VETERANS MEMORIAL MIDDLE SCHOOL NOVEMBER, 2017 Mrs. Renee Kotsianas, Principal Mr. James Carr, Assistant Principal Mr. Paul Walski, Assistant Principal The Dart Youth Coalition Team kicked off Red Ribbon Drug Awareness week on October 23 rd. Students and Staff participated in a fun-filled week which included: Your Future is Key So Stay Drug Free Essay, Anti-Drug Poster Contest, Put A Cap On Drugs, Put Drugs to Sleep, and Team Up Against Drugs. The 6 th Grade Poster Contest winners were Mrs.Nolasco/Mrs.DePalma s HR, 7 th Grade was Mrs. Burns HR and 8 th Grade Mr. Cintron s HR each class received Philly pretzel party.
Fossil Dig The sixth grade science classes have been on a fossil dig at the library. Mrs. Pellegrino prepared various reading activities, a hands-on dig, piecing fossils together, and interactive sites in which the students participated to learn about different types of fossils. She customized the lesson to fit the sixth grade fossils unit. Students had a great time learning about fossils, dinosaurs, layers of earth, and so much more! Pictured: Ms. Vacirca s class enjoying the fossil stations.
STUDENT COUNCIL SCHOOL SPIRIT WEEK School Spirit Week was kicked off with several team building exercises with Staff and Students. Each teaching team came up with theme costumes which were voted on by the Administrators. The 6 th grade theme winners were Ms. Vacirca, Mr. Coyle, Mrs. O Shea and Mrs. McFadden s Human Dominos, 7 th Grade was Mr. Palombi, Mrs. Tocket, Mr. Trembulak and Ms. Damken s Coke and Smile Students, and 8 th Grade was Mr. Cintron, Mr. Lazur Ms. Ploskonka, Ms. Hayes, and Ms. Arms Bibbity, Bibbity, Bop Cinderella Mice.
SPELLING BEE: Over forty-one students representing the homerooms of VMMS participated in the annual spelling bee on Friday, October 27th. Every homeroom representative received a treat and a pencil, and the first and second place winners received movie gift cards thanks to our very generous PTA. The third place winner was 6 th grader Hannah Weaver from C3. The second place winner was 8 th grader Melanie Hiotis from 112. The first place winner was 7th grader Emily Hehir from 118. Emily memorized every word on the study list, and won the bee spelling propaganda correctly. Emily will represent our school at the Spelldown at Monmouth University this spring. If she wins first place there, she will go all the way to the finals in Washington D.C.. Everyone at VMMS will be routing for her. PEER BUDDIES CELEBRATE HEROES: This marking period our peer buddy class worked on a "Hero" themed unit. We are very proud and excited with all the work our selfcontained classes did with our 7th graders. The students presented their projects to the VMMS Staff and Parents on November 7 th. COLLEGE DAY: It s never too soon to think about college! During School Spirit Week students and staff wore their favorite college jersey or in Mrs. DeRosa s case her favorite sneakers to show their college pride. Principal Kotsianas meets with the spelling bee finalists. Principal Kotsianas congratulates the 1 st place winner, Emily Hehir.
FALL SPORTS SUMMARY VMMS Mustangs had another successful Fall sports season! Our boys soccer team ended with a record of 3-9-2, while our girls field hockey team finished up at 2-11-1. Girls soccer fought some close battles and completed the season with a 3-11-1 record. Boys cross country traveled for the first time to the Wild Safari Invitational and placed 2nd overall, they ended their divisional season 3-4. Girls Cross country had another big winning season, they placed second in the division with a 6-1 record, placed 2nd at the Wild Safari Invitational and at the Ocean County meet of champs they took 1 st place in the JV and Varsity divisions! The top 10 Varsity finishers to help lead the Mustangs to a victory were Kylie Blood, Layla Marotta, Zoe Frantz, Leila Lindquist, Kasey Sles, Melissa Casella, and Ava Rendon. Our field hockey team hosted the annual All Star game on the turf and had 3 representatives playing that evening, Brianna Taylor, Amelia Kelly & Melanie Hiotis in goal. Representing VMMS in the Soccer All Star games were Izzy Hernandez, Emily Marotta, Anden Johnson, & Andrew Farnkopf. Congratulations to all our fall athletes! re-clam the bay Students in 6th grade will be taking care of oysters in their classroom in an effort to help "Re-Clam the Bay". Re-Clam the Bay is a local, non-profit environmental organization that promotes environmental involvement and education in a constructive and helpful way. Students visited two stations: 1. Students learned about the biology of some of the animals in the Barnegat Bay. They learned about animals such as oysters, clams, and mussels. 2. Students tested the salinity and quality of estuary water to practice how they will test the water for the animals that will live in their classroom.
On November 15 th, sixth grade EXCEL students went on a tour of the Ocean County Courthouse. During their visit to the courthouse, the EXCEL students performed a mock trial in one of the courtrooms. Lauren Panfile, a law clerk, also spoke with them about her decision to become a lawyer. Ms. Panfile answered a variety of questions from her experiences with the bar exam to why she has chosen to work in the Prosecutor s Office. A big thank you to our two tour guides, Gail Rabii and Pauline Nicosia! The EXCEL students will use the knowledge they gained from this first hand learning experience to enter the annual New Jersey State Bar Foundation s Law Fair contest. Judge Schneider Presides Court Clerk McPherson Swears in the Witness
VMMS STAFF AND STUDENTS SALUTE YOU! On November 8 th students invited their hero to a Veterans Day breakfast. The hallways were filled with memorabilia and artwork created by VMMS Staff and Students. The Band performed the National Anthem and Chorus performed America My Home. Students read essays about What Freedom Means to Me. There were also a few special guests in the crowd to thank our Veterans personally: Mayor Ducey, Interim Superintendent, Mr. Fillipone and Director of Curriculum, Ms. McNamara. For all the Freedoms that we all enjoy. Our Thanks go to the men and women serving in all branches of the military. Submitted by: Susan Civello