Roosselle Paarrk Puubblic Scchhools Diisstriicct Neewwsletttter

Roselle Park Public Schools
Spring Issue
District Newsletter
COUNTY DENTAL HEALTH POSTER WINNERS!
U
nder the direction of EJF-Aldene school nurse Nancy
Merwede, fourth grade E J F - A l d e n e students
participated in the Union County Dental Society
countywide dental health poster contest. Winners were
judged on creativity, neatness, and artistic style.
T
he two winners representing EJF-Aldene School were
also entered into the county contest. We are proud
to announce that they won both Grand Prize and First
Place. The grand prize winner was Samuel Mendoza and
first place winner was Angelyse Estevez, both from Mrs.
Mary Lou Gugger’s fourth grade class. The theme of the
contest was “Gold Medal Smile”. Pictured at right are
Samuel (l) Mrs. Merwede (center) and Angelyse.
E
BUSINESS EDUCATION
PARTNERSHIP BREAKFAST
ach year, the Education Committee of
the Gateway Chamber of Commerce
hosts a breakfast to partner educators and
local
businesses. This year’s theme was
STEM Careers: Exceptional Teachers and
Engaging
Learners.
Danielle
Romero,
Technology Education teacher at RPHS,
presented a comprehensive overview of the
program that she teaches at the high school.
Committee members also in attendance were
RPHS Guidance Counselor Ann Moore, and
RPHS Business Education teacher Joann
Sinisi, See photo at left.
E
TOP SIX HIGH SCHOOL VIDEO FINALISTS
very year Prevention Links sponsors a video contest for high schools in Union County where students
have the opportunity to create a Public Service Announcement to raise awareness about the dangers
of teen drinking. This contest is funded by the Amber Pizzo Memorial Foundation which serves to honor
the memory of a young teacher who died after being struck by an automobile driven by a drunk driver.
llen Bachert, RPHS Media Specialist is thrilled to announce that two of our high school students’
videos have been chosen as the top six finalists. The videos are “It’s OK to Say No Way” by Zach
Lahr, Victyoria Koncznski, Natalie Shirley, Michal Mazewski, Riva Patel, and Cayla Solomita and “Don’t
Be a Number” by Mirna Giron, Christian Aguilera, Bianca Hernandez, Steeven Solorzano, Noor Meky and
Dip Parikh. All entries were judged and reviewed by Union County representatives, where the top six
finalists were decided. Online voting was used to determine the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places videos.
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HIGH SCHOOL HAPPENINGS
Above:
Alexcis Tapia, Gissel
Montoya,
Carolina
BravoSanchez, Hugo Paraga
R
Above: Students l
Victoria
Pawlicki,
Figueiredo
to r
Nicole
Above: Students l to r: Roma
Patel, Amy Duelly, and Diana
Palaguachi.
RPHS STUDENTS SUPPORT SENIOR CITIZENS
PHS members of SASS (Students Always Showing Support) with Student SASS Advisor Judy
Kurz paid a visit to the Casano Center on April 25. Senior Citizens and students enjoyed
socializing and getting to know each other while sharing desserts which were provided by the
students. See photos above.
T
POETRY LIVE EVENT
he RPHS Library celebrated National Poetry Month with the annual Poetry Live event held at the library. Johnathan Montanez
shared his favorite poems at this year’s event which was held on
April 30. See photo at right.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MOMENTS
STUDENT COUNCIL ANNUAL TALENT SHOW
T
he RPMS Student Council recently hosted their
annual Talent Show. Thirty-nine students took part in
this year’s show that showcased
amazing
musicians,
singers, dancers, and even a magician! Following tradition,
the 8th Grade Council of Ten (with the help of a few
talented teachers!) ended the show with an awesome dance
to a mix of this year’s most popular songs. Congratulations
The Council of Ten is pictured
above from l to r: Casey Crown,
Ryan Dubi, Sabrina LaSalle, Lexi
Tumblety, Tyler Lieberman, Tyler
Crown, Alyssa Ortiz, Franklin
Tan, Jonathan Limo, Nicholle
Calenicoff.
to all 2013 Talent Show participants!
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THE TALENTED & GIFTED EXPERIENCE
SPECIES OVER
THE EDGE
WINNERS
Marie Sanders,
J on
a Sherman School
student
in
Mrs.
Joanne
Carbotti’s
fifth
grade
T&G
class, was selected as
the Union County 1st
Place Winner in the
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey
“Species on the Edge” Art and Essay contest.
Over 2000 entries from across the state of
New Jersey were entered. Jon Marie’s
extraordinary entry was about the Eastern
Mud Salamander. Jon Marie explained the
reasons for its disappearance in New Jersey
in both essay and drawing. Julia Henn, a
student from Robert Gordon School, received
2nd place in the same contest for her entry
on Corn Snakes. Julia, too, explained through
picture and essay why the corn snake is
disappearing in our state. This contest gave
students the opportunity to learn about New
Jersey’s endangered and threatened species.
J on
Marie and Julia represented Union County
in this year’s contest for their exemplary
entries. Jon Marie’s drawing and essay will
be featured in the 2013-2014 calendars made
by the Conserve Wildlife Foundation, and will
also be on display in Trenton. Jon Marie and
her family were invited to a reception in
Trenton in her honor as 1st place winner for
Union County. Congratulations to both girls
for their outstanding entries! In the photo
above from l to r are Julia Henn and 1st
Place winner Jon Marie Sanders.
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WATER FILTRATION LESSON AT
UNION COUNTY CONVOCATION
ifth grade T&G students attended a field trip to
William F. Halloran G & T School, #31, Elizabeth,
New Jersey.
The Union County Convocation
Consortium for Talented and Gifted students hosted
the event. The convocation was on Water Filtration
and Conservation, and Raptors. This trip included
the fifth grade T&G students from Roselle Park and
other T&G students from Elizabeth, Mountainside,
Cranford and Kenilworth. Workshops included seeing
a live Screech Owl who resides at the Great Swamp
due to an injury.
Students were provided with
information about other birds of prey like falcons,
owls, and eagles. Students also participated in a
recycling workshop from presenters from Mountainside Trails. They learned about run-off and pollution
using a real life working community model presented
through the Ambassador Program from Union County.
The day wrapped up with a presentation from a
water conservation specialist and students departed
with an understanding on how to help conserve
water. The day was an enjoyable one filled with
invaluable information that certainly could help
students become better at conserving our national
resources, recycling and investigating alternate
forms of energy. See photo above.
CREATING A DREAM HOUSE WITH A FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR GRANT
M
rs. Joanne Carbotti T&G teacher at the RPMS received a $500.00 grant for students to design, build and
create their Dream house. Talented & Gifted students were asked to work in small teams on a unique
design for a house. The houses could be a futuristic design or a design from the past could be incorporated
into their creative endeavors for their present day Dream House. Mrs. Carbotti was able to purchase building
supplies and cameras and all other materials necessary for the project with the “Kids in Need” teacher grant.
This grant is sponsored by the Office Depot Foundation and Office Depot Star Teacher Program, JoAnn Fabric
and Craft stores, Fred Meyer, and Via Credit Union. Students were asked to do the research on estimation of
cost for building their dream house and to include such things as furniture, house fixtures and landscaping
etc. Students presented their step by step building project in PowerPoint format where they showed the
location of their house and included actual pictures of the step by step building of their house. “This type of
activity gives the students a taste of architecture and design,” said Mrs. Carbotti. “It also allows them to
understand the cost of implementing such an endeavor including important factors like proper location of
their house to optimize re-sell profit,” she added. What a great way to inspire future designers, and engineers!
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GREAT PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITIES!
SUPER MENTAL MARATHON
T
he eighth grade T&G students
attended their annual convocation at
William F. Halloran, School #22, in
Elizabeth with neighboring T&G students
from other districts including Cranford
and Roselle. The day involved thinking
and teamwork. Students participated in a
quiz bowl, building a straw structure, an
activity from Destination Imagination,
and solving pentominoes. Teams were
awarded points for their placement in
each of the fourth activities. Trophies
were given to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place
team members. Dara Czernikowski team
placed 1st, and Franklin Tan’s team
placed second. Both students are in Mrs.
Carbotti’s
8th
grade
classes.
The
convocations allow students to meet
students from district who are in a similar
program and may share some of the same
interests. It is also a great way to make
new friends. See photo at right.
S
S
A FLAMING CONTEST
ixth grade students in Mrs. Joanne Carbotti’s T&G class again
participated in the Flame Contest this school year. This
contest is a joint collaboration between Alan Alda and Stony Brook
University to promote scientific inquiry with students of today.
Mrs. Carbotti stated, “It is an effective way to get students in the
target age 11-12 to participate in scientific problem solving.” The
Flame Contest involved students from all around the world who
either viewed You Tube videos or read definitions of “time” that
were contributed by scientists from around the world. Students
then voted on their favorite definition. Once the final tabulation
was completed, the top five favorite definitions were announced
and released on You Tube videos and students were then allowed to
cast their final vote for the overall best definition of the time. The
final result of the winning entry will be released later in the school
year. The sixth grade T&G students participated in all aspects of
the contest including viewing the winning entries of each
scientist’s version of time and then casting one last vote. The
students can be proud of their contribution to the success of this
experiment. Mrs. Carbotti’s students also have the possibility for
appearing on ABC Nightly News with Diane Sawyer later this year
depicting their participation in the program. See photo above.
ELEMENTARY TECH RESEARCH
tudents from Jennifer Durkin’s second
grade class at EJF-Aldene used technology
to research a desert animal. They took notes
and used them to write a chapter for their
non-fiction books.
T
he students, partially pictured, above,
are Omar Avendano, Jaquline Kosakowski,
Britney Deriphone and Anthony Ponzio.
T
BIZ WORLD IN NINTH YEAR
he students in Joanne Carbotti’s sixth grade class have enjoyed the activities surrounding Biz World. As creative,
problem solvers they love the idea of starting and naming their own business and trying to make the most profit on
Sale Bazaar Day. They must employ good teamwork skills, have to compromise and be willing to use techniques that
their Marketing Expert or President might expect them to engage in and finally sell their final products to very eager
Robert Gordon second grade shoppers.
nce the students get started on the many Biz World activities, their creativity, ingenious sale techniques, and
shrewd business sense are quite impressive. Many of the students plan to be entrepreneurs in the near future and
this activity gives them first hand knowledge of how a real business works.
Sales Bazaar Day is a fun-filled, yet educational endeavor that teaches how difficult it can be to make a profit from
products made from very knowledgeable consumers such as the 2nd graders from Mrs. Connell and Mrs. Pask second
grade classes from Robert Gordon School. The younger students must first window shop and then with Biz Dollars in
hand and a good sense of what a smart consumer should ask, ie., quality, pricing and return policies, the Sales Bazaar
begins. Friendship bracelets, duct tape, hair accessories, purses, necklaces and of course raffles were sold. All of the
students learned about sales, revenue, profit, sales techniques, commercialism and of course what a smart consumer
entails, and so the next entrepreneur is born. See photo above.
O
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EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
Above: Nicholas
Stanko, student
in Miss Dina’s
Pre-school class,
makes patterns
using rainbow
goldfish.
Above: Happy 100th Day of School! In five of the above six pictures, you can see teachers and students posing for
group photos for the 100th Day of School Celebration. Miss Erin’s class “hopped” into spring by wearing bunnyears shaped hats. See the above, lower right–hand photo.
A b o ve :
Maxwe ll
Griffin, a student in
Miss
Dina’s
preschool class, dug
for letters buried in
the sand table to
spell his first name.
Above: Pre-schoolers
Edha Gupta, and
Lillian Perez enjoy
play time in the
dramatic play center
in
Miss
Erin’s
room.
Above: Aidan Ponzio
(l) and Kylie McCall
(r), students in Miss
Dina’s pre-school class,
e n j oye d
p la y in g
St.
Patrick’s
Day
BINGO.
Above: In the Art Center, Miss
Dina’s pre-school class made
shamrock prints using green
bell peppers and paint.
T
eachers and students celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday by dressing up. Pictured above, far left: ECC teachers
Miss Erin, Miss Megan, and Miss Dina dressed up like “The Cat in the Hat”; above, left-center: Miss Dina’s
students are each dressed as Thing 1 or Thing 2. In the two photos above, center and right: Miss Megan and both
the AM and PM pre-school classes are wearing red and white striped “Cat in the Hat” top hats.
5
ALDENE’S AWESOME ACTIVITIES!
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
T
he EJF-Aldene students that
are pictured above were
selected as Students of the Month
for demonstrating outstanding
friendship qualities. Standing
from l to r, back row: Jada
Makar, Jada Miller, Emmanuel
deLeon, Fernando Contreras, Alex
Velasquez and Elena Dorgillis.
Pictured from left to right, front
row: Kushan Patel, Anthony
Ponzio, Madison Molinaro, Julian
Colon, Christopher Luciano, and
David Fernandez.
Above: Maya Lee, Madison Gallo,
Tiffany DeLeon and Maximillian
McConnell performed as the
donkey, dog, cat and rooster in
the second grade presentation of
the Brementown Musicians.
Above: Kindergartener Mehak
Patel shows her 100th day of
school project to Zero the Hero.
Above: Anthony Bien
portrayed the Cat in the
Hat during the second
grade Wax Museum.
Above: Second grader
Anthony Alzate performs
a
Michael
Jackson
number.
P
Above: Second grader
Virginia
Villa
presented
as
Cleopatra during the
Wax Museum.
Above: Patrick Haus came to
life as a character in “St.
Patrick’s
Day
In
the
Morning” when his button
was
pushed
during
the
second grade Wax Museum.
Above: Fourth grader
Miguel
Freire
demonstrates his talent
on the drums.
THE HIDDEN TALENTS OF EJF-ALDENE STUDENTS!
arents, staff, and students enjoyed watching the many performances given
at the EJF-Aldene School Annual Talent Show . See the photos above.
Above: Fifth grader
Karen Galvin plays the
piano.
Above: Britney Deriphonse, Dante
Rodriguez, Veronica Ruiz, Stefan
Miskovic and Patrick Hass
portrayed the robbers in the play,
The Brementown Musicians.
Above:
Anthony
Ronquillo,
Angelica Martinez, Carolina
Pereira, and Reina Jeronimo
gather around third grade
teacher Mrs. Jodi Foy as they
conduct a science experiment.
Above:
Fourth
graders
Angelyse Estevez and Zania
Avendano dye eggs before
spring break.
Above: Third graders Jonathan
Gonzalve,
Reina
Jeronimo,
Anastasiya Kuzyk, and Alana
Fernandes get ready to see if
Punxsutawney Phil sees his
shadow on Groundhog Day.
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THE ROBERT GORDON GAZETTE
Ss IS FOR SNAKE
D
uring their study of
the letter Ss sound, a
student in Dawn Marie
Warren’s Kindergarten AM
class brought in his pet
snake. See the photos at
left and at right.
DENTAL HEALTH SHINES BRIGHTLY AT RG
O
nce again Ms. Luz Munera, R.D.H. made her annual visit to
RG to spread smiles and the word about the importance of
good dental health to kindergarteners and first graders. The
students always enjoy Ms. Munera’s visits because she teaches
proper brushing and flossing techniques, tells them how often
they should visit the dentist and teaches them which foods they
should choose to eat to keep their mouths healthy. She also
brings a goodie or two for them to take home. THANK YOU
Ms. Munera and Dr. Cicchetti for helping keep the students of
Robert Gordon healthy and for the great new toothbrushes!
Pictured at right is Ms. Munera with students.
Above: Mrs. Dawn Marie Warren’s kindergarten classes hunted for eggs in front of Robert Gordon School .
THE SCOOP ON SPECIAL ED
BUBBLES OF HOPE
FOR AUTISM!
BUBBLE-MANIA!
Above: After a “hopeful”
day of bubble-blowing,
students pose with their
containers of bubbles.
Students from Ms. Lisa
Layden’s, Ms. Dina
Ortizio’s, Ms. Nancy’s
Caputo’s and Mrs. Amy
Balestrino's classes blew
hundreds of bubbles on
Bubbles for Autism Day
on April 22, 2013. The
bubbles represented
hope and awareness for
autism. Our students
made a difference!
A FISHING WE WILL GO!
Above: Students from Mr. Brian Lowe's
Adaptive Physical Education classes enjoy
a day of fishing at Black Brook Park in
Kenilworth.
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SHERMAN’S SNIPPETS AND SNAPSHOTS
Above: Shiv Patel Gavin Dunkerton,
Alissa
D a m ia n o ,
and
Ava
Dressendofer display the Lenni
Lenape projects they created as
part of ther social studies unit on
NJ Native Americans.
Above:
The first graders at
Sherman School enjoy an ice cream
sundae party after meeting the
expectations of their Writing
Challenge.
MAIL’S IN!
The
students
wrote letters to
various astronauts
as a culminating
activity to writing
friendly letters. In
the photo at left
Sherman student,
Isabella Montana,
enjoys
reading
her letter from
Astronaut
John
Young.
Above:
Students in Ms. Ingenito’s
kindergarten classes had fun
hunting for eggs on a breezy spring
day.
LEARN-A-FACT PROGRAM
he Learn-A-Fact Program at
Sherman School motivates
students to learn their basic
math facts. Students earn
certificates, ribbons, medals,
pictures on the bulletin board,
gold seals, and lunch with the
principal. Pictured above from l
to r are just six of our many
winners: Ny-Aziah Valle, Natalie
Medina, Alexis Hudnall, Damian
Czernikowski, Owen Herrera,
and Michele Kamienski.
T
Above:
Sherman
School
second graders dressed as
their
favorite
book
characters
and
read
summaries during their
Wax Museum.
Above:
Three
of
Ms.
Ingenito’s happy students
are shown holding their bags
for the egg hunt.
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VAN GOGH’S CORNER
F
TWENTY THREE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL YOUTH ART MONTH
or National Youth Art Month, the Roselle Park School District celebrated by participating in the
Union County Youth Art Month exhibit! This year, Roselle Park had the following twenty-three
students exhibiting:
Aldene: Priyanka Dhingra, Miguel Freire, Luke Matos & Aryan Patel
Middle School: Saavi Dhingra, Claire Hafteck, Stepanie Villanueva & Caren Williphine
High School: Gianna Kingsland, Arielle Navillo, Alan Nunez, Roberto Osorio & Riva Patel
Robert Gordon: Jovan Pejovski, Sofia Sanchez & Jezlyn Soto
Sherman: Francesca Crincoli, Nina Ignacio, Mattia Leingang, Jacob Ortiz, Simonne Ponce, Olivia Qiu
& Mariana Rivera
pieces of art from throughout the county were in the exhibit. A closing reception and
N inety-eight
awards assembly was held to honor the art teachers and art students.
Above: Luke Matos and his Above: Carrie Russoniello
Statue of Liberty artwork.
with
Sherman
School
students.
Above: Priyanka &
Saavi
with
their
awards.
Above: Francesca receiving
her award from AENJ
Advocacy Chair.
NJ STATE YOUTH ART MONTH
T
Above: Mattia Leingang
and her tree painting
Above: Mariana Rivera and
her YAM Design
Above: Simmone Ponce and
her YAM Design
Nina Ignacio
and her Robot .
Above:
hree Roselle Park students were
recently recognized for their
outstanding artwork at the New Jersey
State Youth Art Month (YAM) reception
recently at the State House in Trenton.
Priyanka Dhingra third grader at EJFAldene School, Francesca Crincoli fifth
grader at Sherman School, and Saavi
Dhingra a seventh grader at the middle
school represented Union County at the
exhibit and all received awards for their
artwork. Francesca’s w i n n i n g Y A M
design was on exhibit and the buttons
with her artwork were passed out to all
of the attendees. S a a v i and Priyanka’s
artwork were two of six selected from
the county as best in show and were on
exhibit at the State House. See above
photos.
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ART: AWARDS, HONORS, AND EXHIBITS!
F
FIVE STUDENTS’ ART ON DISPLAY AT NJPAC EXHIBIT
ive students in Carrie Russoniello’s art classes had their artwork on exhibit at the New Jersey Performing Art Center in
Newark in an event sponsored by the Art Educators of NJ.
T
he exhibit is on view through late May. The students were
honored recently at an opening reception. The artwork and 25
others from around the state is on view in NJPAC’s Victoria Theatre
Lobby.
Representing EJF-Aldene School were:
Fourth grader
Janaki Patel and Fifth graders Aryan Patel & Luke Matos. Representing Sherman School were: First grader Drishti Dudani and third
grader Madison Ruiz. Pictured at right, from l to r are Madison,
Janaki and Drishti.
Above: Madison and her Computer art.
Above: Janaki and
her Starry Night
art.
Above: Mattia and Sam
pose by their artwork.
Above: Drishti and
her Mouse art.
T
THREE STUDENTS’ ART
SHOWN IN NJPAC EXHIBIT
hree students in Carrie Russoniello’s
art classes had their artwork on
exhibit at the NJPAC in an event
sponsored by the Art Educators of NJ.
Above: Mattia, Karen, and Sam.
The exhibit was on view through April
6. The students were honored recently
at an opening reception. The artwork
and 27 others from around the state
were on view in NJPAC’s Victoria
Theatre Lobby. Representing EJFAldene School were fourth grader
Samuel Mendoza and fifth grader
Karen Galvani, Representing Sherman
School was fourth grader Mattia
Leingang. Matia, Karen & Sam, Mattia
& Sam are left pose by their artwork
Karen poses by her landscape (above).
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“WHERE CHILDREN COME FIRST”
A Publication of the
ROSELLE PARK BOARD OF EDUCATION
510 Chestnut Street
Roselle Park, NJ 07204
www.rpsd.org
Board of Education
Christopher Miller - President
Barbara Sokol - Vice President
NONDISCRIMINATION
NONDISCRIMINATION:: The Roselle
Park School District does not
discriminate against handicapped
persons with regard to admission,
access to or treatment of employment
in its programs, activities, and
vocational opportunities.
For more information, contact
District Public 504 Compliance
Coordinator, Mrs. Susan Carlstrom
at (908) 241-4550.
Scott Bruckenstein
Donald Chin
James Damm
Troy Gerten
Loren Harms
Scott Nelson
Jeofrey Vita
Patrick M. Spagnoletti
Superintendent of Schools
Susan Guercio
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
ACTION:: The Roselle
Park School District guarantees
each student equal educational
opportunities regardless of race,
color, creed, religion, sex,
ancestry, national origin, or
racial or economic status.
For more information contact
District Affirmative Action Officer,
Mr. James Shriner at (908) 245-1634.
Business Adm./Board Secretary
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