Category Archives: Schools Scene

Find out what’s going on in the RFH Regional High School and Rumson and Fair Haven school districts.

Schools Scene

RFH’s Relationship with its Sister School in Spain

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Spanish students have a sister … school.

The sister is Isabel de Castilla Public High School in Avila, Spain.

Students in several RFH Spanish classes have begun fostering friendships with the students in Spain through Edmodo, an online educational and social network.

In February of 2017, 17 students and two teacher chaperones will travel from Isabel de Castilla Public High School to visit RFH. Spending the week in homestays, the group will attend classes at RFH as well as participate in special events.

The events include: attending the World Language Department’s Languapalooza talent show; sharing a meal prepared by the RFH Cooking Club; and joining the Spanish National Honor Society for a welcome fiesta.

The trip is designed to provide cultural insight into life as a teenager in Rumson and Fair Haven. The group from Spain will travel to New York City and Philadelphia as well.

A reciprocal journey for RFH students is planned for the 2017-18 school year. RFH students and teacher chaperones will stay with local families and attend classes at Isabel de Castilla in Avila, a small medieval walled city about an hour west of Madrid.

“We are really looking forward to having firsthand insight into the practices, products, and perspectives of the Spanish youth and their culture,” said RFH Spanish teacher Christina Gauss. “We hope to collaborate with the Spanish students throughout the school year.”

As part of their classwork, students in the RFH Advanced Placement Spanish Language and Culture course recently created and sent videos to students at Isabel de Castilla. The videos showcase life at RFH and in the surrounding communities.

In addition, the RFH students developed an online survey to gather information on how social media platforms are used to promote social movements. The online survey has been sent to the students in Spain as well as students and community members in the RFH community. The RFH students plan to compare and contrast the results from RFH and Avila, Spain.

The student groups from RFH and Spain have also begun an ongoing conversation on the A Day in the Life topic. Students in Gauss’ Spanish 4 Honors class created an electronic visual collage that best describes their personalities and lifestyles, and they have shared these collages with the students in Spain. Students in Daniella Goodarz’s and Seth Herman’s Spanish III Honors classes will soon begin interacting with the students from Avila using Edmodo as well.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our students to forge a meaningful and authentic cultural and linguistic exchange,” said Herman, supervisor of World Language at RFH.

The sister school relationship became official this past July when Gauss met with Aida Marquez, English teacher and Bilingual Program Director at Isabel de Castilla, to finalize the details.

The meeting occurred after Gauss had traveled to Spain for a week-long professional development course at the University of Alcala’s Summer Spanish Language and Culture Institute for U.S. Teachers of Spanish.

During the course, 85 teachers from all regions of the U.S. compared and contrasted their educational systems, shared best practices for second language acquisition, explored ideas to increase student engagement, and collaborated on projects to promote students’ global competence skills.

— Edited press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School

Schools Scene

RFH: A Visit From a Sister School in China

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) recently hosted visitors from its sister school in China.

The group of 14 students, parents, and chaperones from the Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School (HEFLS, or Entel) in Hangzhou, China visited on Oct. 7. RFH and Entel had entered into a partnership with the goal of building a bridge between language programs at the two schools.

The visitors from Entel enjoyed a week-long tour of various high schools and universities in the United States, making stops in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia before arriving at RFH.

There they attended an information session with members of the RFH administration before taking a tour of the school and participating in a few athletic activities. Members of the Entel group then shadowed RFH students as they attended either an English or History class.

Next up was a visit to Rebecca Wang-McKenna’s Chinese class, where the visitors participated in cultural activities in both Chinese and English.

The visit culminated in a luncheon for the guests attended by RFH Chinese Teachers Rebecca Wang-McKenna and Matt Yang, several RFH students, and several members of the RFH administration.

Previously, RFH students and chaperones had visited Entel for two weeks on two separate occasions in April of 2013 and November of 2015.

RFH and Entel are now exploring the possibility of an exchange program, or a shadowing program in which three to five Entel students will attend classes with RFH students throughout the school day.

— Edited press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School

Schools Scene

Sickles School Students Taught Another “R” Subject — Respect

Just like reading and writing and ‘rithmetic, the subject of respect is taught at Fair Haven’s Viola L. Sickles School all school year long.

It’s state mandated — at least a week. Dubbed aptly the Week of Respect, Sickles students participated in meaningful activities designed to reinforce lessons about kindness and acceptance.

Continue reading Sickles School Students Taught Another “R” Subject — Respect →

Schools Scene

Fair Haven Students Build Skills with Bricks 4 Kidz

Fair Haven elementary school students recently enjoyed a unique learning experience, courtesy of Bricks 4 Kidz.

Kindergarten through third grade students at Viola L. Sickles School participated from Sept. 26 to 30 in the enrichment program designed to teach children STEM concepts through hands-on learning using LEGO® bricks.

Director Melina Stock visited Sickles for an instructional in-school field trip. This consisted of active building sessions for individual classes with the goal of creating finished models. Working with a Bricks 4 Kidz original design and LEGO technic bricks, the students built their mechanical masterpieces: colorful sailboats for first through third graders (with varying levels of challenge based on grade level); and shiny red apples with bright green stems for kindergarten students.

This was the first of eight Bricks 4 Kidz in-school field trips planned for Sickles students this year, sponsored by the Fair Haven PTA and the school district. Bricks 4 Kidz has been offered to Sickles School third graders as a weekly winter lunch time LEGO program for three consecutive years.

“We take children’s interest in building with LEGO bricks and bring it to the next level by providing education concepts to first through third graders using Bricks 4 Kidz technic project kits,” Stock said. “For example, this month I reviewed non-friction and friction tech pins and how and why they move the way they do.

“Next month I will build on the students’ understanding and introduce another interesting mechanical concept.

“We love providing educational enrichment to the students at Sickles School — their high levels of interest, excitement, and attention always add up to a dynamic learning experience.”

Bricks 4 Kidz provides educational and developmental benefits in:

  •   Creativity and Problem-Solving
  •   Spatial Intelligence and Fine Motor Skills
  •   Organization
  •   Following Directions
  •   Sequencing
  •   Goal-Directed Persistence
  •   Fine-Motor Skills
  •   Cooperation and Teamwork“This is great for helping students learn how to work together as well as follow step-by-step instructions,” Sickles School Media Specialist June Sustick said as she and Stock supervised and encouraged a third grade class of master builders.

    Working in teams of two, the students created picture-perfect sailboat models complete with a rolling on the waves motion thanks to the inclusion of a small motor and battery pack.

     

— Edited press release from Fair Haven School District

 

Continue reading Fair Haven Students Build Skills with Bricks 4 Kidz →

Schools Scene

R-FH Area BOE FYI: Summer Tidbits

School may be out for summer in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, but there are some tidbits about things going on in the hallowed halls and in the office that residents may find useful.

In Fair Haven …

• Superintendent Sean McNeil has been at work since July 1, the start date of his contract. He has had meet-and-greets with parents, students and staff and has met with police and borough officials.

McNeil comes to the Fair Haven School District from Middletown. Learn more about him by checking out our story about his hiring and contract signing by giving the highlighted section a click.

Click here to read his letter to Fair Haven families.

• There are office hours at Knollwood from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday throughout the summer. The office is closed on Fridays.

• Longtime Fair Haven Board of Education member and former president Claudia Brasch has stepped down.

She and her husband are retiring and moving out of the area.

Marisa Coar will be filling Brasch’s unexpired term through the end of the year.

“I welcome Marisa Coar to the Fair Haven Board of Education today,” Fair Haven Board of Education President Bruce Padula said to the Fair Haven PTA on Facebook earlier in the month.  “Claudia Brasch, thank your for your many years of service. Fair Haven is a better place because of your service to the Board.”

If Coar wants to run for a full BOE term after filling Brasch’s unexpired term, she must run for a seat in the November election.

In addition to Brasch’s term expiring in 2016, Michael Bernstein’s seat is up and so is Jeff Spector’s.

Those interested in running in November must file a nominating petition. Check out how under the Rumson School District’s tidbits (below).

In Rumson …

• The terms of three BOE members on the nine-seat board are up at the end of the year. Those members are: Elaine Melia, Diane MacGillis and Russell Binns.

So, on its website, the Rumson School District is advising all that to run for a seat, the deadline for submitting a nominating petition with the Monmouth County Clerk is Monday, July 25 at 4 p.m. The election is set for the usual general election day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

To get a petition, email [email protected].

Check the board association website at www.njsba.org/candidacy for more information.

• Summer office hours at the Rumson schools’ office are: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday until Aug. 25. Then, from Aug. 29 to 31, Monday through Wednesday, for three days, the office is open again from 8:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m.

• Did you know that the Rumson PTO raised $85,891 for the 2015-16 school year? Check out this post …

“The REF is immensely proud to work alongside the Rumson PTO in support of our Rumson public schools. Please join us in congratulating them in their very successful fundraising for the 2015-2016 school year!”

• And the Rumson Education Foundation donated $108,006 to the Rumson School District this year.

Click here to find out where the money went.

Have any BOE tidbits to share? Email them to us at [email protected].

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Local Life, Schools Scene

Focus: RFH Staff Graduation Celebration

After spending four years teaching, disciplining and getting to know more than 200 students, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School teachers and administrators saw them through the milestone of graduation at Monmouth University Friday night.

And, after the graduation, they gathered to celebrate and toast to the RFH Class of 2016 at Ron’s West End Pub, around the corner from Monmouth. The staff no sooner arrived when a surprise guest, who was an RFH grad himself and saw the class through the years, showed up — former Fair Haven Police Chief Darryl Breckenridge.

Take a look at the photo gallery above for a glimpse into the after-the-graduation celebration. Give each a click to enlarge.

— Elaine Van Develde