Our Playworks Arizona Outstanding Staff Member of the Month is Coach Jaime Pagliarulo or, as her students call her, Coach P.!
Coach P. is creating a positive and inclusive school community at Frye Elementary School. Anyone who knows Coach P. knows that she has a big and giving heart, and she has what it takes to make a positive impact on everyone around her.
Going into her second year as a recess coach at a partner school utilizing TeamUp services, Coach P. felt confident to kick off the school year strong.
She came into the school year with a new strategy to develop a healthy community: get parents more engaged in recess.. She started out by planning a Play Day, where parent volunteers could come in during a lunch recess and play games with the kids. Many parents jumped at the opportunity to help out during recess, and in turn, many kids were excited to play with adults. Now, every Friday is a Parent Play Day. With Coach P.’s help, parents have become even more involved in their student’s school.
In addition to getting parents engaged, Coach P. also wanted to make Frye Elementary more inclusive. She saw an opportunity to get students with special needs more involved during recess. Coach P. created three additional Junior Coach spots so that three students from the special education class could gain leadership experience. Coach P. trained these students to lead recess for their younger peers. Now, twice a week, you can see these three incredible leaders helping the kindergarten class play jump rope, push the swings, solve conflicts, and model positive behavior.
As Frye Elementary’s recess coach, Coach P. is always looking for ways to help students grow on and off the playground. Anywhere there is help needed at Frye, you can guarantee that Coach P. will be there to support with a smile on her face and a positive attitude.
