Welcome to Room 25A
Welcome to Room 25A! My name is Laurie Fiatal and I am the teacher in Room 25A. I go by Ms. Fiatal to my students.
One of our main classroom rules is "Be Happy!" and this applies to both students and classroom staff. Our classroom team works hard to establish relationships with your children based on trust and respect. We strive to make Room 25A a place where your child wants to be, and to be a place where they know they are safe, respected, and encouraged to be the best they can be. Mistakes are embraced as learning opportunities, and all of our students are included as part of the Pomeroy family. I encourage you to be a part of the Pomeroy PTA, the Milpitas Inclusive PTA (MIPTA), and to volunteer for field trips and school activities.
Please note that we are a technology free classroom. While our Unique Learning System curriculum is online, all students are provided hard copies of all materials for their individual use. Music and videos are used for instructional purposes in whole group instruction, but students do not have access to iPads, Chromebooks, or other individual technology for their personal use during the school day.
When attending field trips or other school activities, parents are not permitted to bring iPads, headphones, or other personal devices for their children to use. Field trips are academic activities, and all students are expected to participate exactly as the other students participate. If parent chaperones provide iPads, headphones, or other technology during field trips, the parents may not be allowed to attend as chaperones. There are no exceptions to this rule, and it will be communicated to all teachers and staff who are attending the field trip.
Our classroom team is available at 8:05am at the flagpole by the school office for drop off each day. My classroom paraprofessionals are part of an amazing team that love working with students. They are very experienced and work very hard to make sure that your children are safe and learn as much as possible each day. Please feel free to pass on any messages through them if I am not available.
I will send out a monthly newsletter with important information regarding upcoming activities, field trips, etc. This will be sent through ParentSquare at the beginning of each month.
If you need to contact me, please message me through ParentSquare. I check my email before and after school, up until 3:30pm. If you email after 3:30, or if I am in a meeting after school, I will return your email the following morning. I can not answer the phone during school hours, but you may also leave a message at (408) 635-2858 x1843. I will return your call within 24 hours.
If there is an issue that requires your attention, I will call or email you, or pass the information on at pick up or drop off time, depending on the urgency of the issue. Clear and open communication is critical to your child's success.
You are welcome to talk to me or email or call at any time and I will reply as soon as possible. If you would like to observe the classroom, you can set up a 30 minute observation period by emailing me and I will coordinate an observation time with one of our school administrators or our school psychologist. Please note that per MUSD policy, private ABA therapists may observe your child with your permission, but they are not allowed to provide ABA services during school hours.
HOMEWORK
I do not assign homework. Because most of my students have ABA, Speech Therapy, OT, or other services after school, I do not give additional homework. While packed schedules and screen-heavy activities may keep a brain occupied, they do not allow it to rest or reflect.
True downtime, which involves unstructured time, mind-wandering, or simple physical chores without digital stimulation, drives the following core developmental benefits:
Improved Emotional Regulation-Taking time to decompress allows the brain to process difficult feelings and avoid the anxiety, depression, or behavioral disorders often linked to childhood overscheduling.
Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills- Boredom naturally forces individuals to navigate their own thoughts. This builds cognitive flexibility, planning, and self-reliance.
Memory Consolidation - Down time and quality sleep gives the brain the offline space it needs to solidify learning and store everyday memories
Important Links
My Amazon Wishlist for Classroom Supplies
A Little About Me:
This is my fourteenth year teaching in Milpitas Unified. I have an M.A. in Special Education, a Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders, and a Moderate-Severe Education Specialist Credential from San Jose State University. I also have an Extensive Support Needs Authorization from Fresno Pacific University. Additionally, I am a Lecturer at San Jose State University where I teach Classroom and Behavior Management and Methods in Teaching for Extensive Support Needs. I love teaching your children and it is my privilege to get to work with new Extensive Support Needs teacher candidates to help them learn how to teach students with extensive support needs.
In my free time, I like to kayak, hike, and golf. I have been learning to speak Spanish for the past three years and got to practice in Costa Rica and Mexico in the summer of 2026.
