Randolphville Review

Randolphville School Newsletter October 2016

Visit us at: www.piscatawayschools.org

It is my distinct privilege and pleasure to welcome students, families, and staff to our 16-17 school year!

Similar to last school year (15-16), the objective of “Slivko’s Shout Outs” is to recognize members of the

Randolphville Family who have regularly gone above and beyond in their shared mission to both educate

our students and cultivate a warm, nurturing and safe environment. There is so much time that our

community gives in addition to their “regular” schedules. This goes a very long way to ensuring student

success here at Randolphville. As such, I want to again dedicate this time and space in our monthly

newsletter to “shout out” and thank individual members of our school community for their hard work and

dedication as displayed throughout the month.

At this crucial time of year, as we begin to get into the flow and routines here at Randolphville, it is

important to recognize all of the hard work and dedication that goes into making the school year begin on

a successful and safe note. To this regard, it is exceedingly difficult to single-out specific individuals for

their hard work. Indeed, the hard work, extra hours, attention to detail, and unceasing efforts needed to

start the year on the “right foot” is truly an all-around group effort.

Therefore, please accept this “Shout Out” to all of our teachers, staff, and community members who have

worked so hard to establish our routines, work with our students, and assist wherever needed in putting

our students’ needs first. Without this emphasis on teamwork and shared/proactive accountability this

time of the year would be an insurmountable challenge, and I am grateful for everyone’s assistance and

dedication.

Dr. Avi Slivko

Principal

Parents: Kindly note that you can follow Piscataway Schools via Twitter (@pwayschools) and Facebook

(Piscataway Schools). These communication venues can be accessed on the district homepage. By following us on

these social media sites, you can get a better glimpse into what is happening every day in our schools, as well as

receive announcements about programs, events and information such as school closings.

Randolphville School Contact Information

Phone 732-699-1573

Fax 732-699-1985

Dr. Avi Slivko, Principal aslivko@pway.org

Mrs. Jennifer Sernotti, Acting Assistant Principal jsernotti@pway.org

Mrs. Lisa Kabus, Secretary ext. 5950 lkabus@pway.org

Mrs. Stephanie Burk, Clerk ext. 5975 sburk@pway.org

Mrs. Evangeline Marzan, Nurse ext. 5953 emarzan@pway.org

A Minute with Acting Assistant Principal, Mrs. Sernotti

Dear Randolphville Family,

Welcome back to the 2016-2017 school year! I hope

that your summer was filled with new experiences and

quality time with family and friends. I’m happy to be

working as Acting Assistant Principal while Mrs. Messina

is on maternity leave. I am so excited to serve in this

new role in the school that I love.

Many of you know me as the music teacher at

Randolphville, where I have taught for the past 12

years. In addition, I have also held supervisory roles

with Piscataway Community Education in After Care and

Summer Camp. I received my Masters of Education with

Principal and Supervisor certification in 2012 from The

College of New Jersey. This year I was selected as a New

Jersey Department of Education Achievement Coach

and work to develop teacher practice and teacher

leadership.

We call ourselves the Randolphville Family here, and for

good reason. We all strive to provide a safe, nurturing

and welcoming environment for all of our students and

their families. In addition to providing an academically

rigorous curriculum across grade levels and content

areas, we continue our commitment to developing

character traits such as fairness, respect and

responsibility.

I am always available for any questions, concerns or

suggestions. Randolphville is a great place to be. We

welcome all, embrace each and hope you find

yourselves better for having been here. I know I have.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Jen Sernotti

Acting Assistant Principal

From the Secretary’s Desk

Happy Fall Y’all!! Once again, I’d like to welcome our new families to

Randolphville School and say welcome back to our

returning families. I hope everyone has settled in to the

new school year.

As I mentioned at Back to School Night, communication

is key. Please inform us of any changes – updated phone

numbers, emergency contacts or changes in dismissal

plans. The safety of your children is our top priority.

Also, please be sure to notify us if your child is going to

be absent from school by leaving a message on the

attendance line. When your child returns, please be sure

to send in a note (parent or doctor) letting us know why

your child was absent. Please familiarize yourself with

the attendance policy. It can be found on our website

under the Parent Center tab, then Student Handbook. In

addition, if you will be traveling, please reach out as well

so the proper paper work is completed.

The Lost and Found has quite a few items in it already.

If your child is missing anything, please feel free to come

in and take a look. To guarantee lost items are returned

to your child, please be sure to label all items (lunch

bags, coats, etc.) with your child’s name on it.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach

out.

Thank you,

Lisa Kabus

Secretary

Reading Tips from Room 28 (Mrs. Cunningham, M. Ed. & Mrs. Ritchie-Ruta, M. Ed.)

Please be on the lookout for easy, yet effective

ways for you to support your child’s reading

development at home.

Good readers are active readers. When your child has

a difficult time understanding what he or she reads,

you can help. Here is a strategy to try:

Ask questions.

Asking questions will make your child want to look for

clues in the text. Pose questions that will spark your

child’s curiosity as you read aloud. Be sure to ask your

child, “What are you wondering?” Write down those

“wonderings”, and see how they turn out. Remind your

child that good readers challenge what they are

reading by asking questions. Good readers generate

questions before, during, and after reading to clarify

meaning, make predictions, and focus their attention

on what’s important.

Osewalt, Ginny. 6 Tips for Helping Your Child Improve Reading

Comprehension

Health & Physical Education News

Happy Fall & welcome back to all students and families! Throughout the month of September, students have been learning about boundaries, personal space, and general rules in the gym. They have had a blast playing team-building games and are looking forward to learning soccer skills. Please be reminded that students must wear sneakers to participate in all activities. Also, as it cools down slightly, we may have class outdoors so a sweatshirt or light jacket may come in handy! Mrs. Moore

Mrs. Moore

Show your spirit on Fridays during Randolphville Spirit Days!

October 7th – Pink Pride October 14th – Hat Day

October 21st – Randolphville Pride October 28th – Black and Orange Pride

Please look for our Randolphville PTO Facebook page

and “follow” it to keep updated on our school!

Attendance

If your child is going to be absent, please be sure to call the attendance line at 732-699-1573 option 2 before 9:30AM. Please speak slowly and clearly. Give your child’s name, teacher’s name and the reason your child will be out. When your child returns to school, please send in a note stating why your child was absent.

Mrs. Sernotti is the recipient of a 2016 Inspire Grant

from the Piscataway Education Foundation! The

Piscataway Education Foundation is a non-profit

corporation that is committed to establishing and

maintaining a positive relationship between the

Piscataway Township School District, and the business,

residential, and academic communities of Piscataway

Township. Mrs. Sernotti’s grant, “Community

Connectivity” was awarded to develop stronger

community connections through technology, including

live streamed morning announcements and school

events.

Look for more information coming home soon!

Congratulations, Mrs. Sernotti!!!

PTO General

Membership Meeting

Monday, October 10th

at 6PM in the Library

Babysitting will be provided

for our students

Thank you to all the families who had a part in this

year’s Walk-a-Thon!! Thank you for your donations and

for volunteering your time.

A big thank you to Mr. Peterson and Rutgers University

for donating the cups for our thirsty walkers!!

A big thumbs up to Mrs. Moore for always being the

backbone to this fun event. We couldn’t have done it

without you!!

It’s all about teamwork. We are off to a great start this

year!!

“Many hands make light work.”

PTO BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED FOR 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR

WE NEED YOU!!!

We are looking for volunteers to keep making our school GREAT!!! There are PTO board positions vacant

for this school year. If you are interested in helping out – in any way – please attend the next PTO meeting

on Monday, October 10th at 6PM in the Media Center.

¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos a la clase de Español! Welcome to Spanish class!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome your child to Spanish this year. My name

is Sra. Vasiliadis. It is with great pleasure that I am teaching your child Spanish this year

making it a fun and meaningful experience for him/her. Besides learning Spanish in class

the students are learning about Hispanic Heritage Month. Here is some information on

what Hispanic Heritage Month is.

In September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National

Hispanic Heritage Week. The observance was expanded in 1989 to a month long celebration

(September 15th - October 15th).

America celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to

Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the

Caribbean. September 15th was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it

is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El

Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate

their independence days on September 16th and September 18th respectively. Don’t forget

to ask your child what they learned about Hispanic Heritage Month!

Learn some Spanish with your Child

Ask your child to teach you the following in Spanish,

and look for more expressions in the next newsletter.

¡Hola! ¿Cómo te llamas? Hello! What’s your name?

Me llamo ____________. My name is ___________.

Room 9 Happenings

The students in Mrs. Pish’s first grade class began the new school year by studying the life cycle of Monarch

Butterflies. Thanks to Mrs. Erikson, who found the caterpillars and eggs in her garden, the children were able to

observe the cycles from egg to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to emerging butterflies.

How excited the children were when we released “Richard” and “LaLa” who are now off to Mexico!

This month, we will be kicking off our school wide Pillars of Character Program. Throughout the year,

Randolphville students will learn about the six pillars of character (respect, responsibility, fairness,

citizenship, caring, and trustworthiness) and will be encouraged to practice each trait.

For the month of October, we will be focusing on being respectful Randolphville raccoons. We will be

celebrating the Week of Respect (October 4-October 7) and School Violence Awareness Week (October

17-21) by having assemblies, morning announcements about respect, and various other activities. At the end

of the month, teachers will nominate students who are exceptionally respectful and those students will be

recognized by the school community.

We are looking forward to building great character this year!

This summer was my 4th year volunteering with a non-profit organization called Uplift Humanity India. This

amazing organization aims to end the cycle of juvenile recidivism which is the cyclical rate at which a juvenile is

released from a detention facility, commits another crime, and is then sentenced to another term at the facility. In

July, I accompanied 30 high school age students on a 3 week mission to India to do our part in ending this cycle.

During those 3 weeks, we worked at a juvenile detention facility where our high school students taught juveniles

lessons in character education. These lessons, from a curriculum I wrote for the organization, were taught in hopes

that they will use what they learn to help them make positive, healthy life choices in the future. We used read-

alouds, games, and crafts to teach various life skills such as attitude management, anger management, conflict

resolution, sharing, and bullying. The whole experience has been life changing not only for the children we work

with in India, but also for myself and the high school students who donate their time to help make a difference in

the world. We went to India to teach them about life, and left having learned so many lessons of our own. They

say: "The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others" - Mahatma Gandhi, and it is through

this life changing experience that I HAVE found myself.

Ms. Rajvi Kamdar

Second Grade Teacher

What your teachers do when they aren’t at school

Multicultural Day will take place on October 19th. Students are encouraged to wear their countries

traditional clothing to school.

In celebration of this day, there will be a Flag Contest for all third grade students.

Rules and regulation information was sent home by their homeroom teachers.

The winning flag design will be chosen by the Multicultural Day Committee and

the building Art Teachers.

Good luck third graders!! Be creative and have fun!!

Multicultural Day Committee

Schoolstore.com Fundraiser

This fundraiser is an exciting one for all - teachers, kids and you!!

When you share this opportunity by sending emails to family and friends, your child has an opportunity to win

prizes and everyone gets the chance to shop at participating stores like Kohl’s, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Sears

and BestBuy. You also have an opportunity to purchase Caring for the Classroom gift cards which allows

teachers the opportunity to buy materials and games for their classrooms!! Last but not least, the golden ticket in

every envelope allows parents the opportunity to win $100.00!

Everybody is a winner with this fundraiser!! So don’t forget to send out those emails!!

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2

3

No School

4 5

Walk your

Child to

School Day

8:15AM

Byrne Park

6 7

Spirit Day

Pink Pride

Walk-a-Thon (Rain or Shine)

8

9 10

PTO Meeting

6PM

Media Center

11 12

No School

13 14

Spirit Day

Hat Day

15

16 17 18

1:20PM

Dismissal

Teacher

Inservice

Day

19

National

Multicultural

Diversity Day

20 21 Spirit Day

Randolphville

Pride

Fall Festival &

Family Book

Fair

4PM –

5:30PM

22

23

24 25 26 27 28

Spirit Day

Black &

Orange Day

29

30 31

Halloween

Parade

1:30PM

Randolphville School

October 2016

*** Fall Book Fair *** *** Fall Book Fair ***