A MESSAGE FROM OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD |
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| Kirstin Rogers, Interim Middle School Head, describes the many benefits of learning outside the classroom in her November blog post. Below is an excerpt:
Oftentimes, the best school days are the ones without any students in the classroom. I know that must sound funny, but it’s true - while our days in the classroom are wonderful, there is something particularly special about the occasions when we are able to venture outside the four walls of our classrooms. Heading off campus to share an experience out in the greater world with our students helps them make the jump from classroom knowledge to a deep understanding of not just what they’ve learned, but provides context for how it applies to their own lives and the world around them.
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Thursday, November 16 7 p.m. - Booster Club Meeting in Oakwood Room Friday, November 17
3:30 p.m. - Middle School Musical (for students only) in Berry Performing Arts Center Saturday, November 18 12 p.m. - Middle School Musical in Berry Performing Arts Center 4 p.m. - Middle School Musical in Berry Performing Arts Center Monday-Tuesday, November 20-21 Peer Leadership Retreat
Tuesday, November 21 10 a.m. - Lower School Friendsgiving in AP Room Wednesday-Sunday, November 22-26 SCHOOL/OFFICES CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING RECESS SCHOOL CALENDAR 2023-2024 ONE-PAGE SCHOOL CALENDAR |
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| Middle School Musical - Nov. 17-18 |
Don’t miss this year’s Middle School musical production of Aladdin JR. Performances will be held Friday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m. for students only and Saturday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Leading players include Rishi Nihalani ’29, Aanya Chaturvedi ’29, Shiloh Sharma ’28, Joshua Simeonidis ’28, Arika Shah ’29, Anika Kumar ’29, Krishna Kumar ’29, Devindar Virdi ’28, Brit Gehl ’28 and Jaxson Simeonidis ’28.
Tickets are available at this link: http://twhsnj.booktix.net |
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Sarah Alves '24 set for FDU softball |
Sarah Alves ’24 is ready to take on the next challenge of her academic and athletic career. The WardlaLAartridge senior softball standout signed her commitment letter to attend Fairleigh Dickinson University during a ceremony in the Admission Conference Room on Nov. 15. Sarah was joined by her parents, Simao Alves and Camila Thiesen, sister Leah Alves ’29, friends, coaches and LA school administrators. “I am beyond excited,” Sarah said. “There are no words to explain how excited I am. It’s been a long journey and a lot of hard work. Hard work pays off.” |
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| Model UN team excels in NYC |
Four delegates from the Model United Nations team at WardlaLAartridge represented the school at Empire MUN, a national level conference hosted by New York University in New York City from Nov. 9-12. Accompanied by club advisor Cristian Fernandez, the students intensely debated topics including telehealth/telemedicine, staffing shortages, private military contractors, trading nuclear components, and a disease in the Republic of Pirates.
LA won the Best Small Delegation Award for the second consecutive year with team members Tanya Chowdary ’24, Adam Eisdorfer ’25, Oliver Laskow ’25 and Natalie Chen ’26 contributing to the victory. Adam also received individual recognition with an honorable mention for his role as the delegate Edward Brewer in the Joint Crisis Committee of Pirates vs. Imperials.
“Debating in this conference not only improved me as a debater/Model UN delegate overall, but also allowed me and the other delegates at the conference to step into the shoes of the person or country they represented,” Adam said. “What specifically really helped me was the feedback we got throughout the conference from the chairs of our committees. This allowed delegates to implement the feedback they were given in the moment, allowing them to actually practice it.” |
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| Seventh graders visit Philadelphia |
Seventh graders enjoyed a fantastic and busy three-day trip to Philadelphia, PA from Nov. 8-10. Over the course of three days of touring, seventh graders deepened their understanding of their study of American history with visits to the Museum of the American Revolution, the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell and the Benjamin Franklin Museum. For the first time, WardlaLAartridge students were invited to participate in the National Constitution Center's Constitutional Ambassadors Program, which pairs students with both museum educators and with a working federal judge to dive deeply into the implications of the US Constitution on history and on their own lives.
In addition to visiting historical museums and sites, the group visited the National Liberty Museum, where they took part in a workshop on social justice and the role they can play as allies, the Franklin Institute, and Battleship New Jersey, where they not only toured a naval battleship but took part in a question-and-answer session with a US Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War. The students and chaperones Jeffrey Martin, Ellen Ritz, Mike Howell and Bess Gildersleeve also had a blast being together and having fun at Dave and Buster's!
7TH GRADE PHILADELPHIA TRIP PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Fifth graders host cardboard arcade |
The fifth grade students provided free fun and games for the LA community by hosting a Cardboard Arcade on Nov. 10 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Parents, students, teachers and friends visited the arcade, which included many different games in the PAC lobby and on the stage. Students proudly described their games and invited guests to play.
Each student created a game using recycled materials such as cardboard and bottles. Fifth grade teacher Jaclyn Church discussed the engineering design process and the importance of recycling with the students throughout the process of building something, testing it, and working to make it better. The students will also be using what they’ve learned in future lessons when they study changes to the Earth and ecosystems. 5TH GRADE CARDBOARD ARCADE PHOTO GALLERY |
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| MS students explore thermodynamics |
Twelve Middle School students investigated an everyday problem during last week’s three-day afterschool STEM workshop – Understanding Thermodynamics. Andrea Barnett, Middle School science teacher and Science Department Chair, guided the students throughout the process.
The students were challenged to solve a problem, how to advise a tea aficionado the best way to keep her tea hot when her morning routine is interrupted. Should she pour the milk in now or when she gets off the phone? Which will keep her tea hotter? Students needed to design an experiment to test their hypothesis.
Surprised at the results, they took some time to research the laws of heat transfer to understand the phenomenon. Armed with new knowledge, they took to a second challenge to design the best “mug” that would fit in their hand but keep hot water from losing too much heat after 20 minutes. Students enjoyed using materials like pool noodles, straws, cardboard and paper to make excellent insulated mugs. The result was great science fun! MS STEM PHOTO GALLERY |
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| November Food Drive continues
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The annual LA Community Food Drive has begun and will run through Friday, November 17. Collection bins will be located in the front lobby and by the Lower and Middle School division offices. The drive is being coordinated by the LA Service Leadership Team – Anushka Dalal ’24, Natalie Koegler ’24, Tapleen Kaur ’25 and Hope Nasulme ’25. Additionally, our LA Lakota Nation Team is running a kitchen supply drive. If you wish to contribute, you can purchase items directly off the wish list below and they will be sent to school. You can also purchase on your own and bring them to the reception desk.
Lakota Kitchen Supply Wish List
LA will also be collecting frozen turkeys and hams. Please email Nicole Nolan, Director of Global Scholars and Community Outreach, at nnolan@WHschool.org to coordinate drop off. |
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| | US students clean Sandy Hook beach |
On Thursday, Nov. 9, the students of the Marine Biology class, Green Club, and 10th grade took a trip to Sandy Hook in Highlands, NJ. They were joined by LA faculty members Schuyler Weiss, Nicole Nolan, Tony Diaz, Brent Giles, John McClain and Andrew Sullivan. The students were guided by a team of marine scientists/conservationists with the American Littoral Society. This organization is active in several areas, such as habitat restoration and engineering, beach sweeps, and educational outreach.
The LA students and chaperones were met with great weather, and brought an excitement to learn about and interact with the incredible ecosystems of Sandy Hook. This trip was not only a great opportunity to learn about the local marine ecosystems, but also a great chance to connect with our local history. |
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| Fall athletes enjoyed banner season |
The Lena Archuleta School’s fall athletic teams won two division titles and created lots of excitement in the final weeks of the 2023 season.
The girls’ volleyball team led the way with an impressive 13-4 overall record that included a 12-game winning streak to start the season. The Rams rolled through their league matches and won the GMC Blue Division title. After a tough loss in the GMC Tournament, the LA girls bounced back and won a thrilling first round state playoff match against Roselle Catholic before losing to top-seeded St. Mary’s of Rutherford in the State Non-Public B quarterfinals. Seniors Kayla Martel ’24, Hannah Yin ’24, Naomi Valcourt ’24, Devin Coleman ’24 and Zara Zaidi ’24 led the Rams.
LA also won a share of the GMC Blue Division title in girls’ tennis this fall. Senior third singles player Joanne Ding '24 won a pivotal match to clinch the banner for the Rams. The team celebrated with its traditional trip to Dairy Queen at the end of the season. |
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| Seniors share personal messages |
Five seniors delivered speeches within the past week in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Congratulations to Vineel Bandla ’24 (pictured), Timmy Xu ’24, Claire Lu ’24, Natalie Koegler ’24 and Diya Patel ’24. |
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| Gingerbread House Festival - Dec. 13 |
Join us for our annual Gingerbread House Festival on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 5-7 p.m. in the AP Room. We are excited to host this year’s festival again in person. Space is limited to the first 45 families and you can save $15 by pre-registering before the event. Please note that tickets will be $50 at the door. Student attendees must have a chaperone with them to attend the event. REGISTER HERE |
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| CC Office hosts: The PSAT, Now What? |
The College Counseling Office is hosting The PSAT, Now What? on Wednesday, Nov. 29 online beginning at 7 p.m.
In the presentation you will learn that National Merit Scholarships aren't the only things that make the PSAT scores valuable. A student's performance on the PSAT/NMSQT is a powerful indicator of ACT/SAT readiness, and PSAT results can be a valuable tool to inform ACT/SAT preparations- if you know how to use them. So instead of throwing that score report away, please bring it to this session where we will cover how to use your PSAT/NMSQT results to identify not only whether to take the ACT or SAT, but also how to build your child's best plan for success!
Please register with the link below. https://www.revolutionprep.com/partners/2103/ |
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College reps visiting LA this fall |
LA is pleased to welcome many of the finest colleges and universities to our campus for in-person visits with our students this fall. More than 50 visits are scheduled to wrap up in the next few weeks with the U.S. Naval Academy (Nov. 20) and Savannah College of Art and Design (Dec. 11). |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
Winter Raffle - Donations Being Accepted!
The WardlaLAartridge Parents' Association is seeking donations of new items for its Winter FUN Basket Raffle. Donations will be accepted between Nov. 8-21.
Popular prizes include electronics, designer handbags, gift cards, event tickets, and more. The WHPA is also collecting wine and other liquors for adult-only baskets. And, of course, they are creating the ever popular themed class baskets.
Please visit the SignUpGenius link below to participate:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094CA8AB29A57-45674042-2023#/ |
Holiday Craft Event - Saturday, Dec. 2 We invited all LA families to join us for the Annual Holiday Craft Event on Saturday, December 2.
Please click here to register or view this flyer for details. |
Booster Club Meeting Tonight - Nov. 16 @ 7 p.m. The Booster Club invites parents in the LA community to attend tonight's meeting on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood Room. Learn more about upcoming events and ways to support Rams athletics. |
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Attention Parents - Check Your Contact Information Each trimester it is a good habit to double check the information in the school database (PCR) to make sure it is up-to-date and accurate. In doing so, you ensure that the school has the best contact to reach you in the event of an emergency or school closure. The process is simple and quick.
PCR is the platform that we will use to contact you in the event of a snow day or any other school closure. Once you follow the steps below to log in (SEE INSTRUCTIONS HERE), please check that ALL of the following information is correct and up to date.
- All Parent / Guardian Email Addresses and Phone Numbers
- Your Home Address
- Your preferred Salutation and Identifier (Name, Title, Relationship to Student)
It is our continued effort to ensure that our student and family contact information is accurate, so we thank you for your help. Follow LA on Social Media, Share with Community WardlaLAartridge has a vibrant, active presence on social media with daily content posts highlighting our academics, athletics, arts and extracurricular programs.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and check out our Vimeo page! You can assist us in promoting the school by sharing our content within your network and posting it on your local town pages and feeds. |
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This publication is produced by The Communications Office at The Lena Archuleta School. |
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