BEN Bolt News
December 2021
Principal's Message
It is hard to believe that almost four months of school has been completed and we have started Marking Period 2. It has been such a pleasure to see the children acclimate back into school and start to feel a sense of normalcy and ownership of what it means to be a BEN FRANKLIN BOLT!
During this past month, the children have been busy inside and outside the classroom which has been wonderful to see. Fifth Grade Students had a great time at Camp Bernie while others have been busy participating in our co-curricular clubs such as, Peer Leadership,Newspaper, Stem,Team Franklin,Garden Club, Board Game Club and Kindness Club. These types of activities provide the social interaction and the peer to peer connection which has been so desperately missed over the past year and a half. The staff/student mentoring program has started as well which provides social and emotional support to students. They have lunch together,read books,play games,cards puzzles or just simply have a chat.
It was a pleasure to see so many parents at the building for Parent Teacher Conferences and for those who opted to be virtual. Hopefully you heard many positives and praise on how your child is growing academically and socially.Thanks to all of you who have partnered with your teacher to ensure your child has a successful school year. A reminder that Marking Period 1 Report Cards will be posted to your parent portal on Thursday December 2 for Grades 2-5
Our school Community once again demonstrated how we think beyond ourselves by participating in fundraising events such as Denim Day(Wear Pink) collecting 600 dollars,Heavenly Hats collecting 200 dollars for Children's Hospital (Cancer) and Jeans for Troops in honor of Veterans day collecting 250 dollars. Students wrote cards thanking Veterans for their service and had an Army Ranger visit our school which was so exciting for the children.Thanks to our PTA and Student Council we were able to provide canned goods to the Hands of Hope and food baskets for our families in need so they to could have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Although we have started the month of December, I would be remiss in not wishing our many families who celebrated Diwali a Happy Festival of Lights! I hope the Thanksgiving holiday provided time for reflection and realization of how much we have to be Thankful for. (Especially Family, Health and our Ben Franklin Community)
Fourth and Fifth Graders will be participating in the Growing Up program during the week of December 6th
and we look forward to bringing in the holiday spirit with our Winter Concert December 16 at 6:30, a School wide Sing-A-Long and our annual BF Square Happy New Year Celebration
I once again want to remind our community that there is no reason to park when arriving at school in the morning. Please drive up to the crosswalk and discharge your child on the fence side of the crosswalk area. This will limit the amount of pedestrian traffic which slows down the flow of cars exiting the property. You may also drop off at the front entrance which is highly encouraged for third and fourth grade students. When exiting the property please be considerate of the vans and busses and please make a right turn only as this will allow you to make a safe exit. If it is necessary to park, please park in a parking spot; not on the hill or the sides of the parking lot or the gravel area as this causes congestion and blocks cars from entering and exiting safely.
The front parking lot is reserved for staff only and may not be used during arrival or dismissal.
On behalf of the staff and myself, we wish our entire community a Happy Holiday Season as the holidays are a time for fun, family and gratitude.
As we leave this year behind, let’s learn from our experiences and find things to celebrate. The joy of the holiday season connects us with others, spreads kindness and love for our families and friends, and provides hope for the coming year.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS and A HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR! (2022)
“BE A BOLT” "LET YOUR LIGHTNING SHINE".
Assistant Principal's corner
It is that time of the year in which we stop and reflect for all of the things we are grateful for and also take the time to give back to others. We have two wonderful opportunities as a school to share holiday greetings and to give back to the greater community.
The first opportunity is a Do Good December calendar from Action for Happiness which outlines different ways that we can be kind and help others every day of the month of December.
The second event we are partaking in is Color a Smile 2021. I was so eager and happy to introduce Color a Smile to the BEN Community last year and am so thankful that this year we can work on it in school and at home as well. I have sent out several blackboard with the flyer, details and greeting card templates and students have also been working on them in school as well. If you are working on the greeting cards at home please prepare them and send them back to school to me by December 3, 2021. If you take photos please send them to stephanie.nieves@edison.k12.nj.us and please have your student only sign their first name and age.
Thank you for partnering with us to spread holiday cheer,
Dr. Nieves
Do Good December
Color a Smile
We are excited to spread some much needed Holiday cheer and well-wishes as a BEN Bolt Community.
All families can be a part of this project and we are looking forward to seeing your pictures and holiday cards.
What is Color A Smile: Color A Smile is a non-profit organization that provides greeting cards all year round to veterans, soldiers overseas and children who are in the hospital during the holiday season.
Directions:
If you would like to participate in Color a Smile, the templates are being sent out via Blackboard.
Please color as many greeting cards as you would like to with your family. We ask that you do not use glitter.
Please make sure that when your student(s) signs the card that only their FIRST name is on it.
Then, please drop off your holiday greeting cards by December 10th, in a box that will be housed right outside of the main entrance. We will be mailing out all greeting cards on or about December 3, 2021.
If you would like to take a picture of your family working on their greeting cards, please send the picture to Ms. Nieves stephanie.nieves@edison.k12.nj.us.
Thank you for partnering with us,
Dr. Nieves
Colorea Una Sonrisa
Estamos muy contentos de difundir la alegría y los buenos deseos de esta temporada que tanto
necesitamos como una Comunidad BEN Bolt.
Todas las familias pueden ser parte de este proyecto y esperamos ver sus fotos y tarjetas navideñas.
¿Qué es Color A Smile? Color A Smile es una organización sin fines de lucro que ofrece tarjetas de felicitación durante todo el año a los veteranos, soldados en el extranjero y niños que están en el hospital durante la temporada navideña.
Direcciones:
Si desea participar en Color a Smile, las plantillas se envían a través de Blackboard.
Colorea tantas tarjetas de felicitación como quieras con tu familia. Le pedimos que no use purpurina.
Por favor asegúrese de que cuando su (s) estudiante (s) firmen la tarjeta, sólo aparezca su PRIMER nombre.
Luego, entregue sus tarjetas de felicitación navideñas antes del 10 de diciembre, en una caja que estará ubicada justo afuera de la entrada principal. Enviaremos todas las tarjetas de felicitación alrededor del 3 de diciembre de 2021.
Si desea tomar una foto de su familia trabajando en sus tarjetas de felicitación, envíe la foto a Ms. Nieves stephanie.nieves@edison.k12.nj.us.
Gracias por colaborar con nosotras,
Dra. Nieves
Color a Smile Continued @ Home
School Counselor's Corner
What is Digital Citizenship?
Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps parents, teachers, and technology leaders to understand what students should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology. Digital citizenship is the norms of appropriate and responsible technology use.
Nurse's Corner
Dear Ben Franklin Family!
Let us give thanks this Holiday season for the progress that we made since last year. We are not fully out of the woods yet but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you to all of the teachers and faculty who worked so hard to keep the educational process going.
Please keep up the precautions for washing hands and wearing masks when with crowds. We still have to protect our children as well as each other.
There are still parents in our community that are new to the school who still owe paperwork for their child’s health file. Please submit the paperwork as soon as possible to avoid school exclusion problems. If you have any questions on your child’s status, please feel free to contact me at 732 650 5300 ex 2 or email me at Karen.Julian@edison.k12.nj.us. Please let the health office know of any new developments in your child’s health that we should know about.Nurse Julian
Book of the Month
Celebrate! The Holidays
Experience the wonder and delight of the winter holidays! With a universal spirit of giving, celebrate holidays from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Come along and see how experiencing others’ traditions can deepen friendships and promote empathy and understanding. Holidays illustrated in this book include Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve and Asian New Year (Lunar New Year or Spring Festival).
Congratulations to Ms. Liz!
Monthly Spotlight : Third Grade
Third Grade Showcase:
"Gratitude is the same in every language!"Thank you to our third grade team for reminding us of this important message!
Honoring our Veteran Heroes
Students in Mrs. Timberlake’s Class were busy learning about our Veteran heroes and all the sacrifices they’ve made for our freedoms. After sharing about loved ones and neighbors who have served or who are currently serving, students got busy making thank you cards in honor of all veterans on this special day.
17 Published Authors!
Ms. Crowley and Ms. Felumero’s class conducted an Author’s Chair celebration after publishing their first writing piece of the school year. Students read their stories aloud and then classmates gave positive comments and feedback about each story. Well done, authors!
“Peace is a rainbow of possibilities.”
Ms. Gerena’s class wore Rainbow/Tye-Dye colors during Peace Week to celebrate the diversity of peace. “Peace is a rainbow of possibilities.”
Plant Scientist Skypes with Students
Students in Mrs. Facendo and Miss Koncius' class were able to Skype a Scientist with Justin Ma, a plant breeding scientist with Bayer U.S.- Crop Science.
Diya making for Diwali
Students in Mrs. Facendo and Miss Koncius' class learned about Diwali and made diyas to help celebrate this special holiday. "The Festival of Light"
Snuggle Up & Read!
Vision Boards & Goal Setting
Pie-Palooza in Mrs. Babst’s Class
November in Review
October Student's of the Month
Halloween 2021
The Library is open for Business!
Kindergarten Visits the Bolt Library for the First Time!
Books for Everyone!
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Last school year, Ms. Kole reached out to an organization called The Book Smart Project about having books donated to the school. The organization was very excited to help and made it their mission to collect enough books for each of our students to be able to receive their own book to take home and keep! This took them many months and they were finally able to supply us with 650 books!
A huge thank you to The Book Smart Project, who donated over 600 books to our school! Because of this amazing organization's generosity, each of our students were able to pick out a book of their own to keep! Here are some pictures of the smiles these books brought to our student's faces!
ESL Fun with Ms. Vaghani
Math Fact Challenge Nov. 1st Winners
Math Fact Challenge Nov. 15th Winners!
Veterans Day Visit with Sgt. Vincent Mignone
Camp Bernie
The Old Lady Who Swallowed The Turkey
Now is the Time to Give Thanks
BEN Bolts Give Thanks
I Spy Turkeys in K1
1-6 Gives Thanks Together with Mrs. Zambrano and Ms. Maimone!
BEN Bolts Give Back!
Upcoming Important Dates
December dates
12/1-Single Session Day/Professional Development- 1:30 pm dismissal for students
12/3- Color a Smile greeting cards and pictures due to Dr. Nieves
12/15- Yearbook Cover Competition submission due to Ms. Cumello
12/24-12/31 Winter Break, classes resume January 3, 2022