Hawk Happenings

We hope all of our Steen families had a wonderful winter break! Our students were happy to be back in school and are excited to celebrate 2025! Check out all of the New Year's artwork, goals, and resolutions our students worked on for the month of January!

Happy New Year! We are off to a bright start thanks to our amazing Steen PTO! Check out the gorgeous new digital sign on our front lawn gifted from our PTO!

It was an exciting two weeks of Penny Wars! Lily the Hawk was taken by Darth Vader and our Steen Students collected lots of coins to free her! In total, our school raised $3,600! An amazing effort and fun competition! Congratulations to our top winning classes: Kindergarten (with 15,800 points) and 2nd Grade (with 15,476 points). Special shoutout to our amazing Steen PTO for organizing this 'FUN' -raiser again this year!

On January 21st, our Steen Students continued our Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service to honor an important figure in our country. Dr. King taught everyone the importance of being kind and doing good for others. Here at Steen School, we value and embody these beliefs. Our 5th Grade Student Council Members came up with service activities for each grade level. These service activities were designed to give back to our community. Preschool and Kindergarten hosted a dress down to raise money for the Bogota Public Library's Summer Reading program. They also created posters. 1st graders created bookmarks to share with friends during reading time. 2nd grade wrote letters and drew pictures of appreciation to our Bogota Police Department and Bogota Fire Department. Third grade acknowledged the work of our custodians, crossing guards, secretaries, lunch aids, safety patrols, and resource officers in all the schools in our district by writing letters and drawing pictures. Fourth grade created motivational posters with messages of positivity for our Steen Students. Finally, our 5th graders created letters of appreciation and gratitude for our amazing Steen School PTO. Our students learned the importance of making a difference through the teachings of Dr. King by completing these service activities. Let's all continue to honor his legacy by continuing to instill his messages of kindness in everything we do!

Our Preschool students had an amazing time on their field trip to 'We Rock the Spectrum' in Paramus: an inclusive indoor playground for children of all abilities! What a great time!

Knowledge is power! Kindergarten students learned about the 5 senses and applied it to the story of Helen Keller. They learned new vocabulary even got to experience Braille!

This month's PTO Dress Down Day theme was Super Hero Day! Check out all these super heroes! And wait...did Ms. Holly just fly?!

Second graders in Mrs. Vinci's class learned about Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake! They discovered how different countries celebrate with fireworks, food, and family traditions. The snake represents wisdom and change, making this a great time for a fresh start and good luck!

Students in Ms. Alvarez's class had a great time learning new vocabulary while making a bird feeder! Students demonstrated an understanding of the words 'before,' 'through,' and 'above' while following verbal and written directions! What a fun activity!

What a great way to celebrate the end of Penny Wars! Our top 2 classes (Kindergarten and Second Grade) got to have a fun ice cream party to celebrate all their points at the end of the competition! Thank you PTO for always making everything so fun and special for our students!

Steen School would like to congratulate the January Staff Member of the Month: Ms. Nicolle Kelemen!

Ms. Kelemen has been a part of our Steen Faculty since 2016 as our RTI Math teacher. Ms. Kelemen loves math. Because of this, her students love math too! They are always excited to join her classes each day to learn something new! She always has a positive attitude and encourages her students to try their best! Ms. Kelemen is a team player each and every day! She is constantly supporting classroom teachers, being a valuable member of our 'Steen Security,' and bringing school spirit at various times throughout the year. She also collects photos to help put together an amazing end of year slideshow! Ms. Kelemen is a Steen and BHS graduate herself. She also enjoys coaching cross country and track at BMS and BHS. Running and spending time with her family are her favorite hobbies. We are so lucky to have Ms. Kelemen as part of our Steen Family! Congratulations! Well-deserved!

We love our staff and all the work that goes into each and every day. If you know a staff member who deserves to be recognized, use the included link to nominate them now. Staff will be chosen monthly. https://forms.gle/9Hnsz8jZapo5uZrf9

"Hawk of the Month Recognition Program." This program is designed to "spotlight" students who bring positive energy to our school. They are uplifting, positive, hard-working, kind, etc. students who are always trying to help, care for others, be a good friend, etc.

Each month staff are given the opportunity to select a student who exemplifies one or more of the characteristics and/or traits outlined below:

• Participates in clubs, extracurricular activities, sports, and/or events and acts as a leader or team player.
• Works hard in class (regardless of grades) to be their best student.
• Consistently demonstrates maturity and is a positive role model.
• Behavior regularly reflects above and beyond what is expected of a student.
• Any other reason you think they should be recognized!!

Hawk Students of the Month:

K- Paloma Bustamante

Grade 1 -Arianny Ramos

Grade 2 - Crisly Urizar and Gabriella Iloski

Grade 3 - Raymond Tre Henry

Grade 4 - Nikolina Iloski

Grade 5 - Tatum Davis

Our Student Council Kindness Coin initiative continues this year! Throughout the month, students who are caught performing an act of kindness without being asked are given a paper yellow coin on our pot of gold mural. At the end of the month, these students are recognized over the loudspeaker and presented with a certificate. Congratulations to all of our Kindness Coin recipients!

Congratulations to our students in 4th and 5th grade. Honor Roll is a great accomplishment! and something our younger students can strive for! We love our role models.

Our Steen Hawks had a great time at the Devils Game! Thanks PTO for organizing this fun event!

Digital and online spaces can be excellent resources when used properly. However, the Internet and Social Media can be dangerous spaces for children. Below are resources that can assist you with keeping your child safe online.

- Social Media Letter from Principal DeCongelio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GeFF7aaik9FpXSQIceqG3T8wprEsQ41n/view?usp=sharing

- You Are Not Alone Video: https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying

- Cyberbullying: What Is It and How Do We Stop It (UNICEF) https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying

- The Ultimate Parental Control and Family Locator App: https://ourpact.com/

- Roblox Dangers: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDHweKOugzm/?igsh=MXJlbDNhNXdnb2NpeA%3D%3D

- The Social Dilemma: A MUST Watch Movie about the effects of Social Media. https://youtu.be/uaaC57tcci0?feature=shared

No School - President's Weekend

February 17 and 18

We have been seeing an increase in illnesses this winter. In order to help keep our school community healthy this season, please monitor your child and keep them home if they experience any of the following:

• Vomiting or diarrhea – Students must remain home for 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhea and should be able to eat their normal diet before returning to school. Students should not throw up and come to school (within the first 24 hours) EVEN if they feel better. They may still be contagious.

• Fever (temperature 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) – students must remain home until 24 hours fever-free WITHOUT the use of medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin (even if they are feeling better). They may still be contagious. Any other symptoms such as cough, sore throat, or headache that accompany the fever should also be improving before your child returns to school.

• Please remind your child of good respiratory etiquette, which includes covering coughs and sneezes with their elbow, using a tissue to blow and wipe their nose and dispose of it in the garbage, and frequent and thorough hand washing with soap and water.

• Students may not carry or self-administer any medication while at school. This includes over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, Motrin, and cough drops as well as prescription medication.

• Please follow up with your child's pediatrician and obtain a doctor's note to excuse their absences and establish when they are no longer contagious and can return to school.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Mrs. Buonadonna, the School Nurse at 201-342-6446 x 3002 or jbuonadonna@bogotaboe.com.

Twitter: @LillianMSteen1

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Location: 134 West Main Street, Bogota, NJ, USA
Phone: 201.342.6446