The new school year brings many changes, and that is true not only for students but for teachers as well. For teacher Stacy Silva, the change is a big one. She is stepping out of her classroom and into the newly created role of K-6 Literacy Coordinator.
Stacy Silva meets with part of the K-6 team
In this new role, Silva will be working with teachers across all grades in the Lower School to increase student achievement in literacy. She will assist with the planning and alignment of the school’s reading and writing curriculum for grades K-6, oversee the implementation of schoolwide instructional resources like Fundations, Raz-Plus, Fountas & Pinnell’s Benchmark Assessment System, and Star Assessment and support teachers to embed literacy into all of the content areas.
“I’ve always had a passion for literacy. It encompasses everything we do every day, so when this opportunity presented itself, I knew I was ready for the challenge,” Silva said. “I am excited to branch out from the classroom and focus on something I’m passionate about at a schoolwide level.”
“The new K-6 Literacy Coordinator position is key for Atlantis. Being a proficient reader and critical thinker is at the core of a student’s ability to achieve academic success across all content areas,” said Gabriela Birmingham, District Leader for Atlantis. “We are thrilled and incredibly fortunate to have someone of Stacy’s caliber in this role. As a classroom teacher, Stacy came to work every day ready to share her love of reading and writing with her students. In this new role, Stacy’s passion for literacy can have an impact on the entire K-6 population and help position our students for success in their middle and high school years as well.”
Silva came to Atlantis in 2008 from an elementary school in Pawtucket, RI, and worked for a few years as a 2nd grade math teacher before transitioning to a 1st grade classroom.
When the new school year began, Silva hit the ground running. She spent the first couple of weeks visiting each grade level to see what is going on in the classrooms and the experiences the different teachers are bringing to the table and getting to know the student population.
“It’s important for me to develop relationships with the staff and begin collaborative dialogue with the teachers,” Silva explained. “I will also be looking at data from last year to understand where we are in terms of literacy programming, reviewing our schoolwide goals, and figuring out what we need to do to meet those goals.”
While she will miss teaching, Silva expects to spend a lot of time in the classroom this year, working with the teachers and the students.
“If I had to sum up my new job in one word it would be ‘support.’ I’m here to support Atlantis – its students and teachers – so that we can continue to provide our students with an education second-to-none and put them on the path to success,” Silva said.