Elementary students, grades 1-5, develop important academic and social-emotional skills as they learn through direct instruction and engage in cooperative and independent learning experiences.
The MPS Elementary program is innovative, using cutting edge, research based instructional strategies and programs such as the Strategic Interactive Writing Program (SIWI). Elementary students study the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks and current public school educational standards, with the addition of ASL and Deaf Studies and the Bilingual Grammar Curriculum (BGC). As is the case with all of our programs, our bilingual Elementary Program encourages the use of both American Sign Language (ASL) and English in order to build literacy in both languages. In most circumstances, teachers utilize ASL for communicating academic concepts and teach English as a Second Language.
The Elementary Department has also adopted the Responsive Classroom, the Steps to Respect (STR), the Great Body Shop and Second Step curricula as a means of fostering social development and encouraging respectful interaction and communication among all classroom participants.
As determined by their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team, elementary students receive additional support services, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and ASL tutoring.
General Curriculum Areas
- Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Science and Technology
- History and Social Sciences
- American Sign Language
- Deaf Studies
- Literature
- Health/Human Development
- Library/Media
- Art
- Physical Education
Our approach to classroom placement is flexible and individualized. Students typically work in groups of 2 to 10, and each child's classroom placement will be discussed during their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Some students remain with their primary teachers for the majority of the day, while others work with 2 or 3 different subject teachers throughout the course of the school day. On occasion, groups will combine and teachers team-teach. Creating these groupings allows students to learn from one another as they work.
Inside Elementary
Key Staff
Glennis Matthews, MA
Glennis passionately believes in the foundation of literacy and has focused her studies on early literacy intervention strategies for deaf and hard of hearing children with a career goal to advocate and implement an early literacy curriculum for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Glennis earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta after an Associate of Applied Science degree in Sign Language Interpreting from Georgia Perimeter College in Clarkston. She then obtained a Master of Arts degree in Middle Grade Math and Science from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.
Her role as TLC Superintendent makes her the first Black Deaf woman and first HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) graduate to become a Superintendent of a Deaf School throughout the history of Deaf Education, joining the league consisting of a few Deaf BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Deaf School Superintendents in the United States.
May-lin Eu is Deaf and was born in Malaysia. She graduated from Gallaudet University with a Master's in Deaf Education. After graduation, she came to The Learning Center for the Deaf, where she has spent the last 26 years here as an ASL teacher, tutor, mentor, and educator for grades 3 through 5.
Passionate about facilitating learning in all academic areas, May-lin has established and maintained strong relationships with families and students through her open communication and accessible instructional style.
May-lin has participated in a number of presentations and trainings, most recently completing training in a Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) federal grant, as well as presenting: “Comparison between American Sign Language and Signed Exact English in U.S. Deaf Bilingual Education System” to Malaysian Deaf community in September 2021.
Mary Jane Huru, B.S.
Parent ASL Classes, TLCPA and PAC Group Liason
Mary Jane Huru has a deep, personal connection to TLC. She is the mother of a former PIP student, who went on to attend her entire schooling at TLC, graduating in 2010. Mary Jane received her bachelor's degree in Child and Family Services. She has worked at TLC for 25 years, 10 as Admission Director/Family Liaison. Prior, she was the Director of TLC’s Childcare Center.
Toni Ammirati, M.Ed
Toni received her master’s degree in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University and has more than 35 years of experience working in the fields of nonprofit organizations, literacy, classroom management, education reform and lesson planning. She was an Elementary Principal for 25 years prior to moving into a senior leadership role in curriculum and instruction. Toni is also responsible for supporting TLC’s educational leaders and academic programs. She is also responsible for TLC’s Educational Compliance through DESE and is a MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Donna Kilcoyne-Orthoefer, MSN, RN
Donna holds a Master’s in Nursing and Healthcare Administration from Framingham State University. She has than 35 years of experience in nursing, includes experience in pediatric critical care, cardiology, medical-surgical care, and nursing education at Emerson Hospital. Donna has also served as nursing faculty at Northeastern and Regis College, as well as the Director of Professional Development at TaraVista Behavioral Health. Before joining TLC in 2022, she was the School Nurse Leader at St. Bridget’s School in Framingham.
When she is not at work, she enjoys travel, especially Disney World, with her husband and son. Her two dogs bring her much joy.