Second Grade
Amanda Paradis
2nd Grade
Amanda is a second grade teacher at Academy School. This will be her second year teaching second grade, sixth year overall, and she is thrilled to experience second grade again! She believes that second grade is a wonderful time to grow as mathematicians, become fantastic readers, explore the word around us through scientific inquiry, and challenge ourselves to be a positive part of a classroom and school community. Amanda believes that group work is essential in the classroom to help promote team work and friends who encourage each other to do their very best learning. She truly believes that she is definitely not the only teacher in the classroom... ALL of her amazing students are teachers too!
Darilynn Birse
2nd Grade
Darilynn Birse received her Bachelor's Degree in Contemplative Psychology from Naropa University and her Master's Degree in Elementary Education from Antioch University. She brings a deep curiosity for the natural world into the classroom and enjoys helping children foster a strong sense of self and community. She is passionate about working with her students to create a learning environment that is academically challenging, engaging, and safe to take risks in. This is Darilynn's second year teaching second grade at Academy.
Liz Casarella
2nd Grade
Liz Casarella received her Bachelor's Degree from Plymouth State University and her Masters Degree in Education from Antioch University New England. Before switching into the classroom, Liz taught outdoor and environmental education in New Hampshire, Colorado, Wyoming and Alaska as well as in a small community in India. Liz has been teaching second grade at Academy since 2013. She brings a love of nature and experiential learning into her teaching.
Wendy Cusimano
2nd Grade
Wendy has taught at Academy School since 2005 when she began as a multiage first, second and third grade teacher. Since then Wendy has taught as a classroom teacher in second grade as well as academic support teacher in first and second grades. Wendy believes in hands on learning and loves to share arts & crafts activities, cooking projects and science experiments with her students. She loves to read and share ideas for new just right books to read with her students and especially loves teaching math to first and second graders. Wendy firmly believes that 'practice makes progress' and that everyone can grow as a learner with determination, grit and patience.
Second Grade is an academically rigorous year. There are many advances that occur in learning during this important year. In math, children need to develop a strong understanding of place value in order to build a strong foundation for future skills. They go from working with numbers within tens to hundreds and thousands to beginning multiplication. Young readers really take off in second grade. Comprehension for material read and fluency for meaning become paramount to building an understanding of text read. In writing, second graders go from writing one-page ideas about self to several page narratives, opinion pieces that have a clear focus and research reports, as well as, science lab reports. This is an extremely important year for children to develop independence and responsibility for their own learning. There is so much to learn and do in second grade….your young learners are off on the fantastic adventure called second grade!