Cheryl Scalzo
Elementary Principal
Alburtis,PA
Summary
Innovative Academic leader focused on engaging with students and educators to meet learning objectives and drive student progress. Committed to providing empowering leadership through data driven decision making while building and maintaining strong positive relations ships. 25-year history of educational leadership managing top-performing faculties to cultivate student rapport and promote successful education delivery. Developed programs and promoted opportunities for student achievement. Excellent statistical, systems management and communications skills leading to optimum outcomes.
Overview
3
3
Certifications
21
21
years of post-secondary education
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
K-5 Elementary School Principal
Alburtis Elementary School, East Penn School District
Alburtis, PA
08.2016 - Current
- Modeled expected and appropriate leadership to promote to teaching staff and administrative personnel positive interaction with students and families.
- Monitored and evaluated educational programs to maintain high-quality performance objectives and standards.
- Instructed small groups of teachers and students.
- Collaborated with Business Department, Office of Teaching and Learning, Special education Department, PDE to develop functional budgets within allocated funds.
- Administered personnel policies and procedures and approved professional staff additions.
- Encouraged interdepartmental and cross-functional teams collaboration in development and support of student activities, programs and lessons.
- Facilitated continued education for teaching staff through implementation of quality curriculum training and appropriation of necessary resources.
- Communicated policies and procedures to students and parents regarding student behavior.
- Built productive relationships with parents of students facing difficult situations at school or at home.
- Prepared school budget and submitted to school board with recommendations for hiring, capital expenditures and cost-saving initiatives.
- Mentored newly hired educators and provided encouragement and feedback.
- Cultivated positive relationships between community members, school students and teachers.
- Trained teachers on effective teaching techniques, classroom management strategies and behavior modification.
- Verified adherence to state, federal and private funding source requirements across programs and outcomes.
- Oversaw administrative functions such as schedule management and protocols for orientation, registration and related activities.
- Managed team of 45+ employees, overseeing hiring, training, and professional growth of employees
- Prepared variety of different written communications, reports and documents to ensure smooth operations
K-5 Elementary School Principal
Jefferson Elementary School, East Penn School District
Emmaus, PA
08.2008 - 07.2016
- Studied assessment information covering students, teachers and school operations to formulate improvement plans.
- Trained 20+ teachers on effective teaching techniques, classroom management strategies and behavior modification.
- Kept school in full compliance with established policies, legal requirements and student safety standards.
- Oversaw school expenditure for students to receive maximum educational benefits.
- Monitored and evaluated educational programs to maintain high-quality performance objectives and standards.
- Modeled expected and appropriate leadership to promote to teaching staff and administrative personnel positive interaction with students and families.
- Built productive relationships with parents of students facing difficult situations at school or at home.
- Observed teachers, documented activities and implemented improvement plans to optimize classrooms.
- Oversaw administrative functions such as schedule management and protocols for orientation, registration and related activities.
- Performed classroom evaluations to assess teacher strategies and effectiveness.
- Established positive, stimulating learning environment for students and exciting education-focused setting for teachers.
Kindergarten Teacher & Principal
Lower Macungie Elementary School
Lower Macungie , PA
06.2006 - 07.2008
- Kindergarten Center, East Penn School District
- Delivered lesson plans, implemented school curriculum and used data to create, monitor and establish personalized learning plan for each student.
- Created child-centered learning environment for 425 Kindergarten students characterized by consistent application of sound mental health and educational psychology practices.
- Provided guidance on policies and initiatives for kindergarten teaching team.
- Exercised good classroom management focused on positive behavior support by clearly articulating fair and consistent expectations along with appropriate natural consequences.
- Collaborated with faculty and staff to promote rigorous learning opportunities, general well-being of school and collective interest of staff and student body.
- Created, managed and participated in variety of learning environments and activities to support opportunities for students to develop full potential and achieve learning objectives.
- Encouraged and prepared students to become independent readers through systematic, multi-sensory instruction in phonemic awareness and decoding skills.
- Delivered structured lessons on readiness skills by emphasizing phonics, language skills, literature and handwriting.
Teacher
Wescosville Elementary School, East Penn School District
Wescosville, PA
08.1998 - 06.2006
- Communicated frequently with parents, students and faculty to provide feedback and discuss instructional strategies.
- Planned and implemented integrated lessons to meet national standards.
- Developed and implemented lesson plans that addressed general students as well as those with individualized 504 plans as part of integrated classroom.
- Incorporated exciting and engaging activities to achieve student participation and hands-on learning.
- Held conferences with parents to address questions, discuss academic progress and encourage learning goals.
- Supported student teachers by mentoring on classroom management, lesson planning and activity organization.
- Instructed students in core educational principles, concepts and in-depth subject matter.
- Attended and facilitated IEP meetings for students and families.
- Worked cooperatively with other teachers, administrators and parents to help students reach learning objectives.
- Kept students on-task with proactive behavior modification and positive reinforcement strategies.
- Implemented creative ways to foster curiosity for complex principles through hands-on learning and planned activities.
Head Teacher
Wescosville Elementary School
Wescosville, PA
01.2002 - 01.2006
- Taught grades 1, 2, and 3 during tenure at Wescosville
- Taught all subjects in a fully inclusive general education classroom setting
- Implemented universally designed strategies and specific accommodations and modification to meet the needs of diverse learners
- Collected and analyzed student data on a daily basis
- Daily communication with parents, community
- Report committee member
- Math Curriculum Committee
- Science Curriculum Committee
- Social Studies Curriculum Committee .
- Led projects and analyzed data to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Participated in continuous improvement by generating suggestions, engaging in problem-solving activities to support teamwork.
- Managed team of 60* employees, participating in hiring, training, and professional growth of employees
Teacher, Primary
Kings Highway Elementary School, East Penn School District
Zionsville, PA
11.1996 - 07.1998
- Taught students subject-specific material, learning strategies and social skills.
- Collaborated with administrators on classroom policies, management strategies and discipline.
- Implemented classroom management improvements to enhance class morale and engagement.
- Drove student learning by establishing clear classroom plans and group objectives, as well as actionable strategies to achieve each goal.
- Built positive relationships with parents to involve families in educational process.
- Taught lessons encompassing skill-building activities in speaking, writing, reading and listening.
- Planned lessons according to district standards to cover all requirements and prepare for standardized tests.
Education
Ed.D - Educational Leadership
Walden University, The Richard W. Riley College of Education
Minneapolis, MN 07.2012 - 10.2020
12 Principal Certification - K-12 Principalship Certification
Penn State University
Great Valley, PA 07.2003 - 06.2005
Master of Science - Elementary
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, PA 08.1996 - 05.1999
Bachelor of Science - Early Childhood & Elementary Education
Kutztown University
Kutztown, PA 08.1991 - 05.1995
High School Diploma -
Brandywine Heights Area High School
Topton, PA 08.1987 - 06.1991
Skills
Instructional leadership
Policy and procedure adherence
Educational staff supervision
Safety and security procedures
Relationship building and networking
Team Building
Staff Development
Community Relations
Budget creation
Budgeting
Special education
Training and mentoring
School administration
Accomplishments
- Enlisted parents and community support in fundraising initiative to Shave for the Brave, which led to $25,000 profits in 2019.
- Overhauled ineffective processes and designed a School Wide Behavior Modification plan which successfully reduced behavior referrals, suspensions, and detentions.
- Endowed $10,000 in grant funds from Burlington Coat Factory.
- Integrated SeeSaw and Google Classroom into daily classroom instruction, which allowed students greater access to information.
- Spearheaded a PDE Schoolwide Title 1 improvement plan implementation which redefined performance goals and achieved East Penn School District benchmarks.
- Established schools social media presence (SeeSaw, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and automated phone system to alert parents and students of critical or time-sensitive information.
- Mentored numerous student teachers
- Mentored 8 highly successful Principal interns
- Established cultural days in which students and staffers provided insight into personal ethnic backgrounds, resulting in better understanding and more inclusive environment.
Certification
SAP- Student Assistance Program Certified
Additional Information
- Computer skills: Fluent in Microsoft, Google, Zoom, Loom, Panorama, Powerschool, Handshake
- Community Service: Member of the Brandywine Heights Area School District Task Force
- Educational Service/Committees: Greater Lehigh Valley Consortium for Excellence and Equity (Lehigh University), East Penn School District Equity Committee,
- Member: National Association of Elementary School Principals
- Member: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Annual attendee of: Kutztown University Job Fair
- Strong advocate for PreK Counts and Head Start in the community
- Strong advocate for acceptance of Professional Semester Students in the classroom as well as Student Teachers in the Classroom
- Strong advocate of equity and equitable practices
Timeline
CARR (ChildAbuse Recognition and Reporting) Certification
09-2021
SAP- Student Assistance Program Certified
04-2019
K-5 Elementary School Principal
Alburtis Elementary School, East Penn School District
08.2016 - Current
Ed.D - Educational Leadership
Walden University, The Richard W. Riley College of Education
07.2012 - 10.2020
K-5 Elementary School Principal
Jefferson Elementary School, East Penn School District
08.2008 - 07.2016
Kindergarten Teacher & Principal
Lower Macungie Elementary School
06.2006 - 07.2008
K-12 Principal Certification
06-2005
12 Principal Certification - K-12 Principalship Certification
Penn State University
07.2003 - 06.2005
Head Teacher
Wescosville Elementary School
01.2002 - 01.2006
Teacher
Wescosville Elementary School, East Penn School District
08.1998 - 06.2006
Teacher, Primary
Kings Highway Elementary School, East Penn School District
11.1996 - 07.1998
Master of Science - Elementary
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
08.1996 - 05.1999
Bachelor of Science - Early Childhood & Elementary Education
Kutztown University
08.1991 - 05.1995
High School Diploma -
Brandywine Heights Area High School
08.1987 - 06.1991