The Blizzard of 2015 :)

Welcome to the Blizzard of 2015!  OK, I know that we didn't get the historic levels of snow that they were talking about on all the weather channels - but hey, who cares?  I was pretty happy to have a snow day, and even happier not to have to dig out of 3 feet of snow.  It's the best case scenario!  So, enjoy the snow, stay warm, and have a cup of cocoa.  Happy Blizzard!

Happy 2015!

Hi, Iselin!  Long time, no see!
I haven't been on here very often lately.  Time goes by and other things come up.  I'm thinking about trying to revive the Iselin Times for 2015..  Does anyone have an opinion about that, one way or another?
Comment below if you care to do so... and have a great year!
-- SUE

New JFK High School Athletic Field

 

Woodbridge Township School District Facilities Improvement Project

Announces Ground-Breaking & Start of Construction

of New JFK High School Athletic Field 

(John F. Kennedy Memorial High School) - 

      Mayor John E. McCormac, Dr. Robert Zega, Superintendent, Woodbridge Township School District and members of the Woodbridge Township School District Facilities Improvement Project announced the groundbreaking and start of construction of a new John F. Kennedy Memorial High School Football and Athletic Field at a JFK High School ground-breaking ceremony.

Mayor McCormac and Dr. Zega noted that the new JFK High School synthetic turf football and multi-purpose athletic field replaces the original grass turf field built subsequent to the construction of JFK High School in 1964.  The new JFK multi-purpose athletic field will accommodate Varsity and Junior Varsity football, boys and girls soccer, the JFK Cheerleader Team and Marching Band.  The synthetic turf field will sport the JFK Mustang logo in center field and the JFK Mustang at each end zone.   

The WHS stadium is part of the larger School District Facilities Improvement Project initiative by the Township to rehabilitate School District sport and athletic fields, spectator stadium bleachers and stands, playgrounds, auditorium theatres, and other public-use school facilities.  The investment in new and revitalized public school facilities is financed through tax incentives (Payments in Lieu of Taxes or PILOT’s) that corporations and businesses pay to the Township when they locate a new business or expand an existing business.  The Township bond to finance the projects – funded via corporate PILOT agreements - will remove the financial obligation from the School Board to fund facilities projects directly from the annual school budget, allowing more funds in the school budget for curriculum and direct classroom expenditures that will serve to further improve the education of each and every student in Woodbridge Township.  As importantly, the school facility renovation and upgrade initiative benefits the entire community and serves to dramatically improve property values.  By implementing the PILOT financing, school district tax funds are not being spent on sport or recreation infrastructure, but are reserved for educational amenities.  The JFK High School football and multi-purpose athletic field is budgeted for $980,000 via funding derived from the CPV PILOT project. 

JFK Tricky Tray COMING SOON!!!

Do you have your tickets yet?  The JFK TRICKY TRAY is on Saturday, April 12th!  Doors open at 4, calling starts at 6, and tickets are $10 - get them at JFK, call the number on the sign, or call Mary Alice Jacko at 732-925-4670.  But you better get them soon, because this is a great night out, and you don't want to miss it!

The JFK Tricky Tray is known for having some great prizes, and this year is no exception!  Some of the prizes are:
ipad
Laptop
Xbox
Lots of gift certificates, to places like - the Cheesecake Factory, Bertuccis, Rugs and Riffys, Applebees, Houlihans,  Maggianos... hair salons... Disney tickets (4 one-day park hoppers!), Jenkinsons, rollerskating, Keansburg... Yankee tickets, Trenton Thunder, Somerset Patriots, Raceway park... Bob's Furniture, Gem Limousine, D'Aprile's....

There's also a Coach bag, and fabulous packages like the tiki bar, camping, and patio furniture packages. There are 50/50's, the Birthday game, a mystery prize!, and a Golden Ticket which you enter to win a ticket for every prize drawing, so you'll be in it to have at least one chance in every drawing!

The tricky supports Project Graduation at JFK High School every year.  It's a great cause and a lot of fun, so get your tickets today!

"Shop for a Cure" Fundraiser April 4th

Elizabeth Grehl Breden grew up in Iselin.  Now, though, she lives in Robbinsville with her loving husband and two beautiful daughters. 
Elizabeth's daughter Kelly, is non-verbal and has been diagnosed with Rett Syndrome since the age of 3.  In honor of Kelly, Elizabeth is holding a fundraiser/vendor show called "Shop for a Cure." 

 "Shop for a Cure" will be held Friday, April 4, 2014, 7:00 PM, at the Foxmoor Clubhouse at 200 Hutchinson Road in Robbinsville, NJ. All proceeds will benefit Girl Power 2 Cure.org, and in particular, "Rett University," a Girl Power on-line school for education professionals where they can share their knowledge of new technologies and strategies to teach communication skills to non-verbal children.  

At the "Shop for a Cure" vendor show, various vendors with different unique products will come together to raise money.  Thirty-One, Party Lite, Avon, Tupperware, Longaberger Baskets, Sew Cute Doll Clothes, Essential Body Wear, Cookie Lee, Origami Owl, Tastefully Simple, and Mary Kay will all be represented.  There will also be music, refreshments, baked goods and some fabulous door prizes.  It will be a fun evening out for a great cause.

Tickets to the event can be purchased for $10 by contacting Elizabeth Breden at 732-754-5620 or bethbreden@yahoo.com.

What a winter!

Hi all... long time no see! Here is a picture of my lovely lawn in the current ice storm... So far we are two days over our allowed number of snow days for the school district.  The word I hear is that (unless they've changed their minds- which I doubt they do - ) we will have to give back the day for the President's Day weekend, and now one of the days on Spring Break.  Oh well, it's still better than driving in this weather.  Stay warm!

Sewaren Public Library 100th Anniversary, December 14th!

NEW ISELIN EAGLE SCOUT

Patrick Brennan of Iselin, on the left, and Bryce Gomes of Woodbridge were awarded the rank of Eagle at a ceremony today.

This afternoon, Troop 31 of Port Reading held an Eagle Court of Honor to honor two new Eagle Scouts. Patrick Brennan of Iselin and Bryce Gomes of Woodbridge both attained Scouting's highest rank.  The ceremony took place at the Iselin Firehouse on Auth Avenue, and it was well attended by many dignitaries, friends and family members who wanted to congratulate the two on their great achievement.  In his remarks, Woodbridge Mayor McCormac congratulated both boys on completing Eagle, and thanked them for choosing projects that helped the Woodbridge Township community. 

Patrick, of Iselin, is a graduate of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and is attending Rider College.  Bryce, of Woodbridge, is a graduate of Woodbridge High School and is attending Kean College. 

Cheryl, Patrick, and Ed Brennan of Iselin

Wear a Bike Helmet when riding your bike!

Woodbridge Township Police Department Targets Bicycle Safety

 

WPD To Issue “Safety” Summons For Wearing Bicycle Helmets

~ Summons Good For FREE Ice Cream Cone at Colonia Dairy Maid ~

 

Woodbridge - Mayor John E. McCormac and the Woodbridge Police Department (WPD) announce a summer bicycle safety campaign targeting bicyclists under age 17.  WPD officers on patrol will issue a “safety” summons to bicyclists wearing safety helmets – state law requires children under the age of 17 to wear a bicycle safety helmet while riding a bicycle, roller blades, skateboard or scooter.  The “safety” summons is good for a FREE ice cream cone at Colonia Dairy Maid (1075 St. Georges Ave., Colonia.)

Besides the benefit of possibly getting a free ice cream cone, the other benefit of wearing a helmet is possibly preventing a head trauma if your child has an accident on his or her bike... surely that is also a really good reason to make them wear a helmet...

 

 

DEER CROSSING?

I've lived here in this same house for 50 years. I've looked across at that same lawn, for the school, for my whole entire life. I have NEVER seen a deer on that lawn before. Shocked the heck out of me, to tell you the truth.

Stay Cool!

Nasty Water - but it's safe...

1:30 PM, 6/24/13:  I just ran a tub full of water and realized that the stuff coming out of my pipes here in Iselin is nasty brown.  I checked the Middlesex Water Company website ....nothing.  So, I called the Middlesex Water Company's "Hotline."

The phone rang a while before I got someone to answer, but when they answered they were extremely helpful.  The guy said that they are only doing routine maintenance, flushing the pipes, in the area.  The brown stuff is iron deposits.  If I understood it right, the iron deposits build up in the main and need to be flushed out once in a while, but they are not harmful.  Just very unattractive and unappetizing. 

The water company guy assured me that there is NO boil water advisory, and no need for one.  He said the stuff would dissipate soon.  (A lot of it just dissipated into my tub.)

So I guess I have a good excuse for not doing laundry today.

BEAUTY RECONSTRUCTED: Art Show going on now!

Woodbridge, New Jersey– The Barron Arts Center presents Beauty Reconstructed: The Art of Marcel Truppa.  The exhibit runs June 8-25, 2013.

Marcel Truppa is an experimental artist who works in collage, watercolors and oils at his Rahway, NJ studio; his hometown since the 1930’s.  Known mostly for his found object assemblage--pieces that recall the great masters of art history--Truppa received his formal training at the Pratt Institute in NYC and is also a graduate of The Newark School of Fine & Industrial Art in New Jersey. In addition to his private works, he enjoyed a long career of Graphic Design & Art Direction in NYC.

His collages present a unification of modern design and traditional art elements; mostly reconfigured masterworks with found objects embellishments.  Inspired by our “throw-away culture,” Truppa assembles a perfect blend of the old & new. Influenced by Cornell, Braque, Schwitters, Man Ray & the Renaissance School, Truppa retrieves, sorts and reconstructs “beauty” from manipulated pieces of tradition & modern culture.

Truppa’s Barron Arts Center Show will showcase the artist’s collages as well as his watercolors and oil works and his most recent bottle collages.

Beauty Recontructed: The Art of Marcel Truppa runs June 8-25, 2013.   RESERVATIONS NOT REQUIRED.

The Barron Arts Center is located at 582 Rahway Avenue in Woodbridge, NJ.

Gallery hours are Monday thru Friday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

The exhibition is sponsored by The Woodbridge Township Cultural Arts Commission chaired by Dr. Dolores Capraro Gioffre with support from Mayor John E. McCormac.

About the Barron Arts Center – Woodbridge Township’s Center for the Arts

The Barron Arts Center, listed on the national Register of Historic Places, recently celebrated its 130th Anniversary. With the support of the Woodbridge Township Cultural Arts Commission and under the direction of Cynthia Knight, the Barron Arts Center offers programming to the public free of charge.

Donations are appreciated and are essential to the continuation of free quality arts programs and exhibits. The Barron Arts Center always accepts donations for

The Mayor’s Food Bank & The Woodbridge Animal Shelter

** Please become a “fan” of the “Barron Arts Center” on our Facebook page to get all of the latest information on upcoming programs and events. Follow us on Twitter for art news from Woodbridge & around the world!**

For more information or directions, please call (732) 634-0413.

ISELIN RESIDENT COMPLETES EAGLE PROJECT

An Eagle Scout Service Project has just been completed at Matthew Jago School in Sewaren, by Iselin resident Jonathan Schmalenberger of Troop 44, Edison. Now that he has completed his Eagle Project, he hopes to be ready to attain the rank of Eagle early this fall.   Jon attends JFK High School. 

Jonathan choose P.A.C.E., (Program for the Advancement of Children's Education,) and Matthew Jago School for the project because of his affection for the autistic community.

Having family members with Autism and other disabilities and his desire to be a neurologist, it all just gels together to him wanting to make a difference to the special needs community.   He has volunteered for P.A.C.E. for the last 3 years, doing well over 60 hours each of the last 2 years.  Students from all over Woodbridge Township attend special programs at Matthew Jago School.

Jonathan planned the project and organized a group of volunteers, including members of his Troop 44, and members of Troop 143.  They took an empty courtyard and created a safe and attractive play space for the Autistic Preschool there.  He and his volunteers removed weeds and dirt and installed safe rubber mulch, a play house and a climbing toy, and a picnic table for the children to use.  They also painted the panels under the windows, using the colors of Autism.

This courtyard is being dedicated to the P.A.C.E. Program in honor of Charles Shaughnessy who was a member of the Colonia Knights of Columbus, and who did a lot for P.A.C.E.





There will be a ceremony at Matthew Jago School next Wednesday, June 12 at 7:00pm to dedicate the new play space, and it is expected that the Mayor and the Shaughnessy family will be attending, in addition to the Principal, Mr. Patten, and other School District representatives, and members of Troop 44.

Some of the volunteers -- from right, Mary Karafa, Co-President of P.A.C.E; Zack, Preston, Russell, Jake, Jon, Scott Kampe - Eagle Advisor, T44; Michael, Jim Crowell, Scoutmaster, T143; Anthony Calantoni, ASM, T143; Howard Kendrick, ASM, T44; Mel Jellison, Scoutmaster, T44; Krista, Kayla, Peter Romanienko, ASM, T44; Stewart Schmalenberger, ASM, T44; and, in the playhouse, T44's Committee Chair, Manny Coelho.

PHOTO CREDIT for this article - KIM SCHMALENBERGER

Any Cicadas Yet?

Have you seen any Cicadas yet?
This is supposed to be the big year for them - the 17 year cicadas are supposed to emerge pretty soon, and I'm not looking forward to it!

I'm keeping an eye on the map on the Cicada Tracker, which you can find by clicking this link!

Smithereens!!!

The Smithereens did a great show tonight at Woodbridge Middle School... they've still got a great sound, no doubt about it!  They did a few Beatles songs mixed in with some of their old songs and some newer songs.  The only glitch in the evening was a brief power problem that interrupted the performance and it didn't seem to get resolved the first time because it happened again.  Other than that, it was a great show! 

THURSDAY NIGHT OUT - SMITHEREENS!

The Smithereens are playing tonight at Woodbridge Middle School!

Remember the Smithereens?  I love them!



Tickets will be available at the door,  at 525 Barron Avenue in Woodbridge (the middle school, not the high school!) for $35.00.

Two Kennedy Park Teachers Finalists in Woodbridge Center Contest!

You can vote for "Top Notch Teacher" in a contest being run by Woodbridge Center.  Of the 8 teachers who made the list for finalist, two are teachers at Kennedy Park School #24!  There is also a teacher from Colonia Middle, Woodbridge High, and then a few out of our district.

Here are the write ups for the two Iselin candidates:
 

Nina Jacobs (Kennedy Park Elementary School #24) "Ms. Jacob teaches not just elementary education, but also community involvement. She coordinates fundraisers, food drives, and clothing drives for those in need. She goes above and beyond in every capacity - as a teacher, as the unofficial IT person at Kennedy Park, and as a caring member of the local and global community. Her motto is Gandhi''s phrase - ''Be the change that you wish to see in the world'' - and she doesn''t just say it, she lives it."

Marilyn Stephan (Kennedy Park School #24C) "Marilyn Stephan is a teacher who goes above board to work with all of her students.  She has students with various learning levels and she is able to work with each and every one of them and make each child feel important and understand the work.  She goes out of her way to work with parents and mentor other faculty in the school.  She is the epitome of a first class teacher!"

Vote today by going to the Facebook Page, HERE!

An Evening of Ecology Themed Writing April 25th

“Earth Art” A Lecture by Dr. Anne Swartz

 

Wednesday Evening
 ~ April 24, 2013 ~ 
7:30 p.m. at the Barron Arts Center

______________________________________________________________________

The Barron Arts Center, 
Hosts “Earth Art”  
Presented by Dr. Anne Swartz. 

Part of the Dr. Stephen Kaplan “A Taste of the Arts” Lecture Series.  

Wednesday Evening ~ April 24, 2013 ~ 7:30 p.m.

Admission is FREE with suggested donation of $5.00 

Reservations Required. Call 732-634-0413

The Barron Arts Center is located at 582 Rahway Avenue Woodbridge, NJ 07095

Dr. Anne Swartz will present her lecture “Earth Art” at Woodbridge’s Barron Arts Center. The Earth Art movement began in the 1960s when artists wanted to get away from making art in the traditional gallery setting and get out into nature. This presentation will examine the beginnings of these large-scale works. Specific projects considered include Alan Sonfist’s Time Landscape in Greenwich Village, Walter DeMaria’s Earth Room in Soho, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s recent The Gates in Central Park.

This program is funded by the Horizons Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.