Hello Parents, Staff, and Students,

Some teachers continued into March with activities to commemorate Black History Month. There were many more notable ones! Students in Mr. LaSala’s 8th Social Studies Classes learned about World War I's Harlem Hellfighters. The Hellfighters were an all black fighting unit from Harlem, New York that became one of the highest decorated fighting units of the war. In Mrs. Keenan’s 6th grade ELA classes, they spotlighted a famous African American each day. A short video accompanied with a text was shared about each person. This was a great way to share notable Black Americans and spark interest and further inquiry in our students! Lessons were taught to 6th and 7th grade students about books featuring strong Black protagonists, and to 6th grade about website evaluation. Displays were #ReadBlackAuthors andSweet Reads. The Convocation that is in here also created a display for the Hallway Decorating Contest sponsored by Renaissance.

A book drive was held during Read Across America week. We made announcements in the morning, advertised it on social media and hung posters around the school. Books that were collected were organized by genre. Teachers were invited to browse the books and choose books to add to their classroom libraries. Everything was redistributed or donated. What a great success to collect books and promote reading!

Our ELL students began ACCESS testing. This is an important individualized test for our students who speak another language. Some schedule adjustments took place for testing. Students did their best and worked hard. Thank you parents for ensuring that your children are well and are well rested each night.

The Civil Air Patrol joined us for a 7th grade presentation. Mrs. Stephanie Riis, our 7th grade School Counselor, made arrangements. A parent of a student here, Lieutenant Johnson, shared details about the Cadet program. Students ages 12-21 can join. They are a volunteer organization that aids in humanitarian efforts during a crisis. They are a branch of the Air Force. Students have the opportunity to fly in planes, fly their own drones and contribute to this service in times of need. Thank you for a great presentation.

Along with others, this week, I joined Mrs. Keenan’s classes as a guest reader. I shared the book, OCDaniel. Students enjoyed it. Thanks for the invite and I enjoyed spending time with your students!

Please enjoy the pictures, check out ehtalder Instagram, and have a great weekend!

Ms. Giardina

On Tuesday, March 14th, students that showed an interest in culinary participated in a “Chefs in the Classroom” presentation from AtlantiCare Healthy Schools during Convocation. They learned how to make delicious quinoa bowls! Recipe shared below :)

6th grade students learned about the 3Rs in Spanish class using EdPuzzle.

They had a good time creating a visual tool about the three Rs in Spanish to help them to process the content and to remember more easily in Spanish. Students will compete for the best visual chart.

Mr. Alton's 7th grade science class worked on an owl palette lab this week!

NJSCA Announces 2023 “COUNSELOR OF THE COUNTY” AWARDS RECEIPIENTS

Ewing, NJ. –On Thursday, March 10, 2023 NJSCA honored school counselors from the different counties within the State of New Jersey at the annual “Counselor of the County” Awards Program. School counselors are nominated by their colleagues and are selected by their own county’s School Counselor Associations for this award.

The award honors the professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates – and often lifesavers – for the nation’s students. Stephanie Riis, a school counselor from Alder Avenue Middle School, was selected as the 2023 Counselor of the County for Atlantic County.

Candidates are selected for the Counselor of the County Award at their county-level school counselor associations. They are selected because of their ability to deliver an effective school counseling program which focuses on academic development, career counseling, and personal/social support. They further distinguish themselves by proving to be leaders of systemic change, advocates for students, and collaborative professionals who seek the success of the “whole” student in school and in life. For more specific information on this association, visit: www.njsca.org.

STEAM Club celebrated Pi Day on 3/14 by having a competition to see who could memorize the most digits of pi, creating Pi Day Skylines where each building represents the next digit in pi, and of course making and eating their own mini pies!

This week, our AtlantiCare School Health Specialists offered two opportunities for giveaways to both staff and students! To win a ZEN Garden convocation classes were to work this week on creating an image of what Mindfulness is and what it means. To win a "Little Book of Mindfulness" staff were asked to state their favorite way(s) of practicing mindfulness and a winner would be randomly chosen.

Mrs. Ryan's 7th grade Spanish students engaged in a fun activity practicing spontaneous conversations and then wrote on Shamrocks about their likes, dislikes, and what they wanted to do after school.

Per Mrs. Chini's Spanish class - “Tenemos suerte de estar en la clase de español”- We’re lucky to be in Spanish class!

Mrs. Watts shared her delicious homemade Irish Potatoes with building personnel!

Staff and students rocked their green apparel to celebrate!

Mr. MacNeill and his lucky leprechaun spread Irish culture throughout our building with his bagpipes.

Students in Mrs. Murphy's adaptive gym class, got to share some laughs this week with scooter fun!

Our principal, Ms. Giardina, was this week's guest reader for Mrs. Keenan's 6th grade English class.