I hope that you had a wonderful Spring Break, and that you found time to relax and rejuvenate as we head into a very busy time of year. I wanted to share information regarding upcoming events.

Mental Health Awareness: Ramsey School District and West Bergen Mental Health are excited to announce the 5th annual Walk and Talk a Thon taking place in person on Saturday, May 7 at Ramsey High School Track and Field. The event features an “open house” format; we encourage and invite all community members and constituents to come! See the attached flyer for all the details, including how to show your support with a Stigma Free t-shirt.

Charity Challenge: Smith School charity challenge field day will be on the afternoon of Friday, May 27th. Students have done a great job raising money for our three charities through the grade-level bake sale wars. There will be a charity challenge Student vs. Faculty kickball game at this event as well. We will also have a dunk tank, where a certain administrator and possibly some staff and students will be dunked in the name of charity. All proceeds from this event will support Relay for Life, The Experience Camp, and St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital. Smith School charity challenge field day will be on the afternoon of Friday, May 27th.

Eighth Grade Events: Please be aware that the PTO sent home the invitation for the Eighth Grade June Events. I greatly appreciate the time and effort that our parents put forth to create such wonderful memories for our students. Please complete the necessary paperwork if you have not done so already.

Safety: As the weather gets warmer and more students choose to walk or ride bicycles to school, we ask that you kindly adhere to the safety protocols during pick-up and drop-off times. Please remember to control speed down Morse, Elbert, and Monroe Streets as many students are walking on the roads.

Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to seeing you at all our spring events.

7th grade takes a trip to the Fairview YMCA for team building, archery, and survival skills! Organized by Ms. Morenco & Ms. Rockefeller, 7th grade students enjoyed a beautiful day in nature learning new skills such as archery and how to create sturdy shelters in the middle of the woods.

Students also practiced their collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills in a series of team building exercises that allowed them to further their connection with their fellow classmates. All in all, it was the perfect way to kick off Spring Vacation!

Hello! My name is Kacy Tesseyman and I currently teach 6th grade Language Arts. I joined Smith in November as a maternity coverage for 8th grade Language Arts, and I am thrilled to be completing the school year. I started my career in Garfield, NJ, and I spent the last six years teaching in NYC.

Outside of school, my time is spent with my family and our two dogs. We love being outdoors hiking, discovering new parks, and relaxing on the beach!

It has been a pleasure working with such a wonderful group of students and their families. I am looking forward to celebrating their accomplishments and hard work as we approach the end of the school year.

The Smith School Visual Arts Program will be presenting select students' artwork the evenings of May 5th and May 12th. This will coincide with the scheduled Smith Band Concert (May 5th) and Chorus Concert (May 12th). The performance's start time is 7:00 PM, therefore, you are welcome to come in prior and enjoy the students' creations!

The 6th, 7th & 8th graders artwork will be displayed in the foyer as well as the gymnasium hallway where the concerts will take place.

The students have worked hard on their pieces and are excited to share their work with our Smith community!

Bon Appetit! Check out our Culinary Arts teacher, Ms. Stephanie Ormaeche (best known as Chef O), and her Healthy recipe for the month of May! Join in with our district commitment to Wellness with this month's dish, GREEK CHICKEN MEATBALLS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE!

Click HERE for the Recipe and Special Tips from Chef O herself!

The RPEF "Sprint for Our Schools" 5K race will be held on Saturday, May 14th at 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM!

The school with the most race participants will win $1,000, registration is open now.

Register now at www.RPEFRUN.com!

Donate your gently-used shoes to the Ramsey Public Education Foundation (RPEF) collection to benefit community members in need!

The collection box is in the main lobby of Smith School and will be available for donations from now until May 13th!

On Wednesday, May 11th, Smith School will hold its first-ever Mock Trial Event, led by Mr. Schrettner and Ms. Kelly! After 6 months of regular meetings- students have learned about the legal system, practicing their argumentative and communications skills, and taking on the parts of attorneys and witnesses to display a trial for their audience. Students will compete in their designed trial this month before our guest judge, Laura Behrman (President of the Ramsey Board of Education) & an invited jury of Smith teachers.

Join us on May 11th for Eric S. Smith Middle Schools' Mock Trial competition at 3:30 PM in the Smith School Cafeteria!