“I knew the social was a success the minute I realized that about fifty kids from South Orange and Maplewood were linked arm-in-arm in a giant, spontaneous circle doing a camp-style team-building game without any direction from an adult,” said one volunteer after last night’s combined social with students from MMS and SOMS.  The mixer marked the first time in recent memory that the two schools have met for a combined HSA sponsored social event.  It was also the first time that Columbia High School’s future graduating class of 2016 was invited to come together as a group.  To the outside observer it was clear that this class was off to a great start.  Members of each middle school were seen having a great time dancing, thanks to DJ LJ Productions, with kids from both of the district’s middle schools.   The student led team-building game was a symbolic example of how close students from the two schools came in just a short period of time.

This unique event could not have taken place without the tireless support of the HSA presidents at both MMS and SOMS: Ann Burke and Maureen Davenport.  Their dedication toward making this event a reality is truly a testament to their devotion to both schools.   Ms. Burke’s and Ms. Davenport’s devotion is matched only perhaps by our own administrators’: Mr. Truppo, Mr. Brown and Ms. Hewitt, who gave up their own Thursday night to help chaperone the dance along with their SOMS counterparts.

A special thanks needs to be given to members of the CHS staff who made holding the mixer at Columbia so easy.  Patty Schuler was instrumental in making sure our 8^th graders had the perfect space for this first-time ever event.  CHS’s assistant principal for the 9^th grade, Mr. Healy, even came out for a sneak peek at next year’s students.   Perhaps the best testimonial of the night though, came from James, the most helpful custodian ever, who said that the students at the mixer were some of the best-behaved kids he had ever witnessed at an event held at CHS.

The mixer could not have been possible without the tireless efforts of the MMS 8^th grade coordinators: Tricia Kenny, Jen Noll, Nancy O’Connell and Jennifer Weiss-Wolf (and their counterparts at SOMS- Kim Miller and Gladiz Ricci).  They asked MMS parents for help and they got it!  Thank you to Sharnette Arrington, Janet Fine, Karen Fuchs, Helen Kensinger, Nancy Kovacs, Laura Ksenak, Natasha Manning, Linda Mastrodonato and Jenny Winters for chaperoning the dance without looking like they were watching anyone too closely.  Thanks too to our army of cupcake bakers who made sure the kids had plenty of free sweets to keep them energetic on the dance floor: Silvia Caruso, LuAnne Kleppe, Karen Newman, Bridget Prescod, Joan Ragno, and Vivienne West.   And finally, thanks to Zaida Pacheco for always being ready with a timely check, MMS’s office staff who seem to somehow know the name of every student in the building and the answer to every question and Nurse Porter for being more prepared than any Boy Scout you’ve ever met.

Last night’s impromptu circle was a surely a sign that the Class of 2016 is ready to come together in just a few months as a great group of old and new friends.  Thanks again to all those who helped make that realization possible.

The interns conduct therapy for individual students as well as lead groups that are organized by gender and grade level. The goals are tailored to the students and include fostering social skills and self-esteem, helping children transition to the new world of middle school, and providing  help with studying, time management and organizing school work, all of which are important tasks at this age. Groups and individual students work with interns to develop a set of goals they would like to address during sessions, which usually take place during their “alpha” or lunch periods.

Based on these goals, the interns devise case plans to teach resiliency, conflict resolution, and positive social interaction. The work draws from therapeutic theories such as traditional psychodynamic approach, CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, and psychosocial education.

Sounds pretty serious! But these groups are quite lively and fun. Concepts are introduced through games, role-playing, art projects, activities and lots and lots of talking among group members. Many of the students have made new friends through their experiences in a group.

Following social work education protocol, all the interns are supervised by Beth Giladi, Maplewood Middle School’s full-time licensed clinical social worker, (LCSW).  Each intern’s individual and group cases are monitored by Ms. Giladi, who meets with interns separately and as a group in weekly supervisory sessions. These sessions provide interns with feedback on their developing clinical skills, keeping  them on track with each student the intern sees.

Interns are also involved in school and district-wide events, such as organizing and conducting welcome sessions for all students new to the school district in September; delivering food for  the Thanksgiving food drive; and ferrying bags of gifts to families during a holiday toy drive.  They also pitch in with community initiatives, including an effort to sign students up for free math tutoring and a campaign to identify families who might benefit from a free or low-cost health insurance plan available through the state.

We are having a wonderful year working with your children. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

All best,

Jessica Bermudez

Peggy O’Crowley

Beverly Rogers

SWI Interns, 2011-2012

Main Library                   Fri., Feb. 24th        3:00 – 4:00 pm

Main Library                   Fri., Mar. 2^nd          3:00 – 4:00 pm

Join with other teens to provide a story time to a group of kids ages 4 and up.  Each teen will read one or two picture books to the group.

On Feb. 24^th, teens will read books by or about Black Americans in honor of Black History Month.  The March 2^nd program will be a chance for teens participate in Read Across America.

Please arrive at 3 pm to choose a book and allow time for practice.  The storytime will begin at 3:30pm.  Sign up to be a reader in the Main Library Teen Zone.

~~Please Join Us~~

 Maplewood Middle School will be joining schools and libraries across the country in celebrating the 15^th annual Read Across America event.  It has always been a privilege to have representation from the So. Orange Maplewood Community and I am hopeful, you can join us again this year. It is so important for our students to be in the company of our community members who are generous with sharing their time and talent. If you can possibly spare an hour to read to a class, I gladly welcome you. 

 Here are the details:

Read Across America

        Maplewood Middle School, 7 Burnett St,, Maplewood

        Friday, March 2, 2012

        Please select from the following time slots that correspond to our class periods:

(1)     8:20 – 9:14

(2)     9:17 – 10:07

(3)     10:10 – 11:00

(4)     11:03 – 11:53

(6)     12:10 – 1:00

(7)     1:02 – 1:52

(8)     1:55 – 2:45

I am asking for a commitment of reading for 20 minutes.  Engaging the students in a dialogue would be a bonus but not expected.  Some teachers have requested the reading be a tie-in with what is currently being covered in their curriculum, and I can provide that information if you are able to join us.

Thank you for any consideration you give this and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Pat Giese

MMS Library

v: 973-378-7660 X 3036

e: pgiese@somsd.k12.nj.us