Manhattan School for Children Newsletter September, 1999

This month we include brief biographical statements by the classroom teachers and core specialists. Next month we will publish BIOS of the out-of-class specialists

Alysa Essenfeld - Lower School Coordinator: This is my 11th year working in education, nine teaching kindergarten and 1 as the Lower School Coordinator at MSC. I have been with MSC since the very beginning. It has been exciting to watch and participate in the growth of this wonderful school. Over the summer the teachers, Susan and I have worked together to develop an exciting curriculum for the Lower School that I am excited to share with you.

In addition to attending classes at Dalton and at Bank Street College I spent a lot of my summer traveling. I drove across the country to California to help a friend move. We took our time and stopped at all the sights and boy, did we see some wonderful sights.

Anna Chan Rekate - Upper School Coordinator: This will be my second year in the MSC Upper School. Last year I was the sixth grade core teacher. Even though I won't be in the classroom any more, I will still have a book group. For the five years prior to working at MSC, I taught sixth and eighth grades in a private school called the City and Country School.

P.S. 333
The Manhattan School for Children
Lower School - 234 West 93rd Street, 3rd Fl.
(212) 678-5867
Upper School - 154 West 93rd Street, 3rd & 4th Fl.
(212) 222-1450
New York, N.Y. 10025

Susan Rappaport: Principal
Lucy Wicks: Newsletter Editor

I grew up in New York City and attended The Fieldston School for high school. I went to Cornell University where I received my degree in government. I pursued a career in journalism, covering education and local politics at the Syracuse Post-Standard. I soon left to pursue a career in education and attended Teachers College at Columbia University. This past May, I graduated from Bank Street College of Education with a second Masters Degree in Supervision.

This summer was an especially exciting one for me. I got married in August to Jason Rekate in Vermont and we went skiing in Chile for our honeymoon. It's wintertime there when it's summer in New York City.

Suzanne Blank - Kindergarten: Hello. This is my second year teaching kindergarten at the Manhattan School for Children. I received my BA in psychology and elementary education at Marymount Manhattan College. This May I will be finishing my Masters in special education at Bank Street College. Before joining MSC, I taught 3's, 4's and 5's at the Head Start program in Washington Heights. Teaching is a second career for me. Prior to teaching, I worked in the clothing business for ten years.

I have been living on the Upper West Side for fifteen years. I have three children and I had been actively involved with the public schools before I began teaching. It was through my volunteer work at P.S. 87 that I became interested in teaching. It has been my passion ever since. I fully enjoyed my first year teaching at MSC and I feel close to the families I have met. I look forward to another exciting year and I warmly welcome our new families into our school community.

Lynn Parr - Kindergarten: This fall marks my sixth year educating children in New York City and my first at the Manhattan School for children. Previously, I taught for five years at a school in south Harlem. I graduated with honors from Simmons College in Boston receiving my Bachelors degree in English. I then earned a Masters in English at the University of Massachusetts. Today, my education continues with numerous workshops and postgraduate classes at Teachers College, where I have also been a cooperative teacher for the last several years.

One of the reasons that I enjoy teaching is that I have been able to share some of my lifelong passions with children. Since I have been involved in theatre and playing the piano from an early age, I now make singing songs a daily part of our experience in the classroom. I also enjoy sharing with the children my interest in the world that has taken me to diverse places such as England, Russia, and Senegal in East Africa.

Born and raised in New York by a family of educators, I now live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with my husband.

Heidi Paisner - First Grade: This is my second year teaching first grade at MSC. I am originally from Canton, Massachusetts, a small town outside of Boston. I attended Barnard College, and Bank Street School of Education. Before coming to MSC, I worked in a self-contained special education class at a private school in the Upper West Side.

This summer I spent a great deal of time at my computer writing my independent study for my master's degree. I also spent a week at the Teacher's College Writing Institute, at which I learned a great deal about inspiring children to become writers. Before coming back to school, I
dedicated seven days to hiking and enjoying the outdoors. I am looking forward to an exciting year, filled with exploration, growth, and smiles.

Jennifer Thomas - First Grade: Hi! I graduated in May from Bank Street with a degree in Reading. I have been teaching Kindergarten and first grade for the past four years at P.S. 57 in East Harlem. My interests include biking, skiing and kayaking. I am looking forward to becoming a part of the MSC Community.