A MESSAGE FROM OUR ATHLETIC DIRECTOR |
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| Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, reflects on his years at LA and the importance of alumni connection in athletics in his April blog post. Below is an excerpt: I joined the WardlaLAartridge community in February of 2000, so my first commencement was a group of 12th graders that I only knew for a few months. Those seniors are now in their 40’s and since then I have seen a few at alumni events or occasionally at a Fall Fair.
Over the next 22 years I’ve had the great privilege of seeing students I’ve taught and coached come back to campus. It’s hard to describe the feeling I get from seeing the grown-up version of the kids I remember. Often the conversations turn to sharing stories from their time here at WardlaLAartridge. Many of those stories are memories that were made while participating on our teams. |
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Friday, April 7 SCHOOL / OFFICES CLOSED - GOOD FRIDAY Monday, April 10 SCHOOL / OFFICES CLOSED - EASTER MONDAY Wednesday, April 12 Upper School Symposium - All Day 7 p.m. - Middle School Coffee and Conversation (Virtual) - ZOOM LINK
Thursday, April 13 8:30 a.m. - Lower School Coffee and Conversation in Oakwood Room 7 p.m. - Parents' Association Meeting in Oakwood Room
Join Zoom Meeting Here
Meeting ID: 836 8657 7230 Passcode: 924075 Friday, April 14
12 p.m. - Middle School Capstone Presentations in Berry Performing Arts Center Sunday, April 16 4 p.m. - Spring Music Recital in Berry Performing Arts Center
SCHOOL CALENDAR |
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| Busy April calendar of events ahead |
The home stretch of the 2022-2023 school year begins with a very busy April. Below is a list of major school events taking place in April: April 7-10 – School Closed for Easter Weekend April 12 – Upper School Symposium – All Day April 12 – Middle School Coffee and Conversation on Zoom – 7 p.m. April 13 – Lower School Coffee and Conversation – 8:30 a.m. April 13 – WHPA Meeting – 7 p.m. April 14 – Middle School Capstone Presentations – Various Times April 16 – Spring Music Recital – 4 p.m.
April 18-19 – Upper School Capstone Presentations – Various Times April 20 – Lower School Earth Day Celebration – All Day April 21 – School Closed for Eid-al-Fitr April 25-28 – Eighth Grade Trip to Washington, D.C.
April 26-28 – Seventh Grade Trip to Philadelphia April 27 – Upper School Spring Concert – 7:30 p.m. April 28 – Sixth Grade Day Trip to Duke Farms April 29 – WHPA Spring Gala – 6 p.m. |
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| MS students win Odyssey state title |
This past weekend, a team of WardlaLAartridge Middle School students competed at the Odyssey of the Mind State Finals and finished in first place, earning a trip to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Michigan State University.
Odyssey of the Mind is an engineering competition that requires students to come up with creative solutions to problems assigned at the beginning of the year. The LA team's challenge was to build a device that completed a simple task through a number of smaller, more complicated steps. The team developed a system of ramps and pulleys that raised a flag, turned on a light, rang wind chimes, and finally lifted a banner that woke up a very tired baby. Congratulations to Japjeev Singh ’28, Veer Kansal ’28, Rehan Ali ’28, Arshi Goel ’28, Joy Patel ’28, Joshua Simeonidis ’28, and Hamilton Ji Dressel ’29, who starred as the very tired baby, on their achievement and all their hard work this year. |
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| Middle School students excel on AMC 8 |
Henna Tailor, Middle School math teacher, recognized 36 Middle School students who recently participated in the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 8 competition at last week’s division meeting. Four students were highlighted for their achievement of being awarded placement designation in the top three.
First Place: Elana Nieporent ’27, who received an additional Honor Roll designation and certificate from the Mathematics Association of America as one of the top 5% students nationally. Second Place (tie): Jiming ‘Lily’ Li ’27 and Anushka Patchigolla ’27, who were in the top 10% of scorers across all students taking the AMC 8. Third Place: Angel Lu ’28, who was in the top 25% of scorers across all students taking the AMC 8. |
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| Dressel earns All-State Orchestra honors |
On Saturday, March 18, auditions for the New Jersey All-State Orchestras were held at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison. Middle School students (from left) Anna Bao ’27, Hamilton Ji Dressel ’29, Angel Lu ’28 and Anushka Patchigolla ’27 auditioned for this prestigious honor.
Hamilton (pictured above) was accepted into the Intermediate Orchestra on violin. Hamilton has been studying violin since 2017 and currently studies with Mr. Khullip Jeung.
The All-State Intermediate Orchestra will perform on Saturday, May 13, at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South. For more information on All-State music ensembles and concerts please visit NJMEA.org. |
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| 5th graders lead Lower School assembly |
The fifth-grade class of 10 students combined to deliver an important message at last Friday’s Lower School Assembly in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Mrs. Elizabeth Stillman’s students communicated some key themes for finishing the school year strong to their fellow Lower School students.
The presentation, titled Respect and Responsibility, focused on three areas where the fifth graders encouraged their school mates to be on their best behavior. Groups of three or four students took their turns addressing the key themes with video demonstrations of proper conduct: Hallway/Bathroom, AP Room, and Playground. The fifth graders are determined to lead the Lower School student body to a strong finish to the school year! GRADE 5 LOWER SCHOOL ASSEMBLY PHOTO GALLERY |
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Middle School students shine at NAQT |
The LA Middle School team of Aava Joshi ’27, Anna Bao ’27, Anushka Patchigolla '27 and Cameron Williams '27 achieved an impressive third place in the NAQT tournament last weekend. In addition, Anushka earned individual accolades by placing second overall in a field of 67 participants.
LA took four teams to the competition and one of them advanced to the playoffs on the way to a third-place finish. The LA team will soon learn if they qualified for the nationals, which will be held in Chicago later this year.
According to the NAQT website: NAQT provides a standardized, nationwide competition format that is open to all middle schools, high schools, home school collectives, community colleges, and colleges. In addition to its national championships, NAQT provides questions to invitational tournaments and league championships throughout the year as well as television shows and online games. |
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| Admission Info Session draws a crowd |
More than 40 prospective students and their parents visited the LA campus for an Admission Information Session on April 1. Our guests learned more about Middlesex County’s No. 1 independent school by meeting with students, faculty members, administrators and parent ambassadors.
After receiving a welcome from Gerard Gonnella ’89, Director of Admission and Financial Aid, and greetings from Dr. Corinna Crafton, Acting Head of School, parents and students attended programs specific to the school’s three divisions. Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, Sharon Byrne, Performing Arts Chair, and Alayne Birnhak, Associate Director of College Counseling, also provided information about how their departments enrich the LA experience.
Now that the priority application deadline has passed, the Admission Office is operating in a rolling admission phase. The Admission Office will continue reviewing applications and matching applicants to the remaining spots open in each grade level. If you have a friend, neighbor or family member interested in learning more, please direct them to our Admission Office at admission@WHschool.org
ADMISSION INFORMATION SESSION PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Save the Date! - Golf Outing - May 16 |
Please join us for the Jim Howard Golf Classic on Tuesday, May 16 at Colonia Country Club. Golfers will compete in a scramble format, with a shotgun start beginning at 11 a.m. A reception with hors d'oeuvres, beverages and awards will follow at 4 p.m. The $250 fee per golfer includes the reception.
Event sponsorships will support student scholarships and athletic department enhancements funded by the Booster Club. SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION REGISTER FOR THE GOLF OUTING HERE |
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| Check out our LA Summer Programs |
The Lena Archuleta School will offer a robust array of summer programs in 2023!
The year’s offerings include Camp Funshine, Adventure Camp, Brain Boosters Junior Academics, Summer Scholars, Pulse Sports Camps and Summer Sparks Enrichment. Other special camps including Dungeons & Dragons and For the Love of Theater will also be held. New this year: we are offering a Performing Arts and Audio/Visual Camp for the serious performers ages 13-18.
To register and learn more, visit WHschool.org/summer |
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| Summer camp for singers, A/V students |
The WardlaLAartridge Performing Arts and Audio-Visual Summer Camp is a three-week program designed to offer professional-level training to students aged 13-18 in performance of musical theater repertoire and in audio-visual production skills. Students can choose to focus on performance (singing, acting, dancing), on audio-visual production (e.g. filmmaking, audio engineering, video editing), or on a mixture of both. No matter the prior experience level, or whether they plan to pursue the arts in college and beyond, we encourage any interested students to apply.
APPLICATION LINK - DUE MAY 15 https://forms.gle/hPCvdsTuRyF9eC9S6 |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
WHPA Meeting - Thursday, April 13 @ 7 p.m.
The LA Parents' Association invites all parents to attend its upcoming meeting on Thursday, April 13 at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood. Join us to receive updates from school administrators and learn more about upcoming events in the final two months of the school year.
ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 836 8657 7230
Passcode: 924075 |
Join Us at The Spring Gala - April 29
The Spring Gala is only a few weeks away and we appreciate all who have helped by donating, buying their tickets, and volunteering so far. This year’s event – “The Hollywood Red Carpet Gala” – will be held Saturday, April 29 from 6-10 p.m. at Metuchen Country Club. Join us for this adults-only evening and mingle with parents, faculty, administration, alumni and friends! Please remember to get your tickets now - the last day to register is April 15.
Sponsorships and an Ad Journal ad or page are great ways to help us cover the costs of this fun evening. There are many levels of sponsorship that can be a great help. The Ad Journal is a great way to feature your business, your child, or anything you would like to advertise. We are happy to help you create the ad as well – just let us know. We are also seeking wine and gift card donations for the event. Our goal is to not only raise funds but also to raise FUN so make sure you join us – tickets are limited. This is our largest event of the year and it truly helps to enhance our children’s experience at LA. For more information including registration and sponsorships, visit https://www.whschool.org/im-looking-for/parents/gala-2023 |
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Giving Thanks for our LA Parent Donors
The Development Office would like to thank the LA community for supporting The WardlaLAartridge Fund. Click here to view a list of LA parents who have contributed to The 2022-2023 LA Fund between July 1, 2022 and April 5, 2023. Click here to make a gift to The WardlaLAartridge Fund! Re-Enrollment Contracts Due to Admission Office
Dear Parents - This is a friendly reminder that if you have not already done so, please submit your child's re-enrollment contract and non-refundable deposit for the 2023-2024 school year. Please contact the Admission Office at 908-754-1882, Ext. 155 or email us at admission@WHschool.org if you would like us to re-send your parent portal authentication code and enrollment contract link. We are here to help you complete the enrollment process and answer any questions you may have.
- Your LA Admission and Business Office Teams
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 the 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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