Great Kindness Challenge
district and during ​The Great Kindness
The​ ​Great Kindness Challenge​ ​takes place
during the month of February each year, with
our students celebrating and promoting
kindness through participating in random acts of
kindness, creating kindness posters, writing
about their kindness heroes, and participating in
several spirit days. This year’s spirit days
included ​Score Points by Showing Kindness,
wear your favorite sports attire,​ ​and ​Tied
Together by Kindness, ​wear your favorite
neck tie, bow tie, or hair tie​.​ ​ Our students also
participated in an​ ​interdisciplinary unit called
The Potato Chip Champ: Discovering Why
Kindness Counts​ ​which included the
opportunity to Skype with author, Maria
Dismondy. We are proud of our students for
continuing to promote kindness every day!
The Potato Chip Champ
The Potato Chip Champ​ ​unit study was
spearheaded by our special area teachers,
guidance counselors, and interdisciplinary-
character education committee as part of​ ​The
Great Kindness Challenge​ ​in February.
Students were introduced to​ ​The Potato Chip
Champ​ ​by ​Maria Dismondy during Library class
and discussed the theme of the book with their
peers.​ ​The book promotes the importance of
showing empathy and being kind to one
another. Following the theme discussion,
students worked in small groups to summarize
key components of the story and participated in
extension activities connecting to art, music,
health, physical education, Spanish, and
technology during their special area classes. In
addition, teachers provided students with
center-based extension activities connecting to
math, science, social studies, and writing.
Classes even had an opportunity to Skype
with author, Maria Dismondy. Maria shared her
story of what inspired her to become an author,
discussed why the themes of kindness,
diversity, and acceptance are so important,
read​ ​The Potato Chip Champ​ ​t​o our students,
and answered student questions during the
40-minute Skype session. Both the unit study
and the Skype session were valuable learning
experiences for our students!
Kindness has always been a theme in our
Service Learning Projects
In connection with our Character Education
initiative, students in grades 3-6 have the
opportunity to participate in service learning
projects connected to their grade level
curriculum. The projects were developed by
teachers in collaboration with Character
Education Coordinator, Stacy Kuhen. This
year's service learning projects include: ​Lena's
Library, Gloucester County Animal Shelter
Donation Drive, Kindness Capes, &
Sensory Bins​.
3​rd graders created A-Z books for​ ​4-year old,
Evageline Tietjen of Vineland, NJ, who is
currently battling an inoperable brain tumor, as
part of the​ ​Lena’s Library​ service learning
project. Lena loves to listen to stories and her
family hopes that by creating a library for her,
they will help transport her into a happier place
as she receives treatment. In addition to the
books, our 3rd graders also made a video of
positive messages and well wishes for Lena.
We want Lena to know that we are thinking of
her and continue to send positive thoughts her
way.
Our 4th graders participated in a donation drive
for ​Gloucester County Animal Shelter​ in
connection to their ​Shiloh​ novel study, which
has a theme of responsible pet ownership and
caring for animals. As a kickoff to the project,
students and staff members met with Bill
Lombardi, Director of the Shelter, to learn about
the services the shelter provides. Students
researched the animals that were housed there,
items that the shelter was in need of, and
created flyers to share information about the
donation drive with their families. We were able
to collect over 400 items to support the shelter.
In addition, our students also created thank you
cards for the staff members & volunteers at the
shelter & for the families that adopt pets from
the shelter. Our 4th graders were happy to help
and very proud of the number of donations that
they collected.
Challenge​, two of our 5th grade classes were
inspired to make​ ​kindness capes​ for a group of
preschoolers. Once the other classes heard
about the project, they wanted to join in so the
whole grade level became involved. 5th graders
have been partnered up with our Beginners'
students for several kindness buddies activities
this year, so they decided to make kindness
capes for their partnering classes at Clark.
Capes included positive words and inspirational
messages connected to kindness and will be
delivered to the Beginners' students during the
next Kindness Buddies' activity. A special thank
you to the Home & School for providing funding
for the ​Kindness Capes Project.​ We
appreciate their support and look forward to
spreading messages of kindness!
The themes of respect, diversity, acceptance,
tolerance and integrity have been present
throughout our 6th grade novel studies, ​Freak
the Mighty,​ ​The Giver​, and ​Number the Stars
this year. We have also been celebrating our
diverse learning community in connection to
Abilities Awareness Month​ ​through a variety
of lessons, spirit awareness days, and activities.
As a part of the 6th grade service learning
project, students worked in teams to create
themed sensory boxes​ for students at St.
John of God School in Westville, NJ, and Larc
School in Bellmawr, NJ. Sensory boxes create
a variety of learning opportunities for students in
both schools. Our 6th grade Lunch Bunch
students visited both schools to meet with
students and deliver the boxes. Everyone had
an amazing time and we were grateful to share
in this wonderful opportunity!
Pennies for Patients
Students & teachers participate in the ​Pennies
for Patients​ program to support the ​Leukemia
& Lymphoma Society​ each year. This year,
we raised a total of ​$14,316.88 in donations​ to
support children who are battling cancer,
bringing the total amount that we have collected
to support the program since 2012, to ​$60,329​!
We appreciate the generosity of our school
community and are honored to be a part of the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission to
make a difference in the lives of those who are
battling cancer. Thank you for your continued
support!
 Abilities Awareness Month
During the month of April, in coordination with
Abilities Awareness Month​, ​students and staff
members at both Jeffrey Clark and Samuel
Mickle Schools celebrated our diverse
community of learners. Our goal was to provide
our school community with a variety of
resources and activities that foster an
environment of kindness, compassion, and
acceptance for everyone within our learning
community.​ Information about diversity and
acceptance was shared via the morning
announcements, mentor texts, and ​character
education lessons for the month. In addition,
students participated in Abilities Awareness
centers, to help educate and improve
perceptions about different abilities and/or
disabilities and eliminate stereotypes,
misconceptions, and misunderstandings about
individuals with disabilities. The activities were
in celebration of ALL of our students and their
amazing abilities.
Mickle Marketplace
Samuel Mickle School hosted its 3rd Annual
Mickle Marketplace: An Entrepreneurship
Opportunity for Grades 4 through 6 this
February. Business savvy students took
independent strides to create plans, products,
and prices to enter the world of venture
capitalism! The​ ​Mickle Marketplace​ ​provided
an opportunity for students to share their
products with the school and surrounding
community. Hundreds attended to shop for
baked goods, bath bombs, baskets, and more.
Our budding entrepreneurs were excited that so
many people attended to show their support.
Following the event, our entrepreneurs had the
opportunity to evaluate their sales and business
plan. We are proud of our budding
entrepreneurs and look forward to visiting our
upcoming Marketplace in June.
The “Golden Bus”
The ​Golden Bus​ program was introduced at
Jeffrey Clark School in January, as an
extension to the Golden Tray program, and we
developed to promote a safe and orderly
dismissal process. Students are expected to
walk quietly down the hallway to the gym, sit
quietly in their bus lines with their backpacks
on, use their quiet voices so they are prepared
to listen for dismissal directions, follow the
teacher assigned to lead their bus line out to the
bus lanes, stay on the sidewalk as they
approach the bus lanes, and load their bus
quickly and quietly. One bus line is chosen
weekly to be recognized for their positive and
safe dismissal behavior. Students who are on
the winning bus receive a golden bee to place
in the Buzzworthy Behavior Bin and are able to
exit the gym first on Friday. The Golden Bus
program has made our bus dismissal process
more efficient and has made our students more
aware of their behaviors, increasing school
safety and adding to our positive climate.
Buzzworthy Students
The following students were honored as
Buzzworthy Students​ by their teachers for the
traits of ​Responsibility, Acceptance, &
Integrity. ​Students will be honored for the trait
of​ ​Perseverance​ ​during the month of May.
Clark Students
Responsibility​:​ Hunter Palazzo, Delia
DiFebbo, Joseph Antonelli, Sophia Oravetz,
Jacquelyn Ramos, Luca Cavalieri
Acceptance:​ Logan Weseloch, Day’Onni
Wagner, Grace D’Angelis, Liam Dymond,
Anthony Cappo, Grace Popoff
Integrity:​ Kelly Szeg, Landon O’Connell,
Reagan Peddle, Brody Taylor, Noemi Haller,
Preston Hawkins
Mickle Students
Responsibility:​ Marilyn Michal, Tommy Cole,
Ava DiBonaventura, Jack Tanzola, Bailey
Workman, Dillan O’Leary, Abigail DiLorenzo
Acceptance:​ Ayla Rivello, Colton O’Connell,
Hayden Gibbs, Connor Cusack, MacKenzie
Layton, Jeffrey Schwantes, Giuliana Stavola,
Brendan O’Leary
Integrity:​ Gabriella Conclaves, Ryan Preziosi,
Jolie Abreu, Connor Thompson, Anaijah
Harvey-Dobson, Gabriela Mirenda, Aryan
Bhagat
Disney-Themed
Character Ed Assemblies
Our second trimester 6th grade Lunch Bunch
representatives and advisors, Mrs. Cavanaugh,
Ms. Marghilano, and Ms. Kuhen organized and
presented four Character Education assemblies
for students in grades pre-k through sixth during
the month of March. The assemblies were
Disney-themed and focused on team building
highlighting our traits of responsibility,
acceptance, integrity, and perseverance.
Students were partnered up to participate in a
Disney puzzle piece unscramble, Disney
dress-up relay race, and character trait bucket
stacking challenge. The assembly also featured
several students from each grade level in a
video that highlighted ways to be responsible,
show acceptance, have integrity, and
persevere. Our LB reps kept the audience
engaged throughout the assembly by leading
chants and cheers. Our students did an
awesome job showing respect and support for
their peers. We are very proud of our Lunch
Bunch reps for doing an amazing job and
appreciate the participation and support of our
students and staff. We look forward to planning
Kindness Buddies activity for Clark & Mickle
students in June.
​Educator Honors
We’d like to congratulate Clark School
Librarian, Mrs. Wordelmann, for being
nominated by Mrs. McCarthy for the National
Life Group’s ​Life Changer of the Year​ ​Award
for inspiring her students through all of the
wonderful lessons she provides during Library
class. Mrs. Wordelmann was also awarded the
Power Foundation Grant​ which will be used
to bring a mobile STEAM Museum to Jeffrey
Clark on June 18 & 19. We’d like to thank Mrs.
Wordelmann for applying for the grant and look
forward to the opportunities that will be provided
to Clark students. We’d also like to
congratulate Mrs. Harris, our School
Psychologist at Clark, for being named the
2018​ ​New Jersey State Psychologist of the
Year​! We appreciate all that Mrs. Harris does
for our students, staff, and school community
and are proud of her accomplishment!
​For more information about our Character
Education program, please contact:
Stacy Kuhen
Teacher on Assignment,
Character Education Coordinator
Lunch Bunch, Mentor Club, SMS Advisor
kuhens@eastgreenwich.k12.nj.us