Ms. Emily Wernau - Principal

My name is Emily Wernau and I am honored to introduce myself as principal of Tremont Elementary School. Previously, I was an Assistant Principal at Oregon Middle School and Saxton Middle School. Before that, I worked in the NYC Department of Education as an Assistant Principal, Instructional Coach and Teacher. I taught English, Social Studies and Debate.

I have a B.A. & M.A. in English from St. John’s University, a M.A. in English Education from City College, and a M.S.E.D. in Educational Leadership from Baruch College. My years at St. John’s have left a profound impact on me. Their message that serving communities is one of the greatest gifts one can give is something I carry with me. Thus, I began a career in public education. I consider myself a lifelong learner and continue to take courses in various topics to continue growing as an educator.

As a lover of curriculum, I believe that engaging and enriching experiences spark excitement about learning. In line with the whole child approach, the Tremont staff aims to create student centered environments for our students so that they can discover and explore. We attend continuous professional development and are always expanding our thinking in innovative ways to teach children.

Here at Tremont, we also believe in fostering strong social and emotional curriculum so that students can grow to become confident and positive citizens. You will see paintings on our walls of buckets, hear about “bucket fillers” in our classrooms and listen to teachers read from Carol McCloud’s book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? That book, is a book on creating happy children through self-awareness and kindness. Our tiniest students all the way up to fifth grade become familiar with it so that they can carry these tools to secondary school and beyond. We strive to prepare our students for the world beyond by providing the nurturing space they need are children.

The Tremont family considers it an absolute privilege to work with your children and we are excited to watch them grow and flourish. Thank you for sharing your children with us.

Mrs. Wernau’s Credo

I believe that all students regardless of background or ability have the right to a nurturing, supportive, inclusive and rigorous education.

I believe that learning should be fun, relevant and stem from a place of inquiry and that all are active participants in learning, myself included.

I believe in collaboration with families, educators, staff and students to drive decisions and goals.

I believe that our differences and diversity make us beautiful and unique and should be celebrated.

I believe in safety and kindness. This means that having clear expectations are important and that it is our job as a school community to model and support students in ways to make safe decisions for our bodies and minds and ways to be kind especially when it is difficult to do so.

I believe in educating the whole child and that it is my responsibility to support educators in this pursuit.

I believe in the power of relationships and that the school community should be an extension of family. We may not always agree (like family) but we should move and speak from a place of understanding, respect and love.