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Mrs. Elizabeth Carpanzano » Biography

Biography

Elizabeth Carpanzano

Grade 1 Teacher

Email: [email protected]

  

Teaching at The Catholic Academy of Stamford is an opportunity for me to share the blessings of the Catholic faith with my students, their families, and my colleagues. I am grateful that my two daughters were educated in Catholic schools from Pre-Kindergarten through college and are now serving the Stamford community, one as a kindergarten teacher at Mater Salvatoris Catholic School and the other as a registered nurse at Stamford Hospital.

 

I have lived in Stamford with my husband and have been an active parishioner of the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist for the majority of my life. The former St. Cecilia School became the primary avenue for me to volunteer my time as a parent for many years before spending more than a decade in kindergarten, first as a teacher assistant and then as the teacher.

 

Three years ago, I was given the opportunity to expand my current teaching experience from first grade teacher assistant and resource teacher to first grade teacher. I recognize the richness of the gift of Catholic education that makes all students lifelong learners.

 

It has always been a privilege to educate these young students, especially in the Catholic faith. In fact, teaching has never felt like a “job” but rather a vocation, a passion for serving God by sharing his love with my students and their families. What a blessing it is for me to teach where I can infuse God’s message of peace, hope, and joy into my students’ educational experience each day! My approach with students is simple: good choices make God smile so we shine with the light of Jesus.

 

 Education/Certification:

  • B.S., Summa Cum Laude, State University of New York at Geneseo
  • M.A., University of Massachusetts-Amherst
  • Certificate, IMSE Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Training
 

Posts

4th Week of Advent: The Candle of Love

Fourth Week: Love (Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25)

God of love, you sent your Son, Jesus, to shine bright like the sun, lighting the way for all who walk in darkness. May the light of Christ’s hope, peace, joy and love shine bright in us as we approach his coming, that we may be ready to welcome him on Christmas day and every day. Amen.

(Light all four candles.)

Thank you, Eden and family!

Thanks to Eden's family, our class was blessed with additional cases of water for those students who need it. Thanks for your thoughtfulness and generosity!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

I enjoyed meeting with you last week to talk about your child and the new skill-based report card! Thank you for the time you spent with me discussing your child's progress and ways to work on improving reading and math skills. Our time together was enlightening to me and hopefully to you as well! Your child is a special gift to the CAS community of learners!
 
Hopefully, you have had the chance to view your child's report card in the parent portal and become familiar with the skills that were assessed. Keep in mind that the goal by the end of First Grade is to receive a grade of "M" (Meets grade-level standards consistently). Most grades will be a "W" for working toward mastery of the standard or is inconsistent. Many skills are given an "X" because we do not cover that material until later in the year, such as money and time in the area of math. Please be aware that the first half of first quarter is a review of Kindergarten skills. 
 

3rd Week of Advent: The Candle of Joy

Third Week: Joy (Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11)

God of joy, it is in your love that we find lasting joy. Keep us from seeking happiness in things that will not last, for we brought nothing into this world and can take nothing out of it. Teach us instead to find joy in the gift of your Son, who came into this world with nothing, yet gave us everything. May his joy bubble up in our hearts and overflow to all we meet this Advent season. Amen. (Light two purple and one pink candle.)

Happy Advent!

The Advent wreath provides a way of marking time through the season leading up to Christmas. As another candle is lit each week, the light in the darkness grows brighter and brighter until the Light of the World (Jesus) arrives. The Advent wreath opens space to slow down amid a busy season of preparations, and to spend time in prayer and reflection as a family. 
 

Symbolically, the circle of the wreath represents God’s infinite and unending love, and the evergreen represents the everlasting life we receive through his Son. The candles, of course, represent Jesus as the Light of the World. Purple, the color of the three candles, symbolizes not only penitence, but also royalty, signaling the coming of a King.

The first week of Advent focuses on Hope, the second week on Peace, the third on Joy (represented by the pink candle), and the fourth on Love.

 
Our class has been learning about the meaning of Advent and the wreath as well as the candles. Miss Brady taught us all about Advent last week when she took us on a "field trip" to the front foyer where the CAS Advent Wreath and Candles are located! See photos on the CAS Photo Site! 

2nd Week of Advent:Candle of Peace

Second Week: Peace (Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12)

God of Peace, during this Advent season, keep us from getting caught up in the busyness and chaos of the world around us. Help us to slow down, so that we may find rest in the Prince of Peace, your son, Jesus Christ. As we prepare for his coming, make us instruments of your peace in our homes, in our schools, in our work and in our world. Amen. (Light two purple candles).

1st Week of Advent:Candle of Hope

First Week: Hope (Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44)

God of Hope, we light this candle as we prepare for the coming of your Son. Awaken our hearts to you this Advent season, so that when Christ arrives, we are ready to receive him with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our strength. Amen. (Light one purple candle.)

We LOVE our Document Camera!

A few students who "wrote books" at home used the document camera to show their classmates! This made it very easy for all to see their beautiful work and for them to explain and read their creations to the class. Thanks, Sawyer for getting the book writing excitement and sharing in our class started!!!

Book Fair Thanks!

I am so thankful to the many parents who filled my E-wallet and subsequently our classroom library with a stack of new books! Your generosity was overwhelming and most appreciated!
 
(Even the CAS Library got a new book thanks to the Book Fair organizers who used funds from my E-wallet to bless the Library with the new Pete the Cat book!)
 
I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity as well as your attention to the Wish Lists that came home for your approval and for their return with funds to purchase at the fair. We only had happy faces at the Book Fair! 

Science and Art Class

In a partner project, Mrs. Lorenti joined us outside on a super fun "Leaf Hunt" and then showed the students how to create leaf rubbings/drawings using a crayon once we returned inside. It was such a great way to combine what we have been learning about Autumn with Art! Thank you, Mrs. Lorenti!

Pumpkin Exploration!

Thanks to the generosity of several families, we enjoyed our Pumpkin Exploration Project this past week! The students were very enthusiastic and worked together to ask questions and explore the size, shape, number of lines and seeds in small groups. They recorded their discoveries in a booklet. It was such a joy to watch them scoop the seeds and then count the seeds the following day after they were dried in the oven. We watched a Scholastic News video about the investigation of pumpkins and listened to a read aloud about how pumpkins grow and how to predict the number of seeds a pumpkin may have inside. This is one of my favorite projects of the year, and I hope that your child had fun learning about one of God's amazing creations! 

Rock Painting

We had a wonderful time at the CAS Garden on Thursday 10/20 painting our rocks! After we were done making our rocks colorful with the different color paints provided by the "Garden Lady" Mrs. Jahn, we were invited into the Garden to explore and learn about the kale, carrots, romaine lettuce and herbs that are still growing! We saw the rocks that last year's first grade painted all around the perimeter of the Garden and will look for our rocks the next time we visit the Garden. They will be a beautiful addition to an already amazing space at CAS!

Homework and Reading Expectations

Please see the Homework Cover Sheet each week for other reminders, including Homework and Reading expectations. It is important for all students to practice reading the Superkids stories sent home each week as well as other reading materials suitable for your child's reading level. All Superkids stories use the spelling pattern of the week (ex: "sh" or "th" words). This helps students build confidence and reading skills necessary to complete our workbook pages successfully and as independently as possible. We read and discuss all stories in school, but it is helpful for students to read them at home as well, especially if your child struggles with reading. Thank you for your support!