🎉As our school year comes to a close, our hearts are full of gratitude for each and every one of our students and families. We've had a fantastic year, filled with incredible moments of learning, laughter, and growth, and none of it would have been possible without your dedication and support!
🍦To show a small token of our immense appreciation, we were thrilled to treat our students to an Ice Cream event on Thursday!
It was a joyful celebration of their remarkable growth, well-deserved successes, and the unwavering positivity they bring to our school every day
Seeing their smiles as they enjoyed their treats was the perfect way to cap off a wonderful year!
Life is SWEET at Smith School! Señora Stokes and Señor Urbina’s classes celebrated the end of their Latin Desserts unit by having a taste testing! Some of the desserts featured are alfajores, tres leches cake, arroz con leche, flan and polvorosas. ¡Buen provecho, todos!
🎲Today we GAMED….to collect authentic data!
➗Students in Grade 6 Math designed and participated in a series of ‘Minute To Win It’ challenges across their math classes. Students and teachers were invited to play a series of unique 60 second games, while the game creators logged data based on player performance
📝What's next: Later this month, students will use this data to create a presentation based on their findings from these challenges!
✅Thanks for sharing, Ms. Callendrillo, Ms. Nixon, Ms. Kubasta, and Ms. Foca!
We are inching towards the end of the school year, and that means it's time to turn in any and all overdue books & library materials!
Monday, June 2nd will be the final day for checking out or renewing books from the Smith School Library. This is to ensure that we get all our materials back & put away before summer.
If you need a book for the final weeks of class, please plan to check out or renew it by the end of the school day on Monday, June 2nd!
All library materials are due by Monday, June 16th. Anything not returned will result in a fine!
If you have lost or damaged any library items, please come see Ms. Kelly in the library to pay the fine- cash or check only.
Get your green on and support the Smith School Environmental Club at our plant sale this Wednesday and Thursday! The Environmental Club has planted and cared for each seed and plant so we'll have a vibrant selection of indoor and outdoor plants. Stop by and help us rejuvenate our school courtyard gardens!
✍Today we WROTE….letters to major businesses!
📢Mrs. Csengeto's 7th graders wrote letters to businesses during their informational unit.
Students researched a company of their choice and added relevant information about their experience with the company.
Letters ranged from local companies like @Chick-fil-A to farther away companies like Formula 1 in England.
So far three students - Dylan B., Amanda G. and Trevor G.- all received packages and/or letters back from their companies.
👍This experience was a great way for students to practice their communication and critical thinking skills. It also allowed them to practice signing their names in cursive!
✅Thanks for sharing, Mrs. Csengeto!
Ms. Meyers' class tested substances to check for nutrients. They used indicators to check for carbohydrates (starch and sugar), fats and proteins to see if they were food. Learning about the foods they eat and the nutrients they provide them has been an exiting part of the life science unit for them!
Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms that are part of the Smith Middle School Learning Community!
Grade 8 Multimedia classes were visited by Samantha Wei- a current producer at NBC Nightly News AND a former student of Mr. Reicher! She was able to see our students in action during the daily live filing of the Smith Morning Show, speak to classes and answer questions about broadcasting as a career, and offer feedback on their current projects. What a fantastic, real-world connection to content! Special thanks to Mr. Reicher for making the visit possible🎥🎬
Smith Environmental Club students, advised by Ms. Hanratty, spent some time during recess watering the plants for their upcoming Plant Sale this month!! 🌱🪴🌎
⚠️Good afternoon Grade 8 Parents/Guardians! Tomorrow and Friday our 8th graders will be taking the NJSLA Science exam 💪 Please make sure your child has a fully charged🔋Chromebook, wired headphones 🎧, and a good breakfast 🍳
Learning about heat transfers is sweet! Grade 7 Science students learned about conduction, convection, and radiation using marshmallows in Mrs. Broderick's class today.
Mrs. Csengeto’s classes were locked 🔒 into historical fiction as they each took roles of the 🎭 play, “When Women Ruled Baseball.” The shared reading was the first step in making real-life connections 🔗 to historical time periods this week ✅
Today was Smith School's Cinco De Mayo Celebration!
What’s Happening: Cinco De Mayo celebrates the Mexican army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. While primarily a remembrance in Mexico, it has become a wider celebration of Mexican culture and heritage in the United States, often marked by food, music, and festivities.
Spanish language students in Grade 6, 7, and 8 celebrated with traditional games such as “Toss the Tortilla”, lessons surrounding the history of the holiday, listening to authentic Mariachi music, and enjoying traditional Mexican desserts such as Churros
6th grade also got a special surprise visit from Señora King- their former Spanish teacher from Dater School!
Why it matters: World language classes in middle school are important because they offer numerous benefits for students, including improved cognitive abilities, enhanced literacy skills, and a broader understanding of diverse cultures and perspectives. They also open doors to future educational and career opportunities and foster a more global mindset!
Muchas Gracias to our Spanish World Language teachers- Señora Kenduck, Señora Merritt, Señora Stokes, and Señor Urbina
HUGE THANKS to Dr. Morganstein Fuerst from the University of Vermont for presenting the basics of Islam to our Grade 6 students. This was the 5th and final Accepting and Belonging Conversation of the school year. She did a great job!
What a fantastic Take Your Child to Work Day at Smith Middle School!
Thank you to Mrs. Aiello, Mr. Schrettner, Mrs. Salerni, Ms. Hollm, Ms. Kelly, Mr. Frisch, Mrs. Acebo, Mrs. Stokes, Mr. Salmanowitz, Mr. Sirota, Ms. Rejent, Mr. Christiansen and all of the Smith Middle School students for contributing to such a wonderful experience.
Students in Mrs. Broderick's class investigated their senses of sight, hearing, and touch today to figure out how sensory input is processed by the brain.
Shop Kendra Scott this Saturday from 4-8pm at Garden State Plaza - and support RPEF while doing so! 🛍💍🐏. See details for more info.
💬Today we COLLABORATED…on the planning stages for the Grade 8 Profile Project!
🍎What’s Happening: Grade 8 students met with their Profile of a Graduate Project groups in the library this week to choose & refine their topic and begin preliminary research.
📝Students were asked to target a realistic and tangible action project where they could bring about change within their own community or an outside community. Topics range from pollution, mental health for young people, poverty, and more.
⁉️Why it matters: This is a pivotal project for the grade 8 students as they apply the Ramsey Profile of a Graduate Competencies to real-world projects aimed at impact their community or the global community for the better.
➡️What’s Next: Student groups will meet again next month to begin developing an action plan and devise realistic bullet items to promote the change they are targeting. Projects will be completed and presented by June!
👏Big Thanks to our Grade 8 Social Studies teachers- Mr. St. Thomas, Mr. Taylor, Ms. Clinton, and Mr. Abma- for guiding students through this process!
Wishing all our families who celebrate Easter today a joyful and peaceful holiday. May this season of renewal bring brightness, hope, and cherished moments with loved ones.
