St. Patrick's Day & St. Baldrick's Day Celebrations

LIS celebrated St. Patrick's Day yesterday with a whole school assembly in the morning. The Msgr. Crean Division 1 Pipe Band made a return appearance, and there was a special guest bagpiper!

Is that Mr. Adam in the green hat?!?

There were Irish dancers, and the LIS St. Baldrick's Super Shavers were honored for their bravery in shaving their heads to support cancer research.

LIS Super Shavers!

The LIS Super Shavers team raised $29,696.00 and counting...

Top 4th grade fundraiser: JP Claffey ($5,000.00)

Top 5th grade fundraiser: Maya Ferguson ($2,425.00)

Top 6th grade fundraiser and Team Captain: Dhruv Indelicato ($2,145.00)

The total raised at the Amalfi's St. Baldrick's Event is $164,811 and counting...

Our team captain presented the event organizers, Dr. Mike and Dr. Melissa McCue from Colonial Valley Chiropractic, with a certificate of appreciation for all their hard work.

Thanks to all who participated in this terrific event to end childhood cancer.

Caring Students @ LIS

Our students are always thinking about how they can help out in their communities.

So far this year, Hootie's Helpers (our 6th grade community service club) collected Halloween costumes and warm coats for HomeFront. They are currently working on a canned food collection for Souper Bowl of Caring.

Our Student Council collected Thanksgiving baskets for HomeFront, stuffed animals to be made into safe chew toys by Glad Dog Nation, and sweaters to be made into caps for cancer patients.

Thanks to Abbie Duncan & friends for donating their time and to everyone who generously donated their sweaters.

Abbie Duncan making a cap from an old sweater

64 caps for cancer patients!

Minas Music

Our 5th grade students loved participating in today's music assembly. They learned about Brazilian percussion instruments, how to scat sing, and even a little bit of Portuguese.

Muito obrigada to LTEF for providing the grant and to Minas Music for a terrific performance.

Music Assemblies

The Lawrence Township Education Foundation awarded a wonderful grant to LIS this Fall. The grant, "Students Making Cultural Connections Through Music and Arts," enables all students at LIS to experience music assemblies and some workshops.

The first assemblies will be going on this month, and our students and teachers are really looking forward to this musical enrichment!

January 12th "Minas Music" Assembly for FIFTH GRADE.
The Minas duo, Orlando Haddad and Patricia King, will be leading an assembly for our fifth grade students to demonstrate Brazilian music and percussion instruments. Student volunteers will be encouraged to sing in Portuguese, scat sing, and play Brazilian percussion.

After the assembly, one 5th grade class will benefit from a hands-on workshop in Brazilian music, where the students will learn how to create the rhythm and musical style of Brazil.

January 21st "Sonic Evolution" Assembly for ALL INSTRUMENTALISTS.

Pittsburgh-based Cello Fury will perform for all instrumentalists. Students will learn about the string instrument and percussion families, compare and contrast various musical styles, explore sound effects, discover how technology can applied to an old art form, and participate directly in this exciting and energizing program!

January 22nd "Beyond the Beat" Assembly for SIXTH GRADE.

Exit 9 (a group of former music graduate students from Rutgers University) will provide a high-energy, tightly choreographed performance infused with fine musicianship, humor, variety, instruction, and audience participation. One surprise follows another as the musical genres flow from classical to ragtime to improvisation, and more—and rusty brake shoes, garbage cans, and wooden stools supplant traditional instrumentation.

4th & 5th Grade Chess Play Day

Educational research has shown that playing chess (and other strategic games) builds 21st century thinking, problem solving, and teamwork skills.

Mrs. Heller teaches 4th & 5th grade students to play chess as part of our enrichment program. The culminating experience for these students is a chess play day where the whole grade comes together to play chess.

The 4th grade students played on November 10.

The 5th grade students played on November 12.

Mrs. Goomer's Class is Caught Reading!

We are enjoying some beautifully warm days for November, and today, Mrs. Goomer's class was caught reading outside! Keep reading, 5th graders.

Remembering September 11

September 11 is a day that our nation will never forget. The LIS Student Council sponsored a spirit day and requested that 4th grade wear red, 5th grade wear white, and 6th grade wear blue to represent the colors of the flag.

During morning announcements, our students were asked to postpone the pledge of allegiance and to conduct an emergency evacuation drill in complete silence as a tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

It was truly awe-inspiring to watch over 1,000 students and staff walk through the building and out onto the fields in silence. After students were assembled outside, our Student Council officers led us in a solemn salute to the flag.

Our Character Education theme this month is respect. We are proud of our students and staff for their respectful silence this morning. Thanks to all who participated.