JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 December 2011 Congratulations to the Toms River North Hockey team on capturing the 2011 Mayor's Cup. The four Toms River High Schools (TRE, TRS, Mon Don and TRN) play a single elimination tournament to see who will win the coveted Cup. Students in kindergarten through second grade have been visiting the Technology Lab during Media Class at Walnut St and North Dover Elementary Schools. They have done an amazing job to improve their reading skills using the Reading Eggs web site. A kindergarten student from Mrs. Bieber's class has completed 120 lessons which is at a second grade level. Congratulations Anthony! Students are encouraged to utilize Reading Eggs from home. The East Dover Elementary School 5th grade chorus entertained the students, staff and parents with their "5th Grade Holiday Jam”, under the direction of Mrs. Kelly Madensky. There was dancing, singing and one of the students was featured on the piano. It was a wonderful production! The Hooper Avenue Elementary Chorus and String Ensemble gave a Holiday Concert Performance for Students and Faculty at The Early Learning Center. High School East’s National Honor Society has begun their annual holiday “Giving Tree” for the Salvation Army. Angel cards cover the tree, each with a child’s age and gender where anyone could purchase an unwrapped gift to help those families in need. Toms River High School South's sailing team was one of 42 schools that went to New Orleans recently to compete in the Great Oaks National Championship Regatta hosted by Southern Yacht Club and sponsored by the All-State Sugar Bowl. Congratulations to South sailors for placing in first place. One of our TV Alum, Alyssa Moni is presently attending Boston University. Next semester she will be in Washington, D.C. working as an Intern on NBC's Meet the Press! The screening process for this internship is HIGHLY competitive, and we are extremely proud of Alyssa's accomplishment. The students of Ms. Seavers and Ms. DiFabio 8th grade science classes at Intermediate North have assisted in the design of this garden which will showcase native plants. The courtyard will be further enhanced by an outdoor classroom consisting of two solid oak picnic tables and a teaching podium. These are provided by the Society of American Foresters through the Forestry Resource Education Center who is a key partner in this project. Intermediate East’s Principal Mr. Madigan and Vice Principal Mr. Cleveland delivered 15 Thanksgiving Day baskets to families of Intermediate East along with can goods that were collected during their food drive. The children in Mrs. Forkin's first grade class and Mrs. Urie's first grade class from Walnut Street Elementary School perform their Thanksgiving Show. High School East Boys Cross Country Team made Thanksgiving baskets in honor of the holiday. One basket and a turkey was donated to a needy family at each of our eighteen schools and the Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School in Seaside Heights. The Toms River Veterans Commission recently held its annual essay contest; this year’s participants were asked to write an essay in response to the question, “Are you proud of your country?”  Toms River High School East is very proud of two Raider students who not only entered the contest, but also wrote powerful essays, earning them 2nd and 3rd place. Congratulations Emily Koerner and Gabrielle Ball. Toms River High School North’s Aaron Howell signs his letter of intent to play collegiate baseball at Fairfield University. Pictured with Aaron are his parents, Gail and Glen Howell, Head Coach Ted Schelmay, Principal Ed Keller, and Athletic Director Paul Barnoski. Congratulations! Amanda Peters, a senior at Toms River HS East, represented the Toms River Regional School District at the 48th All State Choir and Orchestra Concert on Friday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Mrs. Kristen Delucci, HS East Choir Director and members of the HS East Chorus were in attendance. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER High School North remembered the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001 with a flag raising ceremony and a commemorative banner. East Dover Elementary's PTO and their families came back in the evening to prepare for our Entertainment Book fundraiser. They are the heartbeat of East Dover. September 6th was the first day of school for all 17,000+ students of the Toms River Regional School District.  Below, some scenes of a fabulous first day for all! Character Education School Resource Officer Wissel of the South Toms River Police Department teaches character education to South Toms River Elementary students. HSE Commended Scholars The compass of excellence always points to East! High School East is very proud of the four National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Scholars for 2012. Pictured are Nicholas Devlin, Margo Goodall, Principal Anne Baldi, Ariane Bruno, and Laura Hrabar. Int. East Interact Raises Fund For Breast Cancer Research Students in the Interact Club at Intermediate East sold baked goods to raise money for "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer." Teachers and students brought in pink cupcakes, brownies, chocolates and cookies. This week, they will be painting the halls pink! Hooper Avenue Elementary pledged to care with all 767 students signing the Dare to Care banner. There were hands across the Hoop all day as they circled the halls singing the school song. They also sang a respect song to the words of Dynamite rewritten by Mrs. Simone, HAE's music teacher. Students and staff from Beachwood Elementary School ended respect week by parading with Anti-Bullying signs and banners. The walk finished in the back of the school where the entire student body recited the "Pledge of Respect". The Beachwood Bears are committed to kindness for the rest of the year! Students at Pine Beach Elementary play "No More Bullies" during Mrs. Christine Sorrentino's Lunch Bunch groups. The game teaches students strategies when dealing with bully-like behaviors. The Toms River Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 hosted a memorial service in honor of the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001. The service included the Ringing of the Bell ceremony in memory of all the fallen firefighters and a performance from the High School South Master Choir. AP Environmental Science students from High School North and High School East are participating in the New Jersey Park Stewards program. Funded by a grant from the National Parks Foundation and the Trust for Public Lands Barnegat Bay Environmental Education Fund, these students will be working with field ecologists to learn about forest management and then sharing what they have learned with middle school students in the district as well as the neighboring senior citizen community. At South Toms River Elementary, Mrs. Sablack's second grade class got dressed up for their First Writers Celebration. The students learned how to revise and edit their small moment stories for their celebration. East Dover Elementary fifth grade students learned about the states of matter as they made a slimy substance with their teachers and East Dover Supervisor, Mrs. Spice. They made data tables, performed a chemical reaction and evaluated their products. Science can be fun and messy! East Dover Elementary Fourth Grade teachers and students celebrate a publishing party by sharing personal narratives and a delicious breakfast! Students worked with writing buddies to cycle through the writing process of drafting, revising, editing and publishing. Mrs. Hammill and Mrs. Maritz are very proud of their students! Students in Mrs. Miraglia's 5th grade class at Washington Street Elementary celebrate writing and the publishing of their first writings with a homemade cake. Great job to all the writers! Silver Bay Elementary participated in the October Fire Safety campaign sponsored by the Silverton Fire Company. Many students participated in a coloring contest, submitting fire truck posters for judging by the fire company. Fifth grader Shane Donnelly won the contest and was driven to school in a fire truck! He is pictured here with firefighters Dana Mitchell and Mike Coco. Good Neighbor Day High School East's Student Council celebrated "Good Neighbor Day" by delivering a beautiful mum plant to each of our school's surrounding neighborhood homes.