THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the Middle School’s Student Government’s annual canned food drive, which concluded last month! Your contributions will positively impact those in need.
The two classes that collected in the most canned goods have earned an ice cream sundae party, sponsored by Stewart's Ice Cream.
•First place goes to Bailey Riley's seventh-grade Period 1 science class, who collected in 237 canned goods!
•Second place goes to Joanna Dolan's sixth-grade Period 2 English class who collected 170 canned goods.
All the collected items have been donated to Minisink Cares.
Middle School families: We'd love to see as many middle school students involved as possible! Ask your student about the "Operation GIVEBACK flyer" that was sent home! Students will be making holiday cards for veterans, scarves for the Middletown Warming Station, pine cone bird feeders and ornaments for a local nursing home.! Please email Ann Friedle at afriedle@minisink.com with questions or if you'd like to contribute to this effort! Registration deadline is Dec. 11!
The sixth-grade faculty recently organized a "Snack & Share Soiree" to celebrate a successful first marking period!
It was a great way to recognize that beginning Middle School is a huge deal while reinforcing to students that putting one’s best effort in all that one does takes great responsibility, which was also the school’s PBIS character trait for November. Students contributed snack items from a suggested list and had a great time. Equally important was they worked on a group project focusing on which characteristics create lasting friendships. Take a look! THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this gathering’s success!
Soiree, pronounced "swah-RAY," is a French word. “Soir” means "evening" in French, and soiree is literally an "evening party" or social gathering, especially one held for a particular purpose. In this instance, students had their own version of an afternoon soiree.
The Intermediate School’s Girls on the Run (GOTR) program has been quite busy this fall! In addition to training, the group has been participating in lessons and activities that build confidence and character. For its community project, the IS GOTR collected Thanksgiving food items which was recently delivered to the soup kitchen in Middletown for families in need. The girls also recently completed a 5K run at Rockland Lake State Park! Well-done to all!
SUCH FUN! Take a peek at the High School Art Club's "Paint & Cider" fundraiser, where $200 was raised to support student scholarships! This group did a fantastic job with its first-ever fundraising event and you can see a great time was had by all! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
The district is hosting an important program on teen mental health and bullying/cyberbullying prevention for parents, led by nationally recognized author and speaker Tom Thelen, on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium.
READ MORE: https://www.minisink.com/article/1887697
It’s a huge deal to qualify for and participate in State Competition! Please join us in congratulating Senior Briana Foote, who represented Minisink Valley and Section IX with distinction and finished in19th place overall in the 50m freestyle (18th in the Federation) and 21st place overall in the 100m butterfly (13th in the Federation) in the recent NYSPHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championship! She jumped multiple places up from her original predicted seed!
We always love it when alumni return to speak to our students!
The High School launched its inaugural Science Speakers Series on Nov. 26, where Minisink Valley graduates who excelled in science, graduated college, and transitioned to the workforce come in and speak to students who are enrolled in the college level science classes.
Thank you to Class of 2019 alumnus Martin Alijaj, who spoke to over 60 students today about his education, work experiences and answered questions from students.
Martin received his master’s degree in robotics and bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also a teaching assistant for select computer science courses. He was also part of an engineering club called Penn Electric Racing, where members would build completely electric race cars from scratch every year.
Martin also completed two internships in California: In 2021 at Tesla in San Diego, and in 2022 for e Apple in Cupertino. After graduating from UPenn in 2023, he moved to the Bay Area in California and now works full-time as an electrical engineer at Apple. ‘
More alumni speakers are planned. Please join us in thanking Martin for taking the time to speak to students and show them the wonderful possibilities that await them in their futures with hard work and determination
BUZZ! BUZZ! Sally Mankoo's ES kindergarteners, like other district kindergarteners, have been exploring the fascinating process of pollination through a fun and hands-on craft activity.
As part of her class’s studies, students learned how bees play an important role in helping flowers grow by transferring pollen from one flower to another.
To mimic this process, each child was tasked to use his/her imagination to become a “bee.” Using a pipe cleaner "bee," students dipped their “bee” into “pollen” (yellow chalk) and transferred it to another flower.
Students also had the chance the students practiced fine motor skills and they also learned new vocabulary like pollen, nectar, and pollination, and gained a better understanding of how bees help our environment.
Teaching kindergarteners about bees transferring pollen is important because it helps them understand how plants reproduce, the vital role bees play in our ecosystem by pollinating flowers which produce fruits and vegetables we eat, and encourages a sense of environmental stewardship by appreciating the importance of these small creatures for our food supply.
ES first-graders recently enjoyed a "Popcorn and PJ" day, with rotating visits to meet with all first-grade teachers to do all kinds of activities: Making hand turkeys, "Fall Bingo," "Thanksgiving Mystery Fun," drawing turkeys, bead activities and more, with popcorn and drinks supplied by the ES PTO during video time! Thank you to everyone who played a role in today's fun and success!
Seventh-grade Spanish classes completed "Thankful Feathers" by writing what they are thankful for in Spanish!
The students wrote "Yo doy gracias por..." (I give thanks for...) and contributed their feathers to a Thanksgiving Bulletin Board "Damos gracias por..." (we give thanks for).
Each student listed at least two items they are thankful for in Spanish and created an illustration.
Teacher's Assistants and Decorations Committee members helped put the bulletin board together! ¡Bien hecho!
Class of 2025 families: As a follow-up to emails sent to parents/students and information provided to students in the Class of 2025 Google classroom,...a friendly remember, it's time to order your student's cap and gown! Order by Sunday, Dec. 1 to avoid paying a late fee!
THE TRADITION CONTINUES!
Now in its 25th YEAR, the Intermediate School Fifth-Grade held its annual Thanksgiving luncheon on Nov. 26!
Fifth-grade teacher Mike Conklin offered comments before the luncheon began reminding everyone about the importance of being thankful, kind and generous and that there's always something to be thankful for. He also noted he believed they would remember this day during the rest of their school careers as well.
The luncheon was made possible due to the kindness and generosity of parents, faculty and staff who provided all turkeys, hams, side dishes and desserts and related treats to have a delicious hot Thanksgiving meal!
THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the luncheon's success. Everyone had a great time eating and socializing...and they were very well-fed! SEE MORE photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD
Jenna Conklin’s High School chemistry students recently completed a “Flame Test” lab during class. Do you remember this from your Chemistry class --- When electrons gain energy (in this case with the fire from the Bunsen burner) they move to an outer orbital of an atom, which is called the “excited state.” When the electrons come back down from the excited state, they emit energy in the form of light. This is usually a quick process, but in this instance, students elongated the color by saturating a wooden dowel in a solution, which allows for a longer burn. In the instance for the Flame test, this is visible light --- or colored light. Every element has its own distinct color, meaning one can determine an element from its characteristic flame! This is the same chemistry behind the color of fireworks, or the "color changing campfire" packs found in stores. Green fireworks are usually made from copper salts, Purple/lilac fireworks are made from potassium salts and red fireworks are usually strontium!
As part of the recent Otisville K-2 Quarter 1 Awards Ceremony, K-2 students were treated to a special performance of the Aseop’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Guest performers third-grade teacher Bryon Imbarrato narrated the fable, with musical accompaniment by Music teachers Maria Fenfert on the French horn and Sklyer Klein on piano. What a creative way to impart a lesson! In the fable "The Tortoise and the Hare," a boastful hare challenges a slow-moving tortoise to a race, confident in his superior speed. However, the hare becomes complacent, stops to take a nap during the race, and ends up losing to the tortoise who steadily continued moving without stopping, illustrating the moral that "slow and steady wins the race." Aesop was a Greek fabulist and former slave credited with inventing the genre we now call fables. He caught the attention of many ancient Greek poets, playwrights and historians with his stories. Aesop's fables are intended to be told to children. The fables’ characters are generally animals with human characteristics, and the stories provide an entertaining way to impart life lessons to young people.
Motivational speaker, former Harlem Globetrotters player and eight-time Guinness record holder Corey “The Dribbler” Rich visited the Intermediate School yesterday, Nov. 25, for two character education assemblies showcasing his very cool basketball talents...which often included students and faculty! Take a peek at the fun Most important: As Corey spoke demonstrated his skills, he spoke to students about the importance of working together with their “team,” treating others like you would like to be treated and the importance of working hard to achieve goals. His incredible ball-handling skills include dribbling six basketballs at once! Cory has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, ESPN First Take, Comcast Sportsnet, Fox News and is widely considered the “World’s Greatest Dribbler!” Along with performing his amazing talents at NBA Halftime Shows, Corey travels the country inspiring students with his character education message: The 4Rs for success: Respect, responsibility, ready to learn and reading is power. Character education programs take place in all our buildings throughout the year. THANK YOU to the IS PTO for sponsoring this important program!
Elementary School kindergarteners have been practicing gratitude and learning about what it means to be thankful. Since the beginning of the school year, they've been celebrating new friendships and understanding the importance of being thankful. Today, Nov. 25, they celebrated their progress with a Gratitude Walk, enjoying the crisp weather and sunshine with friends....a perfect activity to do during this season of thanksgiving! Plus: Principal Deborah Gallant made sure everyone knew how grateful she was for them by giving them special sparkly stickers to wear on their walk around the bus loop!
Imagination and physical education fun : Anthony Licata’s ES physical education students can “bearly” contain their excitement!
Students have been playing "Hibernation Preparation" in physical education class! They’ve been told to pretend they’re bears in a forest trying to stock up on food for the upcoming winter.
There’s an imaginary river down the middle of the gym and the students do “rock, paper, scissors” with a “bear” classmate from the other side of the river. If they win, they take a beanbag “fish” from the river and take it back to their "storage den." But! If they lose, they go to the "workout zone" and do 10 jumping jacks.
Throughout the game the required movements would change. For example, in Round 1, the bears would jump to the river; in Round 2, they’d leap, and in future rounds, they may gallop or jog. The game is designed to help students practice different locomotor and social skills while also being able to use their imagination and have fun!
Kudos to Class of 2025 officers Jon Bublio, president; Ryan Capo, vice president; Salma Hassen, secretary; and Sameer Roopchand, treasurer, who have worked every Varsity football game at the Concession Stand and were able to raise a large amount of money to help support the Senior Class with upcoming events. The officers working on future Senior Class fundraisers, helping the community with holiday food donations and with Minisink Cares. Thank you to everyone who supported and will continue to support their efforts.
Rodney is the classroom pet of Gemma Lyon’s ES second-graders, and he’s clearly living his best, pampered life in this class!
But Rodney is more than just the class’s tortoise. He’s helping students explore and practice their social-emotional skills in class. Students routinely practice how to stay calm and safe while Rodney moves around on the carpet with them. Who wouldn’t want to have a tortoise hang out with them on the carpet? Since Rodney is fairly “new” to the classroom,
Mrs. Lyon talked with students about the emotions Rodney might be feeling at his new school and how even they can have similar emotions. Then, students spoke about how they can best handle similar emotions should they arise.
At the end of every week,a student gets to take RJ (Rodney Junior, the class stuffed “buddy”) for the weekend!
Tortoises can help develop social-emotional skills by providing a calming presence, fostering a sense of responsibility through caretaking, encouraging gentle interactions, and offering a low-demand companionship that can be beneficial for individuals struggling with anxiety or stress, particularly when used as therapy animals in settings like schools or senior homes. Their slow, predictable movements can also be soothing and help with self-regulation.
