BEN Bolt News
March 2022
Principal's Corner
Dear Ben Bolt Community:
I hope you are well and are looking forward to Spring March 20, which is right around the corner. We will be springing ahead March 13 as it will be Daylight Savings Time resulting in the days being longer and warmer which hopefully means cabin fever will be over for the students and staff. It is hard to believe we have started the third marking period. Hopefully, everyone has reviewed their second marking period report cards and are satisfied with their child/childrenś progress. As always, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns or better yet, it is parent teacher conference time, so you can meet remotely or in person with your teachers on Tuesday March 22 from 2:00-3:30, and Thursday March 24 and 31 from 5:00-6:30. More information will be distributed during the second week of March.
March 7 marks the day that masks become optional as per the Governor and the Edison Board of Education. It will be a pleasure to see the smiling faces of the children once again. Whatever the personal choice is, the students will be and have been reminded to be respectful of all individual decisions when it comes to wearing masks or not. Please remember, that it is still mandated for all students who ride a bus or van to wear a mask so please send your child to school with a mask.
March Celebrations - During the month of March, we will be celebrating Women's History, Read Across America and Youth Art and Music. The Staff will be integrating this into their daily lessons to enhance their appreciation and curiosity about Women, Reading, the Arts and Music. Our Annual Pajama Jam will be held on Thursday March 3rd which is one of our highlight events of the year!
Our Co-Curricular clubs are in full swing and it has been amazing to watch our students promote kindness,publish newspapers,learn how to broadcast,play board games,create stem projects, promote wellness and fitness,gardening, preparing for a night under the stars with tryouts being conducted through the Drama Club and our Virtual Talent Show. We are so proud to provide such great experiences that are being had by all the students who participate in these clubs outside of the classroom. Congratulations to all!
Lastly, I just want to thank all of our Ben Bolt Community, including our students and staff who have been so dedicated,caring and professional during this once again challenging school year. We have shown by working together, providing communication and by sharing ideas we can do anything. I am very proud of our entire community as we are, and will always forever be, “BEN FRANKLIN BOLTS” who continue to “LET OUR LIGHTNING SHINE”!
Please continue to stay Safe, Healthy and well. Make time to Smile,Laugh and Breathe!
Mr. Preville
PrinciPAL
Assistant Principal's Corner
Dear BEN Bolt Community,
We are so excited to share wonderful updates from around our building. During the month of February we celebrated Ms. Kole, our School Counselor, and the amazing job that she does in our entire school community.
We are continuing our Test Prep and many Title 1 initiatives and we look forward to an upcoming Math night, in early April. Who is Benny? will continue to be shared with everyone and we hope that you are enjoying our story reading as well as guessing, Who is Benny?.
All of our K-5th grade students are participating in a school-wide publishing project and each student will receive a copy of their homeroom's published book. We cannot wait to see each homeroom's final product/book and for our students to share them with their parents and families.
During March we will be celebrating Women's History Month and below I have included a copy of Ms. Kole's wonderful presentation which includes videos and many resources. We hope that you enjoy learning more about these INCREDIBLE WOMEN who have helped to develop wonderful advancements throughout history.
As the Spring approaches we are getting ready for our grade-level field trips and many other exciting projects, activities and endeavors.
Dr. Nieves
Women's History Month
School Counselors Newsletter : March 2022
Nurse's Corner!
The Bolt Bucks School Store is Now Open
Just In Case You Missed It: February's Who is Benny
February 7th: Who is Benny
February 22nd: Who is Benny
Congratulations to our Winners of the "Who is Benny" Contest
Mrs. Tornambe
Mrs. Buckley
Mrs. Figueroa and Mrs. Kiesel-Smith
Ms. Gerena
Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Bonsenor
Mrs. Plodzien and Mr. Capaccio
Mrs. Scotto di Carlo
Student winners:
Akshaya Suresh
Jacob Affram
Esha Jhaveri
Nala Worgs
Thaanya from Mrs. Meisner's class
Saanya Sheth
Our Annual Spring School Food Drive
We hope everyone can do their part in helping those in our community that are in need!
Congratulations Students of the Month!
Second Grade Showcase: They Love Their Books
Books of the Month : March 2022
The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever By: Teddy Slather
The St. Patrick's Day parade is off to a very fine start.The Leprechaun family is marching with lots of heart!Share in their dancing, share in their fun.You'll have the luck of the Irish when this day is done!Top o' the morning! It's March 17th, and the Leprechauns are gathered for their favorite day of the year. Join them as they celebrate St. Patrick's Day with music, dancing, and a parade!
Fun Family Activity
Book of the Month : In Honor of Women's History Month
The Story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg By: Susan B. Katz
Learn the story of how Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the second woman ever to serve as a judge on the Supreme Court of the United States. Before she fought for equal rights and made history, Ruth was a curious kid who loved to read stories about strong women. In school, Ruth wished girls could have as many opportunities as boys. She soon learned that by studying and working hard, she could change her life―and the world.
Fun Family Activity
Monthly Spotlight : Second Grade
Fluency and Comprehension!
Coin Counting!
Tallest Towers
Valentines Day with Crimmin's Crew
Crimmins Crew celebrated Valentine’s Day in style! We dressed to impress. Then, we read D.W.’s Guide to Perfect Manners by Marc Brown. We made a placemat that shared tips on manners, proper table etiquette, and place settings. Students had to “set the table” before enjoying their snacks. We even took a quiz to see how “perfect” our manners are! Finally, we enjoyed opening our valentines from all of our friends. We really felt the LOVE.
Math Games on Two's-Day (2-22-22)
Club Spotlight of the Month!
The Board Game Club
Kindness Club
Newspaper Club: "Extra Extra Read All About It"
Broadcasting Club!
S.T.E.M. Club
Safety Patrols
Student Council
Drama Club!
Drama Club is designed for students interested in learning more about the aspects of theater. The Drama Club shares the joy of theater and a live performance in a fun environment. We do this by encouraging all students, we hope, to inspire a love and respect for the performing arts. Drama Club also gives students a chance to experience the excitement and rewards of theatre arts while developing poise, social skills, confidence and the ability to work with others. This includes learning stage terminology, working on acting skills, set building, and costumes/makeup design.
Auditions Have Begun!
The Rutgers Culture of Health Program comes to Ben Franklin
Virtual Author Visit with Kevin Kurtz!
Go Red For Heart Month
Lunar New Year Sing and Dance Along
IDR Time with Crimmin's Crew
Engineering Design Process
Students learned how engineers use the Engineering Design Process to solve problems. They used their knowledge of this process to complete a design challenge in which they were required to build a tower 10 inches high using only index cards and 1 foot of tape to hold a stuffed animal for 20 seconds.
Pp is for Pizza
Valentines Day
Tu - Tu Tuesday (2-22-22)
100th Day of School
Touch Math Comes To Ben Franklin
In February 2022, a group of teachers from Ben Franklin School participated in a virtual training for the multi-sensory TouchMath program. Our TouchMath trainer provided Mini Math Lessons designed to provide instructional learning strategies in order to improve students math comprehension and mastery. This program will provide teachers with a resource to use to meet the needs of students who struggle with number sense and understanding of the four number operations.
Important Upcoming Dates:
March 3: Read Across America / Access Testing / Pajama Jam
March 4: School Spirit Day / Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day
March 7: Who is Benny? / Mask become optional
March 9: Comfy Cozy Day / PTA Meeting
March 11: School Spirit Day
March 16: Comfy Cozy Day / Flamenco Dancer Assembly / National School Social Worker Day
March 18: National Speech Pathologist Day / School Spirit Day
March 21: Who is Benny? / Food Drive Begins
March 22: 1:30 Dismissal / Parent Teacher Conferences from 2 - 3:30pm
March 23: Comfy Cozy Day
March 24: 1:30 Dismissal / Parent Teacher Conferences from 5 - 6:30pm
March 25: School Spirit Day
March 30: Comfy Cozy Day
March 31: 1:30 Dismissal / Parent Teacher Conferences from 5 - 6:30pm / Food Drive Ends
Club Meetings:
March 4: Broadcasting Club @ 8:15am
March 9: Garden Club @ 8am
Safety Patrols @ 8:15am
Board Games Club @ 3:45pm
March 10: Drama Club Grades 3, 4, 5 @ 3:45 - 4:30
March 11: Kindness Club @ 8am
March 15: Safety Patrol Meeting @ 8:15am
March 16: STEM grade 5 @ 8am
March 17: Team Franklin @ 8am
Drama Club Grades 3, 4, 5 @ 3:45 - 4:30
March 18: Kindness Club @ 8am
Broadcasting Club @ 8:15am
March 21: Newspaper Club @ 8:15am
March 23: Garden Club @ 8am
Board Games Club @ 3:45pm