Rebecca Giaccio
Rebecca Giaccio has been the principal of Notre Dame Academy Elementary School for seven years.
A proud alumna, Ms. Giaccio is honored to serve the school in this capacity and is dedicated to the continuation of the mission of the school. She presents a diverse educational background in science, technology, and mathematics (STEM) as well as education, and has earned a bachelors degree in liberal arts with additional concentrations in engineering, early childhood, and elementary school education, including an associates degree in architecture, all with highest honors.
After working in the New York City public schools as a middle school mathematics teacher, she relocated to the Lower Merion School District of Philadelphia to teach while attaining a masters degree in School Leadership from Villanova University, achieving a special certificate of exceptional performance as well as permanent certification. Through continuous professional development and focus on utilizing differentiated instruction techniques, Ms. Giaccio was rated a 'highly qualified teacher.'
After ten years of teaching, Ms. Giaccio returned to Staten Island to accept a teaching position at Notre Dame Academy where her work reignited her awareness of the benefits of an all-girl education. As primarily a language arts teacher for five years, she enjoyed working with the Notre Dame students to share her love of reading and creative writing prior to her promotion to principal.
Her work administering the Summer Institute of the Gifted program helped prepare her for the unique opportunities in teaching talented young women. Under her supervision as principal, Notre Dame Academy created two additional grades, a Toddling Two's and a full day Pre-Kindergarten Three Program. STEM programs were implemented across the grade levels beginning with the addition of iPads for use as learning tools in grades Kindergarten through grade three, coding and robotics work in grades two through five, and a one-to-one Chromebook Program was implemented for students in grades five through eight.
Additionally, students in grades five through eight now benefit from a weekly STEAM course (adding the Arts to STEM), and the opportunity to develop more sophisticated robotics experience as a part of a larger electives program including offerings in the arts, sciences, and humanities.
