A MESSAGE FROM OUR LOWER SCHOOL HEAD |
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| JohnEric Advento, Lower School Head, shares his thoughts and recent presentation on ERB testing in a February blog post. Below is an excerpt:
We administered the ERB (Educational Records Bureau) once again this year to our Grades 3, 4 and 5 students, completing this process in our second year after a long hiatus due to COVID. Last week, I led a Lower School Coffee and Conversation for our Grades 3, 4 and 5 parents. This blog post helps to share some of the discussion highlights during our talk and serves as a reference for those who were not able to attend. We all agree that there is not one assessment that will tell parents about their child as a learner. As a school, we are partners in your child’s education. This complex puzzle comprises teachers’ feedback, report cards with narratives, subject matter tests, evaluated pieces of sample work, and personal observations. |
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Thursday, February 1 7 p.m. - LA Parents' Association Meeting in Center for Global Learning
ZOOM LINK HERE Meeting ID: 836 8657 7230
Passcode: 924075
Friday, February 2 6 p.m. - International Family Fun Night in AP Room (see details below) NOTE: WHPA Book Fair open during International Family Fun Night Tuesday, February 6 8 a.m. - Upper School Hosts Eighth Grade Parents in Oakwood Room
Thursday, February 8 5 p.m. - Admission Office Cookies, Cupcakes 'n Cocoa in AP Room (see details below)
SCHOOL CALENDAR
2023-2024 ONE-PAGE SCHOOL CALENDAR |
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| Career Panel enlightens students |
The LA College Counseling Office hosted a Career Panel for students in Grades 11-12 on Jan. 25 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. The panel, which included an alumna, LA parent and friends of the school, was moderated by Ms. Sarah Honan, Director of College Counseling, and Ms. Alayne Birnhak, Associate Director of College Counseling.
An accomplished group of five professionals sat on the panel: Moushmi Culver, parent of LA students Dharren ’26 and Josh ’29, is Vice President, Head of Manufacturing Strategy, Business Development and Alliances for the Merck Manufacturing Division. Michelle Liu, an alumna from the Class of 2008, currently serves as a recruiter at Good Shepherd Services, a leading social services agency. Joe Altenau works as the Head of Event Production for the New York Road Runners and oversees the team responsible for coordinating logistics for road races in New York City. Kashif Chand serves as the Chief of the New Jersey Division of Law’s Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Section. Shawn M. Jenkins leads Einhorn Collaborative’s Bridging Strategy, which aims to position Gen Z to develop the skills to be the next generation of bridge builders.
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| BSA kicks off Black History Month |
The Upper School’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) shared an interactive presentation with Lower School students during their assembly on Jan. 26 in the Berry Performing Arts Center.
Since the event was postponed due to the previous Friday’s snow day, the BSA combined the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day theme with the observance of Black History Month. BSA leaders Gbemi Olarewaju ’24, Naomi Valcourt ’24 and Avarae Calloway ’24 led the presentation to an engaged and active audience of students in Grades 1-5, who were most eager to participate in the Q&A segment.
After a brief introduction, the students watched an educational video celebrating Dr. King’s teachings and legacy. The BSA leaders then posed a series of questions to the young students, many of whom responded with wonderful replies. Questions included: Who is Martin Luther King, Jr.? Why is Martin Luther King, Jr. an important figure in history? How did Martin Luther King, Jr. fight for civil rights? Why do we still remember Martin Luther King, Jr. today? What is a lesson we can learn from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings?
BSA LS ASSEMBLY PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Musicians share talents at recital |
LA vocal and band students from all three divisions enrolled in the school’s Private Lesson Program performed at the Winter Recital on Jan. 27 in the Berry Performing Arts Center.
Student performers included Bella Meola ’32 (alto saxophone), Isabella Paredes ’29 (voice), Sanjana Bhardwaj ’29 (voice), Grace Gonnella ’31 (clarinet), Lexington Donahue ’30 (flute), Aanya Chaturvedi ’29 (voice), Aava Joshi ’27 (flute), Arika Shah ’29 (voice), Anushka Patchigolla ’27 (clarinet), Emily O’Neill 27 (voice) and Joanne Ding ’24 (flute).
Following the event, program coordinator Rick Fontaine joined Sharon Byrne, Performing Arts Department Chair, in the distribution of certificates to the performers. The performers, teachers, families and other audience members enjoyed a reception afterward.
WINTER MUSIC RECITAL PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Seniors earn early college acceptances |
Congratulations to several seniors in the Class of 2024 who have made their college plans official after accepting Early Decision admission to their No. 1 choices. For the next several weeks, the WHEN will include spotlights on seniors who have earned Early Decision admission. Among the first to receive the good news was Charlie Silver ’24, who is excited to be enrolling at Boston University after receiving early decision admission. Charlie will be majoring in Electrical Engineering.
Charlie has grown to love the city of Boston more with each visit after his older brother Jack ’23, who graduated from LA last year, matriculated to Emerson College. Charlie was impressed by the welcoming environment at Boston University and with Jack nearby, the decision was a win-win.
Click here to read more about Charlie and view other early decision college acceptance features |
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Middle Schoolers battle in spelling bee |
The Middle School held its Spelling Bee Finals on Jan. 31 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Rishi Nihalani ’29 correctly spelled ATTORNEY to win the title. Anna Zhang ’28 finished in second place and
Aanya Rangavajjula ’28 took third in a competitive event that lasted eight rounds and ended in a tie-breaking spell off.
Rishi advances to the regional competition, which will take place in two rounds. In Round 1, the champion takes an online written test, covering both spelling and vocabulary at LA on Friday, March 15. The top 25 finishers on that test are invited to Round 2 of regionals, which will be hosted at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ on Monday, March 25 at 6 p.m.
Congratulations to all of the other finalists: Raymond Han ’28, Veer Kansal ’28, Julia Marin ’28, Shiloh Sharma ’28, Joshua Simeonidis ’28, Kemi Kolawole ’29, Geeta Kumar ’29, Leo Nieporent ’29, Shaan Patel ’29, Sofia Vidal ’29, Kimaaya Golchha ’30, Shaina Patel ’30, Jeremiah Simeonidis ’30, Gavin Tobin-Montanez ’30 and Michael Zhang ’30.
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPELLING BEE PHOTO GALLERY |
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| | 10th graders enjoy Winter Game Day |
The 10th grade student council, led by Natalie Chen ’26, Tanisha Ramachandran ’26 and Nijiany Genao ’26, hosted a Winter Game Day for their class on Jan. 26.
The event included a pizza party in the Oakwood Room and advisory games in Laidlaw Gym. The 10th grade students and faculty advisors Mr. John McClain, Sra. Maggie Reiter, and Dr. Jonathan Wilson participated. Games included relay races, tug of war, volleyball, basketball, guess the number of Hershey kisses in a jar, a scavenger hunt, and trivia challenges. Dr. Wilson’s advisory emerged as the final winner. 10TH GRADE WINTER GAME DAY PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Seniors deliver meaningful speeches |
Three seniors delivered speeches earlier this week in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Congratulations to Ish Singh ’24 (pictured), Hans Huang ’24 and Samina Aziz ’24 for sharing thoughtful and enlightening speeches. |
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| Prospective families attend Info Session |
WardlaLAartridge hosted its winter Admission Information Session on Saturday, Jan. 27. More than 50 students spanning all three divisions attended with their parents to learn more about Middlesex County’s No. 1 ranked private school. An energetic group of student and parent ambassadors joined faculty, staff and administrators at the event. |
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| Cookies, Cupcakes 'n Cocoa - Feb. 8 |
The WardlaLAartridge Admission Office invites students, parents, families and faculty to join the annual Cookies, Cupcakes ‘n Cocoa on Thursday, Feb. 8 from 5-6:30 p.m. in the AP Room.
To celebrate our students’ success and accomplishments, we would like our families to join us for this opportunity to have fun decorating cookies and cupcakes with friends. Bring your sweet tooth and creativity!
PLEASE RSVP HERE |
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| Experts in Education Series - Feb. 20 |
The LA Admission Office has rescheduled the return of The WardlaLAartridge Experts in Education Lecture Series to Tuesday, February 20 at 6:15 p.m. Jennifer Geissler and Trina Junod, veteran Kindergarten teachers, will be the featured speakers and cover the topic:
What To Look For in an Early Childhood Program. They will provide educational insight and best practices for the early childhood years during their presentation, which will be followed by a Q&A session.
The event is open to current and prospective families. We encourage you to invite and introduce the school to your friends and neighbors.
PLEASE RSVP HERE |
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| Upper School Athletes of the Week |
Mike Romeo, Athletic Director, announced the Upper School Athletes of the Week at the Monday morning meeting on Jan. 29 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Congratulations to swimmer Corelle “Coco” Lee ’27, basketball player Mackias Ysaac ’26, track athlete
William Wei ’25 and cheerleaders Jayda Richter ’27 and Giselle Rodriguez ’25. |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
WHPA Book Fair - Open Friday, Feb. 2
The WHPA is excited to be hosting the annual Scholastic Book Fair! Please join us as we explore our love of books at our “Arctic Adventure” Book Fair on the final day of the Book Fair on Friday, Feb. 2 in the Oakwood Room.
Visit our webpage to learn more
Volunteers are needed to set up and to assist children in selecting books on Friday. To volunteer, please contact Jacklyn Oladeji at Jacklynoladeji@yahoo.com or
sign up via this link. |
International Family Fun Night - Friday, Feb. 2 Please join us
Friday, February 2 at 6 p.m. for the WHPA’s annual International Family Fun Night! You are invited to celebrate all the different heritages/cultures in our community by showcasing your talents. |
Common Grounds Speaks Event - Feb. 21
The Lena Archuleta School is a proud member of the Common Ground Speaks group, a consortium of Parent Associations from independent schools in the Central/Northern New Jersey area. We work in a collaborative effort to bring education, information, and inspiration to our community. Throughout the year a speaker series is hosted at various schools and the next event is How to Talk to Kids About Anything with Dr. Robyn Silverman on February 21 at 7 p.m. at Newark Academy. This is a free event and all LA parents and guardians are invited to attend. |
Booster Club Reschedules Winter Games for Feb. 16 Wintry weather conditions forced the postponement of last week's Winter Games, which have been rescheduled for Friday, Feb. 16. The event will include home games for the boys' and girls' basketball teams, an Alumni Basketball Game, Alumni Swim Meet and Alumni Reception. Come support the Rams of the present and past! |
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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, 2023 and January 31, 2024. Click here to make a gift to The WardlaLAartridge Fund!
Clarity Financial Aid Information
The Lena Archuleta School will continue to work with Clarity as its financial aid independent, third-party application partner. The school has found that Clarity makes the financial aid application process smooth and secure for your family.
Clarity offers a streamlined and user-friendly financial aid application process that can take as little as 20 minutes to complete. It is mobile-friendly, so you can complete your application on your phone or tablet! Furthermore, your 1040 and W2 documents from 2022 will be automatically transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification step, so you will no longer need to upload those documents manually. These are just a few ways in which Clarity enhances the financial aid application process.
If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available as well as email support at support@claritytuition.com in both English and Spanish. You may also call Clarity directly at (206) 210-3752 for support. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION TO CLARITY For more information, including videos and a Clarity tutorial, please visit www.WHschool.org/financialaid
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
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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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