Somerville Public Schools

💡New Staff Features of the Week! 💡 Each Friday during the school year, we will feature staff members at The Ville who contribute to student's academic success and help shape their path here at Somerville! This initiative is for Somerville community members to get to know the fantastic staff who make the Ville what it is. We welcomed an incredible group of new staff members this year and will feature a few from all three schools this week! Danny Larkins is a new ESL Teacher at Somerville High School! When asked what he's excited about for the 2024-25 school year, he says, "I am excited to be an advocate for my multilingual students!" Ashley Porcida is the Speech and Language Specialist at Van Derveer and Somerville Middle School. She says, "I am excited to be part of the Somerville School Community. I am excited to be a support system to our students and their families and to watch each and every one of our students grow and achieve all their goals this school year." Samantha Marx is an Instructional Assistant at Van Derveer School. What is she excited about this year? "New friends, new teachers, and a new chance to make each day count. Every new school year is a fresh start! Dana Nelson is an ESL Teacher at Somerville Middle School. She says, "I'm looking forward to supporting Somerville's multilingual learners and joining the 'Ville's energetic and innovative educational team." Kim Sutphen is a Special Education Teacher in the MAPS program. She tells us, "I am excited about meeting new students and helping them reach their goals." Our district welcomed many more new staff members, whom you will get to know over the course of this year. We're so excited to have them here in the Ville! Thank you for all you do for our students and community! . . #allin4theville #somervillenjschools #somervillestafffeature

☀️ Back to school! Let's do this Ville! We hope you all have a great first day!🏫 . . . #allin4theville #somervillenjschools

🎉 🐾 Coming Soon Future Bulldogs! 🎉🐾 Join us for an exciting day at Camp SMS filled with fun activities, new friendships, and a sneak peek into the awesome life at middle school. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to kickstart your journey as a future Bulldog! Meet the Principals from 12:00-1:00pm! 🗓️ Date: Tuesday, August 27th ⏰ 10:00am-1:00pm 📍 Location: Somerville Middle School

🎓 Congratulations, Somerville High School Class of 2024! 🎉 We are incredibly proud of your hard work, dedication, and achievements. As you step into the next chapter of your journey, remember to embrace every opportunity, follow your passions, and continue striving for excellence. The future is bright, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you’ll accomplish. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors! #ClassOf2024 #SomervilleHighSchool #FutureLeaders #GraduationDay 🎓✨

Congratulations to Somerville Middle School's Class of 2024! 🧑‍🎓 SMS Class of 2024 had their 8th grade Graduation today, being presented their diplomas by Mr. Hade and Mr. Tauriello! Let's hear it for all of the graduates, and good luck next year at Somerville High School! 🏫 . . #allin4theville #somervilleschoolsnj

👨‍🎓 Van Derveer School had their 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony today! We are so proud of these incredible 5th graders and wish you all the best next year at Somerville Middle School! 🏫 @vdvschoolnj . . #allin4theville #somervilleschoolsnj

Somerville High School's Class of 2024 Commencement Ceremony will be streaming LIVE on YouTube, June 20th beginning at 4PM! . . #allin4theville #somervillenjgraduation #somervillehighschoolnj

This is a friendly reminder that today, Friday, June 14th, is an early dismissal day for all students. Next week, Wednesday and Thursday (June 19 & 20) will also be early dismissal days. Somerville Public Schools will be closed on June 21st. Congratulations to all of our graduates in the class of 2024! Have a great summer! Please follow your school's schedule. https://www.somervilleschools.org/ . . #allin4theville #somervilleschoolsnj

💡Staff Feature of the Week! 💡Each week, we'll feature our staff members at The Ville who contribute to student's academic success and help shape their path here at Somerville! This week, it's Ms. Tara Morash from Somerville Middle School! Tara Morash has been teaching at SMS for three years. She teaches 6th grade math and is the head coach of the SMS Girls' Soccer and Basketball teams and the assistant SHS Softball coach. Coaching has been Tara's favorite part of being in the Somerville School District. The most rewarding part of the job is getting to know and supporting the players on and off the field. Her dog, Jackson, has been the middle school therapy dog for the last year. Jackson visits Ms. Morash's classes and various other classes throughout middle school. He has also appeared at SHS and MAPS during their Social Emotional Learning event in the spring. He has loved his new role and can't wait to welcome the next group of incoming 6th graders! Tara and Jackson feel so lucky to have been welcomed by the Somerville Community and can't wait to continue supporting their students! Thank you for all that you do for The Ville! . . #allin4theville #somervillenjschools #somervillestafffeature

⭐️ Don’t mind us, just admiring some of our SMS Students and the artwork 🖼️ they made for our local @divisioncafe 🥘 😋 @somervillemiddleschoolnj . . #allin4theville #somervillenjschools

💡Staff Feature of the Week! 💡Each week, we'll feature one of our staff members at The Ville who contributes to students' academic success and helps shape their path here at Somerville! This week is Van Derveer School's Amanda Duckworth! Mrs. Duckworth has been teaching at VDV for 9 years. She has been primarily in Kindergarten as a Special Education and General Education teacher, with a year or two in First Grade as a Special Education Resource teacher. She also teaches during the Extended School Year program and Camp VDV. She is a co-chair of Van Derveer's Annual Food Drive in the Fall as well as the Annual Helen Doherty Science Fair in the Spring. Mrs. Duckworth loves to dance along with her class and her colleagues; she has been a member of the Variety Show Staff Act for many years. She mentors new staff members and continues supporting her Kindergarten team as a Co-Grade Level Leader. Engaging students with hands-on learning experiences is fun and important for young learners. Teaching living and nonliving with real worms and introducing equality with an egg experiment are just two of the fun activities she enjoys each year with her class! Thank you for all that you do for The Ville! @vdvshchoolnj . . #allin4theville #somervilleschoolsnj

💡Staff Feature of the Week! 💡Each week, we'll feature our staff members at The Ville who contribute to student's academic success and help shape their path here at Somerville! This week, it's Mr. Kurt Lorentzen from Somerville High School! Mr. Lorentzen is a new teacher to Somerville, but has been teaching now for almost six years. Upon graduating from Ramapo College, Mr. Lorentzen worked in auditing and accounting for about four years before completing the alternate route teaching process for Business Education in 2017. Heading into this school year, it was Mr. Lorentzen’s goal to get involved early within the SHS community. In successfully doing so, the teacher has chaperoned multiple formal events, aided in athletic activities across all three seasons, while also pitching in to revamp and improve business curriculums at the high school. Mr. Lorentzen was recognized as January staff member of the month, and has felt nothing but love and support from the community as his first school year at Somerville HS comes to an end. Mr. Lorentzen is eager to continue building on his professional experiences, so that he can continue providing valuable lessons and experiences to his high-achieving students inside and outside of the classroom! Leaving you with the quote that Mr. Lorentzen left in his high school yearbook back in 2012... “With hard work, desire, and respect, an individual can accomplish anything.” Thank you for all that you do for The Ville! . . #allin4theville #somervilleschoolsnj

Check out our VDV Chick Cam, where a few of our baby chicks are starting to hatch! Click the link to view them in action! https://www.somervilleschools.org/o/vdv/article/1594294

🌟🏃‍♂️🎽 Last week, our Van Derveer students showed amazing teamwork and sportsmanship at their annual Field Day! With some help from our wonderful staff, our parent and community volunteers - even students from SHS - so many joined in to make this fun day possible. 🙌💪 Their efforts brought many smiles and a spirit of friendly competition that made the day unforgettable! Go VDV! @vdvschoolnj 🎉👟 . . #allin4theville #VDVFieldDay

We are thrilled and proud to announce that we have been chosen as one of the recipients of the Trees for Schools grant from Sustainable Jersey for Schools! 🎉 Thanks to this generous grant, we have planted 124 new trees 🌳 on all three campuses, enhancing the beauty and sustainability of Somerville. We look forward to these trees growing and contributing to a greener, healthier environment for our students and community. 🌍 Thank you to Sustainable Jersey for Schools for supporting our commitment to a more sustainable future! 💚 . . #allin4theville #somervillenjschools

💡Staff Feature of the Week! 💡Each week, we'll feature our staff members at The Ville who contribute to student's academic success and help shape their path here at Somerville! This week, it's Mrs.Allison Parajon from Somerville Middle School! Allison Parajon has been teaching at Somerville Middle School for 27 years. She has been a 6th grade Science teacher and is currently an 8th grade Science teacher. She served as team leader for the 6th grade and is currently the team leader for the 8th grade. Allison has been instrumental in planning the 8th-grade field trips. She has also served as a teacher mentor and buddy. She continues to build strong relationships with her students, which adds to the school culture and creates a positive classroom environment. She always looks for new ways to engage her students and make Science fun! . . #allin4theville #somervillenjschools #somervilleteachers

📆 MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 🗓️ Thursday, May 23rd, and Friday, May 24th, are a one-session days. Students will have an early dismissal. Please follow your school's schedule. https://www.somervilleschools.org/ VDV 6th grade 7th/8th grade SHS

Somerset County held the Historic Preservation and History Awards. The purpose of the awards program is to increase public awareness of history & historic preservation, promote excellence in historic preservation, and recognize worthy individuals, organizations, or projects. 5th-grade teacher at VDV, Davie-Lyn Jones-Evans, received the Publication award for At Home with History. "At Home with History" focuses on the history of Somerville's African American community. Mrs. Jones-Evans' body of published work brings the story of Somerville's historic black community to life for both her 5th-grade students at Somerville's Van Derveer Elementary School and wider audiences through her online publications. Mrs. Jones-Evans' work is accessible and free to the public online at Medium.com. Congratulations to Mrs. Jones-Evans! @vdvschoolnj . . #allin4theville #somervillenjschools #somervilleteachers

💡Staff Feature of the Week! 💡Each week, we'll feature one of our staff members at The Ville that contributes to students' academic success and helps shape their path here at Somerville! This week is Van Derveer School's Katelyn Glennon! Katelyn Glennon has been teaching at VDV for 2 years but has been teaching for 14 years. She works as a teacher in the MD Classroom for Grades 3-5, also fondly known as “The Brew Crew”. In this setting, they focus on academic readiness and independence, developing appropriate social skills, acquiring necessary skills/tools to gain more independence with daily tasks, and job readiness skills. This lends itself to practicing social skills with their peers and staff members, promoting independence when completing tasks with minimal reminders, and helping them understand the importance of being safe and responsible. Every Friday, the students open The Brew Crew Coffee Stand and sell the staff coffee, tea, seltzer, bagels, and snacks. Mrs. Glennon also provides the students with opportunities to apply skills outside of the classroom through field trips. The students have attended a Somerset Patriots Baseball Game, took a tour at Starbucks in Somerville, applied their etiquette skills during their Mother’s Day lunch at Cafe Picasso, went to a SHS Baseball game to support the team and throw out the first pitch, went to ACE Hardware in Somerville to purchase necessary items they needed for their Science Fair projects, and even learned how to make pizza at Calabria Mia. Mrs. Glennon is part of Sunfish but devotes much of her time to improving the Coffee Cart Program and developing the MD program for her students. Mrs. Glennon believes that it truly “Takes a Village.” The support from the Staff, Administration, and, most importantly, her IAs has helped make this program successful. Ultimately, she hopes that through her efforts, people will begin to see these students for their capabilities rather than their disabilities. Thank you for all that you do for The Ville! . . #allin4theville #SomervilleNJSchools #SomervilleStaffFeature

🐾🏫 Somerville PBA's paw-some K9 Marco visited Van Derveer with Officer Nikki! He brought a whole lot of tail wags and joy too; putting smiles on faces of students and staff alike! 🌟 #allin4theville #SomervillePBA #PawsitiveImpact 🐶💖🍎