Conti Chatter Dr. Michael Conti School PS 5

March 8, 2024

CONTI READ ACROSS AMERICA!

Come one, come all, to the Greatest Reading Show on Earth! Our school community celebrated the love of books with a circus theme at this year's Read Across America, held last week. Students greatly enjoyed the read-a-louds shared by our fantastic guest readers, including Division B Director Dr. Joseph Galano, Director of Student Life and Personnel Services Ms. Candace Coccaro, and PS #5 parent-Jersey City Councilman James Solomon. Much thanks to everyone who joined us in making the day a rousing success!

(*HELPFUL HINT: To enlarge a photo in this newsletter, simply click on the picture*)

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STEM Saturdays!

At our latest STEM Saturday, held February 24th, our middle school students rotated through stations where they interacted with “Makey-Makey” conductive touchpads, robotic gyroscopes, binary-code beads, & honed their computer-programming skills with cryptic coding. All this was overseen by science-ambassadors from Rutgers University Cooperative, and an example of how PS5's long-standing partnerships with college programs afford our students exciting educational opportunities.

PS5's partnership with Rutgers, spanning over a decade, is just one of many collaborations with higher-learning institutions, both within and outside of New Jersey. Cultivating these partnerships enables our students to affect real-world change, including a project that significantly reduced flooding in the streets surrounding our school. This and other authentic PBL led to national-level wins for our middle schoolers in contests such as Samsung Solve For Tomorrow, Sieman's We Can Change the World, & Lexus-Eco Challenge.

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PBL Prep

STEM LAB SPOTLIGHT

As part of the introduction to their PBL project, Conti 8th-graders explored the skeletal system and dissected Owl Pellets, a.k.a. owl poop. They were then tasked with analyzing the bones of a digested rodent, and recreating the skeletal structure of what the owl ate.

INTERVIEWING EXPERTS

Conti 6th-graders, who are exploring how physical health impacts mental health, welcomed Jersey City fitness coach Courtney Roselle to kick off their PBL experience. Ms. Roselle owns a health & wellness company called Iron Grace, and was notably the Eastern regional finalist on the TV show Titan Games, hosted by Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. "The Rock." In addition to peppering the fitness expert with questions, students had a lot of fun engaging in a 3-minute plank challenge!

CAMPAIGN FOR CHANGE

To expand on their PBL topic (How Our Daily Choices Affect Our Future: A Campaign to Stop Climate Change) all of our 3rd-grade classes welcomed Ms. Amanda Diamond, director the Jersey City Dept. of Sustainability to speak about city initiatives to create a greener, more sustainable & healthier environment... Meanwhile rooms 204 & 205 are recycling school breakfast materials into usable crafts that will be sold to campaign for change! All proceeds will be donated to Sustainable Jersey City, a nonprofit organization that supports the cause.

Student Recognition

CONTI STUDENTS WIN S.E.L. POSTER CONTEST

Today, March 8th, is Social Emotional Learning Day, an annual event to showcase & support SEL in communities across the world...We are delighted that students in Ms. Cesar's Mission Read classes were named winners in the Jersey City Public Schools SEL Day Poster Contest. The theme of the contest revolved around the importance of social and emotional skills in fostering a healthy learning environment. Kudos to all!

Conti students with their posters: Mia Alphonso, Amayli Castellón, Javery Colon, Malik Casiano, Lawrence Hicks, Alona Jones, Rayanna Nesmith, Eman Ngo, Sophia Rivera, Ronald Smalls, , Alizah Silverio, Ellee Spilman, Yacere Williams.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

The focus TRAIT for the past Month of FEBRUARY was PERSEVERANCE - the quality of being persistent, not giving up.

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MARKING PERIOD HONORS

Conti students who attained Second or First Honors, as well as Perfect Attendance or Effort Roll during the SECOND MARKING PERIOD were recognized at an awards assembly last week. Congratulations!

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ACHIEVE 3000

Also recognized at the assembly were students who managed to score 75% or above in at least 40 of the activities by February 5th, the end of the 2nd Marking Period. Around 130 Conti students in grades 3 - 8 attained this milestone, by diligently using the differentiated online program designed to increase reading Lexile levels. Johnny Rockets generously donated certificates for these "Rocket Readers" to get free ice-cream sundaes.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Throughout February, Conti classrooms were immersed in the life-stories of influential role models. For example, 1st-graders in Mrs. Johnson's class learned about Harriet Tubman's bravery, Misty Copeland's persistence, George Washington Carver's brilliance, and Jackie Robinson's drive, along with many other notable figures who overcame challenges. Students learned how the traits which made these role-models successful could be applied in our students' own lives...Conti students in grades 3 to 8 also presented bios of celebrated African-Americans during morning announcements.

MONTCLAIR ART MUSEUM

5th graders recently visited the Montclair Art Museum. After dividing up into groups to tour the exhibits, students made sketches of what they saw, and created self-portraits in the museum's studio space.

CONTI KINDNESS DAY

February 16th was initiated by our school's KINDNESS CLUB as a day to commemorate kindness...For example, Ms. Delconte's Kindergarteners crafted a long chain, representing how we are all connected to each other, every link representing random acts of kindness her students performed that day. Conti Kindness Day is an official celebration, but our aim is to prioritize kindness every day!

PIECES OF HEART & SONGS OF LOVE

Classes also celebrated Valentines Day that same week: Ms. Rivera's students used pieces of torn paper to create cards declaring "I love you to pieces!"...while Ms. Trinidad's students crafted hearts to share compliments with their classmates by playing Passing the Heart, a game where students listen to love songs and then write compliments on their friends' hearts whenever the music stops.

SELF-REGULATION & POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

When they are experiencing any type of emotional stress or unrest, students in rooms 204 & 205 can request to have a moment in the third-grade Reflection Corner. Proactively managing stress is a learned skill, and in addition to practicing mindful breathing to calm, having our kids learn to recognize their emotions & stress levels is an essential part of self-regulation.

Students in Room 205 also practice the art of positive affirmation by using self-made motivational quotes to build confidence and help manage test-taking anxiety. Just in time for the NJSLA exam coming up in May!

CONNECTING: NATIONAL LETTER EXCHANGE

Students in Rms. 208 & 210 participated in a National Letter Exchange with classrooms across the country. All month, these first graders have been receiving correspondence from New Hampshire, Texas, Oklahoma, and even Alaska. The letters & valentines enabled Conti students to learn about classrooms throughout the country. In return, PS5 pupils sent letters & valentines back, telling their new pen-pals all about our wonderful school and city. Letters are on display for all to see and enjoy!

COMMUNITY HELPERS

Room 210 prepared interview questions for JCPD Captain Rosario (Skyler's dad) in preparation for his visit as a safety expert. Students learned a lot about the work police officers do in our community.

MORE CELEBRATING!

Students enjoyed 100 Days of School with class activities and showed off the tee shirts they created with 100 objects...

...and shared Lunar New Year traditions with their class.

PTA LUNAR CELEBRATION

SOME UPCOMING EVENTS:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

2024 Project Gallery Walk

ANOTHER STEM SATURDAY!

CALL FOR STUDENT ART

FUNDRAISER FOR THE 8TH GRADE CLASS TRIP TO PHILLY

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN

Save the date for an educational opportunity on the horizon - a total solar eclipse happening on Monday, April 8, 2024, that will cross North America, affecting Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

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Thank you!

Conti Chatter @ 2023-24 Created by K. Sexton, Library Media Specialist

Principal John J. Rivero

Assistant Principal Albert Padilla

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