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Jacksonwald Elementary

Grades K-4 | 610-779-1820

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Directory

JACKSONWALD ELEMENTARY

100 Church Lane Road | Reading, PA 19606
(610) 779-1820

Click Here For A Searchable Directory
  • Office

    x5103 Matt Hathaway, Principal
    x5101 Dani Merkel, Secretary
    x5102 Marybeth Eckenroth, Attendance Secretary

  • Counselor & Psychologist

    x5210 Kate Atkinson, School Counselor
    x5712 Jodi Landis, Psychologist

  • Nurse

    x5104 Nicole Strauss

  • Technology Support

    x5136 Kristin Kenagy

Note: Faculty phone numbers go to voice mail during school hours

  • Kindergarten

    x5427 Christine Druzba
    x5425 Lori Simmons
    x5426 Ashley Weaver

  • Grade 1

    x5119 Christina Ibanez
    X5121 Becky Krommes
    x5120 Kristine Schmidt

  • Grade 2

    x5124 Val Bloch
    x5123 Cyndi Lorady 
    x5126 Christine Motley

  • Grade 3

    x5219 Jenna Conrow
    x5221 Kaitlyn Lohr
    x5217 Stacia Miller
    x5220 Karlee Perilli

  • Grade 4

    X5226 Melissa Adams
    x5224 Brianna Amanto
    x5227 Elizabeth Caruso
    x5225 Todd Papich 

  • Reading & Intervention Specialists

    x5211 Hillary Arndt, Intervention Specialist
    x5422 Rachel Gierlich, English as a Second Language
    x5212 Nancy Salvatore, Reading Specialist
    x5207 Allison Shuman, Reading/Intervention Specialist

  • Special Education

    x5419 Karyn Algeo, Autistic Support
    x5117 Jennifer Elliott, Learning Support
    x5127 Heather Gromlich, Autistic Support
    x5223 Trisha Maguire, Learning Support
    x5218 Saranne Reisig, Learning Support
    x5423 Robyn Shaffer, Autistic Support
    x5125 Kathleen Walker, Gifted

  • Specials

    x5150 Matt Hadley, Physical Education
    x5417 Heather Hafer, Music
    x5208 Amy Parsons, Art
    x5418 Emily Reppert, Instrumental Music
    x5138 Wendy Wegman, Library

  • Therapist

    x5420 Daria Robinson, Speech Therapist

Home » Cursive Makes a Comeback at Exeter
students hold up cursive workbooks
a student shows off her cursive in a workbook
a student writes cursive in a workbook
a teacher writes cursive on a whiteboard
a student writes cursive in a workbook
a student writes cursive in a workbook

Jacksonwald students in Mrs. Stacia Miller’s third grade class “juggled” pencils yesterday as they wrote in a “jiffy” and “judged” the quality of their “juicy” cursive words starting with the letter “j.” Here, as well as throughout all 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades in Exeter, teaching cursive handwriting has returned to these classroom curriculums with fresh and modernized resources that teachers say bring more learning and teaching enjoyment for students and teachers alike. “Handwriting and an emphasis on teaching it was becoming a lost art with so many digital devices being introduced into the classroom and modern-day society,” said Superintendent Dr. Christy Haller. “But as more and more research comes out that reinforces that carefully writing things by hand rather than typing them is essential for brain development, learning and retention, we decided that this was an essential part of the curriculum and should be reintroduced to our students with a new and aligned curriculum in third through sixth grade.”

“This isn’t just about having a pretty signature,” says Mrs. Becky Bush, who helps select and oversee K-6 curriculum in Exeter. “Teaching cursive contributes to students’ overall cognitive development and helps them improve their reading, writing and spelling.” The results of that research are coming to life in Mrs. Miller’s classroom. “The connection between fine motor practice, which is heavily relied on during cursive formation, and the retention of content is awesome to see in my class,” she said. Plus, she said students just really enjoy learning it. “The students love our cursive time! It is engaging and gives them a sense of ownership over a completely new way of writing.”

As students in third-sixth grade now carefully take some time out of their day to carefully learn how to shape letters, many are doing so with enthusiasm for learning how to write carefully. “I really like how it forces me to be neat,” said sixth grader, Eden Hodges. “Me too. It’s also organized, and as an organized person, I like that,” said Lizzie Davis, also a sixth grader, both of whom are in Mrs. Gross’ homeroom at Reiffton. In Mrs. Miller’s class, Emma Greenhalgh proudly held up a notebook showing off her penmanship as she grinned and confessed that learning to write a “j” was fun, but her favorite letter to write in cursive so far was an “f”--a grade we’re sure she won’t receive based upon her neat penmanship.

Jacksonwald Elementary School

jacksonwald

Address & Contact Info

  • 100 Church Lane Road
    Reading, PA 19606

  • Phone:
    610-779-1820

  • Fax:
    610-779-8844

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Our Schools

Exeter Township Senior High

Exeter Township Junior High

Reiffton School

Jacksonwald Elementary

Lorane Elementary

Owatin Creek Elementary