February 22, 2019

The Phenomenal Friday Blog is dedicated to highlighting the contributions of Millville Public School Employees.

"A JETS shout out to Christine Burns, Julia Araujo, Carmen Moreno and Jackie Brescia for running our JET FUEL Cafe each week on Wednesday mornings. This has been a great opportunity for our students in their classes to learn about commerce, sales, keeping records and all the mathematics involved. Plus it's keeping the staff happy and fed well!"
~  Brian Robinson, Principal

"A BIG Shout out to Edwin Fien. Mr. Fien has always been diligent about monitoring his student's attendance. He is taking it to a new level this year and seeing some success with an improvement in tardies and absences. He used Mrs. Barlas' "Gentle Nudge" suggestion from the staff meeting. He sends out friendly success texts through REMIND celebrating days when he has 100% attendance. He celebrates all children being on time and "gently nudges" when it is close to 100%. "Almost made it today only 2 late or 2 absent." He continually thanks parents for making the extra effort and takes quarterly photo's with certificates for 100% attendance. He has done home visits to encourage attendance and to try and assist if the problem can result from some kind of change. We appreciate the extra effort!"

-JoAnn Burns, Principal

"A well-deserved shout-out goes out to Kelli Blough for being a leader in her classroom. Kelli leaves no stone unturned when it comes to helping our students succeed. Whether dealing with behavior or leading a lesson Kelli always has the best interest of our students at heart! Thank you for all that you do in making your classroom and Silver Run a special place."

"A massive Silver Run Shout-out goes out to Stephanie Trull for her quick thinking, fleet of foot action that prevented a student from being seriously injured last week. In a moment’s notice you put the safety of our students first and for that we are grateful. Thank you!!!"
~Eric Reissek, Principal

"A big thank you to Terri Whilden in the Business Office for all of her support and follow through. She is a great resource!"
~Spike Cook Principal

"A big Bacon Bears shout-out to all the staff members who came out to Chick-fil-A this week for the fundraiser. Thanks for hanging out, supporting the school, and being the dedicated educators you are. In particular, thanks to Barb Lore and Candy Devich who stayed the whole time and helped organize the event."

"Another Bacon shout-out to the participants of our biggest loser contest. Nice job promoting healthy living and eating within the school. A big thanks to Nurse Pruett for organizing the effort. Way to go, Bears!"
~ Mike Coyle, Principal

Have a great weekend
Dr. G.

Published by Spike Cook, Millville, NJ

February 15, 2019: Self Aware Edition

Photo by Tim Goedhart on Unsplash

Good Afternoon,

In February’s AASA School Administrator publication, one article about the others jumped out. After reading it, I was compelled to share my thoughts and takeaways relative to our beloved community. The title, “Compassion in the Face of Trauma; A school system’s backing of children who are depressed, deprived and anxious may not be at first glance consistent with the ‘feel good’ theme associated with the Phenomenal Friday message, but bare with me as I hope you can see it as I do. This publication reaches a global audience of educators but as I read about the Anaheim Union High School District in Anaheim California, I thought, “yes, us too”. Although on the other side of the United States, the number of students experiencing depression, homelessness, anxiety, poverty is on the rise, like here in NJ. A growing number of students’ families are experiencing the despair of being homeless. Uncertain about where the next meal will come from. Additionally, students growing up in poverty are told by many well-intending adults “if  you simply work hard you become anything you want”. This over simplification can cause damage without additional messaging and supports from a caring learning community. I am not interested in debating the issue at this time, yes technically speaking it is possible to achieve dreams through hard work, dedication, and grit. I am a supporter of growth-mind-set and therefore you do not have to take issue with me on the benefits of the great American dream. I came from a family where my sister and I were the first to reach the university. Both of us now hold doctoral degrees and benefits by improving our quality of life through education, work, and determination. I merely want to share that simply repeating “work hard and you can become anything you want” alone is not effective.


That stated, for a growing number of our students the competing hardships that too often lead to mental health issues is too daunting to simply “work hard”. I am a kid advocate at my core. I simply want every student regardless of the parents they choose, to have equitable access to high quality education, social emotional supports, and high quality professionals to help shape their path. We must acknowledge a few truths. Truth number one, your socio-economic status influences your opportunities. Truth two, growing up in poverty may make your path more difficult.  (*but growing up with a lot of money, just enough money, some money may make your path more difficult). Everyone’s journey is potentially difficult. Third and most important, we must all become more self aware, emotionally intelligent, and skilled at helping others navigate the hardships of life. When I went to school as a young person, the things that happened at home that were troubling me stayed at home. Almost like a switch, we were expected to put our best self forward without excuse. This was a time when teachers and school administrators were right even if they were wrong. Educators of this era were not expected to be able to help navigate a complete emotional breakdown by a student on a regular basis. Educators did not focus on becoming culturally competent so they can better identify their own prejudices and preconceptions of those that are different. Instead, the student was expected to conform and follow the rules. The teacher taught and if the student wanted to learn great, if not…oh well. Today, if the students are not achieving we look to the teacher. Two very clear and linear paths, college or a trade, existed for the earlier generations. Employment in each path was not only possible, it was likely. Today, there are countless graduates with large debt and few prospects. There are over 7 million jobs available in the US as of July 2018. There are over 4 million Americans identified as unemployed. I told you this was a positive story remember… there are more jobs available when compared to the number of unemployed so that is encouraging.

Why is this so? That is the question that keeps me up at night. I would guess some of those out of work are experiencing currently or have experienced some type of mental health event at some point in their formative years. I would further guess that they did not receive high quality care that helped them recover and grow from the experience. Thus they are left unemployable.

Today’s students are experiencing stress and pressure that they are ill prepared to handle alone. According to a study by Renee Goodwin, a professor at Columbia University on depression found it on the rise among 12 thru 17 year olds. Increased from 8.7% of adolescents reporting depression in 2005 to 13% in 2015. Most disturbing, depression among our kids is most common among those with the least access to any health care, including mental health professionals. Students growing up in poverty are most vulnerable but depression can strike students of means as well. The number strongest risk factor for suicide is untreated depression among adolescents. Students raised by adults who lack education or employment are also likely to have their own untreated mental health issues are at risk to struggle.

Now, again back to why this is actually a positive story…In this California district, they are implementing ‘self-awareness training’. They are training their staff to implement compassionate, caring and self-aware strategies. They are teaching them to help students bring emotions out into the open and working through them. Their focus is on breaking students away from their default responses to negative emotional stressors and ‘reprogramming’ them to respond in a mindful manner. Helping students learn to hit the pause button and recognize their emotions before simply acting. Their training began with their administrative teams then throughout the student body. With a renewed focus on how to be more mindful in their interactions with others, on social media, in healthy friendships, exercise and healthy diets they are seeing a major decline in the students identifying as depressed. An unintended consequence is in that the staff also indicated feelings of improved wellness. They describe students who previously ‘exploded’ with negative emotions succeeding in ways previously un-imagined. This is a positive story because here in #MPSWC we are on a very similar journey together relative to social emotional learning. The various workshops led by our very own instructional coaches, I.e. Building puppets, as been a priceless beginning of providing a much more emotionally safe environment for our children. Students at the high end of achievement are benefiting as well. Students who have a drive and compulsion to succeed and achieve the highest GPA’s, or get into the University of their choosing, are also at risk for depression – and/ or anxiety disorders. The fact is simply, we all benefit from being more in touch with our emotional wellness. If we simply wait for their to be high quality mental health care access for all with magic solutions, we will most certainly become disheartened with disappointment. Instead, let us all work to be each others mental health supporters.

Be positive, be kind, be aware of your words and actions as they have power-

Have a great weekend everyone, recharge the batteries and enjoy the 3 day weekend!

SHOUT-OUTS
"A Bacon Bears shout out to Stephanie Muhlbaier and Kim O'Neill for running an excellent Jump Rope for Heart. This was our biggest Jump Rope fundraiser yet! Thank you both for your dedication and hard work."
~ Mike Coyle, Principal

"Melissa Castor is tremendous asset to our students and families at Lakeside. She is always looking for ways to get involved to help in our vision of providing the best education opportunities for students and staff. She recently attended Nurtured Heart Training and is part of the Crisis Response Team. She stepped up this school year and volunteered to case manage the BD class at Lakeside and the Thunderbolt Academy. Thanks Melissa for your dedication and positive approach to all of the issues our students and district are facing."
~ Steve Matusz, Exec. Director Special Services

"Thank you, Sandra Padro, for being so helpful. Sandra has been assisting our long-term substitute and continues to create materials that incorporate all modalities of communication. Her efforts are appreciated. ¡Gracias, querida señora!"
~ Bridget Borlak, Dept. Chair

"A Silver Run shoutout goes out to Shannon Nevico, Jennifer Defeo, Lisa Baran, Nina Crain, Amy Kimmel, and Tara Tapp for getting their students involved in the Valentine's for Veterans Project! Thank you for teaching our students to appreciate, acknowledge, and respect our veterans. Thank you for teaching our students gratitude!!!"
~ Eric Reissek, Principal

"A big Holly Heights shout out to Megan Rhubart. Megan has built a warm and caring classroom environment and built a positive relationship with each of her students. Megan's attentiveness to her students allowed her to identify a student that had developed a significant medical concern. We are fortunate to have Megan on our staff."
~ Steve Saul, Principal

"Here's a shout out to Doug Saul and Hollie Smith at Holly Heights. Doug has been pushing in to support Hollie's 1st grade class during Guided Reading this year and their teamwork is incredible. During the first year of implementation, Doug is able to support Hollie's work with 75% of her students on a daily basis. Their work is definitely going to pay off for those students."
~ Bobby Barber, Supervisor

"State testing is a huge event in the district and a lot of work goes on behind the scenes prior testing even starting. I would like to send a huge thank you to Camille Howard, Trish Curcuru, Kristen Fasolino, Amy Scull, Debbie Stowman, Arlene Jenkins, Valerie Cross, Kim Hallenbeck, Zach Wurcel and Kristin McManus for the countless hours they put in to make testing successful!!!!"
~ Pat Wulk, Supervisor

" A huge shout out to Dave Kahn and his law enforcement class for taking the initiative in creating classroom door ties for our safety and security plan. Not only did they make one for each classroom, but the students will be training the staff on its use. Having a retired law enforcement officer instructing our students has been amazing. Keep up the good work!"
~ Stephanie DeRose, Principal

"A BIG Shout Out to Casey Wilson and Sharon Wright for their continued support for all of the special education children in our building. They give hours of support to the children and their teachers to be sure the IEP is being implemented and the goals are being worked on and attained."
~ JoAnn Burns, Principal

Have a tremendous weekend!

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

February 8, 2019 - Groundbreaking Ceremony for High School

Groundbreaking has officially begun 

Good afternoon amazing #mpswc Staff!

I hope everyone is having a great day and preparing for the weekend. Perhaps you have big plans or simply just to spend time doing something you love with the people you love. Either way, I want you to make the most of it.

You probably heard, we were able to officially celebrate and kick off the partnership with the School Development Authority. The SDA is working with us to invest over 130 million dollars into our community! This money will be used smartly to renovate and update wherever feasible, and also add additional new space in order to bring our Wade Blvd High School Campus up to date. The final product will be a cutting edge – state of art campus that is worthy of the mighty Thunderbolts!

Yesterday was a lot of fun celebrating with students, staff, SDA personnel, administration, contractors, dignitaries and the press. Wingtips are not appropriate for digging holes or navigating work sites, lesson learned. The students involved need a special bit of recognition as many of them will graduate long before this project ends. They will not directly benefit from the construction and investment in Millville. Truthfully, they are getting all the negative aspects of a massively complex construction project. Lack of parking, having to be rerouted through multiple hallways, handle the noise and energy that surrounds any construction site…that said, the students I spoke with yesterday “get it”. They understand that sacrifice and delayed gratification are worthwhile experiences. They grasp that someone had to endure this part so that someday our new High School will be that shiny beacon of hope. Some have younger siblings or relatives that will benefit – but others simply took pride in being the class that will graduate during the messy bits. One of them actually said, “to make a cake you have to break some eggs”… I will protect your identity don’t worry – because right after saying that he/she looked at me and said ‘man that was corny huh”. Corny or not, he/she was absolutely correct. So let the eggs be broken, the ingredients added…the outcome is going to be awesome! Kudos and shout-outs to follow.

Shout-outs:
Related to High School Renovation and Construction Project

"Bryce Kell – Business Administrator. Mr. Kell will retire shortly and not officially be here during the final phases but nobody has worked harder to make this happen. Thanks Bryce, you will be missed."

"Stephanie DeRose – High School Principal. It goes without saying she has been nothing short of heroic. Mrs. DeRose has led two high school campuses, managed all of her primary responsibilities, and been on top of the construction details (even picking out and fighting for a color scheme that didn’t cause people to get dizzy when looking upon it). We are fortunate to have such a competent leader."

"Dominic Carapelli – High School Maintenance/Cust. Dominic has been doing an outstanding job keeping the campus safe, clean, and orderly during the massive construction. Everyday, he works with the construction teams and Mrs. DeRose to make sure the students and teachers have as few disruptions as possible. Keep up the great work. Dominic also has a great group of supporting team members who are also to be recognized for their efforts everyday to keep the campus tip top."

"There are so many more people that are involved and no matter what I am sure to miss someone. That is ok, because the Bolt way is not to do something for recognition but to do it because it is the right thing to do. I want to share a portion of my remarks from yesterday for everyone. There is one person who definitely would NOT want to be recognized. This man preferred to avoid the attention but he fought extremely hard for this District. Also, there are two others who deserve to be highlighted as this project moves closer to the goal line."

"In closing, I would like to thank my predecessors – both Dr. Larry Miller and Dr. Shelly Schneider because this vision began under their tenure. I am compelled to also mention our former Board President, Mr. William Herman “Bill”. While he unfortunately lost his battle with cancer, he won his battle to bring this community a ‘new high school worthy of our community’. He fought tirelessly while on the board to bring this project to this community. “ Dr. David Gentile

"BIG Shout out to the Family Engagement PLC for their evening workshop on Healthy Habits for parents. Each presentation included a healthy snack, developmentally appropriate information about preschool children and a take home activity. Thanks to: Lauren DeSantis, Kim Henry, Andrea Mascara, Louisa Oliver, Dionne Smith, Sharon Wright. Also to Gloria Perez who personally called the bilingual families in her class to attend and joined them during the presentations.
~ JoAnn Burns, Princial

"A big shout out and thank you to our school counselors at Lakeside Middle School for their countless hours spent mediating students, academic advising, I and RS, scheduling, assessments and everything else they do! Thank you to Nilsa Acosta, John Bunting, Anthony Procopio, Jackie Eppright, Audrey Mueller, Kim Hallenbeck, Melissa Castor, Leigh Ann Upshaw, and Janay Harden for all their hard work and Happy National School Counselors Week.
~ Spike Cook, Principal

"Shout out to our Infrastructure Team (Jeremias Bermudez, Rob Smith, Matt Sheppard, and John Law) for always improving and keeping our Infrastructure (servers, data, and network) up to date and running efficiently. Also for exceeding the goal of 99% up time."
~ Dan Wright, Chief Information Officer

"Shout out and great job to our kindergarten paras Patti Banker, Vicki Summers, and Carol Veale. They make it happen every day, and their dedication to our students and school doesn’t go unnoticed. From supporting the classroom teachers to working with parents and a million things in between, they are an asset to our school family and we appreciate their hard work. Thank you, ladies!"
~ Mike Coyle, Principal

"I'd like to give a shout out to Gerald Bruman, Shawn Jenkins, and their Robotics Team for hosting a very successful VEX Robotics competition this past Saturday. Our students worked very hard and were able to demonstrate their Robotics Skills throughout the various components of the competition. They also recently received word that their Engineering Team has advanced to the next round of the Panasonic Creative Design Challenge in March to compete for a $4000 scholarship. Good Luck to the Team!"
~ Stacey Musey, Dept. Chair

"A big shout to Gerald and Shawn for hosting the VEX Robotics Competition. I would like to thank all of the volunteers that made this day such a success. Thank you Stacey Musey, Aaron Righter, Wayne Parr, Janet Ponzetti, Alex Bruman and Yvonne Bruman."
~ Joanne Colacurcio, Supervisor

"A big Holly Heights shout out goes to Jackie Olivio and Lisa Stahlberger. Jackie and Lisa serve as our Club 21 coordinators and plan engaging and fun activities for our students on a daily basis. They have a great staff and bring in interesting outside presenters to keep the program exciting."
~ Steve Saul, Principal

"A HUGE Silver Run Shoutout goes out to Camille Howard and Arlene Maggioncalda for the outstanding job they do each and every day supporting our students and staff. Happy National School Counselors Week!"

"A well-deserved shoutout goes out to Shelly Robbins and Mary Lafferty for effectively managing the Office during our transition between principal secretaries. A million thanks!!"
~ Eric Reissek, Principal

"I would like to thank Steve Saul, Nkomo Bacon and Beth Deforest for helping me last Friday at dismissal. It was a very cold, snowy day and my car would not start. Steve and "Bacon" spent about thirty or more minutes trying to jump the battery and Beth Deforest offered to stay to see if I would be alright. My car finally started and Steve followed me to my mechanic in Ocean City where I reside to make sure I would not get stuck on the way. What wonderful people!!!!"
~ Mary Beth Owens, Teacher

Have an amazing weekend!

Regards,

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

February 1, 2019

T Shirt that Todd Henry mentioned in speech 

Good afternoon all,

I would like to share some thoughts from Todd Henry, whom gave the keynote presentation this morning from the NJASA Techspo. I found his words to be thought provoking and that they could be of interest to all.

He began his talk by sharing this t-shirt he saw at Disney. He presented this t-shirt as the ‘greatest of all time’. He explained that this is very much the process many of us follow when we are trying to lead or teach others. We start off well, steps 1,2, and 3 are clear and basically anyone could follow along. When step 4 is presented, this is where all great initiatives fall short. For me, this illustrated clearly how at times the district central leaders will set out to create a finished ‘Darth Vader’ portrait and become frustrated that we fail to create a masterpiece. The issue simply being that getting to a finished step 4 is complicated. We cannot expect to simply release creative professionals loose on a task and magically it is so. The more complex the issue or task the greater the chance of expectations and directions not being clear enough.

Todd then shared a true story about a young musician’s experience early in his career. This musician was given the opportunity of a lifetime, or so it appeared, to open on tour for the most popular band of the time. The first show this new musician opened received complete silence from the massive audience for about 3 songs until finally the silence broke. The crowd erupted, but not as the guitar player had hoped; endless booing filled the stadium. After the show, managers assured the young talent not to worry. After all, this is just one stop, one city, and the opinions of one group of fans. The managers were sort of right as the next night, the young musician was booed from the very first note. Again, the experts said not to be deterred it will be better tomorrow night. This continued for the next 8 shows. The last show, the booing began before the guitar player took the stage and was loud enough to drown out the music. Finally reaching his limit, the musician told the fans that they were ‘number one’ (or so it is rumored) and he walked off the stage disgusted. Can you imagine what it was like to finally get your big opportunity and have it end like that after only 8 days? If you were in the audience that night, July 17th, 1967 you would have been convinced that you were witnessing the death of a young career in music. You, however, would have been wrong. Once I share the context you will understand this series of events differently. Todd shared that Jimi Hendrix walking off the stage on the 8th night was not the end but the beginning of something new. The massively popular band that a young Hendrix was opening for was the Monkees. See it wasn’t that the musician was not talented or that the music was destined to fail, but rather that the massive audience that like the music of Monkees simply did not know what to make of this wildly different sound and spectacle. Imagine a young Hendrix using his teeth to hold his guitar pick and play his guitar. The very routinely normal popular music that the Monkees created was safe. It was what was listened to. It was what everyone listened to, at that moment. So Hendrix did not fit into their grid of what great music was – yet. Think about being out with friends, or driving around in the car…have you ever once had anyone say ‘hey, put on the Monkees greatest hits’? Not likely, but as history remembers Jimi Hendrix as a pioneer, an innovator, and one of the most influential musicians ever we all know that his career did not die that night in 1967.

Todd Henry relates this to organizations. People like to say they are open to innovation and change but truthfully most want the ‘Monkees’ not an unknown Hendrix. Routine, safety, and comfort are very strong motivators for resisting change. Obviously though, ultimately our lives would not be as fulfilling without change. We would all still be listening to the Monkees. Todd shared what he calls the 7 deadly sins. These are the 7 reasons people, companies fail to change and grow.

Aimlessness: Not having a clear set of directions that would help get from step 3 to 4 in the drawing Darth Vader. Example, if we placed you in a field and said there is a target somewhere. Your objective is to hit the target, but after we first spin you around blindfolded. How successful could you be? Probably not very. Even if you somehow blindly succeeded, how would you feel about that success? Not very as accidental success is not very gratifying.

Uncertainty POV – productive passion = what are you willing to suffer for? i.e. Curtis martin NY Jet running back…he did not like football. (despite being a hall of famer) only played his senior year of high school, so good he gets scholarship for Pitt, then he gets drafted by Patriots. Did not want to play until his pastor framed it as football could help him find a path to help single moms, and intercity kids – both of which were his passion:

• What angers you? Not road rage but compassionate anger
• What makes you cry?
• What gives you hope?
• Define Your Battles; this is what you will not compromise on, this is what you are passionate about. Use this as your target to avoid aimlessness.

Boredom: Bored-busy; continuous partial attention ‘PING’ is the term for those of us who constantly look at their phone, email and believe that there is probably something else out there that is more interesting than where you are right now. People are wasting 66 hours per year of their life glancing at your iPhone/email/Instagram. Constantly looking elsewhere because we feel there is possibly something out there that is more interesting than what is right in front of you.

• Be fiercely curious I am so happy I just wasted 15 minutes reading negative comments on my Facebook feed, said Nobody Ever
• Fill your well
• Be unreachable (sometimes) train yourself to use technology to aid, not to steal our focus and creativity.
• Ask inconvenient questions
• Beware of ‘BUSY BOREDOM’

Your inbox represents what other people prioritize for your life. And while you have jobs and commitments you do NOT have to completely allow others to tell you what is important. Technology is a great servant but a terrible master

Comfort: the love of comfort is often the enemy of greatness. Commitment to growth and innovation. Discovery…emulation…divergence…crisis (here is when others recognize us for being competent and skilled but we realize that we have now plateaued). What new skill/idea/ would re-invigorate you? Avoid being complacent with good.
Delusion…well that will never work here. Personal life, if I want to be valuable, I need to be like ‘so and so’ instead of following your sweet spot skill.
Be honest with ourselves

• Your greatest potential to cause damage as a leader/teacher is directly tied to your biggest insecurity. Be vulnerable.
• What am I doing right now that doesn’t seem like me? (either be able to identify for yourself or have others who can assist)

Ego…not the traditional form of EGO. You are not going to value my brilliance, fine, I will not participate. I will simply not engage. I will comply by being here but don’t expect anything of value from me. “I am playing a victim” – my recognition and well being is more important than everyone else on the team. *(Stresses not the same as actually be victimized.)
Be confidently adaptable…I believe I am right, but I am willing to listen and change my mind with new or better information.

Fear…the potential negative consequence is more discouraging then the motivation of potential reward. (100 foot plank on the ground…will you walk it? Of course you would. Take the same plank and put 50 feet above the ground.. now walk it?)
Fear is often the smell of opportunity: Brian Tome

• Discuss true risk to dispel perceived risk; are you being irrational
• Am I artificially escalating planks?

Guardedness…closed off to others…fail to connect meaningfully to others
You need people who will speak truth to you before you realize you ‘need’ people in your life that will speak truth to you. Need critical friends/colleagues. “Many avoid this honesty and instead melt into some group of similar people all dedicated to not being honest with each other”. Everyone is hiding in some sort of togetherness…Soren Kierkegaard.


In closing, Todd said to “Put away your gun” (not literally)but if you ask for honesty you have to be willing to hear it and not shoot it down. Form a collective of people who will speak honestly

• Mirror – a person you give full permission to speak openly to you without fear of consequence
• Circle- a group of people who keep us inspired, they are in the journey with you (skin in the game).

I know there is a lot of information to digest here. Google Todd Henry as his videos and material are available. I was taking notes but the above only represents my takeaways. I strongly suggest reading his books or watching his videos to hear it firsthand from him.


Now for the Shout-outs!!
"A big Shout Out to Courtney Robbins for her creation and implementation of our sensory walk at the Child Family Center. The children have enjoyed the sensory break and it is constantly being used by a child or group of children as they feel the need to "take the walk". This was a great idea and something new to offer our children at the Child Family Center."

"A BIG Shout out to Kathleen Cody for an amazing workshop on Wednesday. She presented information on Attachment issues and self-regulation problems with children and gave MANY concrete examples on how to work with these children in the classroom. The brain research followed by participatory practices made for a very educational and useful workshop."
~ JoAnn Burns, Principal

"Congratulations to Dena Andrews who was recently accepted to perform with the Greek Opera Studio and Festival of the Aegean! We are excited to have an International Performer representing Lakeside and Millville Public Schools!"

"Shout Out to Kelly Gandy for organizing and hosting World War 2 Veteran Richard Young. This activity was featured on SNJ News. For more information click here."
~ Spike Cook, Principal

"Thank you to Jim McCarthy and Robin Carman for a wonderful Senior Class Breakfast. They are providing our culinary students with real-world scenarios while simultaneously serving good food. Thank you!"
~Bridget Borlak, Dept. Chair

"A big Shout Out to The Bilingual Staff at Rieck Avenue !!! Thank you for your support in building connections..... with parents and students, everyday!!!! Great Job!!!!!! Much Appreciation!!!!!"
~ Danette Boone, Vice Principal

"Bacon school’s fourth grade students are learning about percentages. Mrs. Gandy, Mrs. Gant, Mrs. Catlett and Ms. O’Neil have created an activity, “Fraction Gym Stations” to engage students in sports-themed stations to explore and solve problems. Games, such as; golf, basketball, football can toss, wiffle ball bounce, hockey shoot, ring toss were some of the games students competed against. Students were placed in groups and given a data collection sheet where they entered the denominator/total attempts, numerator/successful attempts, and fraction/final outcome. Data from this activity will drive instruction in the introduction of the fractions unit. Everyone had a great learning experience while establishing links between disciplines. Congratulations teachers!"
~ Maggie Colina, Supervisor

"Shout out to Margaret Keefer for her preparation and presentation of Centers and Arts Infusion to our World Language and Fine & Performing Arts Department!"

 "Special Thanks to the Silver Run staff for their support of me in my Day as Principal!
~ Henry Hartman, Supervisor

"The positive feedback from the Resiliency and Trauma Training held by Vanessa Strassner and Chelsea Santiago has been tremendous! Thanks so much for taking the time to present to our staff on such an important component of social and emotional learning. I look forward to working with the team to start moving this forward in our classrooms and school cultures and curriculum."
~ Steve Matusz, Exec. Dir. Special Services



Regards,

Dr. G.



Dr. David N. Gentile

Superintendent of Schools

“Lead Learner”

@drgentile_mps (Twitter)

856-327-6001


Published by Spike Cook, Millville, NJ