In January, the fifth grade class ran the morning meeting for the entire school. The students wanted to add something fresh to the meeting and came up with the concept of having an art gallery. The Snow Leopards came up with their own system that allowed two students each day to present their artwork in front of the whole entire school! The work was displayed for a week in the common room. The fifth grade should be proud of the idea and system that they created. Also, an additional thanks goes to the students who took on the initiative of taking on more work so that this idea would materialize. Job well done!

On Monday, December 22, Jen’s 2/3 Learning Group went on a field trip to the Burnham Park Pond in Morristown to further their study of water and the watercycle. This is our second field trip to study the water cycle this year…we have another one coming up in the Spring!

The bus trip to Burnham Park Pond was great! We learned a lot about watersheds. A watershed is a body of water that is made up of collected water from an area. We found out that household chemicals from lawns, cars, etc. can drain into the watershed and bother the fish, birds, frogs, diving beetles, and other living things that need the water to survive. You probably know all lakes, streams, and rivers have muck on the bottom, right? If chemicals get in the water cycle and into the water, it can kill all the organic matter and fish, animals and plants can’t survive!

When we got to Burnham Park Pond, Jen had us draw what we saw. We drew trees, dead bushes, nettles, a bit of the brook connected to the pond, and ducks that only came that time of year.

Then we went in the water with Jen. We were all wearing big waterproof boots! Were told that we had to go in the water very slowly. To take another step, we had to wait till the silt faded a little, and we were careful not to go in the water higher than our boots. Jen wore waders, so she could go in really deep!

We used our homemade scope lenses (they were made from yogurt containers with the bottom cut off, and a piece of plastic wrap on the top for the lens). I noticed lots of dirt, silt, and a bubble on my scope lens. The edge of the pond was very muddy, and there were a lot of dead leaves in the water.

We left the water and took notes on what we saw. Nora’s mom brought hot chocolate for everyone! Finally, we got our stuff, and headed to the bus. On the way to the bus Jen told us more about the things we saw and talked about watersheds! It was a great day!

The opinions expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Unity Charter School. Unity Charter School is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the author.

To close out the 2014 calendar year, the students in Jen’s 2/3 and Chris’ grade 5 learning groups focused on the joy of giving and appreciating all that we already have. The students worked together to provide warmth for those in need. Both classes collected t-shirts and upcycled them into scarves. Students created 43 scarves that were donated to Emily’s Hats for Hope, a local organization started by a 17-year-old Morristown student.

About the Author:
Jennifer Carcich is the 2/3 Grade Teacher and Lower School Team Leader at Unity Charter School. This is her fourth year teaching at Unity Charter School. She is certified to teach both general education and special education students and has been in the teaching field since 1994. Jennifer takes pride in helping Unity Charter School continue to strengthen its unique and innovative approach to education and bring forth the school’s mission.

The opinions expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Unity Charter School. Unity Charter School is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the author.

In December, Unity Charter School’s community service was a fund-raiser to help sponsor a puppy through The Seeing Eye’s, Pennies for Puppies program. On Wednesday, Dec. 10th, three representatives from The Seeing Eye came to talk to all of our students. Don, who runs the pennies for puppies program, Kathy, a Seeing Eye graduate and tour guide, along with her Seeing Eye dog, Becca, met with the students in five different groups. Students were given some basic information about The Seeing Eye and a harness to hold. Kathy spoke about what it’s like to be blind and work with a Seeing Eye dog. She answered many fabulous questions asked by the students and staff. Everyone, of course, enjoyed Becca, a beautiful German Shepherd. In addition to our guest’s visit, Seeing Eye facts were presented daily at the school’s morning meeting to further educate students. At the end of the month, Unity talled up all of the coins collected from students, their families, teachers and staff. We were proud to have collected $240 for The Seeing Eye.

About the Author

On December 5, 2014, Chris Poulos, a comedic, motivational speaking, biker came to Unity Charter School. All of the kids were excited to see him, and they were ecstatic once they saw his amazing moves, including the “Peanut-Butter Jelly.” Teachers were happy because of the positive message that Poulos was giving their students, such as, “Treat others the way that you would want to be treated,” and “Follow your dreams.”

“The biker guy was awesome! He’s so cool!” says sixth grader, Nicholas Scelfo. “My favorite part was when Chris jumped over two of my teachers! I really think he should come back again!”

Chris Poulos has achieved a lot in his life, despite his challenges. Poulos admitted to Unity that he has attention deficit hyper-activity disorder, better known as ADHD. He said that as a kid, biking helped him get all of his energy out and he truly loved it, a lot. Poulos loved biking so much that he made it his career, which won him over 80 competitions. His website, www.chrispoulos.com, is dedicated to his work of positive influence on children and of course, biking. Funny, kind, smart, and athletic, it was unanimous, that Poulos’ assembly was one of the best that Unity had ever had!

About Chris Poulos