April 29, 2019
The school year is quickly wrapping up as we finish our spring break. To discuss some past events and point out some future ones, check out the latest information below.
Our second annual Seussical STEAM Night was a big success as students visited various classrooms and completed different activities. It was great to see the ingenuity behind the Dr. Seuss Recyclable Villages that students created! Well done! To culminate the evening, three students at varying grade levels left with the “Basket of Books” prizes. Congrats to them!
Mrs. Madson recently wrapped up her second after school Art Club of the year. Some of our middle school students have recently been attending our after school Open Gym on Mondays and Wednesdays, which Mr. Maginnis has been leading. Our middle school science teacher and our STEM teacher, Ms. DeAngelo, is currently holding an after school K-5 K’Nex Club two times per week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We send our sincerest thanks out to the Furmanski family for applying for a grant through Exxon-Mobile to fund this program. The students have been busily creating a number of different structures, transportation vehicles, and whatever else enters their imagination!
We have had several visitors to the school to impart their knowledge to our students; such as, two separate artists in Mrs. Madson’s classes, Califon alumni in the middle school Spanish classes, and a poet in residence in grades 3 through 5. By way of a WinterFall grant, students in grades 3 through 5 participated in seasonal nature walks and will finish by constructing a poetry anthology by the end of the school year. Poet, Luray Gross, absolutely loves coming to Califon School!
Our students recently participated in Reading Olympics at Holland Township and fared well. We held an “International Day of Happiness” during lunch and recess. Students participated in school wide activities, wore silly items and took pics, and wrote what “happiness” means to them. You can check out our “Happiness Bulletin Board” in the main lobby. Students in grades 3 and 4 took part in our annual Wax Museum. Students researched an important person in history, displayed the information they learned, and dressed up as their important person. They taught other students in the school all they learned about their character. Califon Kids Care Club recently packaged seedlings to be planted. Hopefully, you received one or two before the break so that you can make a positive impact on our Earth.
Our middle school students who achieve straight A’s (90s) for the first three marking periods will be recognized on Thursday, May 2 at 6pm. Our Creative Arts Night is quickly approaching on May 6 at 6pm. We will have writing samples displayed, artwork will be visible, students in grades K-5 will sing, and band students in grades 4 through 8 will perform. We will also be displaying our new website that will be ready to go sometime in May.
A letter recently went home regarding the NJSLA, formerly known as PARCC. Students in grades 3 through 8 will take the assessment beginning May 6 through May 13. We will NOT assess students the day after our Creative Arts Night on the 7th.
The after school Drama Club will perform Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” on Tuesday evening May 14 at 7pm. It should be another entertaining show as Mrs. Thompson and the students have been working very hard!
Let’s congratulate our middle school Destination Imagination Team for a job well done. Due to their first place New Jersey finish at the state level, they are moving onto Global Finals in Kansas City. Good luck to them as they compete against teams from all over the world!
A few final dates to mention: our 8th grade students will be competing in the annual Solar Sprints competition on May 17, our Field Day is scheduled for Thursday, May 23 with the following day saved as a rain date. The annual 8th grade DC/Gettysburg/Hershey Park trip is scheduled for May 29th through 31st. 8th grade graduation is set for Monday, June 17, and the last day of school is Tuesday, June 18. It will be here before you can blink!
As a staff, we continue to work behind the scenes improving our focus and structure. We continue to look for innovative ways to meet the individual needs of our students. We continue to focus on the many different assessment methods we can use to gain knowledge on where our students are in their learning at any given time. We continue to leverage technology in a way that amplifies their learning; whether it is through a Google collaboration, video production, skyping with a class in Maine, or computer programming utilizing the chromebooks, ipads and robots. Our teachers’ goal is to engage your children to make learning real and fun.
As always, we thank you for your continued support and if you have any questions or any issues, please let us know.
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