Mrs. Garcia’s fifth-grade bilingual students at Sabater Elementary School have been diving into the world of chemical reactions. In a hands-on exploration guided by the scientific method, our fifth-graders have been engaging in a dynamic learning experience that highlights the wonders of science and celebrates the power of bilingualism. Through the lens of cooperation and inquiry, our young scientists embraced the challenges and joys of scientific discovery. What truly sets this experience apart is the celebration of bilingualism within our classroom. Some groups enthusiastically delved into acquiring and applying content knowledge in their native language, Spanish, while others courageously embraced the opportunity to develop their skills in English further. This differentiated bilingual approach enriched the learning experience and fostered a sense of inclusivity and empowerment among our students. It exemplified the values of cooperation and communication in all its forms, aligning with one of our Portrait of a Graduate competencies.
D’Ippolito Elementary School’s Character Education Program is entitled Bravo!
BRAVO translates to:
Be
Respectful
And
Value
Others
Teachers Amanda Conley and Elizabeth Petrini and the BRAVO Committee started D’Ippolito’s Character Ed Program in 2016.
We celebrated our BRAVO winners for January. All these students were recognized for Optimism, our BRAVO trait for the month of January. Students came down and received a certificate, trinkets, and a snack. We always have an activity for them to do and take home. This month, they made a snowman picture frame. Everyone really enjoyed themselves, and we are looking forward to next month's Bravo winners!
The Vineland Education Association provided D'Ippolito Elementary School funding to welcome our families to learn and experience Mindfulness University and how to destress from daily life and "Let it Go!" The school provided four activity stations where families could participate in mindfulness activities.
These stations included "Feel the Music," where families learned from our fabulous music teacher, Ms. Oravsky, and some of her chorus students how to breathe and find mindfulness through warm-ups and music. Another station was a "Hot Chocolate Mindfulness" craft where guidance counselor Mrs. King guided families. They went home with a beautiful craft of hot chocolate and mindfulness ideas on the marshmallows. Even parents enjoyed making their own! We also had "Mindfulness Eating," which was catered by Pizza Queen. We had comfort foods of macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers. We also had rainbow sprinkle cookies and, of course, hot chocolate. Our last station was "Let it Go with Snowballs." Our Principal, Mrs. Morano, and counselor, Mr. Delgdo, helped families engage in an energetic, stress-relieving activity involving fake snowballs. The families enjoyed letting go and destressing in this activity.
Families left with a stress star reliever donated by the VEA, a winter-themed book and some mindfulness materials. We hoped to foster dialogue between parents, staff, and the community about how mindfulness can play an important role in our lives.
Tune in to the latest episode of School Leader Spotlight featuring Vineland High School South Principal Jacqueline Roman-Alvarez! View now on our YouTube channel, VLDSchoolsTV or by clicking the link: https://youtu.be/0HeLD0FGbhM?si=7i3nGZl6DaP5AI5V
Congratulations to the 34 Vineland High School students recognized at the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony on Monday!
Current inductees include: Gabriela Cumba, Landon Gentile-Adamson, Collin Graiff, Brianna Mosley, Eve Ortiz, Rohan Patel, Xavien Phillips, Casey Russoman, Arshveer Sehgal, and Lianna Velazquez
New inductees include: Christian Alvarado, Kelianne Burgess, Faith DiCicco, Danica Fiester, Dulce Flores, Nathan Freites, Michelle Galindo, Michaela Giuliani, Zaria Gould, Rahsaun Jeffrey, Henry Johnson, Manroop Kaur, Ravneet Kaur, Christine Lam, Lionel Powell, Jalexis Rodriguez, Deviyani Saez, Chad Sciore, Erin Shipman, Robert Steele, Juliana Tirado, Cheyenne Wilson, Jezabelle Wilson, and Kaelin Zheng.
The National Honor Society advisor is April Marchesano-Hemminger.
The event was filmed by VPS Broadcasting and is available on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/live/TElS8yLR4Gc?si=ueAHMZOdycLZ_dtQ
In Ms. Kreck's library class at Mennies Elementary School, students are honing their communication and teamwork skills. Ms. Kreck guided them in understanding call numbers on books and organizing them appropriately. Working in small groups, students collaborated to sort the books, requiring effective communication and teamwork. The groups accomplished the task successfully, showcasing their collaborative efforts.
In Ms. Bussott's 7th grade Art class at Johnstone Middle School, students recently completed an exciting project in their third unit. The objective was to showcase their skill in hand molding clay by creating practical ceramic pinch pots.
The challenge for students was to not only mold the clay, but also ensure that their creations had a purpose. They were tasked with designing pieces that could function as plates, pots, cups, or containers with lids. Some students even added legs to their innovative designs!
After firing in the kiln, these handmade creations emerged shiny and polished. They will soon be proudly taken home by students to serve as beautiful holders for jewelry, plants, or even a delightful cup of coffee! Let's celebrate their creativity and craftsmanship!
On Saturday, members of the VHS Girls Tennis team donated tennis balls to the dogs at the SPCA!
Thank you to Blake Harris, Genna Soto, Nicholas Luciano, Coach Vince Luciano, and Assistant Coach Andrew Massaro for visiting.
Students in Ms. Smith’s class at Petway Elementary School reached their class goal by earning Petway Puffs for following the Pathway to Patriot Pride. In return, students were treated to a Football-themed day in their classroom. With the help of Paulie, Ms. Smith was able to transform their classroom into a Football arena with their very own football field. Students traveled to three different centers during the day. Students were able to create their own jerseys and helmets, practice their addition facts by “scooting” around the room, and even had a friendly football toss game reviewing their multiplication and division facts. Most importantly, the students were engaged and had tons of fun celebrating Football Mania 2024!
Seventh grade Johnstone students and their families gathered together on Thursday evening to collaborate with school staff during the first ever 7th grade Parent Chat n' Chew. Families gathered in the cafeteria to enjoy some light refreshments and have conversations with one another and then visited several classrooms to discuss specific hot topics related to children's success in school and at home.
The first session focused on the Portrait of a Graduate competency "Perseverance" and included a presentation by Mrs. Janice Jefferson centered around grit and how families can support children in their academic challenges. The second session titled "Responsibility" was presented by Mrs. Brooke Smith and offered families strategies to encourage our students to become more responsible individuals in all areas of their lives. The final session of the night centered around "Empathy," and served as a space for families and school staff to discuss current challenges that our children are facing in home and at school that might be impeding on their success. The presenters were Ms. Meghan Greenfield and Mrs. Olivia Cavaliero.
The night was full of great conversation, although some tough discussions took place, parents were very receptive and open to offering their thoughts and ideas to others.
Petway Elementary School Safety Patrol was proud to lead the Pledge of Allegiance for the Vineland City Council regular meeting on January 23rd. The following students were recognized: Landon Barrios, Lilliana Bermudez, Melanie Dintino, Brandon Flores, Cecilia Giordano, Alyanna Gomez, Corrine Ortiz, Giuliana Pace, Catalina Palmieri, Kamryn Tuller, Nicole Turner, and Carmine Veras. Safety Advisor Michelle Brady and Principal Jaclyn Mongelluzzo also participated in the pledge. The patrol was very excited to be a part of the city's regular meeting and look forward to continuing their duties at school and within the Vineland community.
Congratulations to Vineland High School senior Eve Ortiz on being named Miss Vineland 2024 at last night's competition!
Second runner-up was VHS sophomore Arianna Harold and first runner-up was CCTEC sophomore Alexandria Harris. Also competing in the pageant were Jaydene Ruiz, Dayanara Orihuela Munoz, and Raquel Raposo.
VPS Broadcasting was at the event and the competition will be available on our YouTube page, VLDSchoolsTV, soon.
The 5k for Autism Awareness and 1-mile fun run hosted by Sgt. Pilla Middle School and Pilla Project Unity is meant to spread awareness throughout Vineland Public Schools and our community. All proceeds will go to Pilla Project Unity (a club dedicated to integrating all students and creating social interactions), and Vineland-based non-profits, Educators 4 Autism and Project Lifesaver.
Come out for a great cause! Vendors, Music, Food, and more!
Register for the 5K by 3/29 and receive a race tee and finisher medal!
Register for the 1-mile walk by 3/29 and receive a race tee!
Contact csaccomanno@vineland.org with any questions or if interested in sponsoring or volunteering for the event.
🎶What a Musical Day🎶
This week students & staff from Dallago East and West were able to enjoy their annual special performance by Yosi!
Yosi gets everyone moving and grooving to songs we all know plus originals of his own
It was such a magical day filled with smiles, movement, and so much laughter!
Just a reminder! Friday, January 26, will be a legal attendance day (half day) for all schools. Staff will have a PM in-service day.
School hours can be found on our website: https://bit.ly/3lwrm1c
Zion Johnson is a Vineland High School alumnus of the 2017 class. Since graduating, he has stepped back into the schools to help influence the next generation! He's currently completing his Associate's Degree and is a published author in his spare time. His goal is to see young people pursue their dreams until they become reality!
He recently published his first book of poetry and shared copies with the community at a book signing at the Vineland Public Library. His 10th-grade English teacher, Mrs. Belvett, purchased a copy to donate to the Vineland High School Media Center for our students to enjoy.
We love seeing our alumni do great things!
The first-grade students at Petway Elementary were engaged in a presentation given by Debbie Eisinger about the Vineland soup kitchen, Spirit and Truth Ministries Inc. Debbie Eisinger, a former Petway educator who volunteers her time at the Vineland Soup Kitchen, visited each first-grade classroom and read the book “Maddie’s Fridge” to help the first-grade community helpers see the impact of her service as well as that of other volunteers, in helping local families that are food insecure. The first-grade students decorate lunch bags every month to provide a special message of hope and cheer to community members who are food insecure. The lunch bags are a service learning initiative for the students to participate in activities to gain an understanding of the issues of people in need in our area and provide necessary items to support them, corresponding to the Empathy and Responsibility competencies from Vineland’s Portrait of a Graduate.
Vineland High School junior Michaela Giuliani won the 2024 VHS Poetry Out Loud Champion title on Thursday, January 18th, during the school-level competition held in the VHS South Auditorium.
Giuliani was one of seven students from VHS North and South who vied for the top spot at the school and a chance to move on to the Region 2 competition at Appel Farm in Elmer, NJ on February 2nd, according to Vanessa Rasmussen, AP English teacher and English Department Chairperson at the high school.
Also competing along with Giuliani were Grace Valdez, Mikaya Caputo, Marley Smith, last year’s Champion Jillian Schultz, Iris Giocondo, and this year’s Runner-Up, Sheilitza De La Rosa.
“I am very proud of all of our students’ hard work, creativity, and insight,” Rasmussen said. “In class, we work on Poetry Out Loud because it improves writing and analytical skills. Working with poetry and recitation can also help students develop empathy and increase their self-confidence. Our students each chose wonderful poems and interpreted them with sensitivity and originality.”
The students were judged by Mrs. Adaliz DeJesus, World Languages Teacher; Mr. Daniel Kuzma, Social Studies Teacher; Mrs. Natalie Reynolds, Media Specialist; Mrs. Noelle Patel, English Teacher, who served as Prompter; Ms. Becky Linton, English Teacher, who served as Accuracy Judge; and Mrs. Amy Munsick, English Teacher, who served as Tally Judge. Scores were determined by the Poetry Out Loud official rubric, which evaluates physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic interpretation, evidence of understanding, accuracy, and overall performance.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Participating teachers use the Poetry Out Loud toolkit to teach poetry recitation and run classroom competitions. Students select, memorize, and recite poems from an anthology of more than 700 classic and contemporary poems. The competition begins at the school level before advancing to regional and then state competitions. The winner of the state competition wins a trip to the National Finals in Washington, DC, where they have a chance at winning $20,000. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.3 million students and 76,000 teachers from 19,000 schools and organizations across the nation have participated in Poetry Out Loud.
On Thursday, January 18th, Petway students and staff celebrated National Winnie the Pooh Day! Winnie the Pooh made many connections across the curriculum. Students made math grids, analyzed and wrote responses to picture prompts, listened to read alouds, interpreted famous Pooh quotes, and learned about the bear who inspired A.A. Milne to create Winnie the Pooh. It was a full day of learning and fun!
Wallace Middle School gathered in a heartfelt ceremony on Thursday to honor and bid farewell to Marquis Strickland, a dedicated teacher who is embarking on a year-long deployment with the Army Reserves to the Middle East.
The event, held in the packed auditorium, featured a rousing entrance orchestrated by the Vineland High School Marching Band as Mr. Strickland entered the room with his family. The Vineland High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) presented the colors with precision and led the group in the flag salute, followed by the playing of the National Anthem by the Marching Clan.
Principal Roselyn Rosado and Assistant Principal Madeline Galan delivered remarks expressing gratitude for Mr. Strickland's unwavering commitment to teaching and his forthcoming military service. Accompanied by his family, Mr. Strickland stood as a symbol of unity, underscoring the importance of familial support during challenging times. In a touching moment, Mrs. Strickland took the stage to express her heartfelt gratitude to the school community. The collective sentiment in the auditorium was a mix of pride, gratitude, and a touch of sadness as the school community bid farewell to a teacher who exemplifies the values of service, sacrifice, and dedication.
As Mr. Strickland embarks on this noble journey, the Wallace Middle School community and Vineland Public Schools extend their best wishes for a safe deployment. The school eagerly anticipates the day of his return, ready to welcome him back with open arms and pride for the honor he brings to our district.
VPS Broadcasting was also at the sendoff and the ceremony can be viewed on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dudQg8RSAlU&t=2s
