Teacher Profiles

Our teachers have extensive professional experience and backgrounds in early childhood education, including certification. A number of our teachers and assistants have been associated with Watchung Co-op for more than 15 years. These dedicated professionals are committed to the children, parents, and philosophy of our school.

Mona Bucceri
Lead Teacher/Director
Creative Play AM Teacher

In addition to early childhood certification, Mona has a degree in special education and training with emotionally disturbed and deaf/hearing impaired children. She has completed all course work required for her Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.). Mona currently teaches an undergraduate education class at Kean College.

The mother of three children who attended the Co-op, Mona has been actively involved with the school since 1984. As a parent, she served in numerous positions on the Board of Directors, including three years as President. In 1989, she became a teacher at the school. In her role as Director, Mona works closely with the Board and the teachers on all school matters.

Mona enjoys witnessing and fostering the tremendous growth her 2 ½-year old students experience throughout the year. Helping these little ones deal with the very big issue of separation and making it possible for them to enjoy their first school experience are her biggest and most rewarding challenges. She feels this positive preschool experience establishes a healthy foundation for future school years.

Pat Martin
Pre-K AM Teacher

A teacher at the Co-op since 1986, Pat's background includes a degree in early childhood education and experience at several preschools.

Pat enjoys the creative freedom that the Co-op allows her as a professional. She has been able to experiment with curriculum in her classes, with very satisfying results for her students. It was Pat who developed and originally taught Pre-K P.M. Pat, a book-lover herself, designed Pre-K P.M. as an afternoon enrichment program to enhance the students’ love for books. The class is now an integral part of our Pre-K options and is taught by Christi Porter.

In her tenure at the Co-op, Pat has enjoyed the opportunity to get to know many Co-op families, often teaching all of the family's siblings!

Christi Porter
Pre-K PM Teacher

Christi was introduced to the Co-op in 1998, when she completed her practicum here for Montclair State University's M.A. in Teaching/Early Childhood. She has taught the Co-op's mixed-age summer camp (to rave reviews from students and parents alike) and works with many of those children again throughout the year, providing them with a comfortable transition from one class to the next.

Christi discovered her love for teaching preschoolers during her previous career as a dance instructor (her undergraduate degree is in Dance), and was inspired to return to school for her Masters in Teaching.

She looks forward to the Co-op parents' active involvement in her classrooms, having observed first-hand during her practicum the positive impact that their presence can have on a child's first school experience.

Blanca Ortiz
Discovery AM Teacher

Blanca Ortiz is our newest teacher. Blanca is bilingual (English/Spanish), has a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, and is currently studying for her master's degree in early education for students with disabilities. Blanca is an energetic, enthusiastic, and dedicated teacher. We welcome Blanca to the Watchung Co-op and look forward to her bringing all of these qualities with her as she teaches the Discovery class this year!

Christi leading a field trip to the Presby Iris Gardens

Assistant Teachers

Our assistant teachers have diversified roles, which makes them familiar to all students. Whether it's assisting in the classrooms, supervising lunch, helping out in Summer Camp, or greeting students at the door, our wonderful assistants are indispensable to the smooth operation of our school.

Naomi Garner - Teacher's Assistant
Naomi has been a parent at the Co-op for the past 3 years. She began working as a substitute and then as a staff member during the 2009 – 2010 school year. She has a warm and positive manner with all the children and is an asset in our classrooms.

Elaine Paruta - Teacher's Assistant
On staff at the Co-op since 1996, Elaine gets to know virtually every Co-op child and his/her family, as she assists in a variety of capacities. Elaine’s easy-going, friendly manner is especially suited to working within multiple classrooms, as well as juggling varied teacher styles and preschool personalities.

MaryAnne Guerriero - Teacher's Assistant
MaryAnne really enjoys working with the children, marveling at how much they learn and how attached she gets to them (and their families) in the 2-3 years she interacts with them. MaryAnne joined the staff in 1997.

Janet Hines - Teacher's Assistant
Janet joined the staff at the Co-op in 2008 after seeing two daughters through the school where she enjoyed her times co-oping and serving on the Board. A nurse who has previously worked in trauma/critical care, Janet enjoys reading just about anything (mostly limited to children's literature in recent years) and loves animals.

Marianne Robertson - Teacher's Assistant
Marianne was a parent here for many years as her three wonderful boys came to preschool at the Co-op. When Christi went on maternity leave in 2009, Marianne stepped up and covered her Monday and Tuesday classes with excellent results. She also worked on our staff, on a part-time basis, during 2009 – 2010.

Classes

Class Descriptions

Creative Play

Age of Students:	2 1/2
Teachers:	Mona Bucceri (AM)
Days:	Monday and Tuesday
Time:	9:00 - 11:30 AM
Lunch:	11:30 AM - 12:00 PM (optional)
Number of Students:	10
Co-op Requirement:	Once every 5 - 6 weeks, depending on enrollment

Goal: To provide a positive, enjoyable first school experience, establishing a healthy foundation for future school years. For some children, this may encompass an individualized approach to easing separation anxiety.

Creative Play creates an environment for young children to explore, learn, and grow through hands-on play. Guided by an experienced early childhood teacher, children aged 2 1/2 to 3 have the opportunity to play with a variety of age-appropriate materials, participate in a peer group, discover new activities, test new ideas, and practice new concepts such as social interaction and using language to communicate with peers. The class introduces a balanced structure (replicated in other Co-op classes) of group activity (music activities, story time, dramatic role-playing), snack time, free play (varied art activities, activities for fine motor development), and outdoor play. Parents are encouraged to stay in the classroom for as long as their children need them to ease separation anxiety. For many children, this is their first school experience, and we want them to feel comfortable, allowing their natural enthusiasm to flourish. A happy, successful school experience at this age paves the way for positive feelings about school.

Discovery Time

Age of Students:	3
Teachers:	Blanca Ortiz (AM)
Days:	Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
Time:	9:00 - 11:30 AM
Number of Students:	12 - 13
Co-op Requirement:	Once every 4 - 6 weeks, depending on enrollment

Goal: To address the important emotional, social, physical, and intellectual issues that are critical to a preschooler's development, while introducing aspects of the core Pre-K curriculum.

This fun-filled class provides a valuable introduction to school for first-time students and a natural progression for Creative Play alumni. Each subject unit throughout the year - for example, studying the seashore - recognizes and encourages the growth objectives detailed below through various activities introduced by an experienced, certified early childhood teacher.

Emotional growth goals include the ability to: separate from parents; verbalize feelings; begin to develop inner control; take turns and wait; begin to make some choices; and develop a positive self-image.

Social Social growth goals include: enjoying school and being with other children; learning to stay with a group for an activity; beginning to share, take turns, and show courtesy; playing cooperatively; and beginning to develop a helpful attitude toward the group.

Physical growth goals include: improving large and small muscle coordination; developing hand-eye coordination; dressing with a minimum of help; recognizing and developing all five senses; discriminating likeness/differences in objects; responding to listening games; and developing a sense of directionality (perceiving and orienting oneself to the top/bottom/sides/front/back of objects).

Intellectual growth goals include: improving language skills and vocabulary (receptively and expressively); following simple directions; increasing attention span; enjoying learning new things; matching objects by color, shape, and size; developing an inquiring attitude; introducing numbers/shapes/measurement/time; name recognition and sight vocabulary; fostering imagination and differentiating between reality and make-believe; increasing listening skills; beginning to use inner resources instead of relying on adults; and becoming aware of language symbols.

Pre-K AM

Our morning Pre-K program may be combined with our afternoon Pre-K to give your child a full-day school experience three days a week. See "Pre-K PM" below for details.

Age of Students:	4 or 5
Teachers:	Pat Martin
Days:	Monday through Friday (4- and 5-day options available)
Times:	9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Lunch:	12:00 - 12:30 PM (optional)
Number of Students:	18
Co-op Requirement:	Once a month, depending on enrollment

Goal: Making each child's experience positive and enjoyable by offering acceptance in a nurturing environment; encouraging each child's thinking, language, creativity, and problem-solving ability through developmentally-appropriate activities; providing a curriculum that emphasizes learning by doing, with play as the primary teaching vehicle; establishing a routine that helps children develop a sense of trust and offers opportunities for individual and group interaction; encouraging children to play in harmony with each other and with adults.

The Pre-K curriculum is a rich one, preparing the child for Kindergarten and future school years. Under the guidance of an experienced, certified teacher:

Language arts activities follow a whole language approach along with instruction in phonics, enhancing the child's receptive and expressive language through finger plays, rhymes, songs, and discussions. This interactive, hands-on technique allows the children to more fully appreciate the activities they are learning about. Reading readiness is fostered through practice with letters, sounds, and whole word recognition.

Science concepts are introduced through activities that encourage observation, comparison, exploration, testing, inquiry, and problem-solving.

Nutrition/foods experience helps children learn about group cooperation as well as math and science concepts such as weights, measures, and changes of matter from one form to another. Adhering to a recipe also helps develop an understanding of how to follow directions in sequence.

Music, movement and dramatics help children develop language and pre-reading skills and encourage imagination and spontaneous play. Children gain skill in body control, rhythm, following directions, and group coordination.

Social Studies for this age-group gradually broaden a child's concept of the world by focusing on self, home, family, transportation, animals, and community.

Art for preschool children is a process that allows for choice, exploration, experimentation, and imaginative expression in a supportive atmosphere. Opportunities are provided to explore color, line, and form and to discover the effects of various media.

Math concepts are presented through activities involving sorting, comparing, and ordering. Playful activities develop skill in rote counting, numerical recognition, sets, and 1-to-1 correspondence.

Pre-K PM

Age of Students:	4 to 6 (open to Pre-K and Kindergarten Students)
Teachers:	Christi Porter
Days:	Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
Times:	12:30 - 2:45 PM
Lunch:	12:00 - 12:30 PM (optional)
Number of Students:	15
Co-op Requirement:	None

This class offers children attending a morning Pre-K or Kindergarten program (at the Co-op or elsewhere) an opportunity to experience a full school day three afternoons a week. It can also be a standalone Pre-K class for families who prefer an afternoon schedule. Because this program is non-co-oping, it's a great opportunity for children who are already enrolled in our Co-op to make the transition from parents in the classroom to only teachers in preparation for Kindergarten. The program explores monthly themes through the use of literature, math and science activities, cooking, art, and music and movement. Themes may include harvest time, Native Americans, weather, bears, etc. The program consists of outdoor play, quiet reading time, circle time, a small group activity, indoor play time, and snack time.

Lunch Program

An optional half-hour lunch program is available to children in any class offered by the Co-op. Children bring their lunches and are supervised by a teacher's assistant.

There are several advantages to the lunch program. Children enrolled in half-day classes are provided another opportunity to practice self-help skills in a relaxed, social atmosphere where they can share and communicate feelings and ideas with schoolmates. And, of course, for children enrolled in a full day of classes, the lunch program provides the transition to the afternoon's activities. For children enrolled in a full-day program, there is no extra charge for the lunch program on the days when your child is attending both morning and afternoon classes.

Field Trips

Several field trips are typically scheduled throughout the year. These may include outings to the pumpkin patch, petting zoo, the Montclair Art Museum, a theater group, etc. Sometimes, special guests are invited into the classrooms. These activities help broaden the children's awareness of the world.

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