Smith News

June 1, 2021

Achieving Excellence One Student at a Time

A Message from Our Principal

Dear 8th Grade Students and Families,

We are currently in the process of making final preparations for the promotion ceremony of Smith School’s Class of 2021. We wanted to share the details with all families so that arrangements can be made. The date of our ceremony is Tuesday, June 22, 2021 (Rain Date: June 23, 2021) at 7:00 pm on the outdoor Field behind Smith School. If there is inclement weather on both June 22nd and June 23rd, the ceremony will be moved inside to the Smith School Gymnasium. This ceremony marks a very important milestone in our students educational journey. Therefore, we respectfully ask that our graduates dress the part. Please have your student wear something that adheres to the school dress code and would be appropriate to wear out for a nice dinner or any place nice with your family.

Each student will receive four (4) tickets which will guarantee four seats at the outdoor ceremony. Any other family member that wishes to attend the outdoor ceremony may do so from outside the seating area. The tickets will be distributed to students on Monday, June 21st. If there is inclement weather on June 22nd and 23rd and the graduation is moved indoors, the ceremony will be students only. No tickets will be provided for the indoor ceremony. In order for all family members to watch, we will live stream the ceremony on Smith School’s YouTube channel. More information will follow.

We will send additional information and reminders as the date gets closer. We are so excited to honor the class of 2021!

Be well and stay safe,

Andrew Herre

Mrs. Christine Davis

Supervisor of K-8 Education and Student Welfare

What a year it has been for everyone! I cannot express how grateful we are to our students, families, and staff for all of their cooperation and flexibility throughout the course of this unprecedented year. We are so proud of our Smith School community and the amazing

things we were able to accomplish together. It was incredibly challenging, but as time went by we developed routines and mindsets that helped to establish structure, predictability, and a sense of purpose and accomplishment each day. Despite all of the challenges, we have all learned and grown tremendously.


As we enter the last few weeks of school, it is important to recognize that we have all worked to rise above the challenges of this year. We have

adapted to new school and work schedules, helped support our families and community, and found new ways to connect with friends and loved ones. The finish line for this year is in sight. As we cheer our students on and encourage them to stay the course to the end, we are empowering them as we help to build their confidence, competence, and resiliency.


Smith School Virtual Art Show, 2021

In spite of the challenges all of our schools faced this last year, Ramsey educators & administration found ways to make the Visual and Performing Arts happen! Due to Covid restrictions, this year's art show is a virtual "Celebrating Smith Artists" slide show. Each presentation is a compilation of students working on projects & their beautiful completed creations, by grade, are in a Google Slide presentation. Congratulations to all!

Relay For Life 2021

We are ready to move forward with Relay For Life on Friday, June 4th. This year’s theme is “Take a Bite Out Of Cancer!” Hope is the primary theme for Relay For Life. This event unifies our community as we work to take on a common enemy, fighting cancer. We come together as a community to Celebrate survivors and caregivers, Remember those who have lost their battle, and Fight Back in working toward a cure for cancer.

Like every other aspect of life in the past year, the 2021 Relay For Life will not be the same. Traditionally, Relay is a twelve hour, in-person event. We are striving to create an event that allows us to gather in person as much as is permitted. The opening ceremony will be broadcast on GoRamsTV.com at 10:00 am on Friday, June 4. We will use GoRamsTV.com to communicate finalized plans for the day’s events. Please stay tuned!

Here’s how you can support our efforts to fight cancer!

  • Vote for Ramsey’s favorite pets! Donate any amount in the pet’s name to the Venmo account, @RHSPTSO-1. Each dollar counts as a vote for the dog of your choice and supports the fight against cancer.

  • Purchase a luminaria bag! Honor someone fighting cancer or to memorialize a loved one. Your bag will light up the path as we walk.

  • Register as a team or as an individual! Walk a lap on our charted path on June 4.

For contest details and to register, please visit www.GoRamsTV.com.

A Message from the Smith Library

Friday, June 4th is the LAST day students can take out books from the library.

All materials are officially due back by Friday, June 18th.

Start checking at home and in backpacks for any Smith library books, headphones, or chrome books that are not yours! Library items are each stamped as "Eric S. Smith Library" and have a Smith Library barcode to help easily identify them.

If you have lost any of your checked-out items, please alert Ms. Kelly or Ms. Tam.

Any items borrowed from our library that not returned by June 22nd will result in a fine.

Please email kkelly@ramsey.k12.nj.us or visit Ms. Kelly in the library with any questions!

Setting Our Sights to Summer

Smith teachers Ms. Calendrillo, Ms. Militello, Ms. Davis, and Ms. Sausville honored Mental Health Awareness month with their 'Proud to be Stigma Free' shirts (Above)

The Environmental Club gets back out in the courtyard for weeding and replanting as we head into warmer weather (Above)


The Character Education morning basketball team declared the winners of its Championship Tournament, "Big Baller Brand"! Congratulations to all (Left)

The Smith productions of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown persevered despite difficult weather conditions, truly living out the motto "The show must go on". Congratulations on two amazing performances, Blue and Gold Casts!!! (Above and Below)


With the arrival of Spring comes Smith School Track and Field (Top Left and Middle Left).

The Smith Chorus Concert was enjoyed by family and friends on our back field, with students across all 3 grade levels coming together to sing and celebrate another year of music (6th grade Left, 7th grade Left Below, 8th grade Right Below)

8th grade science students conduct experiments using dry ice (Above)

What could be better than a class reading activity in the great outdoors on a Spring afternoon? Ms. Csengeto's 6th grade ELA class takes on a new setting for their reading of a "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" book (Below)

Smith Spirit week had students and staff showing off their best tie-dye, "dress-like-its-a-virtual day", Disney, and red- white- blue looks!

No better way to close out a school year than with some spirit and pride! (Above, Right, Below left side Images)

Ms. Nixon's 6th grade students work with 3-D figures to get hands-on in their math lesson! (Below, Left)

Is your child a remote-learning student who is participating in spirit days? Do you want to them to be recognized for their participation in learning activities at home?

Share your photos HERE to be featured in future newsletters!

During Spirit Week, the Student Council held a raffle to benefit the organization No Kid Hungry, which supports children and young people who don't have access to meals. With the help of the Smith PTO, Student Council was able to raise $1,243.00 for the organization (Above) and the Raffle Winner chosen was Anna Zurlini who decided upon "Sports" Spirit Day to close out this year's Spirit Week (Below)

Health Updates From Our Nurse

Ms. Laura Spiegelman, BSN, RN, CSN/Health Ed.

Certified School Nurse, Eric S. Smith School

lspiegelman@ramsey.k12.nj.us 201-785-2314

COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens

CDC recommends everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to help protect against COVID-19. Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic.

Getting your child or teen vaccinated can bring you one step closer to enjoying the activities you miss. Children 12 years and older are able to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

See link below for more information:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/adolescents.html


Incoming 6th grade students September 2021:

Please be aware of the required medical documents:

  • Physical exam- dated within 365 days from the start of the school year.

  • Immunization record- including updated Tdap & Meningitis vaccines

Please visit the Smith School Health Services page for more information: https://www.ramsey.k12.nj.us/Page/1555

Smith School Parent Book Club

Interest Form for 2021-2022

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Parent Book Club for the 2020-2021 School year! Though it was a different format than previous years, I thoroughly enjoyed our monthly meetings and your insightful discussions.

If you borrowed any of our books for the club this year and have not already returned them, please do so as soon as possible!

If you are interested in joining our Parent Book Club for the 2021-2022 school year, please click here to fill out the Google interest form with the contact information you can best be reached at. Communication regarding meetings and book choices will be sent out to interested individuals in the Fall when school begins again.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at kkelly@ramsey.k12.nj.us

Have a safe and relaxing summer vacation!


-Ms. Kasey Kelly

Smith School Library Media Specialist

Summer Explorations Program

Registration for Summer Explorations through our Ramsey Community School is open NOW! Smith Teachers are offering programs covering a variety of engaging subjects for your students to learn and enjoy this summer. Summer Explorations is offered to students Grades 6-8 and will run from July 5th-July 23rd. The deadline for registration is June 14th, 2021. See the flyers below or check out the Ramsey Community School site for more information

Need Technology Support for School-Issued Devices? Click Here to Complete a Student Help Desk Ticket

Smith School Supply List 2021-2022

Supply Lists for the 2021-2022 school year are now posted. Please remember that all personal belongings should be labeled, such as pencil cases, binders, and backpacks.


Click Here for 6th Grade Supply List


Click Here for 7th Grade Supply List


Click Here for 8th Grade Supply List

Upcoming Dates

Relay For Life- June 4th & June 5th

8th Grade Band Concert #1- June 7th

8th Grade Band Concert #2- June 8th

End of Marking Period 4 - June 21st

Minimum Day, 8th Grade Graduation - June 22nd

Minimum Day, Last Day for Students - June 23rd

Click Here for Smith School Calendar of Events