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.

2015-16 School Year @ 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. Our placement letters were mailed out and we are ready to get started!!! The first day of school is September 3rd, which is a full day for staff and students.

Here are some important upcoming dates (also available on our school web page):

GMTMA Bookmark Contest News

Congratulations to 4th grade student, Samantha Gunton, whose bookmark was selected for Honorable Mention in the Greater Mercer TMA's Safe Routes to School Bookmark Design Contest! Many entries were received, and the committee members said it was very difficult to pick a winner.

Visit the GMTMA website to see all the winning bookmark designs.

Rising 7th Grade (Save the Dates)

Please see below for some important dates for rising 7th grade students (and their parents/guardians):

• May 20th:  Middle School 101 – Curriculum Night (Academic Course Guide) 7:00 pm - Learn about the Middle School curriculum from the secondary instructional supervisors

• June 10th: LMS Goes to LIS – Rising 7th Grade Student Orientation (for students only)

• June 12th: Rising 7th Grade Parent Orientation, LMS Auditorium
  10:00 am - 11:15 am

• August 26th: Rising 7th Grade Orientation
• Student Orientation is from 9:00 am - 11:30 am
• Parent Orientation is from 10:30 am - 11:30 am

4th Grade "Walk This Way" Town Council Meeting

In October, all of our 4th grade students participated in "Walk This Way," which is a pedestrian safety program. The students walked around the community and completed a survey about what they observed during the walk. Some of the 4th grade students worked with Mrs. Heller, the 4th grade House Leader, to review the surveys and compile a report.

On Tuesday, April 21, those students presented their "Walk This Way" findings to the Town Council.

This was a great opportunity for our students to get involved in their community. Thanks to Mrs. Heller for coordinating this presentation and to our students for their hard work.

Bus Driver Appreciation Breakfast

Bus drivers & Hootie's Helpers

Our bus drivers were treated to breakfast in the cafeteria today by the 6th grade community service leadership club, Hootie's Helpers. Along with their faculty advisor, Ms. Potocny, Hootie's Helpers served breakfast to our bus drivers to show how much we appreciate them getting our students to school safely each day. It looks like everyone had a great time!

CJMEA Honors Band

CJMEA Honors Band Members

On April 18th, 2015, twelve  students from LIS, along with their director, went to Rahway 7th & 8th Grade Academy in Rahway, NJ to participate in a 1 day band festival.  These students were nominated by their director, Mrs. Allison Kershner, based on their performance in the LIS Concert Band.  Once nominated, students were selected and placed into one of 3 Bands – the” Red Band”, the “White Band” and the “Blue Band”.  Students received acceptance letters and music a few weeks before the festival so they had time to practice.

It was a very exciting day for everyone. Students were placed in ensembles of up to 100 performers from around Central New Jersey.  Everyone was seated next to a student from another school whom they did not know, and all students worked together to rehearse and put on an amazing concert at the end of the day.  What great teamwork!  The students and Mrs. Kershner had an amazing experience and are looking forward to doing it again in the future.

LIS Jump Rope & Hoops for Heart Events

Jump! (photo credit: Rick & Peg DeFalco)

Thanks to Mother Nature, the LIS Jump Rope for Heart event had to be rescheduled twice! It finally happened on Thursday, March 19.

131 4th & 5th grade students participated in Jump Rope for Heart and they raised $15,629.90 for the American Heart Association.

Hoops for Heart happened on February 26, and our 6th grade students raised $7,600.00 for the American Heart Association.

Owen Boggs (4th grade) was the top fundraiser for Jump Rope for Heart. He raised $900.00! Eric Maest was our top individual fundraiser for the 3rd year in a row! This year, Eric raised $3,280.00 for Hoops for Heart. For last year's Jump Rope event, Eric raised $2,205.00, and when he was in 4th grade, he raised $1,400.00. Eric holds the school record for individual fundraising and according to Mr. Boggs's Blog, this has earned him the nickname "Big Money."

Owen Boggs & Eric Maest (top individual fundraisers)

Our grand total raised between the two events is $23,424.00, which is a new school record! Thanks to our Physical Education department for coordinating these great events, and thank you to all who fundraised, participated, and attended.

Fun facts:

• Highest fundraising 4th grade class = Ms. Steiner's ($1,610.00 raised)
• Highest fundraising 5th grade class = Ms. Bradley's ($960.00 raised)
• Highest fundraising 6th grade class = Ms. Tarasov's ($3,682.00 raised)

CJMEA Honors Orchestra

CJMEA Honors Orchestra Members

Sixteen students from LIS went to East Brunswick HS this past Saturday to participate in a one day orchestra festival.  Our students worked with other students from various schools throughout central NJ (all participants had to be nominated by their director). They rehearsed in the morning/early afternoon and put on a concert at the end of the day.  The students did a great job representing LIS - they even made some new friends in the end.

Musical note pretzels!

St. Patrick/St. Baldrick Celebration @ LIS

LIS students enjoyed a terrific morning assembly on March 17. Many students were wearing green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. All students were treated to an Irish dancing performance from some of our 4th grade students and two special guests (Mr. Adam's daughters).

L to R: Madison A., Gianna M., Reece G., Faith O., Ellie B., Kayla A.

After the dancing, Mr. Adam honored all the LIS students who participated in the St. Baldrick's event over the weekend. Team LIS raised over $18,500 (first place out of 17 teams). Our captain, Jake Ramos, raised $2,160 (our highest individual fundraiser).

The whole school enjoyed a performance by the Msgr. Crean Division 1 Pipe Band, and as team captain and top fundraiser, Jake was honored to lead them in a song.

Overall, Lawrence raised $145,000.00 for this great cause! Thanks to Mrs. Schwartz, our faculty coordinator, Jake Ramos, our team captain, and to all who contributed to the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Msgr. Crean Division 1 Pipe Band; St. Baldrick's Participants; Irish Dancers

2015 NJAGC Distinguished Student for the State of NJ

One of our 4th grade students was recently named as the 2015 NJAGC Distinguished Student for the state of New Jersey.  The NJ Association for Gifted Children recognizes one child annually who has made a difference in his/her community and who excels in academics.

Alana Pahade is a student leader who is heavily involved in raising awareness in her community for a variety of charities.

Alana and her sister started their own charity called Better World Cupcakes, in which they make and sell themed cupcakes, and then donate the proceeds to charity. In addition, Alana has started a new charity called Leaf Foundation, Creating Greener Gardens; the goal is to plant trees and preserve natural gardens.

Alana was awarded a certificate, a plaque and a $100 prize in honor of being awarded the NJAGC Distinguished Student of the Year. Congratulations, Alana!

2015 LIS Science & Engineering Fair Winners

This year, the Lawrence Science & Engineering Fair was held at the high school on February 28. The Fair is open to LIS and LMS students. There were 140 participants; 80 trophies were presented. Thanks to all of our parents and students for the great turnout and to our coordinator, Mrs. Heller, for her tireless efforts. Congratulations to all of our LIS winners!

4th grade winners

Fourth Grade
Most Superior Science Achievement

• Abbilash Shivaparan
• Marcos Lopez & Andrew Duff

Superior Science Achievement

• Ailish Humphreys & Alana Pahade
• Anushka Paulchoudhury
• Ariadne Chilinski & Malgorzata Urbanek

Outstanding Science Achievement

• Nikhil Kohli
• Donovan White & Amar Virdee

Honorable Mention

• Janhavi Palkar & Rhea Phadke
• Ava Cohen & Sophia Dismukes
• Eliza Meth & Emily Jorgensen
• Sonia Chakraborty
• Thomas Scaturo
• John & Samantha Gunton

Special Science Recognition

• Cleaner is Meaner – Brooke Zevon
• Future Engineer – Rohan Tadisetty & Prem Varun
• Future Engineer – Maygala Selvisudhakar & Morgan Boone

5th grade winners

Fifth Grade

Most Superior Science Achievement

• Kavin Nakkeeran
• Catie Lillja & Liam Thompson

Superior Science Achievement

• Arnav Aggarwal
• Paraj Goyal

Outstanding Science Achievement

• Katie Ciuffreda & Rebekah Gaudino
• Ariana Colner

Honorable Mention

• Dhruv Indelicato & Liam Ripberger
• Chaiyo Kosinski
• Sai Rajesh & CJ Caponi
• Maria and Martina Vittadello
• Aaron Ladinsky
• Arya Baskaran

Special Science Recognition

• Out of This World – Richard Zhou & Vidya Vedula
• Best Use of Color – Adithi Ponakampalli

6th grade winners

Sixth Grade
Most Superior Science Achievement

• Shaan Virdee & Shiamak Kalwachwala
• Dylan Morris

Superior Science Achievement

• Jamie Slutzky
• Manit Niwas

Outstanding Science Achievement

• Sofia Garcia & Julian Garcia
• Alex Papasavvas

Honorable Mention

• Kaia Dyckman
• Ayla Rios
• Neel Revankar & Eric Maest
• John Weaver & Aiyan Nair
• Ethan Brewer
• Suraj Kura & Rohan Vanaparthi

Skyping with a Seahawks Coach

On Friday afternoon, our 5th grade students were thrilled to be able to Skype with Travis Jones, Defensive Line Coach for the Seattle Seahawks. He was introduced to the assembly by his 5th grade niece, Courtney Copeland.

Mr. Jones spoke to the students about his football career, working with the Seattle Seahawks, and the importance of perseverance. His most important advice to our students: "Never Give Up!"

Thanks to Mr. Boggs for organizing this assembly and to Courtney and her parents for connecting our students with Mr. Jones.

LIS Teachers at NJAPHERD Convention

NJAHPERD is dedicated to advancing quality health education, physical education, recreation, dance education, and athletics.  The Association promotes the development of healthy active lifestyles for New Jersey’s students, educators and community members. Our physical education teachers attended the NJAHPERD Conference this week.

L to R: Mr. Barrett, Mr. Chichilitti, NJAHPERD President Ms. Doherty, Mr. Boggs, Ms. Hart

At the conference, our teachers accepted a plaque on behalf of the LIS students. The plaque was awarded to LIS for raising over $20,000 last year for our combined Jump Rope & Hoops for Heart events, making us #1 in the state of New Jersey!

Our teachers also had the opportunity to hear from and meet with the motivational keynote speaker for the day, Gian Paul Gonzalez.

L to R: Ms. Hart, Mr. Chichilitti, Gian Paul Gonzalez, Mr. Boggs, Mr. Barrett

Congratulations to our students, who did such outstanding fundraising, and to our Physical Education department, who spent many hours coordinating these excellent programs.