Conti Chatter Dr. Michael Conti School PS 5

June 2, 2023

Student Awards

PROYECTO SCIENCE

Five Conti middle school students -- 7th-graders Muhammad Ali, Abdul Quamir Bryant, Phoenyx Castellon, Saifan Khan, and Emma Moloney -- have been awarded coveted spots in the 2023 Proyecto Science program, a six-week summer intensive focusing on advancement in mathematics, sciences, computer science and technology for select middle and high school students. Participants will take courses in Algebra, Calculus, Probability & Statistics, Geometry, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and Computer Sciences. The five-year summer program is made possible by generous support from Bloomberg Philanthropies & Novartis Pharmaceuticals. The program begins with 7th graders participating in Phase 1, and students invited back for Phases 2, 3, and 4, in their 8th, 9th, and 10th grade years. Wonderful news!

THERMO-FISHER JUNIOR INNOVATORS CHALLENGE

Kudos to 7th-grader Olive Moulaison, selected to be a Hudson County nominee for the 2023 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. Thermo Fisher JIC (formerly known as the Broadcom MASTERS) is the nation's premier STEM research competition for middle school students. Only the Top 10% of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students competing at society-affiliated science fairs each year are nominated to enter, so this is a significant achievement. Olive is currently at work on her final application, which will be reviewed by the JIC judging panel over the summer. The Top 300 Junior Innovators will be announced on September 6th.... and the Top 30 finalists announced September 20th, winning an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete in the Finals Week of the competition in October 2023!

NYAMWANGE FOUNDATION AWARDS

Happy to announce that 8th graders Ndeye Ndoye and Chloe Mays (above with our School Counselor Emma Santiago-Hernandez) are winners of the 2023 Nyamwange Foundation College Scholarship Award -- only two of three winners chosen each year by the foundation...Both students have also been accepted into the Nyamwange Leadership Academy Program, in which participants get the opportunity to apply for Birthright Afrika, a fully-funded trip to Africa to explore cultural roots. Profiles of Chloe and Ndeye will appear on the "Meet the Scholars" page of the Nyamwange Foundation website, and they will be recognized at the Annual Nyamwange Gala held at Liberty House next week.

WORLD LANGUAGES PROCLAMATION CEREMONY

Conti 5th-grader Yulia Pavlov was recognized as the Grade 3-5 Dual Language Student of the Year, at the 2023 Jersey City Public Schools Bilingual/ESL/World Languages Proclamation Ceremony held on May 5th. Yulia (in photo above with her mother, and Dual Language teacher Ana Flores & Principal John J. Rivero), along other students from the district, were honored as "Outstanding Students" at this celebration of multiculturalism.

PANASONIC ECO DIARY WINNERS

High-fives to 5th graders Emma Origenes, Emery Hofmann, & OIivia Rivers, who comprise one of ten winning New Jersey student teams for this year's Eco-Diary Contest. Participating students were asked to identify environmental concerns in their communities and come up with a proposal to address the issue. While walking around the neighborhood surrounding PS5, dust in an unkempt lot triggered an asthma attack for Emma. She and her teammates, dubbed "The Forces of Nature," decided to start a campaign to encourage neighbors to reduce air pollution by not only planting community gardens, but ones filled with plants that are more "allergy-friendly." Members of the winning teams are being awarded $50 gift cards.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

The focus TRAIT for the prior month was HELPFULNESS.

[Click on each photo to ENLARGE]

MARKING PERIOD AWARDS ASSEMBLY

Students who achieved Perfect Attendance, Effort Roll, Second or First Honors for Marking Period 3 were recognized last week before an assembly of their peers. Congratulations to all! [Click on each photo to ENLARGE]

Celebrating Conti Educators of the Year

PS5 Teacher of the Year Lisa Ramos (Grade 4 Math Specialist) and PS5 Educational Support Professional of the Year Janet Calcaterra (Grade 4 & 8 Teacher Aide) were recognized recently at a district celebration. A well-deserved honor for these outstanding educators!

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Performing Arts at PS5

THEATER EDUCATION

For the second year in a row, PS5 contracted with Speranza Theatre to have their teaching artists work with students in grades K to 5. Our kids enjoyed learning about the elements of theater, including costuming, performance, & playwriting. Our kids in grades 4 & 5 even had their collaboratively-written plays read aloud the final day of the workshop by professional actors, thanks to a Hudson County Cultural Affairs grant! Special thanks to our PTA for funding the contract for grades K-1 and to Library Media Specialist K. Sexton for coordinating with teachers and artists to make theater come alive at PS #5.

TICKETS FOR PS5 PRODUCTION OF "ANNIE KIDS"

The Conti School Musical Theatre Club will be presenting their highly anticipated performance on Wednesday, June 21st. Tickets are going fast, so reserve yours at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/74917

SPRING CONCERT

A packed house for our Spring Concert this week, where PS5 students proudly displayed their musical talents! [Click on each photo to enlarge]

Beautifying the Earth

CONTI GARDEN CLUB

Our school garden is thriving, thanks to members of the Conti Garden Club who have been diligently working for the past several months, tending to our urban oasis…At a recent gathering of the club, Middle School students continued to plant seedlings, saw the first radish of the season, dug up worms to place in compost bins, and made beautiful prints of native botanicals for the PS5 Garden Botanical Journal. Shout out to our students, and PTA Garden Committee members Marion Schoevaert, Nicole Moulaison, and Dawn Giambalvo, who were on hand to supervise and share their expertise with our kids during a spectacular afternoon for gardening!

TRASH BASH

Earth Day clean-ups took place throughout Jersey City, and our students did their part as well: Conti 5th-grader D. Perez, inspired by his recent PBL project "Trash Bash," decided to round up a group of friends from PS5 to join him in collecting trash in Mary Benson Park & the school playground. At the end of a tiring but productive Saturday afternoon, they celebrated by enjoying pizza and singing a rousing rendition of "Never Gonna Give You Up!" by Rick Astley.

THE 3-Rs!

1st graders in 209 have been learning about the importance of recyling!

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NATURE & NURTURE

Pre K students in 102 studying life cycles and witnessing the wonder of chicks hatching!

First grade classes had a fantastic time helping out at Doyle's Farm in Flemington, NJ. They fed the baby goats and lambs, went on a hayride, watched a sheep get sheared, planted flowers, held baby bunnies and chicks, and collected eggs from the chicken coup. Awesome!

3rd-graders in 206 learned about pollination and made 3D diagrams of flowers via the Mystery Science program.

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CONTI KINDNESS TEAM

3rd-grade students enjoyed read-alouds of Jacqueline Woodson's Each Kindness and then worked on friendship activities with Conti Kindness Council parent members Divya Dodhia and Raquel D'Apice.

A TRIBUTE TO MS. KING

Our beloved colleague & friend Temara King, in addition to teaching full-time during the day, also worked the after school CASPER program, where parents would routinely note her warmth and commitment to their children. One of those parents, Adriane Colburn, recently worked with our kids in CASPER to create a tribute to Ms. King: drawings of colorful flowers then placed together to create a beautiful mural hanging right next to our Main Office. Fittingly titled, "Ms. King, Always in Our Hearts."

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Thank you!

Conti Chatter @ 2022-23 Created by K. Sexton, Library Media Specialist

Principal John J. Rivero

Assistant Principal Albert Padilla

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Appreciate