School Leadership Team

Heather O’Donnell, Principal

Janell Smolk, Assistant Principal

Jessica Jerez, Counselor

Karen Hoeg, Secretary

Corinne Fender, School Nurse

Marcela Ridley, Attendance Clerk

Kenneth Dzurilla, Custodian

Dear Arbor Families,

October has been an exciting month for Arbor students and staff. We began the month with our Week of Respect, where students participated in discussions and activities based on learning to respect one another and themselves. Hispanic Heritage Month continued with students completing projects and classroom activities celebrating the historical and cultural contributions of the world’s Spanish speaking countries, and all those who identify as members of the Hispanic and Latinx community. We were also able to hold a Dine to Donate event at Panda Express, raising money for the PTO. We held our annual Breakfast with your Child event the week of October 17 and our first Family Fun Night on October 18. Pumpkin painting was a huge success, and students, teachers, and families were able to relax and enjoy a well-loved fall activity. A special thank you is due to the Quibbletown Jr. Honor Society, who volunteered to assist the PTO and many of our teachers in the set up and clean up that evening.

There are a number of dates to save coming up as well. Our Halloween celebrations in the classrooms will happen on Monday, October 31. Students can come dressed to school, but should leave props, costume masks, and face paint at home. Schools will be closed November 8, 10, and 11. Parent/Teacher conferences will be November 16 and 17 from 6-8pm, and November 18 from 12:45-2:30. Parents can sign up for conferences on Genesis beginning on October 28.

Sincerely,

Heather O’Donnell

Principal, Arbor Intermediate School

During the Week of Respect, Arbor staff and students participated in an "Arbor's Got Heart" spirit week. As part of the school wide character education, students completed activities in their classes emphasizing kindness and respect.

As we wrap up October, it is important to remember the importance of respect and kindness.

• Remember to treat others the way we want to be treated.
• Respect allows us to build trust and feel safe with others.
• Respect is a sign of kindness. ​

Let's Fall Into Good Habits!

• Brush teeth 2-3 times a day
• Eat Breakfast
• Eat healthy foods
• Drink water
• Wash hands
• Shower/bathe daily
• Get 9-10 hours of sleep each night
• Stay home when sick

The Piscataway Township Education Association/NJEA PRIDE sponsored a Breakfast with your Child Week. During this week, a continental breakfast was served each morning in the cafetorium. Caretakers could use this opportunity to come to school to have breakfast with their child. It was fabulous seeing our families join in this event.

On Tuesday, October 18th, Arbor staff, students, volunteers, and families participated in a Family Fun Night organized by the PTO. There were over 250 attendees at this fun-filled night of pumpkin painting. A special thanks to the volunteers to helped make this night a huge success!

The PTO worked hard to make the 2022 Book Fair a huge success. Students had the opportunity to attend the book fair, peruse the books, and add to their personal libraries. Students were all smiles as they circulated through the book fair! A special thanks to all the staff, parents and community members to helped with the book fair.

Did you know that being bilingual makes a person a better problem solver and test-taker? Mrs. Salcedo’s 5th grade class learned all about being bilingual or multilingual by taking a trip to Ms. Reyes’ bulletin board and discussing the beauty of knowing another language. The bulletin board is on display outside of Ms. Reyes’ speech-language room and highlights many wonderful factors of being a dual language learner. Students discussed the benefits of speaking two or more languages and were encouraged to be proud of their identity and culture.

Facts:

-Bilingualism does not cause language delays or language confusion.

-Research shows the academic advantages of being bilingual incudes superior problem solving and multitasking skills, and increased cognitive flexibility.

-Mixing two languages is referred to as “code switching “or “code mixing” and is normal.(Guiberson, 2013)

4th and 5th grade artists have been observing how trees change this time of year, and then created beautiful fall landscapes! 5th grade used watercolor pencils and added extra trees they painted and cut-out to the foreground. 4th grade used glitter watercolor paints and drew their trees in a Folk Art Style. This artwork is now displayed throughout Arbor School!

During Hispanic Heritage month, homerooms 14 and 17 celebrated with reading books by Hispanic authors and books with Hispanic characters. In addition, Hispanic students had an opportunity to share about their country. Students then selected their five favorite Hispanic Americans to research. The research included details about their country of origin, important contributions and fun facts. The real life looking models were a fun, informative, and prideful project.

Roberto Clemente-baseball

Ellen Ochoa-astronaut

Jennifer Lopez-singer, actress...

Lionel Messi-soccer

Sonia Sotomayor-USC Judge

If you are interested in purchasing an Arbor Magnet, please see the attached flyer.

• 11/7/22- Science Assembly
• 11/8/22- School closed
• 11/9/22- Dine to Donate
• 11/10/22 and 11/11/22- School Closed
• 11/16/22 and 11/17/22- Evening Parent Teacher Conferences
• 11/18/22- Daytime Parent Teacher Conferences