Keeping My Word

Congratulations Giants fans from Van Derveer School!  So myself and several students in our school made a wager that if the 49ers won they would have to wear red shirts to school.  If the Giants won, I would have to wear a shirt of their choosing.  Well if you don't know who won...YOU DO NOW!

Good luck in the Superbowl Giants!

Sportsmanship and the Championship

So the big game is on Sunday! I being a HUGE 49ers fan and the majority of VDV School being HUGE Giants fans, we decided to make today 49ers/Giants day! Staff members were allowed to wear jeans and either red (for the Niners) or blue (for the Giants) with a $5 donation.

The proceeds will be donated to the Somerset County Big Brothers Program. It was a fun day that allowed us to showcase good sportsmanship! Good luck to the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and may the best team win! Enjoy the videos below fans!

Celebrating Van Derveer!

I am blessed to be able to serve the students, staff, and parents of Van Derveer School!  In order to celebrate our school community we created a podcast titled Leading With Heart.  Enjoy!

'Tis The Season To Serve

This time of the year often brings out the desire to serve one another.  I consider this time as a gift.  It is an opportunity for all of us to put things in perspective, to place others ahead of ourselves. I came across an inspiring video that has helped to remind me that I am here to serve.  I hope it will help you on your journey!

CHANGE FOR A DOLLAR

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

First Tee Golf Grant

Van Derveer School is proud to share the fruits of the grant we were awarded by The First Tee of Raritan Valley. Tune in to learn more about the program!

McVDV Night!

"I'm sorry sir, I thought you wanted bacon on your Angus Burger!"

Messing up orders!

Job Well Done VDV!

"I will never lose my patience at a drive thru again!" - Nicholas Diaz after McVDV night

 On Wednesday, November 30^th, I had the privilege of serving the Somerville Community at McDonald’s!  This was Van Derveer School’s 2^nd annual McVDV night.  The purpose of this night is to serve and foster our relationship with the community, while raising funds for those less fortunate.  I was assigned to the drive thru and a high school student from SHS was my “boss”.  After messing up two orders I think I was fired.  It was a fantastic experience!  I learned a lot about the fast food industry while being able to connect with members of the Somerville community on a whole new level.  Thank you to all who supported this great evening and my whole hearted apology to those who got home and found their fry basket a little less plentiful (I was hungry!).

3rd Annual Star Party

On November 7^th, the community of Van Derveer School thoroughly enjoyed the third annual Star Party!  Stargazers young and old alike learned about our solar system in Starlab, the Portable Planetarium.  Thanks to a clear night sky, students, parents, and community members were able to utilize giant digital telescopes to view mountains and craters on our moon!  They were also able to view the planet Jupiter and its moons.  Maschio’s Food Service creatively provided star themed treats for all stargazers to enjoy!  It was a fantastic event that promoted a unique learning experience for all, while helping to build community relationships. In case you missed it, on the top of this blog you can view the history of NASA video that was played during our Star Party. Thank you to all who attended this event and helped make it an OUT OF THIS WORLD experience!

Building Stronger Families

As a husband and father of six beautiful children under the age of six, I know how challenging it is to keep the family unit thriving.  I would like to share a few rituals that have helped our family grow closer and stronger…

Family Dinner!  We make it a point to eat dinner together every night.  Everyone has to share something about their day while the rest of us listen. Eating dinner together every night might not be possible for every family, but every family should have dinner together at least once a week (without the TV or any other electronic device).

Movie Night! Designate one day a week to watch a movie or family TV show together.  I know there is much in the film industry today that we do not want our children exposed to.  A great website that provides detailed movie reviews is Common Sense Media http://www.commonsensemedia.org/ . These reviews have been a great guide to our movie selection.  If you are looking for a good clean adventure TV show our family suggests The Adventures of Merlin (Colin Morgan as Merlin).

Game Night! Playing games together is a great opportunity to deepen  family relationships.  They can help develop teamwork and good sportsmanship while sharpening the intellect.  No matter what my wife or kids tells you, I didn’t cheat to win last week.  I won Chutes and Ladders fair and square!

Camp-Out? I stole this idea from my sister and brother-in-law.  I am not big on “roughing it” so when I heard that my sister’s family was going “camping” in their living room I quickly announced to my family “Tonight we go camping!”.  One hour later I was back from the store with a cheap tent and the stuff to make smores.  We had a blast telling stories and eating those smores in the comfort of our living room!

Pray! If you are a family of faith, there is an old adage that says, “The family that prays together stays together”.

Audio Books! Our family has sincerely enjoyed the dramatized version of the Chronicles of Narnia by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre.  The Lord of the Rings dramatized audio book by the BBC is also great. Snuggling up together on the couch while listening to these stories has been awesome.

Feel free to share some of the things your family does together!

Week of Respect

By law, NJ schools are to observe this week beginning the first Monday in October. The purpose of this week is to provide age-appropriate instruction focusing on preventing harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Van Derveer School had a fantastic “Week of Respect” which ran October 3^rd-7^th. Each morning, Van Derveer students reflected on a “Respect Quote” from influential people of the past and present.  On October 3^rd, Mrs. Haynes and I read the story “Have You Filled Your Bucket Today?” to students and staff members.  The bucket filling theory has caught on quickly in our school!

In preparation for the “Week of Respect” students attended a dynamic anti-bullying assembly entitled “The Power of One”.  The program empowered VDV students and was well received by all.  To continue the anti-bullying momentum, staff and students signed our anti-bullying pledge. Those who signed it have pledged to keep VDV BULLY-FREE by being upstanders rather than bystanders, by reporting bullying, and to never bully any individual in our school. I must say that students have been incredibly enthusiastic and cooperative in keeping VDV BULLY- FREE.  We are proud of our students!  We will we be observing School Violence Awareness Week October 17^th-21^st followed by Red Ribbon Week October 22^nd-30^th.  The staff and teachers of VDV have worked hard to create meaningful lessons and activities during these important weeks for our students benefit.  Our thanks to “The Ville” for all that you do for our students and school!