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Evening of Fine Arts Recap
According to Aristotle, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” In other words, it is not only how we see and hear art, but how we react to it and feel about it, what it means to us, that really matters. Mr. Lebitsch, Mrs. Leutz, Mrs. Lepping and Mrs. Wagner collaborated to bring the community The Evening of Fine Arts on Thursday, May 29, at Forrestdale School. Mr. Lebitsch presented his beginning band in their second performance of the year. Also featured were several small ensembles and soloists. The junior choir, made up of fourth and fifth grade students, performed for the second year under the direction of Mrs. Leutz. They performed songs from around the world in several different languages. As for her part, Mrs. Lepping showcased the visual arts in the form of 2D and 3D work created by fourth through eighth graders. The life sized sculptures, American Gothic photo op and raining paint banner were all created by this year’s art club. While enjoying the art in the lobby, Mrs. Wagner’s grade four students provided live music for the guests’ listening pleasure. This was a fantastic evening for all.
Paw Print Press-Issue 3 (pdf)
The Spring 2014 edition of the Paw Print Press has been published. Please click the "more" link to read the latest from the Newspaper Club.
PRIDE Assembly
On April 30, 2014, Forrestdale students attended the final school-wide assembly for the 2013-2014 school year. Mrs. Crow and Mrs. Gibbons hosted the program, designed to celebrate PRIDE (Forrestdale's character education initiative) and students' contributions to the school and local community. Students were recognized for their academic accomplishments, participation in various extra-curricular activities and sports, and community service. Throughout the year, students were challenged to set goals and design steps to reach these personal goals and reflected on these during the program. The students viewed a brief media clip from the first moon landing and used the inspirational words, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," to self reflect on the small steps or giant leaps they have made throughout the school year towards achieving their personal goals. Students were also reminded that it does not always take one giant leap to make a difference, just one small step in the right direction really does go a long way!
Grade 8 Dialogue Recap
The annual Monmouth County School Boards Association Grade 8 Dialogue was hosted on the evening of Monday, April 7, 2014. Forrestdale representative, Brendon Shea, joined twenty other eighth graders from Monmouth County in discussing "hot topics" for middle school students, including: school security, standardized testing, transitioning to high school, and the qualities of an expert educator. Brendon brought humor and insight with each of his discussion points as our Rumson Superintendent Dr. Caulfield-Sloan, Forrestdale Principal Mrs. Gibbons, and his parents and grandparents looked on from the audience. Brendon was selected by the Forrestdale staff for his character, leadership abilities, school spirit, and academic accomplishments. He serves as a Peer Leader and SGA President, and is truly seen as a role model by other Forrestdale students. Congratulations, Brendon!
Victory in Local Contest for Grade 6 Student
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014, Grade 6 student, Emma Honnold, was surprised with receiving a very special honor. Emma had written an essay for a contest at Barnes & Noble Monmouth County in which she described and thanked her favorite teacher and Emma's essay was selected as the winner! Janet Schinnick, Barnes & Noble representative, and Emma's parents joined us to inform Emma of this wonderful news and present Emma with a certificate and Barnes & Noble gift card. Emma's essay was a poignant tribute to her fifth grade teacher, Ms. Aimee Humbert, whom Emma attributed to helping her through personal and academic challenges and encouraged Emma to continue to push herself to be the best student, and the best writer she could be! Emma read her essay aloud to Ms. Humbert and her class as a way to share the exciting victory with the person who had inspired her to write the winning piece. Ms. Humbert was presented with a plaque and gift card as well. The essay will now be entered into the Barnes & Noble regional contest, good luck, Emma!
Purple PRIDE at School-wide Assembly
On March 12, 2014, all Forrestdale students gathered in the Gym for a school-wide assembly in honor of the school character education initiative, PRIDE. Adorned in purple to show school spirit, School Counselor, Mrs. Crow, reminded students to reflect on the goals they have set for themselves this year and their accomplishments to date. To kick off the program, students watched a short inspirational video clip about the Special Olympics currently taking place in Sochi, Russia, as a means to set the tone for the assembly – Celebrating Abilities & Differences! Students who have achieved various academic, community service, and extra-curricular accomplishments were recognized.
Girls Leadership Institute Guest Speaker
During the PTO meeting on March 5, 2014, Amie Herman from the non-profit organization GLI (Girls Leadership Institute) spoke to a parent audience about the current phenomenon known as “girl culture.” Ms. Herman shared information about the mission of the GLI, founded by Rachel Simons, to encourage girls to be true to themselves and exude social-emotional intelligence and self confidence. The GLI is partnering with the Junior League of Monmouth County to offer a series of workshops for mother/daughter pairs, by grade level this Spring. All Rumson classes are currently full; however, feel free to access the GLI website at www.girlsleadership.org to place your name on a waiting list and learn more about the organization’s mission. Resources for parents regarding the emotional health of girls are also available online through their website.
Students are Encouraged to Be Silent No More
On February 19, 2014, nineteen Forrestdale students portrayed the different sides of bullying in a program titled, “Silent No More.” Sponsored by the PTO, Mrs. Crow worked with Grade 8 student volunteers to put together this memorable performance for all students in Grades 6 – 8. These students relayed the message of how bullying can impact a person that is the target of such, along with the perspective of a bystander. The goal of the program is to make students think about whether or not they have been a bystander, and observed a bullying act. The students hope to inspire their peers with this message to be “Silent No More” as a bystander and really step up to make a difference, speak up to help someone, and stand up for what they know is right. Audience members were moved by this poignant portrayal and debriefed with the performers in their homerooms afterwards in order to dialogue about their take away from the program and their interpretation of the message. We thank the PTO and Mrs. Rogers for their generosity and assistance in bringing this worthwhile experience to Forrestdale.
Geography Bee Champ Crowned
The annual National Geographic Bee was held on January 16th. After 7 rounds of intense questioning, the field was narrowed down to two finalists. Grade 8 student Ryan Hurst emerged as the winner. Questions at all levels addressed the subject of geography in its broadest sense, and some questions required knowledge of place-names and of location of cultural and physical features. The distribution and patterns of languages, religions, economic activities, populations and political systems was also covered.
Ryan has completed a 70 question placement test and is waiting to hear back from the National Geographic Society to see if he will take part in the state competition in the Spring.
Students Engaged with Improv Performers at PTO Assembly Program
The Rumson PTO treated students in Grades K – 8 to a fun-filled assembly program on January 17, 2014. Students laughed, clapped, and participated themselves in a unique opportunity that encouraged them to think outside the box. The Freestyle Repertory Theatre’s Improv Performers brought to our students a program entitled, “TheatreSports,” a series of ever-changing, improvised theatre games, created from student suggestions and played with student volunteers. Through demonstration and participation, “TheatreSports” showed our students that using language creatively, building upon the ideas of others and working as a team is fun. We thank our generous PTO for this belly-laughing experience!
Students Participate in Annual Spelling Bee
The annual Spelling Bee held on January 10, 2014, proved to be a nail-biter with three students spelling their way into the final round. After over an hour-long competition, Grade 7 student, Bennett Stankovits, was victorious. Bennett will move on to the Monmouth County Spelling Bee Finals at Monmouth University on March 17, 2014.
Students in all grades 4-8 participated in the classroom Spelling Bee in their ELA classes. Finalists from each ELA class participated in the school-wide Spelling Bee in front of their peers and parents. Congratulations to all students who participated!
Reporting Absences
Please report your child's absence from or planned lateness to school by 9:00 am. You should call 732-842-0383, option 1 to leave a message or speak to Cathy Hawn. Your attention to this will save time and help us account for all students in an efficient manner. If your child is arriving late from a medical appointment, be sure to ask your medical provider for a note in order for the lateness to be excused.
Please note that Deane-Porter school has a separate attendance line. Deane-Porter's number is 732-842-0330.
Phone Calls Home
Please remind your children that if they call you from school, they should leave a message when they do not reach you. If our nurse or school office contacts you, we will always leave a message. If you need to call back, please call 732-842-0383. Bear in mind that the number that shows up on your caller ID will not identify accurately where the call originated. Please listen to your voicemail message before calling the school back, and dial the main office number for the school of your child's enrollment.
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Virtual BackpackCheck here for more information or to find copies of misplaced papers.
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