We are excited to reacquaint families with a couple of faculty members that will be working in new positions this year, some of whom have been in our community for several years, and others who were new hires last year who will be staying in our community.
Ms. Marthe Salomon-Samedy, a D-E parent since 2013, joined the Lower School community last year as a long-term maternity-leave replacement Science Teacher and Language Teacher. We are thrilled to announce that Ms. Marthe is now a Preschool 3 head teacher, which she has taught in previous years. She holds her BFA from William Paterson University, her standard teaching certification, and her MA of Science in Education from Walden University. She has worked as a teacher for numerous years at several levels in independent schools, as well as in public school. In her free time, she enjoys writing, painting, and spending time with family. D-E’s mission has always been at the forefront of her pedagogy, with a passion for instilling the skills of life-long learning in each of her students. Ms. Marthe is looking forward to her continuing collaboration with the faculty at D-E as she becomes more familiar with the Lower School students and families.
Ms. Rachel DiGiovanni – We are excited to welcome Ms. DiGiovanni – or as the children know her, Ms. Rachel – to our kindergarten program. Ms. Rachel is a dedicated early childhood professional with many years of experience. She joined Dwight-Englewood eight years ago assisting in the first grade, teaching math as a support teacher as well as co-teaching in Preschool-3. Prior to Dwight-Englewood, Rachel taught kindergarten, preschool and worked in early intervention for a combined total of 20 years. This year, she will join the kindergarten team. Rachel has her Masters degree in teaching from Montclair State and holds her licenses in both early education as well as special education. When she is not teaching, she loves reading, running, and studying the Italian language of which she holds the B1 Celi certification.
Ms. Katharine Fredricksen is thrilled to be moving to the position of First Grade teacher this year. She loved her time with the kindergarten team last year and is excited to see the students continue to grow and learn in first grade! She has also taught preschool and kindergarten AfterCare for the past four years. Katharine graduated from Elon University where she studied history, German, and Early Childhood Education. She is currently taking graduate classes in education at Montclair State University. Katharine loves being a part of the Lower School community and is excited to continue to work with the D-E students, families, and staff!
Mrs. Jenn Celiberti began working in the Lower School during the 2019-2020 school year in January as a fifth grade head teacher. This year, she will transition to the fourth grade classroom as a head teacher. She has been in education for almost 25 years, and holds a BA in History from Gettysburg College and an MS in Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education. Jenn has worked as a teacher at all elementary grade levels in many independent schools in the tri-state area. Her career has been geared toward the empowerment of students, and she is particularly interested in character education. Jenn treasures spending time with her family and enjoys sailing and quiet times near the water. Jenn is looking forward to collaborating with the faculty at D-E and getting to know more of the Lower School students and families.
Mrs. Holly Goldberg joined us in 2018 as a third grade teacher. After teaching third and fourth grade at the Lower School, she will be taking on the role as Research and Information Specialist this year in our Lower School library. Before joining Dwight-Englewood School, Mrs. Goldberg has taught first, second, third, and fifth grades in both public and independent schools in New York and New Jersey. She has degrees in both elementary education and literacy. We look forward to welcoming her into this new role for the 2021-2022 school year.
Mrs. Jessica Massei began working in the Lower School after graduating in 2004 with a BA from Rutgers University. While working as a teaching assistant in the preschool program, Jessica completed her MA in Early Childhood Education, with a concentration in Special Education from Montclair State University. Since then, she has gone on to work as a head teacher in many grade levels in the Lower School. Outside of D-E, Jessica loves to spend time with her family and is a passionate lifelong learner. She is currently working to earn her post-graduate BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) certificate from Clemson University and plans to utilize these studies in her work supporting students. This year, Jessica is looking forward to transitioning to the position of math specialist. She is excited to take on a new role within the Lower School and combine her love of teaching math and her passion for supporting students, families and colleagues.
Ms. Diana Sanchez joined the Lower School community as a Specials Generalist during the 2020-2021 year. We welcome her into the Spanish teacher role for grades 3-5 this upcoming school year. Diana previously taught at Saint Joseph Academy, where she was a Spanish and Computer teacher from PreSchool 3 through 8th grade. She holds an MA in Education and an MA in Education Technology. She likes to incorporate the use of technology when teaching Spanish to engage the students on the subject. She has taught robotics and has used coding with the students to develop critical thinking and creativity. In her free time, she likes visiting the beach, swimming, and going on long walks. She has two German Shepherds named Bella and Zeus. She looks forward to working with students and staff at D-E.
Co-Teacher and Assistant Teacher Transitions
Each year, assistant teachers and co-teachers may have the opportunity to experience a different grade so that they may build in their capacity for teaching elementary education. We are excited to announce below our assistant and co-teachers that are shifting grade levels.
Raishada Johnson will be an assistant teacher in Preschool 3. She has been a part of the D-E community for 4 years as a substitute teacher, aftercare teacher, and most recently as a kindergarten assistant teacher.
Doran Muus will be moving to first grade as a co-head teacher. Mrs. Muus has taught first grade at D-E previously as an assistant teacher, and most recently taught Preschool 4 for the past two years. She has spent many summers as the Exploratorium teacher in D-E’s Summer Connections Program.
Jackie Marshall will be working with the third grade team as an assistant teacher and a health and wellness teacher for the third graders. In previous years, Jackie has worked as a recess coach and as a fourth grade assistant teacher.
A D-E Alum, Nick Harrison is an avid lover of history, vocabulary, and sports trivia of all types! Mr. Harrison will continue working with students this year as our fourth grade assistant teacher. Previously, he has worked as a recess coach and as an assistant teacher in fifth grade.
Nia Watson will transition to working with fifth graders as a co-teacher. Last year, Nia co-taught second grade with Mrs. Jen Koteles and has been with the school since 2014, where she has worked at the D-E Summer Connections program each year.
Over the summer, Ms. Quin Charity let us know that she would be moving to a different opportunity for this school year. Ms. Charity has taught STEM and technology at the Lower School for the past three years. You’d often find her using hands-on activities to teach coding and technology. She brought Scratch Jr, Ozobots, Blocky, STEM building challenges, and much more to the Lower School. In addition to her teaching role, she also managed the help desk inquiries, so you likely have had support from Ms. Charity outside of the classroom as well! Please see Ms. Catharine Augustine’s bio to learn more about who we have hired for the STEM position for this school year.