Dear Woodside Families,
It is a privilege to serve as the Woodside Intermediate School Principal. WIS is a school community that is filled with talented educators, enthusiastic learners, supportive families, and a shared commitment to helping every child thrive.
At Woodside, we are proud to serve approximately 400 students in grades 3–5. Our school is a place where students are encouraged to grow academically, socially, and emotionally while discovering their individual strengths and developing a lifelong love of learning.
Our instructional programs are thoughtfully designed to meet the unique needs of students at each grade level.
Our third-grade students receive a strong foundation in literacy through Bookworms, Heggerty, and Fundations, providing students with explicit instruction and opportunities to develop the foundational skills necessary to become confident readers and writers.
Our fourth- and fifth-grade students benefit from our departmentalized instructional model. Students in these grades have one teacher who provides instruction in math, grammar, and vocabulary, while another teacher focuses on reading and writing. This model allows our teachers to develop deep expertise in their content areas while providing students with rich, focused instruction throughout the day.
We are also fortunate to have two multi-age classrooms that serve students in both fourth and fifth grade. These classrooms provide students with an opportunity to learn in a multi-age environment throughout their fourth- and fifth-grade years.
Our fourth- and fifth-grade literacy instruction includes Patterns of Power for grammar, Word Wisdom for vocabulary, our own Connecticut Standards-based reading units, and a strong emphasis on writing through Empowering Writers.
Across all three grade levels, we continue to use Amplify Math, which was introduced throughout the school in September 2025. Our teachers continue to refine their use of this program and use student data to ensure instruction is responsive to the needs of every learner.
While academic achievement is an important part of what we do, we believe that a truly successful school experience extends well beyond reading, writing, and mathematics. We are committed to educating the whole child and creating opportunities for students to explore the arts, sciences, music, and other areas that inspire curiosity and creativity.
Our students have opportunities to participate in music concerts throughout the year, and instrumental instruction begins in fourth grade. Each spring, our entire school community comes together to celebrate the creativity and talent of our students through our Woodside Art Show—an event our students eagerly anticipate each year.
Just as importantly, we ground ourselves in our Woodside Pride mantra: Respect. Responsibility. Kindness. These three values guide how we interact with one another and help us create a school environment where every student feels known, valued, safe, and supported.
One of the greatest strengths of Woodside is the sense of community that exists among our students, staff, and families. We are especially grateful for our PTO, whose members work tirelessly to support our students and staff. Their involvement, enthusiasm, and willingness to collaborate with our school make an impactful difference in the experiences we are able to provide for our children.
We are incredibly fortunate to have a PTO that is so involved, positive, and committed to working alongside our school. That partnership reflects what we value most at Woodside: when families and educators work together, our students benefit.
Thank you for entrusting your children to us each day. We are proud to be part of their educational journey, and we look forward to a wonderful year of learning, growth, discovery, and—most importantly—Woodside Pride.