April 17, 2018
I wanted to send a separate update to you apart from my earlier Principal’s Corner. I would like to recognize many students and a couple of staff members for recent awards and activities that have occurred over the past few months. Some of these events are internal and unique to Califon, while some travel beyond our school and outside the district.
We are fortunate here to have a dedicated staff who truly care about your children. We teach them how to positively interact in social situations on a consistent basis. We also allow them to figure out solutions to issues as well, with less guidance when necessary. We also have a staff that encourages creativity and holds high expectations of their students. This also comes from you as their parents in guiding them along their path to success. To that end, we are very thankful for your hard work with them! Considering these facets, many Califon students exude confidence in achieving and also participating in activities and challenges. It’s a part of that unique, small school community culture. The result is that they volunteer for challenges, tackle them head on, and persevere through them in the best way they know how. Let’s see what I mean!
Our Middle School Debate Club was led by Mrs Kooger and Mr. Zimmerman. There were a number of topics debated that were pertinent to our middle school students. Cassidy Sieber and Nora Cubberly represented Califon well and won three debates at Clinton Township Middle School! They won first place overall for their debate on the legitimacy of standardized tests in relation to student accountability in schools!
Congratulations to our Spelling Bee winners: 3rd place - Ellie, 2nd place - Will Keiser, and 1st place - Ava Keiser. Congratulations to our Geography Bee winners: 3rd place - Caitlyn Busela, 2nd place - Mickey Tramutola, and 1st place - Ellie
Every year Califon students participate in the General Maxwell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) essay contest. This year, the topic was “World War I: Remembering the War to End All Wars.” Students were to imagine living in 1918 at the end of the war and its effects on human life, the types of changes brought about by the war, and how these changes affected the United States moving forward. Clearly, this is an application based essay that requires higher level thinking skills to produce a solid piece of writing. Every year, at least one Califon student’s essay is recognized as a top finisher. This year, Califon took all three spots! Congratulations to 3rd place winner - Ryan Firko, 2nd place winner - Christian Beard, and 1st place winner - Will Bell! An awards ceremony recently took place at Belvidere Library.
Another program that Califon students participate in is the annual Destination Imagination enrichment competition. The competition celebrates creativity through a series of STEAM improvisational and service learning challenges. Our middle school team called “The Smashing Apples” which included Gabby Medea, Abby Rambo, Noah Rogers, and Eva Zajac competed in the Scientific Team Challenge called “Unlikely Attraction” and out of 120 schools, they finished in 3rd place! Our students certainly proved they could think outside the box! In addition, the high school team from Voorhees included three of five students from Califon. They took second place and will compete globally in the world finals!
We also have a number of younger students whose artwork is currently being displayed at the Clinton Library. Way to go students!
Eleven students from our fifth and sixth grades recently competed in the annual Reading Olympics competition at Holland Township School. The team, F.B.I. (Fun Book Intelligence), was led by Mrs. Kooger and Ms. Heyduke. After several rounds of questions on the various books they read, they were awarded second place! Awesome job F.B.I.!
Each year, we hold an annual Science Fair at Califon. It has been slightly adjusted over the years. Our 8th grade portion of the Science Fair deals directly with the solar sprints cars the students build. Later in May, they then compete in a solar powered race in Kingwood, NJ. Our 6th and 7th grade students are required to participate directly in the fair. Mrs. DeAngelo has modified the Science Fair to include an engineering design process, as opposed to the traditional science experimental design model, hence the name Science and Engineering Fair. Mrs. DeAngelo had students choose a real-world problem that our Earth is currently facing and model different solutions. It was refreshing to see the amazing creativity behind their designs. The winners: 3rd place - Ruth Perla for her oil spill clean up project, 2nd place - Will Keiser for his vertical farming project, and 1st place- Kayla Hammermueller for her solar insulation project!
This year, we have had a number of students’ written work submissions in our 5th through 8th grades get published in the Hunterdon County Democrat “Kids Pages” section! Each week, students respond to a different question in the Democrat with the hopes of getting it published. There is a link on our website with more information.
Most recently our very own Ryan Firko was selected as an Outstanding School Safety Patrol Award recipient for this school year! In addition to a plaque and gift card, Ryan will attend a luncheon in June in Bordentown, NJ. Congratulations Ryan!
We will also be holding our annual Academic Achievement Awards. This award goes to those students who earn straight As in the first three marking periods. Congratulations to Gabby Medea, Will Keiser, Matt Bell, Christian Beard, and Ryan Firko!
This year, our art teacher, Mrs. Madson, had artwork published in Skylands Visitors Magazine. Her eco-dye work was published on the front cover. Congratulations Mrs. Madson! Our school nurse, Mrs. Patterson, was also awarded a third place recognition in the state of New Jersey from Kidsbridge and ESS/Source4Teachers for her strong commitment to character education. Congratulations Mrs. Patterson!
As you can see, Calfon has both students and teachers recognized for a number of accomplishments. I can tell you that this is the case every year, and it makes me proud to be a principal here as a result of the accomplishments of our students on a regular basis. It is refreshing to say the least!
Please do check out our website from time to time, as all of these items are posted when they occur. There are also other important pieces of information you can find on our website along with important forms, etc. in our Virtual Backpack.
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