Smith News

November 4th, 2022

Achieving Excellence One Student at a Time

Ms. Christine Davis

Interim Principal

Grateful

The school year has gotten off to a great start, and It’s hard to believe that it is already November. This is a great time of year to reflect on the many things that we are grateful for.

First, we are so thankful for our students. After all, they are the reason why we are all here. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with our students to provide them with the best environment possible to help them learn and grow.

We are thankful for the support of our Smith School families and the important partnerships that we have with our school community. A big thank you to the PTO, the RPEF, and the many tireless volunteers who are committed to helping to provide the best experience possible for our students.

And finally, we are grateful for our staff. Each and every staff member here at Smtih School cares deeply for our students and their success and well-being, and they are dedicated to providing the best learning experience for our students.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to promote an important community event. Ramsey Responds will be holding its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive on Friday, November 18th, from 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm at the garage behind St. Paul Church. Smith School´s student council will be hosting a collection of food at the school starting November 14th to November 18th. Check your emails and follow @RSDsmithschool for more updates!

Dr. Ryan Esdale

Interim Supervisor of K-8 Education and Student Welfare

Profile of a Ramsey Graduate Competencies: Empathy

Over the last 5 years our District Goals have remained largely unchanged. Specifically, our dedication to the Profile of a Ramsey Graduate competencies continues to be a primary focus for teaching and learning at Smith Middle School.

This school year, we will highlight what the critical components of each competency look like in our classrooms. In the second addition of this catalog, we will focus on Empathy.

The Profile of a Ramsey Graduate competency of empathy consists of students being able to seek alternate perspectives and viewpoints by keeping an open mind. Throughout learning experiences students may be encouraged to “step into the shoes of another person” aiming to understand their feelings and perspectives. Students can enhance their empathy by listening to another person to understand their perspective and viewpoints.

Finally, students are encouraged to withhold judgment, and consider the thoughts, feelings, and needs of others.

For example, Mr. Sirota’s “Change Makers” class hosted various group presentations that focused on what the end of year party could possibly include. To create the presentations, students were asked to interview classmates and work to understand one another's viewpoint.

The students compiled the information gained from said interviews and worked to present the best final product based on all of the information and all of the viewpoints they gathered during the research phase of the project.

After each presentation, classmates in the audience asked thought provoking questions, and were directed to specifically identify areas of the presentation that connected to the indicators of empathy.

Team Highlights: 6th Grade

HUZZAH! A fortnight ago on Friday, October 14, the 6th grade embarked on an epic quest to lunch and tournament at Medieval Times! To complement our study of feudalism in social studies, our young squires were treated to a modern demonstration of medieval life, featuring jousting, weapons and combat, falconry, chivalry, and equestrian demonstrations, with a sprinkling of positive messages regarding anti-bullying and online safety.

Students & chaperones feasted on roasted chicken, garlic bread, baked potatoes, vegetables, fruits, and hummus, while cheering our knights as they engaged in spectacular demonstrations of medieval battle and skill, and toasting to the queen, Dona Maria.

Ultimately the Yellow Knight prevailed in this tournament of champions, however expertise and good sportsmanship (or is it knightship?) was shown by all the knights: Blue, Black, Red/Yellow, Green, and Red. Our future lords and ladies had a merry good time on our first campaign to Medieval Times!

A most wonderous time was enjoyed by all!

Staff Spotlight- Melissa Garcia

Hey there, Smith Community! My name is Melissa Garcia, I am so excited to be returning to Smith School this year as a Special Education Teacher. I have loved being back in the Ramsey Community and seeing so many familiar faces- and meeting new ones!

I teach all three grades and my favorite subject to teach is science because we do a lot of experiments. I have two master's degrees; one in special education and the other in educational leadership.

This year I am so excited for all of our community and career projects, we just sold popcorn to help a local animal shelter.

Outside of school I love going on walks with my family which is my husband, my two kids, and our two dogs. A fun fact about me is that I am a huge Star Wars fan!

2022-2023 Student Council

The results are in! After going through primaries, campaigning, answering questions submitted by their peers, and presenting speeches to their classmates, our Student Council Representatives have been chosen for the 2022-2023 school year. Job well done to all who ran- you worked hard and showed dedication to our school community. A special thanks to StuCo Advisors, Senorita MacFayden and Mr. Schrettner, for organizing this year's election!

President- Michael Ohnegian

Vice President- Abby Rostkowski

Treasurer- Joshua Varghese

Secretary- Ryan Filippone

Congratulations! We know you'll be a wonderful example of leadership for our school.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

The holiday season is the perfect time to take a moment of gratitude for the things we have, and to give back to those less fortunate.

Student Council will be holding their annual Thanksgiving Food Collection Drive. The food collection will be in the Main Lobby of Smith from Monday, November 14th until Friday, November 18th!

Students are encouraged to bring in canned goods & non-perishables for the collection. Any gift cards should be delivered to the separate collection box in the Main Office.

Our Food Collection will benefit the Ramsey Responds Food Bank for the holiday season!

Lion's Club 2022 Peace Poster Contest Winner: Taylor Wishik

The Lions Club hosted their annual International Peace Poster Contest once again this year. This year's theme was “Lead with Compassion”. Through the Saddle River Valley Lions Club, Smith school submitted students' artwork for the competition. Mrs. Mugno joined forces with the Smith School Community Service Club, and our winner to represent Smith School is 8th grade student, Taylor Wishik. Her beautiful and creative piece, pictured left, will move onto the next phase of the contest to compete against entries statewide.

Congratulations to Taylor and good luck! Thank you for representing Ramsey Schools and our commitment to excellence in the arts.

New Smith Staff Members

Please join us in welcoming Ms. Elaina Benedetto to the Smith School Guidance department!

Halloween 2022

🎃👻We present the 2022 Student Council Halloween Costume Contest!!! Smith Students competed in categories such as Scariest, Most Original, Funniest, and Best Group with their newly elected Student Council Representatives voting on the winners.

Scroll to see the Costume Contest winners and all the fun & spooky times had by students & staff alike in their Halloween best!👻🎃

COSTUME CONTEST WINNERS: Best Group

6th Grade "A League of Their Own"

7th Grade: "The Sandlot"

8th Grade: "Scooby Doo"

COSTUME CONTEST WINNERS: Best Individual

6th Grade: "Colonel Sanders"

7th Grade: "Squirrel"

8th Grade: "Adam Sandler"

COSTUME CONTEST WINNERS: Funniest

6th Grade: "Alien Kidnapping"

7th Grade: "Hotdogs & Mustard"

8th Grade: "French Toast"

COSTUME CONTEST WINNERS: Most Original

6th Grade: "Kool Aid Man"

7th Grade: "The Phantom of the Opera"

8th Grade: "The Chicken & The Egg"

It's Easy to Be Thankful When You Go To Smith School!

On October 21st, Smith School recognized National Denim Day, wearing pink & jeans in honor of Breast Cancer (Top Left)

8th grade Business Exploratory students get the opportunity to tour MetLife Stadium and get a first-hand look at the business of major league sports! (Above)

8th grade students get a chance to peek into their future with a visit to Ramsey High School to learn about all of the programs, classes, sports, clubs, and activities they can look forward to next year. AND they got a special Ramland welcome from our Mascot! (Top Right, Below, Right)

IMG_3867.MOV

October 10th-14th was our 2022 Scholastic Book Fair! Students visited all week long with their English classes and during their recess periods to shop the fair, enjoy some tunes, and enter for a chance to win a box of books! This year's fair was a major success resulting in 700 total sales and giving our school additional funds to build our library collection! HUGE thank you's to the Smith PTO for their volunteering, to Ms. Garcia's students for their assistance in setting up the book fair, and to the Smith community for making the fair such a success! (Above, Below, Right)

Mrs. Ung's 7th grade Social Studies students play a Scrabble-inspired review game to prep for their Vocabulary quiz (Top Left)

Ms. Garcia's students have a blast in Science learning about their digestive system- they modeled the process using crackers to see how each organ works. (Above)

Smith's Environmental Club brings our school into the season by decorating our entrance with Autumnal plants grown in our very own courtyard! (Left, Below)

Mr. Baeira's business students learn about the power and importance of Compound Interest (Top Left)

Physical Education students get their daily dose of wellness in with a rousing game of "Pillow Polo"! (Top Right, Middle Right)

6th grade Science students build models to demonstrate the way human sight works (Above, Right)

Reading is even more fun when you're with friends! 6th grade ELA students conduct book clubs with their classmates, finding a common novel to read & discuss (Above, Below)

7th grade Enrichment students identifying prime suspects in a forensic science unit by matching fingerprint traits and patterns. (Below)

Chef O lends her kitchen to Mrs. Garcia's students as they make & fill the orders from their Popcorn Sale! Students were successful in 60 sales, all proceeds of which will be donated to the Bergen County Animal Shelter (Above)

7th Grade participates in some Team Building Wellness Activities! 7-1 participates in a special "Who Dunn'it?!" Activity- reviewing the evidence to crack the case of the missing school principal (Left). Team 7-3 collaborates creatively on a team name & mascot for the school year ultimately choosing "The Homies" (Bottom Left). And 7-2 gets students hype with some friendly competition as they race to compete against one another in the Ultimate Rock-Paper-Scissors showdown! (Below)

Smith Musical Interest Meeting

This Spring, it's the "Start of Something New"! Get ready to "Bop to the Top" with our 2023 musical, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!

If you're looking to "Getcha Head in the Game" and be part of this year's musical cast- Be sure to attend our Smith Musical interest meeting after school on November 16th in the Chorus room for all of the audition information!

Questions? Email Ms. Leon, Mr. Ricigliano, Ms. Fischer, Ms. Kelly, or Ms. Rockefeller!

Health Information from Our

Smith School Nurse

Laura Spiegelman BSN, RN

Certified School Nurse

201-785-2314

Fax 201-785-2320

lspiegelman@ramsey.k12.nj.us

ATTENTION PARENTS

Please be aware of a trending social media challenge among teens, and the health risks that can be associated with it. The challenge involves eating a single spicy tortilla chip, then waiting as long as possible before eating or drinking anything else.

Visit link below for further details:

https://www.poison.org/articles/is-the-one-chip-challenge-dangerous#:~:text=children%20and%20pets.-,Use%20caution%20when%20participating%20in%20social%20media%20challenges%20such%20as,unexpected%20symptoms%20after%20consuming%20capsaicin.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, please consider supporting the cause!!!

https://www.jdrf.org

2022-23 Flu Season FAQ

What's New?
Flu Vaccine and COVID-19 Vaccine Coadministration
Flu Activity

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2022-2023.htm#:~:text=The%20composition%20of%20flu%20vaccines,Fluad%20Quadrivalent%20adjuvanted%20flu%20vaccine.

Reminders Parents/Guardians:

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, report it to the school nurse to receive updated procedures and protocols. Please be diligent in screening your child daily for illness symptoms. Keep your child home from school, and have them seen by a physician when not feeling well.

COVID-19 FAQ and vaccine updates

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

Next Meeting Date: November 17th at 9:15 AM

Following Meeting Date: January 5th at 9:15 AM

Click HERE for this month's book choices.

Click HERE for the interest form and schedule of meetings for the school year.

Click HERE to contact Ms. Kelly if you have any further questions.

Parent Book Club 2022

Parent Book Club is a group where interested parents and guardians of Smith students are invited to join the library media specialist once a month to read and discuss popular, young adult literature in the Smith School Media Center.

Each month, our library media specialist will be choosing three Young Adult books all sharing one common theme; you may choose to read all three or pick from this list the ones that interest you most.

The theme for our November meeting will be Family Systems. All 3 selections will deal with themes surrounding familial relationships.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, November 17th in the Smith library at 9:15 AM and will last about one hour. The books and descriptions can be found by clicking here for the Smith Library Media site.

If you are interested and have not already signed up, please complete the form, print, & have your student submit it to the library media center, OR you can complete the form and email it directly to our library media specialist, Ms. Kelly.

Smith School Supply List 2022-2023

Supply Lists for the 2022-23 school year are now posted. Please remember that all personal belongings should be labeled, such as pencil cases, binders, and backpacks.

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Chromebook Insurance

Chromebook Insurance is Due Now....Register

We will no longer be using Family ID for Chromebook Insurance. Instead, we will be using PaySchools Central to collect the Chromebook insurance fee. Most parents should be familiar

with PaySchools as it is the same platform that the district leverages for parents to fund their student lunch accounts.

Information on Payschools Central, including how-to guides, can be found by visiting https://www.ramsey.k12.nj.us/PaySchools