Volunteers can sign-up to help on the 

District's Referendum page at https://www.monroe.k12.nj.us//cms/module/selectsurvey/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=952

If you are interested in making a donation, please fill out the Google form

https://goo.gl/forms/9ZnHDDJXMY5n4YWA3  or contact Melissa Schwartz at [email protected]  by January 17, 2018.

Booster Club Calendar Raffle

 

The Monroe Township High School Booster Club is the only organization that provides support for ALL Monroe Township High School athletes. The funds that the club collects through membership dues and fundraising activities are used to provide financial support to recognize our student athletes.

 

In each of the last two years we award over $5300 to graduating Senior Athletes through 32 scholarships.  5 Scholarships are awarded at Senior Awards Night and the other 27 are given to a Senior MVP for each Varsity sport at our Senior Athletic Luncheon.  You can see a list of last year's recipients' on our website, mtbcathletes.com.  Our goal is to increase the number of scholarships awarded each year.  In order to help us achieve this goal we are running a Calendar Raffle.

Each raffle costs $15 and you have 90 chances to win between January 1^st, 2018 and March 31^st, 2018.  One winner every day!  Prizes range from $25 to $75.  Over $2,900 in prizes will be awarded.  If you win, your ticket will be put back in so you can win again!!!

They make great stocking stuffers, holiday gifts or just some fun for you.  Get them before December 25^th, 2017.

We would really appreciate your support!

If you would like to purchase a Calendar Raffle respond to this email or email:

Nancy Schieda at [email protected]

Thank you for your support!

Monroe Township Booster Club

Woodland School had a very busy November!   The Monroe Township Library visited our school to provide library database instruction all week.   Parents & guardians visited our school on Thursday, November 16^th for American Education Week and participated in some special activities with their children.  To name a few, Mrs. Cote's grade 4 class had parents/guardians and students work in small groups to create a poster-sized replica of a Lenape Village and Mrs. Lowery/Mrs. Hummel's class used STEM technology to build a replica of the Mayflower.   Ms. Fleming's class had parents/guardians & their children program video games using Bloxels.  Student Council sponsored a Food Drive for the local food pantry and Mr. Schultz coordinated Holiday Poppers with our students for the FEEDing Frenz annual Thanksgiving dinner for people in need.   Mr. Steve Hrubes from the Monroe Township Library gave the grade 5 students a demo on our 3D printer.

 

As part of the all-school emphasis from the library of "One World One America" we look forward to the Ssuuna in Eda Ne Kakati Assembly.   Students will experience a cultural extravaganza through traditional and modern East African music, dance, and storytelling.  The Harlem Wizards will be playing the Monroe Township staff on December 5^th at the MTHS - tickets are available on the school web.  Students will have an opportunity to purchase gifts for their families and friends during the PTO sponsored Holiday Shop 12/6-12/8.   School will be closed for winter break December 25^th - January 2^nd. 

 

Thank you PTO (Rosanna DiLieto) for the beautiful holiday display in the foyer of the school.

First Grade Students at Oak Tree Take Flight

Miss Kohlhepp's first grade class had a special visitor at the end of October- mechanical engineer, Mr. Robert Strang. Mr. Strang discussed the role of engineers and shared examples of the kind of projects he has worked on in the past. He showed the students a video created by NASA, brought in a poster of the Saturn V Apollo Flight Configuration, and challenged the students to think like engineers for a STEM project. The students had to work in groups to design and create a parachute out of the available materials in order to safely land their load on "Mars." After sketching ideas, students had time to build their parachutes, test their parachutes, and then use the data we gathered along with our observations to improve their parachutes and retest them. Students were able to work together, make connections between the designs and how fast the parachute landed, and adjust the necessary parts of their designs for improvement. This was a great way to wrap up the Sun, Earth, and Moon unit the first graders just finished. 

BALLOONS OVER OAK TREE

Have you heard of Tony Sarg?  Ask any third grader at Oak Tree Elementary School and they will tell you who he is.  This past month, Oak Tree third graders learned about the magic behind the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Students participated in several read-alouds, including "Balloons Over Broadway, the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade," written by Melissa Sweet. Students learned about Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who has helped create magic on Broadway each year for Thanksgiving.  Students learned how the floats evolved from marionettes to the high flying balloons sailing down the streets of New York City each year on Thanksgiving.

After learning about Tony Sarg, students were then presented with a STEAM challenge created by third grade teacher, Bryanna Kirner.  Students watched a short informational video about how the floats are engineered, from a drawing to the finished product you see each year on TV.    Students were then asked to help design and build a scale model of a balloon float for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Certain guidelines were placed on the challenge.  For example, the float had to be between 18 and 22 inches tall, which integrated measurement skills.  Floats also had to have at least one part that moved or could be operated like a puppet, integrating science concepts. 

Once given their materials, which included construction paper, pipe cleaners, string, a balloon, tin foil etc., students were sent off to design their ideas for a new float.  Students worked together in small groups to then construct the float.  Throughout the engineering process, students changed their float designs until they found what worked just right, as real engineers do.

It was amazing to see how each group and class in third grade interpreted the design challenge.  To show off their hard work and creative designs, third grade teachers displayed the students' floats in the hallway for our very first Oak Tree Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Classes took turns walking through the hall to view the floats created by themselves and their classmates. Third graders here at Oak Tree have a lot to be proud of.

"Every little movement has a meaning of its own." - Tony Sarg

SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT ADVISORY GROUP (SEPAG)

The Monroe Township School District Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG) is a parent advisory group, which serves to provide a forum for special education parents/guardians to discuss policies, programs, and practices that impact services and supports for children with special needs. Discussions pertain to the education, health, and safety of children directly affected by programs administered by the Monroe Township School District.

 

The next meeting will be January 8, 2018 at 6:30 pm in the High School Media Center. All are welcome to attend. 

 

The Ronald McDonald House Pop Tab Collection Fundraiser has been enthusiastically embraced by both staff and students. The fundraiser is being conducted in memory of a former 5th grade teacher at Applegarth School, Michelle Furnari, who tragically passed away last spring. Our goal is to reach 1 million tabs by the end of the school year!

 

"Give a Hug" to a child with cancer...a simple gesture.  To support families struggling with a child fighting cancer, we began fundraising for the Hugs for Brady Foundation ( www.hugsforbrady.org) on November 1 ^st with a district wide jeans day, earning $600!  Continuing the efforts at MTMS, a Spirit Week was held from November 13-17.  Students and staff paid a $1.00 a day to participate in days that included wearing pajamas, dressing like their favorite animal, college gear, formal wear, and crazy hair day!  Students also had the opportunity to donate change during lunch in their team buckets.  This week netted $1,847!  To date, our district has raised $2,447 from these two events.  We are now extending this fundraiser and will be offering hot/cold tumblers for sale with all proceeds benefitting the Hugs for Brady Foundation.  The Builders' Club has pledged to also donate the proceeds from their next pretzel sale to this wonderful foundation, others have followed suit, making this effort an ongoing venture.  It is heartwarming to see the generosity of our staff and students!  Let's see how far a "hug" can go.  We will present Sherrie Wells with a check at the end of the school year.  

Dear Parents and Staff,

 

Thank you for supporting the MTMS PTO Fall Fundraisers! Below are some reminders and information about some of our upcoming events and fundraisers:

 

David's Cookie Dough Pick Up Night: The frozen cookie dough pick up night is Wed, Dec 6 from 6pm-8pm at MTMS. If you are unable to pick up that night, please make arrangements with a friend.

 

MTMS Pep Rally Tshirt Sale: MTMS students can show their school spirit at the next MTMS Pep Rally by purchasing their grade specific Pep Rally shirt. All orders are due by December 8. Please check our website at www.mtmspto.org for more information.

 

Harlem Wizards: Please join us at the Harlem Wizards event sponosored by the Woodland/Mill Lake PTO on December 5, 7pm-9pm at the High School. Come enjoy the amazing MTMS Chamber Singers directed by Ms. Schmetterer, as they sing the National Anthem. Please visit our website at www.mtmspto.org for more information on how to order your tickets.

 

PTO Five Below Fundraiser : As you shop at Five Below this holiday season, you can help support the PTO too! Our fundraiser will run from December 11 - 25. For any purchases made with the flyer, 10% of the proceeds will go back to the MTMS PTO. Please check our website for more information and a copy of the flyer to print at www.mtmspto.org

 

PTO Holiday Ornament Sale - The sale will run during all lunches on Tuesday, December 12 - Thursday, December 14. Ornaments are priced from $1 - $5 each and personalization is available too!  Don't forget to buy something for your friend, parent, sibling, teacher, etc!

 

PTO Spirit Wear $2 Fundraiser Day:      Mark your calendar for our 2nd $2 PTO Spirit Wear Fundraiser Day on  December 19th.  Our PTO Student Representatives have chosen to wear Disney attire for the day.  Show your school spirit and help support the PTO!  In lieu of magazine and snack fundraisers, we have added a few PTO $2 Spirit Wear Days throughout the year. 

 

The Rt. 9 Community Discount Card:  Start your holiday shopping through the MTMS PTO. They make great holiday gifts!  Each discount card costs $20, of which 50% goes directly back to the PTO. The number 1 benefit of this discount card is that it is  reusable, and not a 1 time coupon! You can use this card as often as you like, until December 2018. This card can be used at places such as Modell's, TGIF, Chili's, etc. from Old Bridge to Howell. There are many local places in Jamesburg and Monroe such as Baker's American Grill, Bagel Bazaar, Vine, Bella Italia, Tuscany, etc. Please check our website for more information on places the card can be used.  If you don't have a child in the Middle School, and would like to purchase a card to support the MTMS PTO, please email  [email protected]

 

Community Service Hours: Any MTMS student who is looking for some Community Service/Volunteer hours, please email [email protected] to be added to our volunteer lists. The PTO will be looking for student volunteers to help out at concession stands for various events, Spring Clothing Drive, etc.

 

Please continue to help support the MTMS PTO by shopping through our Amazon link at  www.mtmspto.org.  Another easy way the PTO earns some extra monies.  Stay connected by checking our PTO website frequently, "liking" our MTMS PTO Facebook page, and checking your emails. If you would like to join a PTO Committee, please email  [email protected].

 

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Happy Holidays to you and your families!

 

If you have any questions, please contact one of the PTO officers.

BROOKSIDE NEWS FOR DECEMBER

 

Third graders in Mrs. Dudzinski's class have been very busy with STEM activities! Pictured below is our STEM challenge from Parent Visitation Day. Students and parents worked together to create tall towers. They practiced the engineering process and even worked around constraints. Students also worked through a science mini unit about the devastation oil spills can have on our environment and economy. After extensive research, students once again applied the engineering process in order to clean up an oil spill. Students applied techniques they had read about and had a (messy) blast! 

 

Fifth grade students from Mr. Silverman's & Mrs. Rubenstein's science classes tested how gravity affects water.  The experiment was broken into two sections. First, the force of gravity was observed by watching water flow out from holes in the bottom of paper cups. Then, the cups were re-filled with water and dropped. Students observed that water did not come out from the holes in the bottom of the cup while the cup was dropping. They concluded that gravity pulled the water and the cup at the same rate.

 

Fifth grade students from Mrs. Fennell and Ms. Anthony's class donated portions of their trick or treat candy to share with the less fortunate. Our class along with Mrs. Nagle and Mrs. Brown's fourth grade class decorated treat bags to be given to the homeless for Thanksgiving. Students from Mrs. Valville and Mrs. Metroke's class joined us to help fill these goody bags. With all the candy donated, we were able to fill 85 bags, and these bags were donated to the HomeFront Organization's Family Campus. This campus accommodates about 38 families and helps them break the cycle of homelessness.

 

Student Council Activities

Brookside's Student Council organized a hurricane relief fundraiser with our students and staff for those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.  They collected over $800 which was donated to Mano y Mano, an organization that helped to support relief efforts in Puerto Rico. In addition, they organized food collections from all our classes to give food for a nice thanksgiving dinner to those in need.

Students of the Month

During each month of the school year beginning in October, Brookside School focuses on a specific character trait of the month.  A student is selected from each grade level that best displays that character trait for that month.  The month of October's character trait was Responsibility; the students of them month were: Gabrielle Siochi, Emily April, and Summer Reneo.  The month of November's character trait was Respect; the students of the month were: Arjun Reddy, Sophia Piansay, and Adiel Pompee. Congratulations to our students of the month!