Geography Bee Winners

On Thursday, December 4, Lawrence Intermediate School students participated in the National Geographic Geography Bee. This annual event is sponsored by the LIS PTO and the LIS Student Council. Students competed in three grade-level Bees where they answered oral questions on geography.

Our Geography Bee winners (L to R)

4th grade: Sonia Chakraborty

5th grade: Garrett Durso-Finley

6th grade: Ian Tseng

Congratulations to 6th grader, Ian Tseng, for being  LIS's overall Geography Bee Winner. Once Ian takes his written test, it will be sent off to the National Geographic Society for scoring.

Winners from each state will compete in the 27th National National Geographic Geography Bee in Washington DC in May 2015.

Great job to our students and many thanks to Ms. Tarasov and Ms. Stubbs for coordinating the Bee.

LIS Students Recognized at Jet's Game

The American Heart Association and the NFL's Play 60 program recognize students across the country who demonstrate Healthy living, wellness, and who are examples to others through being active and physically fit.  Two of our L.I.S. students were recognized through this program this past Monday night at the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins game in East Rutherford N.J.  6th grade student Rebekah Kargbo and 5th grade student Jack Yamniuk (both Presidential Physical Fitness Award winners) and their parents were given free tickets to the game and walked out onto the playing field to be honored.

A video of them on the field was shown during the game on the Jets Jumbo Tron screens.  They also received an NFL play 60 t-shirt and Jets apparel.  We are very proud of Rebekah and Jack and their leadership in living an active stay fit lifestyle.  Mr. David Boggs and Mr. Jonathan Chichilitti, both Physical Education Teachers at LIS, accompanied the students and their families to the game Monday Night.

We All Give Thanks

There are so many wonderful things in our lives that we are thankful for and here are a number of examples that are posted around our school.  Our students have truly reflected and have responded through a variety of projects, many based upon our learning in our LAL classes.  We are mostly thankful for the wonderful and caring family members that we share our lives with everyday.

Thank you parents for your continued support as we close our Parent/Teacher Conferences and we look forward to a great Second Marking Period.  Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday!!!

LIS Representatives Recognized at BOE Meeting

After an extensive application process, Lawrence Township Public Schools (LTPS) was named a National District of Character by Character.org. On Saturday, November 1, LTPS representatives received the actual award signifying the national distinction at Character.org's 2014 National Forum on Character Education in Washington, DC.

At the November 12, 2014 Board of Education meeting, LIS student, parent, and faculty representatives were present to accept the school's District of Character banner.

Thanksgiving Baskets for HomeFront

The Lawrence Intermediate School Student Council recently finished their Annual Thanksgiving Basket Collection for HomeFront.

26 baskets of food were assembled and delivered to HomeFront for local families in need. (This is double the number that we collected last year).

The students of LIS showed great character in helping others during this time of Thanksgiving. Thank you to all who donated so generously!

Windows of Soul

Our art teacher, Mr. Howard Michaels, participated in the third Windows of Soul event in Trenton last weekend. Prior to the event, Mr. Michaels submitted his graphic of Jimi Hendrix. This 36"x48" panel was installed on Sunday. 

From the Sage Coalition website: "Windows of soul is a unique concept aimed at bringing life to blighted urban neighborhoods. It consists of a series of community gatherings where artwork is installed on the windows of abandoned buildings in local neighborhoods." Professional artists and members of the community installed and created art work during the weekend.

Mr. Michaels's artwork being installed

Window of Soul!

Veteran's Day at LIS

We had a special guest speaker at our 4th grade Morning Meeting on November 11. Mr. Albert T. Valentino, a veteran from the Vietnam War, was on hand to speak about his experience in the Armed Forces while serving. He was introduced by his grandson, Owen, who is in Mrs. Blank's 4th grade class at LIS. Mr. Valentino spoke to the 4th grade audience about service to the nation, leadership, responsibility, teamwork, and loyalty. Mr. Valentino comes from a long line of servicemen:  his father served in World War II and his grandfather in World War I. After his presentation, Mr. Valentino led the class outdoors and raised the American flag.

Student teacher Jaime Cooper surprised Mrs. Petrone's 4th grade class by coming to school dressed in her fatigues. Ms. Cooper spoke about her experience while serving our country in Iraq with the Marines.  She is no longer in active service and is studying at Rider to become a teacher.  She talked about how she uses skills she learned as a Marine in the classroom every day…discipline, hard work, patience, and teamwork.

Thanks to Mr. Valentino and Ms. Cooper for their service to our country and for taking time to share their experiences with our students.

Character Kick-Off

Sia A., Annie Y., & Anya S. (6th grade students) wrote about our Character Kickoff, which was held on October 24.

"This is the 11th year of this wonderful team event at LIS.  LIS students and LHS Peer Leaders were outside having fun during Character Kickoff and playing all sorts of great games, such as Hula Hut and Don’t Lose Your Marbles.

Each event had an inspiring quote and the students gathered together after the event to figure out what the quote meant, along with the help of an LHS student. The LHS students either worked with an individual class all day or ran an event.  The LHS students guided the LIS students through each game.

One of the quotes read “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” This means that if you don’t prepare well, things won’t go as planned.  Character Kickoff was a wonderful day that should take place every year."

Rider Men's Soccer Team as Mentors

Last year, we started a partnership with Coach Charlie Inverso and the Rider men's soccer team. We are happy to welcome the team back to LIS to continue their mentoring of our 5th grade students.

Two Rider soccer players will work with each of the 12 fifth grade classes over the next few months. The topics include leadership, working hard, teamwork, academics and being part of something larger than themselves. Our 5th grade students are really looking forward to working with college athletes.

5th Grade Assembly with Arctic/Coral Reef Scientist

On Thursday, October 16, our 5th grade students spent some time with Dr. Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop. He specializes in Arctic and Coral Reef research.

Last year, Mr. Brennan's class had the opportunity to Skype with Dr. Buchanan-Dunlop. Those students, now in 6th grade, were also invited to the assembly to meet him in person.

Dr. Buchanan-Dunlop showed students some pictures and videos from his time in the Arctic, and they had to opportunity to ask a few questions. Later in the day, Dr. Buchanan-Dunlop visited four 5th grade classrooms to talk about his climate change research. Those four classes are looking forward to presenting this information to the rest of their 5th grade classmates.

At the end of the day, Dr. Buchanan-Dunlop provided some professional development for interested teachers. Thanks to Mr. Brennan for coordinating these meetings.

Walk This Way (4th Grade)

Safe Kids Worldwide and program sponsor FedEx created Safe Kids Walk This Way to teach safe behavior to motorists and child pedestrians and create safer, more walkable communities.

On Wednesday, October 8, the 4th grade students had an assembly focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety.

After the assembly, students had the opportunity to see the inside of a FedEx truck and to practice pedestrian safety.

It's not a "Walk This Way" program without Boomer!

Back-to-School Nights

We had a great turnout for each of our three back-to-school nights!

September 30

We asked our 4th grade students to wave to their parents.

That night, the 4th grade parents waved back to their students.

October 1

We asked our 5th grade students to wave to their parents.

That night, the 5th grade parents waved back to their students.

October 2

The 6th grade parents go directly to their student's homeroom for a video presentation.

This allows them to spend more time with each teacher.

Thanks to all of our parents, grandparents, and guardians for coming out to support their students and our teachers. Our 2014-15 school year is off to a terrific start.

5th Grade Patriotism

Our 5th grade students weren't born yet on September 11, 2011. They do not have memories, as so many of us do, of the events as they unfolded that day.

Our school observed a moment of silence before the Pledge of Allegiance on September 11. Then, our 5th grade students students participated in a variety of activities which helped them gain a deeper understanding of why our country’s history is important and how it affects the decisions made by the government and its citizens. Students then made some links between safety and their community, and they decided they wanted to thank the Lawrence first responders for being available to keep them safe.

Students in each of the thirteen 5th grade classes wrote notes on red, white, and blue links and joined them together.

Representatives from the Lawrence police and fire departments attended the 5th grade morning meeting on Thursday, September 18. Students explained the project and surrounded the first responders with their chains of good wishes.

We were thrilled to receive a photograph of the chains hanging on the walls of the police station.

Thank you to Mrs. Van Treuren for coordinating this activity. Thanks to all of our 5th grade students, teachers, and the Lawrence first responders for participating in this meaningful assembly. 

House Parties!

We were grateful that last week's weather cooperated, and we were able to hold House Parties for all three grades.

The 4th grade met in the gym on Tuesday, September 8, and did two scavenger hunts. Classes took turns exploring the building and the features of their student planners.

The Student Planners have a LOT of information for students and parents.
Have you seen your student's planner?

Both 5th grade & 6th grade House Parties were held on Thursday, September 10. Students enjoyed a variety of team-building activities on the fields.

5th grade

6th grade

The House Parties are a great way for our students to get to know each other at the beginning of the year. Thanks to our PTO for providing popsicles after each party and to all of our parent volunteers.

2014-2015 School Year Started

We had a wonderful start to the 2014-2015 school year at LIS. The incoming 4th graders are finally here with all of us and we are so very excited for each new learning opportunity.

Have a wonderful school year and we look forward to seeing all of our parents at our Back-To-School nights on September 30(4th grade), October 1(5th grade), and October 2(6th grade).  

Welcome Back to LIS

We are looking forward to another awesome new school year at LIS.  Our Teachers are soooo excited to meet all of their new students and their families.  Everyone at LIS is getting ready for September 4th, our first day of school... which is a full day for students and staff.  Our placements letters were mailed out and we are ready to get started!!! 

Summer Reading!

If you have a rising 5th or 6th grade student, chances are you've heard that they have to read a book this summer. Thanks to funding from the Lawrence Township Education Foundation, all students going into 5th or 6th grade next year will receive a packet that includes a book to read over the summer.

Students going into 5th grade had the opportunity to choose one of these books:

Students going into 6th grade had the opportunity to choose one of these books:

Over the summer, each student going into 5th or 6th grade will read their chosen novel and complete a worksheet relating to the book. When they return to school in September, they will bring back the book and the completed worksheet.

For more information and for a list of summer reading recommendations for every grade level by Mrs. Casieri (our Library Media Specialist), please visit our Library Media Center website.

Kitchen Twins @ LIS

Emily and Lyla, 4th grade students at LIS, started a cooking blog called Kitchen Twins late last year based on their passion for cooking, exploring new foods, eating healthy, and wanting to share it.

Kitchen Twins in the Whole Foods Culinary Room

This past Saturday, the girls were invited to do a cooking demo at Princeton Whole Foods in their culinary room, where other kids paid a small fee to be a part of their class, help with the food prep and enjoy a nice lunch they prepared together.

At Tuesday's morning meeting, the Kitchen Twins presented a healthy eating idea for "Meatless Monday" to the fourth grade students. If you'd like to try their recipe for Quinoa Black Bean Tacos with Red Pepper Cashew Sauce, you can find it on their blog.

Emily and Lyla were the winners of the LTPS "Shark Tank" competition in April and are really looking forward to visiting Edison Ventures (part of the prize package) to understand how to grow their "Kitchen Twin" business from a venture capital perspective.

Congratulations and keep cooking!!

4th grade Skypes with Astronomer in France

Miss Steiner's 4th grade class skyped with astronomer, Dr. Daryl Haggard, today. Dr. Haggard is a research astronomer at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Miss Steiner's class caught up with her at the Institut de Plan´etologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble, France, where she is a visiting scientist for the summer.

The class recently read an article about black holes and were interested in finding out more about our galaxy's black hole, Sagittarius A* (pronounced "Sagittarius A-star", standard abbreviation Sgr A*). The students were excited to learn about how Dr. Haggard studies Sgr A* and how the gravitational pull of Sgr A* allows them to see its location.

NJ Conservation Annual Poster Contest Winner @ LIS

Congratulations to 6th grade student, Aluen Tomat-Kelly, who was a winner of the NJ Conservation Annual Poster Contest. Aluen's poster won 1st place in the Mercer County 4th-6th grade division, and 3rd place in the overall State contest. The 2014 Contest Theme was: "Dig Deeper: Mysteries in the Soil!"

Aluen and her parents attended a recognition luncheon at the NJ State Museum on May 22. She received two certificates and a $50 prize.

Well done, Aluen!

4th & 5th grade Learn About Water Cycle

A representative from AmeriCorps, which is part of the Corporation for National and Community Service, visited LIS in late May and early June.

Our 4th and 5th grade students learned about the water cycle and an enviroscape.

We were able to take advantage of the terrific weather and use our outdoor classroom for the interactive lessons.

HomeFront 5K Walk/Run for Hope

Team LIS raised $340 for HomeFront! They ran in the HomeFront 5K Walk/Run for Hope on May 31.

L to R: Ms. Rello, Mrs. Franke, Mrs. Glover & her daughter, Mrs. Casieri
Not pictured: Mr. Mormile, Mr. Billy, Mrs. Maccaroni, Ms. Schwemmer

Our runners had a beautiful day for running and contributing to this great cause.  Proceeds of the 5K Walk/Run for Hope go to helping children enjoy the Joy, Hopes & Dreams Summer Programs. Thanks to all the families who donated.

If you missed the race, it's not too late to donate. HomeFront will take donations for a couple of weeks at our team website (no amount is too small).

Memorial Day Contest Winners @ LIS

Our students were encouraged by their classroom teachers to participate in the annual Memorial Day Essay Contest. We had three winners at every grade level. Our 6th grade winners were recognized at the Lawrence Twp. Memorial Day parade.

6th grade 1st place winner, Saloni S.

6th grade winners

1st place - Saloni S.

2nd place - Marissa P.

3rd place - Nadia A.

5th grade winners

1st place - Audrey K.

2nd place - Mikayla F.

3rd place - Breyonna A.

4th grade winners

1st place - Chloe A.

2nd place - Miduna R.

3rd place - Angelli B.

Greater Mercer TMA Contest Winner @ LIS

The Greater Mercer TMA recently sponsored a bookmark design contest for students in grades 3-5. The contest was open to students in Mercer and Ocean counties, and there was a winner from each county. Our very own Tanay (5th grade) won 2nd place in the contest.

L to R: Greater TMA rep, Tanay, Ms. Westhead, Ms. Kabo, Mr. Adam

Tanay received a bike safety bag, which included a new bike helmet and flashing reflectors. Walk and Bike to School Week will be celebrated this year from May 19-23, 2014. Governor Chris Christie signed a proclamation encouraging state and local governments and school districts to promote active and healthy lifestyles by walking and bicycling to school.

Congratulations, Tanay!

LIS Travels to the Arctic

Over three thousand students between the ages of 7 and 16 took part in Arctic Live through Skype in the classroom. Mr. Brennan's 5th grade class was among those students.

Mr. Brennan's class skyping with Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop, a scientist in the Arctic

Students were able to interact with an expedition at the Natural Environment Research Council base on Svalbard, the northernmost public settlement in the world. They got to see the vast, white Arctic environment and got to ask questions about the climate change research being conducted.

Smriti M., a student in Mr. Brennan's class, said, "It was a great experience to learn about climate change and how it's affecting the Arctic animals. I think it is really important to tell kids about these problems so they can help make a difference, because humans do have a part in climate change."

Mr. Brennan said this "felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students...The class is putting together a presentation to share with the rest of the school and they can't wait!"