Welcome Letter 

Dear New and Returning Families:

      Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!  I will be your child's speech-language therapist this year.  I look forward to working with your child and developing and nurturing a positive rapport, which is first and foremost the fundamental, essential basis to any successful therapy.  In my classroom, my invitation to learn begins with establishing a warm, physically and emotionally inviting climate, developing trust and mutual respect and acknowledging each child's individuality and dignity while simultaneously promoting a social community of learners where students' diversity and personal strengths are reinforced to maximize their learning potential.  Further, children will learn that there is a critical and reciprocal interchange between speaking and listening, i.e. verbal expression and oral comprehension.  Yes, listening is just as important as speaking--because "it takes courage to stand up and speak, but it also takes courage to sit down and listen!"  As a speech-language specialist, I've reinforced the importance of speaking and listening long before these components were added to the Core Standards initiative.  Indeed, academic and life skills are no longer just about Reading, Writing and 'Rithmetic but are also contingent on active listening and effectively conveying ideas.

     As a communication specialist, I recognize the critical importance of communication, not as a skill which occurs in isolation or in a vacuum, but as a skill occurring across the curriculum which is an integral and necessary component of academic and social achievement.  Afterall, language is not just a part of the curriculum.  Language IS the curriculum.  As such, my aim is to create learning opportunities which align each child's IEP goals to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  With this in mind, I hold to the principle of not how much information I teach but the depth of information I teach and how I teach it.  I believe every child can learn, but each child must also be given opportunities to learn how to learn, to draw from a tool-box of learning strategies, to ultimately become an independent learner.  To facilitate success and promote positive self-concept and self-esteem, children are explicitly taught learning strategies, given feedback on their performance and are also taught to self-evaluate (self-monitor).  Self-awareness and self-advocacy is explicity taught through direct and indirect learning opportunities. Experiences are created through crafts, fun games, rich verbal exchanges, listening, reading and writing contexts, role playing, peer modeling and integration of technology and by my providing appropriate support systems as needed.  Dominant learning styles and intelligences are nurtured and reinforced while less dominant styles and intelligences are also developed to help create well-rounded learners who rise up to challenges and are not afraid to take risks.  

     While I believe every child can learn and I aim to be a facilitator of that success in collaboration with my colleagues, I also call upon your meaningful, necessary and integral partnership to promote that success. 

    At any time, should you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.  My communication lines are always open, and I can be reached via e-mail at marilena.damiani@wwrsd.org, by phone at 201-664-6440 or simply by dropping me a note in your child's Speech book or folder. 

    Dear parents and students, you are seen; you are heard! 

Together we can embrace a new year with positivity and enthusiasm and together, we can celebrate your child's success!

Sincerely,

Marilena Damiani, M.A., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Specialist