Dear Cedar Mountain Families,
As the month of May progresses, I would like to highlight various activities taking place at Cedar Mountain School. Thank you for your continued support of our school. We have many upcoming events for our students and families as well!
May Students of the Month: Congratulations to our First Grade May Student of the Month. These students were selected by their teachers for demonstrating the following qualities:
Acts of kindness towards others
Helping others
Using good manners and being polite
Cleaning up after ourselves
Greeting others and asking about their day
Perseverance on difficult tasks
Talking about our feelings
Using classroom and school materials appropriately
Including others in activities and play
ROLL CALL PLEASE…
Cayden
Leo
Logan
Wyatt
Hank
MC
Noah
Nicholas
Avery
Jaime
Aven
Michael
Shane
Zoey
Tommy
Mason
Austin
Owen
Logan
Graham
Luke
Caelyn
Mother’s Day Planting: Thank you to our SCA for assisting our students in our Mother’s Day Planting; students brought home a beautiful springtime memento to honor their moms.
Stone Soup: What if you only have a stone? Well, it’s a good soup starter if you’re making “Stone Soup”! In the spirit of the theme of Stone Soup, which is a story about a traveler who comes upon a town and is hungry and has a plan to make soup which feeds the whole town. The theme of Stone Soup is that “everyone benefits by contributing”; we school had the same idea…everyone benefits by contributing. Cedar Mountain students first read the story Stone Soup which has many interpretations and versions through the years from its original European folk story. Next, Stone Soup was performed by The Pushcart players of Verona, NJ. Throughout the month of May, the students of Cedar Mountain generously donated ingredients to make “Stone Soup” where an endless supply of non-perishable food items were donated.
To culminate learning about the story Stone Soup, Cedar Mountain held a Family Literacy Night organized by Mrs. Kristina Krops, Reading Specialist, and Mrs. Courtney Wilson, ESL Instructor, funded by a Pride Grant from the Vernon Township Education Association and the NJ Education Association. Families came to celebrate this story and reenact Stone Soup by putting together the ingredients needed to make “Stone Soup”. Each family gathered the ingredients to make “Stone Soup”, wrote a note to the family that will receive the package to make the soup, and then enjoyed a pizza and soup dinner. Each “Stone Soup” package has been donated to My Brother’s Place as well as the St. Francis DeSales Food Bank. Like the message of Stone Soup, students learned the value of sharing and giving to their community.
License to speed: Mrs. Sommers has a math competition in her class to encourage her students to learn their addition and subtraction facts. Students continue to win their “License to Speed in Addition”! Our next speedy mathematician is Ella, who completed all eight addition tests in a minute or less each. Each test had 30 questions on it. Way to go Ella!
Ella
Art News: Art students explored drawing with scissors inspired by Henri Matisse. They cut different shapes out of primary and secondary colors. Then they arranged and rearranged their shapes on blocks of complementary colors until their masterpiece was just right! Check out these masterpieces!
Conscious Parenting: The Power of Presence: Parents and Guardians, click this link to attend a FREE webinar from the NJ Traumatic Loss Coalition.
June SCA: Our final SCA meeting of the year will take place on Monday, June 6th, at 1:30 pm, in the cafeteria. Come say thank you to our outgoing SCA board and welcome our new 22-23 board. We will have a student presentation to formally thank our parent volunteers for all they have done for us this year. Below are the names of our new board members, you will notice that we have two open positions. If you are interested, please contact the SCA at: cm.vernonsca@gmail.com
President: Megan Kapusta
VP: Rose Ahearn
Recording Secretary: OPEN
Treasurer: Rachel Cawley
Corresponding Secretary: Viviana Quiros
Fastest Class Program: Mr. Hernandez, our PE teacher, has been working with each classroom to build their stamina. Now that the year is coming to a close, Mr. Hernandez is challenging each classes’ “mettle” and seeing which class in each grade level is the fastest. Congratulations to Ms. Shadruff’s kindergarten class and Mrs. Casper’s first-grade class who won the May Fastest Class. Below you will see each class proudly posing with the HUGE trophy! Way to go to all of our students!
Ms. Shadruff’s Class
Mrs. Casper’s Class
Preparation for Fun Day: Mr. Hernandez is preparing all Cedar Mountain students for the various calisthenics of Fun Day. Below are some pictures of how Mr. Hernandez has transformed his gym to simulate the Fun Day stations students will experience. He is always training his students to develop muscle memory much like our classroom teachers do when teaching students to develop their reading and math muscles, from practice makes growth!!
Learning Outside: Taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather, Mrs. Casper’s class, enjoyed having a class outside….or what you do when the lights go out at school in the middle of the day!
Kool Aid Kids: To say thank you for all that they do, the first-grade Kool Aid Kids treated out bus drivers to cookies and juice. The Kool Aid Kids spent time getting to know our bus drivers while they shared a snack.
Fun Day: Kindergarten: Thursday, May 26 (rain date May 31st) and First Grade: Friday, May 27 (rain date June 1st).
Please send your child to school with…
Comfortable/weather appropriate clothing (Fun Day T-shirt) & sneakers!
Sunscreen (already applied at home before school)
A water bottle with his/her name on it!
Memorial Day Parade: As our school year is in our final trimester, we continue to value promoting the connection of home, school, and community. In late May/early June, we will celebrate patriotism and would like to do so by honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country as we teach our students about Memorial Day.
While we will be honoring those who have given their lives for our country, we are inviting any relative of a Cedar Mountain student who is a veteran to come to school on Monday, June 6, 2022, at 9:45 am, to be a part of our Memorial Day Parade in the Cedar Mountain school yard. The Vernon Township High School Marching Band will be performing for us on this day. Please encourage your child to wear red, white, and blue to be in the spirit of the day. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE FORM TO LET US KNOW YOU’RE ATTENDING.
Artstanding: Please join our district at Lounsberry Hollow School on Friday, June 10th, at 5:00 pm, to experience our fine and practical arts program from preschool through high school. Come tour the building to see students’ works of art. You will experience concerts from our bands, ensembles, and orchestras, as well as our choral groups throughout the district. Learn about and experience our STEM and STEAM programs. This is a MUST SEE family event! Join us!
Kindergarten Patriotic Sing Along: The kindergarten students and teachers of Cedar Mountain Primary School invite you to be our guest as we perform patriotic songs to celebrate America, Flag Day, and congratulate our Kindergarten students for their first year in school on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 10:00 am. Please bring a lawn chair and enjoy our students singing various songs you can sing along with us. Our students will accompanied by the GMMS band.
Second-Grade Orientation: Save the date! Rolling Hills Primary School will be holding its 2nd Grade Orientation on Monday, June 6th AND June 13th, beginning at 4:00 pm. Please click HERE for the informational flyer. You must sign up for a slot of time on Sign Up Genius that you and your child will be attending.
2022-2023 VTSD School Calendar: For planning purposes, Click HERE for the 2022-2023 school calendar. The Cedar Mountain Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 1, 2022. The first day of school is on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
2022-2023 Kindergarten Orientation: We will be holding our 22-23 Kindergarten Orientation on Tuesday, June 21, at 2:00 pm (A-L) and 3:00 pm (M-Z). CLICK HERE FOR A LETTER ABOUT OUR ORIENTATION PROGRAM.
Sign Up Genius for Entering Kindergarten Families: CLICK HERE to sign up for a time to bring your entering kindergarten child in for a Meet and Greet this summer.
International Student Program: You may have see THIS PODCAST about the Vernon Township High School International Student Program. Our district is proud to announce its International Exchange program for the Fall 2022, and we are currently looking for host families! Hosting an international student is an incredibly rewarding experience. Families who open their hearts and homes to international high school students develop lifelong bonds and gain a better understanding of the world around them. The opportunity to host also provides important cultural lessons for your family, neighbors, and our Vernon community. Check out our informational flyer and be sure to contact Lisa Curry, our program’s local coordinator with any questions you may have. Lisa Curry can be reached at: Lisa.Curry.educatius@gmail.com or (201) 741-3908
A Few Reminders:
- Kindergarten Fun Day- Thursday, May 26th
- First-Grade Fun Day- Friday, May 27th
- School Closed for Memorial Day- Monday, May 30th
- Memorial Day Parade performed by the VTHS Marching Band-Monday, June 6th, at 10:00 am
- SCA Meeting- Monday, June 6th, at 1:30 pm, in the cafeteria- all entering K families are welcome to attend!
- VTSD Artstanding- Friday, June 10th, at 5:00 pm at Lounsberry Hollow School
- Kindergarten Patriotic Sing Along- Tuesday, June 14th, at 10:00 am
- Early Dismissal Days- Friday, June 17th through Thursday, June 23rd
- 2022-2023 Kindergarten Orientation- Tuesday, June 21st-Letters A-L at 2:00 pm and M-Z at 3:00 pm
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal