STILLWATER TOWNSHIP NEWSLETTER

Board of Education Meeting 4/27/26 7:00 PM in Library

Teacher Appreciation Week 5/4 to 5/8/26

Mother's Day 5/10/26

NJSLA Testing 5/11 to 5/15/26

Board of Education Meeting 5/11/26 7:00 PM in Library

There are 5 copies of the 2025-2026 yearbook left. These are FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. If you missed ordering and would like a copy, PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE A COPY AND PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SEND IN THE PAYMENT WITH YOUR CHILD ON MONDAY IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE ONE. I will take the emails in the order they were received starting after 3:00 PM today. I will make sure I respond to all emails on Monday. ONCE THESE 5 COPIES ARE SOLD, NO MORE YEARBOOKS WILL BE AVAILABLE.

Thank You,

Mrs. Williams

We recently wrapped up our Building Study, and the children had such a fun and meaningful experience exploring how buildings are made and used! Through hands-on play, they created their own structures while learning important preschool skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity. As they built, they strengthened fine motor skills, practiced sharing ideas with friends, and were introduced to early math and science concepts like shapes. We are so proud of all the hard work and imagination they showed throughout this study!

Mrs. Mobilio

Our 5th graders transported back in time, Colonial times, to be exact. Students in Mrs. Steffens’ history classes spent weeks studying the colonies, trades, and lifestyles of colonial America in the early 1700’s. Parents were invited to aye Olde Colonial Fair held in our cafeteria. Each group represented a colony and trade. Students created and antiqued journals that described what their reason was for coming to America, and how that voyage went. The kids had a wonderful time dressing up being in character, and showing off all that they created, including props, bonnets, and trifolds that represented their shop/home. This is a wonderful, hands on experience and tradition that we were happy to bring back to Stillwater School!

Mrs. Steffens

Fourth graders are learning all about opinion writing in ELA. They will learn strategies to convince their reader of their perspective using research/evidence to support claims. In math, students have wrapped up our unit of study on converting customary and metric units of measurement. This week we enjoyed a wonderful Earth Day Celebration! Students learned about natural resources, made homemade bird feeders, planted seeds, learned all about amazing weather and toured an awesome Weather Bus! Students also participated in Take Your Child to Work Day or had the opportunity to meet some staff

Mrs. Phlegar

Hi everyone! I wanted to take a second to share some fun and meaningful ways to build problem solving skills that don't feel like homework!

Did you know that cooking, crafting, sports/games and everyday activities build both math AND language arts skills at the same time? These real-world tasks are perfect for helping your student tackle multi-step problems and think independently—without it feeling like homework.

Why does this matter?: Multi-step problem-solving teaches students to break down complex tasks, follow sequences, and check their work. Plus, when kids explain what they're doing and why, they're practicing communication and critical thinking skills. These skills will build confidence within students and they will be able to feel as though they can try anything!

Activities to Try

1. Cooking & baking: Pick out and read a recipe aloud together, discuss the order of steps, measure ingredients (math + reading comprehension), or even have your child direct you as to what should happen next.
2. DIY crafts & building: Follow instructions, ask your child to predict outcomes before gluing or assembling, have your child come up with the next step that they think should happen, and have them describe their process out loud.
3. Planning & organizing events: Shop together using a list, plan a family outing/ schedule, pick out outfits, or even organize a space—all while discussing decisions and sequencing.
4. Games & sports: Play board games that require strategy (discussing moves and outcomes), keep score, or plan practice routines—these build math reasoning and decision-making while kids explain their strategies

Tips for Encouraging Independence

Let them try before helping — It's where learning happens! Wait 10-15 seconds before helping.

Celebrate effort, not just correctness — "I like that you thought about it that way!"

Ask them to teach you — "Can you show me how you did that?" This builds confidence.

Make mistakes together — Show your child that you problem-solve too. Talk through your thinking out loud.

Give choices — "Do you want to start with step 1 or step 2?"

A challenge for you: Pick an activity or have your student pick and focus more on the process as opposed to the outcome. Have your child explain their thinking as they work through it- you may have to prompt them with questions but try to let them do the planning!

The Do It For Dean 5K Color Run was an incredible day filled with smiling faces, high energy, and a whole lot of color. Runners were cheered on and splashed with color at every half mile, creating a fun and meaningful experience that highlighted the power of connection and community.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated committee members, generous sponsors and donors, hardworking volunteers, and everyone who came out to support. Your time, energy, and generosity made this event truly special.

While our final numbers are still coming in, we are thrilled to share that we have raised over ($30,320.00) for this incredible cause. Our community showed up with heart, energy, and purpose, and that is something truly powerful.

We are so grateful for the strength and support of this community and the love shown for Dean.

Thanks to the vision of our third grade teachers (Mrs. Caccavale, Mrs. Robinson, and Mrs. Then), we were able to celebrate and study the Earth as a school community today!

Our students enjoyed a day packed with the great outdoors that included planting, using digital microscopes, making bird feeders, going on scavenger hunts, and enjoying arts and crafts.

Highlights from the day also included an assembly with the Planet Earth Challenge and the “Weather Bus” which is a mobile science lab! Both were funded by the New Jersey Department of Education’s Climate Change Education and Resilience through Interdisciplinary Learning grant.

It was such a perfect way to celebrate one of my favorite days of the year! Thank you to all who participated and helped make it so special.

Mrs. Ciccolella

May is Gold Star Awareness Month—a time to honor the sacrifices of our fallen service members, and recognize the strength and resilience of the families they leave behind.

Through three incredible organizations - America's Gold Star Families, Hope for the Warriors and Believe With Me - please join me in showing these families how deeply they are loved, supported, and honored by donating comfort-focused items such as:

Gift cards

Handwritten notes

Small keepsakes

Artwork & handcrafted items

Anything that expresses remembrance, gratitude, and love

Give as much or as little as you can. Every single donation will be thoughtfully divided among the three organizations.

I’ve also created THIS AMAZON WISH LIST to make giving simple, and the items will be sent directly to me.

DEADLINE IS MAY 8TH (to ensure everything arrives in time for Memorial Day).

Thank you for helping honor, remember, and support these incredible families. Your kindness truly makes a difference.