Primary School I Program

Canterbury Brook Academy of the Arts utilizes dual-grade instructional formats through grade 6 based on best-practice data regarding elementary grade socialization, differentiation, and growth.  As such, our 1st and 2nd grade students share one, large, sunny classroom.  Our ten 1st graders and ten 2nd graders have the chance to learn and socialize flexibly, guided by their classroom teacher and full-time teacher's aide, both of whom are highly experienced and enormously well-respected in their field.  By 2nd grade, our students also join the larger CBA literacy program in a more concrete way through school-wide quarter book projects.  Our 2nd graders also begin learning cursive and making the gradual transition from learning to read to reading to learn, a critical shift in preparation for promotion to the Primary School Program.  They also begin more formal studies in the content areas.  Their arts instruction becomes gradually more focused at these grade levels, and their involvement in CBA-wide events increases as they grow.  At the end of second grade, students and families celebrate their promotion to the Primary School with a Showcase and an Ice Cream Sundae Party.  Take a look below at what a day in the life of a CBA 1st or 2nd grade student looks like:

Daily Schedule

Primary I Team

Mrs. Mary Giardina
mgiardina@canterburybrookhss.com
Mrs. G graduated from Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY with a BS degree in Elementary Education, and then earned her MS degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from The University of Buffalo, Amherst, NY. Mrs. G has taught grades 1, 1/2, 5, and 6 in both public and private schools in Buffalo, NY, and Oklahoma City, OK. After taking time to raise her own children, Mrs. G. took a position in Cornwall, NY, as a teacher’s aide and then as head teacher for a 3’s class and a preschool 4’s class.  Mrs. G has a strong work ethic and believes every child can learn when given the opportunity and proper tools that align with the child’s needs. Mrs. G is a patient, caring, creative and nurturing teacher. A proud mother of five children whose academic experiences have ranged from involvement in GAT programs to needing to advocate for a child with a complex profile of special needs, this woman is a fierce proponent of meeting every child where he or she is in readiness and serving them in an "appropriate to them" academic style.  She is a staunch advocate for each child's right to an education that suits his or her needs and a massive resource to parents in navigating the world of IEPs, be they for learning disabilities or differences.  She is beloved by her students and colleagues alike, and she is such a special addition to the CBA family.  She lives in New Windsor, NY, with her husband and kids. In her spare time, she enjoys reading fiction, spending time with her family, and cheering on the Buffalo Bills.

Mrs. Marie Altavilla
maltavilla@canterburybrookhss.com
A veteran elementary school teacher who has spent twenty-five years teaching in primary classrooms across the country, Mrs. Altavilla has taught in six different school districts and worked extensively with all different kinds of students from gifted students in need of enrichment beyond what the curriculum provides to those with special needs, coordinating with aides, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and school counselors to help each student reach his or her fullest potential. As a longtime National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) member, she remains current on Developmentally Appropriate Practices for young children. Mrs. Altavilla is passionate about educating families, teachers, and counselors about how young minds grow, think, and learn. She especially loves teaching early readers the explicit comprehension skills needed to grow from those who have learned to read to those who can now read to learn.  Moreover, she is passionate about bringing the joy of reading to her students through literary exploration and project-based learning.  A resident of Poughkeepsie, Mrs. Altavilla has two amazing children of her own who are now teenagers.