June 15, 2018

The Principal's Breakfast at LMS

Hello all,

…..tic toc….the countdown is underway! Enjoy the remaining time with your students and each other as we prepare for next week’s graduation! Happy FriPAYday!



Shout-outs!
"The staff at Memorial did an unbelievable job during the PARCC testing this year.  Everyone did their part and it made for a very smooth administration.  I just want to say thank you to everyone."
~Steve Platt, Vice Principal

"Colleen Blithe, Gerald Bruman, Stacy Descalzi, Bobby Drewnowski, Jillian Heacox, Jennifer Salvati, and Julie Stewart:  I'd like to give a big shout out to the team of teachers that is turning a vague, little idea about a mobile STEM lab into a reality for our 5th grade students next year. They teach in different buildings at different grade levels and have come together in a very short amount of time to develop a plan to bring highly engaging STEM activities to every 5th grader in the district. It's been a pleasure working with this group and I'm excited to see their ideas come to life next year."
~Bobby Barber, Supervisor

"Congratulations to our three retirees from Holly Heights: Pat Fredrick, Gladys Mercado, and Margaret Vetter!! Thank you for everything that you have done for our students!"
~Steve Saul, Principal

"A Big Bacon Bears shoutout to Kim O'Neill for always stepping up to help other staff members.  Kim won't hesitate to cover a period, take an extra class, or do what's needed to lend a helping hand.  Thanks Kim.  We appreciate all you do!"
~Mike Coyle, Principal

"Patrecia Schwailik’s English class students exceeded their goal to read 100 books this year...they broke her class record and read 125!  Her passion and enthusiasm for her students shines through in her classroom.  They also had a great party to celebrate and they were all so proud!!"
~Steve Matusz, Exec. Director Special Services

"I would personally like to thank everyone in the district from teachers to principals to our IT Department for ensuring a successful testing platform for all of our students in Millville during PARCC and NJSLA-S.  Jackie Cruz, Camille Howard, Amy Scull, Pat Fredrick, Susan Brozina, Kim Hallenbeck, Steve Platt, and Kristin McManus served as School Test Coordinators.  They worked many hours prior to and during testing to update student files, create schedules, test every student, and troubleshoot once testing began.  I thank them for their dedication to the work and our students. "
~Pat Wulk, Supervisor

"Congratulations to Jesse Jones and Tom Costa who are both retiring this summer!  They have helped immensely behind the scenes (literally) getting presentations ready, maintaining our auditoriums and building sets.  I wish them the best of everything in their retirement!"
~Henry Hartman, Supervisor

"Lisa Oquendo hosted the Salad Social at Lakeside Middle School to raise money for the Principal's Breakfast. The Salad Social was an opportunity for LMS teachers to taste test various homemade salad dressings. The LMS staff created interesting dressings and the salads were delicious. On Friday, June 15, students who made the Principal's List for the first 3 marking periods enjoyed a breakfast in the DMC."
~Spike Cook, Principal


Have an outstanding weekend,
Regards,

Dr. G.


Dr. David N. Gentile
Superintendent of Schools
“Lead Learner”
@drgentile_mps (Twitter)
856-327-6001

#MPSWC (MPS World Class)
#greatdaytobeabolt

Published by Spike Cook, Millville, NJ

June 8, 2018

Class is Dismissed for our retirees 

Hello all,

Hope you are having an outstanding Friday. The weather is absolutely perfect outside so after work make sure you make the most of it…as there are threats of thunderstorms predicted for Saturday and Sunday.

With the countdown well underway, 9 school days remaining (but who’s counting?), the District is buzzing with excitement. Yesterday I had the chance to celebrate our top 10 students (academic) at the Kiwanis Luncheon. You should be very proud of the job this staff does on behalf of our kids. Each student’s list of accomplishments was longer than the one before…truly amazing and well rounded students. For many of you, you personally had a role in shaping who they have become. Thank you on behalf of their families for a job well done. I am confident that our top 10 are a match for any high school top 10 on the planet. From service leadership to scholarly inquiry, our students have it all. They are the cream of the crop and serve as an example for their classmates to follow.

While it is easy to praise and celebrate our top 10 students, what sometimes goes unrecognized by others, but is equally important, is how well we care for all of our students. Whether our students make up the bottom 10 or the top, we love them. We work to provide them with opportunities to grow and improve. Support them as many are enduring difficult personal or home lives. Forgive them, even when others have given up on them. That is what MPS Staff is all about. I am proud to be a Bolt and to work with all of you.

SHOUT OUTS!!!
"As this year’s District Health Care Coordinator, I wanted to give a shout out to my Holly Heights family for their undying support of my dual roles (Health Care Coordinator & Holly Heights School Nurse), and a HUGE thank you to the secretarial staff at Holly Heights, Terry Davis, Kristen Davidson, & Lisa Langlois.  Ladies, without your help, support, love, and loyalty I would not have made it through this year without you.  Your willingness to help and pitch in whenever needed did not go unnoticed.   These three ladies have gone above and beyond to help and support me.  Ladies, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all  that you do not only for me, but for Holly Heights  family as well."
~ Ashley Renshaw Millville Public Schools HealthCare Coordinator & School Nurse Holly Heights

"Shout out and congrats to Carolyn Munzenmayer on her upcoming retirement from 35+ years in education.  She is finishing strong, working hard up to end, and remaining dedicated to her students and school until the last day.  Thanks for being so awesome - it was a pleasure working with you.  Best wishes in retirement!"
~ Mike Coyle, Principal

"Ashleigh Udalovas's first grade class presented a wonderful Grandparent's Day celebration. There was singing, readings, and yummy snacks. Our grandparents felt so loved and appreciated!"
~Arlene Jenkins, Principal

"A big Holly Heights shout out to Mary Beth Owens.  Mrs. Owens organized a Lego City Day for her 1st grade students.  Students built a variety of Millville landmarks and researched the history of Millville.  Parents and community members were treated to a standing room only performance by the students of their research and several songs.  The event was a  wonderful celebration of what makes Millville special."
~Steve Saul, Principal

"Dave Vorndran, Bobby Barber, Stacey Musey  A heartfelt thank you to this stellar team of Administrators who have put in so much time and energy in the Early College Program.  This opportunity that we are making available for our students will change the lives of so many.  There have been countless hours spent on curriculum, staffing and presentations with the college to get this ready for next year. I am so excited to make this dream for our students a reality."

"A huge shout out to Christy Chisholm and the Color Me Healthy Team for organizing and holding a wonderful event for our student.  This event is something the students look forward to and teaches so many valuable lessons of teamwork, kindness and perseverance.  You guys and gals rock!"
~Stephanie DeRose, Principal

"Mrs. Booz conducted her final performance at Lakeside Middle School at our Spring Choir Concert. She was accompanied by current and former students as they sang The Irish Blessing by Joyce Eilers.  She will be retiring at the end of the year and will be truly missed!"
~Spike Cook, Principal and Henry Hartman, Supervisor

"Leigh Ann Upshaw, Audrey Muller, Jackie Eppright, Lauren Hauk, Melissa Smith  This "team" of CST met this past week and helped design a plan to help serve all of our students with disabilities grades 6-12 at Lakeside, Thunderbolt Academy, and Memorial High School.  I commend them for helping put the plan together, working as a team, and always having the best interests of students at heart when working in our schools."
~Steve Matusz, Exec. Director Special Services

"A BIG shout out to our three secretaries at CFC.  We just completed our registration dates for next school year.  Mrs. Beatty organizes and schedules all appointments and meets individually with each parent.  While she is running registration, Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Russo keep our school running efficiently.  Our secretaries work with all of the normal workload for our 600 children at CFC as well as our community providers.  They also work with all of the attendance, phone calls, and payments for our wrap around program which runs twelve months of the year."
~JoAnn Burns, Principal

"This shout-out goes to Chris Finney and Vicky Charlesworth. Their preparation for the recent District retiree board celebration was absolutely extraordinary! Every detail was considered from the food to the decorations. I know how lost I would be without Vicky keeping me on track and I am certain Dr. Moore feels the same for Chris. Although my son was being awarded a distinguished student achievement award by the board of education in our home school district and I was unable to attend this year…I have heard from countless attendees about how special a night it was. Thank you to Donna Meyers for filling in for me. And a giant shout-out & KUDOS to Chris and Vicky."
~David Gentile, Superintendent

Have a great weekend everyone,
Dr. G.


Dr. David N. Gentile
Superintendent of Schools
“Lead Learner”
@drgentile_mps (Twitter)
856-327-6001

#MPSWC (MPS World Class)
#greatdaytobeabolt

Published by Spike Cook, Millville, NJ

June 1, 2018

Photo by Ryan Johns on Unsplash

Hello all,

Happy Friday! Today is June 1st…and so it begins – the homestretch! I enjoy this hectic time because I have the opportunity to attend events like the Teacher & Paraprofessional of the Year luncheon. This year Millville was again well represented during the Cumberland County luncheon. Other events such as the Top 5 academic student reception held at the Cumberland County College. The 5 amazing young woman that represent the top 5 academic achievers for MSHS were truly amazing. * A little concern that our young man were not represented in the top 5, this year was all about “Girl Power”. Challenge our young men to step it up for next year and compete with our amazing Lady Bolts. Great to see that for many of the young women, math and science were center in their future plans. I truly hope this is evidence dispelling any lingering myth that math and science is for boys! Way to go ladies…seeing the Top 5, Top 10, and Top 10 CTE students really helps highlight all of the effort by our staff. Most of you have at one time or other, made an impression on these amazing kids. To hear them share their experiences with me about attending the Millville Public Schools helps provide insight into their experience. Over and over again, students raved about how the staff here cares about them. Kudos #MPSWC staff!!!

SHOUTOUTS!

"A BIG CFC shout out to Mrs. Finch Weldon a preschool teacher at CFC. She embraces the Family component in our Child FAMILY Center. She does monthly family activities for the children and their families in her room. She uses REMIND almost daily to advise parents of both classroom and school activities. She will arrange for transportation for her families to attend these events. She even has a child with a sibling coming to CFC next year and brought the mother to CFC to attend our registration."
~JoAnn Burns, Principal

"Big thanks to Ben Pierce for making sure our Fun Day was set up and all the staff members had what they needed. Thanks, Ben! We appreciate your attention and willingness to do what it takes to make sure our students have the best experience possible."
~Mike Coyle,Principal

"It has been said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Stacy Descalzi challenged her students to take items that would be considered recyclable materials and turn them into art. The finished projects were amazing...some of them were even useful (like birdfeeders and a piggy bank)."
~Stacey Musey, Dept Chair

"I'd like to shout out two Seniors, Funda Akilli and Muge Gore who earned The State Seal of Biliteracy in Turkish from The State of New Jersey's Department of Education! Just a little background, New Jersey became the 15th state to implement a legislated statewide Seal of Biliteracy in 2016. By achieving the Seal of Biliteracy, students demonstrate that they are able to speak, read, listen and write in two or more languages at a high level of proficiency. They received their certificates today! Please help me in congratulating them!"
~Debby Sukinik, Supervisor

"Doris Hall & Silver Run Cafeteria Staff: Doris does an absolutely amazing job running our cafeteria. She and her staff are friendly and accommodating. They routinely go the extra mile to ensure our students and staff have an enjoyable lunch time experience." 

"Melinda Fralick, Stephanie Upham, Kathy Drastal, Jennifer Dragotta: The Silver Run RTI staff are the unsung heroes  of our building. They provide critical and timely interventions to our students as well as bring stability to our building by covering our unfilled teacher vacancies."
~Eric Reissek, Principal

"Shouting out a big thank you to Patti Atkinson, Emily Barlas, Courtney Fry, Charlotte Richardson, and Amanda Wichnick for their diligence in administering DLM! With Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) finally behind us, I want to recognize the time and effort that goes into assessing students who do not take PARCC. With each student tested individually in 6-9 testlets in each tested subject (Mathematics, English Language Arts and for some students Science) that’s 12-21 test sessions for EACH student. Great Job!"
~Pat Wulk, Supervisor

Have a tremendous weekend!
Regards,
Dr. G.


Dr. David N. Gentile
Superintendent of Schools
“Lead Learner”
@drgentile_mps (Twitter)
856-327-6001

#MPSWC (MPS World Class)
#greatdaytobeabolt

Published by Spike Cook, Millville, NJ

May 25, 2018

Olympic Day 2018 

Hello All,

On this beautiful Friday before Memorial Day Weekend we are nearing the conclusion of the 41st Annual Olympic Day at Wheaton Field. A big thank you to all involved with the countless moving parts involved with such a complex undertaking. The High School students in Leaders Club or marching band or of the various ‘courts’ all lent their support to making today special for all of the participants. Thank you to all of the staff that played a part in making today’s Olympic Events epic for the kids participating.

I like to think that just for a moment, all of us who had the opportunity to participate in the Games as a student here in Millville get to once again look around during the event and see the world through the eyes of a 4th grader – or a Kindergarten student student watching the parade for the first time. As a child, anything is possible. This simple truth is one of the parts of being a kid that I miss most. As a child, you felt as though you could literally do anything you wanted to…with effort, work, and a little magic. Although as you get older you start to realize that maybe ‘anything’ is a bit of a stretch. You may not actually be able to fly through the sky like superman or superwoman; but you could build a rocket-ship from couch cushions, blankets, and some imagination that would let you imagine or pretend to fly. The living room space rocket the basis for a future career in NASA, or so my neighbor tells of his origin story. Today he is literally a rocket scientist all because he spent hours imagining his couch had thrusters.

This feeling of pretending is something that we grow out of and too easily dismiss as child’s play. Perhaps we don’t ever fully grow out of it but instead we bury it under the everyday pressures and reality of failing to achieve our prior dreams. How depressing that would be to give up on the version of yourself you have envisioned so many times. Giving into blaming others or by believing the  ‘game’ is rigged against you instead of achieving that life goal. See, I believe pretending, or imagining, or dreaming about what could be is at the heart of all of us. It is essential to innovation and making the world around us better. Do not bury it, embrace it - feed it! Try to make the World around you better somehow - try to make yourself better! Be kinder, be a better listener, a better friend, a better co-worker…Learn that instrument you always dreamed of but didn’t give yourself the time to explore. Give yourself permission to fail – not permission – celebrate your failures as the learning opportunities they are.

I hope today, you are reminded of that feeling you once had as a child having some grand adventure in your living room or competing in the “Olympics” also known to us here in Millville NJ as Olympic Day. A day of friendly competition and good–sportsmanship. A day to cheer on your classmates, friends, and peers in events that challenge you both physically and mentally to do what may have previously felt impossible; to run further than you believed you could during a relay race, or to throw a soft–ball, to long–jump and fly over the sand…all on the World’s Stage, or so it felt like the World was watching when a younger early version of me proudly wore his Bacon Bear T–Shirt down High Street.

SHOUT-OUTS

"This year we had many new hires come into the district. Some had never taught before and others had been teaching in other districts across the state. When the PD specialist asked the group to share something good about their year, several of the new hires voiced how supported they felt at their individual schools and by the district.  Humberto Ayala, a Physical Education teacher at Holly, stated that before he came to Millville he had considered giving up teaching all together. He thought about going back to college for another degree. This veteran teacher has now found his home here at MPS and is enjoying the profession he was first called to. He and many others are wonderful additions to our MPS family."
~Margaret Keefer, PD Specialist

"Debby Sukinik and the special education teachers & CST members at Memorial did an outstanding job on Tuesday night during the transition night for incoming freshmen. They were friendly, caring and helped the incoming students and parents feel calmer about the transition to high school. Thank you for taking the time for this important work."
~Brian Robinson, Principal

"Ish Jimenez and Scott Godfrey took on the additional responsibilities of the 8th grade during PARCC. They are always flexible and willing to step in to make LMS better. I am very grateful for their leadership at LMS!"
~Spike Cook, Principal

"Amanda DeVita, Kim Berry, Amy Scull, Bobby Drewnowski, Samantha Catlett, Stephanie Muhlbaier, Patti Banker, Paul Lokey, Tracy Oniszczuk, Pat Wulk, Frank Lowers.  A huge shout out and thank you to this fine group of people for their help and participation in yesterday’s Guinness world record attempt. This is especially meaningful to me because I was unexpectedly out yesterday, and they stepped up and got the job done. Way to go!"
~Mike Coyle, Principal

"Dawn Dolan, Danielle Tombleson, Lee Cox, Melody Raudenbush, Stephanie Trull, Gary Guadalupe, Tom Moore  The self contained BD classes at Silver Run have really achieved greatness this year!  All of the students in Mrs. Dolan's and Mrs. Tombleson's classes have gained 1 year in reading growth based on their F&P assessments.  100% of their students!  Now that is impressive...great work team!!! "
~Steve Matusz, Executive Director & Gena Pacitto, School Psychologist

"Hats off to Ariana Rosenberg for organizing our first Mount Pleasant Spelling Bee Championship Tournament. A wonderful time was had by all. Great job students!"

"Natalie Thom, Cindy Fullerton, Kerri Geissel  A special shout-out to these three caring educators. They went above and beyond the call of duty and their daily work schedule to assist a family in crisis. Thank you for all you do every day!"
~Arlene Jenkins, Principal

"Congratulations to Bacon, Lakeside, Memorial and MSHS for helping to set the Guinness World Record for the largest Health Lesson.  This was done through the Rotary Club and it included schools from every district in Cumberland County.
~Pamm Moore, Asst. Superintendent

Have an amazing Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Regards,
Dr. G.
Dr. David N. Gentile
Superintendent of Schools
“Lead Learner”
@drgentile_mps (Twitter)
856-327-6001

#MPSWC (MPS World Class)
#greatdaytobeabolt

Published by Spike Cook, Millville, NJ