Meet the Teachers
About us
My name is Melissa Weigel. I live in Rochester on a small farm. I have three children: Angela (24), Joseph (22), and Owen (16). My hobbies include gardening, farming, and beekeeping. We raise a special breed of cattle called Belted Galloway which my son, Owen, competes with throughout New England. I also love to catch swarms of honeybees around Rochester. I enjoy learning about these remarkable, important little insects and can't wait to share all about them with your children!
I have worked at Rochester Memorial School for 19 years. I began as a paraprofessional in Kindergarten, where I worked with many wonderful teachers who inspired me to further my education. After about 8 years of college, (intersessions, nights, summers and weekends, three kids and a farm, while working at RMS) I received a Master's degree in Education. I went on to receive licenses in Elementary Education, Special Education, and Early Childhood Education. I have worked three years in Special Education: grade 6 for one year and two years in Kindergarten. This is my sixth year as a Kindergarten classroom teacher and I am thrilled, as this is where it all began for me! And in the very same classroom! We are very lucky to have Mrs. Arruda working in our classroom. She is our paraprofessional and has worked at RMS for 25 years. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren, and working with children at RMS. Jennifer Derderian is the Special Education Liaison for Kindergarten. Mrs. Darbi Lambert-Matos (Speech/Language Therapist), and Miss Souza (Occupational Therapist) will also be working in our classroom this year. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful staff working together in our classroom! We all have important jobs to help our classroom community "To Bee the Best it Can Bee!" |