Puglia
LA MIA PIAZZA 2016
July 11 -15 and 18 -22
NEWSLETTER & PARENT INFORMATION
The following are enclosed:
1. Short Description of Apulia
2. Welcome Letter
3. Contact Information
4. Behavior Expectations
5. Who’s Who at La Mia Piazza
6. Calendar Order form
7. Camp Evaluation
Regions of Italy-Puglia
Mola di Bari, Puglia Gallipoli, Puglia
Apulia or Puglia is a long, slender region with a vast stretch of sun-baked coastline. Apulia's southernmost tip, the Salento peninsula, forms the heel of the Italian boot. Apulia is bordered on the northwest by Molise and its western border is with Campania and Basilicata. Apulia consists of rolling plains and gentle uplands, sources of grain and the nation's largest volumes of wine and olive oil. Apulia's most prominent geographical feature is the Gargano peninsula, which juts out into the Adriatic like a spur on the boot of Italy. Today Apulia is a mix of both natural and man made sights: beautiful beaches, flat plains of wheat or olive groves, nature preserves, family run farms (many of which have become Agriturimos), large ports, and small fishing villages. Apulia abounds in castles, churches and ancient ruins - all of them still far away from the major tourist tracks, at least for now.
Basilica di San Nicola, Bari
Dear Parents / Guardians,
We welcome you and your child as participants in our seventh Italian Language Summer Camp. You are part of a group which firmly believes in the beauty and significance of the Italian language.
Our camp will enrich your child not only in the language, but also in the culture, history, art, and music of Italy, a nation which has contributed greatly to the development of Western Civilization. Your child will experience games, songs, and activities unique to our camp, with instructors who are specialized in, and passionate about Italy and all it has to offer.
As we try to do every year, the curriculum develops on the theme Giro d’Italia-Tour of Italy. In past years, we have “visited” Rome, Florence, Torino, Venice, Milan, Trieste, Genova, Palermo and the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Marche, Calabria and Lombardia. This year we will “travel” trough the magnificent region of Apulia to discover the uncountable beauties and mesmerizing sites of the region: from the Gargano, the spoor of the booth, to Lecce, the capital of Baroque, to Ostuni , the white city, to the enchanting masserie (typical Apulianrural farmhouses), to the mystery of Castel del Monte or the caves of Polignano, and to the most turquoise sea you can imagine!
We welcome back our language teachers Christina Brown, Rosa Iacono, Amanda Leto, Danielle Rossi, Angela Trani and art teacher Sharon Cilento. We also want to say “Benvenuta” once again to our teacher from Italy, Mariateresa Esposito.
Our nurses this year are Debbie Englehart and Susan Staniszewski, from William F Cooke and Brandywine Springs Schools. We are so happy to have them join the camp again this summer.
We encourage you to foster the love of learning and to expose your child to opportunities that will help her/him to more fully experience the world around us. In this manner, we believe that your child will develop the love and respect for not just the Italian language and culture, but for our American culture and values as well.
We want to thank the COMMISSION ON ITALIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE whose dream for, and continued support of this camp has helped to make La Mia Piazza a reality. We also want to thank the RED CLAY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT for their continued guidance and support of this project, and the DELAWARE ITALIAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION whose primary purpose is to create and sustain, throughout Delaware, educational programs which focus on Italian and Italian--American culture and heritage. Special thanks go to the Societa` Da Vinci, to the Italo-Americans United, to the Sons of Italy in America - Giuseppe Verdi Lodge, Saint Gabriel Society and Prince of Piedmont Society for their generous and constant contribution toward scholarships. Lastly, to all those private generous donors who fervently believe in this project, we want to say, “Grazie mille.” Again, we thank you for your participation, as we go forward with two wonderful weeks of learning while having fun the Italian way!
GRAZIE MILLE,
The staff of “LA MIA PIAZZA,”
Italian Language Camp – 2016
CONTACT INFORMATION
Should you need to reach the administrators of La Mia Piazza during the weeks of July 11-22, with questions or concerns, please call the following numbers:
Gabriella Finizio 302-528-5679
Isabelle Meredith 302-264-0886
William F. Cooke Main Office_302- 235-6600
LA MIA PIAZZA 2016 – BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS
La Mia Piazza campers are expected to follow the behavior guidelines established by the Red Clay Consolidated School District.
“The Red Clay Consolidated School District is dedicated to the development of each student’s potential for learning in a positive environment. Schools are to be free from disruptions that interfere with teaching and learning activities. Students, parents, and school staff will assume a responsible role in promoting behavior that encourages learning and the development of individual potential.”
Students are expected to:
- Assume responsibility for their own actions;
- Respect and believe in themselves and others;
- Demonstrate the ability to get along with others;
- Understand & respect individual differences;
- Make good choices and understand what happens when they do not;
- Be generous, kind, & helpful.
Each teacher will have expectations consistent with the above guidelines. Students will be assisted in learning & following the rules for their own well-being and the well-being of others. Every effort will be made to help each child make good choices.
Any behavior concerns will be addressed by the Directors and the teachers.
If your child’s behavior warrants it, you will be called.
Thank you for your cooperation,
La Mia Piazza Staff
WHO’S WHO at LA MIA PIAZZA
The Creators
Justine Mataleno Clerc is a member of the Italian Commission on Italian Heritage and Culture. A graduate of the University of Delaware she is retired from Winterthur Museum and Gardens. Justine Mataleno Clerc is considered the historian of the Italian-American community of Delaware and has written and consulted extensively on this subject. She has also been a member of various Italian-American organizations. Justine is President of the Delaware Italian American Education Association.
Gabriella Finizio, DML, was born and studied in Naples, Italy, where she was a doctoral student in Philosophy when she married and moved to the United States with her husband, Michael, a pharmaceutical researcher with the DuPont de Nemours Company. In the USA, Gabriella received her BA in Latin and Greek from CUNY, her Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Delaware and her Doctoral Degree in Modern Languages from Middlebury College in Vermont, where she specialized in Italian Medieval-Renaissance Literature and Italian Cinema. She joined the Foreign Languages and Literature Department at the University of Delaware in 1982 and earned the University’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1992 and 2010. Gabriella retired from UD in 2011, and started dedicating her efforts to the Italian Language Summer Camp. She is also Delaware’s Consular Correspondent for the Italian Consulate General of Philadelphia and a board member of the Delaware Italian American Education Association.
Mary Teresa Sachele-Morrison has dedicated more than 40 years to teaching and coaching children from elementary school to university. She received a BA degree in Education with a concentration in French from Marywood College in 1968; a Master;s Degree in Education and Comparative Romance Languages(French, Italian, and Spanish) and Literature from SUNY, Binghamton, 1982; studied abroad: Quebec, Canada 1967, and Siena, Italy (Corso di aggiornamento) 1994. Mary Teresa is currently a member of PASR, NIAF, Sons of Italy, UNICO, and a lector at St. Edmond’s Church – Rehoboth Beach, DE where she resides. She is also a volunteer at Beebe Hospital, Lewes, DE and an adjunct professor at Wesley College, Dover and Wilmington University, Rehoboth Beach Center. Mary Teresa is also a member of the Delaware Italian American Education Association.
The Advisors
Jack Polidori serves as the President of the Delaware Italian American Education Association. He was the Mid-Atlantic Government Relations Consultant for the National Education Association and prior to beginning the position in January, 2009, he worked as Government Relations Director for the Delaware State Education Association for the previous four years. He and his wife, Dr. Eva Peterson, currently reside in Wilmington. Jack holds a Bachelor’s Degree (cum laude) in history from St. Bonaventure University and a Master’s Degree in Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University. He has worked for teachers’ organizations for the past 35 years as a labor negotiator, organizer, political consultant, lobbyist, and communications/public affairs specialist. Some years ago, he became an Italian citizen and now also holds an Italian passport. His father’s family originated from the Ascoli Piceno province of the Marche Region, and his mother’s family is from the Abruzzo region.
The Director
Gabriella Finizio (see page 6)
The Assistant Director
Isabelle Meredith has been a language instructor / teacher at different levels and for different students ranging from preschoolers to business people. She teaches Italian, French and Latin and has studied Italian from elementary school to college. She graduated with a Baccalaureate in Languages Literature and Philosophy and then went to Law School at the University of Nice where she obtained the equivalent of a Bachelor in Business and International Law. Isabelle also worked for corporations in Europe and in America and therefore she has experience in both, the teaching environment and the business world.
The Teachers
Christina Brown received her M.A. in Italian Studies from New York University, Florence, Italy in January 2015. She also holds a B.A. in Three Languages – Italian, Spanish, Arabic, a B.A. in European Studies and a Minor in Political Science from the University of Delaware, Newark, DE, May 2013. She studied abroad in Sorrento, Italy, and Salamanca, Spain during the years 2010-2011. Christina is now a high school Italian teacher in Southern New Jersey and will be teaching for her fourth year at La Mia Piazza.
Rosa Iacono This is Rosa Iacono’s fourth summer teaching at La Mia Piazza. Rosa received her BA in Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Delaware. She also studied Italian and Art History at the Università per Stranieri in Siena, Italy. Rosa began teaching in 1999. She has taught all levels of Italian, including AP at St. Mark’s High School, Padua Academy and Delaware Technical and Community College. Rosa has also worked for Sterling Publishing translating several Italian books for the American market. She is currently teaching Italian at Padua Academy.
Amanda Leto will teach her fourth summer at La Mia Piazza. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Italian Studies from the University of Delaware and a Master of Arts in Italian from Middlebury College (Vermont and Florence). She taught as a part time instructor of Italian at West Chester University before becoming a middle school Italian teacher in Annapolis, Maryland for two years.
Two years ago, she decided to move closer to her family, and now teaches Italian at an amazing middle school in New Jersey. She thoroughly enjoys everything Italian and because of her passion,
married a handsome man from Sicily 6 years ago. They have an adorable 1-year old boy named Hunter. She is looking forward to another year of sharing her love of all things Italian with the kids of La Mia Piazza.
Danielle Rossi received her BA in Italian Education from the University of Delaware. While attending the University of Delaware, she also studied Italian and Art History in Siena, Italy. She began her teaching career at St. Mark's High School in Wilmington, Delaware, teaching all levels of Italian for 10 years. She then moved on to teach Italian part-time at the University of Delaware for two years. She currently teaches Italian at Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware. Danielle has been teaching at La Mia Piazza Camp since it started in 2009. She is very happy to be back again to share her experiences with the children at La Mia Piazza!
Angela Trani is a graduate of the University of Delaware. She earned a Bachelors Degree in Italian and Spanish Studies and a Masters Degree in Latin American Literature. She began her career teaching Italian at Concord High School in Wilmington, where she taught for nine years, before deciding to teach at college level. She currently teaches Italian at the University of Delaware. Angela is one of the camp's original teachers and has taught every summer, except for the summer of 2011 when she won a scholarship to study art history in Rome for four weeks.Angela is also a member of the Delaware Italian American Education Association. She has taught Italian to students from ages four to seventy years old. She is delighted to return for yet another successful summer of La Mia Piazza!
Mariateresa Esposito can’t wait to get together again with the staff and the campers of La Mia Piazza. Born and brought up in Napoli, Italy, she completed her Doctoral Degree at the Istituto Orientale- Università degli Studi di Napoli, in December 2015. Her degree is in Comparative Languages and Cultures, with specialization in English and Japanese. Mariateresa has also completed a degree as a specialized guide in art history and tourism geography. She is a soccer expert and has been playing the game for many years; her favorite soccer team is Napoli, but she also loves the Philadelphia Union, which she plans on watching again in July. She hopes to pass on “soccer fever” to the campers, in addition to teaching them some songs, dances and of course… the Italian language.
Sharon Cilento has been an art educator for 20 years. She currently teaches Fine Arts at Christ the Teacher School in Newark to students in grades K - 8. She attended The Art Institute of Philadelphia and earned a BFA in Painting from the University of Delaware.Sharon enjoys travel (especially to Italy!), singing, visiting museums andhunting for treasures at yard sales and flea markets. Sharon looks forward to anothercreative summer experience at La Mia Piazza and the opportunity to introduce the artistic traditions of Apulia and the Salento region to our campers.