Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Kleiner, Our Middle School Counselors, Have Facilitated Many Programs

With the first half of the year officially over, we now begin to look forward to spring and all the bright days that spring may bring us.

Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Kleiner, our middle school counselors, have facilitated many programs and activities to foster leadership and positivity in our students. Selected eighth graders participated in the FLY program – Financial Literacy for Youth – which took them on field trips to Washington DC, New York, and Lancaster, PA. Selected seventh graders just began participating in a leadership group, sponsored by the Camden County Middle School leadership Institute. Other students are taking part in C.H.A.T., which fosters creating healthy attitudes for teens.

For the month of February, we are working on fostering an increased awareness of being kind and caring to those around you. We are encouraging students to do random acts of kindness, by receiving kind acts from others and then paying it forward to someone else. The staff will look for students being kind and present them with a “Caught being Kind” coupon which they can place in a container in the office for future recognition. The Social Studies teachers are also promoting the Great Kindness Challenge, in which students try to complete as many kind acts as they can.

We have also continued to focus on all aspects of safety as we progress through the year. Mr. Belmonte continues to invite Pine Hill Police officers every marking period to take part in lessons concerning internet safety and online communications with our sixth graders.

Thank you to all the parents and students who supported our various fundraisers throughout the first half of the year. Our eighth graders were the winners of the canned food drive contest so they got to watch and participate in a faculty volleyball game in late January, an activity the students really seemed to enjoy. Mrs. Short has organized several service projects to give the students the opportunity to focus on those less fortunate than they. These opportunities included a Day of Service project, focusing on the message and mission of Dr. Martin Luther King as well as a sandwich-making night to supply food to the Cathedral Kitchen in Camden. We are grateful to all who participated in these events .

Conferences for the second marking period will be held February 12 through February 15, with night conferences on the evening of February 15. Hopefully you can take advantage of this opportunity to discuss any concerns that may be arising about the progress of your child.