Thomas Connolly Principal

New Jersey educator Thomas Connolly has more than two decades of experience as a teacher and school administrator. Thomas Connolly is serving as the principal of Rock Brook School. Approved by the NJDOE, the school received accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools and was awarded a School of Excellence by the National Association of Special Education Teachers.

 

Previously, Mr. Connolly served as an elementary school principal in Florham Park, which was designated a Future Ready School by the New Jersey Department of Education. This award demonstrates best practices in leadership, education, and technology of the school and district. Under Mr. Connolly’s leadership, his school participated in many activities, such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Hero Squad Campaign, the Great Kindness Challenge, World Dance Residency, Mindfulness Mondays, and a peer tutoring program. In addition, his students participated in the Fair of Emergent Researchers, an interscholastic science research competition, as well as the New Jersey State Police Poster Contest, where a student in the building was recognized as the top winner in the state.

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As an educator, Thomas Connolly conducted an action research project to study the effectiveness of Fundations, a program designed to improve students’ phonemic awareness, phonics, letter formation, and reading skills. The study focused on determining the impact of using the program in a first-grade classroom. Thomas also participated in the New Jersey Department of Education’s Language Arts Literacy Project which included writing curriculum for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

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Mr. Connolly attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in speech pathology and audiology. Following his undergraduate education, Thomas Connolly earned a master of science degree in education of the deaf and hard of hearing from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Mr. Connolly completed school leader certification through the New Jersey Expedited Certification for Educational Leadership and has served as a NJEXCEL mentor for future leaders.