Introducing: Grosso and Putrino

As of July 1, Dr. Joseph Putrino Jr., Ed.D. will be the Acting Principal of Northeast Elementary and Mr. Anthony Grosso will be the Acting Assistant Principal of Hillside Elementary. If you've got kids at Nishuane, Hillside or Northeast, you'll meet them soon enough, but Patch thought you'd appreciate a summer primer.
 
The Basics:
Dr. Joseph (Joe) Putrino, 32, lives in Orange with his wife and one year old son, but no pets. When allergies developed in the household, two cats went to a "pet sanctuary" called the "Heaven Farm."  He believes this.  You can email him at jputrino@montclair.k12.nj.us. 

Mr. Anthony (Tony) Grosso, also 32, lives in West Caldwell with his wife, three children (ages 6, 3 ½, and 9 months), and a very pretty 5-year-old fantail goldfish named Doris. His email address is agrosso@montclair.k12.nj.us. 
 
Summer Reading List: 
Putrino: Articles on educational technology, as well as articles on name-calling and bullying, the area of research for his dissertation. 

Grosso: The new James Taylor biography; he's a huge fan, and attended his most recent concert. 

Where to find them in Montclair: 
Grosso: Applegate's; he's there at least once a week.

Putrino: Thai Chef

Where to find them down the shore:
Putrino: Asbury Park

Grosso:  Point Pleasant

Best vacation ever:
Grosso: Daytona Beach, Florida. His family spent many summers there and he has wonderful memories of spending time at the beach with friends from all over the world.
 
Putrino: Portugal. He once toured the country and then stayed with his wife's family for two weeks.  He loved the food, the sights, and speaking Portuguese.  

What they love to do when they're not at work:
Grosso: Listens to and plays music, especially Frank Sinatra and James Taylor.  Also loves gardening and fixing up the house. 

Putrino: A professional artist, he loves to oil paint a mixture of surrealism and portraiture. 

Favorite ice cream flavor:
Putrino:  Strawberry or vanilla
Grosso:  Banana or frozen hot chocolate

Favorite subjects as a kid:
Grosso: Drama and social studies. He was in all the plays: Harold Hill in The Music Man, Merlyn & Pellinor in Camelot, and Elwood P Dowd in Harvey (the main character, whose best friend is a 6-foot-tall rabbit).   

Putrino: Science and art

Least favorite subject:
Grosso: Struggled with math, but became a math teacher who worked hard to make math fun and accessible, especially for kids to whom it didn't come easily.

Putrino: There were no subjects he didn't like, only teachers he didn't connect with.

Most memorable moment from elementary school:
Putrino: The 4th grade spelling bee. His mom was the PTA president, and he helped get the prizes, assuming First Place would end up in his room. He was eliminated in the first round on skate. Started spelling "s. . .c. . ." and was out immediately.  Has never gotten over it. 

Grosso: A 4th grade assembly in which a producer created rock videos in real time, on stage. Fourth grader Tony Grosso was chosen to come on stage and star in his own music video, becoming an instant rock star in front of the entire school. Still remembers the matching striped pants suit he was wearing that day.     

What they wanted to be when they grew up: 
Putrino: Architect, graphic designer, medical illustrator. Education came later.     

Grosso: Architect and actor. "Hillside is really the perfect school for me to be at.  I've never worked at or even heard of a school that encompasses both the arts and academics into one beautiful package as well as Hillside does." 

College Major:
Grosso: BFA in theater.

Putrino: Double major in Biology and Visual Arts with a Minor in Education.

First job:
Putrino: Counting computer chips. Still has nightmares that the box of thousands of chips he was counting tips over and spills, and he has to start over, up to 50,000 chips per day. Eventually quit to make pizzas. 

Grosso: Drove a lunch truck. Started work at 4 a.m., loading up the truck with ice and food, making coffee, then driving a route to different construction sites. After that, he sold suits at the old Olympic Shop up on Valley Road and still remembers many Montclairians' suit sizes!     

Most memorable moment from current position:
Putrino: First day, first year at Hillside, 3rd grade lunch duty. Boy comes up to Dr. Putrino, very excited, and asks breathlessly, "Are you the new Vice President?" No one was listening, so Dr. Putrino said proudly, "Yes, yes I am the Vice President."  Another third grader invited him to her parents' Halloween party at orientation and he accepted in front of the whole school, definitely surprising the parents! 

Grosso: Building catapults this past year in his "Simple Machines" class. He divided the class into three groups and built enormous 6-foot high catapults. The class took them outside and spent the period launching melons and other objects across the field. "Not all the catapults worked, but seeing the kids work together, repair their machines, deal with the excitement and the disappointment, and come together as teams, that was amazing. It was such a great experience for the kids and for me!"

What they will miss most from current position:
Grosso: Day-to-day, creative contact with the students. He was able to work with the kids in a very different way in the classroom than he will as an administrator, although that will be fulfilling and challenging in different ways. 

Putrino: The people, especially the kids he won't get to see through Hillside. He promises to attend the moving up ceremonies for this year's 3rd and 4th graders.  He says that if he's not there, something really crazy will have happened, as he does not break promises. 

Goal for next year:
Putrino: To focus on building the global studies magnet, and to continue to pursue the highest standards of learning at Northeast, in academics and social/emotional development. 

Grosso: To work with everyone at Hillside to make it an exciting, productive, and exhilarating year. And to take every day as it comes.

Looking forward to most next year:  
Putrino: The unexpected, and discovering the nuances of Northeast. 

Grosso: Working with the students and staff in a completely different capacity and getting to understand everyone in a different way. 

Advice for person taking your old position:
Putrino: "Lock your door.  No, seriously, just always make all your decisions based on what is in the children's best interest.  You may have to overrule parents or other adults, but always, always, think of what is best for a particular child in a particular situation and make your decision based on that alone." 

Grosso: "Think outside the box. Make science hands-on, exciting, and fun. Build things, and get outside the books." 

Advice to parents:
Putrino: You can't do everything, so prioritize your kids' needs, and spend quality time together as a family. Set a good example for your kids, so they know from seeing you how they should act around other people.

Grosso: Maintain open lines of communication with everyone in your family. At any point in the day, talk it all out, the good and the bad. Spend weekends together when you can. Spend low-pressure, fun time together. That's why his family goes out for ice cream so much – it's a fun, low key way for everyone to hang out and talk. 

If you remember only one thing about them, remember this: 
Putrino: "I'm a great communicator. I'm always fair. I always listen. I take checks. I have a good sense of humor. Kidding about the checks."

Grosso: "I'm a fun loving, easy going person. I'm very positive. I always see the positive in any situation, with any person. And I take cash. I have no sense of humor. Kidding about that. And the cash. Sort of."