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Curriculum

Office of Teaching, Learning & Assessment

Welcome to the Darien Public Schools Teaching, Learning and Assessment website. As a Professional Learning Community, we work collaboratively to prepare all students today to thrive in a changing world tomorrow. The office of the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction provides oversight of the written, taught and assessed curriculum to ensure that students have access to curricula that are aligned to standards as well as State and local policies. 

Robust and rigorous curricula are a hallmark of the Darien Public Schools. The curriculum leadership team, including directors, department chairs and coordinators, work vertically across the system to provide challenging and dynamic learning opportunities for all students. This leadership team works in tandem with building principals and assistant principals to operationalize the goals, strategies and actions of the District's Strategic Plan and vision of the graduate. 

The Darien Public Schools curriculum documents articulate content across all content areas and grade levels. These documents include essential understandings, along with goals and objectives. Beginning in the summer of 2022, curriculum will migrate to a new platform: EduPlanet21

Units of study are created and aligned to national/state standards or frameworks and are anchored in research-based best practices. Written curricula provide assured opportunities for students to grow their content knowledge and capacities in communication and critical, creative and global thinking. Curricula reflect understanding of students' developmental needs. Darien uniquely approaches curriculum through a responsive approach, allowing for adaptation based on student-performance data and learning needs. Through the district-based curriculum team and Board of Education Curriculum Committee, students are appropriately challenged and prepared for post-secondary success. 

 

A Closer Look at Our Departments

Curriculum Leadership Team

Central Services

Amy Fedigan

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction
Amy Fedigan Ed.D.
(203) 656-7409

afedigan@darienps.org

Julie Droller

Director of Elementary Education
Julie Droller
(203) 656-7479
jdroller@darienps.org

Directors, Department Chairs & Coordinators

Director of Athletics & HPE,
K - 12

Christopher Manfredonia
cmanfredonia@darienps.org

Director of Fine Arts,
K - 12

Colleen Thompson
cthompson@darienps.org

Director of School
Counseling, 6 - 12

Catherine Ostar
costar@darienps.org

Director of Mental Health
Alycia Dadd, Ph.D.
adadd@darienps.org

Mathematics Dept. Chair, 
6 - 12

Roni Rodier
rrodier@darienps.org

Science Dept. Chair, 
6 - 12

Christian Dockum
cdockum@darienps.org

Social Studies Dept. Chair, 
6 - 12

Dennis Cabrera
dcabrera@darienps.org

English Dept. Chair, 
6 - 12                           
            Kristin Colonies
kcolonies@darienps.org

ESL
Coordinator, K - 12

Patricia Thalassinos
pthalassinos@darienps.org

Career Technology Ed.
Coordinator, 6 - 12

Greg Darin
gdarin@darienps.org

World Language 
Coordinator, K - 5

Alyssa Valente
avalente@darienps.org

Program Director of Early Childhood
Laura Straiton
lstraition@darienps.org

Program Director for Gifted Education
Julie Droller
jdroller@darienps.org

Instructional Technology Coordinator, K-12
Tim McGuire
tmcguire@darienps.org

Teaching &
Learning Committees

  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team (DEI)
     
  • Professional Development and Evaluation Committee (PDEC)
     
  • Math Acceleration
     
  • Gifted Education 
     
  • Teaching & Learning Principles
     
  • Social and Emotional Learning Steering Committee (SEL)