Wildcat Newsletter
Third Marking Period
Principal ~ Mrs. Barrale
Dear Faust School Families,
Spring is finally here! We are now officially in the 4th and final marking period of the school year. As our school’s Principal, I can’t stress enough how our teachers and professional staff at Faust School work hard to ensure your child has the best education. Please take the time to read through our Wildcat Newsletter and see all the wonderful learning activities and projects that are taking place in the classrooms.
Aside from academics, middle school is a time when students also experience social and emotional growth and challenges. Teaching adolescents good values helps build their character and allows them to make good decisions. One thing you will notice is that adolescents in their middle school years will make some mistakes. Having this opportunity to make mistakes will allow them to learn from them. When young adolescents try something new, most will make mistakes, but much can be learned through self-reflection. With this said, at Faust School, we are making more of a concerted effort to implement restorative practices. This evidence-based approach addresses school discipline and behavior by encouraging accountability, placing a higher value on repairing relationships, and elevating problem-solving skills. We encourage our students to achieve personal and collective goals, empathize with others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
Lastly, along with the 4th Marking Period comes the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA). We plan to start on Tuesday, May 9th, and go through Thursday, May 18th, taking a break on Mondays and Fridays. A friendly reminder will be sent out closer to the testing dates. Please ensure your child receives a reasonable amount of sleep the night before testing and has breakfast in the morning. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact our School Counselor, Ms. Muse.
Thank you for all your continued support because we would not be the amazing school we are without you!
On behalf of the faculty and staff at Faust School, best wishes for an enjoyable, safe, and healthy Spring Break!
Sincerely,
Regina Barrale
National Junior Honor Society ~ Mr. Tunnell
Autism Awareness
Student Council ~ Mrs. O' Connor & Mrs. Koch
Nurse ~ Ms. McCabe
Did you know there are 3 different types of Autism Spectrum Disorders?
- Autistic Disorder: This is sometimes called “classic” autism. It is what most people think of when hearing the word “autism”. People with autistic disorder usually have significant language delays, social and communication challenges, and unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with autistic disorder also have an intellectual disability.
- Asperger Syndrome: People with Asperger syndrome usually have milder symptoms of autistic disorder. They might have social challenges and unusual behaviors and interests. However, they typically do not have problems with language or intellectual disability.
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder: This is sometimes called “atypical autism”. People who meet some of the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger syndrome, but not all, may be diagnosed with atypical autism. These people usually have fewer and milder symptoms than those with autistic disorder. The symptoms might cause only social and communication challenges.
Asthma & Allergy Action Plans ~ Ms. McCabe
March 24th: Traditions of India Dance/Information Assembly
April 27th: Faust Mental Health & Wellness Fair
May 9th-May 25th: New Jersey Student Learning Assessments
If you would like to know what it's like to take the NJSLA, visit the first website below for practice tests in each subject area: https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/practice-tests/.
If you would like to review your child's previous NJSLA results, visit the parent portal website, https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/ForParent/.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the District Testing Coordinator at smuse@erboe.net
ESL ~ Mrs. Fidurska
Mrs. Lahullier's Class
Math Department 6th-8th
6th Grade ~ Mrs. Alberta
7th Grade ~ Mrs. Gentry
8th Grade ~ Mrs. Gerity
Music Department
Band ~ Mr. Schweikardt
The Faust Band has been working hard in preparation for our Spring Concert. We look forward to our performance on May 16th.
The 8th-grade band members are also preparing for their performance at the Bergen County Teen Arts Festival, that will take place on May 19th!
The Faust 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade band members are also gearing up for their “Trills and Thrills” Music Festival on June 2nd. Professional musicians at Neptune High School will adjudicate the students. Following their adjudication, they will be attending Six Flags Great Adventure with their peers from many different schools from various counties and states.
We cannot wait to perform for you, and we thank you for your encouragement and support!
Music Cycle ~ Mrs. Schweikardt
It is hard to believe we are at the end of the third marking period. The students this past marking period did very well. The 6th grade has done a great job learning about the orchestra and they can recognize the sound of the instruments that are played.
The 7th grade has really enjoyed learning about composers and classical music of the 1700s and 1800s. They especially favored the study of Beethoven and listening to his 5th Symphony. The 8th grade really rocked as we learned about the history of Rock and Roll.
Also, our 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade Concert Choir is busy preparing for our Spring Concert on May 16th! Keep up the good work everyone!
English Department
7th & 8th Creative Writing ~ Mr. Colavito
6th Grade Creative Writing ~ Mr. Conte
Creative Writing Period 3 winner:
The sand and sunset
With ice cream on the boardwalk
Like endless summer
Creative Writing Period 5 winner:
Her secrets hidden
in her mind and no people
people that she trusts
6th Grade ELA ~ Mr. Tunnell
We have also been focused on reading a brand new graphic novel added to our 6th-grade curriculum this year. "New Kid" by Jerry Craft. It has certainly been the highlight of our 6th graders' conversations. We have been focused on theme, symbolism, character traits, story elements, and various real-world connections. The 6th graders have been extremely engaged with Socratic Seminars and Google Jamboard tasks as well. It is great to see the students getting excited to "write" about the novel as well with various constructed response questions. Keep up the amazing work, 6th graders!!
7th Grade ELA ~ Mrs. Petraitis
8th Grade ELA Classes Go From Page to Stage~ Ms. Bayeux & Mr. Colavito
Art ~ Mrs. Machere
World Language ~ Senora Fox & Senorita Cuello
Senora Fox and Senorita Cuello’s Spanish classes in 6th-8th grades are in semester classes this year. We began this semester by giving students the opportunity to share their preferences with regard to learning platforms.
For the third marking period, students had the opportunity to continue their learning by speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Spanish. In all classes, they have had the chance to use different platforms such as Pear Deck, Edpuzzle, Flip, and Formative. As a reflection of their learning, they were exposed to the track of proficiency to evaluate their progress in Spanish class.
8th-grade students learned and discussed what they enjoy doing during the summer by using the verb ir in the preterite. They also participated in a Webquest and visited a país (country), and balneario (resort) of their choice. They were excited to read about the adventures of Brandon Brown vs. Yucatan and enjoyed their time acting out some of the scenes during class.
7th-grade students interpreted information about various Hispanic Americans when learning about Hispanic Heritage Month. They are currently studying Día de los Muertos!
6th-grade students read the book Brandon Brown Dice la Verdad by Carol Gaab and demonstrated their understanding of vocabulary within context. Currently, students are learning about all the amazing celebrations we have in the Hispanic culture.
Theatre ~ Mrs. Romero Gonzalez
Dance ~ Francica
Faust students have learned a lot about how to choreograph creative routines for the third marking period! Students studied the various ways to structure a dance routine, how to become inspired through music, and utilize other choreography tools to enhance their performance. Students were grouped together and worked on creating movement for their song selection, designing their own costumes, and creating Flip videos of their routines. Each class worked extremely hard on perfecting their individual technique and artistry. They also practiced positive communication and collaboration skills! Students benefited from moveable mirrors by providing groups with "rehearsal space" in the room.
In addition, this is Faust Dance Company’s first year! These students have finished mastering the choreography for their Spring Showcase performance. Mrs. Francica is extremely proud of all their hard work and dedication and cannot wait to watch them shine on stage!
Health & Physical Education Department
6th & 7th Grade ~ Ms. Ravettine
Alongside the Fitness Unit, we focused on Nutrition in Health Class. We ventured on to learn about Nutrition Labels and how to track portion sizes of foods. Upon the completion of this unit, students learned the importance of First Aide. Finally, Health Class reviewed the following Emergency Situations, Diseases, Disorders, and Illnesses.
8th Grade ~ Mr. Cocozzo
Social Studies
"Conventional Activities" 6th Grade ~ Mrs. Benevento
7th Grade Social Studies ~ Mr. Majsiak
The following unit provided students with an opportunity to explore social reform movements of the 1800s. Students wrote historical fiction stories on Prison Reform and Education Reform. Students finished the unit by creating an award for a person or event from the Women's Rights Movement.
8th Grade Greek Mythology Research Project ~ Mr. Barone
Science Department
6th Grade Science ~ Ms. Bibb
7th Grade Science ~ Mrs. O'Connor
8th Grade Science ~ Mrs. Yang
Mrs. Yang's 8th-grade science class developed and used models to describe the arrangements of objects interacting at a distance. Students then studied the different amounts of potential energy that were stored in these objects.
Students witnessed, when two objects interact, each one exerts a force on the other that can cause energy to be transferred to or from the object. For example, when energy is transferred to an object, the gravitational field energy of that system increases. This energy is released as the object falls; the mechanism of this release is the gravitational force. Likewise, two magnetic and electrically charged objects interacting at a distance exert forces on each other that can transfer energy between the interacting object.
STEAM
6th Grade STEAM ~ Mr. Rizi
7th Grade STEAM ~ Mrs. Yang
Mrs. Yang's 8th grade STEAM class designed and built a model of a bridge using twelve popsicle sticks, eight drinking straws, and tapes. Students were advised to have their model meet several of the following specifications.
(1) A plan of the site is needed in order for the engineer to see all of the obstacles that have to be bridged, such as rivers, streets, contour lines of valleys, and the desired alignment of the new traffic route.
(2) The requirements of the bridge itself such as the width of the bridge, including the width of the lanes, safety rails, medians, and walkways.
(3) Weather and environmental conditions such as length of flood periods, high and low tide levels, and length of flood or drought periods.
(4) The topography of the environment.
(5) The soil and substrata conditions of the planned site are based on the results from the data collected from borings and the soil mechanics data.
(6) Local conditions like the accessibility for the transport of equipment, materials, and structural elements that must be used for construction.
(7) The environmental requirements regarding the aesthetic quality of the bridge which is about to be built.
(8) Health and safety requirements such as noise, vibrations, and compatibility with adjacent sites surrounding the bridge.
The bridge must have a span at least 30 cm long, a roadbed at least 5 cm wide, and a clearance of at least 10 cm in height. The distance between the bridge supports should be at least 10 cm apart unless the bridge has only one tower or support structure. The side, top, and end views of the bridge along with the support structure were drawn according to the specifications. This drawing served as the template to construct their model. Once the design was approved, students were given materials to build the model.