Bloomingdale Schools
Community Newsletter - April
Superintendents Update
It looks like spring is finally here! Thank you for taking a few minutes to read our April newsletter. There is certainly a lot going on in the district and plenty more to come over the last trimester.
If you are not already doing so, I highly recommend you follow us on one (or all) of our social media platforms. We are on Facebook under Bloomingdale Schools NJ, Twitter @bloomschoolsnj and Instagram at Bloomschoolsnj. While all essential communication is pushed out via email on School Messenger, we like to use our social media platforms to highlight neat events going on in the school district.
I would like to thank those who came out to our March Superintendent's Forum 'Talk-A-Latte". I will be hosting two additional community forums for anyone who is interested in attending. I often receive the question of "how do these events differ from Board of Education meetings?". Board of Education meetings are the place where the Board conducts its business based on recommendations from myself and the various committees. Standard operating procedure for board meetings across New Jersey has time dedicated for the public to comment but not for true dialog. While there are many opportunities for dialog, the best place is the Talk-A-Latte Forums. As those who have attended can attest, we informally sit around and discuss a wide range of topics. I truly enjoy these forums as it allows me to connect with families and truly have a good pulse on our community. Hope you join us for the next two!
Best,
Dr. Nicosia
District News & Updates
Unity Through Community
The Bloomingdale Drug Alliance, Bloomingdale Public Schools, the Borough of Bloomingdale and the Bloomingdale Police Department are excited to announce the return of our annual "Unity Through Community" event!
Our event will be held on the evening of Thursday, April 7th at the WTB Gym for students in 5th to 8th grade. Back by popular demand, we are bringing back Dodgeball! Teams will consist of community leaders - teachers, police, fire and council members with students and against students!
Our goal is to focus on our community since the past two years have not been easy. We believe by building the ties within our community, we will continue to provide strong role models for our kids, beyond their family unit. With the necessary cancellation of many town events and programs over the past two years, our kids don't know our current community leaders like they have in the past. We would also like to take this opportunity to introduce our new council members, officers and firefighters to our WTB students and parents.
Talk-A-Latte Community Forums
Thank you to everyone who has attended our community forums thus far throughout the year. Bloomingdale Public Schools hosts these sessions to allow for parents direct access to communicate with our educational leader, Dr. Nicosia.
Different from Board of Education public comment period (which across New Jersey is not designed for dialog) , the Talk-A-Latte Community Forums allow anyone to attend and engage in a question and answer session. Each session will typically start with a brief presentation with Dr. Nicosia and then spring board into a number of other areas.
Everyone is always welcome - we hope to see you at our next session on April 27th in the SRD library. ** Please note the date change to accommodate family paint night
Upcoming Board of Education Meeting
Dr. Nicosia's report for this month will include a presentation on the status of our universal preschool program as we look forward to year two of implementation. Following the standard business meeting the Board of Education will engage in part II of the Board Retreat, hosted by NJ School Boards. Action will not be taken following the retreat.
NJSLA Testing 2022
- Students in grades 3-8 will complete standardized assessments in Language Arts & Mathematics.
- Students in grades 5 and 8 will also complete a standardized assessment in Science.
We plan to conduct testing at SRD and WTB during the week of May 16th. Building & Grade level specific details will come from each school.
Summer 2022 in Bloomingdale
Keep an eye out on your email next week as we plan to begin sign ups. Below is a brief description of our summer plans:
- Academic Enrichment - With the focus on continuing to support our students who have struggled due to the impacts of COVID-19, we will once again offer an academic enrichment camp. We anticipate our academic enrichment program to run Monday to Thursday from July 5 to July 28th 9:00 - 11:30. This will be open to all students going into grades 1-8 (current grades K-7).
- New this year! Academy Sessions on a variety of topics will be offered to students. Here is a tentative list of what we plan to offer. Most academy sessions will be one week long and run from 12:00 - 2:30. Below is a listing of academy sessions we plan to host at varying times throughout the summer:
K-4 Sport and Gaming Academy
K-8 Basketball Academy
5-8 Sports and Leadership Academy
5-8 Physical Game Creation Academy
4-8 Acrylic Pouring and Art Academy
5-8 3D Modeling Academy
5-8 Engineering and Design
7-8 Life Hacks / Budgeting
8th-9th GR. Music Master Class
Specific dates, times and sign ups for the afternoon academy sessions will be sent out next week. Be sure to check your email!
School News & Updates
Walter T. Bergen
For an in-depth look at WTB classroom events, co-curricular events, fun and games and anything else happening inside the walls of WTB the past two months, please view the WTB school newspaper, The Bobcat Blast. The Newspaper Club students and Miss Ciccone did a fantastic job on this digital edition of the school newspaper.
Samuel R. Donald
SRD celebrated March's Read Across America Week with many exciting activities centered around our love of reading. Students participated in a Read Across America poster contest and now those posters are adorning the hallways of our schools and decorating our front door. The Bloomingdale Public Library visits SRD to read to the classes, and our Bloomingdale Police Officers also stop in to read to our students. March is also our Spring Book Fair month. The Spring Book Fair is open during school hours for students and one evening for families to attend during the week. Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped make it successful.
March was also the month for our second grade concert! Second graders sang songs about winter and spring as they performed their choreographed hand movements to go with the songs. It was wonderful to have families join us! April 6th will be our third grade concert at 9:30 am in the gym. It will also be streamed on the district's Twitter feed for those who can't attend.
SRD hosted a PTA sponsored assembly called "Kids on the Block" for all grades that taught our students anti-bullying strategies through puppet theater. Students were great audience members and asked thoughtful questions. This was a timely topic since we are discussing the topic of bullying in our health curriculum as we teach about interpersonal skills and resolving conflicts.
Martha B. Day
MBD celebrated March's Read Across America Week by having DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time each day during the week. One day we read outside, another day was in the hallways and a different day was with a peer. We love to read at MBD and we work to instill the love of reading into our students' lives. Each month the Bloomingdale Public Library also visits MBD and reads. MBD, with much support from our families, held their Spring Book Fair during school for the students and after school one night for families to visit.
To expand our bucket-filling program outside the school doors into the community, MBD families collected over 100 boxes of cereal that were donated to the Bloomingdale Food Pantry. Before we donated all our cereal boxes, the MBD Leprechaun raced against a domino line of cereal boxes for the students to watch. Through many cheers and applause, the leprechaun was too slow to beat the cereal again. In March, the PTA sponsored an assembly on bullying with the "Kids on the Block" and popcorn parties for those classes that had the most parent sign-ups for PTA membership.
Every classroom at MBD has created a reset zone with help from our occupational therapist, Ms. Pra to give students an area to reset their minds and bodies when needed. These zones include a reset tent, carpet, and a fidget box filled with hands-on manipulatives.
Bloomingdale Public Schools
Email: mnicosia@bloomingdaleschools.org
Website: www.bloomingdaleschools.org
Location: 225 Glenwild Avenue, Bloomingdale, NJ, USA
Phone: 973-838-0555
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bloomingdale-Public-Schools-NJ-110266891461009/
Twitter: @bloomschoolsnj