Conti Chatter Dr. Michael Conti School PS 5

November 15, 2024

US News & World Report: PS5 one of the TOP 2 schools in Jersey City!

For the second year in a row, the Dr. Michael Conti School, along with PS16, ranks at the top of the leader board in Jersey City...and places in the top 12% of all elementary schools - including public, private, & charter schools - in the ENTIRE state of New Jersey, out of 2347 elementary schools total! New Jersey itself is also repeatedly ranked by educational think tanks as one of the top 3 states in the country in terms of the quality of schools...Kudos, PS5!

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STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Every year, our middle schoolers immerse themselves in Student Council campaigns, complete with platform statements, stump speeches, & endorsements. In addition to increasing student engagement, these campaigns are a corollary to the district Social Studies curriculum, facilitated at PS5 by teacher Jonathan Nunez, which aims to prepare students to be active participants in a democratic society. During Student Council Elections, Conti students in grades 4 through 8 get to experience one of the cornerstones of democracy, the opportunity to freely cast their vote.

Congratulations to the newly elected PS5 Student Council officers of the Class of 2025! From left: Co-Secretary Caitlyn Valdivieso, President Jana Wafi, Vice President Liliane Aziez, & Co-Secretary Shan Shakeeluddin.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

The focus TRAIT for Students of the Month of OCTOBER was RESPECT

PROMOTING A CLIMATE OF RESPECT: CONTI CULTURE CLUB

At Conti, an important part of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is instilling in our students a growth mindset where they believe they can master positive traits. What was formerly our Kindness Club has now expanded into the Conti Culture Club -- "culture" encompassing a school climate where the aim is to have all students feel welcome, accepted, & safe. Facilitated by PS5 school counselor Emma Santiago-Hernandez, along with PTA parents Raquel D'Apice & Dana Patton, the PS5 Culture Club is comprised of ~ 24 middle school students who enjoy collaborating & promoting a positive school culture through fun activities with the lower grades. Over the past month, club members visited eleven classrooms in grades K-5, implementing lessons focusing on the trait of RESPECT. They can't wait to return to share the next set of activities, centered around GRATITUDE!

In K-2 CLASSROOMS, Culture Club members modeled for the younger students what was expected for a successful activity. Each student took a turn throwing & catching the ball. The person catching the ball shared their answers to the following questions: What does respect mean to you? What does respect look like or should look like? How did respect feel when you received it from others? Throughout the game, the younger students were reminded of the importance of showing & receiving respect through proper focus, body language, listening, eye contact, & affirming responses...In GRADES 3 TO 5 CLASSROOMS, students were given pink construction paper to write down instances when they felt disrespected, and then told to crumble up their paper. Everyone then simultaneously opened up their papers and students saw that no one had left their paper blank: every person at some time has felt hurt through some form of disrespect. Some students bravely shared their experiences. Then, when directed to flatten out their piece of paper, students realized the creases could never be erased, paralleling how damage from disrespect can leave permanent scars. Finally, students shared things they have found helpful in healing their hurt, and discussed ways to show respect for themselves & others going forward.

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ELA : ENGAGING WITH TEXT

7th graders in ELA Rm. 303 are currently immersed in Jerry Spinelli's Star Girl, a book that explores the essential question, What does it mean to be true to oneself? and has readers pondering issues related to conformity, popularity, & friendship. The fictional high school in the story has a tv show called Hot Seat, where students are grilled by a jury of their peers, but here in the real world, hot seat is also an actual reading strategy where students engage with a text by taking on the role of a character in the book while the rest of the group interviews them.

Conti students in Jillian Quirk's ELA classes take the hot seat and pretend to be the main character, Stargirl, while their peers take turns asking higher-order thinking questions designed to delve into the character's motivations, thoughts and actions. Our students love this activity, which enables them to engage with the text on a deeper level.

WORD HUNT EXPEDITION

PS5 Reading Specialist Maryann Curti had our 1st-graders go on a Sight Word Hunt, where students had to walk around the room & unscramble the different sight words posted. They worked in pairs to determine which sight word from their recording sheets matched the scrambled word. They all did an amazing job, practiced reading their sight words, & had fun!

MONSTROUS!

Room 209 students learned about adjectives by describing the monsters they created.

SCIENCE: PLANETARIUM

Our K to Gr.4 students were treated to a re-creation of the solar system set up in our school gymnasium by MobileEd Productions SkyDome Planetarium. Special thanks to our PTA for sponsoring this educational visit that dazzled our budding astronomers!

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LIFE CYCLES

Rm 212 students very much enjoyed their PBL, How do living things grow and change? They participated in the planting process to observe how plants start from seeds, and compared/contrasted different plants. They also illustrated the life cycles of frogs and butterflies using textured materials. Students choose a mammal to describe their life span and habitats. To conclude, they participated in a presentation of their own life timeline.

Meanwhile, 1st-graders in Rooms 208 & 209 welcomed baby calves Mootilda and Milkyway. Through the Discovery Diary program, students get to (virtually) watch their adoptees grow, learn all about taking care of cows, and will even visit a farm later in the school year...Each class has a stuffed Mootilda and Milkyway, and on Fridays a different student is selected to bring the furry wards home & journal all about their weekend adventures! Mootilda has visited relatives at the farm, and Milkyway has attended her first dance recital!

UN-BOO-LIEVABLE!

After reading Gustavo the Shy Ghost, Mrs. Johnson's first graders got word that there were some friendly ghosts floating around the second floor. They went on a ghost hunt to make sure they captured all of them in time for Halloween!

SEASONAL CRAFTS

Rm. 213 students used leaf-rubbings and carved pumpkins to decorate their classroom...while students in Rm. 207 created artistic hand x-rays and had fun making slime.

HALLOWEEN

DIWALI

Our 4th and 5th grade Dual Language students created paper lanterns to celebrate Diwali "Festival of Lights"- a major holiday in India. Parent Priya Krishnamoorthy guided our students in crafting "diyas" that are lit during the festivities, and also shared a read-aloud of the book The Light Within You by Namita Moolani Mehra. According to the author, "lighting diyas symbolizes the spirit of Diwali, the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil." Meanwhile in Kindergarten Rm. 114, parent Rini Roy likewise led our younger students in a Diwali presentation and the decorating of LED diyas.

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DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

The Conti Garden was the setting for our PTA-sponsored commemoration of the Day of the Dead, honoring the life and memories of those who have passed -- including our school's namesake Dr. Michael Conti, teacher Temara King, as well as Conti parents Guillermo Acevedo, Niall Gormley, & Mike McNamara.

REMEMBERING OUR VETERANS

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HARVESTFEST

Attendees at the PTA-sponsored HARVESTFEST enjoyed a lovely fall afternoon!

Colorfest

The PTA's Annual Colorfest Fundraiser culminates in a field day, where our kids have a terrific time! This year's event raised almost $17,000 to support educational opportunities for our students. For example, the PTA helps fund the Speranza Theatre Program which we have for Grades K-5. The PTA also donates money for our annual Spring Carnival and other school activities, such as the 8th grade trip to Philadelphia... Follow this link to volunteer & get involved in PS#5's Parent-Teacher Association, one we believe to be the most effective PTA in the district!

The above Colorfest photos (with the exception of a scattered few) were taken by PS5 parent Maria Kazikhanov who has graciously shared permission for us to use.

AN ODE TO AUTUMN: A SLIVER OF TEMPERATE WEATHER SANDWICHED BETWEEN EXTREMES...

LET'S BASK IN THIS...WHILE WE CAN!

And yet another reason some love autumn is FOOTBALL...Speaking of which, lets give PS5's flag football team a huge shout out for doing so well in the Project A-Team Championships, held recently at Caven Point, where our team placed 2nd in the whole league. Congrats to our team and their coach, PS5 Math specialist Ken Techlog:

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Even while paying tribute to Fall, we must admit there are some wonderful things to look forward to in Winter as well...like our HOLIDAY BOOK FAIR! Be sure to save the dates -- the event will take place in just a little over 3 weeks:

...and in just barely over two weeks, our annual Santa Photos begins:

Yep, it's not even Thanksgiving yet and we're already talking about the December holidays, but the next month will be packed with fun & exciting holiday events for our students and families, & it's never too early to plan ahead:

Thank you!

Conti Chatter @ 2024-25 Created by Keung Sexton, PS5 LMS/Literacy Support

Principal John J. Rivero

Assistant Principal Albert Padilla

Credits:

Created with images by • leekris - Colorful autumn maple leaves on a tree branch