Smith News

November 1, 2019

Achieving Excellence One Student at a Time

Full Day Kindergarten, #RamseyKAllDay!

Vote November 5, 2019

Voter approval on Nov. 5, 2019 of the proposed operating budget would give us the green light to move forward with All-Day Kindergarten.

Voting Registration – Must be registered by Oct. 15

Vote By Mail Applications – Best to apply by Oct. 21; completed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5

With continued voter support, Ramsey School District could begin All-Day Kindergarten in Fall 2020.

The plan for All-Day Kindergarten started several years ago as a citizen-driven discussion of Ramsey School District goals. Some of those goals were addressed with the 2018 bond proposal that won strong voter approval: updated science facilities, dedicated space for the arts, long-term maintenance and security measures. That bond proposal included building the added space that would accommodate an All-Day Kindergarten expansion, but operating funds are needed to cover program staffing and other costs.

For additional information about Full Day Kindergarten please visit:

Ramsey All-Day Kindergarten Website

In the Classroom & Around School

#ProfileOfARamseyGraduate

#EnhancingTheStudentExperience

Bergen County Chorus

The Bergen County Chorus auditions were held on Tuesday night October 15th at Ramapo Ridge Middle School in Mahwah. 12 students were accepted(with accolades!).

7th Grade

Sarah Sovak- Soprano - 3rd Highest Soprano audition score in the county.
Emily Kenny- Alto - 5th Highest Alto audition score in the county.
Ellie Balanoff- Alto
Gavin Maciag- Baritone- 3rd highest Baritone audition score in the county.

8th Grade

Natalie DiGirolamo- Soprano- 2nd highest Soprano audition score in the county. Also, 2nd OVERALL (all voice parts) in the county!
Tanvi Tewary- Soprano- 4th highest Soprano audition score in the county.
Antonia Bellapianta- Soprano
Amanda Vadnais- Soprano
Anika Mukherjee- Soprano
Julia Farrar- Alto
Ava Farrar- Alto
Nina Davis- Alto

Bergen County Band

Auditions for Bergen County Band were held Thursday October 17th. Smith School students crushed the competition and again came in FIRST PLACE with the most students accepted from any school in the county (12 students). This is the seventh year in a row that we have been #1 in Bergen County. In addition, six of our students won FIRST CHAIR in their section.

Kevin Moon – oboe (first chair), second year in County Band
Nathan Lim – clarinet
Sebastian Romero – tenor saxophone (first chair), second year in County Band
Madison Sovak – trumpet (first chair)
Pierce Curley – trumpet
Evelyn Joo – french horn (first chair)
Allison Vardi – french horn
Holden Curley – trombone
Matthew Nicolau – euphonium
Jonathan Plavnik – tuba (first chair)
Luke Medlicott – timpani (percussion first chair)
Gretchen Quast – percussion

BIO BUS

Thanks to a local technology company, EDAX, an AMETEK company based in Mahwah, Smith 7th grade students had were able experience the excitement of scientific discovery on October 22nd and October 23rd 2019, when BioBus's newest mobile science lab was at at Eric S. Smith Middle School. Smith Students boarded the the mobile lab with their science teacher and used a $30,000 light microscopes and a $75,000 scanning electron microscope.

During the BioBus school visit, students are not just observing-the moment they step onto the bus, they stepped into the shoes of scientists and participated in inquiry-based, hands-on, standards-aligned lab sessions. Students also got to meet and work with employees from EDAX, and learn first-hand about the 21st century science jobs in their own neighborhood.

To learn more about BioBus visit their website or watch this short web video produced by another corporate partner, Olympus.

Sterling Hill Mine

6th Grade Field Trip

The 6th grade students had an adventure at Sterling Hill Mines touring the mine tunnels deep underground. They experienced a drilling and blasting demonstration, and visited the world famous fluorescent “Rainbow Tunnel" among many other amazing displays. They also went on a rock discovery and found unique rocks to add to their rock collections. Students were engaged in the museums, as they went on a scavenger hunt finding dinosaur footprints, gold, diamond drill bits and more! A great time was had by all.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Tuesday - November 19, 2019 @ 8:00pm

Fios Channel 664
Optimum Channel 29

Massimo Randazzo, a 6th grade student at Smith, will make his debut on Chopped Jr. airing on The Food Network. Massimo went through several interviews and many home videos to be chosen as a competitor on this show. The entire Smith and Ramsey community is very proud of Massimo and wishes him the best of luck!

Please tune in on November 19th to watch one of Smith Schools finest compete in Chopped Jr!

Mrs. Christine Davis

Supervisor of K-8 Education and Student Welfare

Easing the Shift From Elementary to Middle School

The biggest shift in K–12 education is the transition from elementary school to middle school. Lockers, switching classes and having multiple new teachers are big changes for students and parents. Below is a link to an article that talks about these changes and describes strategies to ease the transition from elementary to middle school.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/easing-shift-elementary-middle-school

From the Desk of the Instructional Coaches

Mr. Scott Sirota, Math Instructional Coach

Have you ever looked at your child's math homework and asked yourself, "How can I help?" I know that the work we're doing here doesn't look like it did when we were in school, so it might be difficult to know how to help your child. Here are some suggestions that might be of use:

Use guiding questions - Asking questions such as, "What would happen if...", or "Do you see any patterns or relationships that will help?" can go a long way to helping your child reframe the situation. Often times we are looking for students to think of things from various angles. When they do this, the solution becomes more accessible.
Make it about process - When we were growing up, math was about finding the answer. That was it. We're focusing now on mathematics in a broader context. Even if your child can't get it "right", going through the process of thinking about the work and attempting it will put them in a position for the teacher to support them back in the classroom.
Be positive - It's easy for us, as adults, to get frustrated with work we aren't familiar with. This is especially true if we use the content ourselves in our own jobs! Perhaps the most import thing you can do to help your child is to maintain a positive attitude towards the math and the work. Help your child see the work as valuable and important.

When we begin to view math as a way of interpreting the world around us, instead of "solving an equation", the work becomes much more accessible and enjoyable!

Ramsey Parent Academies

Parent Academies

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 - RHS Auditorium, 7:30 PM

The Madison Holleran Foundation: Suicide Prevention Speaker

Featuring Carli Bushoven, the Foundation’s Communication Director and Madison’s oldest sister

The primary mission of the Madison Holleran Foundation is to prevent suicides and to assist those in a crisis situation with phone numbers and resources that will assist them during their time in crisis. The Foundation is also focused on preparing high school seniors and college freshmen, since this can be a very difficult transition period, as it was for Madison and many college freshmen.

Carli Bushoven is the Communications Director for the Foundation as well as Madison’s oldest sister. She will share Madison’s story and the impact it has had on her and her family. Passionate for suicide awareness and prevention, Carli shares Madison’s story in an effort to inspire others to speak out about mental health and end the stigma.

Report Cards

The first marking period will end on Wednesday November 6th. Report cards, as well as progress towards Goals and Objectives for students with IEPs, will be viewable on the Parent Portal on Friday, November 15th.

StuCo Food Drive

Our annual Student Council Food Drive is taking November 18-22. Smith School has a great tradition of generosity which demonstrates our students' commitment to the true spirit of the holiday. We are so proud of our students' efforts to contribute to this worthy cause. Thank you in advance for your support.