Catherine Mae Sullivan

Catherine Sullivan is an established teacher with over twenty years of experience in education. She has an excellent reputation for developing innovative solutions to problems and cultivating relationships with staff and faculty to inspire growth in organizational capacity. She believes in the value of an exchange of ideas as much as the ideas themselves and the power of communication and collaboration to excite systemic change that elevates and imbues education with compassion.

Professional Development Facilitator

• Presented "Unpacking Just Right Sight Reading Expectations" at the CMEA conference in April with department chair, Leslie Imse in 2016.

• Presented “Learning Targets in Google Classroom” during the district professional development conference, the Tri-Town music professional development conference, and in a National Association for Music Education (NafME) webinar with colleague, Karla McClain in 2017.

• Presented work with Google Classroom to the District Leadership Committee in February 2018.

• Presented "Using Google Classroom to promote Self-Direction" during building professional development in 2018.

• Presented "Grand Conversations in the Music Classroom" for the East Hartford Public Schools arts department in 2019. 

• Co-presented the session, "Social Justice in Education" for the Farmington district professional development conference with colleague, Alex Schwartz in 2019.

• Co-presented the session, "Collaborative Teaming During Blended Learning and Beyond" for CMEA (Connecticut Music Educators Association) in 2020. 

• Co-presented the session, "Social-Emotional Learning and Social Justice in the Music Setting" for CAAA (Connecticut Arts Administrators Association) in 2021. 

• Co-presented the session, "Social-Emotional Learning and Social Justice in the Music Setting" for NAfME Conference 2021. 

• Co-Chair of CMEA Spring Conference 2021. 

• Faculty for the CAAA Summer Arts Institute - July 2021. 

• Presenter for CT Arts Institute - July 2022 - "Putting it All Together: SEL, DEI, SJ in the Arts"

• Presenter for Waterbury Arts Magnet School - September 2022 - "Feeling Successful and Having Fun with Friends: An exploration of blended learning in the music classroom."

• Presenter for Waterbury Arts Magnet School - October 2023 - "Plunging into the Process of Performing Music."

• Presenter for Farmington Public Schools PLX - October 2023 - "Feeling Successful and Having Fun with Friends: An exploration of blended learning in the music classroom."

Testimonials available upon request

Curriculum Developer

• Attended the Farmington Curriculum Academy in June 2014 to develop Graduation Standards in Music that align with revised National Arts Standards.

• Attended the Curriculum Council meeting in June and August 2015 to present work on sight reading benchmarks.

• Attended the Inquiry Curriculum Writing workshop to develop interdisciplinary units in grades K - 4 in social studies and science.

• Served on Learner Dispositions Committee to develop districtwide habits of work.

• Attended the Farmington Curriuclum Academy in June 2018 to develop the Pre-School Music Curriuclum and revise K-4 music curriculum, originally co-authored in 2008, to incorporate advances in technology.

• Collaborated with Farmington Preschool teachers to develop exploratory units of study in 2019. 

Collaborative Teacher

(TEAM certified in 2014 - re-certification 2020)

• Mentored a student teacher from Central Connecticut State University from August - October 2014.

• Mentored a student teacher from Central Connecticut State University from August - October 2015.

• Mentored a teacher candidate from Central Connecticut State University from August - October 2016.

• Mentored a teacher in her first year of TEAM from August 2021 - June 2022.