LMA March Newsletter
March 2025
Good Morning,
We hope this Newsletter finds you well as we conclude March, and have started Spring with enjoyable outdoor weather! As we move into the final three months of the 2024-2025 academic year, I am filled with immense pride and excitement for the accomplishments we've shared this month, and the opportunities that lie ahead at The Mill.
Some of the proud accomplishments that have taken place at LMA this month include, all 11th grade students successfully completed the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) for ELA and Mathematics. We are proud of the time you spent completing the assessment. Our school community shone brightly at the recent Union County Teens Arts Festival! Not only representing LMA, but the UCESC district is a huge accomplishment for the LMA community. A huge round of applause to our talented students and the dedicated staff who supported them. Your creativity and passion were on full display, showcasing the incredible artistic talent within our school in multiple disciplines! Lastly students and staff all worked hard to get our school recycling program off the ground with a structured system in place.
A huge thank you to all parents/guardians, students and staff who completed the NJ SCI survey this month. Your feedback will be utilized as we continue to refine, and look for ways to improve the overall LMA school climate at LMA.
With the arrival of warmer weather, we are eager to embrace the outdoors and provide our students with more opportunities for enriching experiences beyond the classroom. We are currently planning a variety of outdoor activities and spring celebrations to make these final months memorable and engaging. Stay tuned for details!
As we enter this final stretch, let's continue to support one another, celebrate our successes, and work together to ensure a strong finish to the school year. I am confident that the next three months will be filled with growth, achievement, and joy.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the LMA school community. If there are any questions or concerns, please reach out!
Reed & John
Mr. Soto - RBT
Mr. Soto is an endearing member of our Lamberts Mill Community. He joined us in 2023 as a teacher assistant and then continued to grow and educate himself, mentoring the importance of education to our students, to become a Registered Behavioral Therapist. The students gravitate to him daily as they develop their skills to socially and behaviorally interact within the community. Mr. Soto comes to us with a diverse amount of skills based on his life’s journey. He is a musician with his principal instrument being the drums, even though he also plays the guitar. He is a huge Mets fan, Go Juan Soto! Additionally he is a BMW enthusiast. Mr. Soto uses his communication skills uniquely as he is a prior car salesman. Lastly, he is the proud father of an 8 month year old daughter.
Student voice- "Mr. Soto is so much fun, as even when I am in a bad mood he will bring you to a ten in happiness”- SA
Getting to know Alex C.
LMA is proud to present Alex as our March Student of the Month! Alex has demonstrated significant change in the right direction and more motivation towards his goals here at LMA. Alex has shown great interest in developing a welcoming personality with staff and peers. He has used his art skills to create amazing portraits of LMA personnel! In his free time Alex enjoys riding his bike and participating at a local church. Alex is currently looking to form part of a tennis team.
Alex C is 15 years old and is currently in the 10th grade. He is our first student showcase this month. We took some time to get to know Alex a little better. LMA is very proud of Alex as he continues to strive towards success and has earned all of his points in a week. Read below to get to know a little more about Alex:
What’s your favorite subject?
“I love music. I like US History and Biology.”
What are things that you enjoy?
“Playing tennis and video games, like Minecraft and EU4. I like collecting things like records and neckties.”
What’s your favorite food?
“Italian cuisine”
How have you been earning all of your points consistently for weeks?
“I behaved. I paid attention in class. I’m managing my impulses. I was friendly to peers. I did my assignments, especially on time and I worked hard to get where I am now.”
What are your goals and what keeps you motivated?
“Rewards keep me motivated, such as going to the school store. My goal is to go back to district. Staff have also been supportive and given me interesting, but appropriate assignments, as well as fun”
When you feel frustrated or upset, how have you handled it?
“I’ve called for a time out and speak to clinicians. I’ve also been patient and kept my calm.”
What advice would you give to a student that’s having a tough time?
“If you’re frustrated, just breathe. If you’re having a bad day, there will be better days. If the sun is not shining, it will shine another day.”
Fun fact: I like 80’s and 90’s music.
Ms. Schneider's Music Class
This March, music students focused on women in music. During class various woman musicians were played during the SEL music appreciation, and class discussions were had. All students then found a woman musician they thought to be influential to research, listen to their songs, and share with their peers.
Mrs. Miller initiates Cirlces in the Social Studies Room
LMA students worked on a collaborative Women’s History Month Project in Social Studies and English Language Arts. In Social Studies, students researched an influential woman and created a Google Slides presentation about them. Students researched background information, interesting facts, and the positive impact the woman had on society in Social Studies. Students used the information to then write an essay in English class.
World History students have started to work on Community Building Circles in class. Students are able to build upon the skills they have gained while doing Circles in WIN class. Students are able to use their voice to express their opinions on various historical topics and issues. It has been a growing experience for students to express themselves and trust in the process of Circles. Circles has allowed students to create conversations and connections in a trusted environment and they are excited to continue Circles throughout the year.
Student voice - “In my opinion, we are being respectful, the questions are fantastic, and the group overall is getting to know each other better. I think we need more Circles in all classes.” - I.W. (9th Grade)
Updates from Ms. Matusz in Science
We have initiated a recycling program at LMA. Students will be involved in collecting plastic bottles and aluminum cans in an effort to have our school become more environmentally focused. We will be discussing how to turn our previous garden into a sitting area/outdoor classroom. When the weather finally gets better, we are going to plant flowers and hang bird feeders in this area.
All Science classes are researching various women in the science field and will complete a project on the scientist of their choice.
Earth Science class will soon be exploring the changing landscape of the Earth and plate tectonics.
Environmental Science class will be exploring world population, environmental impact, consumption and our impact on the environment.
Biology is finishing up studying the human body systems and will move on to the study of genetics. We will be doing a lab to discover genotype and phenotype.
Marine Biology students are studying the life and organisms in the open ocean and human impact.
Chemistry will be delving into chemical reactions after we complete hybrid orbitals.
At Lamberts Mill Academy, students and staff have begun an inaugural recycling initiative. This initiative is yet another example of a student led experience that provides evidence that this year is different; our school has launched an innovative recycling initiative led by the dedicated students, staff and custodial department. With a mission to foster environmental responsibility, we have collectively transformed our daily routines into impactful actions.
The initiative kicked off during a school community meeting where LMA students, LMA Principal, Reed Leibfried, Supervisor of Instruction, Mr. John Lopreiato, and LMA Science Teacher, Ms. Dawn Matusz, shared our vision for the program. Mr. Leibfried introduced the initiative as he passionately spoke about the importance of recycling in combating climate change and reducing waste. He emphasized that every student and staff member plays a crucial role in this effort. Blue, color coded recycling cans were strategically placed in classrooms and throughout the school campus.
To ensure everyone understood the initiative, Ms. Matusz and student council members, presented to all LMA students during Science classes. The enthusiasm was contagious, and soon, the school community is rallying around the cause.
Each and every Friday, the administrative team shared the progress that Ms. Matusz and students compiled through tracking the data of the plastic and aluminum that is being recycled. We will continue to share success stories of how much waste has been diverted from landfills, showing the tangible impact of the initiative for the rest of the academic school year.
One of LMA’s future goals is to organize a friendly competition among classes to see who could recycle the most. This goal is an effort to foster camaraderie and a collective sense of purpose amongst the LMA student community.
Mr. Leibfried is confident that this LMA initiative will continue to gain momentum, with the hopes of LMA becoming a model for sustainable priorities. Students are being taught that recycling is not just a chore but an essential part of life, instilling values of responsibility and teamwork.
By the end of this school year, our students will know that their hard work has made a lasting impact—not just on the school, but on the hearts and minds of every student and staff member.
the LMA recycling initiative is more than just a program; it will become a movement that echoes throughout the school community, reminding everyone that together, we can make a difference for our planet, one recycled item at a time.
New Point lends a hand to the community
