Meet Mrs. Cicchino
Jefferson Elementary School!
I was offered the wonderful position with the Roxbury School District in the summer of 2013, and I was absolutely thrilled to be back with the younger students. Each year I am learning and growing and I couldn't be happier to be a part of the Jefferson School community!
As your School Counselor, I do my best to help with a range of different challenges. You may see me in the classrooms, running groups or working with individual students. Throughout the year I try to be involved in as many school-wide programs as possible in order to increase my time with each and every student in our school.
In addition to my role as School Counselor, I ...
As your School Counselor, I do my best to help with a range of different challenges. You may see me in the classrooms, running groups or working with individual students. Throughout the year I try to be involved in as many school-wide programs as possible in order to increase my time with each and every student in our school.
In addition to my role as School Counselor, I ...
- am the Anti-bullying Specialist (ABS),
- serve on the I&RS committee,
- am a member of the Jefferson School ROCKS school-wide behavior system committee,
- am a member of the School Culture and Climate Committee and the School Safety Team/Emergency Response Team, and
- am a member of the district Crisis Management and Risk Assessment Committee.
My background and experience...
During Undergrad, I spent my summers working as a Teacher's Aide in the Special Education summer school program and my academic year working part-time at a Day Care facility just outside of Philadelphia. I was also a part-time Nanny during this time and spent time volunteering with the READ Across America program.
After graduating college in May of 2007, I went on to pursue a Master's in Education with a concentration in School Counseling at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. During those two years I worked full time as an elementary level Teacher's Assistant at the Center for Disability Services in Albany, NY; I completed two full-time internships in both an elementary school setting and a middle school setting; I worked full time as a hostess at a busy new restaurant (you'd be surprised how valuable that job was in providing "crisis management skills"); and any time in between (and during) was spent as a substitute teacher for all grade levels.
During my last year of Grad school I was lucky to get a position as a Reading Teacher for The Institute of Reading Development. With this job I was able to gain valuable experience working as a teacher and traveling throughout New York, New Jersey and even further! This was one of the toughest jobs I've had- lots of travel, unfamiliar teaching sites with 30 or more students per class that I've never met, running classes for 2-3 hours a session multiple times a day (during the summer), teaching multiple levels every day from preschool to college/adult classes, carting hundreds of pounds of books and materials, and staying the night in hotels while doing it; it was exhausting. But with this exhaustion came a true appreciation for the teachers I work with and an incredible learning experience. I worked for the Institute for a total of 6 terms and gained a great deal of classroom confidence.
After completing my internship and graduating in December of 2009, I was offered a unique position as the School Counselor for the district's out of school suspension (OSS) program. The position worked with long and short term OSS students from the middle/high school (totaling close to 70 students)...as well as overseeing the 50 or so students in the self-contained special education high school program grades 9-12. During my first year, it became very apparent that not only was the current situation not working for these kids (or the community- the attendance rate was roughly 10-15 students out of 100 actually showing up somewhat regularly), but also that we had a great opportunity to create something special. Our team designed an Alternative Learning Program that provided a full day of school for those kids who couldn't make it in, or more often were suspended from, the regular public school setting. Common student issues included jail/probation, substance abuse, gang issues, domestic violence, drop-out prevention, etc. The program has grown stronger each year thanks to the amazing individuals that still run it, and it continues to get better and better. My years with the ALP are some of my most cherished memories and without a doubt some of my most valuable experience - it will always hold a special place in my heart.
After graduating college in May of 2007, I went on to pursue a Master's in Education with a concentration in School Counseling at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. During those two years I worked full time as an elementary level Teacher's Assistant at the Center for Disability Services in Albany, NY; I completed two full-time internships in both an elementary school setting and a middle school setting; I worked full time as a hostess at a busy new restaurant (you'd be surprised how valuable that job was in providing "crisis management skills"); and any time in between (and during) was spent as a substitute teacher for all grade levels.
During my last year of Grad school I was lucky to get a position as a Reading Teacher for The Institute of Reading Development. With this job I was able to gain valuable experience working as a teacher and traveling throughout New York, New Jersey and even further! This was one of the toughest jobs I've had- lots of travel, unfamiliar teaching sites with 30 or more students per class that I've never met, running classes for 2-3 hours a session multiple times a day (during the summer), teaching multiple levels every day from preschool to college/adult classes, carting hundreds of pounds of books and materials, and staying the night in hotels while doing it; it was exhausting. But with this exhaustion came a true appreciation for the teachers I work with and an incredible learning experience. I worked for the Institute for a total of 6 terms and gained a great deal of classroom confidence.
After completing my internship and graduating in December of 2009, I was offered a unique position as the School Counselor for the district's out of school suspension (OSS) program. The position worked with long and short term OSS students from the middle/high school (totaling close to 70 students)...as well as overseeing the 50 or so students in the self-contained special education high school program grades 9-12. During my first year, it became very apparent that not only was the current situation not working for these kids (or the community- the attendance rate was roughly 10-15 students out of 100 actually showing up somewhat regularly), but also that we had a great opportunity to create something special. Our team designed an Alternative Learning Program that provided a full day of school for those kids who couldn't make it in, or more often were suspended from, the regular public school setting. Common student issues included jail/probation, substance abuse, gang issues, domestic violence, drop-out prevention, etc. The program has grown stronger each year thanks to the amazing individuals that still run it, and it continues to get better and better. My years with the ALP are some of my most cherished memories and without a doubt some of my most valuable experience - it will always hold a special place in my heart.