Stephanie Regina Grades 5 and 6 Language Arts and Social Studies

After a challenging and rewarding semester this past spring as the 7th and 8th grade language arts teacher, Stephanie has returned for her first full year at Green Woods. This year she is teaching 5th and 6th grade language arts and social studies. Stephanie greatly enjoyed getting to know the Green Woods community last year, and she’s excited to be back and to work with a new group of students.

Before coming to Green Woods, Stephanie was a substitute teacher in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, which provided her with the opportunity to work with students of many ages and backgrounds. Before moving to Roxborough from the suburbs of Long Island, New York in 2006, Stephanie worked in public relations and did freelance writing for her county newspaper. It didn't take long for her to realize that the career path she had chosen was not satisfying and it was time for her to return to her old childhood dream of becoming a teacher.

Stephanie earned her BA in English at Geneseo State University in New York, and recently completed her certification in secondary education at Chestnut Hill College.  She is currently pursuing her MA in humanities at Arcadia University. She spends most of her free time hiking around Wissahickon Creek, painting, writing, and playing with her cat, Bella. She is looking forward to working with the 5th and 6th graders on meeting the academic challenges of middle school.

I first stumbled across Green Woods last summer when looking for a new place to enjoy the outdoors. Having only lived in Philadelphia for just about a year, I had no idea there was a little charter school nestled in a beautiful 340-acre nature reserve right in my own neighborhood. Imagine my excitement last year when I heard there was a position available in what I thought pleasantly of as "the school in the park"!

I can't imagine a better place to be. The intimacy between students and faculty that result from the small class sizes and subject integration creates not only a comfortable, positive atmosphere, but also allows teachers to better understand the needs, strengths, and weaknesses of each individual student. I am excited about the impact I can make as a teacher, especially at such a closely-knit school as Green Woods!

Jean Wallace, Academic Director

As the Academic Director and CEO, Jean is responsible for guiding the design and implementation of our award-winning curriculum and for supporting the direction of all areas of school life. Jean works in collaboration with our staff, Board, community and educational partners to build on our successful past toward an even greater future.

Charter schools are public schools.  As such Jean is accountable to the Department of Education for ensuring that our students are receiving a standards-based learning experience from qualified teachers within the guidelines and mandates of Federal, State, and Charter School Law. In addition to the many responsibilities associated with curriculum and instruction, Jean supports Green Woods through successful grant writing, ongoing website communication, mentoring our Jr. School Leadership Team mediation team, and by networking with key partners from within and outside the Green Woods community.

As a member of the Governor's Council for Environmental Education, Jean works with many of the State's environmental experts and agencies. "By working collaboratively with the Department of Education and the outstanding environmental agencies throughout our state, Green Woods is able to gain both valuable resources along with well-deserved local, state and national recognition for the exceptional work being done by our teachers and students," Jean said.
In addition to the daily interactions with Green Woods dedicated staff and parents, Jean enjoys those rare and special times when she gets to trail along on hikes with our budding naturalists. "Hiking with even our youngest students and seeing how they interact with the natural world always presents a wonderful learning opportunity for me. While many young children enjoy walking in the woods, Green Woods students are skilled observers, able to take in the big picture of the field ecosystem while at the same time patiently exploring the leaf litter in search of the smallest signs of life."
Jean currently holds four Pennsylvania education certifications: Principal K-12, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, K-12 Environmental Education, and Elementary Education. She earned her post-graduate certifications and her MAEd in Environmental Education from Arcadia University, a BA in Elementary Education from Beaver College, and an Associate Degree in Health Science from Gwynedd Mercy College.

Each day is a new day of exploration and discovery as we challenge each other to provide the best possible learning environment for our students.

In less than four years time our amazing teaching staff has taken teaching and learning to a whole new level. Working in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, our teachers, themselves, developed our K-8 award-winning EIC Curriculum which engages our students in integrated learning experiences that span all disciplines. Utilizing our 350-acre learning laboratory as an outdoor classroom, our partnership with the Schuylkill Center continues to grow and thrive as the Center’s expert educators spend many hours working with our classroom teachers to enhance the teaching of environment and ecology concepts.

Green Woods is the only public/charter school in the entire country to be housed directly within a nature center. Years ago I earned my graduate degree by utilizing this same setting as a laboratory for learning. It is so rewarding to now spend time observing our students as they explore and discover new things while hiking in the same woods where I learned so much about the natural world.