Stafford Schools Monthly Newsletter
June 2022
Superintendent's Message
As another school year comes to a close, I cannot help but feel grateful for another successful year for both our students and staff. I congratulate you all on what you have achieved during this school year. I sincerely wish our 6th grade graduates much success as they continue their education at the Southern Regional School District. We will miss their energy, spirit and leadership.
We have a lot of fun events going on during the month of June including field days, award assemblies and class picnics. As always please consult your child’s individual school calendar for more detailed information. I hope all of our students and staff enjoy a safe and relaxing summer.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone in September!
Sincerely,
George J. Chidiac
Superintendent of Schools
FRONT OF THE CLASS: MAY HIGHLIGHTS
OXYCOCUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
May was an exciting month for all of our students. The students are learning about the wonderful season of spring with many activities such as raising caterpillars and watching them transform to butterflies. This multi-week, hands-on activity has all of the students excited. Mrs. Gomez and fifty 6th grade students from Stafford Intermediate took a field trip to Oxycocus Elementary to help Mr. Ruggiero and our preschool students paint three-dimensional cut outs of each class mascot. The finished mascots will be a focal point decoration during the Stepping-Up Ceremony in June and ultimately displayed in Hope’s Garden for everyone to enjoy.
RONALD L. MEINDERS PRIMARY LEARNING CENTER
May started with Staff Appreciation Week. The PLC staff is very appreciative for our Board of Education and PTO generosity. They were showered with candy, ice cream, lunch and gift cards! We had a successful Active Shooter Drill this month teaching our students the importance of following directions to remain safe and secure. May ended with a fun-filled spirit week that all of the students enjoyed.
OCEAN ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
May started with the ending of our enrichment programs for the year. Staff and students did a wonderful job all year exploring different interests and hobbies during our morning enrichment programs. The first-grade classes were visited by local author, Amulya Veldanda. Ms. Veldanda is a former Stafford Township School District student. Our students enjoyed the reading of her book Cosmo Faces the Forest of Fear and were able to order a signed copy. Oceans Acres was so happy to have our Support Our Troops event back on the schedule. This event took place on May 26, 2022 to honor our local heroes. More than 175 local veterans and family members enjoyed a patriotic-themed show presented by our entire student population. Following the assembly, the veterans and their guests were treated to a brunch provided by the staff and local merchants. This event continues to be the highlight of our school year and is a wonderful way to honor our local heroes.
MCKINLEY AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
The month of May at McKinley was extremely busy. It began with NJSLA testing. Usually, testing is a stressful time but this year found both students and staff navigating the testing waters very smoothly. A shout out to Mrs. Finley who was around to answer any questions that came up.
The McKinley Art Show took place the evening of May 18th. Visitors to McKinley found themselves greeted by a beautiful hand-painted peacock on the main entrance door as well as a freestanding peacock in the gym hallway whose beautiful plumage was created by students to show off their talent as they learned the art of circular weaving. Hallways included student artwork depicting jungle scenes which included sloths, tigers, monkeys, and colorful lizards all affixed to jungle trees and leaves created by our students. Other hallways displayed drawings of zebras, llamas, and giraffes as well as 3-D peacocks, torn-paper animals. Students and staff drew pictures of their own pets to be displayed as well. The 2022 McKinley Art Show was a resounding success! Hats off to Mrs. Willadsen for all her hard work.
The Gifted & Talented Showcase was also held on May 18th. Students brought their families and were able to show off what they have been working on all year. Third graders share the windmills they created along with their coding skills. Fourth graders were able to explain about environmental engineering and demonstrate how to clean an oil spill up along with showing their 3D projects. The fifth and sixth graders were able to show their projects along with all the 3D items they designed and created. It was a great evening of sharing engineering, coding and 3D printing projects! Thanks to Ms. Pfeiffer for sharing her fascinating projects and students with us!
May 25th’s Spring Concert brought the sound of music to the McKinley/Intermediate campus. Students were able to attend a performance in the morning while parents were invited to the STAC for the evening performance. Our talented band, under the direction of Mrs. Wright, performed an awe-inspiring rendition of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Our strings students, led by Ms. Myers, performed a lively tune known as ‘Old Mac Fiddle”, and the Chorus treated the audience to a ‘mash-up’ created by Ms. Zuzic of “What a Wonderful World” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. It was wonderful to see all our students performing on the STAC stage again!
To end the month, students participated in National Paper Airplane Day! During each class’ STEAM period, students learned the properties of aerodynamics and applied them to create their own paper airplane. A school-wide contest was held to determine which students’ plane went the furthest. The winners participated in an ice cream party!
INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
May was a very busy month for Intermediate! We had our Spring Chorus and Dance show in the STAC with all of 5th and 6th graders in attendance as well as an evening show for parents. We also had our Spring Band and Strings concert the same week. Students, staff and parents all commented how great the shows were. Southern Regional Middle School administration came to visit with our 6th graders and discussed all the opportunities they will have next year to become involved with the school. Mrs. Leming and Mrs. Kelly's homerooms organized a very successful fundraiser for the children of Ukraine. Students purchased a paper butterfly for $2 and colored it. The money will be donated to UNICEF and the butterflies will be displayed at the front of the school. SOS students participated in Friendship Field Day that took place at the PLC. The Intermediate students enjoyed helping out some of our younger students during the event. Our 5th graders participated in our 5th Grade Day Service. They planted flowers and shrubs around the 5th grade wings of the building. The goal is for the 5th grade to participate in this event every year in an effort to beautify the school. Our Academic Bowl took place the last week of May. Over the course of three days, 6th grade and 5th grade were whittled down to finalists for each grade. In the 6th Grade Finals, 6C battled 6L. 6C was the winner for 6th grade. In the 5th Grade Final, 5B took on 5H. In a closely contested race, 5H beat 5B by 20 points. Great job to all!
Stafford Township School District
Website: www.staffordschools.org
Location: 250 North Main Street, Manahawkin, NJ, USA
Phone: 609-978-5700
Twitter: @StaffordTwpEd