Dear Millburn Staff and Families,
DISTRICT UPDATE - January 10, 2025
I am excited to inform you that we have hired Dr. Jill Sack as the Interim Principal of Millburn Middle School through the end of this school year.
Dr. Sack brings over thirty years of experience in education, having worked as both a classroom teacher and an administrator at the elementary and secondary school levels. She retired from Montclair Public Schools, where she was the principal of Buzz Aldrin Middle School, a STEM magnet school. Since retiring in 2021, Dr. Sack has held interim positions in Westfield and Princeton. She is an outstanding individual and educator with the leadership skills to guide Millburn Middle School through this transitional period.
Dr. Sack has been in the district this week, meeting MMS staff, students, and parents and working with Mr. Connolly and the MMS leadership team. Mr. Connolly will continue to support her over the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition. I know we all give her a warm Millburn welcome!
BOARD OF EDUCATION NEWS
At Monday’s Board of Education meeting, our Field Representative, Ms. Jean Cleary, from the New Jersey School Boards Association, presented the annual Board Member Code of Ethics Training. View it here or by clicking the photo.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for January 27. You can find all past Board meetings here.
Good News!!
🌟 Congratulations to two Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars!
Seniors Neel Ahuja and Benjamin Li, both members of the MHS Senior Research Program, were named as Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Top 300 Scholars this week! This is our country's oldest and most prestigious science competition. Thirteen alumni of the STS have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, and two have won the Fields Medal. Entrants conduct original research and submit a research paper documenting their findings.
Neel's research project is"Reducing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Water Contamination With Mycorrhizal Hydroponics Plants."
Benjamin's research project is "Multimodal, Depth-Aware Brain Tumor Segmentation in Sub-Saharan Populations.”
Each top 300 scholar receives a $2,000 award from Regeneron, with an additional $2,000 going to their school to support STEM-related activities. The competition awards $3.1 million to provide the opportunities and resources students need to become the next generation of inventors, entrepreneurs, and STEM leaders. The 40 finalists each receive $25,000 and the chance to compete for the $250,000 first-place prize in a week-long competition in March. Finalists will be announced on January 23, 2025.
Read more about the MHS Science Research Program in the 2024 Symposium Program.
🌟 International Environmental Science Olympiad Winner!
Congratulations to MMS 8th grader Vikrant Kawadkar, who participated in the inaugural International Environmental Science Olympiad held in Puerto Rico over the winter break, December 27th to 31st, 2024. The Olympiad had several events, including buzzer-based bees, written exams, fieldwork, and task force programs.
Vikrant was the second-place winner in the Overall Individual Championship for the middle school division. He also earned five medals across various events - 3 Silver medals in Zoology Bee, Beach Ecology Fieldwork, and Rainforest Alliance Youth Ambassador Task Force, and 2 Bronze medals in the Environmental Science Battery Exam and Carbon Emissions Task Force. An amazing achievement!
🌟 Congratulations to MHS Region Band, Chorus & Orchestra Members
34 high school music students who were accepted into their respective All North Jersey Association ensembles for Band, Chorus, and Orchestra.
They will represent MHS at the Region concerts over the next two months.
Chorus: Jenna Foudeh, Abhita Gajbinkar, Sahana Iyer, Richa Kurup, Yana Mehta, Naman Mehta, Suhana Sehgal, Emma Wang, Alexander Wang, Violetta Wiggert
Orchestra: Dhruv Gupta, Harry Heath, Jose Landouro, Ethan Li, Kaitlyn Mai, Shota Ozaki, Matthew Xia, Christine Zhou
Band: Holden Bergam, Henry Cai, Richard Chen, Richard Cheng, Raoul Dosanj-Mikkelsen, William Jiang, Dongeun (Dylan) Kim, Justin Lambert, Sofia Liswan, Leah Lu, Mahan Malhotra, Hayden Moon, Benjamin Qin, Eshaan Patwardhan, Chunlei (Teresa) Wang, Luke Zang
Muslim American Heritage Month
We are pleased to announce that Millburn Schools will join the state of New Jersey to celebrate the Second Annual Muslim American Heritage Month throughout January 2025. This month provides an excellent opportunity to recognize and honor the vibrant heritage, culture, and significant contributions of the Muslim community in our state.
The NJ Department of Education has begun an initiative called “More than Just A Month” to empower educators to create a more inclusive and accurate representation of history, moving beyond designated heritage months to weave diverse narratives and perspectives throughout the K-12 social studies curriculum.
Teachers will participate in these professional development sessions to explore the underrepresented histories that have shaped America and incorporate these diverse perspectives into the K-12 curricula, fostering a more inclusive and representative understanding of American history.
The monthly workshops will include:
January- Muslim American History
February - NJ’s Black Heritage Trail
March - Women’s History
April - Religious Diversity
May - AAPI History
June - LGBT Histories in America
Thank you for joining us in celebrating and fostering an inclusive environment for all members of our community. Learn more about Muslim American Heritage and find resources here.
Did you know January is National Soup Month? Sounds like a good weekend to make a pot of your favorite soup!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best Regards,
Dr. Kate Diskin
Superintendent