Juli Vitello, Grade 7 & 8 Language Arts & Social Studies

This year marks Juli Vitello's seventh year at Green Woods Charter School. She greatly enjoys her position as the Language Arts and Social Studies to the 7th and 8th grades, as well as acting as homeroom teacher to the departing 8th graders. An honors graduate in Literature from Reading's Albright College, Ms. Vitello spent many years in radio, concert promotion, and public relations as well as earning two Emmy Awards for her television work. In 1999, Juli earned her Masters' in Education at Chestnut Hill College with a certification for middle school instruction.

As an avid reader, Ms. Vitello is eager to share her passion with her students through guided and independent reading of novels and a kicking classroom library. Increasing vocabulary is a major emphasis in Juli's class. As an instructor, Ms. Vitello brings her understanding of media and its messages to her students along with a very strong interest in current events; disciplines which students will need to understand in order to succeed in the future. Since no two students learn the same way, a wide variety of approaches are used: reader's theater, novels, primary documents, magazines and websites. Ms. Vitello wants all of her students to know that a good education is the key to a great life.

The Vitello family includes: Juli's husband of 28 years, Don, a video director, her son Carson, a sophomore at Pitt and her dog Buster, who is a genius. Juli continues to struggle to learn to play the mandolin and sits on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, presenter of the Philadelphia Folk Festival.

Green Woods Charter School is a great place to teach.  The serene setting fosters an understanding of the importance of nature in staff members and students alike.  The small size of the school makes each child stand out as an individual and allows teachers to teach each child in a positive way.  Collaboration by the staff is complete and friendly.  If it truly “takes a village,” then Green Woods provides one with involved parents, many siblings, and a safe, nurturing environment.  In addition, there is nothing like seeing a heron swoop low over the playground on a sunny day, or watching a turtle walk across the road to lay eggs in the brush.

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.

Remaining true to our spirit of innovation, our amazing staff continues to take 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 the outdoors as a classroom encourages our team to find innovative ways to mesh our indoor program with the real environment. Providing our students with multi-sensory experiences make learning come alive!

Years ago I earned my graduate degree by utilizing the outdoors as a laboratory for learning. It is so rewarding to now spend time observing our students as they explore and discover new things while interacting with the outdoors in a way that very few students get to do.

The Department of Education challenges Charter Schools to be innovative and to serve as models for traditional public schools. Through the development and implementation of an innovative, standards-based curriculum, and by using sound instructional practices, our teachers have not only met that challenge but far exceeded the expectations of both the School District of Philadelphia and the State Department of Education. It is extremely rewarding to be part of such a dynamic staff and to work in this student-centered learning environment. We are constantly re-examining what we do and how we do it.