We are Winslow proud of 3rd grader Ava who was honored as the “Caring Kid of the Game” at the Friday, January 5th, 76ers versus the Knicks basketball game! Ava was selected through a partnership with Chick-fil-A and the 76ers as a local youth between the ages of 4-16 who have endured challenging circumstances and persevered, showing what it truly means to care. Ava has experienced multiple traumatic events, including losing her mother at a young age. Despite all she has been through, she has shown perseverance, adaptability, and resilience! On Thursday, Ava received a special visit at school from Chick-fil-A owner Phil Kelley and Community Relations/Marketing Director Lara Hardman, who treated Ava and her grandparents to lunch and some Chick-fil-A and 76ers swag to get them ready for the game! A special thank you to Chick-fil-A for their investment in our school-aged youth!
Last week, Mrs. Meneghetti’s kindergarten class at Petway Elementary School reviewed their sight words. As a Fun Friday activity, they reviewed their words by playing a game called Sight Word Kaboom! Students passed around a cup of popsicle sticks that had sight words written on the bottom end. Each student had to pull out a stick and read the sight word. If they got it correct, they got to keep the stick. If not, they had to put it back in the cup. If they pulled out a stick with the word “kaboom!” on it, they had to put all of their popsicle sticks back in the cup. The student with the most sight word popsicle sticks at the end of the game won! It was a great way to get extra practice as well as end our first week of the new year!
Students in Señorita Pulman's Spanish class at Pauline Petway Elementary School took a virtual field trip to Spain to learn about the New Year tradition of eating 12 grapes for good luck. Students located themselves on the map and traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to find themselves in Madrid, Spain, where they virtually explored the city and compared what they saw with the things they usually see in Vineland. Students watched a video of the clock striking 12 while the bells rang as the citizens ate the grapes at the ringing of each bell. Students then considered their own wishes and goals for the New Year and presented them during the January Patriot Pride Pep Rally. Each wish and goal aligned with the character traits for the year and the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. We have big goals here at Petway, and we plan to achieve them by "never giving up," as mentioned by a fifth-grade student during the Pep Rally.
On Friday, December 22nd, the staff of “Champions @ Rossi” hosted a “Grinchmas party” for both of our Morning and P.M. programs. In the morning, we had a Who-ville breakfast feast with Santa Claus and The Grinch for the kids, serving them Grinchy pancakes, Green Eggs, Bacon, and Fruits, amongst many other things! Mrs. Elizaray Guzman came and played the piano for the kids, and together, we all sang Christmas carols.
We also taught the kids about the origin of Christmas and the gift of giving.
In the afternoon, Santa returned and read to us “The Polar Express Story.” Santa also brought gifts from his workshop for every single child in our program for both morning and p.m. Our little elves helped Santa so much! We had an entire feast with Santa! We played games, and Artist “George Perez” hung out with us and drew pictures of the kids as caricatures. We also played Christmas games in the gymnasium. Every child felt cherished and loved! It filled our hearts to be able to give every single child a loving and fun memory of Christmas!
We would like to thank our “Champions Staff: Miss. Zuly, Mr. Josh, Miss. Seyma, Miss. Wanda, Miss. Bianca for sponsoring some of the children and making their Christmas wonderful! Also Miss. Denise for working hard along with the rest of the staff to make it the most amazing event for the kids! To Mr. LaBarbera for calling the North Pole and bringing Santa Claus to Rossi. To: Mr. Guadalupe for convincing the grumpy Grinch not to steal our kiddo's gifts and leave! Thanks to Mr. George Perez for lovingly coming and drawing our kids and staff! Also, our boss, Danielle, for supporting our vision and contributing to our event! But above all, to the parents who participated in our Secret Santa, who donated monetarily and even with food! Most importantly, we are grateful for the trust deposited in us and for allowing us to love your children and create memories for them!
From our “Champions @ Rossi” family to you all, HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
On behalf of the Vineland Public Library, we would like to share with you the January edition of the VPL Gazette. Please click on the link VPL GAZETTE for the December 2023 edition of the VPL Gazette: https://www.canva.com/design/DAF42Vq_sfo/view
Please take a few minutes to review it and share the link with your friends and neighbors. As always, the library has something for everyone. Please encourage them to share the link as well. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions, please contact us at: vplgazette@vinelandpubliclibrary.org.
We want to take this opportunity to invite everyone to visit us as soon as you are able. We look forward to welcoming the entire community to the Vineland Public Library.
ROSSI IS WISE! Rossi Elementary School students were rewarded for Encouragement on Thursday and introduced to Optimism! We had amazing superheroes: Gary and Wendy Fisher. They are such optimistic people who bring positivity to others. Mrs. Megan Pangburn is our WISE guy - the most encouraging staff member!
The Girl Scouts of Central & Southern New Jersey are hosting Mad Science Saturday on Saturday, February 24 from 11am-12:30pm at the Vineland Public Library. See the attached flyer for more details and how to register.
Cole the Deaf Dog & Friends Foundation will host a Designer Bag Bingo on Friday, March 1, at the Millville Elks Lodge. Proceeds support the non-profit's special education scholarships, community disability awareness programs, and enrichment for the residents of the NJ Veterans Memorial Home.
Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.colethedeafdog.com/merchandise.html#/
Four newly-elected Board of Education members, including two incumbents, were sworn in at last evening’s Reorganization Meeting.
Incumbents Cedric Holmes, Dennis Rivera, and newcomer Robert Buono are filling the three-year seats. Former board member Eugene Medio was elected to serve the remaining year in the seat vacated by Renee Fabbri last year. Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci swore in all four members.
Following the swearing-in, the newly seated board voted for president and vice president. Previous vice president Kim Codispoti was unanimously voted president, while Holmes was voted vice president. Both seats were uncontested.
Board of Education meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month at 5 pm at the Landis Administrative Offices. Meetings are also streamed live to our YouTube channel, VLDSchoolsTV.
As part of their Community Outreach Initiative this year, Veterans Memorial Middle School’s mascot, Sgt. Roary has been visiting community businesses in Vineland to deliver Roar Outs. These Sgt. Roary Community Roar Outs show an appreciation for being named a community partner with Veterans Memorial School and providing support for our students’ and staff’s growth and well-being. Sgt. Roary will be making a surprise visit to selected Vineland businesses once a month throughout the year and hand-delivering framed Community Roar Outs for the businesses to display in their stores and/or offices. The two most recent businesses to receive a Sgt Roary Community Roar Out were Al's Shoes and Kura Thai & Sushi, both located on Landis Avenue.
VMS is very grateful to Brian Lankin of Al's Shoes for helping many of our VMS students in their time of need. We are also very proud of Ru Chen, of Kura Thai & Sushi, who is the parent of VMS Eighth Grader Charlie Chen. The Chen family has shown a deep dedication to the Vineland community and to VMS. Sgt. Roary salutes both Mr. Lankin and Ms. Chen on forming a community connection with our Veterans Memorial School family!
We will be streaming the January 3 Board of Education Reorganization Meeting live on our YouTube channel at 5 p.m.
https://youtube.com/live/ybTkb-LYjA0?feature=share
Julianne Guinup, Thomas Garcia, and Caryeen Hughes-Alves are the Vineland High School Dancers of the Month! These three students were an integral part of our December Dance projects. Thomas choreographed a holiday routine and performed as Santa Claus for the residents of the Veterans Home and Autumn Lake Healthcare. Julianne also collaborated on a separate Holiday routine and danced beautifully for those same residents. Caryeen choreographed a High Energy Hip Hop Routine for The Battle of the Classes event that was a lot of fun to watch! These three dancers are most deserving of this award!
On Wednesday, December 20, the Rossi Elementary School safety patrol celebrated the gift of reading with 100 eager kindergartners.
Books were collected from BookSmiles, a New Jersey nonprofit established to irrigate book deserts across the state. Mr. Jeff Martine, Rossi Elementary School safety patrol adviser, hand-selected over 200 books for distribution from the Pennsauken book bank last month. The idea came to Martine when he noticed Rossi’s youngest learners' excitement at their latest book fair but the dismay of some who did not have the resources to purchase much-needed literature.
“I can remember being in kindergarten myself and how good it felt to hold a new Clifford, Little Critter, or Curious George book in my hands. The safety patrol and I wanted every kindergartener to have that feeling, too”, Martine said.
The books were set up to resemble a book fair, and each kindergartner brought home a book of their choice. Safety patrol members helped students select interesting titles and then spent the remainder of the time reading with kindergarten students.
Kindergarteners not only left with a free book but also some new friends in the safety patrol. Both safety and kindergarteners alike had a great time sharing a mutual love of reading.
If you are interested in supporting BookSmiles, you can find more information here:
https://www.booksmiles.org
Vineland Public Schools Community, we need your help! Veterans Memorial Middle School teacher Jack Martine is in the running for Most Valuable Teacher for January, presented by the NHL, NHLPA, SAP, and EVERFI! This honor includes winning $10,000 towards Environmental Sustainability Resources for the district.
"I’m dedicated to teaching applications for STEM because I know that it not only impacts how healthy and productive students are during this time, but also their well-being and success far beyond the K-12 years," Martine said.
Throughout the month of January, colleagues, students, and parents will be able to visit NHL.com/MVT and vote once a day, every day. If Martine wins, he will be eligible to win an additional $50,000 for the district.
Happy Holidays to all of our staff, families, and students. We hope you have a wonderful break and can't wait to see everyone again on January 2!
Throughout the month of December, Veterans Memorial School NJHS and Safety Patrol collected gloves, hats, scarves, hand/foot warmers, and hygiene products to be donated to a local Veterans Center and the Cumberland Family Shelter. For each item donated, students were entered into a drawing to win the chance to “shave the principal.” Mr. Maysonet grew his beard out for the entire month. The day before winter break, Aubrianna Rivera and Jolisse Torres trimmed & decorated Mr. Maysonet's beard, live on the morning announcements for everyone’s viewing pleasure!
Santa and his Helpers made their way around the Veterans Memorial School campus on Friday delivering hot cocoa and candy canes to the faculty and staff and bringing Holiday Wishes to each and every student!
Our Mennies family would like to thank Mr. Salvatore Gaetano, founder and CEO of Franklin Insurance Adjusters, and his family for their generous donation to our families in need. The Gaetano family’s commitment to helping needy families during the holiday season is truly admirable, and it's evident that their efforts have made a significant impact on the lives of many.
Mr. Gaetano's dedication to personally shopping for the food, assembling the baskets, and ensuring that families have enough not only for their holiday dinner but also for the weeks to come is a demonstration of genuine care and consideration. His ongoing commitment to this food donation campaign for twelve years reflects a sustained effort to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.
Mennies School's gratitude towards Mr. Gaetano is well-deserved, and his continued support undoubtedly contributes to fostering a sense of community and support within the school. It's heartening to see individuals and businesses actively engaging in initiatives that address the needs of the community, and Mr. Gaetano's example serves as an inspiration for others to follow.
May the spirit of giving and kindness exhibited by Mr. Gaetano and his family continue to inspire positive change in the community, and may their generosity serve as a shining example for others during the holiday season and beyond.
This week has been very eventful in the AFJROTC program at Vineland High School. We started off with our Color Guard presenting the flag for the dedication ceremony of the new Edward Harvard Gym in the South Building of VHS. After, the cadets spent two days finding uplifting quotes and creating Holiday cards to be delivered to the Vineland Veterans Home to be given to everyone there. Then, we ended the week with a day devoted to special Air Force and Space Force guest speakers. Thank you to Victoria Darr, SPC3 USSF, a former Vineland High School Alumni who is the first to go into the Space Force from Vineland High School. She was joined by her co-worker Cody, also an SPC3, who came to talk about their experiences. During the visit, we were also joined by an Air Force/Space Force recruiter, an Air Force reserve recruiter, and a recently graduated Air Force cadet who all took turns sharing information to all flights. The "Outstanding Flight" award winner, Foxtrot Flight, took pictures with our SpaceForce visitors.
Mrs. Loftin’s and Mrs. Allison’s classes at Rossi Elementary School enjoyed the last day before Christmas break with a hot cocoa bar. There were delicious treats and all the toppings to make a wonderful cup of cocoa! We love our Rossi Roomies! 🎄
