Secaucus Middle School

Dear SMS Community,

Welcome to February! This month, we embrace the excitement of new opportunities and meaningful connections. As the heart of winter unfolds, it’s a joy to witness our students’ enthusiasm in the classroom and beyond. Their energy reminds us that every day is a chance to learn, grow, and inspire one another.

In February, we celebrate the strength of our community through special events and activities that encourage collaboration and creativity. From classroom projects to school-wide initiatives, our students continue to amaze us with their curiosity and determination.

Here are a few key dates and events to mark on your calendars:

• February 4, 2025: Multilingual (ML) Virtual Information Night @ 6:00 p.m.
• February 5, 2025: MP 2 Report Cards ~ Realtime Open for Viewing
• February 14, 2025: 8th Grade Picture Day Retakes & Class Photo
• February 17, 2025 - February 21, 2025: School Closed
• February 26, 2025: 7th Grade Field Trip

As always, thank you for being such an essential part of our school’s success. Your support and involvement make all the difference as we work together to create a dynamic and nurturing environment for our students.

Marking period 2 Report Card grades will be available to view on the Realtime Parent Portal beginning February 5th. Please log in to the below link to see your child's grades.

https://www.fridayparentportal.com/portal/security/login.cfm.

Attention Parents: Please login to the parent portal for each child and CLICK GRADES. Then click the box in the MP1 column to acknowledge that you agree to the additional Google Services Access Agreement. Access to these additional services will not be available to students without parental or guardian approval starting March 1, 2025.

A huge thank you to Blankets for Hope for generously donating blankets for the Secaucus Middle School National Junior Honor Society's Kindness Workshop and service project! 💙

On January 15, we held our Kindness Workshop and donated these blankets to the Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center in Hackensack, NJ. These blankets will provide warmth and comfort to homeless clients as they transition into semi-permanent housing.

📸 Check out the photos from our workshop and the blanket donation!

We are so grateful for Blankets for Hope and their commitment to spreading kindness. Thank you for your continued partnership and support of SMS NJHS and our annual service project! ✨

A big congratulations to 6th-grade student Aryan Bansal, the Secaucus Middle School Spelling Bee Champion! 🎉 Aryan will proudly represent SMS at the Hudson County Bee in February! 🌟

Shoutout to our talented first runner-up, Jaden Ortiz, and all our incredible competitors and class winners. Your hard work and dedication were truly inspiring! 💪✨

Our 7th grade STEM class has been hard at work building and testing wind turbines for their final project! 🌬️💡 This exciting culmination of their marking period brought together all the skills they’ve learned, including:

🔹 Drawing technical blueprints (by hand ✏️ or with TinkerCAD 💻)
🔹 Applying the engineering design process 🛠️
🔹 Exploring green technologies to generate electricity 🌱⚡

We’re so proud of their creativity, problem-solving, and innovation! 🧠🚀 As they prepare to move on to their next elective next week, we can’t wait to see how they carry these skills forward! 👏👏

The Environmental Club had the privilege of hosting guest speaker Isaiah Leech, the Watershed Ambassador for the Hackensack River Watershed. 🌎 Isaiah wowed students with an interactive 3D diorama that brought the concept of watersheds to life!

Through engaging demonstrations, he explained the effects of point-source and non-point-source pollution on our watersheds and shared practical ways we can all help protect these vital ecosystems.

Let’s work together to keep our waters clean and thriving for future generations! 🌱✨

On Tuesday, January 7th, Secaucus Middle School students attended a special NJ Transit assembly focused on public transportation safety. 🛤️

A representative from NJ Transit shared essential tips, including:
✅ Avoiding the dangers of walking on train tracks
✅ Staying behind safety barriers while waiting for trains

This informative session equipped students with the tools they need to travel safely and confidently throughout New Jersey. 🌟 Let’s stay safe and smart on the tracks!

We were thrilled to welcome Kayt and John from the Hudson County Improvement Authority as guest speakers on January 8th! They shared valuable insights on green shopping and taught us how to make eco-friendly choices when buying what we want and need without harming our planet. 🌱🛒

A big shout-out to our SMS students Lesly Ruiz, Kaitlyn Jiang, and Allison Loyola, who showcased their knowledge and won prizes by answering game questions correctly! 🎉👏

Thank you, Kayt and John, for inspiring us to make greener choices!

🌟 Congratulations to our January Patriot's of the Month! Keep up the great work! 🎉👏

6th grade: Kaitlyn Jiang

7th grade: Leilani Lebron

8th grade: Esther Sonett Perozo

The SMS National Junior Honor Society is offering Open Tutoring Sessions! https://edl.io/n1994535

On January 15th, Secaucus Middle School hosted an incredible Cultural Fair filled with learning, fun, and delicious treats! 🌟

Students enjoyed:
💃 A Salsa lesson from Krystal Madan of KAM Dance Academy
🎨 A cultural pride craft
🧠 A world trivia game
🗣️ A language learning station
🍴 And sampling international snacks

A huge thank you to Krystal for sharing her passion for dance and to Mayor Gonnelli and Rachel Mroz for donating some of the tasty treats! 🌎

Celebrate Secaucus Middle School’s Class of 2025 with a lawn sign! $35 each, order by April 30

https://edl.io/n2028504

The SMS PTO would like to ask for your help for their spring fundraiser Tricky Tray! You can help by donating cash, gifts, gift cards, or by purchasing items from their Amazon gift wish list! The Tricky Tray will be held on May 4th at SMS. Thank you in advance for your support!

https://edl.io/n2020659

The SMS PTO is holding a Bang Cookies fundraiser from February 2-16.The sale is fully digital and cookie orders are shipped directly to you. The cookies are made fresh in Jersey City and are organic, and can be frozen and quickly reheated in the microwave anytime you want a treat. The PTO, and the students of SMS, receive 40% of all sales so please order some cookies for yourself and your Valentine!

https://fundraise.bangcookies.com/collections/secaucus-middle-school-pto-1721738270051

Any questions can be emailed to secaucusmspto@gmail.com. Thank you!!!

All students are reminded to be in proper dress code each and every day which includes wearing the proper bottoms (khaki pants or sweatpants with the appropriate logo). Please see below for a point of reference.

The middle school main office is also collecting gently used uniform items. All donations are greatly appreciated!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Best regards,

Dr. Danielle Garzon

Secaucus Middle School Principal

Mr. Christopher Innis

Secaucus Middle School Assistant Principal