Dear Cedar Mountain Families,
Here is some information on activities taking place at Cedar Mountain this month…
Congratulations to our February First-Grade Students of the Month!
1st Grade Students Receiving their Medals and Certificates
Baylee
Meet: Baylee
Favorite:
Sport: Ice Skating Food: Chinese Food
Singer: Taylor Swift Book: Pete the Cat
Movie: “Sing” School Subject: Math
Names of Brothers and Sister: Nathaniel, James, and Liliana
Baylee’s teacher, Mrs. Hartman, should know that Baylee loves being a big sister and helping her mom at home.
When Baylee is not in school, she likes to color and play games with her family, like Uno.
Baylee is really good at doing arts and crafts and coloring.
When Baylee grows up, she wants to be a Veterinarian.
Jeffmarie
Meet: Jeffmarie
Favorite:
Sport: Soccer Food: Corn
Singer: Alan Walter Book: Clifford
TV Show: “SpongeBob Square Pants and Loud House”
School Subject: Math
Names of Sisters: Karelys and Jerelys
Jeffmarie’s teacher, Mrs. Wilson, should know that Jeffmarie likes dogs and is learning Chinese!
When Jeffmarie is not in school, she likes to play with her family.
Jeffmarie is really good at playing games.
When Jeffmarie grows up, she wants to travel the world.
Christina
Meet: Christina
Favorite:
Sport: Soccer and Ice Skating Food: Cheese Doodles
Singer: Kidz Bop Book: Wheels on the Bus
TV Show: “My Little Pony” School Subject: Gym with Miss Gonnelli
Names of Brothers: Alfonso and Joseph
Christina’s teacher, Miss Chmielowiec, should know that Christina tries to make her teacher happy every day.
When Christina is not in school, she likes to read, play outside, and play games.
Christina is really good at being kind and sharing.
When Christina grows up, she wants to be a mommy.
Ryan
Meet: Ryan Nickname: Ry Ry
Favorite:
Sport: Baseball, Soccer, and Basketball
Food: Macaroni and Cheese
Singer: Walk the Moon Book: Pete the Cat and The Hardy Boys
Movie: “Ice Age” School Subject: Fundations
Names of Brother and Sister: Justin and Kelsey
Ryan’s teacher, Mrs. Megnin, should know that Ryan loves when Mrs. Megnin gives our class extra recess and he loves centers before lunch.
When Ryan is not in school, he likes to read books and play with his brother and sister.
Ryan is really good at Minecraft.
When Ryan grows up, he wants to be a policeman and an artist.
Aiden
Meet: Aiden
Favorite:
Sport: Soccer Food: Pizza
Singer: Aiden’s Dad! Book: Slappy the Dummy-Goosebumps book
Movie: “Jurassic World” School Subject: Gym with Miss Gonnelli
Name of Brother: Tristan
Aiden’s teacher, Mrs. Vanadia, should know that Aiden respects her.
When Aiden is not in school, he likes to play with his little brother and cousin.
Aiden is really good at being a good friend.
When Aiden grows up, he wants to be a detective.
Michael
Meet: Michael Nickname: Chippy
Favorite:
Sport: Baseball Food: Pizza
Singer: Michael Jackson Book: Pete the Cat books
TV Show: “Rug Rats” School Subject: Math
Names of Sister: Madison
Michael’s teacher, Mrs. Battista, should know that Michael is a good boy.
When Michael is not in school, he likes to watch “Alf” and play with his friends.
Michael is really good at baseball.
When Michael grows up, he wants to be a famous baseball player.
Emyleen
Meet: Emyleen Nickname: Emy
Favorite:
Sport: Dance Food: Nutella
Singer: Kidz Bop Book: Hop on Pop
TV Show: “AGT…America’s Got Talent” School Subject: Math
Emyleen’s teacher, Mrs. Barone, should know that Emyleen is a great artist.
When Emyleen is not in school, she likes to play with her dolls.
Emyleen is really good at dancing.
When Emyleen grows up, she wants to be a teacher.
Blake
Meet: Blake Nickname: Blakie
Favorite:
Sport: Football Food: Mashed Potatoes
Singer: Hall and Oates Book: Dr. Seuss’ ABC Book
TV Show: “Ryan’s Toy Review Videos” on YouTube School Subject: Math
Names of Brother: Wyatt
Blake’s teacher, Mr. Dente, should know that Blake likes to go fishing and on hikes with his dad and brother Wyatt.
When Blake is not in school, he likes to play video games with his brother Wyatt.
Blake is really good at doing math.
When Blake grows up, he wants to be a teacher.
Makenzie
Meet: Makenzie Nickname: Kenzie
Favorite:
Sport: Dance Food: Strawberries
Singer: Jo Jo Siwa Book: No David
TV Show: “Liv and Maddie” School Subject: Math
Names of Sister: Scarlet
Makenzie’s teacher, Mrs. Start, should know that Makenzie is really nice but really shy.
When Makenzie is not in school, she likes to go to dance and play with dolls.
Makenzie is really good at dance, math, and school.
When Makenzie grows up, she says, “I really don’t know yet!”.
Taylor
Meet: Taylor
Favorite:
Sport: Basketball Food: Tacos
Singer: Mr. Moschella Book: All Pete the Cat books
Movie: “Frozen” School Subject: Reading Workshop
Names of Sisters and Brothers: Sara, Amanda, Tucker, and Aidan
Taylor’s teacher, Mrs. Talerico and Mrs. Ollert, should know that Taylor reads at home.
When Taylor is not in school, she likes to play games like “Perfection” and “Memory”.
Taylor is really good at math.
When Taylor grows up, she wants to make pizza.
Amy
Meet: Amy Nickname: Ames
Favorite:
Sport: Soccer Food: Vegan Pizza
Singer: Jo Jo Siwa Book: Room on the Broom
Movie: “Hotel Transylvania 3” School Subject: Reading
Name of Sister: Piper
Amy’s teacher, Miss Malloy, should know that Amy is taking acting classes.
When Amy is not in school, she likes to play with her LOL dolls.
Amy is really good at math.
When Amy grows up, she wants to be a Veterinarian.
Anna
Meet: Anna Nickname: Annie
Favorite:
Sport: Soccer Food: Calamari
Singer: Jo Jo Siwa Book: Tales of Wonder
Movie: “Sing” School Subject: Gym with Miss Gonnelli
Name of Brother: Marcus
Anna’s teacher, Mrs. Rogers, should know that Anna is a good singer.
When Anna is not in school, she likes to play with her brother Marcus.
Anna is really good at ballet.
When Anna grows up, she wants to be a model.
100th Day of the School Year: Thank you for your generosity for the donations your children have made that will be going to the organization called Coupons for the Community based in Sparta, NJ. Students had a lot of fun wearing their specially made t-shirts and dressing up as if they were 100 years old!!
Mrs. Sweeney and Mrs. Denninger’s class had fun learning about solids and liquids during the cold days this winter. Students learned about how water freezes, then did some investigating to find out how long it would take for a water balloon to freeze. It did not take long for the water to freeze this week! We had fun seeing different designs in the big ice marbles, and now we have some fun winter decorations in the schoolyard! Below are some pictures of the beautiful ice designs that resulted in the experiment.
Kids Heart Challenge Program: Thank you for our parent volunteers who are assisting with this weeklong program. Thank you for your generosity to contributing to this annual campaign.
School Closed on Monday, February 18, 2019, for the observance of President’s Day
School Spirit Day: Thursday, February 21, 2019- wear your Viking gear or your “class of” t-shirt.
Love of Reading Week: February 25 to March 1, 2019, in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday (March 2nd), students will be participating in various literacy activities listed below.
| Day of the Week | Dr. Seuss Book | Dress Up Activity |
| Monday, February 25th | Oh the Places You’ll Go | Wear a shirt with words on it from a place you have visited |
| Tuesday, February 26th | Green Eggs and Ham | Wear something Green |
| Wednesday, February 27th | Wacky Wednesday | Wacky Hair and Silly Sock Day |
| Thursday, February 28th | Cat in the Hat | Wear stripes today |
| Friday, March 1st | The Sleep Book | Pajama Day |
Applebee’s announces its annual Above and “BEE”yond Teacher Essay Contest! Cedar Mountain students are invited to nominate their favorite teacher to receive a $500.00 grant and an end-of-year party from Applebee’s Restaurant. To nominate a classroom teacher, students must submit an essay in person to a local Applebee’s Restaurant (Newton, NJ being the closest) explaining why their teacher deserves to be an Applebee’s Teacher of the Year. When students submit an essay, and to “sweeten the deal”, students who enter an essay will receive a free ice cream. Applications are being accepted until March 3, 2019.
Beyond the Classroom: The Importance of Reading Aloud to Our Children– please take a moment to read this informative article on the importance of reading to your child, no matter what age! In the words of Meghan Cox Gurdon, in her Wall Street Journal article “The Great Gift of Reading Aloud,” says that in the not so distant past, reading aloud was the way children fell in love with stories. Enticing storytellers would captivate their listeners as unfolding sentences offered gifts to their imaginations. The child who learned to love stories by hearing them would be a child who would willingly gravitate toward more sophisticated literature on his own. This statement nicely encapsulates the premise of this article. Thank you for taking a moment to read it. The below graphic says it all!
The importance of play…here is an article that many parents may be interested in reading about free play. Some doctors are actually “prescribing” play for children. Research shows how free play fosters:
Sensorimotor
Language
Communication
Management of Stress
Self-Regulation/control
Locomotion
Sensorimotor skills
Executive functioning skills
40 Developmental Assets: We are very fortunate to have the national program 40 Developmental Assets brought to us by Rebecca Dorney from The Center for Prevention and Counseling. This program, started in January will continue on Friday, February 15, at 9:45 am. 40 Developmental Assets is training for adults/parents that teach them about the 40 positive supports and strengths that young people need to succeed. Half of the assets focus on the relationships and opportunities they need in their families, schools, and communities (external assets). The remaining assets focus on the social-emotional strengths, values, and commitments that are nurtured within young people (internal assets). 40 Developmental Assets is a research-based program that comes from Search Institute. Here is the flyer for this program. We will be holding follow up meetings on Friday, March 15, at 9:45 am. A light breakfast will be served- all are welcome!
Project Self-Sufficiency Parenting Classes- Project Self-Sufficiency is offering free parenting classes: Parenting for Fathers (beginning on March 5th) and Parenting School-Aged Children (Beginning on March 6th). Please click this link for the flyer.
SCA Meeting: Monday, March 5, 2019, at 9:45. At March’s meeting, Ms. Laurie Nelson, Math Coach will be making a presentation on some activities you can do at home to bolster your child’s math skills. In addition, Ms. Nelson will be demonstrating how to access Think Central online to find helpful manipulatives that you can use with your child. For our first-grade parents, she will give a “peek” at what second-grade math looks like. We will also have a reveal of our One School One Book initiative! This is a meeting NOT to miss!
SCA Family Craft and Movie Night, Tuesday, March 5, at 5:30 pm–please click this link for the flier. The movie is free! If your child will be creating a craft a $2.00 donation is requested.
Kindergarten Registration: Our Kindergarten Registration for the 2019-2020 is open! If you happen to have friends or neighbors with young children, please direct them to the main page of the VTSD website. Families will need to register online and then come in person to complete the registration process. When arriving at registration, you will need to bring proof of residency and your child’s medical history (vaccinations and recent physical). Kindergarten registration will take place at Cedar Mountain Primary School on Monday, April 1, from 4:30-8:00 pm; Tuesday, April 2, from 9:30-11:30 am; Wednesday, April 3, from 4:30-8:00 pm; and Thursday, March 29 from 9:30-11:30 am, in the gym. Welcome to the Class of 2032!!
Think Spring!!
Rosemary Gebhardt