Dear SBS Community,

Our students and staff returned from winter break refreshed and ready to excel in the classroom. I hope you also had the opportunity to rest and recharge for the new year ahead.

See this edition of Tiger’s Tale for a sampling of the innovative lessons and unique activities students engaged in over the last several weeks. It’s all part of what makes the Shrewsbury Borough School experience so special.

We seek every opportunity to help students thrive, and recently began offering extra support to our middle school students through a Recess Study Hall and Homework Club, both funded through the federal Title I program.

This month also brought change for the Shrewsbury Board of Education. During the board’s reorganization meeting, we welcomed three new members: Kelly Fiorentini, Kristin Gaul-Spitale and Jennifer Jafolla.

David Ngo is now the board president, and Heather Gourley-Thompson will continue to serve as board vice president.

At SBS, science is an active class, with experiments and hands-on instruction to reinforce concepts. Here’s a look at what our Tigers have been learning.

Students in Mrs. Wiesel’s and Mrs. Tardiff’s classes participated in a fun design challenge to learn physics and build a roller coaster.

After sketching their initial designs, students had to develop ways ensure the safety of their riders and allow them to stop at the end of the track like riders would on a real roller coaster.

Tools like pipes, tape, paper, and marbles were used to bring students' creations to life!

In addition, students learned about genetics through projects involving Minions and the students' own taste buds. These creative approaches taught students about genotypes and phenotypes.

The Minions experiment required students to design a poster showing a mother’s and father’s genotypes and phenotypes and then draw Minions. Students then determined which traits the minionettes would have based on the squares.

Our Tigers filled the school hallways with cheer during a bustling holiday season. From singing carols to creating arts and crafts, students enjoyed a variety of activities before the winter break.

A busy Holiday Spirit Week included a tasty Holiday Cookie Event that the Shrewsbury SPTA arranged for faculty and staff. Hundreds of cookies and other treats were provided, along with boxes so staff could take the treats home to enjoy.

Students learned about the sweet traditions associated with Three Kings Day as part of SBS’s Spanish cultural curriculum and state standards.

The holiday, also known as Día de Los Reyes, Three Wise Men Day and Epiphany, is celebrated in many Hispanic cultures.

Señora Roeder treated students to Rosca de Reyes, or King's Cake, which is rich with cultural symbolism. The rosca is modeled after a crown and is decorated with dried and candied fruits to appear like the jewels of a king’s crown. The shape also is said to represent God's eternal love. Inside the rosca is a small plastic figure that represents baby Jesus, symbolizing how the infant was hidden from King Herod's army.

The baby Jesus figure also is said to bring blessings and good fortune for those who find it in their slice of cake. Students had a great time learning and "tasting" the history, symbolism, and cultural significance behind the holiday traditions.

Taking a page from the Super Bowl, SBS fourth graders will face off in READBowl, a global competition that challenges students to log the minutes they spend reading.

The school’s three fourth-grade classes will participate in the four-week competition, motivated by the chance to have Assistant Principal Ms. Salway complete their chosen challenge!

Each class has come up with a different challenge:

Mrs. Cuervo's class -- Ms. Salway brings movie snacks (candy/popcorn/chips) and lets students watch a movie.
Mrs. O'Connor's Class -- Ms. Salway posts a TikTok video of her dancing to a viral song (and the class hopes that video goes viral)!
Mrs. Larsen/Ms. Scheuer's Class -- Ms. Salway will eat a fried worm with hot sauce on it.

Logged reading time will be posted outside the classrooms each Tuesday to stoke the competition. Good luck, readers!

Two exciting Title I-funded opportunities for middle school students launched this month: Recess Study Hall & After-School Homework Club.

Both are overseen by teachers who provide a quiet atmosphere for work completion and give our Tigers a chance to strengthen their work habits ahead of high school.

If you would like your child to participate in Homework Club, please fill out a permission slip for EACH of your middle school children.

A new year means a new opportunity to spotlight January’s Tigers of the Month!

Congrats to Lia Tranchina, seventh grade, and William Murphy, sixth grade, for being honored by their peers as part of the SBS Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS) program.

In addition to their peers, students are ultimately selected by a teacher's vote after being vetted for approval. The program was initially modeled after a school district presentation at NJAMLE (NJ Association for Middle Level Education) last year. SBS modeled those ideas after hearing from and discussing with teachers and administrators from another junior high school.

Both students are applauded for exemplifying what it means to be a SBS Tiger, serving as a positive example for others.

Plan your spring reading now!

Students in Miss Cosentino’s fifth-grade class will become published authors through a YoungWriters USA book that will be released on March 2.

The students entered the YoungWritersUSA creative writing contest while working on a unit focused on writing sagas. Students flexed their narrative technique skills (e.g., catchy hooks, sensory language, dialogue/inner thought) to enhance their 100-word sagas and submit their work.

The book “Stranger Sagas - Twisted Fates” will highlight thrilling work that showcases students’ abilities to create suspense, unravel a mystery, or turn a reader's world upside down.

Members of the Sewing Club stopped by the vintage quilt exhibit hosted by the Shrewsbury Historical Society to learn about the stories stitched into more than 75 quilts.

Students got a chance to hear about the unique sewing techniques, pattern selection, and chosen fabrics and stitches in the quilts, some of which dated to the 19th century.

Former Shrewsbury Mayor Burden applauded our staff's efforts, showcasing their dedication to always providing new learning experiences for students. "A special thank you to Ms. Wiesel for energizing the group," she said. "We are indeed fortunate to have teachers like her interested in encouraging SBS students to explore beyond the classroom."

Kelly Fiorentini and family

Jennifer Jafolla and family

Kristin Gaul-Spitale and family

January is the annual School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey, a time to raise public awareness of the roles and responsibilities of local boards of education.

Shrewsbury Borough School is proud to thank our community’s school board members for their dedication and tireless efforts to continue shaping the educational vision of SBS.

David Ngo, President

Heather Gourley-Thompson, Vice President

Sarah Choi

Cate Moore

Kelly Fiorentini

Michael Galvin

Kristin Gaul-Spitale

Jennifer Jafolla

Danae McCullough

Three new board members were also officially sworn in during this month’s re-organization meeting. We warmly welcome Kelly Fiorentini, Kristin Gaul-Spitale and Jennifer Jafolla!

The Shrewsbury Board of Education wants to hear from the community as it searches for the next superintendent to lead our district.

The board will hold two public input sessions where parents/guardians, staff and community members can offer perspectives on the district’s strengths, challenges, and the leadership qualities and priorities that are most important to our community.

The Board has partnered with a professional search firm in this process.

In-Person Community Input Session

Monday, Jan. 26
6:30–7:30 p.m.
Media Center

Virtual Community Input Session

Monday, Feb. 2
6:30–7:30 p.m.
Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/kft-qfbx-vka?hs=224

Your voice matters! Attending board meetings can be a crucial component toward the foundational growth of a community's future. The responsibility of the SBS board relies on feedback to continue representing the concerns of our community, keeping a check on the educational needs of our students, and creating policies to ensure SBS runs smoothly.

Every board meeting allows time for public comment and participation, and we encourage you to make your voice heard at any upcoming meeting to learn and be an active member of the Shrewsbury community.

Join us during this month's meeting: Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.