Welcome new staff
We are very excited to introduce you to new staff members who will be joining our team this fall.
Mrs. Amanda Murphy
Our new first grade teacher will be Mrs. Amanda Murphy! The students in first grade and all of us are in for a treat. Amanda has been with Salem Hyde Elementary School in the Syracuse City School District for over 10 years. Sometimes God drops blessings right out of the sky, and Amanda is one of those. She has already transformed the first grade classroom, including painting the room! Most importantly, she is very well equipped to provide exactly what we are looking for in reading and math excellence at this very critical grade. She will also bring the beauty of her Christian faith into the classroom and is very excited about this! Amanda is a graduate of Jamesville-Dewitt High School and grew up near Holy Cross. So, hopefully it feels like coming home. Here is a link to an award that Amanda received in 2020 from the Syracuse City School Foundation for her volunteerism and tireless work for her school and its students. We are very pleased to welcome Amanda!
Mrs. Patty Klawonn
Mrs. Patty Klawonn will be our new Pre-K 3 teacher! Patty has her NYS certification for Birth -2nd. She is a behavior therapist and brings with her a wealth of experience. Please welcome Mrs. Klawonn to our team! Her initials are "PK" so it meant to be! 😊
Ms. Nicole Augunas
We are very excited to announce the creation of a new position! We have hired Ms. Nicole Augunas as our new Math AIS teacher, Spanish teacher and consultant teacher in the classrooms. Nicole has her Masters in Education and Special Education and holds both certifications in NY. She also has the extension for the Pre-K levels. Nicole has an additional concentration in Spanish and has graciously agreed to teach one day of Spanish for grades 1-6. We are grateful that Nicole will be joining our team full time and bring her experience as a special education teacher, math consultant teacher, and classroom teacher to our amazing school. Nicole also has a deep faith and is involved with ministry at her Parish in Liverpool. Welcome Nicole to our Holy Cross Family!
Mrs. Andrea Zurbruegg-Bennett
Our new Kindergarten Aide will be a familiar face to some! Mrs. Andrea Zurbruegg-Bennett will bring her exceptional experience as a former Montessori teacher and her Master's in Social Work to help Mrs. Moquin with her full class of kindergartners. Andrea has already been a sub with the lower-level grades this year and we were thrilled when she expressed interest in interviewing for the position. Please welcome Mrs. Z. to our amazing lower level staff. We are truly blessed to have you join us!
Mrs. Allison Chase
The new aide in PK3 will also be a familiar face; Mrs. Allison Chase will be joining our PK team. Mrs. Chase had been applying to work at pre-schools in the area and we convinced her that we have the best one, and she agreed! Welcome to our HC team! PK3 is going to have a lot of fun this year!
Mrs. Michaeline Gleasman
Mrs. Michaeline Gleasman will be our new art teacher. She is very excited to share her amazing skills in the fine arts with the students. She has been working hard this summer preparing the room and planning the excellent projects ahead.
Mr. Dan Littlepage
Our new STEM special teacher will be Mr. Dan Littlepage. Mr. Littlepage will share his knowledge of technology and engineering science to provide the students the opportunity to increase their skills in this ever-growing area of education. The older students may also get some experience with sound and video production of a weekly announcements show.
Mrs. Jessie DeStefano
Mrs. D met some of you in her handwriting camp this summer. Now she will be putting her background in Occupation Therapy to work, working with our younger students and helping with skills in the classroom! Thank you Mrs. D!Another friendly face you will see around the building is Mrs. Jessie DeStefano.