Dear Red Room Families,
We are so thrilled to welcome your family to our classroom community this year! Ahead of your visits next week, we wanted to share a bit about who we are 🙂
Ari Puleo is a Lead Teacher and has entered her 10th year teaching at Barrow! A graduate of Bank Street College of Education, she brings to the Red Room a background in both early childhood and special education. Read on for some fun facts about her!
– She grew up in Westchester and lives in Brooklyn with her wife and mischievous dog, Cappy.
– She played ice hockey throughout high school and was a coxswain on her college’s rowing team.
– In her spare time, she loves watching women’s soccer, and playing video games.
Megan Schaefer is an assistant teacher in the Red Room and this will be her second year at Barrow. She is a graduate from Kansas State University and has a degree in Elementary Education and an emphasis in Special Education. She is looking forward to another great year in the Red Room! Here are some fun facts about Megan!
– She was born and raised in Kansas and this will be her second year in NYC!
– In her spare time, she enjoys visiting with friends and family!
– She is a big Kansas City Chiefs fan and loves watching sports with her husband.
Vivien Li is a BSNS universal teacher and will be joining and supporting the Red Room twice a week. Her presence in the Red Room will allow time for us to step away and work outside the classroom, as well as support the class with curriculum projects and walking or field trips. Vivien came to New York with her daughter 9 years ago from a city called Chengdu in China. (It is also the hometown of the pandas!) She holds an MBA from Baruch College and previously worked at Avenues as a Chinese teacher. Vivien loves spicy food and sometimes goes hiking over the weekends. She is very excited to join the Universal Teacher Crew!
Family Action Step Reminders
1. In an effort to get to know your child and your family before our year begins, please take a few moments to fill out our Parent Questionnaire.
2. We will be using a variety of photos at the beginning of the year to display throughout the classroom and help your child feel included and welcome. We would greatly appreciate if you could email us the following photos by end of day Tuesday, September 8th:
Pictures of your child with your family and caregiver(s)– We will have a “People We Love” space in our classroom (see below). These photos will be laminated and hung on an accessible surface so that your child can grab them when needed. You can share more than one picture if needed.
A picture of a “Fun Summer Memory” – In the first few days of school, Red Room kiddos will share about a time they had fun over the summer. Your child will use this photo during their share!
We hope that you enjoy your last moments of summer, and we’ll see you soon!
Warmly,
Ari, Megan, and Vivien
