The Cougar Chronicle

Dear Cranford Community,

Our month began with a wonderful celebration of books and reading among our youngest learners. During Read Across America Week, our elementary schools encouraged students to think creatively and explore storytelling. Special guests visited classrooms to read stories, bringing our community together and inspiring students to become avid, lifelong readers.

I often say how fortunate I am to work in Cranford. The Cranford school community is passionate and consistently supports both its students and staff. I’m very pleased to announce that the teachers’ contract was approved at the most recent Board of Education meeting. Our teachers are the heart and soul of our district, and we are truly grateful for them.

As always, thank you for your continued support in making our school community such a special place.

Sincerely,

Dr. Scott Rubin

Superintendent of Schools

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Don't miss this unforgettable night of film, creativity, and community – all for a great cause! Tickets are on sale now at cranfordfilmfestival.org.

Cranford Family Academy, led by District Coordinator of Culture and Climate Alyssa Willner, hosted a district-wide Social Emotional Learning (SEL) night on March 13 at Hillside Avenue School. Two seniors, Ella Grady and Sofia Sciarrone, members of the Full Value Council at CHS, kicked off the night with an explanation of the six Full Value Principles and then engaged the audience in a lively game of Kahoot to identify the different principles.

Each school, led by the SEL facilitator, demonstrated the meaning of each of the six principles: Be Here, Be Honest, Be Safe, Set Goals, Care for Self and Others, and Let Go and Move on, through a read aloud, games, a musical performance and a choreographed song. Families and their students were then able to visit stations set up in the cafeteria to practice using the Full Value principles through various hands-on activities.

Computer science teachers Mr. Feminello and Mr. Bell, in addition to Math & Computer Science Supervisor Mr. Levy, took students on a private tour of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Project managers, programmers, and leadership at the NYSE engaged students as they shared the daily functions of the organization as it relates to computer science and other STEM fields. The group toured the main floor witnessing the exciting world of traders.

Walnut Avenue School was buzzing with excitement during the first week of March as students and staff came together to celebrate Spirit Week and Read Across America! The week was filled with fun-themed days that brought the school community closer and encouraged a love for reading.

Students and staff kicked off the week by showing their school pride in their Cranford gear. The excitement continued with Pajama Day, where everyone got cozy and comfortable while participating in classroom activities. On Sports and Club Gear Day, students proudly represented their favorite teams and clubs, highlighting their diverse interests. Wacky Wednesday was a colorful sight as students and staff got creative with mismatched outfits and wild hairstyles. Our PTA also sponsored a school-wide assembly, Rock Out For Reading, taking students on a musical tour through fiction and nonfiction. Cranford High School students visited the classrooms as guest readers throughout the week and Mrs. Cohen, a Board of Education member, shared her love of reading with our preschool students.

The celebration wrapped up with the highly anticipated Storybook Character Day, where students dressed as their favorite storybook characters. The highlight of the day was a surprise visit from none other than The Cat in the Hat and Peppa Pig! The beloved characters spread joy and excitement as they visited classrooms and posed for pictures with students.

On March 13, Hillside Avenue School and Orange Avenue School 8th graders participated in the Teen Arts Festival at Union County Community College, an event that celebrates creativity in literary, performing, and visual arts. Students had the opportunity to receive professional critiques and take part in workshops. They represented our school with poise and maturity, earning high praise from industry professionals.

Bloomingdale Avenue School's Read Across America Reading Challenge soared to new heights thanks to a fantastic partnership with Girl Scout Troop 40967! Students embarked on a reading adventure, tasked with reading 10 minutes a night to unlock exciting prizes. The rewards escalated for students meeting each goal: 1,500 minutes earned a unique, hand-crafted bookmark from the Girl Scouts, 5,000 minutes gained students a cozy pajama day, 7,500 minutes put Mr. Litz on wheels, and a whopping 10,000 minutes led to the ultimate reward – students and staff getting to tape Mr. Litz to the wall! We are proud to say, the students of Bloomingdale met and exceeded their goal, reading a total of 15,001 minutes. This collaborative challenge not only fostered a love of reading but also created unforgettable memories for the entire school community.

Livingston Avenue School celebrated Girl Scout Week with the Brownies and Juniors of LAS! Girl Scout Week is an annual event celebrated worldwide around March 12 that recognizes the founding of the Girl Scout movement and celebrates sisterhood and community action. LAS has been participating in Girl Scout Week for years.

The Pledge of Allegiance along with a new Girl Scout Fun Fact was announced over the loudspeaker daily. Girl Scouts chalked the walkways, wore their uniforms for a big group photo with former Girl Scout and Principal Lopez, and finished the week by wearing Girl Scout Green on Friday! The best part of the week was their after-school cleanup, where the third, fourth and fifth grade Girl Scouts gave back to their LAS community by beautifying the school grounds, followed by a playdate with bubbles and snacks.

Brookside Place School Art Night is a fun tradition that brings together families from kindergarten through fifth-grade for creative collaboration. For this year's installation, participants created a mural with the theme eXploring Our Connections. Inspired by the street art of ThankYouX, the mural includes individual pieces that fit together to create a large-scale statement of the ways we are different, and the ways we are connected.

In 2009 on the streets of Los Angeles, a street artist named Ryan Wilson created a spray painted portrait of Andy Warhol and signed it "Thank you X" as a gesture of gratitude to Warhol. "ThankYouX" became the artist's identity and now he is internationally recognized with pieces in galleries and murals all over the world. The BPS creation is a tribute to his pop art style and follows the same repeating cube format. On each cube BPS students drew a self portrait. On the other panel they depicted something they love or enjoy (ex. a favorite sport, book, destination, etc). It was a fun night that resulted in a unique creation. A special thanks goes to the BPS PTA for their support and to co-chairs Mrs. Dyer and Mrs. DiGoia-Weinfeld for their coordination.

Cranford High School senior Noel McNeil performed as a member of the New Jersey Music Educators Association All-State Treble Chorus at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Feb. 23.

The performance was the culmination of months of preparation and rehearsals, which included an appearance at the New Jersey Music Educators’ annual conference in Atlantic City on Feb. 22. The All-State Treble Chorus, composed of over 200 of New Jersey’s top high school singers, selects participants through a highly competitive audition process.

Noel is an active member of Cranford High School’s Concert Choir, Madrigal Choir, and West End Blend A Cappella Ensemble and appeared as “Velma” in the CHS Musical Chicago: Teen Edition. Noel was sponsored by Mr. Anthony Rafaniello, Director of Choral Activities and Music Teacher at Cranford High School.