Below is a short video on what our students have been doing in the STEAM classroom at Millington school. Enjoy!

On March 12, 2019, 20 8th graders were selected to participate in a STEAM workshop at Jenkinson's Aquarium with Mrs. Barth and Mrs. Stepanian. Students learned about buoyancy and then used their engineering and design skills to build an ROV (remote operated vehicle) for water sampling.

Students at Gillette School have been thoroughly engaged in STEAM activities this month and the importance of recycling. Kindergarteners created animals and insects from recycled egg cartons to tie in with Eric Carle books, while First graders made items from recycled newspapers and magazines. Students also participated in coding activities, creating a flag using lego pieces and participating in math scavenger hunts in the classroom.

Students in Mrs. Holzinger's and Ms. Sinott's classes also participated in the the UNLESS project, a science and STEAM based project sponsored by the Philadelphia Zoo. Students were asked to use recyclable materials to create a new product that would help reduce waste. Students in both classes were first asked to come up with a blueprint and a description of their project and invention idea. The project was then narrowed down to four finalists who had to make a prototype of their invention. The prototypes were then narrowed down to one single idea which evolved in to making an herb garden out of k-cups. Both classes will now work until the end of the year to perfect their invention. Once the invention is finalized, it will be sold to parents in the community. We anxiously await the finalized product.

On March 3rd, the Long Hill FORCE Robotics teams proudly hosted the 2019 New Jersey State Championship at our very own Central Middle School. Congratulations to our students who all worked incredibly hard! Below is information regarding the various teams:

Elementary Division:

• JJJellybeans (Janna Han, Juliette Laufer, Justin Li) won the Teamwork Award and the Judges Award for their terrific performance. They have secured a spot for the World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky in late April. They will proudly represent the State of New Jersey.
  
  
• 3 Hubskateers (Tadas Vilemaitis, Jason Zeng, Zavier Shyers) are ranked 2nd in New Jersey for Robot Skills and will be competing in the Create US Open in Council Bluffs, Iowa in early April.
  
  

Middle School Division:

• >>>MAK<<< (Michael O’Hara, Armaan Lerner, Kevin Feinstein) are ranked 2nd in New Jersey for Robot Skills and won the Design Award. They have secured a spot for the World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky in late April. They are also competing in the Create US Open in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They will proudly represent the State of New Jersey. This will be Armaan and Kevin’s third year representing our state at the Worlds with a Long Hill team.
  
  

• Chatter-bots (Amiran Lerner, Durga Shylesh, Colin Belfield) are tied for 11th place in NJ. They end their season with 4 Design Award wins and a tremendous performance at the State Championship.

Playing for a packed house on the WHRHS basketball court, the Long Hill Master Minds took on the Harlem Wizards on March 15, 2019 in an amazing showdown of athletic prowess and total silliness.

The evening’s festivities began an hour before the game, as students, families, and friends filled the gymnasium to support the Long Hill teachers. Dancing to music, chatting in the stands, and watching the teams warm up, the energy in the stands was electrifying.

27 played for the Long Hill Master Minds. The all-star lineup included Ms. Altebrando, Mrs. Andreski, Mrs. Anderson, Ms. Backer, Mrs. Clark, Ms. Coster, Ms. Coulter, Mrs. D’Annunzio, Ms, DeMizio, Mrs. Felix, Ms. Fitzsimmons, Mrs. Franklin, Mr. Gillespie, Mrs. Gramaglia, Mr. Manto, Mrs. Milito, Mr. Nestler, Mrs. Omelio, Ms. Pierce, Mrs. Powers, Mr. Rideout, Mr. Salzer, Mrs. Sepe, Ms. Sinnot, Ms. Spinello, Ms. Tremarco, and Mr. Viturello.

The Master Mind Pep Sqaud led the cheering for our team. The Pep Squad included Ms. Alaan, Ms. Burd, Ms. Butler, Mrs. Cohen, Ms. Daleo, Mrs. Dobiszewski, Mrs. Evans, Ms. Fernandes, Ms. Franco, Ms. Liebler, Mrs. Mastrogiovanni, Mrs. Minerva, Mr. Mott, and Mrs. Sharp.

When the game began, the Master Minds showed their skills extend far beyond the classroom. When the Wizards challenged Mr. Rideout to a dance contest, he flossed expertly at center court, and then he followed his dancing up by scoring two baskets in the first quarter. Ms. Tremarco led a tickle defense against the Wizards and demonstrated skillful teamwork, passing to Ms. Spinello who moved the Master Minds to 6 points on the scoreboard. Mr. Manto had nothing but net, swooshing a basket from the three pointer line. Mrs. Sepe and Mrs. Clark followed up with another basket. In the third quarter, the Wizards challenged the Master Minds to hold the lead. Mrs. Franklin scored two baskets, and was unstoppable until her daughter, playing for the Wizards, knocked the ball from her hands. The crowd went wild. The teams battled back and forth as Mr. Nestler scored basket after basket, and Mrs. Andreski, Mr. Salzer, Ms. Sinnott, and Mrs. Milito each scored a basket, resulting screaming cheers from their fans. At the end of the third quarter, the Master Minds had taken the lead, 54-53.

The fourth quarter was filled with cheering, dancing and basketball mixed with games to involve the crowd. The evening ended with all the children in attendance dancing center court with the Wizards and the Master Minds and confetti canyons sprinkling rainbow streamers among the crowd.

All in attendance were so proud of our Long Hill faculty, who came out to the courts to bring huge smiles to their students Friday night. They were the stars of the show and made this an unforgettable event for all in attendance.

A special thank you to the PTO for organizing this event and for the parent volunteers who worked throughout the night to help make this night a great success.

The Gillette School first grade World Dance Celebration Residency concluded with a fabulous performance by first grade students. Students excitedly performed for their families and classmates dances from Australia, China, Hungary, Kenya and the United States (Hawaii). A special thank you to the LHT PTO Cultural Arts Committee for sponsoring this important program for our students. Mrs. Atkins spent two weeks with the Gillette First graders directing and choreographing a multi-cultural folk dance program to promote better understanding of cultures around the world.

Students in all Art Classes viewed slides of works by famous African American artists such as Jean Michel Basqiat, Faith Ringgold, Jacob Lawrence, Alma Thomas, and others. 5th-grade students worked collaboratively to research facts on various African American fine artists and created informational pamphlets based on their research.

In Library, 3rd-grade students explored the form of poetry and gained knowledge of poetic terminology. This exploration included learning about the lives of famous African American poets, Langston Hughes, and Maya Angelou. 5th Grade students increased their understanding of biographies by creating a “Who Was…” poster of notable African Americans. This involved research, summarizing, and a creative component of visually depicting that person.

2nd Grade students discovered the secret meaning behind the African American Code Song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” and how it helped enslaved African gain their freedom. The life and music of Duke Ellington was the focus during 3rd Grade music classes. 4th Grade students learned about the historic photo A Great Day in Harlem by using their Chromebooks to research the lives of the jazz musicians in the photo. 5th Grade students were introduced to ragtime music and the King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin. Student work from Art, Library, and Music is displayed in the Specials Wing for students of all grades to stop by and visit.

During the week of February 25th through March 1st, our district celebrated Read Across America, where volunteers shared their favorite stories with students throughout the week. Students took part in a week full of fun daily activities centered around a Dr. Seuss theme. The celebration culminated with a school-wide “Drop Everything and Read” time for students and staff to enjoy some quiet time to read a favorite book.

As part of Central Middle School's Read Across America celebration, the school recognized students who read more than 10 books during the school year. Seventh grader Sophia Ehlert broke the record at more than 140 books.

English Language Learners in Mrs. Andersen's class learn to make inferences. Their silly glasses help them understand the concept of reading between the lines.

The kindergarten classes celebrated the 100th day of school with a day filled with centers and crafts. Here are some proud kindergarteners showing their 100th-day superhero glyph.

• March 18, 2019 - Board of Education meeting - 7:30 p.m.
• March 25, 2019 - Board of Education meeting - 7:30 p.m.
• March 30, 2019 - Beauty and the Beast Dinner, CMS - 5:00 p.m.
• April 5 - 6, 2019 - Beauty and the Beast Play, CMS - 7:00 p.m.
• April 15 - 19, 2019 - Spring Recess, Schools Closed
• April 24, 2019 - PTO meeting, Millington School, 7:00 p.m.
• April 29, 2019 - Board of Education meeting - 7:30 p.m.
• May 6, 2019 - Board of Education meeting - 7:30 p.m.
• May 15, 2019 - PTO meeting, Millington School, 7:00 p.m.
• May 20, 2019 - Board of Education meeting - 7:30 p.m.
• May 24 - 27, 2019 - Memorial Day holiday, schools closed