SPOTLIGHT

• August 13th - Freshman Orientation New Milford HS, 9:45am
• August 19th - Board of Education Meeting, 6:30pm (SNIS LMC)
• August 22nd - Open House K-5
• August 25th - First Day of School! (early dismissal students/Staff PD)
• August 26th - Early Dismissal Students/Staff PD
• September 1st - Labor Day ~ Schools Closed

We're excited to announce that our new website is up and running! 🎉

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We've been working hard to bring you a better experience. We are still making some fixes over the next few weeks. We appreciate your patience and support as we continue to improve. Thanks for visiting!

This year, K-5 STEM brought to life our year-long journey in science, tech, engineering, and math. In addition, all students (grades 1-5) became coders, developing programming skills, debugging logic, and collaborating on challenges that build computational thinking. Visit @NMPS_Mrs_STEM's Instagram, which highlights moments of wonder throughout the year. Each post celebrates the idea that every student can think like an engineer, question like a scientist, and create like an innovator.

K–2: We nurtured budding curiosity through hands-on units. Our youngest scientists asked, “Why and How…?”, learning that STEM starts with imagination and grows through discovery.

📦🌳 Kindergarten

Students became engineers and environmental stewards by learning the importance of trees in our community and their value to humans and animals.

🌞🌎🐛Grade 1

Young scientists observed pill bugs, designed their own “pillbots,” and explored Earth’s place in the universe with models and simulations.

🍎📷 Grade 2
Focused on food sustainability, second graders studied cafeteria waste and proposed real-world solutions. They also became photographers, learning about light, framing, and storytelling through the lens.

Grades 3–5: Student reflections showed notable growth in both the quantity and quality of questions they asked during STEM. According to end-of-year surveys, more students are now asking deeper, more thoughtful questions—moving beyond surface-level curiosity to explore how and why things work. These habits of inquiry, developed through activities such as design challenges and observation-based investigations, demonstrate how STEM supports critical thinking across subjects.

🦟🎮Grade 3
Engineers in training created recycled arcade games and used biomimicry to understand the traits of jumping spiders like our STEM pet, “The Incredible Hulk.”

🦍🧸 Grade 4
Explored circular economy concepts by inventing toys made from reused materials. They ended the year as zoologists and biomedical engineers, designing prosthetics and habitats for survival, tied to their Bronx Zoo field trip.

🎣🌊🌍 Grade 5
Tackled global challenges through the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They designed biomimicry-based prototypes and investigated the causes and effects of overfishing. They used their voices to spread awareness. Most importantly, students shared that they “feel confident and ready to use STEM thinking anywhere.” Many reflected on how their questioning and STEM habits—like communication, creativity, and perseverance—now support their learning in reading, writing, and math.

Across all grade levels, our students have embraced STEM habits of mind—often starting with “Why?”, “How?”, and “Could. They’re collaborating, solving real-world problems, and asking richer questions—inside the classroom and out!

It’s been a joyful, imaginative year in STEM, and your children led the way. Thank you to all families for encouraging curiosity and exploration this year. Stay tuned for more STEM adventures ahead!

Take Chances ~ Make Mistakes ~ Get Messy,

Mrs. Bonnell

Mr. Raymond Manka, Principal

Mr. Kevin Best, Assistant Principal

Dr. Megan Dwyer, Assistant Principal

Mr. Anthony Blake, Assistant Principal

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Ms. Linda Scoralick, Principal

Ms. Shannon Surreira, Assistant Principal SMS/NES

Mrs. Jennifer Powers, Assistant Principal

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Mrs. Anne Bilko, Principal
Mrs. Jennifer Chmielewski, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Jennifer Meyers, Assistant Principal

Thank you to those who came out to Popsicles with the Principals on July 30th at SNIS. Also, thank you to our building leaders for organizing this fun event!

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Mrs. Gwen Gallagher, Principal

Ms. Shannon Surreira, Assistant Principal SMS/NES

Field day was so much fun at Northville School! The kids enjoyed playing outside all day with fun games organized by Mrs. Merrill, the PE Teacher.

The Second Grade Send-off, organized by the PTO, was a smashing success!

Our first graders spent the day at the Pratt Center! (below)

Congratulations to Ms. Alissa Hewitt for winning the Paraprofessional of the Year award for NES!

Also, happy retirement to three rock stars in our district! Lisa Tarsa, Laura Olson, and Deb Clark!

We wish our district colleagues and families a restful and relaxing summer break!

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Mrs. Catherine Calabrese, Principal

Mrs. Kerri Adakonis, Assistant Principal

Each month, students are nominated for our Core Value Citizen Award. These students have demonstrated respect, responsibility, honesty, compassion, perseverance, citizenship, integrity, loyalty, courage, cooperation, and, most notably, kindness throughout May and June. Congratulations!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to HPS’s ParaEducator of the Year:

Barb Marques!