September is officially upon us, which means it’s back-to-school season. A new school year means lots of new school supplies, from pens and pencils to arts + crafts and books. We are so lucky to have so many wonderful educators right here in Essex County and the greater North Jersey area — and to celebrate their hard work as well as lend them a helping hand, we’ve compiled a list of local teachers’ wish lists for their classrooms. Read on to help clear the classroom wish lists of these North Jersey teachers.
Abra Kressler — 2nd Grade
Abra teaches 2nd grade at Elysian Charter School in Hoboken. This wish list is full of fun and educational books.
Alexa D’Amico — 1st Grade
Alexa lives in Jersey City and teaches 1st grade in Franklin township at Pine Grove Manor. She’s searching for a table, cubbies, backpacks, books, and more.
Alexis Walling — Grades Pre-K – 4
Alexis is a Speech-Language Pathologist working with grades Pre-k – 4 at Fanny M. Hillers Elementary School in Hackensack. She’s searching for toys + games for her little ones.
Ally Greenstein — 6th Grade
Ally teaches sixth grade math. She lives in Caldwell and teaches at Frelinghuysen Middle School in Morristown. She teaches a mix of general and special Ed classes where she does her best to provide a trauma-sensitive classroom that allows space for play and wellness — so she’s looking for educational toys, books, and more to help her to do so.
Alyssa Rosen — 1st Grade
Alyssa teaches 1st grade at Elysian Charter School. She teaches all primary subject areas, including reading, math, social studies, science, writing, and social emotional learning. She’s looking for stools, storage supplies, and other educational supplies.
Ashley Choate — 1st Grade
Ashley teaches 1st grade at Elysian Charter School. She’s been teaching in Hoboken for 20 years and is a resident here, too. She’s in need of a reading table for group reading time.
Ashley Katz — 6th Grade
Ashley teaches 6th grade humanities at Elysian Charter School. She’s on the hunt to diversify and update her classroom library and to get some extra art supplies.
Allison Posluszny — 6th Grade
Allison has been a Hoboken resident for just over 10 years and teaches 6th grade English in Union City at a Title I public school, Emerson Middle School. She’s searching for snacks, erasers, folders, locks, and more.
Bridget Sullivan — 6th Grade
Bridget teaches 6th grade at Henry B. Whitehorne Middle School in Verona. She’s in need of candy, art supplies, calculators, and more.
Caitlyn Serafin — 2nd Grade
Caitlyn will be teaching 2nd Grade at Empowerment Academy Charter School in Jersey City this upcoming school year. This is her first year teaching, so she needs a lot of supplies to fill up her new classroom.
Catalina Fernandes — 2nd Grade
Catalina is a first-year teacher and a recent Montclair State graduate who will be teaching 2nd grade at Luis Munoz Marin Elementary School in Newark. She’s asking for items like cleaning supplies, sharpies, a storage cart, and more for her new classroom.
Cecilia Huamani — Teaches 4-year-olds
Cecilia works at the Kidz Inn Day Care center in Jersey City. She’s spent the last 9 years working with 4-year-olds and is in search of a variety of supplies, like markers, paint, and crayons.
Christina Reichart — Kindergarten
Christina is a kindergarten teacher in Jersey City. Her list includes items to help create a calm, serene learning environment conducive to learning for her students.
Colleen Herlihy — 4th Grade
Colleen is a 4th grade at Elysian Charter School in Hoboken. Her list includes books, erasers, pencils, and more.
Courtney Gurkas — 3rd Grade
Courtney is a 3rd grade teacher at Orange Avenue School in Cranford. She’s in need of bulletin board magnets, classroom decorations, and more.
Diane Murray — 6th Grade
Diane teaches 6th grade math and science at Elysian Charter School. Diane is looking for paper goods, glue sticks, and more.
Deirdre O’Connor — 3rd Grade
Deirdre teaches 3rd grade at the OLC School in Jersey City. She’s looking for name tags, pens, desk toppers, and more.
Emily Killea — 4th Grade
Emily is a 4th grade teacher at Elysian Charter School in Hoboken. She’s looking for books, organizational supplies, art supplies, and more.
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Gabriella Veloz — High School Special Education
Gabriella is a life skills special education teacher at Union City High School. She’s searching for headphones, hooks, magnets, and more.
Heather Shaw — 5th Grade
Heather is a 5th grade teacher at Jersey City PS 26. This is only her second year teaching, and she’s switching both subjects + grades this year — meaning she’s in need of lots of new supplies for her dream classroom.
Holly Franco — 5th Grade
Holly teaches 5th grade math and science at Colin Powell School in Union City and has been a teacher for 25 years. She’s in need of bulk items, which her students require to stay organized or keep important math tools and reference sheets. She’s also searching for snack tables to allow for flexible seating in everyday interactions.
Jacqueline Keenan — 5th Grade Special Education
Jacqueline teaches 5th grade special education in Bayonne, NJ. She started teaching in 2019 at Washington Community School, which is actually her alma mater. She’s in need of markers, erasers, educational toys, and more.
Jasmine Yoo — 4th Grade
Jasmine is a second-year 4th grade math and science teacher at Slocum Skewes School in Ridgefield. She’s in need of stuffed animals, scissors, and more.
Jessica Davis Torkel — 2nd Grade
Jessica teach 2nd grade at South Mountain Elementary School in South Orange. She needs tables, markers, toys, and more.
Jessica Jordan — Preschool
Jessica is a preschool teacher at Forest Elementary in Orange. She has paper goods, books, masks, and more on her list.
Joanna Gosk — 7th + 8th Grade
Joanna is a first-year social studies teacher at Elmwood Park Elementary School. She’s in need of a variety of essential supplies for her first-year classroom — like construction paper, expo markers, storage baskets, and more.
Josephine Miguel — Kindergarten
Josephine is a kindergarten teacher at Elysian Charter School. Josephine is in need of floor cushions, dry erase boards and markers, a pencil sharpener, and more.
Kendra Button — 5th Grade
Kendra just moved to Jersey City and will be teaching 5th grade this upcoming school year in Millburn. She’s looking for items like stickers, pencil top erasers, colored index cards, pencils, and more for her students.
Laura T — Tessa International School
Laura teaches at Tessa International School in Hoboken. She teaches to a French immersion Kindergarten class. She’s in need of sensory fidgets, educational toys, and more.
Laura Lopez — 3rd Grade
Laura will be teaching in South Orange/Maplewood for the upcoming school year. She’s teaching 3rd grade and is asking for toys, pens, folders, and more.
Lauren Bayersdorfer – High School
Lauren is an Algebra 1 and AP Calculus teacher at Weehakwken High School who’s in her 4th year of teaching — and this year, she finally has her own classroom. Lauren is looking for some math-inspired classroom items as well as a few other things like a pocket chart, dry erase pockets, and more.
Leanne MacDonald — Preschool Special Education
Leanne was an elementary severe special education teacher for 11 years and has now shifted into a new role as a self-contained preschool special education teacher. She’s looking for some age-appropriate materials to help fill her new classroom.
Mallory O’Brien — Kindergarten
Mallory teaches kindergarten at William Shemin Midtown Community School in Bayonne. She’s in need of toys for her students, glue sticks, laminating pouches, and more.
Martha Hanna — 7th + 8th Grade
Martha teaches 7th and 8th grade Language Arts/English at Washington Community School in Bayonne. She’s requesting books for her children to read.
Melissa Landera — 2nd Grade
Melissa teaches 2nd grade at Elysian Charter School. She has been teaching in Hoboken for 25 years and is in search of some new books for her classroom’s library.
Mia Torres — 1st Grade
Mia teaches 1st grade at Woodrow Wilson Community School in Bayonne. Mia is in need of supplies like sticky notes, paper clips, desk organizers, and more.
Michael LoRusso — 2nd Grade
Michael teaches 2nd grade at Washington Elementary School in Union City. Michael is in need of desk toppers, floor cushions, Sharpies, and more.
Monica Richard — 7th + 8th Grade
Monica teaches 7th and 8th math at Elysian Charter School. She teaches one section of algebra and needs supplies to help, like calculators, index cards, binders, and more.
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Morgan Tobia — 1st Grade
Morgan is in her second year as a 1st grade teacher at James Monroe Elementary School in Edison. She’s requesting items like a swivel stapler, books, toy building blocks, games, and more.
Nicole Cornacchia — 4th Grade
Nicole teaches 4th grade at Roosevelt School in Lyndhurst. She’s in need of supplies like a rug, storage totes, games, books, and more for her students this upcoming school year.
Rachael Richard — 9th + 11th Grade
Rachael is a third-year high school history teacher. She currently works at Bayonne High School where she teaches 9th grade world history and 11th grade United States History 2. She’s hoping for certain items that she always runs out of and some additional items to help make her classroom a more inclusive space where students can see themselves represented not only in the curriculum, but also in the posters they see around the classroom.
Rachel Schwartz — 3rd Grade
Rachel teaches 3rd grade at Elysian Charter School. Rachel is in need of art supplies to support the project-based learning activities + design challenges.
Rachel Weir — 6th, 7th, + 8th Grade
Rachel teaches ELA to 6th-8th graders at Primary Prep School in Jersey City. She’s requesting school supplies like colored paper, a desk organizer, dry erase pockets, notebooks, gel pens, and more for her classroom this year.
Rebecca Estrada — Kindergarten – 6th Grade
Rebecca teaches art at East Dover Elementary School, with students ranging from kindergarten to 6th grade. She is looking for art supplies and more for her classroom.
Ruth Rosa — Middle School + High School
Ruth has been teaching various grade levels in middle school and high school for the past 6 years, and is currently teaching at a newly developed private school in Newark — where she is the Dean of Freshmen. Ruth is looking for some basic classroom essentials to help her students thrive.
Samantha Marchesano — 3rd Grade
Samantha is going into her third year of teaching in Bloomfield. She’s looking for items like bookmarks, a pencil sharpener, and more to make sure all of her students have the resources they need to reach their goals.
Samantha Passeri — Kindergarten
Samantha will be teaching kindergarten this year at John P. Holland Charter School in Woodland Park this school year. She’s in need of school supplies like pencils + pencil grips, writing tablets, books, and more for her classroom.
Sarah Kasko — 1st Grade
Sarah is currently in her 4th year teaching at Frank K. Hehnly Elementary School in Clark. Sarah is in need of school supplies like pencils, stickers, books, and more for her students.
Stephanie Biancamano
Stephanie is in need of organizers, toys, books, and much more for her classroom.
Xiomara
Xiomara is searching for books, cleaning supplies, markers, and more.