Celebrating Hispanic Traditions |
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION |
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| Gerard Gonnella '89, Director of Admission, welcomes readers back to a new school year and shares the many benefits of an independent school education in his October blog post. Below is an excerpt:
Welcome back to another school year and to another Admission season. With any new school year, there are changes – changes in programs, changes in approach and change in jobs, which includes new hires and current employees in new positions. New opportunities abound each year and schools are at the center of this evolution. I am excited to welcome Mrs. Trina Junod, Admission Associate, to the team. Mrs. Junod is not new to LA as she has been one of our Lower School Kindergarten teachers for a few years and has now transitioned into the wonderful world of Admission. Welcome, Mrs. Junod!
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Thursday, October 5 6 p.m. - New Parent Reception in Amphitheater (PAC Lobby if rain) Friday, October 6
Upper School Picture Day in Oakwood Room Monday, October 9 SCHOOL/OFFICES CLOSED FOR COLUMBUS DAY/INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY Tuesday-Friday, October 10-13 LA Spirit Week Thursday, October 12
8:30 a.m. - Parents' Association Meeting in Oakwood Room Friday, October 13 8:30 a.m. - Lower School Spirit Day in Plumeri Gym
6 p.m. - Upper School Homecoming Dance in AP Room Saturday, October 14 10 a.m. - Fall Fair and Homecoming Day - see details below
4 p.m. - Alumni Awards Ceremony and Reception in AP Room SCHOOL CALENDAR 2023-2024 ONE-PAGE SCHOOL CALENDAR |
NOTE: Due to the length of this week's edition, readers may be prompted to "View Entire Message" or "Download Entire Message" while scrolling through the newsletter. |
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| LA earns No. 1 county ranking again |
The Lena Archuleta School earned the No. 1 rating among all Middlesex County private schools in the 2024 Best Schools in America rankings released by Niche. This marks the fifth consecutive year in which WardlaLAartridge has earned this distinction. LA also moved up in the rankings among independent schools in New Jersey, claiming the No. 4 position among all Private K-12 schools in the state and the No. 9 spot out of 118 schools in the Best College Prep School in NJ category.
For the fifth straight year, WardlaLAartridge earned A+ grades for Academics, College Prep and Diversity and achieved an overall grade of A+.
“We are gratified and honored by this year's ranking and will continue our efforts to provide opportunities and support for students of all ages,” said Dr. Corinna Crafton, Head of School. “The most fascinating and rewarding part of our work here is providing the tools students need to help them to make what they imagine take shape and become real. It is our honor to do so.” |
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Don't miss Fall Fair - October 14 |
The Lena Archuleta School invites its full community of parents, students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and friends to the annual Fall Fair and Homecoming Day on Saturday, October 14.
This event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offers something for everyone in the family, including: carnival games, inflatables, petting zoo, arts and crafts, a DJ playing music and dance games, balloon artist, Henna artist, glitter tattoo artist, basket raffle, 50/50 raffle, the annual bakery, the famous Booster Club grill, student-run luncheon, alumni events and athletic contests.
For more information, volunteer and sponsorship links, scroll to the Parents’ Association section of this newsletter. |
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| Join the LA Fall Fair Fun Run/Walk |
WardlaLAartridge is pleased to announce the return of the Fall Fair Fun Run/Walk. The event is open to all members of the LA community: students of all ages, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and friends.
Participants will run or walk the school’s 5K cross country course beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 14 as part of the Fall Fair festivities. There is no need to register in advance, but please arrive at the Alumni Tent near the turf fields at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the event.
If you have any questions, please contact Erin Maciorowski at emaciorowski@WHschool.org. |
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Alumni Awards Ceremony honorees |
Five honorees will receive awards during this year’s Alumni Awards Ceremony at the conclusion of Fall Fair and Homecoming Day in the AP Room. The ceremony begins at 4 p.m. with a reception to follow at 5 p.m.
Congratulations to the 2023 Alumni Award winners: Distinguished Faculty Member Sue Howard (pictured), and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Gil Childers ’73, Keith Mann ’03, the 1971 Boys’ Basketball Team and the 1984 Girls’ Basketball Team. |
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| HLA shares Hispanic Heritage Month |
Members of the Upper School’s Hispanic Latinx Alliance (HLA) shared two presentations with Lower School students during their assembly times on Friday, September 29. They began the day with the Early Childhood students in Lower Snowdon and made a second presentation for Grades 1-5 in the Berry Performing Arts Center.
The HLA leaders introduced the various members of a family and taught the students how to say those words in Spanish during an interactive discussion led by Luca DiGirolamo ’25. Then, Giselle Rodriguez ’25 read the book Maria Had a Little Llama with a puppet show by Sarah Alves ’24 to end the presentation. The HLA members also shared a craft for the students to take home.
An hour later in the PAC, students in grades 1-5 enjoyed a presentation called “Honoring Our Traditions” led by HLA members Nijiany Genao ’26, Giannalise Rodriguez ’26 and Giovana Rafael ’27. They shared a video that featured various Hispanic traditions including food, music, decorations and holidays. They explored more specific traditions in Peru and the Dominican Republic and ended with a discussion of typical Spanish cuisine. HLA PRESENTATIONS PHOTO GALLERY |
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Upper School students visit 3 colleges |
On Wednesday, September 27 the LA College Counseling Office hosted its first college trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full-day visit included information sessions and tours at The College of New Jersey and Drexel University as well as a brief stint at the University of Pennsylvania – all of which boast LA alumni from the Class of 2023 and beyond. It was an energizing day of learning, reconnection and discovery for the LA seniors, who will be submitting their first round of applications over the next few weeks.
During their visits, the seniors reconnected with some recent LA graduates, including Nidhi Nimma ’23 at TCNJ and Wentao "Victor" Liang ’23, Harrison Kilpatrick ’23 and Nosagie Obadiaru ’23 at Drexel.
COLLEGE VISITS PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Global Scholars spend day at Ironbound |
On Thursday, September 28, members of the Global Scholars Program took a walking historical, cultural, and food tour of the Newark Ironbound neighborhood. Students Luke Tan ’24, Arshbir Singh ’25, Vinay Karthik ’25, Bella Rovito ’24 and Fay Zhu ’24 were accompanied by Mrs. Nicole Nolan, Director of Global Scholars and Community Outreach.
Prior to the excursion, students studied the historical development of the area, including both the cultural changes and the environmental consequences of neighborhoods developed along industrial corridors. |
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| Soccer players attend leadership event |
LA soccer players Emma Herko ’25, Bianca Bellino ‘25, Sophia Riccio ’26 and Elana Nieporent ’27 represented WardlaLAartridge at the inaugural GMC Leadership and Sportsmanship Summit at Metuchen High School on September 29. They were accompanied by veteran head coach Mike Romeo.
The event was part of the GMC’s third annual Soccer for a Cause Charity Festival, which included 11 games played throughout the weekend. The 22 participating teams raised funds for two New Jersey nonprofits that support pediatric cancer patients and other children in need. |
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| Middle School begins elective programs |
Middle School students attended their first session of this year’s Electives Program on September 28. The first trimester offers a robust variety of 12 different electives: Robotics, Newspaper, National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT), Creative Storytelling, Film Club, American Sign Language (ASL), STEM and Book Club.
Robotics and Newspaper are full-year electives, while the others are either trimester or half-year electives. Other electives to be offered later this year include Art Club, Dungeons and Dragons, and Scrapbooking.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ELECTIVES PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Class of 2027 officers announced |
Congratulations to this year’s elected officers for the Class of 2027. The students were announced and recognized at last week’s Upper School morning meeting. Pictured, from left: Aron Zhong ’27 (President), Tanvir Virdi ’27 and Manat Grewal ’27 (Vice Presidents), Saif Zaidi ’27 (Secretary/Treasurer) and Sharon Kim ’27 (Judiciary Board). |
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Service leaders begin Socktober drive |
The Upper School is participating in its third annual "Socktober," a drive for socks (as well as hats and gloves) during the month of October to support the homeless population in New Jersey. Last year, LA collected more than 3,000 pairs of socks! According to a NJ Counts, Point in Time Count of the homeless from January of this year, there are more than 10,000 homeless individuals in the state of New Jersey. As the winter months are approaching, socks, gloves and hats are among the most needed items at homeless shelters.
The LA community can participate in the drive by purchasing directly from our Amazon Wish List or by purchasing items on your own and sending them into school. There will be a collection bin in the main lobby. All items purchased off the gift list will be sent directly to the school. |
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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 date, including Boston University (Oct. 6), George Washington University (Oct. 6), University of Miami (Oct. 11), Dickinson College (Oct. 12) and Colgate University (Oct. 13). |
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| CC Office Case Studies program |
The College Counseling Office is pleased to announce that a Case Studies Program with Chris Butler, Special Assistant to Dean at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. via Zoom for all Upper School students and their parents/guardians.
Ms. Butler is highly experienced and comes from a university where there is a tremendous amount of interest from our Lena Archuleta School community due its strong alignment with our mission and approach to education.
To join the event, please use the link below: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89206802948 |
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| Upper School Athletes of the Week |
Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, announced the first Upper School Athletes of the Week of the 2023-2024 school year at Monday morning meeting. Congratulations to soccer players Taylor Green ’26 and Justin Lustgarten ’26.
In only her second varsity season, Taylor is stepping up as one of the team’s leaders. Despite the unwanted attention of multiple defenders that are assigned to stop only her, Taylor still has a remarkable 12 goals in six games. Justin has been a standout player who competes at a high level every game. His consistent effort and focus has been inspiring. Justin is having a phenomenal season.
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| Middle School Athletes of the Week |
Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, announced the first Middle School Athletes of the Week of the 2023-2024 school year at Wednesday’s division meeting. Congratulations to soccer players Raj Gandhi ’29, Siddharth Selvaraj ’29, Allison Maiga ’29 and Eric Redman ’30, and tennis players Sofia Vidal ’29, Morayo Dickson ’29 and Diya Kothari ’28. |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
Save the Date! - Fall Fair - Saturday, Oct. 14
Please join us for our annual Fall Fair! On Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. you will have the chance to enjoy: - Carnival games, inflatables, train ride, attractions
- Petting zoo, arts and crafts, DJ playing music and dance games
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Balloon artist, glitter tattoo artist, face painting
- Basket raffle, 50/50 raffle
- The always popular Bakery, famous Booster Club Grill, Senior Class Luncheon
- Alumni events, Alumni Awards Ceremony
- Athletics events – GO RAMS!
It takes many hands to make this event possible and we hope you can join us and donate a small amount of your time during the day! The event is also made possible by generous donations from our families. Our generous sponsors help cover the costs of all these wonderful events and attractions! We hope you can help us by choosing one of these levels: $250 Game Sponsor (family or business will receive recognition for helping to pay for a game) $500 Attraction Sponsor (family or business will receive recognition for helping to pay for an attraction)
$1,000 Green level Event Sponsor (Signage announcing your family / business name) $2,500 Gold level Event Sponsor (Signage announcing your family / business name all around the event as well as online) All the important links:
To Volunteer: Click Here
To Donate an Item for the Bakery: Click Here
To Pre-Purchase Tickets until October 11 or to Sponsor the Event: Click Here
We truly hope each and every one of you can join us for a day of community fun and help in any way you can :) We look forward to seeing you there! ~WHPA Executive Board and Fall Fair Committee
FALL FAIR 2023 FAQ |
Booster Club Seeks Fall Fair Volunteers, Donations The Booster Club is busy preparing for Fall Fair on Saturday, Oct. 14 and needs your help! To volunteer, please use the WHPA Sign Up Genius form here
The Booster Club is also seeking donations of the following items: Drinks – canned sodas, capri suns (or similar), and water Snacks – Boxed variety packs of chips, crackers, cookies For more information, contact Booster Club President Greysi De Jesus at president.whboosterclub@gmail.com |
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Milkweed Needed for Hungry Caterpillars
There are little monarch caterpillars in the Lower School! They are residing in Senora Hinestroza's classroom for all to see. They are slowly growing but will soon be hungry, hungry caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars eat only one thing – milkweed. We are on the lookout for any milkweed you have in your yard or that you see in a local park. Most has gone to seed at this point but there is still milkweed around to be found. Please contact Katherine Heiss at kheiss@WHschool.org if you can 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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