Congratulations to the Educator of the Year and Service Profes-sional of the Year at each of our schools. “This honor reflects the dedication you have to our

students and the commitment you demonstrate in helping them succeed,” Superintendent Danny A. Robertozzi said in a congratu-latory email to the honorees. All

of the award winners will be hon-ored together at a future meeting of the Board of Education. Click here to see honorees from each school.

Superintendent’s ReportLINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

At the head of the class

Respect for Diversity - Excellence in Education - Commitment to Service

January 31, 2019Linden, NJ

Essaycontestwinner highlights love of flag McManus Middle School sixth-grader Isabella Buss took first place in the Veterans of Foreign Wars “Patriots Pen” essay contest for middle school students. The topic was “Why I Honor the American Flag.” Isabella is the daughter of Brazilian immigrants who has a deep appreciation for where she came from and for her life in America — com-bined with a love and talent for writing. Soehl Middle School seventh-graders Kiley Winkler and Rodes Safe were runners-up. Click here to learn more.

Young programmers at LHS honored by Congress

www.linden.k12.nj.usView interactive newsletter at www.linden.k12.nj.us

Schools applaud Educator and Service Professional of the Year

Linden High School ninth-graders Paul Niziolek and Gurvir Singh were chosen as winners in the fourth annual Congres-sional App Challenge, the largest student computer science competition in the nation. Their app was chosen as the best in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District, which covers parts of Union, Essex and Hudson counties. They each won a $250 Amazon gift card and will be honored in Washington, D.C. Click here to learn more.

‘Caroling for a Cause’ earns praise in nation’s capital Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. recognized Linden Public Schools on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday, Dec. 20, for our “Caroling for a Cause” event and annual holiday gift and toy drive to help needy families in Linden.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the students, faculty, staff, and friends

of Linden, New Jersey, Public Schools for spreading holiday cheer while helping those in need.” Click here to read more and see video.

More highlights of our holiday celebrations. Page 3

Each of Linden Public Schools’ eight elementary schools has been awarded a $500 grant through the Union County STEM Scholars Grant program. The grants will allow each school to host a STEM

evening, where students and families would experience STEM challenges together. Families will spend time at various stations in an attempt to solve problems, then gather for dis-cussion. Click here to read more.

Respect for Diversity - Excellence in Education - Commitment to Service

LindenPublic

Schools

SuperintendentDanny A. Robertozzi,

Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent

Denise Cleary

Business Administrator/

Board SecretaryKathleen A. Gaylord

Board of EducationPresident

Gregory R. MartucciVice President

Katarzyna Kozak

Dawn BevianoTracey Anne BirchPatrick Gargano

Sheenaider GuillaumeDoris Johnson

Marianthe ManganelloAhmed Shehata

On the Web linden.k12.nj.us

Facebooklindenpublicschools

TwitterLindenSchoolsNJ Instagram

linden_public_schools YouTube

Linden Public Schools

Public Information Officer

Gary Millergmiller@lindenps.org

Up NextFeb. 5: Linden High School students will celebrate the Chinese lunar new year by visiting both middle schools and several ele-mentary schools to perform.

Feb. 7: The Cat in the Hat is visiting School No. 4.

Feb. 7-8: McManus Middle School presents “Grease” at 7 p.m.

Feb. 8: School No. 2 All-Star Banquet for moms and sons at 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 15: Linden High School Black History Month program at 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 20: A meeting for all par-ents of English Language Learners at School No. 2 at 8:45 a.m.

Feb. 28: The NBC 4 weather team is visiting School No. 8 for a fun and interactive program about weather for Grades 3-6.

Next Board of Educa-tion meetings: Feb. 26, work session at Administration Building at 6 p.m.; Feb. 28, regular meeting in the Susan L. Hudak Auditorium at LHS at 7 p.m.

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS - SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORTNew Board of Education members take their seats

The Linden Board of Education swore in three new members at its annual organization meeting on Thursday, Jan. 3. Patrick Gargano, Doris Johnson and Marianthe Manganello were sworn in to three-

year terms. All were elected to their first terms on Nov. 6. The new board chose Gregory R. Martucci as its president and Katarzyna Kozak as its vice presi-dent. Click here to learn more.

Elementary science and tech skills get a boost from county

Spotlight on crayon recycling TV reporter Jen Maxfield of NBC New York visited Soehl Middle School on Nov. 14 to report on a creative project that helps the environment as well as sick children. The 21st Century Community Learning Center after-school program is partnering with The Crayon Initiative to collect used and broken crayons to be recycled and given to children’s hospi-tals. The project will be going on for the whole school year. Call the 21st Century Office at (908) 486-0550 ext. 8787 to schedule a drop-off. Click here to learn more, to see more photos, and to watch the TV report.

Members of the Linden Public Schools family traveled around town on Dec. 10 “Caroling for a Cause,” spreading joy with holiday music and accepting donations for the district’s third annual holiday toy and gift drive. Three buses transported carolers – along with Santa Claus – around the city to visit homes of residents who registered. Carolers accepted donations for the holiday gift drive, which will help needy families around Linden. Click here for story, video and more photos.

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS - SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Respect for Diversity - Excellence in Education - Commitment to Service

Holiday season filled with joy and song

Soehl Middle School

Caroling for a Cause

Winter concerts:

Linden High School McManus Middle School

School No. 1 School No. 2 School No. 4 School No. 5 School No. 6 School No. 8 School No. 9 School No. 10

Our talented vocalists and musicianswarm audiences’ hearts on chilly nights

Linden Tree Lighting School No. 8’s Farewell to 2018 Happy Holidays from McManus School No. 2 holiday fun

All videos are available on the Linden Public Schools YouTube channel!

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS - SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Respect for Diversity - Excellence in Education - Commitment to Service

School No. 5 learns about native JerseyansTwo representatives of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium visited School No. 5 on Nov. 28 to teach fourth- and fifth-graders about the Lenape people, New Jersey’s original inhabitants. Students learned about the history of the Lenape in New

Jersey and their coastal lifestyle, as well as their foods and tools. Students got a chance to try the Lenape techniques for drilling holes, creating fire by friction, and hunting with spears. Click here to learn more and see more photos.

McManusbreakfasttakes guestsaroundthe world World language students at McManus Middle School, with help from guests from Linden High School, took visitors on a trip around the world with performances of dancing, singing and spoken word that touched on several global cultures at their International Break-fast on Dec. 21. The performances were followed by a special breakfast of interna-tional dishes in the school cafeteria. Click here to see video.

Soehl students take a walk on the wild side Rizzo’s Wildlife World in Roxbury visited the Soehl Middle School cafeteria with several of little — and not so little — friends. Students gathered in the cafeteria in two sessions to see a Chilean rose-hair tarantula, a ball python, an Egyptian dabb lizard, a toad, a chinchilla, and a baby alligator. The students were allowed to touch some of the animals, and got up-close looks at the others. The grand finale was a 17-foot-long albino Burmese python named Hissy Pants. Click here for story, video and more photos.

Lessons in healthy waterways All fourth-graders recently learned about the workings of a watershed using a 3-D “Enviro-scape” model to engage students on the health of our waterways. During visits to each elementary school, Jennifer Helminski of the AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors Program used the

model to demonstrate how rainwater runs off and is collected in streams and rivers and carried out to the ocean. Helminski used colored markers and a spray bottle to demonstrate how different types of pollution can be washed into our waterways by rain. Click here to learn more.

Around theWorld in 1 nightat School No. 4 Dozens of families took a trip around the globe while staying within the walls of their school at “School 4 Around the World” on Thursday, Nov. 29. Students and their parents joined staff and special guests in having fun while learning about different lands. Two gigantic maps were laid out on the gym floor, allowing students to walk through Europe and Asia. The dancing station was a popular stop, with everyone working up a sweat to an African beat. Crafts set up in the reading room allowed children to learn about Australia, South America, and Antarctica. In the technology room, guests scanned QR codes with their phones, calling up student-made videos about the different continents. Click here to learn more and see more photos.

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS - SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Respect for Diversity - Excellence in Education - Commitment to Service

Pajama drive brings bedtime comfort to children in tenuous situations To help children in uncertain situations feel cozy and warm at bedtime, School No. 9 and School No. 10 each took part in the “Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive” during the holiday season. Between the two schools, 415 new pairs of pajamas were collected. The drive was organized by

Scholastic Book Club in coop-eration with Pajama Program, a non-profit group dedicated to promoting a comfortable bedtime routine for children affected by instability. For every pair of pajamas donated, Scholastic donates a new book to Pajama Program. Click here to learn more.

Soehl’s top students are setting a new gold standard Soehl Middle School kicked off the Tigers Club this year, a reward system that gives top students gold and platinum cards for good grades, attendance and behavior. The cards carry special perks in and out of school, including freebies and discounts at local businesses and movie days in school; platinum members get to

go to the head of the lunch line. Students must get all A’s to get a Platinum card, and all A’s and up to two B’s for a Gold card. To reach either level, students must have no more than one unexcused absence, no more than one unexcused tardy, and no disciplinary points. Click here to learn more and see more photos.

Troupe drives home lessons of Civil Rights through hip-hop dance Hip Hop Fundamentals, an educational dance troupe, visited the 21st Century Community Learning Center at Soehl Middle School to teach students about the

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement though dance, audience participation and a variety of interactive activities. Students heard the words of

Dr. King, learned how non-violent, direct action helped end segregation, and expe-rienced firsthand the power of unity and diversity. Click here to see video.

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS - SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

McManus kicking off flag football McManus Middle School has been awarded a grant from the NFL Play 60 organization to bring the action and ac-tivity of flag football to physical education class. “The kids are going to love it,” said phys ed teacher Patrick Migliore. McMa-

nus got 50 flags, 10 footballs, four kicking tees, and a curriculum book. The flags are worn around the waist of players, and a player is considered “tackled” when an-other player pulls off his or her flag. Click here to learn more.

New coachesbring optimism to Tigers basketball New head coaches took over the boys and girls basketball programs at Linden High School. Each is a former assistant coach. James Harper, right, is taking

over the girls program after having been an assistant coach for two years. On the boys side, Anthony Drejaj, left, has been an assistant coach since 2009. “We couldn’t be happier to introduce our two

new head basketball coaches,” said Athletic Director Steven Viana. Both coaches said they were happy to begin their head coaching careers in a place that already feels like home. Click here to learn more.