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Say Cheeze Pediatric Dentistry Visits out Preschoolers
Say Cheez Pediatric Dentistry is teaching our preschoolers about dental health and providing dental checkups for our students. Here, one student practices proper brushing techniques using a fun puppet to reach those tricky spots. Located in Paramus, Say Cheez offers a variety of dental services for children.
Early Childhood Play Date
Discover the parks of Ridgefield Park with your preschooler! Join us for our second playdate at McGowan Park on April 4th. Each meetup begins after school at 3:15PM. Come explore a new park, meet other families, and maybe even make a lifelong friend. This is an informal gathering, and everyone is welcome!
English Language Arts at Grant School with Mrs. Gerard
The fifth and sixth grade students at Grant School experienced their own version of March Madness in ELA classes this month. Students listened to a read-aloud of Crossover, a basketball-themed novel by author Kwame Alexander. This reading opportunity was provided through the NEA's Read Across America program.
The NEA offered five sessions featuring Kwame Alexander reading his novel, which follows the daily experiences of main character Josh and his brother, both on and off the basketball court. This verse novel presentation was enhanced by a musician who played along with the poetry's rhythms.
Following this, students read Kobe Bryant's Dear Basketball letter and Michael Jordan's Dear Young Athletes letter. Students wrote essays analyzing the perspectives presented in each letter. They also strengthened their figurative language skills by categorizing basketball-related sentences according to various figurative language techniques.
Read Across America Week at Lincoln School
March 3rd–7th was Read Across America Week. This special week was a fantastic celebration at Lincoln School, beginning the Friday before with a Read-A-Thon assembly featuring masked readers. This high-energy assembly was truly enjoyable, with students attempting to identify the costumed readers.
Read Across America Week included numerous additional activities, such as DEAR time, guest speakers, a principal bedtime story, 5th and 6th graders reading to younger students, assemblies, theme days, and a bookmark contest. Our bookmark contest winners included Vania, Shaila, Maya, Connor, Aleayah, and Emily.
One assembly focused on anti-bullying, while another featured author Aya Shabarek of The Way We Read. During her presentation, Ms. Shabarek demonstrated what Braille was to the students. One of Lincoln's new initiatives this year was "One School, One Book," which involved mystery teachers reading a book over multiple sessions. We hope this engaging week helps foster a love of reading. A sincere thank you to the PTA and staff for supporting the week's events.
Spring Activities in Occupational and Physical Therapy
In OT and PT, Mrs. Davidson, Ms. Haystrand, Mrs. McKenna, and Ms. Graves are ready to "march" right into spring! Students made rainbows with Fruit Loops to work on their pinching and gluing skills. They colored and cut yarn to make leprechauns. They also enjoyed spring-themed obstacle courses, racing across balance beams with teddy bears and sorting them by color. Students played with toy frogs, tossing them back into the pond. Everyone is looking forward to warm weather and more engaging activities in OT and PT.
NJEA Enriches Kindergarten Libraries
In celebration of Read Across NJ Week, the Ridgefield Park Education Association applied for and was awarded a $500 grant from the NJEA. With these funds, the RPEA purchased two books for every Kindergartner in the district and added four books to each Kindergarten classroom library. Each student received personal copies of How to Catch a Class Pet and Llama Llama Red Pajamas to take home. The RPEA is appreciative of this generous grant that helps foster a love of reading among our youngest learners!
Art Class at Roosevelt School with Ms. Neabore
In celebration of Black History Month in February, art classes drew inspiration from some of the most notable Black contemporary artists. Students explored the bold styles of artists including Hebru Brantley, Charles McGee, and Alma Thomas, who was the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of Art. Students channeled their creativity to create artwork inspired by these groundbreaking artists. This project offered a meaningful way to celebrate Black History Month and discover how art can tell stories that resonate with everyone.
Updates from Mrs. Argila and Mr. Umana at Roosevelt School
Mrs. Argila's fifth graders are studying American Indian government and trade in Social Studies class. Through discussions about various trade routes among Native American tribes, students are becoming proficient at using desk atlases to locate these routes throughout North America and Central America. In ELA, the class continues exploring nonfiction and effective strategies for gathering and comprehending presented information. Recently, students have been reading and comparing different passages on similar topics. They have also been practicing how to interpret graphs and charts. Students are discovering the significance of visual elements within texts and how these components enhance textual meaning.
Mr. Umana's fifth graders are developing precision in measurement using rulers. Students are learning to measure to 1/16th of an inch and in both centimeters and millimeters. This foundational skill will support them when calculating areas of two-dimensional objects (squares or rectangles) and three-dimensional objects (books or tissue boxes). These practical skills may benefit future interior designers in the class.
Music Class at Roosevelt School with Ms. Bungert
First and second graders are starting with songs that have a SEL (social and emotional learning) component. The song "Hero" highlights ways students can act like heroes, and "Check it Out" focuses on respect.
Third and fourth graders will stretch their vocal ranges with the Beatles song "Blackbird" and Encanto's "Surface Pressure." The song "Blackbird" utilizes head voice, so students will dedicate significant time to practicing these light, high notes. The song "Surface Pressure" explores the full vocal range. Third graders will also perform on their recorders, and fourth graders will work on two-part songs.
Fifth and sixth graders will sing "Defying Gravity" from the popular movie and musical Wicked. They will also perform a medley from Hamilton, featuring both singing and rapping. Selena's hit "Baila Esta Cumbia" will allow students to enhance both their musical and Spanish language skills!
The band promises an excellent performance with various musical styles for your enjoyment. The students look forward to seeing everyone on May 20th!
Congratulations to Dr. Christine Lee!
With great news, we are pleased to announce that Christine Lee, a second grade in-class support teacher at Lincoln School, has recently earned her doctorate. This represents a significant achievement. Below are a few remarks from her:
"I grew up knowing two things for sure—my parents taught me to work hard for everything and to aim high. I wasn’t always the “academic” type in school, but I’ve always loved books and the magic of reading. Fast forward a couple of decades, and with my kids grown, I figured why not go for it? Going back to school after 20 years was definitely intimidating (turns out homework doesn’t get any easier with age) but I dove in and earned my Doctor in Education in Reading and Literacy from Capella University. I chose this path because I believe reading isn’t just a subject in school; it’s the key to everything. If you can read and understand, you can learn, grow, and succeed. Teaching kids to read and actually make sense of what they’re reading is my passion, and I feel lucky I work in a great school community and try to make a difference, guiding students one book and one chapter at a time."
Athletic Director Mr. Raimondi voted NJSIAA rep
Scarlet Athletic Director Mr. Michael Raimondi has been elected to represent Bergen County on the NJSIAA Executive Committee. This committee possesses the authority to enact or amend the Association's Bylaws and Rules and Regulations. It is also responsible for supervising the management of NJSIAA-sanctioned state tournaments. We are confident Mr. Raimondi will effectively represent not only Ridgefield Park but all of our Bergen County colleagues at the State level.
Hello from the Ridgefield Park Public Library!
Dear Ridgefield Park Readers,
This is Omar Khan, Director of the Ridgefield Park Public Library, with our monthly update on the wonderful resources available at your local library.
In addition to our extensive collection of books and engaging programs, we proudly offer New York Times All Access—a comprehensive digital subscription that provides complete access to current news stories and an extensive archive dating back to the newspaper's founding. This invaluable resource is perfect for history enthusiasts and students working on research papers.
Your NYT All Access subscription also includes popular games like Wordle and the NY Times Crossword, The Athletic for sports coverage, Wirecutter for product recommendations, a vast recipe collection, and audio versions of articles and podcasts. All these features are completely free with your library card.
This is just one of many digital resources available through the Ridgefield Park Public Library. If you need assistance navigating these apps and databases, our librarians are always ready to help—simply visit us at the library for personalized guidance.
Happy Reading!
Highlighted Events at the Ridgefield Park Public Library
The Ridgefield Park Public Library offers a variety of programs for all ages, from children's storytime to educational workshops.
We have highlighted a few exciting April events below, but be sure to check out the full calendar for even more activities and programs!
