Falcon Flyer

Congratulations to Mrs. Heather Rowens, who has been selected to serve on the English Language Arts Content Development and Review Committee for New Jersey’s statewide assessments. She has been invited to join fellow committee members and New Jersey Department of Education staff for key ELA development activities.

Thanks to generous donations from the families at Briggs, the students celebrated Screen Free Week by spending an afternoon outdoors with parent volunteers, making bird feeders, wind socks, and sun catchers. It is important to turn off screens and spend time outdoors being creative. Thank you, Mrs. Travers and Mrs. West, for organizing this event.

Briggs students did not let a little rain keep them from participating in Briggs Beautification Day on Earth Day. Thanks to the generosity of the JCPTA, which purchased flower bulbs, students and their families spent the afternoon planting the bulbs in pots. As the weather warms, classes will move the bulbs outside and plant them around the Briggs grounds to beautify the school.

Thanks to funding from the Jefferson Consolidated PTA, Briggs students enjoyed an assembly with Animal Friends. The presenter brought a tortoise, a frog, a chinchilla, and a wallaby to the school. The students learned about these animals and their environments, and even got to pet the chinchilla.

During the preschool unit on Insects, students were treated to a visit from Benjamin Tolpa, an entomologist and beekeeper. Mr. Tolpa brought many samples of insects and bees for students to see and taught them a lot about these creatures.

Kindergarten students got to “strut their art stuff” at the annual Art Show. This year, the combined Briggs and Stanlick Art Show was held at Stanlick School. Mrs. Tamayne-Hettema did a wonderful job setting up and displaying two pieces of artwork for each K-3 student. The evening event was well attended by our students and their families.

The first-grade classes have completed their unit on oviparous animals. During this unit, the students observed and learned about the life cycle of a chick. On May 8th, the students and their families met the chicks and celebrated what they had learned together.

Second-grade art students welcomed High School Digital Art students for a Monster Engine collaboration. The elementary artists designed monsters last fall and sent their designs to the high school. The high school artists used those designs to create an incredible final piece. They spent the morning together sharing their collaborative work.

The third-graders kicked off May with the annual trip to the Bronx Zoo. The students had so much fun exploring the habitats and lifestyles of animals from Asia, Africa, and the Himalayas, as well as the worlds of birds, reptiles, insects, and rodents.

Ms. Lopez’s and Ms. Masters’ classes were excited to observe and learn about the complete life cycle of butterflies firsthand. After weeks of patiently watching and caring for them, the students were thrilled to release the butterflies and watch them fly away.

First-graders had a wonderful, educational experience through Safe Kids NNJ’s water safety program. Students learned about boat safety and how to swim around a boat safely. They were fitted for their own life jackets, which they took home thanks to donations from the JTPD PBA190 and the All Roads Bakery Cookie Wars. Students also learned how to safely help someone who is drowning. Thank you to our PTA, the Police Department, JTFD2, and Safe Kids for an amazing program.

In second grade, Family Physical Education Day was a resounding success! Our students shared their favorite game, Gaga-ball, with their families. Family members joined with their children and went into the gaga-pit to play alongside them. The competition was fierce, with both students and their families giving it their all. To wrap up an amazing time, students played on the playground for a few minutes in gorgeous May weather.

First-grade students did a fabulous job at their spring concert, Every Day is Earth Day. To encourage earth-friendly habits, the whole school was invited to complete an Earth Day pledge with their families.

Second-grade students finished up their unit on note reading by creating their own musical compositions. Students had a lot of fun getting to make their own song using the notes they learned.

White Rock's second-grade students also finished their unit on note reading and enjoyed creating their original musical compositions.

The Pre-K students enjoyed a fun day at Fairy Tale Forest. They explored the park and enjoyed all the activities with their friends.

Students recently celebrated Star Wars Day with Star Wars-themed activities in Music class.

Mrs. Bolka’s Pre-K 3 class has been buzzing about insects! The students sorted bugs by color in the Gross Motor Room, staying active, and working together. Everyone was especially excited to get a close-up look at a real stink bug, which sparked many questions about bugs and where they live.

Thanks to the PTA's generosity, all White Rock students enjoyed a treat from the ice cream truck.

Congratulations to the students recognized for their trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Keep up the excellent work!

• Grade 4: Henry Kusmierz
• Grade 5: Aria Zysling
• Grade 6: Mikaela Lindsay
• Grade 7: Liam Ketterer
• Grade 8: Jillian Meigh

Congratulations to JTIS’s Brayden Rossi on receiving the Morris County Superintendent’s Leadership Award.

Congratulations to all the students, teachers, and staff who participated in this year’s Spring Musical, Annie Jr.! The performance was a wonderful success. Families and students alike had a fantastic time enjoying such a terrific show. Thank you for bringing energy, talent and joy to the stage!

Sixth-grade Gateways students attended the New Jersey Consortium for the Gifted and Talented Learning Carnival. They participated in a variety of engaging workshops exploring Earth Day activities, fly fishing, dance, theater, music, art, STEAM, math, business, mechanics, engineering, and chess. It was a great day of creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning!

Falcon Pride Recipients - Congratulations to Jacob Delacruz, Katara Greer, and Bobby Rysdeck, this month’s recipients of the Falcon Pride Award, and thank you for being ALL IN this school year.

• Nominated by Mrs. Musibay, Jacob DelaCruz, for being the life of the party at the Junior Prom. In addition, Jacob has been a hardworking, diligent student. He cares about his peers and teachers. He is always a joy to be around.
• Nominated by Mrs. Dockery, Katara Greer, a sophomore in her Spanish 3 class, is “an outstanding student and an even better person. She embodies the "ALL IN" ethos of Jefferson Township High School. Academically, she is a stellar student who never settles or goes on autopilot. Even more, she is a generous, stellar human being. Katara is always offering to help me, regularly helping her classmates, always on time, and actively participating in class daily. Between her intellect, her work ethic, and her kind nature, I am certain she will go far in life. Katara is ALL IN with everything she does.”
• Nominated by Mrs. Gray, Bobby Rysdeck demonstrated extraordinary kindness toward another student while waiting for the late bus. “This student was having some difficulties, but Bobby was calm, kind, and responsive in his conversation with this fellow student, who really needed a moment of friendship. JTHS has so many kind students that I haven't really nominated many because there are just too many students who make me proud. But that moment was, I think, the kindest I've ever seen another student be.”

This year, the JTHS Band, under the direction of Mr. Dan Gugger, and the JTHS Chorus, under the direction of Mr. Chad Flynn, began a new tradition at the High School. In keeping with the building's goal of being ALL IN for JTHS, faculty members were invited to participate in the band and chorus performances at this year's Spring Concert. The event was a wonderful celebration of the High School's community and a great opportunity for faculty members to celebrate the arts alongside a group of very talented students. Mrs. Howe and Dr. Jinks even joined the band during its performance of Darklands March!

The Catholic Charities Department of Persons with Disabilities, in partnership with Jefferson Township High School’s Unified Track program, proudly hosted its 3rd Annual Unified Buddy Walk at Jefferson Township High School. The event brought together members of the community for a day centered on inclusion, connection, and fun. With a strong turnout, participants enjoyed walking the track, playing games, and spending meaningful time with friends and family. The Buddy Walk continues to be a wonderful celebration of unity and support for individuals of all abilities.

This year, the international DECA competition was held in Atlanta, Georgia, with more than 26,000 DECA members in attendance. JTHS had four students competing in two categories. Claudia Kaminski and Mikayla Koval wrote an independent business plan for a dog Fitbit. After placing 4th at States, they refined their paper and presentation and presented to a judge, competing against 220 other teams. Silvana Melone and Judah Golub competed in the School-Based Enterprise - Food Category. Their three-hour academy session concluded with them receiving the gold certification plaque for our store. Unfortunately, the two teams did not advance to the finals, but they are congratulated for their accomplishments and for making Jefferson proud of their hard work and determination.

The Academy for Environmental Science and AP Environmental Science concluded their Earth Day celebration in April with an annual cleanup of the 5K trail in Mahlon Dickerson. On Earth Day, students collected more than twenty bags of garbage and recycling, along with large tires and other items.

Mrs. Kaia Canales was honored as the Jefferson Township Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year! This award is extremely well-deserved, as Mrs. Canales works tirelessly not only to develop our students as learners and artists but also to advocate for the arts in our community. Whether she is running to set up student art at a local show or helping students after school in Art Lab, Mrs. Canales consistently goes above and beyond, showing she is ALL IN here at JTHS. Congratulations, Mrs. Canales!

The National Honor Society hosted a 5K to benefit the Parkinson's Foundation, raising $2,300. Thank you to everyone who participated and to the NHS members and Mrs. Kula for organizing the event.

Congratulations to the Scouts from Troop 151 on earning their Eagle Scout rank.

Many thanks to the Milton United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge for their generous support of our students. Their kindness enabled ten deserving seniors to receive tickets to the senior prom, easing financial burdens and freeing resources for other important needs. This thoughtful gesture ensures these students can fully enjoy a memorable and meaningful prom night. Thank you for making a difference in our seniors' lives!