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
It was another great week in our elementary gifted and talented program! Check out some highlights here: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGfCZCD3Vo/ACbx6HRmcxPzKeAlIBG21A/view?utm_content=DAGfCZCD3Vo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=he911cf68e0
Students in Debra Waldorf’s English 3 classes at Vineland High School participated in a unique activity on Friday: “To Rizz? Or To Cook? That Is the Question!” As part of the Valentine’s Day activity, students created Shakespearean pick up lines and insults. They wrote them on hearts-pierced back daggers, which were then added to a bulletin board for all to see. The students had a great time doing the activity and are looking forward to starting Macbeth soon!
Congratulations to Vineland High School junior Milani Moore on being accepted into the BigFuture Ambassadors program for spring 2025! As a BigFuture Ambassador, Milani will join a community of students who volunteer to help their peers, share free college and career resources, and provide feedback to improve BigFuture for all students. From February to May, she’ll participate in virtual meetings and help spread important opportunities at school and online. BigFuture.org is a free resource that helps students explore careers, colleges, scholarships, and more.
The snowstorm may have given our drivers an unexpected break on Love the Bus Day, but we made up for it today with a little celebration! Our buses are overflowing with Valentine's cheer, spreading love and appreciation on the road.
From everyone in the Transportation/Registration Department—Happy Valentine's Day! ❤️🚌
Mrs. Ecret's 8th grade ELA classes at Wallace Middle School recently participated in an engaging reading activity led by Library Media Specialist Mrs. Loveland. During this dynamic event, students rotated through a variety of books, spending a few minutes previewing each one before deciding if it was a "match." They had the opportunity to discuss their first impressions with classmates, share recommendations, and explore new genres. By the end of the session, students walked away with a personal list of books they were excited to check out during their next library visit. This fun and interactive approach to book selection not only helped spark curiosity but also encouraged students to discover new titles that align with their interests.
The past two weeks have been busy for our AFJROTC cadets!
We kicked off with a visit from Coast Guard recruiter PO1 Justin Dial, who spoke to our flights about opportunities in the United States Coast Guard. Cadets had the chance to ask questions about everything from boot camp to career paths, and each flight learned about the latest incentives and what life in the military entails.
On February 5th, our Color Guard had the honor of presenting the colors and leading the Pledge of Allegiance during the Senior Night Girls Varsity basketball game.
Meanwhile, cadets worked on a heartfelt community service project, creating Valentine's cards for veterans. They selected uplifting quotes about love and designed colorful, meaningful cards, which were later delivered to the Veterans Home. President of the Resident Council, Gregory Miller, received the cards, and Cadet Staff Sergeant Rios had the opportunity to present them and appreciate the creativity behind each one.
With several upcoming projects and community service initiatives on the horizon, our Air Force JROTC cadets in NJ2009-1 continue to aim high!
Vineland High School senior Michaela Giuliani won the Poetry Out Loud Regional Competition on February 13th, hosted by Stockton University in Galloway, 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 35 of Giuliani’s classmates and teachers 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. Seven schools were represented at the Region 2 competition, including Penns Grove High School, Atlantic City High School, Atlantic County Institute of Technology, Oakcrest High School, Cedar Creek High School, and Absegami High School, along with VHS. VHS has performed well at the Regional Finals in the past several years and advanced to the State competition seven 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 very proud of Michaela's performances, and I know that her classmates are proud of her as well," said Vanessa Rasmussen, VHS South English Department Chairperson, Coordinator of the school’s annual Poetry Out Loud competition, and member of the NJ POL Teacher Advisory Board. "The poems Michaela chose were emotionally complex, and she personalized them and performed them for the audience with insight and confidence. 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.
