Our new PTA executive board was elected at last Monday’s PTA meeting. Thanks to these parents for stepping up to take on these important roles for our school community!
But there are still important roles to fill, including SEPAC liaison, auction chair, OLC chair, and book fair chair — there are roles to suit all skills/time availability. Email [email protected] to learn more about how you can help.
SOMA Shares will provide books, toiletries, and food alongside the free USDA lunch program (see details here) on Wednesdays 9 am – 11 am at the Springfield Ave Gazebo during the summer.
Volunteers will be needed to pick up bags and staff the tables to make this happen. Please review the available slots in the sign-up genius and consider helping if you have the time! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c45a4af22a2f5ce9-soma
In addition to the weekly distribution, we will continue to work with the district social workers and the MapSO delivery team to support our district families over the summer. Also, stay tuned for more free book fairs!
Please donate shelf-stable groceries, school supplies, toiletries, and (new or gently used) kids’ books to SOMA Shares if you are able. Check out this Amazon wishlist — we will be updating it regularly with targeted items that are needed — as well as the donation bins at the SOMA General Store Cooperative, The Bread Stand, and Neighbors Wine Shop. We also have a large number of donation locations throughout both towns – email [email protected] for a list and Google map of drop-off locations.
Seth Boyden Shares and the Rent Party Garden invite you to our Free Farm Stand
It’s about sharing food and creating friendships…
Every Saturday over the summer at Seth Boyden School, 10 am
❤ Produce will be placed on tables near the garden entrance in Seth Boyden’s back schoolyard by 10 am and will be there throughout the day until the food is gone
❤ Take something to share with your family, leave some for others, and make new friends around the farm table
Friday’s clap out of seniors who graduated from Seth Boyden in 2014 was a beautiful and joyous occasion! We wish these kids all the best as they start this next chapter in their lives.
We’re glad that we could uphold this tradition this year!
Seth Boyden received an Artists in Education grant for $10,000 from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Young Audiences Arts for Learning New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania for an artist-in-residence program bringing the dance art form of African American stepping to the Seth Boyden third graders. The two professional artists — Quynn Johnson and Ryan Johnson — are with SOLE Defined, a BIPOC-led dance company that uses dance to educate and foster creativity. Ms. Quynn and Mr. Ryan have focused on the emergence of stepping within African American culture in the early twentieth century, particularly within the “Divine Nine,” the nine Historically Black Greek-Letter Organizations (HBGLOs) that originated at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This history resonates strongly with the many African American students at Seth Boyden, some of whose family members are alumnae/i of HBGLOs and HBCUs, and with third-grade teacher Rahmiece Lawson, an HGBLO alumna.
Principal Shannon Glander, Assistant Principal Sheila Murphy, and third-grade teacher Rosemary Connell formed part of the Steering Committee for the grant, as did Seth Boyden PTA President Elizabeth Leonard Evangelista, PTA Assemblies Coordinator Susanna Einstein, and former PTA Development Officer Alison Poe. Dr. Poe was also responsible for coordinating the program with this year’s district Covid guidelines and making sure everyone was able to participate, which has been invaluable. Ms. Connell says the program has been very engaging and “helps a lot of kids who may be losing interest after all the remote learning.”
Twice a week, for the past eight weeks, students have explored fundamental step moves as well as the basic historical and cultural background of the art form with Ms. Quynn and Mr. Ryan, whether online or in person. Anaaya Ahmed, a third grader, says that she especially loves learning about the different kinds of claps and the Greek alphabet. She says the program is “fun, educational, and tiring.” Manuel Perez, another third grader says, “It was really fun learning stepping with my friends. I hope everyone has the same experience next year.”
As the program’s culminating event, the third graders performed a stepping dance they co-choreographed with SOLE Defined: the Seth Boyden School Spirit Dance, a gift to the school that will be handed down as a lasting legacy. In-person students performed the dance live (masked and socially distanced) in the Outdoor Learning Center for the fourth graders; at-home learners contributed solo performances of the dance to a forthcoming video about the residency. A live performance by the Columbia High School Infinite Step Team concluded the outdoor show, which will also feature in the video. When the Infinite Step Team completed their routine, captain Eartha West asked the third and fourth graders if they wanted to join the squad once they got to high school, and a score of hands shot into the air.
The Seth Boyden community is very grateful to this dedicated Steering Committee and The Artists in Education Residency Grant Program, now in its forty-eighth year. The residency is a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Young Audiences Arts for Learning New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania in partnership with regional New Jersey arts organizations, including Appel Farm Arts & Music Campus, Count Basie Center for the Arts, and Morris Arts.
Seth Boyden is participating in a fundraiser with Brain Quest! They have workbooks, summer workbooks, Q&A decks, and even some “just for fun” activity books. The age range is pre-school through 7th grade.
We are running the fundraiser until Tuesday, June 22.
Please check it out and share it with your family and friends!
Brain Quest is America’s #1 educational bestseller, with more than 50 million copies in print. Curriculum-based but infused with a spirit of fun, it’s loved by kids, trusted by parents, and used and recommended by teachers because it works—and entertains, too.
Each Brain Quest deck is a fast-paced question-and-answer game that challenges kids on the stuff they need to know, when they need to know it. Brain Quest workbooks are jam-packed with curriculum-based activities, exercises, games, and challenges, all in full color. All Brain Quest content aligns with national and state standards and is overseen by a panel of award-winning educators.
School Photos are coming June 7 & 8! — REGISTER TODAY
When: June 7 & 8 (your child’s teacher will email you the day closer to picture day)
Where: In the garden at Seth Boyden
Register: Use this link https://bit.ly/3eV2o98 (password Sethboyden21) to register by June 6.
IMPORTANT: Remember you need to register for your child(ren) to be photographed even if the photos are being taken during the school day. When registering, please use the full name your child used to register for school (ex: use “James,” not “Jimmie”)
Volunteers needed!
Please sign up if you can help with the school picture days of June 7 & 8:
(Group class photos will not be offered this year.)
All in-person students are photographed. If you do not place an order by June 6 you will receive a proof. You can then place an order using the proof information provided. Please note: there will be a $7 shipping fee for orders placed after picture day.
More information about the photographer Peter Collura is on the attached flier.
CDC guidelines to ensure a safe picture day include: working outdoors, social distance from students and staff, masks on photographers, and sanitizing picture area as needed.
It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news that Marc Ulysse, father of 5th grader Marvens and 4th grader Marc, passed away over the weekend from complications due to COVID-19. Mr. Ulysse was a loving husband, committed father, and the sole provider for his wife and five children. Mr. Ulysse was a longstanding Maplewood resident and, until his passing, was a school bus driver in Newark. He will be sorely missed by his family and all who knew and loved him.
The thoughts, love, and condolences of the entire Seth Boyden community are with the Ulysse family at this time.
We want to do all we can as a community to support the Ulysse family – there is a meal train being organized by the boys’ classes and we as a PTA have set up this GoFundMe: http://gf.me/u/zrrtpa
Please contribute if you can, and help us spread the word about the GoFundMe far and wide.
Let’s rally around the Ulysse family and help them through the next difficult weeks and months ahead.
Stop AAPI Hate Image via https://stopaapihate.org/
As a PTA, we see and acknowledge the pain and anger that so many of our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) families and community members are feeling after the murder of Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng in Atlanta and the increasing anti-Asian racism and violence that people of Asian descent are experiencing.
We stand in solidarity with our AAPI families and community members. We stand against racism, xenophobia, bias, and prejudice in all forms and are deeply committed to equity and social and racial justice.
Please click here to read a letter written by Dr. Mia Charlene White, a local Black woman of African American and Korean descent who organizes with SOMA Justice, in association with our local community and co-signed by many local groups and residents including South Orange Village President Sheena Collum and Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee. It contains valuable resources for working in solidarity to dismantle white supremacy and stop AAPI hate.
To read the South Orange Maplewood School District’s Statement on Violence Against AAPI Community, click here.
For advice and resources for how to talk to children about anti-Asian violence, click here.
Hooray! We started our seeds for our spring and summer garden this week! I will keep you posted on their progress.
Ready for a little I Spy Nature game?
I Spy Nature in the Seth Boyden Garden…
things that are decomposing
a pollinator
seeds with space
food for birds
a flower head from our 2020 garden
something ready to burst color
a sign that winter is ending
a tool for the soil
a seed that flies
a natural spiral
a seed pod
a fruit with vitamin C
a root for eating
Play with your children and make up some of your own clues. Create your own I Spy Nature Tray. I wonder what you will find outside your door?
I am challenging myself to learn a new bird call with students each week this spring. Today we listened to the Northern Cardinal. You can hear it here by clicking here.
Fourth-grader Callum Catts suggested we learn the Blue Jay and Mourning Dove next! Make sure you hear his Mourning Dove imitation if you see him around!
A message from our principal, Mrs. Glander, and vice-principal, Ms. Murphy:
“Happy February and Black History Month!
This month we will be celebrating the contributions and rich history of Black People. While February is a month to specifically celebrate these contributions and achievements, we believe that an inclusive and accurate educational experience includes the histories of all people throughout our students’ entire school career. We continue to advocate for curriculum, instructional pedagogy and practices that highlight the history and cultures of the diverse population of our country and world.
This year, Seth Boyden has an elite team of teaching staff that is leading the charge and working on this year’s theme which is celebrating Black Contributions in Immunology. We are kicking off our month-long celebration by introducing students to Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the pioneering immunologist at the forefront of the COVID-19 vaccine. We will be learning about other black immunologists, biologists, and vaccine pioneers over the next few weeks. Please ask your students about Dr. Corbett and her tremendous contributions toward ending the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
For a service-oriented way to celebrate Black History Month, SOMA Shares is looking for diverse books. All year, but especially during Black History Month, SOMA Shares strives to make books available to all students in our district that are written by writers of color and filled with characters that look like our students and reflect how they live and how they dream for the future. SOMA Shares has curated a list of diverse and inclusive book titles on our Amazon Wish List. You can also buy these books from [words] (just mention the purchases are for SOMA Shares and they will set them aside for collection).
In celebration of Black History Month, Ms. Van Doornik, our music teacher, re-introduced students to Seth Boyden’s unofficial school song, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.”
Click here for the rendition from Kirk Franklin that Ms. Van Doornik shared with her classes, which was followed by the students singing it themselves.
Ask your child to sing it for you!
This printable, to honor the impact of music in Black culture, is courtesy of Ditto Kids magazine, an anti-racism magazine for kids. The printable is great for both coloring and expanding on the meaning of this important and powerful song with your children.
When our teachers Mrs. Donna Friedrich and Mrs. Maureen Davenport learned that our teachers didn’t have a second monitor to do hybrid teaching in the classroom and see all their virtual students at once, they put out the call for help.
The Seth Boyden PTA helped spread the word and class captains, parents, friends, family, and community members sprung to action donating used and new monitors.
Just one week later, we have 32 monitors! Every teacher who needed one has one. That’s community. That’s Seth Boyden!
Thank you!
4th Grade Teacher Ms. Fakhoury is smiling with her monitor. Can you tell?1st Grade teacher Ms. Imperato shows off her new, donated monitorDonated monitors ready for work
An interview (by Mrs. Tuohy, Seth Boyden Garden Teacher) with Mr Hein, 4th grade teacher at Seth Boyden School, about the South Orange Maplewood Rec Baseball Program.
Thanks Mrs. Tuohy. I’d love to share some information with you!
What is South Orange Maplewood Recreation Baseball?
SOM Baseball is a local baseball league where anyone from South Orange or Maplewood between the ages of 5 and 15 can be on a team. Kids that are 5 and 6 play T-Ball, kids that are 7 and 8 play practice games, and kids that are 9 and up play competitive games.
I know you played as a child, are you still part of the program?
I am! I’ve actually been involved with the program for most of my life, beginning with when I played T-Ball at age 5!! Now, I am the Umpire Coordinator. That means I am in charge of coordinating training and scheduling the SOM Baseball umpires. Anyone ages 13 and up can sign up for the umpire program. I also volunteer as a coach.
How did you get involved with umpiring?
I actually started umpiring through the SOM Baseball umpire program when I was 13 years old! Now I umpire higher level games.
How long have you played baseball and what did you like most about playing as a kid?
I haven’t played baseball since high school (although I do play some pick-up softball) because I decided to focus on umpiring, but I loved playing as a kid. My favorite part was being a part of a team, and the competition. I love competition!! My favorite positions when I was a kid were first base and catcher.
Can anybody participate?
Yes! While the majority of participants are boys, anyone is more than welcome to participate at all age levels.
Do you recommend kids try it? Why?
Absolutely! Not only will you have so much fun playing, but you’ll also make new friends on your team. Also, many players, especially at the younger ages, have never picked up a baseball bat in their lives! The coaches will teach you how to play!!
What baseball teams do you root for now?
I’m a long suffering Mets fan. Things are looking up for us though!!
To register for the 2021 SOM Baseball season click HERE. Registration ends on January 31st, 2021.
Scholarships are available by contacting the South Orange Recreation at [email protected].
For more information about the program please visit the SOM Baseball Website, reach out to the South Orange Recreation department, or reach out to one of the SOM Baseball Committee members (click HERE for contact information).
If anyone has older kids that are interested in signing up for the umpire program with Mr. Hein, you can sign up on the same page as the player registration. Email Mr. Hein at [email protected] for more information.
Make a batch of homemade playdough (recipe below).
Gather beautiful objects from nature. Decorate the play dough with the natural objects while reflecting on and celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Simple homemade play dough recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups flour
3/4 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar (optional)
2 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
food coloring (optional)
ziploc bag, plastic wrap, or airtight container to store
Method
Stir together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar (if using it) in a large pot.
Add the water and oil. If you are adding the optional food coloring, add it now.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the dough has thickened and begins to form a ball.
Remove from heat and place on another nonstick surface to cool slightly.
Knead until smooth and roll into balls. Cover with plastic wrap, place in a ziploc bag, or store in an airtight container.
Some of our awesome students (and one teacher!) showing their #SethBoydenStrong spirit during remote school, Fall/Winter 2020
End-of-Year Message from the Seth Boyden PTA:
What a year 2020 has been!
From the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, this community has shown, again and again, how to be Seth Boyden Strong.
From Go Fund Mes for Seth Boyden students who lost parents to the incredible grassroots efforts of SOMA Shares — supporting our community with groceries and masks and books and coats and more — to the teachers who have done so much during such a difficult time — and the generosity and grace showed to them by our Seth Boyden families — to the class captains who have worked to forge connections between classmates to all the PTA volunteers and board members who have kept it going throughout and the students — these incredible children — who have had their normal lives pulled out from under them and still show up at their computers every day and persevere.
These are just a few of the countless examples of the generosity of spirit and giving that is Seth Boyden.
We are looking forward to 2021 with great hope and anticipation, and as we prepare for a new year, we ask that if you are able to make a year-end gift, to please consider supporting Seth Boyden PTA. We are a 501(c) (3) organization and your gift helps to fund efforts like getting books in the hands of students, assemblies that enrich our children’s education, teacher gifts, SOMA Shares, and so much more in the future. Your gift truly makes a difference!
You can make a tax-deductible gift through PayPal, and you can even make it recurring. Click here.
And if your employer matches charitable donations, then the impact of your donation to Seth Boyden could be doubled! Ask at work.
We are Seth Boyden Strong because we are a unique, dynamic, and exceptionally caring school community filled with so many people doing good every day. We are Seth Boyden Strong because of YOU.
Hundreds of books were given out at the SOMA Shares Book Giveaway Day on Sunday 11/29, in the St. Joseph’s Church parking lot in Maplewood. Sunny skies, mild temperatures, and many volunteers helped make the day a great success! Families from the South Orange/Maplewood community came out to “shop” for books and get their home libraries stocked for winter. A special shout out goes to our Seth Boyden Spanish teacher, Señor Carberry, for providing musical accompaniment for the Book Giveaway and to our librarian, Mrs. Poutre, for helping to organize books by theme and reading level. Everyone was also happy to see Mrs. Connell and Mrs. Friedrich who were getting books for their students. We are grateful for all the Seth Boyden families who volunteered their time and especially the organizers, Shannon Kirk and Anna Herbst. Axel and Kim Takács helped secure the space for us and The Good Bottle Refill Shop provided hand sanitizer for the event!
A message from the amazing Seth Boyden social work team:
We are in the final months of 2020 and although this year has been unpredictable, the Seth Boyden Social Work Dept thinks that now is a great time to BREATHE deep.
Welcome to GRATITUDE SEASON 🙂
Here’s a fun Gratitude Scavenger Hunt activity that everyone can participate in to kick off our season of showing gratitude for the people and things that have helped to keep us going this year:
Find something outside you enjoy looking at
Find something that is useful for you
Find something that is your favorite color
Find something you know someone else will enjoy
Find something that makes you happy
Find something that tastes good
Find something that smells amazing
Discover something new
Find something that makes you feel safe
Find something that makes a beautiful sound
Find someone you are grateful for
Find something that is unique to you
Find something that makes you laugh
Find something in the night that you enjoy
Find something in the morning that you enjoy
Find a friend/pet that you love spending time with
Find your favorite place to spend time alone
Find something that reminds you of the people you love
Find something that you enjoy doing outside with friends
