The High School counselors will be coming over to Memorial Middle School to register your son/daughter for their ninth grade classes.  They will be here on February 7, 8, and 9, 2012.  The morning session will start at 8:30 a.m. and will end at approximately 11:45 with the afternoon session beginning at 1:00 and ending at or around 2:15.  Each individual conference will last for approximately 15 minutes.

Information was sent home with each 8th grade student on January 18 regarding possible choices. Please open and fill out the attached document to sign-up for a counseling session.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Marhold, the Memorial middle school Guidance counselor.  She can be reached at: (732) 723-2229 or via email at: emarhold@Spotswood.K12.nj.us.

Best wishes to everyone for a prosperous and Happy New Year!

We had an extremely successful month full of the giving spirit! We send a heartfelt “Thank-you” to the many students at Memorial who demonstrated a generosity of spirit in providing assistance for those in need. We had an overwhelming response to the request for donations to the giving tree and the 5th Annual Holiday Toy Drive with the PTA and the “Spotswood Drug and Alcohol Alliance” during this holiday season.

This morning we enjoyed a fantastic musical performance at the “Memorial In-School Winter Concert” performed by the high school “Festivus” Brass Choir, with our band and chorus showcasing their expertise, many thanks to Ms. Carino and Ms. Backus.

Here are some upcoming dates to remember:

• January 9th at 7 p.m. - The 8th grade Dance Committee will meet in Memorial’s Media Center.
• January 16th – School Closed Martin Luther King Day
• January 26th - 8th grade SHS orientation 12:45-1:45 p.m. (Parent meeting 6:30-7:30p.m.)
• February 3rd - Posting of Interim reports (this is date change)
• February 14th-16th - ½ days and Conferences –
  (February 14th from 12:50-2:30p.m.
  February 15th from 6-8 p.m.
  February 16th from 12:50-2:30p.m.)
• February 17th Staff inservice- School closed for students.
• February 20th Presidents day- Schools and offices closed.

Warm wishes from all of us here at Memorial, as we take the time to enjoy a brief respite with families and friends at the end of 2011.

Thank-you, as always, for your continued support and for sharing your wonderful children with us each and every day.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Pam Slevin

6th Grade: Marcela Adiao & Katie Griggs
7th Grade: Jorge Minan & Tiffany Dantoni
8th Grade: Claudia Chan & Nicholas DiMaria

6th Grade: Caitlin Smith & Tyler Loughran
7th Grade: Brendan Leonard & Vaughn Alea
8th Grade: Katy Filippoli & Tricia Gannelli

December Spirit Winners:
6th grade: Ms. Hansen’s homeroom
7th grade: Mrs. Joseph’s homeroom
8th grade: Mrs. Nascimento’s homeroom

January Spirit Days:
13th - Spotswood colors --> BLUE & YELLOW
20th - Camouflage Day --> Must wear an article of clothing with Camouflage on it
27th - Superhero SHIRT Day --> No capes please

- Continue to collect, and send in Labels for Education!  Don’t forget to register your Shop Rite card to help us collect more points!
- The school store is open each morning during advisory in room 2.

The 2012 Memorial Middle School Yearbook is now ON SALE!  You can order a yearbook online at www.jostensyearbooks.com or download a form and bring the completed form with your payment to Mrs. Cifelli in Room 12.  Personalization is available only through January 19, 2012.  Boosters are also on sale until January 31st so don’t wait until the last minute to get yours in.

The staff and students of Memorial Middle School will, for the first time, be participating in National Wear Red Day, on Friday, February 3, 2012.  Wearing red is a national movement to help raise women’s awareness of cardiovascular disease and empower women to reduce the risk.  In addition, by conducting a Wear Red Day fundraiser, you will help advance research and education to prevent and treat heart disease and stroke.  Staff is encouraged to donate $5 and students, $1 prior to February 3rd.  All donations will be forwarded to the American Heart Association.

Everyone can support the fight against heart disease in women by wearing red!

Thanking you in advance for your anticipated support!
Katherine Shkolar

Dear Parent/Guardian,

As a new member of the Spotswood School District I have become aware of limited space to cars and buses around the school and our traffic patterns at the end of the school day. I would like to ask for your assistance in providing a safer environment for our students and staff. We are looking out for the welfare of our students and want to avoid injuries from occurring.

Buses

• Please do not pass any of the buses in front of Memorial.
  (This is to alleviate any potential mishaps for students to be injured when parent/guardian are looking for their child and also a possibility that a student can dart out at any given moment.)
• We have asked students to cross the street only at the cross walk rather than in between buses.
  (I will be asking the bus drivers to pull up in front of the crosswalk for greater student visibility.)

Parking

• Please do not park along the yellow curb.
• Please do not park in the back of school parking lot
  (In the event that any emergency vehicle needs to access our building we need to keep that area clear.)

Student Pick-up

• If a student is normally picked up in the back of the building, please park on the main road and await your child.
• If an individual is not on the emergency contact list, such as a sibling from the high school, it is essential that we have permission to release your child to their care. (We are very cautious about students accepting rides at the end of the school day. Please send in written documentation with name of the driver and relationship to your child.)

Inclement weather days

• If your child normally walks to school and we have inclement weather, please supply your child with an umbrella and/or appropriate attire so that they are prepared to walk home. (This will also help avoid congestion around buses and alleviate the traffic jams at the end of the day.)

We take great pride in assuring the safety of our students, thank-you for your attention to this matter.

This year's School Teacher of the Year Recipients for the Spotswood School District are as follows:

Spotswood High School
Leslie Malec, Marketing

Memorial Middle School
Jo-Ann Moyer, Special Education

Appleby School
Nancy Torchiano, Grade 5

Schoenly School
Daniel Layton, Kindergarten

Congratulations to these exemplary members of our teaching staff on a job very well done!

At its meeting on January 17, 2012, the Spotswood Board of Education approved the district calendar for the 2012/13 school year.

The Appleby School Drama Club will be holding a Flapjack Fundraiser on Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.  Click here for more details.

Click here to download a “Dates to Remember” document which highlights upcoming events in the Spotswood School District.

Parents/Guardians,

In order to establish a school environment that promotes a safe learning atmosphere all district schools will participate in monthly security and fire drills throughout the school year.

In the event that you see large groups of students walking, they will be participating in the mandatory state drill.

Each drill makes our students safer and better prepared in the event of a real emergency. 

Yours in Education,

Michael A. Mastroserio

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope you have had an enjoyable summer and are ready to send your children back to us well rested and ready for a new school year.  September is a time for new beginnings.  Unlike people in business and industry, educators have the luxury of a new start each Fall and for me there is something special about the opening of a new school year.

To read the full text of the message, please click here.