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As the Academic Intervention Services teacher and coordinator, I am excited to be a part of the 2011-2012 school year at St. John Neumann School. My name is Mrs. Christie Mustico, and I will be providing assistance this year to students in Kindergarten through Grade 6. Mrs. Liz Krayer will also be providing services to students throughout the school on a part-time basis in the mornings. Additionally, we are fortunate to have the services of a Title One Tutor, Annetta Maenza throughout the week.

* Our first goal of the year is to provide a smooth transition to the 2011 - 12 school year, for students, teachers, and parents. The classroom teachers, AIS teachers and special education instructors work closely together to become familiar with each student's strengths and needs, in order to meet student's needs and form a bridge from one year to another.

*Second on the agenda is scheduling all students who are eligible for special education services, such as Speech/Language Therapy, Physical or Occupational Therapy, and Consultant or Resouce services. Our Special Education services are provided by the East Irondequoit School District, since that is where our school is located. East Irondequoit is very committed to providing us with appropriate service in a timely manner, by contracting teachers through BOCES in most areas. If your child has been classified to receive services, they should begin shortly after the school year begins. Be sure to contact Ms. Arcuri or me if you have any questions.

*Throughout the year, additional student concerns will be addressed at first by an "in-school" Response to Intervention (RTI) team consisting of classroom and special teachers as appropriate, Ms. Arcuri, Mrs. Krayer, Ms. Mathis and myself. If parents and teachers continue to have concerns after interventions have been put in place, a further referral to the East Irondequoit team of specialists may be made. A personal contact with home would always be made before referring to the East Irondequoit team.

*Academic services provided at St. John Neumann are designed to benefit all students. At times, Mrs. Krayer and I will "push-in" to classrooms to observe work habits or skill levels, and help with special projects or writing assignments. Small group instruction in Language Arts and Math has been scheduled for each class. ELA instruction will be delivered to Grades 1 - 3 by Mrs. Krayer,

* Reading, writing, study skills and math are the main areas targeted for supplemental instruction. Various learning styles and needs are also addressed. Parents of students participating in long term pull-out instruction will be notified.

*Students may also participate in additional learning activities in the AIS rooms. Participation in these activities is temporary, and groupings are flexible, depending on the unit of study. It is my hope that every student will work with the AIS teachers at some point throughout the year.

*Selection of students to receive long term support is a team effort. Small group instruction is designed to help students meet the New York State Learning Standards. Student selection is based on academic history, performance on diocesan and state assessments, and input from parents, and teachers. Some students in the upper grades request extra help on their own. We applaud this self advocacy, and strive to meet their requests for help whenever possible.

*Please feel free to contact me, your child's homeroom teacher, Mrs. Krayer, Ms. Mathis, or Ms. Arcuri to address your questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you to maximize your child's potential and learning enjoyment!