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Summer Enrichment Camps

Volume 4 | Spring Issue 2

Board of Education:

Patrick Walsh

President

Lynn Kasics

Vice President

Rafael Albarran

Anthony Conrad

Joan Conway

John Dragotta

Laurie Guthrie

Brian Murphy

Paula Taggart

Jakob Mercado

Student Rep.

Jorge E. Diaz

Superintendent

Peter Frascella

Board Secretary / BA

~QUICK LINKS~

District Website

Genesis Parent Access

ES Principal’s Page

MHS Principal’s Page

Athletic Schedules

South Amboy PTO

Social Media:

District Twitter:

@SApublicSchools

Superintendent Twitter:

@SASuptJdiaz

Elementary Twitter: @SAES08879

Instagram: @SApublicSchools

Facebook: SApublicSchools

South Amboy Public Schools is proud to offer a variety of summer

remediation* and enrichment course offerings for all students. The

Extended School Year program (ESY) is comprised of courses

designed to provide academic skill-building for students who need

academic remediation, as well as offer camp-like program offerings for

fun and enjoyment. Each course offering is limited to 15 seats. A

waiting list will be created if enrollment exceeds the 15 seats per

session. Register now to reserve your seat!

All courses are being offered at the Elementary or Middle High

School. Review the course offerings below, then click on the

Registration link within the list or at the bottom of the site.

ESY Skill-Building/Remediation:

Elementary ESY: Prek-5th grade skill building classes (by invitation

only for identified students)

Middle School ESY: Grades 6-8 Language Arts and Math (by

invitation only for identified students)

High School ESY: Grades 9-12 Credit Recovery Courses* (Must

register with Guidance Counselor)

Enrichment Camp Programs:

All camp courses are listed below and are free of charge for actively

enrolled students.

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Community Events: (click on flyer to enlarge) Disclaimer: The following files are submitted to the South Amboy School District

for publication and distribution as most of them benefit our community's children and parents. HOWEVER, the South Amboy School

District does not endorse any of the external activities related to the files. Prior to signing your child up for any of these activities,

clubs, or events, it is the parent/guardian's responsibility to determine the appropriateness of the event. We send this message as nothing

more than a public service. Links to our Partner websites can be found on the District website under About Us – Our Partners

Boy Scouts Camp

YMCA Summer Teen Programs

Sadie Pope Library Hours

PTO Movie Night

Youth Football & Cheer (Register)

Annual Car Show

Saint Mary’s Food Pantry

Prek & Kindergarten Registration

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PARENT PRO

ACADEMY

If you missed the Parent Pro

Academy workshop on June

2nd, you can now view the

workshop at your leisure. The

workshop titled, Helping Our

Kids (and Parents) Cope and

Manage Stress Effectively,

contained a great deal of

valuable information for our

school community. Please

take the time to view our video

presentation and provide us

with some feedback.

Click here to view the video presentation

Click here to provide feedback on our Parent Pro Academy workshop

Protect Yourself from

Phishing & Social

Engineering

Social engineering is the art of

manipulating people so they give up

confidential information. The types of

information these criminals are seeking

can vary, but when individuals are

targeted the criminals are usually trying

to trick you into giving them your

passwords or bank information, or access

your computer to secretly install

malicious software–that will give them

access to your passwords and bank

information as well as giving them

control over your computer.

Criminals use social engineering tactics

because it is usually easier to exploit your natural inclination to trust than it is to discover ways to hack your

software. For example, it is much easier to fool someone into giving you their password than it is for you to try

hacking their password (unless the password is really weak).

Security is all about knowing who and what to trust. It is important to know when and when not to take a

person at their word and when the person you are communicating with is who they say they are. The same is

true of online interactions and website usage: when do you trust that the website you are using is legitimate or

is safe to provide your information? For more information visit: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-014

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ZOOM LINK: Launch Meeting - Zoom FLYER IN SPANISH

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INFORMATION FROM OUR COUNTY COLLEGE

Dear High School Senior: As you are about to graduate from high school, I congratulate you on your achievement. Earning a high school diploma is an important milestone as you move into adulthood. You may have already settled on plans for what comes next, including finding a job, enlisting in the armed forces, pursuing technical or career training, or attending college. In order to land a career with family-sustaining wages, you are almost certainly going to need some sort of post-secondary degree, credential, or training. I am writing to encourage you to consider studying at Middlesex College. At Middlesex, we offer nearly 90 degree and certificate programs. We also offer an array of non-credit and career training programs. If your ultimate goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher, you would be wise to start at Middlesex College. We prepare our students well for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Our four-year transfer partners all report that Middlesex College graduates who transfer to their institutions perform better than their native students (i.e., students who began as freshmen at the institution) in terms of grade point average and time to completion of a bachelor’s degrees. Additional benefits to attending Middlesex College are our small class size, strong student support services, and affordable cost. Did you know that if your family’s adjusted gross annual income is $65,000 or less and you enroll for at least six credits each semester, you qualify for the New Jersey Community College Opportunity Grant, which covers the cost of tuition and most fees? Take a summer course. Enroll for the Fall semester. Learn about career training. At Middlesex College, we are ready to help you explore, grow, and thrive. Come learn at our beautiful Edison campus or our Centers in New Brunswick or Perth Amboy. You can also earn your degree online. Interested? Check out the Middlesex College website for more information or to schedule an appointment with an admissions counselor. A Virtual Information Session on Admissions and Paying for College is scheduled for Thursday, June 24 at 4:00 p.m., click here to sign up. For a schedule of other sessions, check the College website (www.middlesexcc.edu). You may also contact us via e-mail (Admissions@middlesexcc.edu) or telephone: 732.548.6000 extension 3848. Please share this letter with your parents. Parents: I encourage you to read this article I wrote that was published in the Star Ledger and on NJ.com last August: https://www.nj.com/opinion/2020/08/should-i-still-go-away-to-college-this-fall-opinion.html?ocid=uxbndlbing My message from last summer is as true now as it was then. Starting at Middlesex College is a smart choice. Sincerely,

Mark McCormick President

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ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN OUR NEWSLETTER

Advertising opportunities are now

available in our district newsletter. It

reaches over 2000 parents, students, and

community members. Show your support

of the South Amboy Public Schools and

expose your business to more residents in

the City. Click on the Advertisement

Application link or the image on the right.

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District App – Coming Soon…

The District App Development committee has been working on the design, content, and functionality of an app

that will be available for download from the App Store and Google Play. The App will contain links to

information on the most popular topics and sites utilized within the district. Quick links for the Parent Portal,

lunch menus, news, social media, and more. More information will be sent to the school community with

instructions on how to download and use the app.

BOX OFFICE: We’ve been working with HomeTown Ticketing to create

our very own box office ticketing system. HomeTown

Ticketing is the only district-wide, pro-level digital

ticketing solution that provides end-to-end management,

secure transactions, real-time reporting and touch-less

redemption. We will now be able to sell event tickets for

sports, dances, proms, and other events. The system allows

for credit card transactions and easy reporting for our

business office accounting.

Community members can now visit our website and select

donation and/or membership levels to support the schools.

Listed on the district website under About Us – Donate.

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Sean Dunphy, Principal

• We have transitioned our art classes back into the art room, as well as some of our technology classes

back into the labs

• We are in the final phases of confirming our

participants for the summer skill building

programs (ESY) in grades K-5, we have

anywhere between 7 and 12 kids per grade,

but are still getting confirmations

• We have kicked off our big fundraiser,

Boosterthon Dance Fit, which will take

place on June 10th, hopefully outside. We

have raised over $2000 for the school in just

the first few days. Here is more information

about the fundraiser: Boosterthon Kick Off

• Our fourth grade ELA staff, Mrs. Falvo,

Mrs. DeLucia, and Ms. Zomro had their students create a Virtual Living Museum. You can find all the

videos on our Youtube playlist: Grade 4 Living Museum

• We had our staff End of Year Lunch, where we celebrated the retirement of Ellen Peterson, Judy Cyriax,

Monika Reilly, and Rich Genarro.

• Our Music Classes participated in Music in our Schools Month, and received a certificate:

• We had two students receive an award from

Congressman Pallone for their entry into a poetry

contest, M. Moran in Grade 5 and J. Tapia in Grade

4:

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1, 2, 3, GO!!!

After two weeks of observing their caterpillar friends

through their journey to become butterflies, Mrs. Barna, Ms.

Oks, Ms. McAlmond, and Mrs. Novak’s students, with Ms.

Sosa’s and Mrs. Sweeney’s class observing, had a Butterfly

Release Party on the playground. The butterflies were sad to

leave their new homes, but were quick to take flight to bring

joy to the rest of the community. Special thank you to Mr.

Dunphy who provided ice pops to the students after their

celebration concluded.

The Nurse Will See You Now

As part of the renovation of the nurse’s station which was

started by Dr. Robbins over the summer, Dr. Gurczeski

and Mrs. McAlonie have restocked the nurse’s office

with updated equipment and supplies. Over the past few

weeks Mrs. McAlonie has been completing vision

screenings, measuring students’ height and weight, and

checking blood pressure by giving the students arm hugs.

While the focus was on required screenings for Pre-K,

Mrs. McAlonie has worked her way through in-person

students in Grade 2 to ensure our students remain happy

and healthy.

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MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Patrick McCabe, Principal

We Had a Great Prom!

The students were excellent! Their behavior

and conduct were stellar. Once again, we

were complimented at the venue for how they

conducted themselves. The Grand Marquis

did a really nice job and our DJ, James Stryz.,

kept the kids dancing.

(Pictured right) The Royal Court from the

Prom. From left to right we have:

Queen – I. Amaya

King – I. Simmons

Princess – T. Roessle

Prince – D. Savage

Let’s Not Forget the Advisors That Made It All

Happen!

Mrs. Palmeri, Mrs. Strzykalski, Mrs. Navarria,

Mrs. Smocovich and Ms. Spinapont.

The National Junior Honor Society is Beautifying the School!

The National Junior Honor Society planted beautiful flowers donated by Dieker’s Farm for its 5th Annual Beautifying the School Community Service Project. Over 30 members participated in planting the flowers in both the front of the school and the back. Another set of students also picked up

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debris around campus. The NJHS supports small businesses and takes pride in showcasing the hardworking people of South Amboy.

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The Student Council is Keeping it Clean!

The Student Council had their Annual Car Wash at the Board Office. A fun way for them to raise money and

provide a useful service.

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The Honor Society Induction Ceremony Watch our Honor Society Induction Ceremony which was live-streamed on

June 2nd. Congratulations to all Inductees!

http://mhs.sapublicschools.com/for_parents/live_streams

ATHLETICS:

Frank Zalocki, Athletic Director

Weeks of 6/1/21 – 6/14/21 (Weekly highlights can also be found on the Athletic webpage)

HS Baseball

The young Governors earned the 4 seed in the Central Group 1 Bracket and were slated against Bound Brook

High School. Bound Brook scored first and took the lead 1-0 in the top of the second, but the Guvs answered

back big time in the bottom of the 4th inning racking up 5 runs on possibly the best pitcher they had faced all

season. Bound Brook answered back in the 6th and the 7th scoring two runs to tie the game, but the boys

rallied in the seventh inning leading off with a walk by Andrew Juhass, and a double by freshman Ben

Hernandez. Shane Murphy then came up with the biggest hit of his career, scolding a ball to the right center

gap scoring Ben for the walk off win. Matt Stempinski did a great job on the mound and kept us in it to pick up

the win, firing an 80 pitch complete game. The team then moved on to play Florence High School in the

quarterfinal, but were defeated 7-4. The team finished off the season with a game against Dunellen. Brandon

Gasiewski made his 3rd appearance of the season after being cleared off injury, and dominated the Destroyers,

allowing just 2 hits and giving up one run. Our seniors, Shane Murphy, Jakob Mercado, Hunter Brown,

Andrew Juhass, and Nicolas Murray all contributed in the game, and it was great to see them go out on top. We

finished our season 10-9, and although our seniors will be riding off into careers and college, they will be

heavily missed.

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MS Baseball

The Boys MS Baseball team was unable to amount enough runs to overcome a loss in their final game against

South River. Though the team finished with a final record of 3-7-1, the future is bright for many of the 6th

graders, as well as 7th graders as they continue to develop. Young stars such as Wesley Lowe, Robert Senape

Jr., Frankie Rodriguez will surely be great players for South Amboy in the future. Other future stars such as

Jack Clements and Diego Colon will bring great energy and success to the future of the program.

HS Softball

The Varsity softball team is currently 5-10 and has shown tremendous improvements over the past month. The

South Amboy girls won the first round of the Greater Middlesex conference defeating Carteret with a score of

7-4. Evalise Perez was unstoppable on the mound only allowing five hits in seven innings recording six

strikeouts. Faith Nemeth went one for three and had three RBIs and scored two runs herself. Ali McLaughlin,

Soraya Pina, Nala Gawroriski and Maggie Whiteley had two hits each. Excellent defensive plays were made

by Iyanni Twiggs, Maggie Whiteley and Soraya Pina behind the plate. This week they also defeated Perth

Amboy Tech by a score of 20-16. Nala Gawroriski recorded the win on the mound only allowing four hits and

nine strikeouts. Soraya Pina had three hits and six of the team's RBIs. Jada Berry, Nala Gawroriski and

Maggie Whiteley also had two hits each in the game..

The Lady Guvs secured a win over Piscataway Tech by a score of 14-6. The seniors Nala Gawroriski and

Soraya Pina each had amazing games. Nala earned the win on the mound with six strikeouts and two hits while

Soraya was behind the plate and had two hits herself. Maggie Whitely had a handful of RBIs and two hits. This

was a great win to finish off the season!

MS Softball

The Middle School Softball Guvs end

their season with a bang! Their last game

was played against Keansburg and ended

with a score of 15-1. This ended their

season with a record of 7-3. The last game

ended with 4 strikeouts by pitcher Brianna

Sweatt and an amazing catch at third from

Anya Pathlak. At bat we had hits from

Emma Kalantsis, D’liah Mercado, and

Gwen Kalantsis hitting it over the fence.

What a season of hard work and

dedication from our girls. We say

goodbye to 8th graders: Brianna Sweatt,

Emma Kalantsis, Anya Pathtak, Jayleen

Quintana, D’liah Mercado, Sara

McLaughlin, and Isabella Kaprowski. We

wish you nothing but luck next year!

Thank you for a great season!

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HS Track

On Friday and Saturday, the track team competed in the

NJSIAA Group 1 Central Jersey Sectionals. In order to

advance to the State Group 1 Championship an

individual or relay team must place in the top 6 out of

every group 1 school in central New Jersey. This year

the South Amboy track team sent more runners to

the state meet than ever before and a greater

percentage of our team than any team at the meet.

On Friday night, Guin Kennedy got the team off to a

strong start by placing 5th in the 1600 meters qualifying

for the state meet. Later in the night the boys 4x800

meter relay team of Neftali Rodriguez, Jack Smith, Joe

Jamolawicz and Rafael Albarran placed 5th thanks to a

blazing anchor leg by Rafael Albarran who took the

baton in last place and made up almost 100 meters on the

rest of the field to get the team to the state meet. On

Saturday, Guin Kennedy became a double qualifier when

she placed 2nd in the 3200 meters. Joe Jamolawicz

became only the third boy in school history to qualify for

states in the 3200 meters when he placed 4th. Also in the

3200 meters, Jack Smith running in his first sectional

meet ever turned in a huge PR of over 40 seconds with a

time of 12:57. In the 800 meters, Neftali Rodriguez

became only the second runner in school history to

qualify in the event when he placed 4th. Neftali followed

up his 800 meter performance by winning his heat of the

200 meters in a blazing fast 24.29, missing the school

record by just 3 one-hundredths of a second. Other great

performances were turned in by Jessica Henry in the 400

meter hurdles and the 100 meters hurdles and Sieanna

Cabral and Valeria Moura in the 100 and 200 meters.

Congratulations to the team on an amazing season and

good luck at states to Guin, Neftali, Joe, Jack and Rafael.

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GMC Scholar Athlete Award Ceremony Congratulations to Jessica Henry and Neftali Rodriguez for

receiving the GMC Scholar Athlete Award on behalf of the South

Amboy MHS Athletic Department. The award ceremony took

place on June 7th at The Farrington Estate in East Brunswick, NJ.

Students were accompanied by their parents Mr. Henry, father of

Jessica Henry, Ms. Alvarez, mother of Neftali Rodriguez, and

Vice Principal/Athletic Director, Mr. Zalocki. Upon receiving the

award, the following student narratives were read aloud:

Neftalí Rodríguez

Neftalí Rodríguez is a member of the Track & Field and Cross-Country teams.

Neftali holds a spot in the top ten for the fastest runners in 5 kilometer races, and

he is ranked within the top ten students of his class. With less than two years on

the teams, Neftali was able to become one of our top runners. Recently, Neftali set

new personal records in the 400, 800, and 3200 meter events. Neftali was admitted

into Rutgers New Brunswick School of Business, where he also plans on

continuing his running career.

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Jessica Henry

Jessica Henry works hard to balance her academics, athletics, community

services, and leadership roles. Jessica is a member of the National Honor

Society, National Art Honor Society and New Jersey Science League. In the

National Honor Society, Jessica was elected as President during her senior year.

Over the last four years, Jessica has been a part of the Varsity Girls Soccer team

and the Winter and Spring Varsity Track team. Jessica has led the Varsity Girls

Soccer team as the captain for both her junior and senior year and has also set a

few school records on the track. Outside of school, Jessica participates on a club

soccer team. On top of maintaining her academics and athletics as one of the top

students in the class, Jessica likes to support her community as well and enjoys

participating in the soup kitchen at her church. Jessica is thrilled to be continuing

her education at Northeastern University with a major in nursing.

SENIOR SPORTS CELEBRATION

On June 9th, the Athletic Department honored all senior athletes with a special celebration. Congratulations

to all senior athletes and good luck in your future endeavors.

Click the link below for the schedule:

https://www.greatermiddlesexconference.org/public/genie/343/school/27/

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The purpose of the South Amboy PTO is to strengthen the relationship between home and

school, so that parents and teachers may work together for the success in the education of

children at our schools. Our group helps the staff and students of our district by raising funds

to provide technology and supplies needed, and has events to promote family unity.

If you’re interested in helping with various activities such as a Fun Day committee, box

top counters, and monthly birthday ice cream coverage. Please email a letter of interest

to sapto08879@gmail.com.

For upcoming Events, please visit our website.

For more information on our PTO, please email us at SAPTO08879@gmail.com

District Events/Activities

Date: Time: Description:

6/11 8th Grade Formal (MHS)

6/18 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony @ 10:00 a.m.

8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony @ 2:00 p.m.

Senior Graduation Ceremony @ 6:00 p.m.

All ceremonies will be held at the MHS Gymnasium

MHS = Middle High School

ES = Elementary School

*Occasionally, some activity dates may change or get cancelled. For the most up to date calendar information,

please check the school’s website and/or the Principal’s Page for updates.

PTO

EDUCATE.EMPOWER.LEAD