Chestnut TAG Middle School
October Newsletter
Hello, Chestnut TAG families.
Thanks to all parents, family members and students for a successful start of the school year. Without a doubt, these are challenging conditions to provide the kind of learning environment that we were trained to provide in the schoolhouse. But our teachers have done a great deal of preparation in learning remote tools to make remote learning more engaging and rigorous than it was in the spring. Let's continue to work together to support students in connecting to classes, staying focused and completing the work.
A big thank you to parents (and students!) that attended the TAG Town Hall. Your input is very important and helpful to use. Together we will get through this remote learning to maintain the quality education that you should expect from us.
Sincerely,
Declan
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Teacher Spotlight-This is Mr. Erik Walther, our 7th grade science teacher at TAG, holding the biggest (and sweetest) watermelon he’s ever grown. Coming in at a whopping 36 pounds.
Please provide a brief history (educational background, teaching background) as well as answering the following questions.
I earned a Bachelors of Science from Umass Amherst in 2012 and mainly focused on science lab work, but I quickly realized I really wanted to help people directly instead but also do something with science. I felt like I had a bit of a knack for teaching, so I started working with kids in Springfield with the YMCA and then began a teaching career in 2014, shortly there after I was accepted into the S Cubed program with Springfield College to earn a Masters in Education which I complete in 2017. It has long been a goal of mine to teach middle school science and I am grateful to be with TAG. Fun fact; the first school I ever interviewed at was Chestnut, all the way back in 2013. I wasn’t ready back then, but after years of hard work I made my dream a reality.
What three traits define you? –
- I am empathic and sometimes this causes me to absorb the feelings around me, so I’ve had to work on balancing that so my tank doesn’t empty and I can be the best support system possible for people that need me
- I naturally like to lead, and I’ve worked over the years and making sure I’m not just trying to lead all the time but make space for other voices too. Many of my students over the years have taught me a lot and I am grateful for the opportunity to let them take the lead in class.
- I’m humorous, I really like to make jokes and get groups of people laughing. Once I become comfortable, that side usually comes out of me. I use humor a lot with my students and feel it helps ease tension and create a welcoming atmosphere.
What would you like to be your greatest accomplishment?
- I want to know at the end of my life that the students I taught, the lessons I leant, the support I gave, the knowledge I imparted, really made a difference in students lives and they took all of that and used it to exponentially change the world. If everyone of my students learns something from me, and teaches it to 3 people, and those 3 teach it to three more each so on and so forth, my impact on the world will grow over time and be long lasting. I want to leave my life knowing that I inspired kids to know just how amazing they truly are and how much potential they have, the students that felt like they were not smart, didn’t have a voice, did not feel important – I want to leave knowing they learned that they matter and have value.
What does true leadership mean to you?
To me, true leadership means knowing how to admit when you’re wrong, or that you’ve made a mistake. True leadership means putting your team’s needs before your own. By being a true part of the work you all do, and not just telling people what to do, but rolling your sleeves up and getting your hands dirty with everyone else. Modeling kindness, strength, and humility. Knowing that you are just one part in a constantly moving river that flows toward justice and peace for all people and things.
How do you define success?
I would define success as having made a positive difference in people’s lives, knowing that you pushed yourself outside your comfort zone, you took on challenges you knew wouldn’t be easy but you did them anyways. Success is never giving up. It’s getting knocked down 99 times and getting up 100 times. It’s making 584 light bulbs that don’t work until number 585 does work. It’s the feeling deep in your heart that you stared at the sometimes unknown and scary world and said; “I can do this, and I will”.
What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13?
To brush your darn teeth and eat healthy kid! But more seriously, I would tell my 13 year-old self to not sweat the small stuff because you won’t even remember all these small problems that pop up day to day later in your life. I would tell myself to work on listening more to others and speaking less. I would tell my 13 year-old self to recognize your own self growth before you begin helping and leading others. I would tell my 13 year-old self to never sit at home in your comfort zone, get out there and meet people and experience things. Life is too short to play it safe and stay in your nest.
Student Spotlight
Oriana DeLos Santos- 8th Grade
Jade Gardner- 7th Grade
Jasmin Amonfo- 7th Grade
Carlos C- 7th Grade
Johliemar Ayala- 7th Grade
Ceasar Cintron- 7th Grade
Valeria Pojoy- 6th Grade
Zamier Reid- Cooke- 6th Grade
Progress Report 1
Friday, Oct 23, 2020, 09:00 PM
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Chestnut Talented and Gifted Middle School
Feel free to contact us!!!
Website: www.chestnuttag.com
Location: 355 Plainfield Street, Springfield, MA, USA
Phone: (413)750-2333
Facebook: facebook.com/chestnut_tag