Family Newsletter - 4-27-26

• We celebrated Arab-American Heritage Month Friday, in recognition of the 25+ countries or territories represented by our beautiful staff and students spanning across North Africa and the Middle East. I say it all the time, the beauty of our school is our diversity.
   
• We celebrated the dedicated service of our Administrative Professionals on Wednesday, acknowledging that they are the HUB of our building, without whom the building would not run. From payroll, procurement, and pupil accounting, to parenting and technology… along with a whole slew of other responsibilities they take on in any given day, Mr. Boychuk, Ms. Chung, Ms. DiMatteo, Ms. Martin and Ms. Messina – thank you for your tireless work and efforts to ensure our office and systems run smoothly in support of the staff, students and families of Cav.
   
• We are proud to announce that the Cavallaro Soccer Team competed in the District 21 Tournament at David A. Boody and emerged as Undefeated Champions! Yet another sports trophy to add to our main office counter! Coach Vazquez noted that the resilience, teamwork, and camaraderie displayed were outstanding. Facing teams that our students previously lost to and coming back stronger for a rematch victory speaks volumes about this group’s growth, determination, and heart. The energy was unmatched, and the effort was nothing short of incredible. Congratulations to the entire team and their dedicated coaches
   
• Our 7th and 8th STEM Math Talent students attended the Virtual Youth Business Summit and had a great time! There were hundreds of middle and high schools all over the world there to pitch their virtual companies. One of our companies, Lumesleep took home two awards! Gold for best sales pitch and Bronze for best booth design! Mr. Tran even ran into two former VE students who are about to graduate and attend college in the fall!
   
• A great big thank you to our Testing Team for the successful administration of the ELA State Test, as well as to Vlad for tech troubleshooting, our proctors for class coverage, our families for their support and everyone else for their cooperation. We know state testing days always take kids off their routine, which adds stress to the day.  So it’s an all-hands-on deck event – and I am always so thankful and appreciative to see everyone pulling together to provide assistance and support to students and colleagues during these difficult days.
   
•  HUGE shout out to Ms. Vazquez and Mr. Yodice for coordinating and supervising this year’s NYCFC trip to Yankee Stadium. 100 Cavallaro soccer players had an unforgettable experience at the game, and a group of our kids also took part in the “on the field” showcase. Special thanks also to the additional chaperones, who also put in an incredibly long day and night to ensure our students were safe and cared for.
   
• Join us on Thursday, April 30th at 5:30pm during the Arista Induction Ceremony, to honor our students, as well as this year’s honorary member, Ms. DiMatteo. Ms. Chris embodies the qualities of the NJHS five pillars – Service, Character, Leadership, Scholarship and Citizenship – as she gives her heart and soul to the staff, students and families of the Cavallaro community.
   
• Join the District 21 Team on April 30th from 1:00-2:00 pm for a Take a Break meeting with Superintendent Erin Lynch Reyes. This session provides a welcoming space for conversation, reflection, and connection while engaging in meaningful dialogue around current topics impacting our school community. (See the attached doc to register)
   
• On Thursday, April 30th, Cav will be hosting the next Climate Action Daywhich is themed “Health, Wellness and Green Space”. This year, we will be hosting an event where students can learn stress management techniques including guided breathing meditation, stretches, and tips to reduce screen time in order to improve students’ mental health and wellness. The event will be hosted in the library during each grade lunch period. 

Academic Vocabulary Word of the Week: 

4/27/26 –  Design, Debate

Spanish: Diseño, debate

Chinese: 設計、辯論

Russian: Дизайн, обсуждение

Urdu: ڈیزائن، بحث

Design (v.): decide upon the look and functioning of (a building, garment, or other object), by making a detailed drawing of it.

Synonyms: plan, draw, sketch, plot

Debate (v.): argue about (a subject), especially in a formal manner.

Synonyms: discuss, argue

Morphology Map

Social Emotional Focus:

6th grade- Responsibility -What does responsibility mean to you, and how can it help you in preparing for a test?

7th grade-Collaboration-In what ways do teamwork help us to problem solve?

8th grade-Motivation- How does motivation help you to overcome challenges?