Fourth-grade classes here at Elms School will be visiting ShopRite of Jackson in the coming months as part of a unique program designed to boost the youngsters' skills in a variety of areas. The program, in its fourth year at Elms, is designed to strengthen students' spatial and logical reasoning skills and teach them to apply those concepts both in the classroom and in real life.  The ShopRite Young Consumers Program allows families, schools and the supermarket to partner together to support the academic, social and emotional needs of students. During their visits to the store, students are advised to shop for a nutritious, balanced three-day menu for a family of four with a budget of $100. They must weigh their food, review nutritional guidelines and select the best choices. The children win points for spending close to $100 without going over, and for making nutritional selections.

 

Howard Herbert, a retired superintendent and current educational consultant with the Wakefern Food Corp., first brought the Young Consumers program to the Jackson School District 9 years ago. The pilot program only included two classes here at Elms four years ago, but was considered so successful that it was expanded to include the entire fourth grade this year.

On his visits to the classrooms, Herbert starts out by introducing a poem to the children, and the students remember the poem with no practice. He then introduces mathematical concepts, as well as spatial relationship games such as stacking cups, tangrams and other manipulatives, to develop speed and dexterity. The children work on these games with Herbert and in the classroom throughout the year. The culmination of this part of the program is when the children get to showcase their skills and teach the games to their parents during Family Night.

 

Finally, the children are asked to use their newly refined abilities during a reallife, food-shopping trip. ShopRite of Jackson is a partner in the program, and provides use of the store as well as employees to assist the students. Parent volunteers and school personnel are also available to help the children.

 

 

NEA's Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss.

 

In May 1997, a small reading task force at NEA came up with a big idea. "Let's create a day to celebrate reading," the group decided. "We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don't we do something to get kids excited about reading? We'll call it 'NEA's Read Across America' and we'll celebrate it on Dr. Seuss's birthday." And so was born on March 2, 1998, the largest celebration of reading this country has ever seen.

Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school.

Once again the Elms School Community has come together when needed.  On January 12, 2010 a devastating earthquake hit Haiti and people from around the world organized their efforts to help the people of Haiti.  Senora Martine Jean-Louis, a World Language teacher here at Elms and native of Haiti, organized the Jackson School District's effort and started a Coins for Haiti Coin Drive. In true fashion, the Elms School Community rallied around Senora Jean-Louis and the people of Haiti.  In less than a week, the school raised $1772!  5th grade students, Elizabeth Schoenfeld, Arina Martin, Dylan Miller, Isabella Mizell and their siblings, organized a Water and Snack Table at Candy Bingo on Thursday night, January 28th.  With the help of all the families who attended, they raised $528.75 to add to the already astonishing total.