TRIN Newsletter
April 1, 2021
Breakfast and Lunch Kits
Curriculum Update- Music and Preforming Arts
Visual Arts
The Visual Arts Department of the Toms River Regional Schools has been busy throughout the school year delivering a high-quality education to students during difficult times. Our fine arts educators continuously work to prepare 6-12th grade students by fostering critical and creative thinking, artistic expression, effective communication, cultural awareness, and community engagement. March is Youth Art Month and though it was difficult, teachers were able to highlight the appreciation of art in various ways.
At the middle school level, students continue to learn about elements of art and explore different media. SEL projects have been infused in all three middle schools. Mrs. Yaeger, of Intermediate North, worked on interdisciplinary projects with PE teachers where students create circle murals with the theme “ What lifts you?” Mrs. Berman from Intermediate East, created a beautiful slideshow of her students' SEL projects. Intermediate South worked collaboratively to create a digital slideshow of student work for Youth Art Month.
In the high schools, students continue to focus on Elements and Principles of Art while exploring new media. Professional Development was created to introduce a free digital vector program called Google Draw. Students have immersed themselves in community projects such as painting murals at South and displaying painted words that promote positivity in the hallways at East. Additionally, art history through the use of EdPuzzle, PearDeck, and more, students are interactively taking part in lessons daily that help to better shape their understanding of cultures, and appreciate art.
As the year moves on, the Visual Arts Department looks to continue to provide creative curriculum, technical development, and engaging opportunities that will ignite a personal passion for every student enrolled in a Visual Arts course and cultivate a life-long passion for the visual arts. We strive to make the arts accessible, inclusive, and meaningful through diverse approaches to creative and technological innovation, integrated with visual, oral, and written communication.
Music and Performing Arts
The Music and Performing Arts Department in grades 6-12 has been hard at work throughout the year delivering high quality music lessons in this very challenging learning environment. We’ve adapted our lessons to account for the social and emotional needs of students to guarantee that we are maintaining a positive outlook while completing essential learning objectives. Many of our teachers have adopted a “Back to Basics” method in which students have been given critical learning experiences in pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and other foundational music components that can be easily expressed by students both virtually and in-person with our current hybrid learning model. For the last year, the live performance industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic due to the nature of sound production and its ability to spread the virus. This has created quite a challenge, but our fine educators have worked tirelessly to provide rewarding experiences to students in learning environments that emphasize student safety and emotional well-being.
Throughout the fall and winter months, our music teachers have worked diligently to keep students engaged. Where possible, many teachers have successfully produced virtual performance experiences though sound and video editing techniques that they have learned along the way. Our high school bands spent the fall season playing in the evenings outside so that the students still had a marching experience. As the spring months approach, all of our young artists are looking forward to taking their music outside, where the weather permits, to sing and play in a well-ventilated environment. Our teachers in the intermediate and high schools are also working hard to develop innovative ways for students to have an “end of year performance experience” of some kind. These experiences will take many different shapes from virtual to outdoors, but the music will continue in Toms River Schools.
We are very excited about upcoming improvements to the learning experience for our intermediate and high school music students. Throughout the end of the year we are rewriting our curriculum to align to the new 2020 learning standards for the Visual and Performing Arts. The new standards are built around the central themes of Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting. (For more information visit: State Arts Standards )The outcome of these improved standards will be the improved development of creative thought processes for our music students which will prepare them for any 21st century college or career experience.
Volleyball Celebrates Undefeated Season
Congrats to our girls' Volleyball A Team and B Team. A Team had a stellar, undefeated
season with 10 wins and 0 losses. B Team had an incredible record of 9 wins and only loss. This is truly a remarkable season. Best of luck to our 8th graders in high school next year.
Dolphin Book Club
TRIN's Book Club meets virtually every Tuesday at 1:35PM. New members are always welcome.
To participate, please use our Google Class Code qcj3ee2.
Spring Squad Clinic
Attention anyone interested in joining our Flag, Pom-Poms, and Rifle spring squad clinics. We will have a Soring Squad Clinic on April 26th from 2pm - 2:45pm outside the main parking lot. There will be a virtual informational meeting on April 22nd at 1:45pm. Please join Ms. Bolcato's Squad Google Classroom with the code "bluumaw"
Homework Help Club
TRIN's Homework Club is held virtually every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. at 1:35PM Teachers are available to support and coordinate the students that participate in the meeting. To join the Homework Club please use the Google Classroom code: fp2zjmk.
Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore- Girl Power Drive
Cap and Gown Pictures for 8th Graders
As I have shared, we have reserved some dates with Lifetouch to have 8th Grade Graduation pictures taken for our students. We have secured the dates of May 10, 11, 12. As we get closer a specific schedule of dates and times for students will be shared with you.
In order to secure a gown in time for pictures, parents will need to order their child's gown no later than April 9th.
Thank You!
End of The Third Marking Period
Spring Sports
Graduation Gown Information:
8th Grade graduation gown information can be found at the link below. I have scheduled a spring picture seating to include a cap and gown picture for our 8th grade students which may be used should we wish or need to implement a virtual option for graduation this year. In order to include all of our 8th graders in their caps and gowns, please order your gown soon.
Yearbook Information:
Order your 2020-2021 yearbook now at jostensyearbook.com. Limited quantities will be available this year.
Any questions or concerns can be emailed to Ms. Castellano at acastellano1@trschools.com.