Mennies second graders had a very busy day rotating around to each second-grade classroom learning about someone new in honor of Black History Month. Yesterday, they learned all about Oprah Winfrey, Rosa Parks, Michael Jordan, and Mae Jemison!
Eight top chefs from the district’s elementary schools will prepare to show off their cooking chops in the 11th annual Future Chef Competition, to be held on Wednesday, March 20, at Wallace Middle School. The theme of this year’s competition is “Favorite Healthy Salad.”
The idea behind this event is to help educate the students about healthy eating habits, according to Purvesh Patel, Food Service Director. Judging will be based on the following criteria: originality, kid-friendly, ease of preparation, healthy attributes, plate presentation, and taste.
Fifth-grade students from all district elementary schools had the chance to submit a recipe for consideration, with one student chosen from each school. This year’s competitors and their dishes include:
Juliyana Yelez from Barse Elementary School, making “Healthy Summer Salad”
Jaxon Potter from D’Ippolito Elementary School, making “BBQ Salad”
Keitshaley Velez Leon from Durand Elementary School, making “Tropical Fruit Salad with Citrus Yogurt”
Jayceon Lecator from Mennies Elementary School, making “Jay’s Spinach Special”
Conor Malecki from Petway Elementary School, making “The Healthy Muncher”
Benjamin Napoleoni-Lopez from Rossi Elementary School, making “Pistachio Delight Salad”
Renisha Ulysses from Sabater Elementary School, making “Autumn Salad”
Damian Garcia-Duran from Winslow Elementary School, making “Vachalatta Salad”
The winner will receive the title of Future Chef and take home an amazing prize package. The competition will be recorded and shared on the district’s YouTube channel, VLDSchoolsTV, after the event.
On Friday, February 23rd, Barse celebrated its monthly tradition of Fist Bump Friday! Students were greeted upon arrival at school by a variety of guests with a fist bump or special greeting for the day!! Students and teachers enjoyed seeing the outpouring of participation from the community! Barse’s special guests this month included Rowdy the Rooster, the Chick-fil-a Cow, Wallace Middle School Safeties, Rowan College of South Jersey athletes, the Sheriff’s Department, and Alexis Ziegler. The Barse Bears are so thankful for the people who take time out of their busy day to join us for Fist Bump Friday!
The latest edition of School Leader Spotlight, featuring Rossi Assistant Principal Lauren Coia and hosted by Superintendent Alfonso Llano, is now available on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/iH-PKaZKC4A?si=6P-gywyM5RXAf7bK
210 Mennies Elementary School students celebrated earning Magnet Club Status for the 2nd marking period on Friday, February 23. Students participated in a Minute-To-Win-It Event in the cafeteria with Mrs. O'Donoghue and Mrs. Weir as the DJs. In order to achieve this status, students had to have no discipline referrals, excellent attendance, earn A’s, B’s, or C’s on their report card, and earn G’s or E’s in the categories of Work Habits and Conduct. The Mennies Magnet Club Committee is made up of several teachers, the school counselor, social worker, and administration. Students will also get treats/rewards throughout the marking period. The Magnet Club Committee is hoping to see even more students earn this achievement in the 3rd and 4th marking periods.
The Latino Family Literacy Project at Dallago Preschool just completed its five-week program for the 2023-2024 school year!
Led by the Preschool Bilingual Instructional Coach Matty Romano, Community & Parent Involvement Specialist (CPIS) Brandi Gatier, and Social Worker Stephanie Staffieri, families with Spanish as their primary language were invited to participate in the project that focused on goals of:
Establishing & supporting a family reading routine
Improving English language skills
Improving Spanish literacy skills
Strengthening parent/child interactions
Each week, the families were taught a specific literacy skill that they could incorporate at home, either in play or while reading to their children. Each family made their own book to bring home that consisted of family photos, letter & number cards, an alphabet chart, and pages with shapes, colors, and emotions (all in both English and Spanish). Working closely and learning new things together made the families feel comfortable, relaxed, and able to form new friendships, as well as connections with the school!
For our final meeting, parents put the finishing touches on their family book, enjoyed refreshments, completed an application for a Vineland Public Library card, and met with representatives from the Monarch Family Success Center, PRAC, and WIC. Families also had the opportunity to meet with the Vineland Preschool Principal, Mrs. Melissa Hannagan-Painter, who stopped by to see the participants’ amazing final projects.
Not only did all of the families take home their personalized books, they also received 29 new books to add to their home libraries! Families were also given new materials to incorporate learning through play at home.
A warm thank you to Superintendent Mr. Alfonso Q. Llano and Dr. JoAnne Negrin, Supervisor of World Languages, for allocating the grant funding to make this opportunity possible for our families. The project was a huge success, and we can’t wait to see how many families will join next year!
The Latino Family Literacy Project at Dallago Preschool just completed their five-week program for the 2023-2024 school year!
Led by the Preschool Bilingual Instructional Coach, Matty Romano; Community & Parent Involvement Specialist (CPIS), Brandi Gatier; and Social Worker Stephanie Staffieri, families with Spanish as their primary language were invited to participate in the project that focused on goals of:
Establishing & supporting a family reading routine
Improving English language skills
Improving Spanish literacy skills
Strengthening parent/child interactions
Each week, the families were taught a specific literacy skill that they could incorporate at home, either in play or while reading to their children. Each family made their own book to bring home that consisted of family photos, letter & number cards, an alphabet chart, and pages with shapes, colors, and emotions (all in both English and Spanish). Working closely and learning new things together made the families feel comfortable, relaxed, and able to form new friendships, as well as connections with the school!
For our final meeting, parents put the finishing touches on their family book, enjoyed refreshments, completed an application for a Vineland Public Library card, and met with representatives from the Monarch Family Success Center, PRAC, and WIC. Families also had the opportunity to meet with the Vineland Preschool Principal, Mrs. Melissa Hannagan-Painter, who stopped by to see the participants’ amazing final projects.
Not only did all of the families take home their personalized books, they also received 29 new books to add to their home libraries!!! Families were also given new materials to incorporate learning through play at home.
A warm thank you to Superintendent Mr. Alfonso Q. Llano and Dr. JoAnne Negrin, Supervisor of World Languages, for allocating the grant funding to make this opportunity possible for our families. The project was a huge success, and we can’t wait to see how many families will join next year!
Registration for the North Vineland Little League Challenger League will open soon! See the attached flyer for more information.
Registration is now open for the 2024 Girls Flag Football season. Check out the attached flyer or visit vinelandyouthsports.org for more information.
Congratulations to the Vineland High School Model Congress Club for their impressive showing at the New Jersey State Model Congress Leadership and Caucus Day Competition on Friday!
Model Congress students from across the state attended the event that served as an exhibition of debating skills in preparation for the 2024 Model Congress, scheduled for March March 14 and 14 at Rider University.
VHS students won two leadership positions: Jorge Flores was selected as the Chairperson of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Chris Gagnon was elected as the Independent Party Whip. Gagnon will also have his bill targeted by the Republican Party.
Students were also able to participate in a “behind the scenes” tour of the Statehouse and Governor’s Office. Also attending the visit were juniors Michaela Giuliani and Alex Garcia, and senior Madalyn Dutra. Model Congress Club advisor is Louis Russo.
Great job, VHS!
The district's Transportation and Registration Departments wore yellow today in honor of Cochlear Implant Awareness Day!
Cochlear implants provide meaningful access to sound for those with more severe hearing loss. The day of awareness is celebrated every February 25.
Students in Laura Morris' classes at Pilla Middle School completed a cross-curricular science/social studies project in which they mummified apples and then wrote postcards home to describe what they learned. Students learned about how and why the ancient Egyptians mummified bodies and why bodies were preserved.
Kindergarten students in Ms. Dubois' class at Petway Elementary School learned about Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in Louisiana. The Story of Ruby Bridges was read to the students, and then the students brainstormed different ways Ruby felt and completed a writing piece.
Ms. Moyer’s third graders at Mennies Elementary School enjoy “Flashlight Friday” each week. Students read independently as they work on their reading stamina goal as a class. They enjoy sitting and listening to the “campfire” while they use a flashlight to read their books. Students have doubled their stamina since September!
The Vineland High School Academic Team competed in the Egg Harbor Township Academic Triathlon on February 22nd and came in fifth place. Competing among 20 teams vying for the top spots offered the VHS Academic Team an opportunity to hone their teamwork and communication skills in a competitive environment. The Triathlon featured three rounds of academic trivia: Round 1 focused on questions about the humanities and the arts, Round 2 focused on math and science, and Round 3 focused on pop culture, sports, and current events. All members of the VHS team who were able to attend the event were able to compete for at least one round and gain valuable competitive experience.
The VHS Academic Team members who participated are: Seniors Christian Alvarado, Kendra Chestnut, Gabriella Cumba, Denise Gonzalez, Desunny Gonzalez, Jillian Schultz, and Kaelin Zheng; Juniors Reese Barraclough, Valentino Chanza, Iris Giocondo, Michaela Giuliani, Brandon Nieves, and Marley Smith; Sophomores Alilah Folk, Christopher Gagnon, Juliana Panco, Alexica Perez; and Freshman Tristan Morgan. Gabriela, Kaelin, and Jillian served as Red Team captains for the event, and Chris, Brandon, and Valentino served as Gray Team captains for the event. The advisor for the Academic Team is VHS English Department Chairperson Vanessa Rasmussen.
D'Ippolito Elementary School had a wonderful turnout of over 50 families of almost 200 people for their annual Family Bingo Night! The Vineland Education Association sponsored this event through a PRIDE grant, which allows us to have families come back into our school community for a night of fun. Families enjoyed pizza provided by Pizza Queen, fresh popped popcorn, and over 30 family game prizes for our event. This event gives families the opportunity to enjoy time together as a family in the school setting. It allows families to feel a part of the school community and bridges those relationships between staff and families.
The Vineland High School FFA ended their FFA Week celebrations with a $1 plant and flower sale. Students were able to purchase a plant or flower for $1, and with each purchase, students were able to spin a prize wheel. Students were able to get a chance to win pens, stickers, and even an FFA T-shirt!
"It is always fun to do events with the whole school and get everyone involved," said VHS FFA Secretary Faith DeCicco, "The prize wheel was a hit. Even teachers and staff wanted to participate."
Students in all agriculture classes ended the week by playing FFA Bingo! Thank you all for following along with our FFA week celebrations. Stay tuned for our upcoming events, including our biggest event, our spring plant sale, which will be open to the public!
Congratulations to our Vineland High School band directors, Justin Feliciano and Eric Sikorski, for conducting this year's Cumberland County Honors Band on February 13!
Congratulations are also due to the following VHS marching band members for making the Cumberland County Honors Band: Flutes- Angelina Medio, Jackie McBride & Sabastian Rodrigues; Clarinets- Alexsandra Ramos & Jaslynn Gonzalez; Alto Saxophone- Kian Meyers; Tenor Saxophone- Connor J. DiRocco; Baritone Saxophones- Zarria Jones & Jeremy Flores; Trombone- Jeshua Maldonado; Tuba- Peyton Russo; Mallets- Arianna Harold; and Percussion- Anthony Gonzalez, Nicholas Forcinito & Casey Russoman.
We are so proud to have you represent Vineland! Great job!
Wallace 8th Grade students have recently finished a unit on Sustainability. The culminating activity in that unit was a Socratic seminar about using "trash" to make food. Through their research, students learned that this concept is the idea that we use all parts of ingredients/food so we are not wasting it and/or creating more waste. Students then used leftover food or ingredients to make some dishes specific to them and their culture, which we all tried and enjoyed.
"I love how they took what we were learning and put it into practice," said teacher Jamie Ecret.
The Wallace Safety Patrol was invited to participate in Fist Bump Friday at Dane Barse School. The students were excited to see them, and the Safety Patrol had a great time. Some students even got to see their old teachers! Thank you, Dane Barse, for having us!
