of approaches and I enjoy using technology in many of my therapy sessions utilizing IPad applications or Smart Board lessons. I am available as a resource to parents through email or phone calls who have speech and language concerns about their child. If a parent or teacher has concerns about a particular student, I may conduct an informal observation and will share the results with the parents and discuss steps to move forward if appropriate. I also work with some non-identified students on an informal basis targeting articulation skills in the earlier grades.

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School Psychologist: Alyson St. Martin

As the school psychologist at Booth Hill, I work with students, teachers, administrators, and families to enhance academic achievement, promote positive behavior and mental health, support diverse learners, and work to create a safe and positive school climate.  I conduct psychoeducational assessments to better understand student learning and behavioral needs to help individualize instruction for students. I provide individual and group counseling to students to assist them in developing social skills, problem solving skills, and coping skills.  I work closely with teachers providing consultation related to social emotional and behavioral needs of students.  As the early intervention chair, I collaborate with educational teams to develop and closely monitor interventions for students who may be struggling academically or behaviorally.  In my role as PBIS coach, I help promote a safe school climate by implementing school-wide positive behavior supports.   

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ELL Teacher: Arielle McGovern

Ariel is the ELL teacher at Booth Hill School. Click HERE to visit her website. 

 

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Helpful Links

Connecticut Department of Special Education -  

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2626&q=322672

 

A Parent’s Guide to Special Education - 

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/Parents_Guide_SE.pdf