About our School
School Description
Educational Program
Board of Trustees
Advisors
Staff
Partnerships
Supporters
In the News
2009-10 Calendar
Harlem RBI’s DREAM Charter School. Making Dreams Real.
Become a part of DREAMEmployment Opportunities |
Our StaffSchool LeadershipJoshua Klaris, Executive Director AdministrationYolanda Acosta, School Assistant Instructional StaffRenee Bernardo, First Grade Teaching Assistant School LeadershipJoshua Klaris, Executive DirectorJosh’s professional experience and track record as a school administrator and nonprofit program director give him the requisite capacity to take responsibility for DREAM's start-up process and the skills necessary to manage this critical phase. Josh has extensive experience as a principal (PS 183M), assistant principal (PS 158M/ PS 65X) and teacher (PS 124M) in New York City public elementary schools that have served high populations of poverty-level students, special education students and English Language Learners. In addition to his extensive work in the public school system, Josh's experience in the conceptualization, initial planning and start-up of two summer programs (Camp Get-Set, REAL Kids) further ensures DREAM Charter School’s success. Additionally, Josh is a certified teacher of both general education and English as a Second Language (ESL) and has extensive classroom teaching experience in Kindergarten through sixth grades. He has worked for a significant time in a diverse array of educational settings; from rural Louisiana (as a Teach for America corps member), to Chinatown, the South Bronx, East Harlem, and the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As an educator, He has worked to start up an integrated ESL program for PS 124M and two Collaborative Team Teaching programs, one at PS 158M and the other at PS 183M. He was part of the leadership team that worked to bring balanced literacy and standards based instruction to PS 65X. Josh was DREAM's Principal for its first two years of operation until he transitioned into being the school's Executive Director. The model proposed for the DREAM Charter School, to a large degree, is the result of Josh's background and experience in creating innovative and effective methods of service delivery to ELL and Special Education students in an inclusive setting. In his classrooms as well as in his schools students, whether they are a general education student or in one of these traditionally under-served groups, have always benefited from the rich academic and supportive settings he has created. Eve Colavito, PrincipalEve was born and raised in the Bronx, the product of a family of educators. After graduating from Brown University in 1996, Eve began her teaching career in Mmabatho, South Africa. She returned to New York City in 1998 and began teaching at River East Elementary School in East Harlem, where she was a third and fourth grade teacher in a full inclusion class. While at River East, Eve further developed her belief in the importance of inclusive education and immersed herself in the practice of engaging constructivist teaching. During this time, she received her Masters in Elementary and Special Education from Bank Street College of Education. In 2003, Eve left River East to become a founding teacher and director at Bronx Charter School for the Arts. As the Director of Inclusion, Eve started the school’s Collaborative Team Teaching model and took responsibility for ensuring the success of all students with special needs. She then served as Upper School Director, supporting students and teachers in grades 3-6. During this time, Eve developed rigorous graduation requirements for the first class of graduating sixth graders, including performance tasks for exit outcomes and a comprehensive student-developed portfolio. And finally, Eve took on the role of Acting Executive Director and then, Co-Executive Director alongside the founder of Bronx Arts. These roles allowed Eve to think strategically about the future of the school, and shape the school’s curriculum, instruction, and overall approach. All of these experiences have led to Eve’s conviction about the possibilities for all students to succeed and her belief in achieving nothing less than excellence. Traci L. Douglas, Director of OperationsTraci is a 1994 graduate of Howard University and a 1997 graduate of Harvard Law School. Traci began her legal career at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS), a non-profit, community based law office in Harlem. As a Soros Justice Fellow with the Open Society Institute, she re-established NDS’s delinquency practice while providing legal-rights based workshops to young people throughout New York City. Traci also partnered with Legal Outreach, Inc. to mentor middle school students in Harlem interested in the legal profession. She completed her two-year fellowship with the Juvenile Rights Division of the Legal Aid Society in their Brooklyn offices. During this time, Traci taught a race relations course in NYC public schools through the New York Civil Rights Coalition. After a two-year stint in the private sector, Traci returned to her public interest roots and joined NDS’s criminal defense team as a staff attorney. Her clients were mostly young adults disengaged from school and their families. In an effort to target students at-risk of entering the juvenile and criminal justice systems and to reduce the number of potential NDS clients, Traci became the organization’s first Director of Youth, Education and Outreach Programs in 2004 and was responsible for the programmatic expansion of NDS's youth leadership development program, Students Taking Action Towards Empowerment (S.T.A.T.E.). In that role, she solidified her desire to transition from the practice of law to full-time work in education. In 2006, Traci moved to Philadelphia, PA to become a social and emotional learning instructor and curriculum writer with Mastery Charter Schools. Although she truly enjoyed the classroom experience, she determined that her legal and program management background also made her suitable for charter school administration. Traci has come full circle in her youth-centered public service career and returns to Harlem with over a decade of varied experiences that will prove to be a huge asset to the operations of DREAM Charter School. AdministrationYolanda Acosta, School AssistantYolanda is a proud Boriquena, who was born in Coamo, Puerto Rico. She has resided in East Harlem since she was 6 months old. She has demonstrated her passion for her community by volunteering for Youngsters in Sports, working with children ages 5-8, for three years. Her commitments to youth development continued to grow as Yolanda began to volunteer for Harlem RBI four years ago. She got involved just as her two sons, Johnathan and Angel, became active participants in Harlem RBI’s baseball and after school programs. Her husband, Angel, also joined RBI as a baseball coach and has been volunteering for the last three years. Yolanda’s support of RBI deepened as the doors of DREAM Charter School opened in September 2008. She joined the DREAM staff as a Classroom Assistant during the 2008-2009 school year after spending twenty years as a Senior Clerk for the Bank of New York and currently serves as School Assistant. She is trilingual – she speaks Spanish, English and American Sign Language. Yolanda looks forward to bringing joy and laughter to DREAM’s Kindergarten students. Kevin Deodath, School AssistantKevin was Harlem RBI’s Assistant Learning Coach prior to joining DREAM Charter School. At Harlem RBI, Kevin fostered strong group dynamics and participation among middle school youth through structure and interpersonal relationships as well as developed strong ties with neighborhood organizations, youth and families. In addition, Kevin maintained a number of the Harlem RBI Youth Services’ attendance databases and ensured that they were up-to-date. Prior to joining Harlem RBI, for three summers, Kevin supervised six staff members and 40 youth as the Camp EUREKA Assistant Male Camp Director. Emily Parkey, Family CoordinatorEmily joins DREAM from Denver, CO where she served for three years as the lead organizer for Rights for All People, a non-profit community organization working to bring the voices of immigrant leaders to the struggle for equality, justice and human rights in the metro Denver area through education, community organizing, and strategic campaigns. Emily graduated from the University of Denver with a Masters in Social Work with an emphasis on community social work with Spanish-speaking populations. She has years of experience working to build trust and strengths based partnerships with immigrant students, families, and schools in her native Kentucky. Emily has spent a great deal of time traveling, working, and exploring Central and South America and is fluent in Spanish. She is passionate about social justice and Cincinnati Reds baseball. Monica Tolliver, Office Manager & Executive Assistant to the PrincipalMonica, a Bronx native and a product of NYC public schools and the City University of New York, has joined DREAM after 16 years of non-profit work centered on youth and education. She began her career at Northern End Youth where she supervised young adults and made judgment calls on the safety of work sites. Monica quickly moved up the ranks and after two years became the program secretary. After two years in that position she moved on to work with the NYC Department of Employment and in 1998 finished her Associates degree in computer operations. Also in 1998, Monica began her tenure at the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation where she gained knowledge and experience in fundraising and cutting edge medical research. After five years there Monica transitioned to the president’s office of the Bank Street College of Education where she progressed from administrative assistant to assistant for operations, as well as becoming the lead supervisor for the organization’s Liberty LEADS (high school) interns. Monica takes pride in helping to develop excellence in youth so that they may go out and tackle the world. She believes that everyone in a school setting from the janitor to the principal has a hand in changing lives and helping students succeed. Monica is currently working on a BBA in Computer Information Systems from Baruch College. Crystal Vargas, Manager of Student AffairsCrystal joined DREAM Charter School as an Administrative Assistant and was promoted to the role of Office Manager, then to Manager of Student Affairs. For 17 years, Crystal has been an active participant in Harlem RBI. For almost six years, Crystal was RBI’s Program Assistant and REAL Kids Administrative Assistant. She recruited 9-12 year olds to participate in the many programs offered by the organization and tracked attendance. In addition to her extensive work experience at RBI, Crystal worked as an Educational Specialist for the Scan Beacon Program where she tutored First, Second and Fourth Grade students. Crystal earned her Bachelor of Arts from City College of New York in Media Communication Art with a Minor in Jewish Studies. Instructional StaffRenee Bernardo, First Grade Teaching AssistantRenee worked with DREAM part-time as the Health and Wellness Assistant before joining DREAM full-time as a teaching assistant. In that time, Renee made strong bonds with DREAM students, families and staff. In the summers of 2008 and 2009, Renee worked with Harlem RBI’s REAL Kids Summer Program as a coach/mentor and program coordinator. Renee graduated in 2009 from Bucknell University with a B.S. in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She is a New York State and Pennsylvania State Certified Teacher. Renee has worked with English language learners and students with special needs which encouraged her to believe in the inclusion model. She hopes to help students reach their potential and instill in each student an insatiable appetite and incurable curiosity for learning. Renee is excited to make an impact in the classroom with DREAM students. Liza Blank, Social WorkerLiza joins DREAM following six years working with the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park as a Bilingual Family Therapist. At the Center for Family Life, Liza provided therapy to Spanish speaking families and advocated for them in schools, family and criminal courts, and the housing system. In addition, she developed and led supportive and skills based parenting groups. Liza also served as the Mental Health Consultant at ACE Integration Head Start, in Bushwick, counseling parents about the emotional and behavioral challenges presented by their pre-school aged children. Prior to earning her Master of Social Work degree from Hunter College School of Social Work, Liza taught at PS 4 as a Bilingual and Common Branch Classroom Teacher. Liza has traveled and studied extensively in South America. She graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelors of Art in Sociology. Julie Cappuccilli, Kindergarten TeacherJulie joins DREAM Charter School after four years of teaching Kindergarten. She previously taught at Waverly Elementary school in Eastchester. Prior to teaching in Eastchester she taught at PS 91 in the Bronx. At Waverly, Julie provided individual, small group and whole class instruction to students with diverse learning abilities. She values individuality and strives to meet the needs of each student. To accomplish this, Julie uses a variety of hands-on-activities and different teaching strategies to accommodate diverse learning styles. At PS 91 Julie implemented a balanced literacy framework for both Readers and Writers Workshop. She earned her Masters degree in Early Childhood Education from Lehman College and is in the process of earning a certification for Early Childhood Special Education. Julie believes that all students should be given a positive learning environment that welcomes exploration and enhances student confidence. It is her belief that as educators, our mission is to make school enjoyable and stimulating – if students look forward to attending school, and are actively engaged, learning is inevitable. Wayne Casimir, First Grade TeacherWayne is a native New Yorker who was born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He is a product of New York City Public and Public Charter Schools. Wayne earned his B.A. in English Language Arts at Hunter College and his M.A. in Inclusive Elementary Education at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. He has worked with children in a variety of settings spanning from summer camps to after-school centers for nearly ten years. He has also student taught grades 1, 2, 4, and 5 in schools throughout NYC. Wayne has been involved in securing money for after-school programs, and has worked on an initiative to implement universal after-school programs with NYCDOE School Chancellor Joel Klein, Former U.S. Secretary of Education Rodney Paige, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Additionally, he has co-authored a curriculum on food production and sustainability. Wayne is proud to begin his teaching career at DREAM Charter School and looks forward to establishing meaningful connections with the students and families of DREAM. Elisa Cervantes, Kindergarten TeacherElisa taught Kindergarten in a full inclusion class in Harlem for 2 years before joining DREAM Charter School. She spent a lot of time working with struggling readers after school and her goal was that each child reach his/her full potential with the same opportunities as all other students. Before working in Harlem, Elisa was a substitute teacher for one year in Staten Island where she worked with students in grades 1-4 that had diverse learning abilities. Before getting her teaching degree, Elisa worked with incoming high school students as well as college freshmen conducting orientation and Microsoft Office workshops. She received a Masters in Childhood Education with a concentration in math and science. Brooke Childs, Second Grade TeacherBrooke joins DREAM after teaching in a small bilingual public school in Oakland, CA for the past two years. At Esperanza Elementary School, Brooke worked closely with her colleagues and the families of her fourth grade students to meet their diverse needs and interests in the classroom. While she misses the community at her old school, Brooke is excited to get to know her new community at DREAM. Brooke also taught for a year in Quito, Ecuador before teaching in California. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies with a concentration in Art at Macalester College, and studied education at the New College of California in San Francisco, where she earned her bilingual teaching credential. Julie Chiaverini, Second Grade TeacherJulie joins DREAM as a Second Grade Co-Teacher. She earned a B.S. in Family and Community Services from the University of Oregon, an M.A. in Childhood Education from New York University and an Ed.M. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. Julie began her teaching career at PS 234, a social studies based elementary school, in New York City. She later moved to Chicago and taught at Hubbard Woods Elementary School and Skokie Middle School in the Winnetka School District, where she served on the district’s literacy, social studies, and assessment/conferencing committees. Since returning to New York City in the summer of 2008, Julie taught at an emerging charter school on the lower east side, where she was responsible for designing and implementing the school’s first 4th grade curriculum. In addition to her teaching experience, Julie has a diverse background in education and leadership, having served as both a juvenile probation officer and an international summer camp site director. She is committed to child-centered learning and fostering achievement and growth for all students. Yahaira Degro, Kindergarten Teaching AssistantYahaira Degro is an educator born and raised in East Harlem. Her passion for teaching developed while attending New York City public schools. She quickly learned the importance of education and decided to make a commitment to improving the lives of youth in East Harlem. Yahaira’s understanding of childhood cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development makes her ideally suited for teaching children in urban settings like East Harlem. Her ability to work with students and families alike have afforded her genuine relationships with residents of the local community. Yahaira earned a Bachelors of Arts from SUNY Binghamton in Sociology & African American Studies and a Masters of Arts in Childhood Education from Adelphi University. Additionally, she has been published in “Rethinking Schools” (Summer 2005) for her comments on the benefits of small schools settings. Yahaira is fluent in Spanish, making her a great asset to communities with populations of Spanish speaking families. She intends to make a significant and immediate contribution to the mission and goals of DREAM Charter School and welcomes the opportunity to inspire and motivate students to recognize their potential and realize their dreams. Shannon Donnelly, First Grade TeacherShannon joins DREAM after two years teaching 2nd and 3rd grade Special Education at PS 6, The West Farms School. At PS 6, she instructed Angie Ferrino, Third Grade TeacherAngie joins DREAM after teaching at the Charter School of Educational Excellence for the past three years. While teaching at the first public charter school to be approved in Westchester County, her fourth graders outperformed the local school district two years in a row with record achievement scores on New York State Assessments in English Language Arts, Math and Science. As a fourth grade teacher, Angie has worked with students with a range of strengths and learning styles. She earned a MS in Childhood Education at Mercy College and a BA in Mass Communications with a concentration in African American Studies. She believes that with the patience she possesses she is able to maximize her students’ potential in efforts to promote academic achievement. Rose Gelrod, Health & Wellness SpecialistRose is a native New Yorker who has taught in charter, public and private schools for 18 years. She holds a BA in Psychology from Vassar College, a Masters Degree in Physical Education and Teaching from West Virginia University and a Masters Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Massachusetts. She previously taught at Ramaz School, PS 63, in the South Bronx and Harlem Day Charter School. Rose has extensive experience teaching physical education and facilitating physical activity for children. She has also taught health and has a lot of experience developing PE programs as well as after and before school physical activity programs. She is a PE trainer for the DOE and trains summer camp counselors and after-school staff for some of NYC’s after-school organizations. Rose is active in the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and currently serves on their National Social Justice and Diversity Committee. She is committed to making sure all students grow to be skilled, life-long lovers of movement and health. She believes every child is capable of becoming proficient at physical activities and she builds her fundamental motor skills/health related fitness curriculum around fun, safe learning experiences for every child. Cherelle Hale, Music & Theater TeacherCherelle Hale, a native of Oklahoma, has turned in her spurs and taken a bite out of the Big Apple. Cherelle is a music and theatre educator as well as singer and actress. She earned a Bachelors in Music Education from Oklahoma Baptist University and a Masters in Performing Arts from Oklahoma City University. Cherelle is excited about celebrating her 10th year of teaching by making her debut with DREAM Charter School! Jason Martinez, Third Grade TeacherJason was born and raised in the South Bronx, but has had the amazing opportunity to be educated all over the country. Jason went away to a boarding high school in Massachusetts, where he was able to do multiple exchange programs; visiting Paraguay, Nicaragua and Kenya. After graduation, he set off for Northwestern University in IL where he would earn his Bachelor’s Degree in both Theatre and Sociology. It was during his four years at N.U. that Jason learned the value of education and community, contributing to many youth organizations including the YMCA. After graduation, he took his educational aspirations further by becoming a Senior Corps Member with CityYear Chicago: a non-profit organization working with urban youth in a school setting. Sara Inbar, First Grade TeacherSara earned her BFA in English and Drama from New York University, and her MA in Curriculum and Teaching through the Elementary Inclusive department at Teachers College, Columbia University. Sara student taught at PS 503, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where she designed and implemented science curriculum to emphasize ecological awareness and personal responsibility. Sara worked with ELL children from all over the world, using the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project for balanced literacy. Sara also student taught at Central Park East II, where she designed and implemented an emergent social studies curriculum called the World News Project, in which students researched world issues and produced their own news web cast, based on their interests and concerns. Their episode may be viewed at: http://www.schooltube.com/video/34061/World-News-Project. At Teachers College, Sara co-designed a 2-year, integrated curriculum around food, from the garden to the plate. Danielle Meyer, Kindergarten TeacherDanielle joins DREAM following three years as a Special Education Teacher at Grassy Waters Elementary in West Palm Beach, FL. At Grassy Waters, Danielle managed six colleagues as the Acting Special Education Team Leader. Danielle also planned reading, writing and math lessons that both integrated multi-modal approaches and matched students’ specific IEP requirements. Danielle earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts and her Master of Science degree in Special Education K-12 from Nova Southeastern University. Melissa L. Perez, First Grade TeacherMelissa L. Perez was born and raised in the Bronx. Melissa joins DREAM after teaching for ten years at PS 196 in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from St. Thomas Aquinas College in 2001. She is currently working on her Masters Degree focusing on English as a Second Language (ESL). During her time at PS 196, Melissa taught second, third and fourth grade. In addition to being a general education teacher, Melissa spent two of her ten years teaching in a fourth grade inclusion classroom. She has worked with students who have a wide range of learning disabilities, speech and language impairments as well as emotional and behavioral disorders. She has also worked with students who have limited English proficiency and she watched those students succeed through her systematic approach to teaching English. Melissa has spent significant time analyzing school-wide data and trends and was able to devise interventions to help the lowest achieving students. She has also assisted in the development and implementation of a third and forth grade curriculum based on these findings. She is trained in Balanced Literacy as well as many multi-sensory models. Melissa is committed to helping her students become successful through her innovative and creative approaches to teaching and learning. Jamie Platzer, Third Grade TeacherJamie joins DREAM after teaching at PS 47. Jamie taught Special Education in a collaborative team teaching classroom. As a fifth grade teacher, Jamie instructed students with a range of learning disabilities and behavior disorders. She directed instruction to meet the needs of all students and developed and implemented IEPs for all students in special education. Jamie earned a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University and her Master of Science in Education from Pace University as a member of the Teach for America program in New York City. Rozzano Polson, First Grade Teaching AssistantRozzano joins DREAM Charter School after working as a Pre-K teacher in the Bronx. He received his BA in Communications Arts from St. Thomas Aquinas College in 2003. After a career change and a growing interest in urban education, Rozzano began working for tutoring companies and after-school programs. From 2006-2007, he was a teaching assistant at The Children's Storefront in New York. He then took a similar position at Opportunity Charter School for the 2007-2008 school year. Rozzano seeks to improve his students’ overall progress and is particularly interested in helping to develop their math skills. He hopes to form a bond with all his students and their families. Rozzano will soon pursue a Master’s in Education. Katie Prince, Kindergarten TeacherKatie has been working with children for 8 years. She has a double master’s degree in Elementary and Special Education and a doctorate in Special Education (Intellectual Disabilities and Autism) with a focus on early childhood literacy. She is certified in Special Education (Birth–Grade 2), Special Education (Grades 1-6), Elementary Education (Grades 1-6), Bilingual Spanish, and English as a Second Language (ESL). She has worked with students, ages 1 ½ to 25 years old, with such disabilities as Mental Retardation (including Down syndrome), Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, as well as Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, and Attention Deficit Disorder. She has taught ESL, first grade, special education preschool, and Early Intervention. Additionally, Katie is an adjunct instructor at Hunter College Graduate School in the early childhood special education department (Curriculum, Pre-Student Teaching, Math, and Reading). She is the co-director for Student Outreach for the Lighthouse International Film Festival as well. Katie does not have any children but does have 1 cat, which she loves dearly. She enjoys cheering for the Mets, taking trips to the Bronx Zoo, and spending time with her family and kitty. She strongly believes in literacy, especially for young children, as well as working closely with families to assist children in maximizing their potential. |
 Upcoming events |
