Celebrating Black History |
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION |
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Gerard Gonnella '89, Director of Admission, reflects on a month of Celebrating Culture and Community in his recent blog post. Below is an excerpt:
The winter months at WardlaLAartridge have provided many opportunities for our community to share in celebrations of our diverse cultures. While many schools experience the winter doldrums, our community at LA has been alive with excitement since returning from Winter Break. Students, parents, faculty, staff and friends have joined in various celebrations of the many cultures represented in our school community. February kicked off with our annual International Family Fun Night, the signature cultural celebration of the year. It was wonderful to be a part of students showcasing their talents while enjoying a sumptuous buffet from around the world. Learning about each other’s cultures makes our community much stronger. |
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Friday, March 1 7 p.m. - Upper School Spring Dance in AP Room
Sunday, March 3 2 p.m. - Upper School Musical Tech Week Begins in Berry Performing Arts Center
Monday-Thursday, March 4-7 6 p.m. - Upper School Musical Tech Week in Berry Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, March 6 8:15 a.m. - Third Grade Publishing Party in Lower Snowdon
Thursday, March 7 7 p.m. - Parents' Association Meeting in Oakwood Room
ZOOM LINK HERE Meeting ID: 836 8657 7230 Passcode: 924075
Friday, March 8 7:30 p.m. - Upper School Musical - Mean Girls - in Berry Performing Arts Center
Saturday, March 9 9 a.m. - Admission Information Session in Berry Performing Arts Center
7:30 p.m. - Upper School Musical - Mean Girls - in Berry Performing Arts Center Sunday, March 10
3 p.m. - Upper School Musical - Mean Girls - in Berry Performing Arts Center SCHOOL CALENDAR
2023-2024 ONE-PAGE SCHOOL CALENDAR |
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| Admission Re-Enrollment Reminder |
Attention, LA Parents! You should have received your child’s re-enrollment contract(s) on Friday, Feb. 9. The Admission Office greatly appreciates the timely return of your contract as soon as possible as the Feb. 23 deadline has already passed. Please contact the Admission Office at admission@WHschool.org if you have any questions or did not receive your contract(s).
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| Students named National Merit Finalists |
Heidi Pan ’24 and Aadithya Srinivasan ’24 recently advanced to Finalist standing in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. The LA seniors were selected from 16,000 Semifinalists for their distinguished academic performance and high potential for future academic accomplishment. They were recognized at the Upper School meeting on Feb. 26 and are pictured with Sarah Honan, Director of College Counseling (left) and Dr. Corinna Crafton, Head of School and Dr. Bob Bowman, Upper School Head (right).
Both students will now advance to the final phase of the National Merit Scholarship Program, whereby 7,140 students will be selected as Merit Scholarship winners. Winners will be notified later in March. |
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| Visiting author enlightens US students |
The Upper School welcomed Don P. Hooper to meet with students during a special author visit on Feb. 27 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. He shared details of his complex journey to becoming an author, which began as a child writing stories on his older sister’s typewriter and led to the creation of a short story on the New York Times bestseller list and eventually a novel.
Mr. Hooper, a writer and filmmaker of Jamaican heritage, is a multi-talented author, poet and voice actor. He grew up in Brooklyn, attended Xavier Prep in New York City and earned a Computer Science degree at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s always loved science but writing is what excites him. His short story “Got Me a Jet Pack” is part of the New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy. |
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| Champ Adam Eisdorfer '25 leads track team |
Adam Eisdorfer ’25 made LA school history last week when he sprinted to the finish line in first place in the 400-meter run at the State Prep Championships at The Bubble in Toms River. Adam hit the line in a time of 52.63 seconds to defeat a pack of sprinters by less than one-half second to become the school’s first indoor State Prep track champion.
“I wanted to get out as fast as I could and beat everyone in the first 200, which is what I was able to do,” Adam said. “Then I just tried to coast it and stay in front knowing that I had the kick in the last 30 meters and I knew I could win it. I’m always thinking about being the best runner I can be and today I think I really showed that.” |
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| Cheerleaders cap strong competition season |
Throughout the month of February, the LA varsity cheerleading competition team set team records, won trophies and made their fans and coaches proud with superb performances at competitive events held on four consecutive weekends.
The girls began their impressive run by setting a team record score, surpassing their state performances of the past two seasons, at the David Brearley Invitational on Feb. 3. They finished second at the Mustang Mania Invitational and third at the Howell Cheer Championship on the following two weekends before placing fourth in the New Jersey Cheer and Dance Coaches Association (NJCDCA) State Championships at Brookdale Community College on Feb. 24. The Rams continued improving their execution and elevating their team scores throughout the competition season.
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| Upper School set to present Mean Girls |
The WardlaLAartridge Performing Arts Department is excited to announce Mean Girls as its Upper School musical production! Performances will take place March 8-9 at 7:30 p.m. and March 10 at 3 p.m. in the Berry Performing Arts Center.
Leading players include Sarah Alves ’24 as Cady, Julia Machado ’25 as Regina, Kate Clemetson ’25 as Karen, Raiya Patel ’24 as Janis, Ish Singh ’24 as Damian, Charlie Silver ’24 as Aaron, Aarya Patel ’25 as Gretchen, Nidhin Kumar ’24 as Kevin, Anushka Dalal ’24 as Ms. Norbury and Natalie Koegler ’24 as Mrs. George. Tickets are available for purchase at https://twhsnj.booktix.net/ |
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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 were WardlaLAartridge lifers Samina Aziz ’24 and Zara Zaidi ’24. Samina is thrilled to be matriculating to Barnard College. Barnard has been on Samina’s radar since she was young and she’s explored more opportunities to learn about the school in the past few years. She attended the Young Women’s Leadership Institute at Barnard in the summer of 2022 and was given the chance to live on campus and explore the city on her own. She also visited campus several more times after that experience.
Zara is excited to continue her academic and life journey at Boson University. She plans to major in biology with a specialization in neurobiology within the College of Arts and Sciences.
“I chose Boston University primarily because of the location and the amazing student resources they had, especially in terms of undergraduate research opportunities,” Zara said. “ The vast number of majors allowed room for interdisciplinary studies, which was important to me. I knew that I wanted to be located in a city where I could interact with the surrounding environment.”
Click here to read more about Samina and Zara and view other early decision college acceptance features |
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| College panel informs parents, students |
The College Counseling Office was delighted to host its first in-person College Panel evening event since the start of the COVID pandemic on Feb. 22 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Six impressive admissions professionals representing colleges and universities from different parts of the country answered a series of questions to provide a deeper understanding of the college admissions landscape to LA students and parents. |
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| | MS students lead birthday box food drive |
This February, the Middle School’s Student Government Association organized a "birthday box" food drive, collecting cake mix, frosting, birthday cards and sprinkles. These items were packaged up into shelf-stable birthday cake kits by a variety of Middle School volunteers and donated to several local food banks, enabling even those who are facing food insecurity to embrace the joy of a birthday celebration.. MIDDLE SCHOOL SERVICE WEEK PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Students celebrate 100th Day of School |
One of the great Kindergarten traditions at The Lena Archuleta School involves the acknowledgement and celebration of the 100th day of school. On Monday, Feb. 26, Mrs. Jennifer Geissler’s Kindergarten class hosted this annual event and invited parents to join in the fun.
The Kindergarten students were asked to find something in a quantity of 100 and display it in a unique way. They shared their projects with parents, fifth grade buddies and other student and faculty visitors throughout the day. Other century themed activities included building structures with 100 cups, doing 100 exercises, reading a 100th day poem and story. The students also counted to 100 in Spanish and created bucket lists of things they would like to do before turning 100. Their younger friends in Junior Kindergarten recognized the 100th day by dressing up as 100-year-olds.
100TH DAY OF SCHOOL PHOTO GALLERY |
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Seniors complete speech season in style |
The final four Senior Speeches of the 2023-2024 school year capped an excellent year of oration. Four LA lifers presented fabulous speeches within the past week in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Congratulations to lifers Nidhin Kumar ’24 (pictured), Sydney Geissler ’24, Hannah Yin ’24 and Anushka Dalal ’24 for sharing their stories and impactful messages. |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
Ram Shop Open for Spring Business
Believe it or not, Spring is around the corner! Do your students still fit in last Fall’s uniform shorts and tops? If not, the Ram Shop has a wide array of options to meet your needs. Every item, from jumpers and fleeces to pants and pullovers is just $5 and dress-code approved. Hours are 7:45-9:00 a.m. each Friday that school is in session. You can also make an appointment by emailing ramshop@WHschool.org.
Donations of gently used uniform items are always welcome. Simply place them on the bench located inside the front foyer. This WardlaLAartridge Parents’ Association initiative is a win for your pocketbook, their coffers and the environment! For a reminder regarding dress code polices across the divisions, please click here
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WHPA Announces Return of Family Dinners
The WHPA and Sage Dining Services are partnering to offer three more family dinner boxes – one per month in March, April and May. All dinner boxes feed a family of four. Order deadline for the Tex-Mex dinner box is Monday, March 4. Pickup is Thursday, March 7 between 2:30-5:30 p.m.
PLACE ORDERS HERE |
Booster Club Meeting - March 14 @ 7 p.m.
The Booster Club will hold its next meeting on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood Room. Join us to learn more about ways the Booster Club supports Rams athletics and to get involved in upcoming events during a busy spring season. |
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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 February 28, 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 Free PSAT, SAT, ACT Practice Exams Available
The LA College Counseling Office is once again happy to partner with their friends at Revolution Prep to offer full-length, virtually proctored practice college entrance exams for our students.
You can register for any/all of these exams here.
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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