My name is Angela Goncalves and I am proud to be a PRES teacher! I am currently a learning specialist at Pound Ridge Elementary in grades K-5. It is hard to believe that my twins were in 1st grade when I started, and I dropped them off at college a few weeks ago. This is my 14th year teaching here at PRES. As a certified reading specialist, I enjoy teaching children a multi-sensory approach to reading as well as giving children the tools and strategies to build a love for literacy. It brings me great joy to watch a non-reader flourish into a fluent reader. As the building level learning specialist, in addition to small group instruction, I administer initial testing, complete reevaluations and I attend CSE meetings. My resource room is a safe place for students to hone in on their strengths and to practice skills to help them achieve their IEP goals.
Hi! I am Allyson Mahoney, the building speech-language pathologist. I have a BS in Communication Disorders from Penn State University and a MS in Speech Language Pathology from Emerson College in Boston. I have been working in the district for the past 20 years! I am excited to be working in Pound Ridge again- it is such a special place! Please feel free to reach out if you have any speech/language questions.
Hello! My name is Alison Reinhardt and I am working part time at PRES as a Learning Specialist. This is my first year in PRES and I have been in the district for 3 years. I have been working in Elementary Special Education for 10 years. Prior to working in Bedford, I taught Elementary co-teach in all different grades up to 6th grade, in the Bronx. I teach math, reading and writing in a collaborative model using multi-sensory strategies. I am able to give students the tools and strategies they need to help them become strong readers, writers and thinkers. I am passionate about teaching Special Education and find joy everyday in watching my students grow and learn.
I am so excited to be joining the PRES family and I am looking forward to a wonderful year!
Hello! My name is Jen Brown. I will be working at PRES part time as a Tiered Support Teacher. I have been a classroom teacher for 6 years and a Tiered teacher for 2 years. I will be working with students to strengthen their reading and math skills. I like to make learning fun by using hands-on activities, games, and materials. I am looking forward to meeting all of the amazing students here at PRES.
John Morgan is one of the Tiered Support Teachers here at PRES. He received his Masters Degree in Education from Fordham University in 2005. He first taught down at Bedford Village Elementary School as a 3rd grade teacher before joining us here at PRES. Before becoming a teacher, John worked in commercial advertising as a film editor in New York City. He became interested in teaching after tutoring his niece and nephew in math. John's favorite part of working here at PRES is working with so many cool kids across the grades.
Cheryl Starace
When I was doing my undergraduate work at SUNY Binghamton I was fortunate to be able to spend a year in Austria learning German. After graduation, I went back on a Fulbright teaching scholarship and just loved being able to help German speakers learn English. I've also lived in Mexico and have been in the position of being a second language learner a number of times. These experiences have truly shaped my decision to become an ESOL teacher. I've been teaching for around 20 years! One of the things I love most about teaching at PRES is the willingness of the amazing staff to think out of the box and try new activities. Teaching here is just so much fun~as a teacher I continually have the opportunity to be creative and effective.
A few fun facts about myself~I'm a second degree black belt in TaeKwonDo and have competed at the national level. I also recently started horseback riding and have a 10 year old quarter horse named Stella. A number of the students here at PRES have even met her through the horsemanship program we do with a farm in LaGrange! One of the things I'm most looking forward to this year is getting that program back and running!
Erika Volpe
Hello Everyone! I am the Elementary Coordinator at PRES. You can find my office in the Main Office and love visitors popping in to say hello! My job enables me to work with many teachers and students each day. I also work at Central Office supporting curriculum for all of the elementary schools. I have taught Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade and Fifth Grade! I was also a Tiered Support Teacher working with students in all of the grades at PRES and BVES. My husband, who is a Fourth Grade teacher, and I, have three children. I am so very excited for a year full of learning and fun!
Jaime Lowery has been practicing occupational therapy since 2001. She has been an employee of the Bedford Central School District since 2002 where she has worked as an OT in several school buildings, including PRES since 2004. Mrs. Lowery graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in the year 2000, with a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy. She is board-certified in occupational therapy and holds a New York State license in OT. Mrs. Lowery is also a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
Mrs. Lowery’s clinical experience includes working in various pediatric settings, including private practice, home healthcare and schools. She takes pride in supporting students as they embark on their new motor learning journey and gain functional skills as needed for the school environment via direct and/or collaborative/consultative services.
Mrs. Lowery enjoys spending time at home with her husband and three sons. As a family, they like to participate in hiking, biking, a variety of sports, swimming, travel and time with friends and extended family.