Alder Weekly Update
April 30, 2023
Hello Parents, Staff, and Students,
Testing began this week and went very well overall. There were a few issues with technical concerns, but our teachers handled them all professionally. Our students worked their hardest and got through this first week of testing. We will have two days next week continuing the testing and then start make-up testing.
Ms. Watt, our Atlanticare School Health Specialist, shared about the contest, Mental Health Awareness - What Mental Health Means to Me? Submissions were received from middle schools throughout the county and voted on. Alder Avenue Middle School made first, second, and third place! First place winners will receive Individual student prizes: Self-care package (with a journal, mini zen garden, gift card, and more) per student and School prize: 15 brand-new books for the school library that celebrate diversity, mental health, and SEL.
The winners are as follows:
1st- Maddy C and Fabianna C
2nd- Meya A
3rd - Destiny A
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week. There are a number of fun things planned to let teachers know we value them. Please help us recognize and celebrate our teachers for all they do! Have your children write a letter or do something kind to let their teachers know they care.
Check out the pictures on ehtalder Instagram. They are certain to bring a smile.
Ms. Giardina
South Jersey Elementary Honors Band Festival
On Saturday, April 29th, two Alder sixth grade students joined hundreds of other talented elementary instrumental students from South Jersey as part of the South Jersey Elementary Honors Band Festival. We congratulate Elaina Midiri and Sorrento Esposito for all of their hard work and fantastic performance!
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Mental Health Awareness Contest
Mental Health Awareness Contest - What Mental Health Means to Me votes are in!
Submissions were received from middle schools throughout the county and Alder Avenue Middle School students made first, second, and third place!
First place winners will receive Individual student prizes: Self-care package (with a journal, mini zen garden, gift card, and more) per student and their school will receive 15 brand-new books for the school library that celebrate diversity, mental health, and SEL. Congratulations too all students who participated and a big shout out to our Alder students for always bringing their A-Game!
2nd Runner - Up
Meya A.
1st Place Winner
Maddy C. & Fabianna C.
3rd Runner - Up
Destiny A.
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Owl Pellets
Mrs. DelGaizo's student successfully completed their Owl Pellet dissection!
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STEAM Projects
Students in Ms. Zompa's STEAM classes presented projects that they created following the engineering design process. 6th grade students created gadgets to help young children and elderly with household chores that incorporated simple machines, 7th grade students made phone stands with moveable parts and extra functions, and 8th grade students made tabletop versions of some of their favorite games!
Ancient China
Mrs. Ware has transported her and Mrs. Battersby's classes to Ancient China, and then had them play a game that allowed them to travel the Silk Road. On their journey, each student met a different fate, depending on who they traded with along the way.
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Neon Dance
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Cinco de Mayo
Mrs. Wenzel's Social Studies classes learned about the history of Cinco de Mayo and celebrated by decorating cookies to look like traditional sombreros.
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Principal's Day
This week we celebrated our fabulous school principal, Ms. Giardina. Thank you for all you do for everyone at Alder. Ms. Giardina you are greatly appreciated!!
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Cool Beans Café is officially open!
Students from our MD program serve fresh coffee to Alder staff every Friday! This prevocational experience is greatly beneficial for our students, and the opportunity to deliver and greet staff provides social opportunities that mean the most!
Barista of the Week: Nah'sir
Shout out to Nah'sir, who makes sure that each coffee makes it to the correct classroom! His responsibility and willingness to help his classmates made him an easy choice for Barista of the Week 🙂
Thank you AtlantiCare!
Special thanks to AtlantiCare for donating supplies to Cool Beans Cafe, we are very grateful!
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Teacher Feature
Mr. Zompa - Computer Teacher
What is your position at Alder? What brought you here? How long have you been here?
I’m a CTE or Computer Teacher at Alder, I teach both Entrepreneurship & Computer Science Principles. This is my 21st year here at Alder Ave, I began my career here as a 5th Grade Classroom Teacher and stayed when we became a Middle School.
What is or has been one of your favorite things about Alder?
My favorite part of working at Alder is making an impression on students to an extent that I hear from them years later. The best part of teaching is knowing that down the line the lessons we teach do indeed make a difference, even though sometimes in the moment it doesn’t seem that way.
What do you think will be your greatest challenge this year?
Keeping the attention of students who have grown up in a digital age is difficult. My lessons have had to evolve over the years to teach to today’s students who have grown up in a world where all information they need is at their fingertips. Also, being an effective teacher while not embarrassing my daughter who is an 8th grade student here at Alder.
Where did you go to school? What degree did you earn?
I got my Bachelor’s degree from Stockton University, and went on to get my Master’s Degree in School Administration from Rowan University.
Any fun facts you would like to share about yourself?
- I attended Egg Harbor Twp Schools from K-12.
- I’m a certified Superintendent & School Principal.
- During Covid, my business converted production to make Hand Sanitizer that was sold in all 50 states.
- When I’m not teaching or working, I love to travel, go to the beach, or ride my motorcycles.
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Meet Kimberle Watt
Kimberle joined AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children in 2022. Prior to joining the AtlantiCare team, she worked in substance abuse treatment empowering those she worked with the skills necessary to create a life worth living. She believes the key to wellness is creating a balance in all aspects of your life. With that balance, we can truly begin to see positive impacts to our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. As a school health specialist, Kimberle integrates her knowledge of mindfulness and yoga into her work with middle schools. At her school, she supports not only students, but school staff wellness and family engagement as well.
Meet Katura Marshall
Katura began working for AtlantiCare as a School Health Specialist in 2023. Prior to joining the AtlantiCare team, she has owned and operated a youth mentoring organization for 12 years where she has advocated for at- risk youth and families to provide resources and services to address social emotional learning and solve problems to aid in the development of unique paths for children to learn, grow and thrive. Throughout the pandemic, she served as a case manager for homeless and disabled veterans to locate them permanent housing, attain adequate military benefits and insurance, mental health services, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and suicide prevention. Katura has always had a passion for serving the community by promoting social and emotional awareness. and creating a caring atmosphere for student to plan for their future.
Specialists' Weekly Newsletter:
Specialists' Monthly Newsletter
Click a topic below to be directed to the links included in the specialist's newsletter:
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Free or Reduced Meal Program
Students and families must submit an application to receive Free and Reduced Meals. Applications for Free and Reduced Meals are available online through MySchoolApps.
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About Us
Email: ehtnjalder@eht.k12.nj.us
Website: http://eggharborams.ss13.sharpschool.com/
Location: 25 Alder Avenue, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA
Phone: 609-383-3366
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EHTNJAlder/
Twitter: @EHTNJAlder