The Messenger Monroe Township Public Schools

Williamstown, New Jersey

June Visit our web site: www.monroetwp.k12.nj.us 2018

The Monroe Township Public School District, an education team, is dedicated to the development of

the potential and uniqueness of the individual student to become effective participants in an evolving,

global society, while providing a safe educational environment for students to attain the skills and

knowledge specified in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.

Dear Parents/Guardians and Monroe Township Residents:

Our 2017-2018 school year ended on Wednesday evening, June 20, 2018 with our High School Graduation Commencement in

the George Ormsby Memorial Stadium. In front of an estimated crowd of 3,000 parents, guardians, faculty, staff, distinguished

guests, family, friends and citizens of Monroe Township, senior students received their diplomas. The night before our high

school ceremony, the Williamstown Middle School hosted their annual Promotion Promenade in the stadium before nearly

3,000 guests. The 480 eighth graders who were promoted to high school were proud to be the class to enter Williamstown High

School as the class of 2020.

Our school district continues to distinguish itself achieving excellence in numerous educational endeavors as we close out another school year. As you review this edition of The Messenger, you will recognize many successful curricular and

co-curricular activities our students and staff participated in as the school year came to a close.

Happy Retirement To All

We will several of our colleagues who are retiring this year. We wish them the best as they enter the next chapter in

their lives. They are as follows:

Bernita M. Bryant - Business Teacher Cassandra I. DeGroodt - Music Teacher

Cynthia A. Rossi - FT 6-Hour Sp. Needs Para Patricia M. Bramble - Computer Technology

Carol A. Wendt - PT 5-Hour Sp. Needs Para Deborah A. Ives - BSI Teacher

Annamarie McDevitt - PT 5-Hour Sp. Needs Para Deborah A. Buriak - PT 5-Hour Sp. Needs Para

Barry Scott Boring - 12- Month Asst. Principal Karen L. Landy - Special Needs Teacher

Donna S. Grabbe - Health & PE Teacher Patricia Skalka - Art Teacher

Shelly J. Kelem - Speech/Language Specialist Roseanne C. Hutchinson - Basic Skills Instruction

Theresa M. McGee - School Psychologist Denise M. Milan - Computer Technology Teacher

Karen Offenbacker - Basic Skills Instruction Gloria Ianacone - Health & P Teacher

Martin J. Tolen, Jr. - District Social Worker Michele M. Caruso - 12 Month Confidential Secretary

to the BA / Board Secretary

The 2018-2019 school year opens for Students on Thursday., September 6th. Our district administrators and secretaries

will be busy during the summer preparing for the new school year.

We hope all of you enjoy the summer weather and vacation time you share with family and friends. We thank you for

your positive involvement and support of Monroe Township Public Schools.

Very Truly Yours,

Charles M. Earling, Superintendent of Schools

856-629-6400, Ext. 1000

cearling@monroetwp.k12.nj.us

Gregory J. Cappello, Asst. Superintendent K-12 Lisa Schulz, Business Administrator/Board Secretary

856-629-6400, Ext. 1007 856-629-6400, Ext. 1004

gcappello@monroetwp.k12.nj.us lschulz@monroetwp.k12.nj.us

On March 9, 10, 16 and 17, the Williamstown High School Drama Club

proudly presented its spring musical - The Addams Family.

Radix Student Council recently purchased a basketball net for their school playground. To celebrate, The Radix Student Council Members had a 'ribbon cutting ceremony' to officially make the net available for students to use during recess. All of the Radix students are excited and eager to get their game on! A special thank you to Dr. DelConte for assisting in getting the net installed so quickly!

Let’s dunk

Students and staff changed it up a bit this school year. Staff voted and everyone decided to dress up like a bunch of "smartie pants." Mrs. Rumpf, the Principal, surprised students by wearing her Smarties Candy costume. Mrs. Rumpf believes all kids can learn if they put forth their best effort, accept the challenge of working through mistakes and learning from them, and always believing in themselves. Today, she wanted to show her students how proud she is of them for working so hard for 100 days of

school.

WHITEHALL SCHOOL

CELEBRATES THE

100TH DAY OF SCHOOL

According to Mrs. Dana Mericle, building principal, We have an amazing staff. ” I urge my students and their parents to get involved, set their goals high, and take advantage of our highly-trained staff and many exciting programs. I can assure you that offering our students the latest in curriculum enhancements in a safe, modern learning environment is our primary goal. As principal, I look forward to personally meeting each of my students and take great pride in their accomplishments. To our dedicated staff, WMS has come to not only represent Williamstown Middle

School, but also “We Mean Success!”

WMS STAFF GATHER FOR ANNUAL SCHOOL PHOTO

Radix Elementary School recently formed The Caring Club of Radix. Participants in this club include administration, teachers, parents and students. On Saturday, April 21st, The Caring Club of Radix participated in their first event. Members of the club met in Brigantine, New Jersey volunteering to help clean the beach of debris while partici-pating in Clean Ocean Action's 33rd Annual Beach Sweeps. Over 130 participants combed Brigantine's Beach helping the beach environment and enjoying each other's company while supporting such a worthwhile cause. Many thanks to all who participated and a BIG THANK YOU to Monroe Township's Clean Communities Office (Jackie Wallace) for the donation of all the adult gloves, and to Radix Elementary School's PTA for donating all of the children's gloves used at

the event.

EXTENDING A HELPING HAND TO CLEAN THE BEACH

Special SHOUTOUT to fifth grader Emily P and friends for a successful service project to benefit The Animal Adoption Center! The girls raised $167 and filled a trunk with animal supplies. They passed out flyers, had a bake sale in their neighborhood and a yard sale with the profits

going to the shelter.

PASSION FOR PETS

Radix first grade students recently took part in an assembly from The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Students met and learned about three types of animals: mammals, birds and reptiles. The children were excited to see up close a skunk, owl and

yes, a snake!

DIFFERENT ANIMALS

Lynn Maun, from the Greater Egg Harbor Watershed Association, visited every 5th grade Science class to give a presentation. Here is she is with one of Mrs. Kimberly Morris' TAG

classes. This visit was organized by Mrs. Doris Letts.

The first grade students at Whitehall Elementary had a beautiful Author's Tea, Mother's Day Edition, for their moms. Moms enjoyed listening to the young authors and illustrators. They also sang a few songs for the deserving moms. We ended the Tea with light refreshments provided by the Monroe Township Education Association.

SHOWING AND TELLING

THEIR LOVE

FOR THEIR MOTHERS

The Radix Student Council and Safety Patrol Members recently attended a Trenton Thunder baseball game. This trip is taken to thank our third and fourth graders for all their hard work throughout the year. Students enjoyed watching a close game and were treated to a delicious buffet lunch. They even got a visit from Chase, the Thunder's 'bat dog' and Boomer, the team's mascot. The kids had a great time! A very special thank you goes out to our Radix PTA, which allows the students to take this trip each year!

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

Reilly Leighton, a WMS student, is pictured with Mrs. Dana Mericle (WMS Principal), and Mr. James Collins (WMS Assistant Principal). Reilly was invited to Trenton to receive an award for her work with Reilly's Rainbows, the nonprofit that she started to help children who are in need of school

supplies.

REILLY’S RAINBOW

Radix Elementary third grade held their annual Talent Show. Boys and girls showed off their skills for their peers and teachers. Singing, drawing, dancing, poem reciting and soccer drills were just some of the many acts performed. The audience was treated to a plethora of performances. Such a talented group of students!

Bob Kelly and Fox 29 news visited Geet’s diner on May 21st. Williamstown Middle School and Whitehall were on the spotlight for excellence in schools. Staff and students cheered as Bob and the Fox crew spoke to students about announce-ments and local history. The WMS morning announcement crew (8th graders) had the chance to experience a live taping of a morning show.

Radix Elementary's PTA hosted a "Move and Groove" fundraiser for the students of Radix. Children were excited to go outside and dance to their favorite songs, and a few classics like "The Limbo" and "The Chicken Dance". Students

raised money during the dance-a-thon towards a great cause.

LET’S MOVE AND GROVE!

WILLIAMSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL

EARNS JOSTENS NATIONAL YEARBOOK

Williamstown High School’s 2017 yearbook, “Totem”, has been recognized for excellence and featured in the 2018 Jostens Look Book, celebrating the best-of-the-best in yearbook design and coverage. The Jostens Look Book is a collection of spreads and photos from outstanding yearbooks and their creative themes, cool covers, dazzling designs, relevant coverage, storytelling copy and action-packed photography. Along with design excellence, the annually published Look Book honors the important role well-crafted yearbooks play in helping schools chronicle the experi-

ences, stories and achievements most relevant to students and that academic year. The yearbook was created by students: Gabrielle Audu, Gregory Burek, Crissandra Civatte, Benjamin Denbo, Femi Folarin, Kaitlyn Ford, Justin Fortuna, Emily Lucier, Alayna Maden, Brian Miskar, Candice Nguyen, Natalie Pavluk, Marcello Oliveto, Marissa Rappleye, Alexa Thomas and Ashley Vail under the direction of Nancy Ferranto, Williamstown High School yearbook adviser.

The Williamstown High School yearbook was one of only 413 yearbooks selected from approximately 2,000 entries. The 2018 panel of judges, comprised of nationally recognized scholastic journalism professionals and award-winning yearbook advisers, selected the best examples of yearbook spreads and covers to make up the 304 page 2018 Look Book. “The Jostens Look Book showcases the hard work and dedication of students who tell the story of the school year through photos and words. It is their collaboration and communication, as well as creative thinking in challenging situations, that results in the fine designs shown in this book,” said Sara Sausker, Senior Manager of Customer Experience. “We are very proud to celebrate the ability of this country’s future leaders and communicators by showcasing their sophisticated designs and photography.” Ferranto and her yearbook staff received a copy of the 2018 Jostens Look Book and plaque from Jostens to recognize their outstanding achievement.

WMS’ eighth grade students celebrated Outsiders Day, a tribute to the novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Students and teachers were encouraged to dress up as either "greasers" or "soc's" as described in the book, while watching the filmed version of the novel on May 25th. The Outsiders is a classic novel that is read annually in eighth grade ELA classes. Kudos to the teachers for putting together an engaging way for the students to interact with

a beloved classic.

Co-Chairmen Mrs. Butler and Mrs. Manfredi hosted the Oak Knoll Parent Volunteer appreciation dinner with the support of the MTEA Pride. Parents enjoyed a catered dinner and many Thank You gifts. Each Parent had extra fun painting a lovely beach scene. "Volunteers are not paid--not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless" by unknown. "Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart." by Elizabeth Andrews

VOLUNTEERS,

WHAT WOULD

WE DO

WITHOUT

THEM!

Radix students had a blast learning about being safe and being kind at an awesome assembly put on by Officer Phil. Detective Armstrong from the MTPD assisted the great Officer Phil as he performed magic tricks, and introduced students to two puppet friends. Officer Phil and Detective Armstrong helped students understand what to do

in different situations they may encounter. Some of these situations included strangers, fires, and internet safety.

THIS IS WHAT

YOU DO

At Williamstown Middle School 500 students participated in this fun and exciting day. Grades 6,7,8 spent their day outside from 8:30 am to 12:00 noon. Grade 5 spent their day from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm. Students received a free hot dog and water that were donated by the parents and WMS families. Activities included photo booth, bouncy rooms, football, yard games and water balloon toss at their favorite teacher. The band “Kicking Sunrise” played to a packed area. These young men play all over the country and are well liked by people of all ages. They are a compassionate and caring group of men who volunteer time for worthy causes. Students were singing and dancing in the fields. DJ Vinny entertained the group during breaks. Parents and staff helped encourage the students to play and have some fun in the sun.

FUN IN THE SUN @ WMS MUSIC FESTIVIAL

Williamstown Middle school sixth graders and staff enjoy the day at Tall Pines Camp in Williamstown NJ. Students enjoyed treats, water rides, swimming, bike rides, paddle boat rides, and outdoor fun. Ron and Peter had a great time at Tall Pines!!

A FUN

DAY

AT

TALL

PINES

WHAT A SEASON!

By: Kaylee S and Stevie H, 8th Graders Wrestling season just ended and what a season it was for the boy’s Williamstown High School wrestling team. A season full of wins, pins, and awards. We had three district champions, Shamun Smith, Bryan Martin, and Nick DeRosa that helped lead the team to many victories. However, it wasn’t just the wrestlers that made such an amazing team... it was also the coach. Coach Jernegan, a teacher at WMS, pushed the team to strive to do their very best and reach their full potential. All his hard work and efforts paid off when he won the much deserved title of “Coach of the Year.” This season, the team was 3-1 in the conference division. Overall, they were 24-3. We are so lucky to have such an amazing high school coach right here at WMS!

Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Snyder's class had a blast experimenting with Oobleck! They began the day listening to Dr. Seuss's story Bartholomew and the Oobleck. Since the class was learning about matter, we thought we would try it ourselves. With a few simple ingredients, cornstarch, water, and food coloring, the students were able to mix their Oobleck together. The class enjoyed watching how the mixture changed and evolved. They felt and watched how it could change from a solid to a liquid. This was a fun way to

enjoy science!

FUN WITH OOBLECK!

The sixth grade TAG classes presented a Wax Museum exhibit on Friday, June 1st. The teachers involved in this annual exhibit are Mrs. Fanslau, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Lambdon. Students dressed up in a variety of costumes to depict various time periods in history. All proceeds made from this event benefited a WMS staff member and WHS student, who are both battling cancer.

A DAY AT THE WAX MUSEUM

Four third grade Holly

Glen students from Mrs. Parisi

and Mrs. Hluchy’s third grade

class entered this year’s

Invention Convention. Partners

Cecilia and Isabella received a

second place award for their

invention “Germeze.” Partners Alivia and Giavonna received a third place award for their invention “Easy.” The girls

diligently worked together after school and on weekends to design their inventions, research marketing the invention,

and kept a log of their experiences during the process, while periodically checking in with Mrs. Ungvarsky throughout

the months’ long process. Finally, the girls presented their inventions to the panel of judges and were quite excited to

receive awards as first time entrants in the contest. The girls shared their experiences with their classmates and

expressed how the process helped them understand the value of hard work and being committed to completing

their goal.

INVENTION

Radix third graders were treated to a presentation from the Adventure Aquarium. Students listened and learned about many different animals from the sea that can be found right in our New Jersey waters. In addition to seeing some coral, a sea urchin, a sea star and a horseshoe crab, students were also given the opportunity to see and touch some of these creatures up close. It was

a very exciting experience that the children clearly loved!

UNDER THE SEA ANIMALS

The students of Radix Elementary had a visit from Humphrey, the main character in the assigned summer reading book: The World According to Humphrey. Humphrey’s visit got students very excited about reading the book that chronicles the adventures of Humphrey, a golden hamster, who lives in an elemen-tary classroom. After students read the book, they will create their own adventure story; through the summer months, they will capture, with words and pictures, their own adventures and good deeds. Then, in September, students will share their adventure journals/stories with new classmates.

SUMMER READING

KICK-OFF

For the past decade, cores 7A and 7C have their individual core homerooms compete against one another for some friendly competit ion and comradery. The Olympics is culminated by joining the two cores together for a huge kickball game.

IT’S THAT

TIME OF THE

YEAR

WMS Music Department presented its annual Spring Choral

Concert on May 30, 2018, which was held at WHS. Our fifth

grade director, Mr. Dougherty led over 80 students in singing

three amazing songs: “There’s No Business Like Show

Business”, “The Music Man” and “Tomorrow.” Over 100 students

in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade led by director, Miss Test

performed three astounding songs: “Hisakata”, “This Day” and

“Get On Board.” The group came together to sing a grand finale

“Sir Duke.” Parents, families and staff cheered the singers on as

they performed with grace and elegance.

WMS STUDENTS RECEIVE

A STANDING OVATION

The students in Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Snyder's class had fun learning about the Water Cycle. After learning about the water cycle, through stories and a Brain Pop Jr. video, students made it rain in the classroom. Using a glass of water, some shaving cream and food coloring, the students were able to watch how when the 'cloud' became full, rain would fall. It was an exciting way to wrap up the lesson!

WATER

CYCLE FUN

Radix Elementary School’s Co-Coordinators, Dr. Jill DelConte, Principal and Donna Sanfilippo, first grade teacher organized The Caring Club of Radix’s final event of the school year. The event was a Radix "landscaping clean-up." Members of the club weeded, planted and mulched existing landscaping beds and created some new ones too. The Caring Club of Radix would like to thank SMP Farms, Peach Country Tractor, Inc. and Monroe Township’s Office of Clean Communities whose donations allowed Radix Elementary to be beautifully transformed. A special thanks goes out to David Hinnegan, owner of LanDesigns Landscaping for doing all he could do to help. David was instrumental during each phase of the project and because of him, the outside of Radix Elementary never looked so beautiful.

THE CARING CLUB OF RADIX’S FINAL EVENT

Mrs. Foti's fourth grade students at Holly Glen and Mrs. Slade's Algebra II class at WHS have been writing each other all year. The fourth graders were so excited to write their pen pals and they could not wait to get a letter back. They were amazed at how much they had in common and could not wait to meet their high school pen pal. They all finally got to meet and exchange cards and enjoy some yummy snacks. It was an awesome experience for all of the students!!!

MEETING YOU IN PERSON - AT LAST!

Whitehall students were lucky to experience a new unreleased app called Google Expedition. Ms. Dolores' first grade class learned about various dinosaurs. They listened to facts and data about the dinosaurs and then were able to see the actually dinosaur through the google app. Student absolutely loved this activity!

USING A NEW GOOGLE APP!

Carly Moffa, from Williamstown, NJ now living in Tennessee came home to share her love for music and Williamstown. Carly performed at WMS to a packed crowd. Numerous Williamstown teachers were there to cheer on our favorite hometown girl who is so sweet and compassionate about her love for singing and Williamstown. Carly sang songs with the school choir lead by Mrs. Gerelli and entertained the crowd for over an hour. She is kind, friendly and loves kids. She wowed the audience with a range of songs including “Out of the Blue”, “Demons”, “Hitman” and “Long Goodbyes”. The stage was set up with a stool, dim lighting, art work made by local children , organ, flowers, guitars, suitcases, tables, etc.. Her fans were able to purchase tee shirts and CD’s. Her family was there to support her. Carly thanked many people who helped her get to where she is including Mrs. Dana Mericle, principal of WMS and of course her mom, sister Ashley, nieces and nephews,

friends, etc. Recently, Carly performed on ‘American Idol’.

WELCOME HOME, CARLY

Radix second grade students in Mrs. Holman/Miss Gross and Mrs. Goneau/Miss Parks' classes took their learning to the playground. After a math unit on learning 2-D and 3-D shapes, students put their new knowledge to practice as they explored the play structures and nature of the Radix playground. Students went on a "Shape Scavenger Hunt" and were able to see triangles in the swing sets, cylinders propping up basketball nets, and an octagon in the side of the Gaga pit. Tons of shapes were discovered, and students enjoyed working in groups as they combined

academics with play!

SHAPES, SHAPES & MORE SHAPES!

The students in Ms. Dolores' first grade class at Whitehall Elementary learned about the life cycle of a butterfly with Mrs. Davis. They observed each stage of the cycle and learned what was happening during each stage. Once the butterflies emerged the students released them in the Butterfly Garden. The students enjoyed learning the science behind butterflies!! Thank you Mrs. Davies!!!

BUTTERFLIES

Students in Mrs. Sulzbach's AM Kindergarten class at Radix School invited their parents and family members to school to celebrate the end of the year. The children read poems and sang songs to commemorate and reflect on all their hard work and how much they have learned. Although there were some teary eyes, the room was filled with pride and joy!

MOVING

ON

UP

TO

FIRST

GRADE

Students in Mrs. Parisi and Mrs. Hluchy’s Holly Glen

third grade class observed Memorial Day with a very special

guest. Mr. Jeff Simpler visited us and shared some of his experiences from his

20 years of service in the US Army. The students eagerly asked many

questions and learned about the importance of serving our country and

appreciating the service of our dedicated veterans. Mr. Simpler also read the

book “Memorial Day” to help the children learn the origin of the holiday and

reinforce the many reasons why America remembers all the courageous

veterans who lost their lives fighting to protect the freedoms of others. The

children presented Mr. Simpler with an American flag and thanked him for

sharing in our observance of Memorial Day and for his service to our great

country.

WE OBSERVE MEMORIAL DAY

Whitehall's Student Council organized a school - wide effort to collect food items for the Pfeiffer Center's food pantry. Over the course of three weeks, the Whitehall community came together to donate a wide variety of food to help those in need. Whitehall students proudly donated close to 1,300 items to the Pfeiffer Center! The little school with a big heart thanks everyone who helped make this food drive a success!

REACHING

OUT TO

HELP

WMS students gathered on the track to celebrate the success of the WHS graduating seniors. Mr. Charlie Rojas coordinated the event. Many students held up signs to show their support. The younger students saw the impact that their Monroe Township education can have on them. It won't be long before the WMS students will be on that track, greeting a

new group of younger students. Mrs. Karyn Park lead the band in song. The seniors then went to the bleachers for a senior photo opt.

WMS STUDENTS CHEERING ON

WHS’ GRADUATING SENIORS

The Invention Convention was a huge success again this year. Pictured are district TAG teachers with participants from the convention. A fifth grade student from Ms. Brody's homeroom was one of the

winners.

Whitehall Elementary held their annual "Whitehall's Got Talent". The students showed off their skills to the entire student body. It is amazing how much talent our students have here at Whitehall. There was also a night time performance where parents were able to come see the show. The show ended with a surprise teacher act that the students and parents loved!!!

SHOWING OFF THEIR TALENT

WMS six grade Language Arts class decorated the classroom door to look like a REDBOX but instead it said, "READ BOX". The students designed book covers rather than movies to coincide with the decoration and theme. The students studied figurative language to create decorative covers for books. The students worked in groups practicing to present a rap song about the subject. FUN STUFF!!

Mrs. Fiorentino's AM Kindergarten at Radix School class celebrated the end of their school year with parents and friends. Students read and shared photos from their memory books as well as sang songs they have sung all year. The festivities wrapped up with some special treats shared by all. It was a fantastic way to wrap up a successful school year!

41 contestants from 500 fifth graders participated in the Williamstown Middle School Annual Spelling Bee. Held in the WMS auditorium. The judges were Mr. John Shields, Mrs. Maureen Coelho and Mrs. Kim Morris. Mrs. Morris organized the spelling bee and generated the list to be used during the bee. Mrs. Morris used words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee list. Mr. Shields announced each word with a sentence. The contestants had to ‘say, spell, say’ each

word. The top 10 contestants get recognized with a standing ovation.

The top 3 receive trophies. 1st place Christopher M, 2nd place Shelby A and 3rd place Jayron L.

AND HOW DO YOU

SPELL…..

The PTO at Whitehall Elementary had their annual Fair last week. The students and staff enjoyed games, rides, and treats! There was also a DJ there where the students showed off their dance moves! Students also got to dunk their favorite teachers! Thank you PTO, we

appreciate everything you do!!!

WHITEHALL

FAIR DAY

FAREWELL TO

KINDERGARTEN

Second graders at Radix Elementary enjoyed the annual 2nd Grade Luau on June 13. Students participated in Tacky Tourist Relays, Coconut Pass, Limbo and Hula competitions, and a dance and picture booth party! What

an awesome way to end the year and say "ALOHA!" to Third Grade.

FAREWELL TO

SECOND GRADE

Fifth grade classes participated in a field day activity organized by Mrs. Paul and Ms. Murphy. The end of the year activity promoted healthy competition between cores, as the students raced to collect water with a sponge, and tried to not drop an egg with a spoon. After the activities were completed, students cooled off with a

treat from Mr. Softee.

FIELD DAY

Good luck to the 4th graders in their future endeavors.

We enjoyed the farewell and hope you did also!

CHECKERS,

ANYONE???

Radix fourth grade students took part in a farewell ceremony in celebration of all their wonderful years at Radix Elementary. Students shared their accomplishments, songs and memories to a packed house of family and friends before moving on to Williamstown Middle School. We know these students will do great things in the future! Best of Luck to All!

Seventh graders had the opportunity to visit the Media Center to learn how to play checkers. Some students caught on quickly, others needed more practice. Once a week, the students came together to have small tournaments to play winners

against winners and losers against losers. They played hard for ‘bragging rights’.

“Checkers is a fun and competitive game for all ages. Even if you don’t know how to play, it is easy to learn quickly. I learned that you can only be on the black squares. You can also only move forward till you become king and make it to the other side. You can jump more than one piece at a time. The pieces are usually red or black. The checkers board is 64 dark and light squares that appear 8 rows of 8. There are 32 light squares and 32 dark squares. There are 24 checker pieces in total. To win a game of checkers you have to move your pieces towards your opponent's side of the board. You can move faster by jumping your opponent's pieces and removing them from the board. Checkers is simple, but you can use your brain to improve your chances of winning. We are grateful to play checkers during lunch and during

tournaments at school.” By 7th graders

Students in Ms. Anerousis’ sixth grade science classes did an amazing job on their “Element Advertisement Projects!” They were challenged with the task of “selling” an element to consumers by designing an advertisement. They made the most impressive 3-D atomic models and were incredibly creative with the design of their ads! These students went above and beyond and truly did a fantastic job. Bravo!

On Tuesday June 5, as dawn broke over Williamstown High School, the veterans, guardians, students, staff and administra-tion gathered to enjoy a life-altering experience. Five coach buses waited to take over 160 veterans to Washington, DC to see their memorials. The veterans were men and women who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. However before they set out on their trip, they were treated to breakfast, music, the band and most importantly a heroes send-off created by 2000 plus students and staff. All of WHS lined the hallways in patriotic colors with flags to welcome and cheer for our veterans as they made their way to their buses. With motorcycle escorts they set out on a day dedicated to them at multiple DC locations complete with a police escort through the capital. They then returned around 7:30 pm where they were greeted by cheering crowds, the colors displayed by the Boy Scouts, the SeaBees, plus the Fire and Rescue departments of Williamstown welcom-ing them back. They then feasted on a delicious dinner where they received pictures and other gifts to help them remember this experience. Honor Flight truly is transformative for all involved. It creates connections between the students and veterans that would never had occurred otherwise. Most im-portantly, in the words of one of our Vietnam veterans, “I finally got my welcome home.” That is what makes this experience so worthwhile. The next Honor Flight will occur on 10/04/18. More

details as well as applications are available at sjhonorflight.org.

Williamstown Middle School fifth graders enjoyed a day at Owen’s Park with the Monroe Township Police Department and WMS staff to celebrate LEAD - Law Enforcement Against Drugs. Students enjoyed barbeque, water ice, cotton candy (served by volunteers from the Police Explorers), exploring the fire trucks, watching a K9 show, bouncing on large bounce moons, dancing to music with the DJ, taking a picture in the photo booth, run and jump on the playground equipment. Every-

one had a great time.

FIFTH GRADE OUTING

The students in Ms. Dolores' first grade class at Whitehall Elementary got down and

dirty in Science with Mrs. Davis. Mrs. Davis started by teaching the students about

owls through books. They ended their learning experience by dissecting owl pellets with

toothpicks. Each student found various bones and skulls of rodents. At the end they

were able to take home the bones they discovered. The students really enjoyed this

lesson!

STUDYING OWLS SCIENTIFICALLY

Seventh grade students took a trip to historic Philadelphia. Students toured sites around

Philadelphia.

A FUN

LESSON

DAY

Some of Oak Knoll’s third grade teachers focused their year end unit on the Life Cycle Standard in Science. Students were able to watch caterpillars grow quickly and form chrysalis. From there they were hung in the butterfly nets and students watched them develop and kept notes in their Butterfly Journals. Once they emerged from their chrysalis, they needed time for the pigment in their wings to dry. Leaving red marks in the net, the Monarchs soon flapped and fluttered their dry wings as they waited for release. Together, the three classes gathered around the Butterfly Houses made by fourth grade students this year and released the butterflies. Students watched in excitement as the clumsy new butterflies

landed on feet, hands and stomachs! Third grade was all “a flutter” as they closed out their final science unit.

BUTTERFLIES