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Reiffton School

Grades 5-6 | 610-779-7640

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Directory

Reiffton School

4355 Dunham Drive | Reading, PA 19606
(610) 779-7640

Click Here For A Searchable Directory
  • Office

    x7006 Greg Fries, Principal
    x7005, Jennifer Cameron, Assistant Principal
    x7003 Kristy Reeser, Attendance Secretary
    x7001 Karyn Talarico-Werner, Secretary

  • Counselors & Psychologist

    x7405 Kylie Fry, Counselor A-L
    x7403 Emily Seeberger, Counselor M-Z
    x7022 Chad Rutherford, Psychologist

  • Nurse

    x7015 Tammy Hughes

  • Technology Support

    x7208 Cathy Bittinger

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

  • Grade 5 - Team Neversink

    x7715 Carolyn Bihl
    x7716 Lauren Eddy
    x7709 Krista Gilham
    x7708 Derek Wolfe

  • Grade 5 - Team Dunham

    x7305 Jessica Schaeffer
    x7317 Karen Timura

  • Grade 5 - Team Rugby

    x7717 Patricia Frederick
    x7704 Heather Kirlin
    x7705 Drew Schaeffer
    x7718 Anna Zielinski

  • Grade 6 - Team Gibraltar

    x7205 Kim Grogan
    x7216 Rick Spraut
    x7217 Erin Trostle
    x7206 Michelle Woolsey

  • Grade 6 - Team Perkiomen

    x7616 Matt Hoelscher
    x7605 Amanda Karich
    x7617 Russell Keith
    x7604 Olivia Winthrop

  • Grade 6 - Team Shelbourne

    x7613 Brian Druzba
    x7606 Erin Gross

  • English as a Second Language

    x7406 Megan Block
    x7607 Kellee Fries
    x7612 Rachel Gierlich

  • Reading & Intervention Specialists

    x7209 Carol Bagoly, Intervention Specialist
    x7316 Meredith Hudome, Reading Specialist

  • Special Education

    x7218 Justin Blatt, Gifted
    x7212 Deb Carl, Learning Support
    x7409 Lidie Dawson, Emotional Support
    x7713 Paxton McGinnity, Emotional Support
    x7608 Miranda Pochron, Learning Support
    x7207 Mandy Rumberger, Special Education
    x7505 Emily Showalter, Learning Support
    x7213 Corri Speakman, Learning Support
    x7314 Kim Watson, Life Skills

  • Specials

    x7507 Gianna Digiacomo, Art
    x7041 Jen Dorta, Physical Education
    x7106 Dawn Keebler, Music
    x7126 Patricia Kline, Music
    x7119 Sally Lamm, Library

  • Therapist

    x7504 Jessica Dimitriades, Occupational/Physical Therapist
    x7313 Melanie Zaborowski, 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.

Reiffton School

reiffton

Address & Contact Info

  • 4355 Dunham Drive
    Reading, PA 19606

  • Phone:
    610-779-7640

  • Fax:
    610-779-6995

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Our Schools

Exeter Township Senior High

Exeter Township Junior High

Reiffton School

Jacksonwald Elementary

Lorane Elementary

Owatin Creek Elementary