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March Newsletter

Secaucus Middle School, Issue 4, Volume 1

MarchNewsletterSecaucus Middle School, Issue 4, Volume 1

Important Dates

  • Marking Period 3 Ends on 4/11
  • Spring Recess: April 18th-April 22nd (School Closed on 4/15 for Good Friday)
  • 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony: Wednesday, 6/22
  • 8th Grade Picture Retakes on 4/29
  • Cap and Gown measurements 3/23 ($19.00 due at time of measurement)
  • PTO Tricky Tray: May 6th!

Moving on Up!

Our 8th graders, soon-to-be Freshmen, will begin choosing their high school schedules next week. Please be sure that your student checks their school emails for their appointment time.

Something Sweet

SMS NJHS students wrote Valentine's notes for the elderly at the Secaucus Senior Center as a small gesture to warm their spirits and make them smile!

Franco Strong Kancer Jam

After being diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in January 2021, 7th grader Franco Monnecka received tons of well wishes and prayers from the hockey community. One local NJ foundation, Jam Kancer in the Kan, really impacted Franco by connecting him with NHL players, like Anders Lee from the NY Islanders.

Franco wanted to give back to everyone who supported him in his 6-month cancer battle. Being a member of the Secaucus Patriots Youth Hockey Program, he decided he wanted to host a hockey tournament.

11 Bantam level teams participated and raised over $22,000 for Jam Kancer in the Kan!! This foundation provides help to families who have children fighting cancer. His story was recently aired by Fox 5, Tina Cevesio. Also, MSG Network joined Franco and his team at the ceremonial puck drop on March 5th. They are planning on airing a story about his health journey from start to finish this spring.


If you would like to support the 50/50 raffle for this cause, the prize is up to $1,500 to the winner. All proceeds go to Jam Kancer in the Kan. The drawing is Saturday, 3/19. Please Venmo payment @Jennifer-Monnecka. Please include a phone number.


SMS is so proud of Franco for his strength and for organizing this charitable event for such a worthy cause.

High Achievers!

Students in ALPHA participated in the American Scholastic Achievement League Challenge and had 60 minutes to complete 100 questions in topics ranging from general knowledge to history and current affairs, geography, science, logic & reasoning/ math. Students who earn a score of more than 60 will be recognized with a certificate at the ALPHA recognition ceremony in the Spring.

Support the 6th Grade's Fundraiser

Our 6th graders are selling popcorn, candy, cookies, and other goodies to raise money for a field trip. Please feel free to reach out to someone you know in the grade if you are interested in purchasing any of these items. You can also email Mrs. Culligan, the 6th grade class advisor, to place an order through her. Her email address is: eandolina@sboe.org.

Candela's Corner

Dear SMS Families,


With the easing of many Covid restrictions in the district, we are so happy to finally be able to resume hosting events for our students that had to be rescheduled based on the previous state guidelines.


In conjunction with the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, we will be holding an assembly on March 28th (rescheduled from the fall) that I believe will be incredibly informative for our students. Detective Rocco Guerriero will be visiting our school to talk to our students about the potential dangers of social media.


The developmental nature of young adolescents suggests that students at this age can be confident, energetic, and mature one minute while emotionally fragile, volatile, withdrawn, and child-like the next. Studies have also shown that most bullying occurs in grades six through eight. While bullying has existed forever, the manner in which bullying takes place has changed dramatically over the years. Cyberbullying has sadly become a part of everyday life for children growing up today. During these unpredictable teenage years, students often act out impulsively without fully thinking through the ramifications of their actions. This manifests more and more during this time in their lives as threatening language, physical fighting, and/or dangerous social media activity.


Below is information from the National Association of School Psychologists detailing the ways that social media use in teenagers can contribute to psychological trauma and other challenges. Potential risks include the following:

  • Cyberbullying or other online conflicts (e.g., a student or staff member may experience widespread and direct public ridicule; schools with social media accounts may experience negative postings about the school).

  • Quick and widespread communication of crisis-related rumors or other false information (e.g., inaccurate information about what happened or who was involved in a crisis situation).

  • Quick and widespread communication of embarrassing or inappropriate information (e.g., personal photos or shameful information posted).

  • Potential for triggering crises, increasing perceptions of threat and fear, or creating crisis contagion (e.g., 1–5% of suicides are believed to be due to a contagion effect where learning about crisis details leads to another crisis).

  • Affects privacy (e.g., individuals may not be aware of the risks associated with sharing too much).

  • Potential for overuse or as a consistent substitute for face-to-face socializing (e.g., may lead to social media depression).


It is my hope that Detective Guerriero’s presentation will provide valuable information that will make our students safer online and more aware of their decisions and their possible repercussions.


Thank you,


Christine Candela

Principal