The Veterans Memorial Middle School Wellness Team was awarded the AtlanticCare AED Heart Heroes Grant. The school was one of 10 schools selected from the South Jersey region and the first school to physically receive the free AED.
Congratulations!
Pictured are Mr. Wehner from AtlanticCare, Principal Mr. Maysonet, School Nurse, Mrs. Laing and Nursing Supervisor Mrs. DeMareo
On February 1, Veterans Memorial Middle School transported students and their families into a world of intrigue and celebration as it hosted a captivating mystery night, cleverly themed around the school’s 70th birthday. The event proved to be an enjoyable experience, weaving together puzzles, history, and interactive fun for all who participated.
The mystery night unfolded as participants were tasked with navigating through different rooms, each concealing a mystery related to the school's past and present. Staff members were on hand to evaluate participants' answers in each room, ensuring an engaging and challenging experience.
The seven mysteries that fueled the night's excitement included Mystical Melodies, Principals of Memorial Past, Puzzling VMS Places, Twisted Timeline, Anagram Adventure, Memorial Memorializes, and Alumni Association.
Successful sleuths were rewarded with birthday candle stickers for each correctly solved mystery. Once all seven candles adorned their mystery list, participants were invited to the cafeteria to indulge in slices of birthday cake.
Thank you to the members of the Mennies Elementary School and Wallace Middle School Safety Patrols for leading the flag salute at the February 7 Board of Education Meeting! 🇺🇸
On February 7th, VHS alumnus Jenny Shinn (Class of '08) visited Mrs. M. Villar's marine science classes and S.H.A.P.E. Club. Mrs. Shinn is a researcher at Haskins Shellfish Research Laboratory in Port Noris. Students watched a presentation focusing on oyster ecology and the history of the oyster industry and research in New Jersey. The presentation ended with the students shucking oysters and clams and learnig about their anatomy. Some students had some surprise critters in their oysters- blood worms, mud crabs and pea crabs.
Following the two school closures in January, the district calendar and marking period dates have been updated and were approved at last evening’s Board of Education meeting.
Important dates to note:
March 8 is now a full school day for staff and students
June 11 is now a full day of school for staff and students
June 18 is a legal attendance day, the final day for students, and VHS graduation
June 19 is the final day for staff.
Further changes may be made as needed.
Links to the documents below can also be found on our website, www.vineland.org
Mr. DePasquale's kindergarten class at Mennies Elementary School is having fun learning hands-on addition. They worked together to figure out the correct placement of each student to complete their addition sentence. This helped our youngest friends practice their communication and math skills. We love watching our kindergarteners learn addition!
The RISE program at Vineland High School is holding a t-shirt sale! RISE, which stands for Reaching Independence through Structured Learning, is a program designed to ease students aged 18-21 with diverse learning needs into a supported work environment in a safe, secure, and monitored capacity. Learn more about RISE here: https://bit.ly/3HQBgFF
The shirts are $15-$19 and payment can be made by cash or a check to VHS Activities. All money and orders are due by February 15.
Please fill out this form to order: https://forms.gle/hdijvjJC63MCQ4Cg6
For more information or any questions, please contact Ms. Zentz at szentz@vineland.org
Student Levi G. at Little Lamb Preschool discussed robots with his teacher, Mrs. Goff. The teacher took his interest and developed a STEM lesson/theme for the whole class. Families donated an abundance of materials that kept the students busy making creative robots all week. The teacher and assistant introduced new vocabulary words (i.e., gears, engineers, boxitects). Students learned and worked with various tools and learned about different engineering careers. Students built robots individually and in groups. First, they discussed their ideas and were encouraged to draw their ideas before building. Fine motor skills were developed. Cooperative positive learning on science, technology, engineering, and math was enjoyed by all students in room 5!
We will be streaming the Vineland Board of Education Combined Meeting live at 5pm on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/qpCRKZ2trOQ?feature=share
Meeting Agenda: https://bit.ly/3SNEf89
Students in Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Bonsall’s second grade class at Rossi Elementary performed a reader’s theater called A Cloudy Day and afterward learned about clouds through a science experiment. They watched meteorologist Bill Henley discuss weather education and made a cloud in a jar!
In December, Mrs. Seda at Mennies Elementary School applied for and was selected to have her "Warm Hearts for Cold Hands" project fully funded through the partnership of donorschoose.org and The Tepper Foundation. Thanks to that funding, Mrs. Seda was able to purchase new coats, hats, scarves, and gloves to help support our students in need, keeping them warm and ready to learn! A big thank you to our guidance department helpers, Mya Negron, Sevgi Kangal, Alyssa Malaga, and Mia Nieves (not pictured) for their enthusiastic support and willingness to help others.
Vineland High School's AP Seminar students gave team presentations in the South Media Center on Monday, February 5. The score they earned for this becomes 1/6 of their AP Exam score. Students individually researched and wrote a report on a broad question decided on with their group and then had to put all of their research together and decide how to best solve a problem related to their group's question. This required the groups to read each other's papers and to possibly cut someone's research, do even more research, or narrow their research question down to fit into the 8-10 minute requirement. "I am extremely proud of their hard work," said teacher Noelle Patel. Topics ranged from creating safe spaces in schools, cancel culture, the future of work, ethics of human use of animals, and more.
The Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society will host a program about “Abolition and the Underground Railroad in South Jersey,” featuring Ellen D. Alford, on Saturday, February 17 at 1:00 PM. The museum is located at 108 South Seventh St. in Vineland.
Ellen D. Alford is a native South Jersey resident and local historian who researches and writes about the Underground Railroad, slavery, abolition and Harriet Tubman in South Jersey. She is a former newspaper correspondent, public school educator and university administrator. She has won numerous journalism awards, including the Lloyd P. Burns Award for Public Service from the New Jersey Press Association. Ms. Alford is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., with a degree in English/communications and has pursued graduate studies in American history at Rutgers University-Camden, New Jersey, where she was awarded the A&S Academic Excellence. Ms. Alford is a member of the National History Honor Society.
Registration for the event is available by visiting discovervinelandhistory.org or by calling 856-691-1111.
In an engaging academic pursuit, Anthony Rossi Elementary students in Mrs. Carson's and Mrs. Headley's fourth and fifth-grade class have recently delved into a captivating research project.
The young minds have explored a diverse range of fascinating creatures, including red pandas, meerkats, mandrills, ostriches, armadillos, and more. Each student embraced the challenge of studying their assigned animal, presenting comprehensive reports covering dietary habits, special features, movement patterns, and natural habitats.
This journey of discovery not only expanded their knowledge but also honed crucial research and presentation skills. The students demonstrated a genuine passion for learning as they navigated the intricacies of the animal kingdom.
Mennies' playground stars got a surprise treat for their good character during lunch and recess! Every other week our playground staff selects one student in each class to be the star for the next two weeks. These students get a special surprise during their time as playground stars. We are #menniesproud of our stars!
Special shout-out to our amazing playground and cafeteria crew!
In honor of National Hot Chocolate Day (January 31), Mrs. Dorsey, Speech-Language Pathologist, and Mrs. Diorio, Teacher of the Deaf, teamed up on a week-long learning project about hot chocolate. The students learned about history and other fun facts. They learned the steps to make hot chocolate, proper measurement and completed a sequencing writing piece to show what they learned. Students were encouraged to use the new vocabulary and descriptive language they learned throughout the week in their final drafts of their writing. The week-long fun ended when the students got to actually make the hot chocolate and enjoy their sweet treat!
Congratulations to the Vineland High School FFA chapter, who competed at the 43rd Southern Regional Flower Show on Friday, February 2nd, at the Deptford Mall. Students selected various categories to compete in, including fresh floral arrangements, silk floral arrangements, and various horticulture categories. Students then had to create a vision board and supply lists for their selected class. Seven schools in total competed, bringing over 100 arrangements. Judges were industry professionals. Seventeen VHS FFA members competed and are bringing home three 1st place ribbons, eleven 2nd place ribbons, and two 3rd place ribbons.
Malachi Rosado, from Mrs. Hensley and Mrs. McGill's kindergarten classroom at Mennies Elementary School was nominated and selected to be our School Citizen of the Month for January. He is kind and caring towards others, especially his peers. Malachi demonstrates the character traits we look for every day in our students.
This school year, as part of the Character Education committee's initiatives, teachers and staff can nominate students for the "Citizen of the Month" award. While our monthly Character Badge awards are specific to a particular character trait each month, a "Citizen of the Month" can be anyone who showed any of the character traits that embody being a good school citizen, such as being respectful of other people and their property, being respectful of school property, following school rules, displaying good character (responsibility, empathy, honesty, good listening, courage, kindness), and giving back to the school community.
Way to go, Malachi!
Vineland High School junior Michaela Giuliani won the Poetry Out Loud Regional Competition on February 2nd, hosted by Appel Farm Arts and Music Center in Elmer, NJ. She will advance to the NJ State Final and compete with 11 other students from across the state.
Vineland High School was well represented at the Region 2 competition, with 31 of Giuliani’s classmates traveling with her to support and cheer her on.
A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and state and jurisdictional arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud (POL) encourages high school students to learn about great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition. Students select, memorize, and recite classic and contemporary poems, helping them to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.
Each Regional Finalist must recite a total of three POL Anthology poems by heart, reciting one poem per round. Poems must be from the approved POL Anthology and satisfy the contest criteria. Winners of the state competition represent New Jersey at the National Finals.
Region 2 includes Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, and Cape May counties; the winner of the regional competition advances to the state competition. VHS has performed well at the Regional Finals in the past several years and advanced to the State competition six times. The winner of the state competition wins a trip to the National Finals in Washington, DC, where they have a shot at winning $20,000.
"I am proud of Michaela's performances, and I know that her classmates are proud of her as well," said Vanessa Rasmussen, VHS English Department Chairperson and Coordinator of the school’s annual Poetry Out Loud competition. "The poems Michaela chose were emotionally complex, and she personalized them and performed them for the audience with insight and authority. I am thrilled that we were able to share the experience of poetry in action with so many of our students, and I am gratified that they truly enjoyed themselves and happily participated in the process," said Rasmussen.
New Jersey Poetry Out Loud is a project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in collaboration with Count Basie Center for the Arts. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies of the United States. Additional support for NJPOL is provided by ArtPride NJ Foundation and local partners. Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 3 million students and 50,000 teachers from 10,000 schools in every state, Washington, DC, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Congratulations to Kimon Myrie and Shamelis Marrero-Arroyo on being selected as the Vineland High School January Dancers of the Month. These students come to dance class each day prepared to learn with positive attitudes and great determination. They rise to all challenges and are always supportive of their peers. Ms. Hall is very proud of them!
