Students in Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Bonsall's classes at Rossi Elementary School buddied up to learn all about Ramadan from Ms. Seyma Akisler, a fellow Rossi staff member. Ms. Akisler taught the classes all about Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the holy month of fasting. We learned the start of Ramadan changes each year because of the lunar Islamic calendar that follows the phases of the moon. They learned that after sundown, Muslims break their fast with iftar, which starts with a prayer and dates or water, followed by dinner. The students later tasted dates.
In honor of Kindness Week, students at Little Lamb thanked our police officers for protecting us and keeping us safe. Thank you to Officer Felice and Officer Burris for your service to our school and community. In addition, students also drew cards and thank you letters to our Nurses. Thank you to Mrs. Jolie Goldacker for coming in and reminding us to make healthy habits with eating and taking care of our growing bodies.
During Black History Month, Mrs. Freese and Mrs. Tarsatana’s class at Mennies Elementary School learned about inspiring figures who helped bring about important change. They also put together a timeline to showcase the people the studied throughout the school year and their contributions.
Last week, students from Gloria M. Sabater School who participate in the Family Friendly Center After School program painted rocks donated from Cumberland County Rocks! Their goal was to spread joy and kindness throughout their community. After carefully decorating the rocks, they placed them in parks, on sidewalks, and outside local businesses, hoping to brighten someone's day. This thoughtful act of spreading positivity not only brought smiles to those who found the rocks but also strengthened the bond between the school and its neighbors, reminding everyone of the power of small acts of kindness.
Every week is an exciting week in our elementary gifted and talented program! Check out this week's newsletter:
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The Vineland High School Campus (Tanner & Asselta) celebrated African American History Month with its annual African American Read-Ins. This year, the event featured participation from several distinguished community members, including Ms. Kim Codospoti, President of the VBOE; Mr. Cedric Holmes, VBOE member; Mr. Shane Harris, VBOE member; Ms. Makema Douglas, author and former VBOE member; Dr. Elizabeth Arthur, City Councilwoman; Ms. Luz Vasquez, Deputy County Administrator; Ms. Sheena Santiago, Events Coordinator for the City of Vineland; Ms. Vera Hexstall, former educator of VPS and Director of Gear-Up; Captain Carlos Mercado from the Vineland Fire Department; Ms. Miya Miyamoto, R.N. and Director of Vineland Villagers; Mr. John Howard, VHS alum and entrepreneur; Mr. Darryl Chestnut, VHS alum and football coach at Gloucester Catholic; Mr. Ismael Bermudez, VBOE Executive Director of Special Projects and Operations; Mr. Anthony Carter, VHS alum and Chief of Staff for LD1; Dr. Ross Stanger, VBOE Supervisor; Ms. Jennifer Webb-McCrae, Cumberland County Prosecutor; the Honorable Judge Demetrica Todd-Ruiz, Salem County Superior Court; Officer Dion Colvin of the Vineland Police Department; and VHS teachers Mr. Chris Mohan, Mrs. Vanessa Rasmussen, and Mr. Alexis Perez.
The event also showcased the talents of several Vineland High School students, including members of the African American Cultural Club under the direction of Mr. Albert Porter, the VHS Select Choir led by Ms. Jesenia Larriu, the Advanced Theater group under the direction of Ms. Abigail Gardner, and the Dance Team under the direction of Ms. Tammy Hall. This celebration was organized by Mr. Albert Porter, VHS teacher, Ms. Natalie Reynolds, VHS (Asselta) Media Specialist, and Ms. Heather Fiori, VHS (Tanner) Media Specialist.
The fourth-grade students at Petway Elementary School had an exciting and engaging math review inspired by the show Fear Factor! Students worked in groups to solve a series of multistep word problems. To add a fun twist, they had to complete each problem before moving on to a “fear challenge”—all designed to be lighthearted and fun. It was amazing to see their enthusiasm, perseverance, and bravery! As always, Mrs. Scarpa knows how to make math meaningful and memorable!
Reminder for VHS Seniors!
Students in Mrs. Jessica Castro's 6th-grade science class at Veterans Memorial School carried out an investigation to determine where the water in the air comes from by measuring the humidity in the air over samples of different Earth surfaces. Over the course of 8 minutes, students collected the temperature and humidity of the air in each system. The surfaces included snow, wet sand (beach), puddle in the street (gravel and water), dry sand (desert), and vegetation (plants). Students were able to collect and share data to determine what factors affect humidity in the air and where the humidity comes from.
Celebrate the Decades: Kindness Week and 100th Day celebrations at Little Lamb! Hip, Hip, Hooray for the 100th Day! Students and staff celebrated Kindness Week by participating in fun family and staff celebrations. We kicked this off by participating in the decades, 80s, 90s, and 100th day. Students shared their kindness by making friendship bracelets and exchanging them with fellow classmates in different classrooms. Students also were able to make a trail mix snack to share with a loved one and wrote letters to community members showing their appreciation to them for the hard work that they do (for example, police officers and nurses). We ended our kindness week by celebrating the 100th day, teaching the students that 100 is a very large number.
Winter Wonderland, snowy day, fun! Little Lamb Preschool has had lots of fun celebrating snow days with our students and staff. Parents were able to join in on these family and staff celebration days. Teachers invited families to come in for winter crafts, such as paint parties, pretend ice-skating, and gross motor activities. Additionally, staff & students each joined in the fun of dressing up as snowmen on these cold winter days.
In honor of Black History Month, students at Little Lamb were introduced to Mr. Rich Dixon, VPS Security Guard- Administration Building. Students previously learned about a musician named Charlie Parker, who plays the saxophone: a district’s new literacy read-aloud.
Mrs. Linda Alfieri, preschool teacher, asked if they could have “a real-world connection” and have Mr. Dixon come in and play his saxophone for our students. The students learned about music, different instruments, and to never give up on their dreams. Mr. Dixon encouraged students and staff to follow their dreams, thanking them for always being a light and positive influence to all in our community. Students were chosen to come up and play alongside him in the Jazz Band. Mr. Dixon shared his love for music for all to see.
Reminder for VHS Seniors!
Congratulations to Vineland High School senior Chloe Smith on receiving incredible news—she has been awarded a Full Tuition Scholarship to Rowan University, along with an additional Rowan Merit Scholarship to help cover room and board! Chloe will be living on campus in Glassboro as she pursues her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through Rowan University’s new program. She received this exciting news during a conference call on Tuesday morning, when Amanda Marcks, Assistant Director of Admissions at Rowan University, personally delivered the announcement alongside her school counselor, Paul Myers.
We celebrate this amazing achievement and wish Chloe the very best in her journey ahead!
DiBiase Preschool celebrates 100 days of school! Students celebrated by dressing as if they were 100 years old, making projects where they counted all the way up to 100, and wearing their 100-day T-shirts!
All Kids First Preschool is celebrating the 100 and 101 days of school!
Congratulations to Vineland High School senior Adalys Tollinchi, who has been named the Russian Laureate Award recipient for the 2023-24 school year by the American Council of Teachers of Russian. As part of this honor, Adalys received a unique lapel pin and a certificate, and her name, photograph, school, and teacher, Vlada Jackson, will be featured in the ACTR newsletter. Well done, Adalys—we celebrate your hard work and achievement!
The Vineland High School FFA Chapter is thrilled to celebrate National FFA Week! With over 1 million members nationwide, FFA is a thriving organization dedicated to agriculture education, leadership, and career success. Each year, FFA Week is celebrated at the end of February across the country—including in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Throughout the week, VHS FFA will host a variety of activities to engage students and the community. Today, all agriculture students are participating in a Day of Service, assembling birthday kits for local food banks. On Wednesday, the chapter will host a Chick-fil-A Community Night, followed by Teacher Appreciation Day on Thursday. The week wraps up on Friday with a $1 flower and plant sale for VHS students.
Vineland FFA was re-chartered in 2023, reviving a rich history that dates back to 1928, when Vineland High School became a founding FFA chapter in New Jersey. Although the program unfortunately ended in the mid-1960s, its return has already made a meaningful impact.
"I am so excited to bring back an organization that promotes agriculture education, leadership, personal growth, and career success to our high school," said Annaliese Castellini, Agriculture Teacher & FFA Advisor. "I have already seen many students grow and become leaders within the FFA. FFA is an organization that any community should be proud to have."
Wallace Middle School students in Mrs. Ramirez's bilingual math class wrote a numerically coded letter to someone on Valentine's Day!
Pilla Middle School is hosting the first annual Skimmer Event on March 11! See the attached flyer for more information and click here: https://bit.ly/4hXbbWd to register
