The Vineland High School Class of 2024 is hosting a Texas Roadhouse fundraiser on Monday, December 18 from 3-9:30pm. Present this flyer to the Millville location and Texas Roadhouse will donate 10% of your total food purchase to this year's graduating class. Come out and support our seniors!
The Dungeons and Dragons Club at Vineland High School welcomed two very special guests to yesterday's meeting: Principal Jacqueline Roman-Alvarez and Assistant Principal Kim Rivera! Both administrators attended the meeting and played D&D for the first time, with the club voting on which characters the admins would play. On winter break from college, club alumni Hannah & Katie Rasmussen joined in to help Mrs. Alvarez and Ms. Rivera with guidance as they played. Current club member Ryan Young was the game master, and the other player characters were a mix of new club members. Mrs. Alvarez and Ms. Rivera left the meeting with their own set of gaming dice and a standing invitation to stop by and play with the club at any time.
Durand Elementary School parents of third-grade students were invited to visit their child’s classroom to take part in making a holiday craft to display on the hallway bulletin board for all to see. Welcome Winter was the theme of this event. Parents enjoyed spending time with their children assembling the craft and adding a writing piece expressing their wish for the holiday season. Students were given an additional craft to take home to share with their families.
Vineland High School class officers, Student Government Association leaders, members of the AFJROTC and Future Farmers of America, and representatives from AMSA at Johnstone and Cunningham Academy met with Superintendent Alfonso Llano, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Danielle Sneathen, VHS administration, and other district personnel on Tuesday morning for the second roundtable meeting of the school year.
Tuesday’s meeting was a way for the superintendent to gain student perspectives on different facets of the high school and daily student life. The meeting began with a delicious breakfast provided by Sodexo, the district’s food service provider.
At this meeting, Mr. Llano wanted the discussion to be student-led. Students volunteered to lead the discussion and spoke on a variety of issues. Some of the major topics discussed included ways to build school spirit and hosting more school-wide events and more interactive pep rallies. Students suggested involving classmates beyond class officers and student government and involving their classmates at Johnstone and Cunningham more. The students also discussed their desire for greater respect between staff and students and more personal interaction between students and administration. The conversation was lively, with viewpoints being shared from many different angles.
Llano and administration plan to meet with the students and involve a greater number to the discussion as the year goes on.
Mennies School once again hosted Gifts for Giving on Dec. 9, 2023. This annual event partners with Mennies Staff, AOK- An Opportunities A Knockin Non-Profit organization as well as many local businesses within the Vineland Community.
The event's theme, centered around empowerment and the spirit of "giving back," resonates with the season's values. The collaborative effort involving Mennies Staff, AOK, and local businesses showcases a united commitment to making a difference in the lives of families within the Mennies School community.
It was a heartwarming day that embraced the magic of giving and the true spirit of the season!
A sincere appreciation goes to first-grade teacher Mrs. Stephanie Hadley and second-grade teacher Ms. Karen Caterina for their efforts in organizing this wonderful day. Their leadership and commitment to spreading joy and goodwill within the community have undoubtedly made a significant impact. It's events like these that contribute to building a strong sense of community and compassion, especially during the holiday season.
Dallago Preschool students and their families were full of cheer on Friday night at the school’s Winter Wonderland Family Night. The festive evening featured seasonal fun crafts, family games, a milk and cookies snack, a special performance by the Vineland Regional Dance Company, and the highlight of the evening, a photo with Santa! Thank you to everyone who volunteered and made this evening a success.
Students in Ms. Tarsatana's first-grade class at Mennies Elementary School celebrated Grinch Day on Monday! The students enjoyed a visit from the Grinch, reading the story, a Grinchy adjective craft, and math mystery picture.
Fifth-graders at D'Ippolito Elementary School had the pleasure of learning from literacy coach, Ms. Melissa Sileo. Ms. Sileo engaged the students in a point-of-view activity that was rooted in the character trait, of empathy. After reading the mentor text, Hey, Little Ant, the students worked in small groups to annotate points of view and text evidence to support their reasoning. They used their communication skills to discuss points of view and perspectives and how a level of empathy affects our decisions. The students then used their writing skills to answer the question, “Should the ant be squished?” Ms. Sileo ended the lesson by taking a poll. The results were in favor of NOT squishing the ant. Mrs. Biscoglio and Ms. DeRenzis thank their colleague for sharing her expertise with them. It was an amazing learning experience for them as well!
Safety Patrol members from all four district middle schools hosted a “Senior Luncheon” event on Thursday. This is the first time the event has been held since 2019. Senior citizens were able to attend the event and enjoy lunch and dessert and socialize with the Safety Patrol members. Students were supervised by Jamie Ecret, Wallace Safety Patrol advisor, Maria Kohansky, Memorial Safety Patrol Advisor, and Melissa Finizio, Pilla School Assistant Principal. The event was organized by Tricia Dilisciandro from The Senior Center Director for the City of Vineland. Wendy Osborne coordinated the Safety Patrol participation with Captain Lene Bowers and Officer Bill Burris. A great time was had by all who attended!
Students in Mrs. Brown's 4th-grade classroom at Mennies Elementary School celebrated and discussed the character trait of Kindness on November 13, which is World Kindness Day. They talked about kind acts and drew cartoon sketches related to their plans to be kind for the week. Students learned about the benefits of being kind and helping others in our school, our community, and the world.
Veterans Memorial School presented over 750 character awards at their first ROAR Rally of the school year. This spirited event served as a pep rally dedicated to recognizing students for their amazing character and academic achievements.
During the rally, Character Awards were presented to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for the following ten categories: Fiercely POSITIVE ATTITUDE, A Mighty PROBLEM SOLVER, Uproar of EXCELLENT EFFORT, Fiercely FRIENDLY, Pridefully RESPECTFUL, Roaring COMMUNICATOR, Roaring with KINDNESS, Roaring with RESPONSIBILITY, Thundering SCHOOL PRIDE and PHYSICAL EDUCATION STARS.
Adding to the excitement, VMS Mascot Sgt. Roary made a special appearance, joining forces with the VMS cheerleaders to cheer on the winners as they received their well-deserved certificates.
Veterans Memorial School takes great pride in its students' remarkable character and academic accomplishments.
On November 28th, the Wonderful Wallace Safety Patrol led the flag salute for the Vineland City Council Meeting. The students did a great job! Wallace School is proud of all of them for their commitment to their position as Safety Patrol Members.
Ms. Schwan's 3rd/4th-grade class at Rossi Elementary School have been busy "reindeer scientists." Since it is the holiday season, students have been creating various crafts, BUT they are still busy learning! First, the students learned about magnets and their forces. Students worked cooperatively in pairs to complete an experiment on various objects that were magnetic or not magnetic. They created a chart listing their results and explained their results. Next, the students learned about electromagnetic fields and how objects can either repel or attract one another when they become electrically charged. Students worked in teams to "charge" a plastic rod with a wool cloth. The plastic rod became negatively charged and repelled the balloon. We recreated this experiment multiple times using various objects and our best results were when we rubbed two pieces of cloth together. Last, the students made their own levitation device by creating static electricity. Students rubbed a strip of plastic and a balloon with a cloth, creating the same charge on both items. Since the same charges repel each other, students were able to use their balloons to make the strip of plastic float! Our Rossi Reindeers are Rocking their science lessons!
Chris Hannah and his super dog Cole were our superhero guest speakers for the Rossi Elementary School WISE assembly! We rewarded students for empathy and introduced encouragement, and Mrs. Erin Bonsall was our WISE guy. Chris and Cole emphasize the importance of encouraging others and accepting everyone regardless of their differences. Chris and Cole are always so inspiring. We love having them! Go Rossi owls!
On Saturday, December 2nd, Winslow PTA hosted Breakfast with Santa. Families enjoyed a hot breakfast, a visit with Santa, holiday music, cookie decorating, writing letters to Santa, making reindeer food, and a little shopping in the Winslow Holiday Shop. It was a well-attended event, and we are very appreciative of all the hard work of our PTA and Winslow staff during this busy holiday season!
Mrs. Evans accelerated 7th-grade students at Wallace Middle School are focusing on density in Chemistry. Students are to determine the effects of soaking a gummy worm in water overnight to determine if there is a change in the gummy worm's density.
Petways' Kindergarten classes learned about holidays around the world, which started in the Netherlands with Sinterklass. Children who live in the Netherlands put their shoes by a fireplace on Sinterklass Eve in the hopes that Sinterklass will come and fill them with treats. After learning about Netherlands holiday traditions, the students put their shoes outside in hopes that they would get a treat! Students were so excited to see that Sinterklass did come and that they all received a candy cane!
Students in Miss Welden’s ELA classes at Pilla Middle School learned how to operate a courtroom during a trial when they prosecuted the narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart for committing a crime. The students collected textual evidence to use during a mock trial. They researched and performed the jobs of the judge, jury, lawyers, and expert witnesses. On Thursday, December 7, Miss Welden’s students had the opportunity to participate in a meet and greet with retired Judge Julio Mendez, father of Pilla Asst. Principal Mrs. Finizio. The students prepared questions and they participated in a discussion about courtroom proceedings, NJ law, and trials with Judge Mendez.
Vineland Public Schools extends a thank you to Meghan Spinelli, our Board of Education President, as she concludes her six-year tenure with the board. For the past two years as president, Meghan has led with passion, dedication, and a commitment to our students' well-being. As she presided over her final meeting on December 6, the occasion was marked by tributes from fellow board members and Superintendent Alfonso Llano and touching words from her husband and son.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to shaping a brighter future for our students, and best wishes in your future endeavors!
Thank you to the members of the Vineland High School AFJROTC and Cunningham Academy students for leading the flag salute at the December 6 Board of Education meeting 🇺🇸
