ASPIRA NEWS

December ,2015

A Letter From The Coordinator

SPRING IS HERE! We are excited for all of the fun, outdoor activities that spring brings with it, including
several walking field trips. We will be spending this month getting ready for the ASPIRAtion Showcase
that will take place on May 12, 2016 at Luis Munoz Marin School For Social Justice. Students will
articulate what they learned from their highly skilled ASPIRA teachers during their time in the ASPIRA
21st Century Community Learning Center after-school program. They will demonstrate 21st century
communication skills by sharing what they learned with teachers, parents, and community members
through science-fair like booths as well as products, performances or presentations. PLEASE MARK
YOUR CALENDAR FOR MAY 12, 2016. We cant wait to see you there! For more information on ASPIRA
and the activities we offer please visit our website at aspiranj.weebly.com.
Mrs. Larranaga
ASPIRA Program Coordinator

OUTSTANDING ASPIRA STAFF MEMBER

MS. WAY

Ms. Way developing the young

minds of our ASPIRA Students

I would like to recommend Ms. Way the Staff of the Month. We

would like to thank you for your commitment and dedication to the
ASPIRA program. Ms. Way is a responsible and reliable teacher in the
program. The students enjoy her happy go lucky sprit and love being
a part of her class. Ms. Way you Rock!!!
~Kinyetta Bird, Academic Coordinator

APRIL IN ASPIRA

MARCH IN REVIEW
March might have had several days off but it
didnt stop us from making the most of the days
we had together!
Wed Mar 2
Tue Mar 8
Thu Mar 10
Thu Mar 17
Fri Mar 18

ASPIRA READING/PAJAMA DAY

ASPIRA Half-staff Planning
Meeting (
NO ASPIRA
SOCIAL JUSTICE SHOWCASE
ASPIRA STAFF MEETING SPRING
DANCE - NO ASPIRA

Mon Mar 21
Sun Mar 27 SPRING RECESS

April will be dedicated preparing an amazing

ASPIRAtion Showcase for all of our parents and family
members at Luis Munoz Marin Schools for Social
Justice. Below is a brief overview of some of the trips
we will be making.

Library Field Trip - Cohort 7, Cohort

5 and Cohort 6
Wed Apr 13 Library Field Trip - Cohort 3, Cohort
9 and Cohort 10
Thu Apr 14 Library Field Trip - Cohort 8, Cohort
1 and Cohort 4
No ASPIRA - Staff Meeting
Fri Apr 15
Thu Apr 21 CHISPA Site Visit
Wed Apr 27 Field Trip - Chelsea Piers 1:305:00pm
STAFF DEVELOPMENT - NO
ASPIRA AFTER SCHOOL
Tue Apr 12

English Language Arts

As students get set to begin their Spring Break, I have
worked through English Language Arts to make sure that
they are leaving with valuable skills in place. Throughout
the months of February and March, students have had
the opportunity to engage in some wonderful studies
about topics that are at times overlooked. Black History
Month was a time for students to take a journey back
into history and come to learn and have an appreciation
for many individuals who have made significant
contributes in helping to make changes in the lives of
others. Students were able to see how these
contributions were made either through the struggles of
African-Americans to bring about equality, the inventions
they made, their artistic abilities, and the work they
carried out in many other areas. For Womens History
Month, students were able to understand and see the
long range contributions of women not only in the United
States, but from women around the world. Through the
exposure to films, articles, discussions, and written
reflections, students have worked to connect their
studies of these two important months to their ongoing
development of content skills and mastery of standards
in English Language Arts. It is my hope that our studies
will give students the confidence to approach the
upcoming PARCC testing with confidence.
Ms. Martin
ASPIRA English Language Arts

Crazy 8 Math
Ms. Crawfords math classes have been working hard
using the new, hands-on, Crazy 8 Math curriculum. I cant
wait to see how this curriculum comes to life at the
showcase.
Mrs. Larranaga
ASPIRA Program Coordinator

Communicative Self-Expression
This month in communicative expressions the students
have been focusing on cooperative games. We've played
games that emphasized that the students play together
rather than against each other. The kids were challenged
to use their critical thinking skills along with problem
solving skills that relates to real life issues. In addition, the
students used poetry to discover who they are by writing
"I am" poems.
Ms. Way
ASPIRA Cooperative Games For Social Change Teacher

English Language Arts/Readers Theater

During the month of the March, students have enjoyed
analyzing poetry. Through one of the poems written by
Maya Angelou, students "took-away" a long-lasting
lesson: "if you don't like something, change it. If you can't
change it, change your attitude." We look forward to the
next month's activities which will include song lyrics
analyzes and how it positively/ negatively influences
people's lives.
Ms. Tejada
ASPIRA English Language Arts, Readers Theater

Math U
The Math Curse has surfaced and revealed an
immediate impact on the students of ASPIRA. Mr. Vitale
reminds the students of Math U that They can think
of almost everything in life as a math problem. In the
spirit of the award winning book Math Curse, the
students are coming to understand how math is used in
everyday situations and how they can apply math
strategies to solve common problems. The students of
Math U are examining their day-to-day schedules,
considering routines, questions that may arise and
situations they encounter daily. Our daily routines are
engrossed with math problems and the students will
spend their time in Math U preoccupied with identifying
the problems they face and the solutions that such daily
problems yield. The students of Math U are tasked with
creating their own personalized version of the Math
Curse, complete with a central character, clearly
defined problems and strategized solutions.
Mr. Vitale
ASPIRA Math U Teacher

Creative Expression
This past month students learned how to use
proportions in order to create a realistic looking
face. Students will continue to work on the faces this
month. The faces will become student self-portraits
with the addition of color and a patterned border. We
also gained a bit of experience by pitching in and
working with the school to create additional set
designs for the Lion King. Students learned about
collaboration, thinking quickly and working with
available materials!
Stella Sormani
ASPIRA Art Teacher

CHISPA Science

Job Club

Welcome back ASPIRA!! I hope you all had a wonderful,

restful Spring break. I was definitely an awesome break,
but I admit I missed my cohort and game club!!

I can't wait until our Spring ASPIRA SHOWCASE. Now I

don't want to give away any surprises, but let's just say
that it's going to be a blast. This showcase will feature
the highlights from each of our components, food,
music, awards, your families, and more. Also, be sure to
get the word out to other LMM students who you think
may be interested in joining us for our ASPRIA summer
program. Yes, I will be there! I heard that we're even
going to watch a live joust at Medieval Times this
summer!! I can't wait for our Spring Showcase, and our
ASPRIA summer program. I hope you all join us. Rock on
:)

Until next time,

Mr. Fernandez

JOB CLUB- "The Rich and The Famous!" "We work so hard
to reach the Top! Ka-Ching, Ka Ching, now we are hot!"
The saying above has been produced and rehearsed by
our cohort 7 JOB CLUB students! Now that they have
identified some of their decisions about education and
careers impact their potential income and quality of life.
In fact, in March of this year (2016) many of our students
have visited colleges, technical schools and local
businesses, and have participated in programs, that will
enable them to rate their interests, abilities and values!
Equipped with knowledge about their interests and work
preferences, students are now ready to pursue their
careers that will generate income, which will allow them
to save! Did you know the 9 percent of teens report they
are currently saving for college? Only 64% of teens have
talked with their parents about paying for college. "We
(the students and teachers) plan to establish financial
systems ( savings accounts) to ensure our students are
prepared and ready for their college and career choices!
Mr. Muhammad
ASPIRA Job Club Teacher

Lifetime Individual Sports

The month of March was exciting in the gym. With the
new group changes I was able to spend a lot of time with
specific groups. Grades 7 and 8 spent much time focusing
on specific sports and skills. The 8th graders have
thoroughly enjoyed their experiences becoming experts in
basketball. They have been doing shooting, passing,
offense and defense drills. The teamwork, strategy and
friendship that has developed has been amazing to see. I
look forward to spending more time with the 5-6th
graders this upcoming month where we will be learning
and playing soccer, which has been highly anticipated by
all students.

Family Life and Sexual Education

FLSE students have been developing a great rapport with
Ms. V and learning about healthy and safe relationships.
Mrs. Larranaga
Program Coordinator

Ms. Yergan
ASPIRA LIS Teacher

ASPIRA students at the ASPIRA Read Across

America Pajama Jam in March

ASPIRA staff supported

Luis Munoz Marin by
volunteering to help
with the production of
The Lion King

ASPIRA staff supported Luis

Munoz Marin by
chaperoning students for
their trip JA BizTown

April 2016

March

Sun

Mon

Tue

May

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Library Field Trip - Library Field Trip - Library Field Trip - No ASPIRA - Staff
Cohort 7, Cohort 5 Cohort 3, Cohort 9 Cohort 8, Cohort 1 Meeting
and Cohort 6
and Cohort 10
and Cohort 4

17

18

3:30 5:15

3:30 5:15

3:30 5:15

19

20

21

22

23

29

30

CHISPA Site Visit

24

25

26

27

28

LMM STAFF PD No
School
ASPIRA Off-Site
Educational Activity
(Field Trip) Chelsea
Piers
1:05 5:10

More Calendar: May, Jun, PDF Calendar

We have a Website!
Please visit us at aspiranj.weebly.com for up to information on what is happening in ASPIRA

aspiranj.weebly.com
Or like us on Facebook at ASPIRA @ LMM

CHELSEA PIERS TRIP

APRIL 27 from 1:05pm 5:10!

We are going to CHELSEA PIERS ON APRIL 27 from 1:05pm

5:10! We will have access to batting cages, gymnastic
teachers, rock-climbing walls, soccer fields, and a
basketball court. Permission forms will be sent out soon!
The first 80 to return them get to go on the trip.

COMMUNITY WALKING TRIP: Library

The ASPIRA Job Club students are working hard to
create an amazing ASPIRAtion showcase for parents. Part
of their showcase preparation involves them visiting
different community businesses and resources. All Job
Club students will be taking a walking trip to the local
library throughout the month of April. Please be on the
look out for more information on when your child will be
attending this trip.

Ms. Way helping students learn games that will be

facilitated at the ASPIRAtion Showcase.