Dear Cedar Mountain Families,

Happy Spring!

I’m proud to announce our First-Grade Students of the Month. 

April Students of the Month

Chloe

Meet: Chloe                              

Favorite:

Sport: Soccer                                       Food: Pancakes          

Singer: Taylor Swift                           Book:  Dr. Seuss Books

Movie: “Dumbo”                                School Subject: Gym with Miss Gonnelli

Names of Sisters and Brother: Hannah, Madigan, and Chandler

Chloe’s teacher, Mrs. Start, should know that Chloe will always remember how great Mrs. Start made first-grade for her.

When Chloe is not in school, she likes to play with her dollhouse.

Chloe is really good at math.

When Chloe grows up, she wants to be a teacher.

 

Brynn

Meet: Brynn                           Nickname: Brynny-Boo            

Favorite:

Sport: Dance                                       Food: Chocolate Chip Pancakes        

Singer: Kidz Bop                                Book:  Knuffle Bunny

School Subject: Math

Brynn’s teacher, Miss Chmielowiec, should know that Brynn works hard.

When Brynn is not in school, she likes to play.

Brynn is really good at dancing.

When Brynn grows up, she wants to be a movie star.

 

Emmett

Meet: Emmett                                 

Favorite:

Sport: Karate                                       Food: Student of the Month Cookies 

Singer: Emmett’s Dad                         Book:  Where the Sidewalk Ends

TV Show: “Pixels”                             School Subject: Math

Name of Sister: Emmett’s sister will be born later this year, his family has not named his sister yet.

Emmett’s teacher, Mrs.Battista, should know that Emmett is a hard worker.

When Emmett is not in school, he likes to chill and jump on his trampoline.

Emmett is really good at swimming.

When Emmett grows up, he wants to be an inventor.

Kaylee

Meet: Kaylee                          Nickname: K-K, Sissy              

Favorite:

Sport: Gymnastics                               Food: Hot Dogs         

Singer: Parry Gripp                             Book:  Pig the Pug

TV Show: “My Little Pony”               School Subject: Gym with  Miss Gonnelli

Name of Brother: Evan

Kaylee’s teacher, Mrs. Rogers, should know that Kaylee likes math.

When Kaylee is not in school, she likes to act crazy with her brother.

Kaylee is really good at coloring.

When Kaylee grows up, she wants to work with animals.

Blake

Meet: Blake                              

Favorite:

Sport: Football                                    Food: Banana Splits   

Singer: Migos                                      Book:  Berenstain Bears

TV Show: “Henry Danger”                School Subject: Gym with Miss Gonnelli and math

Name of Sister: Kylie

Blake’s teacher, Mrs. Wilson, should know that Blake loves being a running back on his football team; he’s really good at it!

When Blake is not in school, he likes to practice baseball with his friends.

Blake is really good at swimming.

When Blake grows up, he wants to be a football referee.

Owen

Meet: Owen                                          

Favorite:

Sport: Soccer                                       Food: French Toast    

Singer: Marshmello                             Book:  The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

TV Show: “Avengers”                        School Subject: Math

Name of Brother: Jack

Owen’s teacher, Mrs. Megnin, should know that Owen likes winter.

When Owen is not in school, he likes to play outside.

Owen is really good at math.

When Owen grows up, he wants to be a soccer player.

Louis

Meet: Louis                            Nickname: Louie          

Favorite:

Sport: Baseball, Lacrosse, Basketball

Food: Pizza    

Singer: Queen and Kidz Bop              Book:  Curious George

Movie: “Power Rangers” and “Star Wars”   

School Subject: Math

Louis’s teachers Mrs. Talerico and Mrs. Ollert should know that Louis tries very hard in class and has a lot of fun in their class, too.

When Louis is not in school, he likes to play Nerf gun battles and play on his iPad and have friends over at his house.

Louis is really good at playing sports.

When Louis grows up, he wants to go to Disney and he also wants to protect people, too.

Gavin

Meet: Gavin                           Nickname: Gav             

Favorite:

Sport: Lacrosse                                   Food: Plums   

Singer: Mandy Moore                         Book:  We’re All Wonders

TV Show: “Bill Nye, the Science Guy”        

School Subject: Art with Mrs. Docherty

Names of Brothers: Aiden (his twin) and Kenny, his little brother

Gavin’s teacher, Mrs. Barone, should know that Gavin loves learning new things!

When Gavin is not in school, he likes to read about space, science, and creatures.

Gavin is really good at writing stories.

When Gavin grows up, he wants to be an astronaut.

Michael

Meet: Michael                        Nickname: Mikey         

Favorite:

Sport: Basketball                                 Food: French Fries     

Singer: Justin Timberlake-Michael loves the song “Can’t Stop the Feeling”

Book:  Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches and Other Stories

TV Show: “Tom and Jerry”                School Subject: Science

Names of Sisters and Brother: Natalia, Claudia, and Gabriel (his twin)

Michael’s teacher, Mrs. Hartman, should know that Michael is very respectful to everyone.

When Michael is not in school, he likes to go outside and play or jump on the trampoline.

Michael is really good at doing a front flip.

When Michael grows up, he wants to be a scientist.

Aiden

Meet: Aiden                            Nickname: Man-Man    

Favorite:

Sport: Soccer                                       Food: Baked Ziti        

Singer: Beatles                                    Book:  Dinosaurs

Movie: “Spiderman”                          School Subject: Math

Names of Sisters and Brothers: Nora, Lily, Violet, Misty, Josh, and Brandon

Aiden’s teacher, Mr. Dente, should know that Aiden thinks that Mr. Dente is the greatest teacher!

When Aiden is not in school, he likes to cook with Mema, build Legos, draw, have water fights, and play tag with my family.

Aiden is really good at art, building, cooking, and taking care of his animals.

When Aiden grows up, he wants to be a construction worker.

Mackenzie

Meet: Mackenzie                    Nickname: Kensie         

Favorite:

Sport: Softball and Gymnastics          Food: Watermelon and Pineapple      

Singer: Taylor Swift                           Book:  We’re All Wonders

Movie: “Moana”                                 School Science

Names of Sister and Brother: Cassandra (her twin) and Kyler

Mackenzie’s teacher, Miss Malloy, should know that Mackenzie is very kind, caring, and loves to help her family and friends, and loves animals!

When Mackenzie is not in school, she likes to draw, play outside, play games, play with her play-doh, play softball, and help her mommy cook and bake.

Mackenzie is really good at drawing, softball, gymnastics, and cooking.

When Mackenzie grows up, she wants to be a veterinarian, a singer, and a firefighter, like her mommy!

 

Our students enjoyed reading and participating in various activities related to We’re All Wonders. Here are some class activities that took place throughout the building…

Mrs. Battista’s Class: Mrs. Battista’s Student Teacher, Miss Falcon, created a family engagement activity for We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio. The students responded to the prompt, “I am a wonder because…” and the parents responded to the prompt, “My child is a wonder because…”, The students returned the completed writing prompts which was only the beginning of their self-investigation of why they are a true wonder. To display the family engagement writing prompts, the students worked to create themselves as a wonder. The students had to brainstorm and write ways to show kindness, identify three things that they like to do, illustrate their face onto an Auggie inspired helmet, use details within the coloring templates, and assemble all pieces of the project onto a trifold. The family and student participation of Family Engagement Project was outstanding.

Mrs. Barone’s Class: Students in Mrs. Barone’s class wrote about people who are “wonders” in their world and what makes them special. This picture is very special to me, it shows students writing about why I am a “wonder”!

Mrs. Bross’ Class: The class made “kindness flowers” with their handprints… They “let kindness grow”

Mrs. Horn’s Class: From a lesson from Mr. Maurice, students drew themselves in the “Auggie Helmet” and wrote the ways that they are kind to others.

Crown of Kindness: As students were observed doing good deeds and showing kindness to others, they were given the “wonder crown” to wear for the day. These proud students were given the “wonder crown” as they pose holding our One School One Book We’re All Wonders.

Ms. Kusma’s Class: Students experimented with air pressure in preparation of our Mad Science program.

 

 

Mad Science Assembly: Auggie and his dog, Daisy, go up, up, and away in space. To make a science connection to We’re All Wonders, Mad Scientist “Bio Brendan” dazzled students and kept them very entertained with experiments about air and air pressure.

Kindness Rocks at Cedar Mountain: As a culminating activity for We’re All Wonders, Mr. Maurice had students place our kindness rocks that were painted in previous school counseling lessons. “Kindness Rocks” at Cedar Mountain!

Mrs. Rogers’ class is working on a class book in Writing Workshop that will be published through Writing Treasures. The theme of the book the class is writing is “In the Jungle”. Students have combined repetition in the fiction text to spot the animals and then added some interesting facts through their exploration of nonfiction text, using the text features that students have been learning in Reading Workshop. Students in Mrs. Rogers’ class are learning about Earth Day in science and used some recycled materials to make props for our photos of the authors. This special class book looks like it could be a best seller!!

Computer Class with Mrs. Chletsos: Students use TypingClub.com to learn keyboarding and computer skills. Our kindergarteners use Jungle Junior.

Mrs. Start’s Class: Has been celebrating National Poetry Month this April and the class has learned many interesting things about poetry. Beginning in September, each student has put at least one poem a week in his or her poetry journal. Students read and discuss these poems and the students practice visualizing while they read. To celebrate National Poetry Month, students learned how to write their own poetry. The class reviewed their poetry journals and noticed features such as rhyming words, white space, and format. Students noticed that poems tend to have a central idea or a theme. Students wrote an acrostic poem about the month of April and shared it with classmates. These poems are now hung in the hallway for everyone to read! Mrs. Start’s students have done such a wonderful job becoming poetry authors!

Poetry Out Loud: Our first-grade students have been learning about poetry and what makes it different than prose. Students have been practicing reading poetry and learning how poetry is read and practicing reading fluency as they read. On Tuesday, April 16, one class representative from each first-grade class will read a poem that the student has been practicing for our Poetry Out Loud assembly. These students will also be reciting their poems at the May 16th Board of Education meeting.  

School Spirit Day is Thursday, April 18- Wear Blue and Gold!

Our next Buy-One-Get-One-Free Book Fair will be held in the library on Thursday, May 2 and Friday, May 3, from 4:00-6:00 pm, in the gym. The SCA will also be providing our students with ice cream and popcorn while they shop with their parents!

Family Literacy Night: Will be held on Wednesday, May 15th, 2018, from 6:00-7:30 pm, This program is brought to us by Project Self-Sufficiency.  Come for a campfire dinner, read with your child during story time, and have fun crafting. Here is the link to the flyer. 

The Sussex County Miners have a reading incentive program for students! Some classes in Cedar Mountain are participating in the Miners Reading Incentive. Students that participate in the reading program can earn one free meal voucher to Friendly’s and two free tickets to the Miner’s Game on June 16, 2019. Please speak to your child’s teacher for additional information.

2019-2020 SCA Nomination for Officers: It is time to make a nomination for officers of the 19-20 Cedar Mountain SCA. We encourage all of you to consider running for an officer position or volunteering in any way that you can. Here is the link for the nomination form. This form can be used for any of the schools in our district. At our May 6, 2019, 9:45 am, SCA meeting, we will have an election for any positions where more than one person is running.

First-Grade Readers Theater:  In late May through early June, our first-graders will perform Readers Theater plays for their classmates. Readers Theater is an integrated approach for involving students in reading, listening, and speaking activities.  It involves children in….

  • sharing literature,
  • reading aloud,
  • performing with a purpose, and
  • working collaboratively.

Readers Theater is readers reading a script adapted from literature, and the audience picturing the action from hearing the script being read aloud.  It requires no sets, costumes, props, or memorized lines.  Instead of acting out literature as in a play, the performer’s goal is to read a script aloud effectively, enabling the audience to visualize the action.  Performers bring the text alive by using voice, facial expressions, and some gestures.

Upcoming Events:

  • Traveling Lantern Company to Perform “Dorothy and the Land of Oz”-Thursday, April 18…we thank the SCA for bringing this program to our school!!
  • School Closed: Friday, April 19 through Friday, April 26, school resumes on Monday, April 29, 2019- Enjoy the week with your children!
  • SCA Mother’s and Father’s Day Shoppe-Monday, April 29- Wednesday, May 1-All gifts are $1.00. Please send cash in an envelope with a name for each recipient on the day of his or her shopping experience.  By doing so, this will help the volunteers assist your child better and not leave anyone behind.
  • PGA Golf Pro from Black Bear Golf Course-coming the week of April 29 and May 6 in all gym classes
  • Optional Spring Pictures: Thursday, May 2
  • Daniel Kirk: Author Visit- Friday, May 17. Here is the form if you would like to purchase any Daniel Kirk books for your child.
  • 1st Grade Fun Day- Monday, May 20 (rain date May 22)
  • Kindergarten Fun Day-Tuesday, May 21 (rain date May 23)
  • School Closed- Friday, May 24 (this day has been added by our Board of Education) and Monday, May 27
  • Kindergarten Patriotic Sing-Along: Friday, June 14, at 10:00 am, in the gym
  • Early Dismissal Days: Wednesday, June 12; Thursday, June 13; Friday, June 14; Monday, June 17; and Friday, June 18- Lunches will not be served on these days. A grab and go lunch form will be sent home for these days 
  • Last Day of School: Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Sincerely,

Rosemary Gebhardt