June 2023 Newsletter

Pre-K and Kindergarten students from Roosevelt School traveled to Turtle Back Zoo for a fun day exploring animal habitats, learning about animals, and experiencing amazing adventures throughout the day!

Students from Lincoln Middle School and Kearny High School visited the Rutgers University Rain Garden in New Brunswick on June 13, 2023. Under the direction of Mrs. Patricia Hester-Fearon and Mrs. Krystina McGee, students are learning how to develop and maintain Rain Gardens at their schools. This initiative will demonstrate how to reclaim rainwater and mitigate the challenges which have developed due to Climate Change.

Lincoln Middle School students participating in the Future Engineers/Student Engagement Liaison Club visited the New York Aquarium at Coney Island to further enhance their "Ocean Deep" studies. Students maximized their aquarium adventure to gather research for Project Steam Day. Beginning with a shoreline activity, students gathered water samples before diving into selected topics including nutrient runoff, plastics, frequency of storms and rising waters, ocean acidification, and the effects of oil spills and overfishing. Special thanks to Kim Serino and Patty Hester-Fearon for their assistance in this event!

In mid-April, Franklin School students participated in the annual PBSIS Carnival. The carnival was held over two days to accomodate our grade levels. Parent volunteers and Junior Peers were on hand to assist as chaperones while students enjoyed a multitude of activities including rides, water guns, table games, and even a duck pond! Students especially enjoyed the spin art table, where each child created their own painting to take home. Special thanks to Mrs. Padinha and her committee for their fundraising efforts!

Our sixth graders showed off their athletic abilities at the annual district wide Track and Field day, where they competed for prizes and celebrated their transition to middle school. Thank you to Mrs. Denise Pais Sotelo and the 6th grade staff for organizing this event for our students!

Under the direction of Stephanie Gerbasio, Colleen Nolan, and Jayme Tchalabi, Garfield School created a garden through a grant sponsored by the Montclair State University WIPRO project. Our sixth graders planted the garden for all to view and care for throughout the year.

Washington Students celebrated Earth Day with a nature walk lesson! It was a great day to get outside and learn about our local environment.

We are thrilled to share the resounding success of Lincoln Middle School's annual Spring Talent Showcase, which took place on May 31st. Led by the exceptional Mrs. Avila and Mrs. Galella and sponsored by the Drama Club, the students poured their hearts and souls into auditions and rigorous rehearsals, delivering unforgettable, captivating performances.

The showcase featured a diverse array of talents that left the audience spellbound. With remarkable instrumental performances on flute, bass guitar, piano, and saxophone, the students showcased their exceptional skills and dedication to their craft. Dance routines, including an electrifying K-Pop group performance, added excitement to the event. We eagerly look forward to future performances that will continue to inspire and captivate our audience.

On April 28th, Kearny educator-parents brought their children to their second homes for a fun-filled day and glimpse into their work lives. The children of our faculty enjoyed numerous activities, tours of their parent's school buildings, and got to spend some time in the classrooms to share the day with their district "kids." The halls beamed with pride, and the enthusiasm was felt around the district as educator-parents, students, and faculty-children shared a truly special day together. Special thanks to all of our staff and administrators for organizing this event - it takes a village.

The Kearny Adult School program had a successful return to the community this Spring. Classes ran from March 7th to May 25th. The types of courses offered this semester ranged from ESL/ELL classes to Tai Chi, Zumba, Yoga, and Sign Language. Conversational Portuguese/Spanish, Guitar, Drawing/Painting and GED prep classes were running as well. Over 250 participants were enrolled in classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 9pm at KHS. The instructors did an amazing job with their classes to provide everyone with well paced, productive coursework and activities. The turnout for the program’s comeback semester was impressive and we anticipate new class offerings to be available next year. There will be two 10 week sessions running for the 2023-2024 school year beginning September 19th. Check out the flyer below for more information.

K-12 students are invited to participate in this year's Summer Learning challenges sponsored by i-Ready and Learning Ally. Click on the link below to visit the Curriculum and Instruction page, which provides information, directions, resources, tutorials and more.

6th grade students celebrated their elementary school achievements and upcoming tranisiton to middle school with a 6th grade dance! With themes including Disney characters and luaus, we give special thanks to the PTA for their support in putting together these events.

8th grade students marked their end-of-middle-school milestone and transition to high school with an 8th grade dance sponsored by the PTA. Special thanks to the administration, staff, teachers and parents for all of their support.

KHS Juniors marked their own special milestones at their much-anticipated Junior Prom held at Hanover Manor. Congratulations to Junior Prom King and Queen!

On June 2, 2023 our community was treated to a series of vocal and musical performances courtesy of our exceptionally talented district students, including the K-Birds, middle school band, and elementary band students. The yearly performance took place in the high school stadium in early June.

Our district band and choral vocalist rocked their auditoriums at the annual Spring Concerts. From medleys to melodies, our kids demonstrated their hard work and dedication to the performing arts for their schools, friends, families.

Under the direction of Ms. Milagros Gonzalez, our students won Judge's Awards in the following categories:

• Small Group Musical Theatre: Make a Move from Shrek the Musical
• DJ Tech Mixing: Kaitlyn Persuad and David Lopes

Under the direction of Mr. Danny Conde:

• Small Group Instrumental Guitar: Daniel Martins & Blake Torres
• Small Group Instrumental Woodwind: Top Honors to Brandon Maddtu-Wong, who will be competing in the state competition.

Valedictorian Arwa Ouali and Salutatorian Taha Touil were recognized at the Hudson County Academic Excellence dinner on May 24th. Ouali is enrolled at New Jersey Institute for Technology for the upcoming fall semester, and Touil is slated to attend Rutgers University. Congratulations and best of luck to both of you as you continue your academic careers.

On June 1st, Kearny High School hosted the World Languages Honors Society Induction Ceremony. The ceremony itself was held in the auditorium followed by refreshments served by the Culinary Department to the students, their families, and teachers in the Media Center. Four students were inducted into the French Honor Society, 11 into the Italian Honor Society, 12 into the Japanese Honor Society, 21 into the Latin Honor Society, and 19 into the Spanish Honor Society, for a total of 67 inductees.

The Kearny School District congratulates KHS Senior Claudia Zmuda on being selected as Kearny High School's NJSIAA Scholar-Athlete. This is a great honor and Claudia is among the best and brightest that Kearny High has produced. Zmuda was presented with a scholarship and award at a luncheon on May 21st at Pines Manor in Edison.

In April of this year, KHS Junior Enieylah Herrera, along with her father Edgar Herrera, designed, welded, and donated a set of custom made bike racks in signature Kardinal red and black to our high school. This extraordinary gift, an extension of Enieylah's own extraordinary gift, provides both artistic and practical elements for our students and staff. Of her unique talents, Herrera tells us, "My Dad raised me to be very independent and took the time to teach me skills that are not traditionally taught to young girls - like working on cars, operating heavy machinery, and welding. When I was 13, he thought I was ready to learn a new skill and really take a hands-on approach to welding. In addition to work related welding, we also wanted to have fun with creative projects, like the bike racks. I wanted to graduate and leave something behind that could benefit the school and community." The Kearny High School Community truly appreciates this donation, which will serve our school for many years.

We love pizza, and we love our readers even more! Learning Ally representatves recognized our youngest readers' achievements with an Excite Reading Program pizza party. Franklin School students were awarded certificates and enjoyed pizza with a side of literary conversation at a party featuring friends and their favorite teachers.

His name is SNARGG, and he came to award i-Ready students who demonstrated the most mathematics growth with awards, prizes, and treats. Our district students truly enjoyed their brush with greatness as SNARGG kept the crowd enthusiastic, rewarded the kids' hard work, and announced the i-Ready summer contest to keep the learning and fun going all summer long!

Schuyler School students dominated the Hudson County Historical Coloring Contest, securing first place titles in two separate categories! Congratulations to Gabriella Muniz-Ramierez for winning first place for the Brennan Courthouse, to Genesis Encarnacion for winning first place for the Old Schuyler Mansion, and to Matthew Gaters for winning first runner up for the Weehawkin Water Tower.

Schuyler School proudly congratulates Joao Barbosa and Jocelyn Inga, 1st and 2nd place winners of the Internet Safety Digital Poster Contest! The students selected one aspect of internet safety and used Google Drawings and images to create a poster with a title and four tips for their audience.

Kearny School District students pose with Kearny Fire Department local heroes and their Fire Safety award-winning posters.

Please join us in congratulating our winners: Kearny High School students Leona Pontes and Michael Wyka, Roosevelt School students Marwa Alami, Kayce Huaylla Hernandez, Gianna Covello, and Kaelyn Carlen (not pictured), and Schuyler School students Lucas Gomes and Olivia McNally. Special thanks to the Kearny Fire Department for the shiny new bikes for our winners! Special thanks to the Kearny Fire Department!

Great job to Kearny's grade 6 savvy spellers who competed in the The Optimist Club Spelling Bee. Congratulations to Winner Julian Kulesza, Second Place Isaac Ocasio, and Third Place Antonella Sanchez!

The Kearny School District would like to congratulate our retirees as they celebrate an outstanding carreer! Enjoy every moment of this next phase and we thank you for all of your years of service.

Kearny School District Preschoolers celebrated their moving up ceremony as their teary-eyed families beamed with pride. Congratulations to our littlest learners and best of luck in Kindergarten. Good job everyone!

Lincoln Middle School 8th grade graduates celebrated their moving up ceremony and academic awards on June 22, 2023. Special recognition to Sumaiya Ouali for receiving the Presidential Award, Highest Average Award (99.8), and the Social Studies Award. Congratulations to all and best of luck in high school!

With heartfelt congratulations, we wish the Class of 2023 the best of luck as they leave the Kardinal's nest and fly off toward their goals. Aim high and soar, Kards, this is your time to shine.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” —Mark Twain