Welcome to the latest edition of the Spotlight on New Milford Schools! We are slowly but surely making our way out of winter and toward a (hopefully) lovely spring. I was fortunate to mark my one year anniversary as superintendent of New Milford Public Schools on February 21, and I thank all of our families, faculty, staff, and community members for all of their support over the past twelve months. We are definitely a school district on the move! Each of our schools and departments works with determination every day to create a productive and welcoming learning environment for our students. We have many exciting events planned for the upcoming months, and we continue to develop long-term plans for the growth of the school district. We look forward to sharing our progress with you in future editions of the Spotlight as well as on our social media pages. Here's to a wonderful month of March! Thank you again for your continued support of our students and our schools.
Mission Statement
February: American Heart Month
Mrs. Benson’s Allied Health students have been working hard this month learning CPR for the Professional Rescuer. They have learned and demonstrated life-saving skills for breathing and cardiac emergencies for infants, children, and adults. At the end of the month, these students will become American Red Cross-certified Professional Rescuers.
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Here are action items from the American Heart Association that you can take to prevent heart disease:
Know your risk. Knowing your risk can help you make lifestyle changes.
Eat a healthy diet. Start making healthy choices that include daily vegetables and less processed foods.
Be physically active. Move more – it’s one of the best ways to stay healthy, prevent disease, &age well.
Watch your weight. Stay at a healthy weight for you.
Check your blood pressure & cholesterol. These are two main risk factors that could lead to heart disease.
Congratulations Brandon!
Whether you have/had Brandon Zhang in class, or know him through clubs, activities, advisory and/or 3TR, you know he is a quality young man. Besides being kind, funny, and a conscientious human being he is quite accomplished academically! Mr. Zhang is a finalist for the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Association recognition AND he is also a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program which intends to recognize our Nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors!
While we will not know the outcome of this for weeks to come, the recognition and achievement is to be commended! Congratulations Brandon- NMHS is proud of you!!
February for Black History Month
These are pictures of quilts my African American/Black/Puerto Rican/Latino Studies class made to highlight African American/Black activists that have fought for equality and freedom for over 200 years. Each student was assigned four different people throughout the semester that they needed to research and create a quilt patch for.They are displayed in the LLC for the month of February for Black History Month.
Student Leadership Shines!
On February 8th SMS welcomed rising 6th grade students and their families for our annual open house event. The event was designed and hosted by SMS student leaders. Throughout the month of January, student leaders worked with Mr. Boucher to talk about the purpose of the evening, review the structure of past events, and make plans for this year. During this process, SMS student leaders made maps of the building, welcome signs, and brainstormed a list of things they wish they knew as they were entering 6th grade. On the night of our event, roughly 50 student leaders volunteered their time to support the event. Student leaders were in the hallways to give directions as families toured the building, helped Principal Scoralick deliver a presentation on student life at SMS, helped with lock practice, and promoted clubs and activities. Most of all, our student leaders were ambassadors modeling all that SMS stands for. Many thanks to our wonderful and talented student leaders for all of their hard work!
Team 6 Blue Community Building
Fresh off of our school-wide Spirit Day Competition win in the second quarter, 6 Blue students are showcasing their dedication to school spirit in Quarter 3 with another lead in points! We love to see their participation and we're hopeful they can keep it up. Additionally, 6 Blue continues to acknowledge two students every other week who are consistently kind, hard-working, and respectful with our Blue Ribbon awards. With the help of Dr. T in the library lately, we've been able to meet together as a team to celebrate these students as a community (seen below). The way the students congratulate and cheer for each other has been amazing to witness. We are so proud of 6 Blue!
Team 7 Yellow Refines Debate Skills!
Recently in grade 7 ELA, students learned how to conduct research and how to craft an argument to support a position. As a culminating activity for this unit, students took a position, conducted research, and participated in a debate on the topic of whether or not competitive sports are healthy for kids. It was clear that great care went into the research conducted, as arguments were well thought out, balanced, and factual. Way to go 7th graders!
Mock Trial
For the last several months a group of students has been working with Ms. Kivela and Mr. Savo after school to learn about the legal system. The group looked at the legal process, the roles different people play in the court system, and various case studies. The group also selected a case to research and conduct a mock trial assuming the various roles that you would find in court. On February 16th court was in session as students from both the prosecution and the defense presented their arguments before a jury of SMS staff and the Assistant Superintendent of Schools. Students were well prepared with strong legal arguments from both sides and Judge Klee ran a tight ship, leading to a hung jury. Great job everyone!
Interact with Abe
President Abraham Lincoln joined our 5th graders and shared his perspective of his time and place in history. This experience is wonderful for students as they interact with ‘Abe’ in several ways. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience! These experiences only happen with the generous support of our amazing PTO. Thank you PTO for all you do and provide for our students!
In turn, the first graders celebrated 101 Days on February 2nd! Dressed in spots like 101 Dalmations, they had a fun Friday. First Grade teacher, Mr. MacKessy is suited up.
February 2nd was also Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow for the first time since 2020! According to the legend it means Spring is just around the corner. We found out the hard way that even groundhogs are wrong sometimes when we tallied another school closing due to snow on 2/13.
February 2nd was Townwide Spirit Day (sports themed). It was fun to see everyone supporting their favorite teams and players!
Feb. 5-9 was National School Counseling Week which brought public attention to the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. Our School Counselors make a difference every day at NES and we appreciate them!
February is Black History month! During their Library Media Center classes with Ms. Macchiaverna, students learned about the history, accomplishments and unique contributions of the black community.
Some of the books included:
25th Annual Celebrations of the Arts
HPS, along with NES, celebrated 2 students from each school at the 25th Annual Celebration of the Arts! Mrs. Bollard, our art teacher, and Mrs. Haynes, our music teacher nominated them. Let’s congratulate 2nd graders, Caleb (musician) and Scarlett (artist)! We are so proud!
HPS Wrap Up!
To finish the month, HPS wrapped up the Kids’ Heart Challenge where students and staff were excited to learn how to care for their hearts and minds, jump rope, and help kids with special hearts in the process. Dr. Matt and his Hygienist, from Caceci Family Dentistry, visited our 2nd graders to discuss dental hygiene to celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month. Finally, we collected hats, mittens, and socks to practice COMPASSION! The items will be donated to New Milford Social Services.
ILEANA FELIZ SCORES 1000 POINTS
Green Wave basketball player, Ileana Feliz became the 6th 1,000 point scorer in Green Wave Basketball history and broke the All Time Scoring record for the school! Congrats on the 1,000 pts, the 2nd straight SWC win, SWC MVP and SWC All Team! We're very proud of you!
Jade Wallace News 12 Connecticut Scholar Athlete of the Week
Congratulations to Green Wave basketball senior, Jade Wallace on her continued success on the court, and for not giving up despite her health issues. Since this piece aired, Jade hit 1000 career points, and became the 7th 1,000 point score in Green Wave Basketball History!
February was a month of fun, love and good food! The Food and Nutrition Department served several festive meals such as pizza bagels in honor of Super Bowl weekend, orange chicken for Chinese New Year, and strawberry shortcake as a sweet treat on Valentine’s Day! We are looking forward to featuring a new item, our “baked chicken drummies” that will be on the menu with local roasted beets from Fort Hill Farm here in New Milford!
