About Mr. DeFillippis

Hello Tatem Families! My name is Michael A. DeFillippis, and I am excited to be your child's new 5th grade Writing teacher this year.

I graduated from Rowan University in 2011, with a dual major in both Elementary Education and American Studies. I had the pleasure of beginning my career, teaching 4th grade in the Pennsville School District for 9 years. One of the most rewarding highlights of working here thus far was seeking positive change within our own community through writing awe-inspiring argumentative essays. We were able to meet with both the mayor, as well as the leader of Camden County Parks and Recreation for a variety of issues our 5th graders deemed important to them. We even received letters from President Biden in response to multiple claims for our 5th graders. 

Some other memorable pieces were our narratives. These moments in our lives that changed us in some way are always captivating to share with one another. A fan-favorite creative unit that we did was that various groups of students were able to write a song (both originals/parodies), and then perform them to their homerooms. I am very much looking forward to seeing what each of you can bring as writers for our school year together. 

As your writing teacher, I will be concentrating on writing specifically, building upon students’ prior knowledge, using the “Units of Study” from Lucy Calkins. During our time together, I will be modeling writing to students, providing ongoing feedback to various pieces, providing each student with their own set of prescribed tools needed to advance to the next step in their writing toolbox.

Outside of the classroom, I love spending time with my family. My wife and I have a five-year old son, named Zachary, who is in Kindergarten this year! Our daughter, Cora is about a year and a half, and loves being silly and following her brother everywhere he goes! We spent many of our days this summer at the beach! I enjoy both listening and playing music. I play bass guitar and have been in and out of bands since I first learned to play back in middle school. I also have a deep passion for all things hockey and the Philadelphia Flyers. Some of my favorite past times are surfing/relaxing all day on the beach, camping, learning new things, going to see live music, as well as playing music out to others.

As a lifelong learner, I am always excited and interested to try and learn new things. An essential part of teaching is the ability to reflect. During the course of my career, I have found that I continually need to create new ways to teach the content based on the various needs of my students. This is such an exciting, fast-paced, and fulfilling career that is unique each day. Being able to continue to couple that feeling with a positive community that values education, makes it that much more rewarding. I am eager to meet you and our class this school year. See you soon.