March Newsletter

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the seventh grade fundraiser, Water for South Sudan. We reached our $1000 fundraising goal and were able to sponsor hygiene sessions for people in South Sudan with new access to water in their villages.

Water for South Sudan's hygiene education program focuses on key areas such as personal hygiene, safe water practices, food safety, and safe disposal of waste. By providing hygiene education to these communities, we are enabling people to improve their health, the health of their families, and the health of the entire community. When people are healthy, they are better able to attend school, earn an income, and develop other aspects of their lives. This results in stronger communities and truly waters the seeds of change in South Sudanese villages. 

Thank you for your support!

Math

In sixth-grade Math, we are currently working on Unit 5, which involves ratios, rates, and proportions. We are just starting to explore how ratios and fractions are similar, and both always need to be in their simplest form. We also used ratios to figure out real-world situations. In this unit, students will also learn about unit rates and how they work for shopping and living in the real world.

In Mrs. Serabian-Fitzgerald’s Math class, students recently completed Unit 3: Algebraic Concepts. Together, we practiced terminology with the language of expressions to help us write them out as well as substitute values for variables. Additionally in this unit, we learned how to use the distributive property before assessing the class's understanding with a project and test. After this unit, students learned how to solve the area of two-dimensional shapes. Students learned the formulas of a triangle and trapezoid and how they each relate to the area of a parallelogram. Students used all of these formulas to further their understanding of finding the area of composite shapes and relating that to real-world problems such as painting a room or recarpeting an area of the home.

Science

Students in Mrs. Maul's and Ms. D’Amato’s Science classes are learning about how humans impact the world around them. Students completed a lab where they replicated a leaky faucet. Students were surprised by the amount of water that can be wasted if the leak is not fixed. Students also had fun learning about and debating whether controlled burns have a more positive or negative effect on the environment.

Students in Mrs. Presinzano’s Science classes wrapped up the Genetics Unit with analysis of Punnett Squares to predict the likelihood of dominant or recessive traits being present in offspring. We then began our Evidence of Evolution Unit by identifying specific lines of evidence, such as the fossil record, anatomical comparisons, embryology, and molecular evidence. 

6th grade students: Remember that the Science Fair will be held on Wednesday, May 28th!

Reading

Reading classes wrapped up their historical fiction unit. Students learned about Hurricane Katrina using the novel Finding Someplace. They studied how to look at the setting’s impact on the character and theme of a story. Additionally, the students chose an independent historical fiction book to read and practice their skills. The unit culminated with a project of their independent choice.

Language Arts

Language Arts classes focused on becoming experts on animals of their choice. They conducted research and prepared presentations to share information about these animals with their classmates. The students did an excellent job presenting and shared fascinating details about their chosen animals.

In Mrs. Serabian-Fitzgerald’s Language Arts class, the students have started researching their chosen animal that they will visit on their field trip at the Turtle Back Zoo. To demonstrate their knowledge, they are creating presentations that will illuminate the critical issues surrounding these animals. Furthermore, the class took some time to refresh their knowledge of figurative language to accurately describe their endangered animal in their presentation.

In Ms. Sisco’s Language Arts class, students worked on finishing their realistic fiction stories. After that, students worked as a team to curate an RST, or a Research Simulation Task essay, on how the government helps to prepare its citizens for natural disasters. We have just started our research on an endangered animal species. This will connect us to our trip to the Turtle Back Zoo in June. We are looking forward to learning about endangered species and learning from our classmates. In March, we also practiced IXL skills to improve our grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary. Lastly, we worked through our seventh unit of vocabulary practice this year. We are looking forward to continuing our research and practicing skills on IXL and through vocabulary.

Enrichment

Students are continuing to work on their perseverance research project. They have chosen a person who has had to overcome obstacles in his/her life, achieved success, and made the community a better place. Students have gathered information, read the material, and taken notes in proper format. They will create a project of their choice based on the notes they have taken and present their findings to the class.

Global Studies

In Global Studies, classes have been studying African history. Students completed a newsletter project reporting on the tragic event we know as the Atlantic Slave Trade. To better understand European Imperialism in Africa, students will create a political cartoon displaying the negative effects of imperialism on the African continent. Next, classes will research a modern country in Africa, and moving forward, students will begin to study the life and times of Nelson Mandela and his fight against apartheid in South Africa.

Students in Miss Sutter’s Global Studies class are working on their Africa unit. They recently chose a country that interested them and did a brief research project on it. Using this information, they have just started the next step of research, which is about the continent as a whole. Additionally, students are learning about the climate and geography of Africa.

Spanish

Students are finishing the cycle successfully. They learned basic vocabulary in many common topics. Students are ready to embark on the next level of Spanish with a great amount of background vocabulary.

Stage & Sound

Students are starting their flipped fairy tale projects where they will be performing a fairy tale…but with a twist!

Full STEAM Ahead

In Full STEAM Ahead, students dove into Unit 4: Water Water Everywhere! We first learned about the very small percent of freshwater on this planet (3%) and the effects of not having clean, drinkable water. We learned about waterborne diseases and conservation efforts to provide all people with clean water. Additionally, we learned how to read the pH scale and what makes a solution an acid or a base. The challenge for this unit was to test one type of water filter and rank its effectiveness compared to other types of filters. We then selected the order of layers for a class filter!

Art Appreciation

In sixth grade Art Appreciation, the students worked on their clay skills by making pinch pot creatures. They could choose any type of animal they wanted to. They started out by sketching out their ideas and made all the design choices on how they turned a pinch pot into their selected animal. Next, the students worked with the ceramic clay, creating their chosen animal. Once the clay was dry, it was fired in the kiln, then returned to the students so they could start glazing. When the glazing was completed, the sculptures were fired one last time. Here are some of the finished pieces. They all did a great job and came up with some great ideas.

Health

Sixth-grade Health students are currently learning all of the human body systems: skeletal, muscular, digestive, endocrine, nervous, circulatory, and respiratory. All students will return to Physical Education on April 7th and are looking forward to enjoying outdoor activities.

Pre-Algebra Apps

Mrs. O’Brien’s and Mrs. Brennecke’s Pre-Algebra Apps classes have been busy applying percentages and proportions to real-world situations! As we wrapped up the chapter, we celebrated Pi Day (3/14) with fun activities that explored how pi connects the circumference and diameter of circles. Now, we’re diving into our Geometry unit, starting with different types of angles and their relationships. We’re excited for all the hands-on learning ahead!

Mr. Kelly’s Pre-Algebra class spent the first week of March wrapping up the unit on inequalities. The class demonstrated a solid understanding of the concept. After that, we began the unit on ratios, rates, unit rates, and proportions. The students have been doing very well with this topic. They especially enjoyed learning how to find unit rates so they could be a more savvy comparison shopper. Additionally, we introduced “Geometry Fridays” this month. On Fridays, we take a break from the regular unit and explore concepts of geometry. So far, we have examined lines, angles, and circles (which was very appropriate for Pi Day).

Life Science

Students in Ms. Runz’s Life Science classes have been learning all about genetics and DNA during the month of March. We began our unit collecting class data on traits that we have, which allowed us to analyze how many students had dominant or recessive traits. We also completed many punnett squares to determine the probability of certain traits being passed down, in which students learned that our genes and DNA are inherited. Next, students explored what a gene is and how our genes are located on our DNA, which gets packaged into chromosomes in all of our cells. Next, we look forward to wrapping up our genetics unit and beginning our discussion of evolution and natural selection.

Reading

Ms. Magner's Reading classes have been studying nonfiction this month. Students started off the unit by going on a "Blind Date With A Book." They previewed five different books and selected the one they found most interesting, which would be their anchor topic for the duration of the unit. Students read articles, annotated texts, listened to a podcast, and more. To end the unit, students are further researching their topics and creating something of their choice. Projects include 3D dioramas, thematic essays, creating a game on Scratch, replicating an artifact or scene on Tinkercad, mini documentary videos, and much more!

Mr. Kelly’s Reading class has spent the month of March examining the wonderful world of informational texts (nonfiction)! The students enjoyed eating their PIE when learning about author’s purpose (ask them to explain). We then moved on to examining the different structures informational texts can take (description, chronological/sequence, cause/effect, problem/solution, compare/contrast). The students have become quite adept at recognizing these structures in a passage. We then moved on to identifying the main idea and supporting details of a text. The students have demonstrated a good deal of success with this. They have also shown that they are able to use their prior knowledge to make appropriate inferences regarding nonfiction sources. Finally, we will explore how infographics are used to convey information about nonfiction topics.

Language Arts

Students in Mrs. Edreos’ classes have been studying the art of persuasive/argumentative writing. After learning about persuasive techniques such as ethos, pathos, and logos, the students have created a persuasive project. The project showcased their understanding of persuasive techniques through the creation of an ad or commercial. Moving forward, students are analyzing different types of argumentative writing as well as debating controversial issues that are important to them. We are looking forward to writing our own argumentative essays on engaging and informative topics.

Students in Mrs. Krysa’s Language Arts classes have been working on nonfiction writing and identifying important information from nonfiction sources. Students spent the month researching and presenting information from a variety of different nonfiction sources in different formats such as digital presentations, paragraphs, and creative infographics.  March ended with students writing a research essay and learning how to format an essay using three sources on a topic.

Beginning of the US & Civics

In History, we have just completed the tumultuous Andrew Jackson period. Now the kids are working on a business plan project to accentuate the economics unit from our US History class. In small groups, kids will start the business of their dreams and convince investors to help fund it.

Spanish

In Senora Barrios' class, students created a project using prepositions of location. Students used the verb “estar” (to be). Students took pictures of different places in school and described the location of each item or person. Moving forward, students are learning about the different uses of "ser" and "estar". Currently, students are creating an infographic about these words.

French

Madame’s class is halfway done with our first reader! The students are learning vocabulary, pronunciation and, of course, comprehension. Students can conjugate many verbs as well, including irregular ones. We are still working on the "mot du jour" (word of the day) to build their vocabulary.

STEAM

In STEAM 7, students just finished their STEAM Draft Pick presentations. After listening and learning about Ms. D’Amato’s draft picks, Filippo Brunelleschi, Isaac Newton, and Chuck Hull, students had to research and draft pick one person who contributed to at least two areas of STEAM! Online research was conducted, and presentations were created.  Notable characters drafted include: Thomas Edison, the creator of TikTok, Marie Curie, and Neil Armstrong.

Financial Fitness

In Financial Fitness, we are wrapping up Unit 3, which is what I like to call "the needs vs. wants" unit. We started off the unit discussing the difference between a need vs. a want and how sometimes there are grey areas when it comes to deciding which is which. Then they did a bunch of projects involving budgeting, with tasks such as keeping to a budget, food shopping for a family of four, renovating a room, and the price of owning a pet. As the end of the marking period fast approaches, we are also ending our Classroom Economy project by banking our last paychecks, paying our last rent, and paying taxes. At the end of that project, the goal is for students to understand that just because you may want something, you still need to pay rent, pay taxes, and balance a bank account so you know precisely what you are spending your money on.

Art Appreciation

In seventh-grade Art Appreciation, the students created clay monsters. The students started off by sketching out their idea of what a monster could look like. Is it cute? Is it scary? Can it fly? Does it have horns? What color should it be? Lots to think about and lots of fun choices to make. This project is always so much fun, and the kids always do a great job!

Exploring Food & Nutrition

Mr. Lafferty’s Exploring Food & Nutrition class is nearing the end of the marking period, with the students having accomplished so much during the last few weeks. These accomplishments include cooking french toast, chocolate chip cookies, rice, and smoothies. They’ve also been utilizing basic cooking techniques and the safety skills they learned during the marking period. These include the proper storage of foods to ensure food poisoning is avoided, proper dishwashing, and the importance of keeping the kitchen clean and organized.

Algebra

In Algebra Apps, we are finishing our unit on systems. We learned all three methods with a very strong preference for using elimination. We will be having our unit test on April 2. Our next unit is going to be on exponents and exponent rules.

In Algebra Concepts, we are finishing up Unit 4, which involves all the different ways of saying "slope". They learned that slope and unit rate are the same thing. They learned how to graph a line with a slope and that a direct variation goes through the origin. They are working towards using slopes in real-world situations. They also learned about perpendicular lines and parallel lines in regard to slope. 

Mrs. Del Vecchio’s Algebra Concepts class is finishing up Unit 4, which focuses on slope and linear equations. We learned how to find slope through graphs, tables, and formulas. We learned about representing proportional relationships in graphs and tables. We practiced converting equations from standard to slope-intercept form, and we learned how to graph lines that are parallel and perpendicular to each other. We are currently working on word problems that show slope in real-world situations. 

In Algebra Honors, we are deep into the world of factoring and learning crucial concepts that will be applied throughout the students' future math adventures. We are learning concepts like factoring special cases, factoring by grouping, and factoring by number puzzles. We will very soon start applying our skills to use factoring to solve equations and real-world problems.

Physical Science

Students began Unit 5, which is about understanding matter and how it can change. They have learned about heat transfer. Students created comics using their knowledge of heat transfer. They created a simple story and illustrated their story in a comic book format. Students are also learning about the basic components of matter, known as atoms. Students have also been taking what they learned in class and relating it to current changes in the environment. These changes we are experiencing on Earth are a result of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 

Reading

Mrs. Del Vecchio’s Reading class has been moving along in our historical fiction unit. The students have been fully interested and engaged in the novel Refugee that we are reading as a class. We have been researching events that have happened in this novel and examining how these events have impacted each of the characters in the novel.

Language Arts

Classes recently wrapped up with the Memoir Unit. Students looked at how figurative language and sensory details help the reader picture what is being described. Likewise, students explored how dialogue helps move a plot forward and reveals information about a character. Students applied these skills to their own writing by creating their own memoir.

Mrs. Del Vecchio’s class has been moving along in our Historical Fiction Unit.  Students are using literary analysis skills to examine historical writings: biographical excerpts, short stories, and poetry. The theme is the march to freedom with material regarding the life of Harriet Tubman, a story set in pre-Civil War times, and poetry from Maya Angelou.

Early World History

In Mrs. Turnbull’s classes, students worked on infographics about a Roman emperor of their choosing, and discussed the birth of Christianity and the fall of the Roman Empire. After taking our unit test, we have begun our next unit on the Islamic World. We started with a map to become familiar with the geography of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas, and we will be analyzing documents related to the rise of the Early Islamic Empire.

Spanish

In Mrs. Wohlberg’s class, students are currently learning about fashion and famous Hispanic fashion designers. They learned vocabulary and grammar to describe clothes and talk about what they wear. They learned the uses and forms of the verbs "saber" and "conocer" (to know). They are also learning how to use the past tense to talk about past situations.

French

Madame Ralston’s class is busy with many interesting tasks. First, we just finished our reader and are wrapping up a project of a digital comic strip that outlines the reader and tells the story. Next, students are constantly learning new verbs and their conjugations and implementing them into the daily lessons. Finally, students are speaking more and more, creating skits and dialogues, focusing on pronunciation and public speaking (eye contact, articulation, etc).

Creative Coding

Creative Coding students have completed the software development project, Programming a Digital Greeting Card.   The students pretended to be software developers hired to design and program custom greeting cards. The students met with their customers (fellow students) to ensure they created programs that fulfilled their customers’ requirements. The students enjoyed the creative challenge of designing programs that met their customers’ requests while using everything they’ve learned in the course about sprites, variables, random numbers, algorithms, conditional statements, and functions. The students are excited to receive the cards they’ve “ordered” and share them with friends and family. The class will now focus on learning advanced motion techniques to prepare them for designing their own unique video games.

Technology/Manufacturing

Mr. Blatt’s third marking period students have studied the engineering design process as well as practiced engineering drawing techniques, and are applying their nearly learned skills in a team project. They learned shop and tool safety procedures and now are working on their final projects: wooden display stands/houses/jails/storage units. These units are for a project they will be creating in Art class: a personalized Funko Pop. They have drawn the models and are currently measuring, cutting, gluing, cutting again, sanding, nailing, screwing, and eventually staining or painting the boxes. The projects are based on student designs and are extremely varied. They are working in teams and will complete the builds next week.

Video Technology

The eighth-grade video producers are currently editing videos on free time activities, spotlights on students, and how students feel about Fridays and Mondays. Prior to editing, we learned to compose scripts and film video with tripods and microphones. The students have done a phenomenal job. Take a peek at their videos on YouTube: WMS TV.

Art Appreciation

In eighth-grade Art Appreciation, the students created artist frog sculptures. The assignment was to select an artist, do a bit of research on their selected artist, and decide how they can create a clay frog that would reflect the artist they chose. The frog can look like the artist if the artist was known for their iconic appearance, or they can select a work of art by their artist and reflect that art in their frog's appearance. We had some great frogs this marking period.

Health

All of Ms. Royston’s eighth-grade students have finished up their unit on healthy relationships and are currently in the last unit: Family Life and Human Reproduction. Students are learning about the stages of pregnancy and human development. Physical Education begins on April 7th.

Mrs. Gutierrez’s class took a field trip to Lifetown this month. Students spent the morning in a mock town, fit with stores, banks, doctors' offices, and more. Upon arrival, students visited the bank to make a withdrawal. They filled out withdrawal slips, received their money, and spent their morning exploring. Students used learned math skills to make purchases with correct money amounts as well as budget their money. We were able to visit a pet shop, plant seeds in the flower shop, browse and make purchases at the bookstore, and so much more.

ESP 6-8 has just completed the 2025 Fluor Engineering Challenge. The students had a lot of fun designing and building rocket-catching devices. They especially enjoyed performing final testing to see which catchers were able to capture the rockets from the greatest heights successfully. The team in each class with the highest successful drop was allowed to select a treat for all the students to enjoy to celebrate the completion of the project. ESP 6-8 will finish out the month of March, creating designs to submit to Bergen County’s 2025 Stigma-Free Sticker Contest. 

Preparations and practice of music for the Spring Concert are well on their way! All of the Chorus classes have begun learning their music and are working on singing in multiple parts. The choruses are working on a variety of pieces ranging from poetic pieces to swing songs, with a little pop on the side! The Spring Concert will take place on May 21 at 7:00 pm. Details will be sent out as we get closer to the day.

Band students are in lessons practicing music for the upcoming WMS Spring Concert on Wednesday, May 21st! Concert Band (sixth-grade band) is working on Heroic, while Symphonic Winds (seventh and eighth grade band) is working on Largo and March to the Coliseum.

Cooking Up a Storm

The students of Chef’s Cooking Up a Storm Cooking Club have been learning about important kitchen skills, including safety and sanitation. Tasks such as washing their hands correctly, cleaning dishes properly, and putting items back in the correct place have been focused on, while at the same time, the students have been cooking dishes such as rice, oatmeal, pasta, and caramelized bananas with whipped cream.