The tradition continues! The High School Marching Band and the Middle School Band again represented the district with distinction yesterday, May 27, in the Unionville Memorial Day Parade!
It was a gorgeous day to remember those who gave their lives in service to our nation, and the district was honored to be a part of the events of the afternoon.
This included a stop at the Unionville Cemetery, where students Vincent Galligan and Drew Jashembowski and played solemn taps. Senior Audrey Guido was the student speaker and guest speaker was County Executive Steve Neuhaus.
District kindergarten students, like Tiffany Guareno’s ES kindergarteners, are learning about “teen” numbers. They’ve have already mastered counting up to 20 and are now working on counting out groups of 11 through 20!
In order to do this important work, they’re being taught to model a “teen” number as “10 ones” and “some more ones.” During this recent lesson, they had the opportunity to visit a rekenrek (a rekenrek is a counting frame, often used in math education, that consists of two rows of beads), a beans and egg carton and a cubes station. Students were given a “teen” number and had to represent their number as “10 ones” and “some more ones” at each station! Take a peek!
Learning "teen" numbers (11-19) in kindergarten is crucial for building a solid math foundation. It helps children understand the concept of place value, which is essential for later mathematical concepts like addition, subtraction, and understanding larger numbers. It also helps them develop number sense, which involves understanding the relationships between numbers and quantities.
Kelly Manganiello’s and Tara Frawley’s Otisville fifth-graders, like all district fifth-graders, are currently learning about The Renaissance. As part of their discussions, their students been researching different sculptures and artists, including Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (known simply as Michelangelo) --- the sculptor, painter, architect, and poet from the Italian High Renaissance ---and his painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
In a very unique class activity, students simulated painting like Michelangelo via an under-the-table mural activity. They taped paper underneath their desks, laid on the floor and created artwork experiencing the similar challenges that Michelangelo did.
Michelangelo is most celebrated for the Pietà, the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes, and the David. These works, along with his architectural designs like the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica, have cemented his legacy as a true Renaissance master.
•Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is renowned for its stunning frescoes depicting scenes from the Old Testament. Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling between 1508 and 1512.
•Michelangelo was primarily a sculptor, not a painter, and initially resisted the commission.
•The frescoes cover a massive area, with the ceiling painting alone spanning 12,000 square feet.
•The Sistine Chapel is the site of the papal conclave, where cardinals gather to elect a new pope.
THAT'S A WRAP! The first season of Unified Basketball ended yesterday and featured a Disney theme! What a wonderful season for this team! Head Coach Theresa Uhelsky and Volunteer Coach Kara Anderson-Winchell send their appreciation and gratitude to everyone who has supported this team and contributed to making these games fun and memorable!
The Varsity Boys Tennis Team’s seniors were honored at their recent Senior Night for their many contributions to the team’s success! Congratulations and best wishes to Liam Ordway and Dylan Percy!
Thank you to members of American Legion George Smith Post 1607 in Unionville and American Legion Auxiliary George Smith Unit 1607 for visiting the Intermediate School yesterday, May 21, to speak to all fifth-grade classes about the history and meaning of Memorial Day and what they did when they were active duty service personnel. Veterans also assisted in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance during morning announcements and even taught some fifth-graders the proper way to salute.
Thank you for visiting, and most importantly, thank you for your service!
DATE CHANGE! Due to weather, the Track Scholarship Benefit at Rita's on Dolson Avenue is now SATURDAY, MAY 24 from 5 to 8 p.m. Stop by for a refreshing ice or custard and a portion of your money spent will go to the Tyrell J. Audian Memorial Scholarship at the High School!
TJ was a 2019 graduate and dedicated his life to our nation by enlisting in the Marines right out of high school. Tragically, TJ suddenly passed away during a training exercise with his unit. A track scholarship in his honor has been created in collaboration with High School yearbook. Please consider supporting this worthy cause!
Last evening's K-12 Art Show was beyond beautiful! It was bright, colorful, unique creative and full of pride by everyone who attended! We hope you were there!
Take a peek at some of our proud student-artists who were thrilled to show their works of art. Did you know that approximately 1,000 students had at least one piece of art on exhibit? THANK YOU to our awesome art faculty in our five buildings for their work to stage such a gorgeous exhibit! We appreciate you! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD
All district kindergarten classes have recent spent time learning about colonial townspeople. As part of their studies, Jessica Kahn’s and Julia Ferguson’s Otisville kindergarteners made butter following how colonialists did! Students shook a jar of heavy whipping cream and watched it transform into butter, later tasting their creation with rolls!
Making butter in kindergarten offers a hands-on, engaging way for young students to learn about colonial life. By replicating the process of making butter, they can understand how colonists relied on their own resources, specifically dairy products, to provide essential food. This activity helps them grasp the daily tasks and responsibilities of colonial families, highlighting how they prepared food that is now readily available in stores.
In addition to the social studies/history component of making butter, there’s science involved, too! In this activity, these young students learned about the characteristics of liquids and solids. There are fat molecules suspended in the milk liquid. Briskly agitating the heavy whipping cream causes the fat molecules to collide with each other and eventually stick together, making butter!
HOW COOL IS THIS?
Several Varsity Flag Football team members recently attended the New York Giants’ “Heart of a Giants” Football and Flag Football Clinic. Former Giants linebacker and team captain Jonathan Casillas worked with the attending student athletes!
Along with physical training, it was also an education clinic that taught participants about important sports topics, including keeping athletes safe, mindfulness, emergency action preparedness, warming-up, and more. These workshops were presented by Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and USE Football officials and others HSS is the official hospital and doctors for the New York Giants organization.
This past fall, Senior and Varsity Flag football quarterback Vanessa Tepper was selected as USA Football’s 2024 "Heart of Giant," with the New York Giants organization announcing her selection at a special, surprise ceremony.
Sixth-graders recently had a fantastic class trip to the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament in Lyndhurst, N.J.! Their trip supported their Social Studies work focusing on the Middle Ages by providing an immersive and interactive learning experience! It was a great opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge to a real-life understanding of the period through this great dining and theatrical performance opportunity. Take a look! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD
•The medieval era, often called the Middle Ages or the Dark Ages, began around 476 A.D. following a great loss of power throughout Europe by the Roman Empire. The Middle Ages span roughly 1,000 years, ending between 1400 and 1450. Though, in Spain, 1492 is considered the end of their medieval period and the beginning of the modern era.
•The Middle Ages changed the landscape of Europe through: A surge in Christianity leading to the building of great cathedrals; clearing of large tracts of land by peasants; settling of new towns and villages; and the building of great castles by local nobility The period was one of human expansion, centralization and great political upheaval and violence, resulting in the foundation of many modern European countries.
IMPROV FUN!
The High School and Middle School drama clubs recently gathered for a special joint “Yes and…” Improv workshop, led by teachers Teresia Parker, Brendan O’Brien and alumnus Haley Parker who are members of Richmond, Virginia’s ComedySportz performance team! They learned new skills, made new friends and had a lot of fun.
“Through a series of activities and improvisational games students bolstered their dramatic art skills and learned life lessons,” said Mrs. Parker. “They learned how to think on their feet, actively listen, trust their teammates, and experience the positive outcomes of saying ‘yes and...’ while building on someone else's ideas. They learned the importance of staying present and recognized that ‘mistakes’ can be gifts.
In the theater world, improvisation, or "improv," is a form of live theatre in which the plot, characters, and dialogue of a game, scene, or story are made up in the moment. The method has been used for different purposes in theatrical history.
Otisville K-5 students are taking advantage of today’s gorgeous weather to create some spectacular “chalk art” art, which includes messages of kindness, to welcome voters when they visit the school tomorrow to vote for the proposed school budget and Board of Education candidates.
What was also a fun, educational experience for them , arranged by librarian Erin Andersen, was they took part in a “walk and read” activity inspired by Bill Thompson’s book called “Chalk.” His book is a wordless picture book which tells the story of three children who find a bag of magical chalk at the playground on a rainy day. Their drawings come to life, which seems great when a drawing of the sun stops the rain, but is scary when a dinosaur stalks them. However, a drawing of a rain cloud inside a play tube brings the rain back and dissolves the frightening creature . What a great visual and outdoor storytelling opportunity!
THANK YOU to everyone who played a role in the success of the Elementary School's annual Transportation Day, held this past Friday ! Our youngest students had the wonderful opportunity to explore these vehicles which make so many important contributions to our communities...plus meet a K9 dog, too! It was a great educational opportunity! Take a look! As always, we're grateful to the Elementary School PTO for organizing a wonderful experience for our young students! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD
Congratulations to the four students who are winners of the Middle School Library’s recent Bookmark Design Contest!
•Eighth-Grade: Gabby DeNonno and Lucia Garcia
•Seventh-Grade: Alina Barone and Lily Mausling
Their winning designs will be professionally printed and made available for people to take from the library.
The Varsity Unified Basketball team's recent game, featuring a 1980s theme, was "totally tubular!" Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer on the team and made the game so memorable!
The Elementary School team completed kindergarten screening earlier this week! They met some adorable incoming students who were proud to share what they know!
The purpose of a screening is to ensure a child is developmentally ready to start kindergarten and may determine whether any additional classroom support may be needed. Screeners look at basic kindergarten readiness skills, including: language, cognitive, gross and fine motor skills. It’s also a great way for us to meet our new students! PLUS: Our soon-to-be students also got a chance to take a short ride on a school bus…how fun is that?
CAN YOU HELP?
Mark your calendar, ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!
Giving back has never been cooler! Join us at Rita's on Dolson Avenue on Thursday, May 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. for a refreshing ice or custard and a portion of your money spent will go to the Tyrell J. Audian Memorial Scholarship at the High School!
TJ was a 2019 graduate and dedicated his life to our nation by enlisting in the Marines right out of high school. Tragically, TJ suddenly passed away during a training exercise with his unit. A track scholarship in his honor has been created in collaboration with High School yearbook. Please consider supporting of this worthy cause!
Kimberly McDermott’s ES second-graders and Lindsey McKernan’s ES kindergarteners recently gathered to teach their young students about composting with worms!
Mrs. McKernan recently taught a unit on taking care of the earth to her kindergarten students, where they learned to reduce, reuse and recycle. To culminate the unit, Mrs. McDermott's second-grade class invited Mrs. McKernan's kindergarteners to learn about creating a compost bin ...complete with live red worms!
How fun is this? The second-graders took turns teaching the little kindergarten students facts about composting with red worms. Then, these kindergarteners got a chance to hold the worms! (Who doesn’t love holding worms?)
Finally, Mrs. McDermott shared some red worms with Mrs. McKernan and the kindergarten students started their own composting bin!
What a great intra-school STEM lesson which also teaches students about environmental responsibility, the natural cycles of life, and how to reduce waste. It provides a hands-on learning experience that helps them understand decomposition, soil health, and the importance of recycling.
Sara Casillo’s and Mike Sirico's IS fifth-graders also had some recent goat fun when Minisink Valley parent Erin Ferraro brought her baby goat for them to meet….and take photos with. Who wouldn’t want a photo taken with a baby goat? Take a peek!
•The most recent 2022 statistics say that at that time, there were more than 1.1 billion goats living in the world, of which 150 million were in India.
• Goats were one of the first animals domesticated by humans, around 9,000 years ago, and they are known for their intelligence and agility, especially their ability to climb. They also have four-chambered stomachs, similar to cows, which helps them digest roughage.
