Meg Teachout - Kindergarten
More information coming soon!
Classrooms
Hannah Wood - First Grade
More information coming soon!
Donna Panella - Second Grade
Donna came to Newton in 2016. She grew up in the mountains of Colorado, graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and her Elementary Teaching Certificate. From there she traveled to Rome, Italy to do her student teaching at Marymount International School. She taught in Germany and New Mexico before settling in Thetford and homeschooling her own kids for eight years. When not teaching math (which she loves!) Donna enjoys spending lots of time with her family, cooking, gardening, playing board games, and feeding her sweet 16-year-old dwarf Nigerian goat, Maisy. Donna can be reached at dpanella@wrvsu.org.
Deanna Cayer - 3/4 ELA and Social Studies
Deanna came to the Newton School as a Kindergarten paraprofessional. The following school year, she became one of the Special Education Teachers at the school, and remained in that position for 24 years before entering the classroom. Deanna graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with a Concentration in Special Education. In 2021, Deanna earned her Master’s degree in Education from the Upper Valley Educator Institute. When Deanna is not teaching her students or completing paperwork, she is spending time with her husband, Jason and their two children, Jackson and Alice. Together, her family and two dogs like to spend time outside at their home in Bethel, Vt riding ATV’s, hiking and working the land, spending time with friends and family, or sitting on the porch enjoying the peace and quiet. Deanna can be reached at dcayer@wrvsu.org
Eric Walker - 3/4 Math & Science
Eric hails from Michigan originally and came to Vermont in 2006 and Newton in 2012 by way of Florida, Ireland, and France. He attended the University of Florida and has a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Vermont University - Johnson and a teaching certification from the Upper Valley Educator Institute. In his former life, Eric owned a small chain of hair salons, was a real estate developer, and then had a career as a professional artist exhibiting his oil paintings in New York, Boston, and several countries in Europe. In his spare time, Eric is an avid downhill skier and supporter of SEC college sports and loves to cook gourmet meals and listen to music and travel (especially to Europe) with his wife of almost 4 decades, Suzy. They live in White River Junction with their awesomely amazing and adorable Goldendoodle, Phoebe. You can reach Eric at ewalker@wrvsu.org.
Colin Breen - Middle School Social Studies
Colin comes from a family of teachers, which means they always have something to talk about at Thanksgiving. After graduating from Goucher College with degrees in History and English Literature, he taught English as a second language in South Korea for two years before returning to the United States to get his teaching certification from Providence College. He's taught in Providence, Boston, and now Strafford. He's a big fan of basketball, photography, taking his dog for walks, the history of everyday objects, and (of course) smooth jazz. You can reach Colin at cbreen\@wrvsu.org.
Simone Pyle - Middle School ELA
Simone (she/her) was the Newton School's librarian from 2012 (back when her own children were students here) until the fall of 2023, when she moved into the classroom. Simone has a B.A. in English from Dickinson College and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College. After working in a variety of library settings, she decided she likes working with young people best of all, and is delighted to bring her love of literature to middle school students!
Simone enjoys needlecraft, playing video games, working in the garden, and refurbishing old things, all while listening to LOTS of podcasts! She also runs an after-school Dungeons & Dragons club. Simone is originally from the New Hampshire seacoast, but today lives in Strafford with her husband, a menagerie of animals, and occasionally their college-aged daughters. You can reach Simone at spyle@wrvsu.org.
Scot Pooler - Middle School Math
Scot Pooler has been teaching middle school math for thirteen years. He is a father to two girls in the South Royalton school, so gets plenty of practice with dad jokes...be prepared!\ Scot is new to the Strafford area, but very familiar to Vermont. He is looking forward to the new challenges, and new students, this year.
Jasmine Tremblay
Jasmine moved back to her hometown of Thetford, VT in 2018 with her family, where she began her journey at Newton. She has earned a Master’s of Education degree from Southern New Hampshire University. She is passionate about facilitating personal learning and STEM experiences with middle school students. She has been teaching for more than 18 years, and has been fortunate enough to experience opportunities like leading a learning studio through Digital Promise, speaking at the VSTA conference, the NSTA STEM Conference, and helping students compete at events like VTC’s Bridge Building, World Drinking Water Week, VT Arbor Day tree art, and Green Up Day. Jasmine enjoys being creative, laughing and being with friends & family. To learn more about her, you can visit her website teachingwithtremblay or contact her atjtremblay@wrvsu.org.
Sarah hardy - Middle School Science
More information coming soon!