ERIC S. SMITH MIDDLE SCHOOL

🏀 Smith students have caught the March Madness fever! Ten teams are participating in our Morning Madness Basketball Tournament! Yesterday was Diamond Nation vs. Yao Ming Pandas while today's matchup was The Goofballs vs. Bryce BC. Playoffs will begin March 19, with a Championship slated for April 9! 🏀

Happy Thursday, Ram Fam! On behalf of the Smith School community, we would like to congratulate Mr. Christiansen and the RHS Boys Basketball team on their big 2OT win yesterday! They will be playing in the NJSIAA State Finals on Saturday night at Rutgers University. To celebrate them, we will have a BLUE & GOLD/BASKETBALL JERSEY SPIRIT DAY on Friday, March 13! Students, if you play RTBA basketball, please wear your RAMSEY basketball jersey! 🏀⛹️Go Rams!

Yesterday, Mrs. Nixon's 6th grade math students used pictorial representation to learn about like terms! What a fun way to help students understand mathematical concepts!

Memoirist Craig Grossi, helped 8th graders kick off their (memoir) writing unit today. Grossi described his writing experiences and how writing a memoir, helps shape the story you want to share with an audience. He used his own memoirs, Craig and Fred and Second Chances, as inspiration for students to brainstorm a time in their life that had a lasting impact on them. You got this, 8th graders! We can't wait to see your final drafts! ✏️📝Thank you, Mr. Grossi for visiting us!

Who says middle schoolers can’t run the country? Yesterday, students became members of the President’s Cabinet —debating issues, sharing ideas, and practicing critical thinking, communication, and collaboration while learning how the executive branch works.

Smith's 6th graders had the opportunity to see firsthand how Ramsey's Officer Hamersma and his K-9 partner, Jack, work to track a lost person or item while on the job. Students practiced their interpersonal skills by asking the officer questions, which will help them write an informational article. This type of experience allows students to gain valuable exposure to how journalists conduct interviews and gather quotes from experts. Thank you, Jack and Officer Hamersma for visiting!

In Fitness Class with Ms. Occhiuto, students recently learned how to take their resting heart rate and figured out their target heart rate zones for their age. Then, they participated in a heart rate lab to see how various types of exercises would affect their BPM. They reflected on other factors that might affect heart rate and which activities made their hearts work the hardest! Good job - this is such an important lesson to learn!

Almost a year ago, Serena was sitting in Mrs. Csengeto's ELA class and writing an (argumentative) letter to Glossier detailing how much she loved their product. Today, now in 8th grade, she received a hand-written note and sample products as a thank-you. What a fun surprise! Thanks, Glossier for making our day!

The 7th grade Spanish classes wrapped up their Love and Friendship unit by having a Mexican chocolate tasting. ¡Qué rico! 🍫

Violetta G. is an active member of the 7th Grade Smith Chorus. In early February, she auditioned for and was accepted into the 2026 North Jersey Region 1 Choir! This is not an easy task as over 200 students from ALL of Northern New Jersey in grades 7-9 also auditioned. She will sing the Alto part as Rehearsals began in early March leading up to a performance on Sunday, March 22.

Students in Señora Stokes’ 7th grade Spanish classes made friendship bracelets as a part of their unit on Love and Friendship. These tokens of affection and loyalty symbolize a long-lasting unbreakable bond between friends!

Team 7-1 immersed themselves into arguments this week! During this time, student practiced clearly communicating their claims and backing it up with reasons and reasoning. We can't wait to see how the rest of the unit unfolds!

March is a busy month at Smith School! Let's kick off the weekend with a Blue and Gold Day on Friday, March 6! Deck yourself out in your best Ramsey Ram pride colors!

Smith's 8th graders worked on their mobility, balance, and muscular endurance in today's Fitness class! Great job! Also, a special shout-out goes the this month's Fitness Stars! Keep up the hard work!

Mrs. Kelly's homeroom started their Friday with a sweet treat as they celebrated coming in 3rd place in Smith's Souper Bowl Food Drive Challenge. Great job, sixth graders! You are helping a lot of people through your generous contributions.

Smith's 6th and 7th grade French classes recently learned all about Mardi Gras and its cultural traditions. Students worked in groups during a reader’s theater workshop and performed skits for their classmates. They created themed Mardi Gras floats out of shoeboxes for a class parade and voted on creativity and theme. Students also enjoyed a delicious King Cake and made masks. A fun time was had by all!

Just because it is snowing outside, doesn't mean that our Smith students aren't busy preparing for spring inside! Recently, our Environmental Club members began the process of getting their baby plants ready for the annual plant sale (details to follow). Now, if we could just get rid of the snow!

Sixth graders hit the ground running today and explored their literary options in the library! Mrs. Murphy was able to help her students locate books of interest!

SCHEDULE ALERT: Due to anticipated road conditions, we are implementing a 2-hour delayed opening schedule tomorrow. All schools will start 2 hours later than their normal opening times. The RED before care program will be canceled, but aftercare will begin at the normal time.

Please check the district website for further information. Thank you.

SCHEDULE ALERT: Due to anticipated road conditions, we are implementing a 2-hour delayed opening schedule tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24th.

All schools will start 2 hours later than their normal opening times. The RED before care program will be canceled, but aftercare will begin at the normal time.

Please check the district website for further information.