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As we reach mid year, our students continue to take full advantage of their Prep Year. They are fine tuning their study skills and preparation in the classroom, pushing themselves to work harder in the gym, and embracing the career exploration and cultural sites we explore with our social studies program. The growth has been measurable and significant, with training data showing notable increases in strength and speed, and many have experienced positive changes in body composition as well.
We are excited for those who have received acceptances to their high schools of choice, and we maintain our acceptance rate of 100% for those choosing to explore their options with the area private high schools. Whatever the decision, they are sure to enter Prepped and Ready for all the challenges to come!
This past holiday season we were proud to participate in the Bergen County All Wrapped up gift drive for families in need. We were humbled by the overwhelming generosity and commitment of our families as we delivered a truckload of gifts, bringing some holiday joy to 3 families through the Arc of Bergen County. We are excited to share some of the other wonderful things happening throughout the program this winter.
Our first classroom for the Prep Class of 2025 is nearly sold out and we are now accepting interest for our second classroom, located in Ramsey. Please contact us to schedule a visit, tour, or shadow day if you have a middle school student who could benefit from a full year of enrichment before starting high school.
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Career, Culture & Current Events | |
Our social studies classroom continues to be a place where we have had very productive, student-led discussions on current events each week. We have introduced a weekly This Day In History Challenge, where students make educated guesses what year an event on a particular day took place, followed by some research and discussion on several of those historic occurrences. | |
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Our career exploration took us on some memorable visits. Super Bowl Champion Chris Snee of the New York Giants shared his story growing up in a small town, learning a work ethic from his parents, and pursuing his dream of becoming a professional athlete. Our trip to NYC was highlighted by a tour seeing what it takes to manage and run a 52 story building in midtown Manhattan, followed by a visit to Rockefeller Center and St Patrick's Cathedral.
Physical Therapist Robert Egermayer hosted us, providing insight into a number of careers in the field of medicine, and how it was a welcome transition for him after competing as a high level student athlete.
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At Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Mark Blazejewski gave an inspiring presentation about his journey, emigrating to America as a young child from Poland, discovering a love for football, on to becoming an All American linebacker at Fordham and now a senior executive who still thrives on working with a team to pursue goals and help make people's' lives better. | |
High school principal Jim Wichmann's story is one of resilience, overcoming a traumatic injury in high school and going on to have a decorated collegiate football career. He spoke of how the difficult times helped shape him into one of the area's most respected educational leaders.
Dr Karen Nolan and her team at Kessler Foundation gave us an immersive lesson in the research they are doing to help stroke and brain injury patients regain the use of their bodies. We were able to interact with weightless treadmills, VR therapies, muscle probes and more.
We have had so many valuable takeaways as we see traits that are common to successful, happy people regardless of their career field. We look forward to the next few months of continuing these eye opening, unforgettable experiences.
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We continue to cover a variety of topics in Healthy Living as the students learn how each essential nutrient plays a specific role in the body! Diving into units on carbohydrates, protein, and fat we built a solid foundation on the macronutrients that fuel us and how to choose the best ones for health, longevity and sports performance. Students were able to assess their own diets and which areas they can improve to create more balance and increase the quality of each meal.
While an understanding of macros is important, so is the importance of how vitamins and minerals affect our mind and bodies. We highlighted the critical ones, how they support our systems and the common signs of deficiency. Students were taught how simple it is to add vitamins / minerals to their diets by swapping out one snack for a piece of fruit or making a quick smoothie. Being more mindful and just a little creative can dramatically improve your diet!
To wrap it up, we discussed the importance of water - an often overlooked nutrient. With an abundance of bottled waters to choose from, students had the opportunity to evaluate the different brands for taste, marketing claims, packaging and price. Look forward to continuing the year with some hands on experiences as we will being our field trips to the local supermarket and Vitamin Shop this Spring!
| Mindset, Mindfulness and Focal Attention | Composure, Forming Atomic Habits, The Matthew Effect, The 10,000 hour rule, Stoicism and Ownership. These are examples of some of the lessons, discussions and perspectives that we have been processing in our Mindset, Mindfulness and Focal Attention lecture series. Discussing, exploring and unraveling some of the mysteries and confusion around the issues and emotions that we encounter everyday, from a mental and mindset perspective. Realizing how we view things determines how we feel and thus how we act determining our outcomes can better guide our learners towards their desired destinations. This mindfulness can hopefully give our Prep class the tools and directions to become the best version of themselves as they navigate the waters of life as young adults. | |
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The first two novels that we enjoyed experiencing and discussing were Boy 21 and The Outsiders. Our discussions about these books focused on identity, escape, conflict and belonging. Our current book, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, has now captured our readers attention. This dystopian scifi story gives us the opportunity to dissect and discuss a number of current and germaine topics that have led to some incredible discussions.
The active reading and critical thinking skills that we have been focusing on are clearly displayed, as we work our way through this incredible story. The improvement in the reading skills, vocabulary, expression and confidence has been visible from term to term. The literary works that we have explored and discussed have, hopefully, increased their love of reading and enhanced their comprehension abilities as they progress to the next level of learning.
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Our two most recent units in math have featured a deep dive into solving equations, modeling and solving equations involving weighted averages/distance, and a review of the coordinate system. These topics have been infused with geometric concepts, and even an introduction to the unit circle, in preparation for high school classes to follow.
It has been very encouraging to see so many students taking full advantage of all support tools; completing extra sections on IXL, logging in to online extra help, and completing optional SEAL work prior to assessments. The habits they are developing here will continue to pay dividends in the years ahead with their math courses.
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Continuing the year in preparation for high school Biology, which most students will take during their freshman year, we've explored the topic of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). HABs can occur when algae grows out of control in waterways and may cause local alerts and closures of recreational bodies of water. We explored some recent news stories that have affected local lakes such as Lake Hopatcong and Lake Welch in recent years. And as we continued, we studies how biological, chemical, and physical technologies might help to keep blooms under control and how keeping them under control might make recreation, fishing, and other activities safer for people that use these bodies of water for those types of activities.
In our lab during the unit, the students observed chlorella under a microscope and then proceeded to design methods to culture algae. Then, the students designed experiments intended to kill it with an algicide. Moving ahead in the year, students are now studying genetics and DNA.
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It is full speed ahead in Personal Development as our students have pushed the limits of their comfort zone, completing activities designed to promote leadership, service, and personal growth. Many students have volunteered at our All Star Basketball program for athletes with special abilities.
Students are completing their essential skills lesson on doing laundry, have shared quotes with the class, cooked for their families, tutored siblings, and much more. Classroom lessons have focused on appreciating what we have, surrounding yourself with people who build you up, and reflecting on what excellence looks like in all areas of our life. This is a year of incredible growth as we mature, leaving middle school behind, and strive to become the young adults we want to be!
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An emphasis on balance and movements are a major focus for this next term. Linear movements along with explosive exercises to improve speed, quickness and power are designed to improve top end speed and explosive agility. The focus is on producing high rates of force in short amounts of time. These patterns of movements can enhance strength, jumping and sprinting and change of direction capabilities, all essentials in an athlete's life. | |
Follow The Prep Class of ‘24 as they explore the #pathlesstraveled | | | | |
