As we reach the midpoint of August in Hudson County, the back-to-school season is slowly approaching. Many teachers are starting to prep for the new 2023-2024 school year. This also means that new school supplies will be needed to start the school year off on the right foot. From pencils and books to notebooks and more, school supply shopping can come at a great expense. To lend a helping hand to our local educators, we have compiled a list of North Jersey teachers and their wish lists for this upcoming school year. Read on to find out how to help these educators and their back-to-school wish lists for the 2023-2024 school year.
Noelle — Pre-Kindergarten
Entering her first year of teaching, Noelle will begin her career at McKinley Elementary School in Newark. She is looking for supplies like pencils, crayons, timers, and more.
Read More: A Guide to Hoboken’s Schools
Elementary School Teacher — 4th + 5th Grade
With a teaching career of 10 years, this Hoboken resident is a teacher who works at a Title I school in Brooklyn. Their classroom wish list includes notebooks, erasers, pencils, and motivational classroom art.
Ms. Navarro — 3rd Grade
After a teaching career in Newark, Ms. Navarro made her way back to her hometown in West New York — she will be teaching a bilingual 3rd-grade class at Public School #5 in West New York. Her wish list consists of folders, papers, posters, and more.
Lauren Strumpf — 4th Grade General + Special Education
For the past 11 years, Lauren has worked at Beginning with Children Charter School 2 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She has worked with English as a New Language, Kindergarten, and 1st-grade classes and she will now teach 4th grade this year. Her wish list includes pens, books, fidget toys, and more.
Colleen — 4th Grade
Colleen will be teaching 4th grade at Elysian Charter School this 2023-2024 school year. Her wish list features books, classroom decor, stickers, pens, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — 4th Grade
Going into the 5th year of their teaching career, this teacher will be teaching 4th grade at Berkeley Elementary in Bloomfield. Their wish list consists of books, organizational items, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — Multi-Subject
This first-year teacher at Clarendon Elementary School is looking for supplies such as markers, sensory toys, books, erasers, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — 2nd Grade
This Hoboken resident has been teaching for 12 years. On their teaching wish list, supplies such as rulers, classroom games, decor, and more can be found.
Elementary School Teacher — 4th Grade
This teacher works at Little Ferry Elementary School. On their wish list, there are supplies like notepads, stickers, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — 4th Grade Bilingual Class
Working at Robert Waters School in Union City, this teacher is a 4th-grade teacher who teaches a bilingual class. On their wish list, supplies like crayons, highlighters, and more can be found.
Katie — 5th-8th Grade Special Education
Katie works at KIPP Bold Academy in Newark, where she teaches a 5th through 8th-grade special education class. Her wish list includes books, sensory toys, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — 3rd Grade Special Education
This teacher teaches at Hellenic Classical Charter School in Brooklyn. Their wish list includes markers, books, and more.
Kerry — High School
Kerry is a librarian + media specialist at Bayonne High School. Her wish list includes a variety of books ranging in different genres and games.
Ms. Cross — 2nd Grade
Ms. Cross teaches at Florence Avenue Elementary in Irvington. Her wish list includes books, organizational items, and more.
Samantha Dock — 7th Grade
Samantha Dock is a 7th-grade math teacher at Warren Middle School in Warren. Her wish list includes crayons, toys, markers, and more.
Gianna Vitetta — 3rd Grade
Gianna is a 3rd-grade teacher at Robert L. Craig School in Moonachie. Her wish list includes books, dry-erase boards, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — Pre-K3
This teacher teaches at Calabro Primary School in Hoboken. Their wish list includes art supplies and more.
Sarami Soler — 3rd Grade
Sarami teaches 3rd grade. Her wish list includes educational posters and more.
Elementary School Teacher — 2nd-6th Grade ESL + Science
This teacher teaches 2nd to 6th grade ESL and science at Washington Elementary School. Their wish list includes calendars, seats, decor, and more.
Sam — 3rd Grade
Sam teaches 3rd grade at a Title I School in Bloomfield. Her wish list includes books, math posters, and more.
Miss Primmer — Kindergarten Special Education
Miss Primmer is a Kindergarten Special Education teacher at Beechwood. Her wish list includes books, sensory toys, and more.
Marylynn — 4th Grade
Marylynn has been a 4th-grade teacher for five years and looking forward to kicking off another school year. Her wish list consists of pens, classroom decor, and more.
Ms. Novais – K-2 Special Education
Ms. Novais is a Kindergarten to 2nd-grade special education teacher at Dr. Lena Edwards Academic Charter School in Jersey City. Her wish list has organizational items, interactive toys, and more.
Ms. Patella – 9th-12th Grade
Ms. Patella is an art therapy teacher at Bayonne High School who teaches 9th to 12th-grade students with disabilities. Her wish list has several sensory items such as building blocks to puzzles.
Alexa — 1st Grade
Alexa is a 1st-grade teacher at Pine Grove Manor in New Brunswick. She is requesting items such as books of different genres, pens, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — 4th Grade
This teacher teaches 4th grade ELA and Social Studies to students at South Street Elementary in Newark. For this new school year, this teacher is requesting classroom games, teaching resources, workbooks, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — Kindergarten Special Education
Living in Hoboken for eight years, this teacher is also going into their 8th year of teaching. This teacher teaches a Kindergarten special education classroom at John I. Dawes Early Learning Center in Manalapan. On their wish list, items like paper, folders, and more are requested for their classroom.
Alexa — Kindergarten to 2nd Grade Special Education
Alexa teaches special education students from Kindergarten to 2nd Grade at James Madison Primary School in Edison. Working to make her classroom a safe space, her classroom is in need of organizers, toys, learning resources, and more.
High School Teacher – 9th + 10th Grade
Entering their 2nd year of teaching, this teacher teaches geometry class to 9th + 10th graders at Science Park High School in Newark. This teacher is requesting items like varieties of paper, markers, learning tools, and more.
Middle School Teacher — 8th Grade
This middle school teacher teaches 8th graders at Union Hill Middle School in Union City. Looking forward to coming back to teaching after maternity leave, this teacher is in need of supplies to help prep for the school year, including a bulletin board decor, storage bins, and more.
Fiorella Vecco — 6th Grade
Fiorella teaches 6th graders in the subjects of math and science in Union City. Working at a Title I school, Fiorella wants to provide as many supplies as she can to her students. Items that Fiorella requests rulers, pencils, furniture, and more.
Middle + High School Teacher — 7th to 12th Grade
This teacher teaches Spanish classes to 7th + 12th-grade students at Ridgefield Park Junior + Senior High School in Ridgefield Park. On their wish list, items like classroom posters, markers, education games, and more are requested.
Miss Reszkowski – 2nd-5th Grade
Miss Reszkowski teaches 2nd to 5th grade at Elms Elementary School in Jackson. Still a relatively new teacher, she is in need of several items to kick off her third year of teaching. Supplies such as stamps, timers, erasers, and more are needed.
Miss Brodka — 3rd Grade
Miss Brodka will be entering her 4th year of teaching, and this school year she will be teaching 3rd grade at Robert Waters. She is looking for supplies such as pencils, markers, notebooks, and more.
Ms. Ashe – 1st Grade Special Education
Ms. Ashe is a teacher at Woodrow Wilson School in Bayonne where she teaches a 1st grade autism classroom. To kick off the school year, Ms. Ashe is requesting building blocks, paintbrushes, highlighters, and more.
Michelle Diaz — Kindergarten to 2nd Grade ABA
Michelle is a teacher to Kindergarten to 2nd-grade autism students at Public School #4 in West New York. She hopes to create a special sensory + social section of her classroom. Fidget toys, chair bands, yoga balls, and more are needed to create this section of the classroom.
Callie Ciarrocca — 3rd Grade
Hoboken resident Callie Ciarrocca will be teaching 3rd-grade students at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Edison. Her wish list requests notebooks, toys, pens, books, and more.
Ms. Arias — Kindergarten
Ms. Arias just recently changed school districts and will be teaching at Lowell School in Teaneck. She will be teaching a Kindergarten class. To put together her classroom, she is requesting storage bins, books, and bulletin board decor.
Melanie Mickel — 2nd Grade
Melanie will be teaching a 2nd-grade inclusion class at Maude Wilkins Elementary School in Maple Shade. Looking to set up for her students’ success, Melanie needs items such as sensory toys, crayons, paper, and more.
Ms. Rivellini — 6th Grade
Ms. Rivellini is looking forward to teaching language arts to 6th graders at Tenakill Middle School. With a general + special education background, she hopes to build a curriculum that is accessible to all learners. She is in need of tape, headphones, pencils, sharpeners, and more.
Elementary School Teacher – 2nd Grade
Moving from Florida recently, this now New Jersey-based teacher is in need of new classroom supplies for this school year. This teacher will be teaching 2nd grade at Washington Elementary. On their wish list, wallpaper, headphones, workbooks, and more are needed.
Emily — 4th Grade
Emily will be teaching 4th grade this year at Elysian Charter School in Hoboken. She is looking for support in getting supplies such as books, markers, cleaning products, and more for her classroom.
Alyssa Rosen — 1st Grade
West Orange resident, Alyssa Rosen is coming back for her 17th year of teaching 1st grade at Elysian Charter School in Hoboken. Alyssa is looking for items to help keep her classroom more organized. She is requesting a dry-erase board, notebooks, dry-erase markers, and more.
Elementary School Teacher — 4th Grade
This elementary school teacher will be teaching a 4th-grade inclusion class at John Marshall Elementary in the Edison School District. Their wish list consists of chair balls, crayons, and more.
Middle School Teacher — 6th Grade Special Education
This teacher is entering their seventh year of teaching. This school year, this teacher will be teaching a 6th-grade special education class in Weehawken for the second year in a row. Supplies like pencils, cardstock, and more are needed.
See More: 10 College Dorm Room Essentials You Can Shop at Essex County Boutiques
Elementary School Teacher — 1st Grade
Entering their fourth year of teaching, this Nutley Public Schools teacher is looking for as many supplies as the classroom can get. This teacher suffered classroom supply loss due to a flood. For this school year, items like bulletin board items, posters, scissors, and more are needed.
Kimberly Filippone — 5th Grade
Kimberly has been a special education teacher for 12 years, and currently teaches 5th grade in Harlem. Her wishlist includes a variety of classroom supplies and decor.
How to Properly Dispose of Your Christmas Tree
For the holiday revelers who have enjoyed the pine scent of a real Christmas tree at home this season, the unfortunate part you’ve dreaded is here — taking down the tree. From squeezing it through narrow brownstone doorways to elevators filled with needles to wrapping your tree in a fitted sheet like a dead body, sometimes it feels like the tree always wins. Luckily, we’re here to help with what to do — and not do — when it’s time to take down the Christmas tree. Read on to learn what to do to safely and responsibly dispose of your tree in Northern New Jersey.
Christmas Tree Do’s
Municipalities throughout New Jersey all have their tree collection schedules. In most cases, the trees are chipped and made into mulch which is often freely available to residents.
Hoboken — Trees should be placed at the curb on Tuesday or Thursday evenings after 7:30PM (after 9PM on Washington Street).
Jersey City — Place your tree curbside Wednesday evening between the hours of 5PM + 7PM. Trees are picked up every Thursday citywide through January 29th.
Weehawken — Curbside pick-up is easy but needs to be arranged with the Department of Public Works.
Montclair — The Parks and Shade Tree Division at the Department of Community Services will collect Christmas trees from curbside throughout January weekly.
Read More: Meet the Local Resident Behind Hoboken’s Decorative Tree Stump
Christmas Tree Don'ts
For curbside pickup, Christmas trees must be free of ornaments, tinsel, lights, stands, and anything else that isn’t a tree. Do not wrap the tree or put it in a garbage bag. Wreaths and garlands are not part of the municipal tree pickup. You’ll have to put those with your regular garbage.
It should go without saying that you cannot recycle your artificial Christmas tree, but we’ll still say it here just in case.
Never burn your Christmas tree in a fireplace or wood stove. Burning the tree may contribute to creosote buildup and could cause a chimney fire. It’s also worth noting that coniferous needles contain nitrogen and substances called terpenes which are highly toxic when burned, making the smoke unsafe.
Fire Hazard
Strictly speaking, a real Christmas tree is always a fire hazard. As the needles start to dry out, that fire risk increases. Four weeks, continuously replenishing the water, is the generally recommended time for safely keeping your tree up. That’s separate from the tradition that directs Christmas tree removal 12 nights after Christmas (yes, like the song), on the Christian day of the Epiphany, January 6th, that celebrates the three Wise Men who followed a star to make it a bit late for the baby Jesus welcoming party.
If you’ve invested in an artificial tree, all rules are off. Feel free to keep that baby up year-round as a coat rack, fully decorated for Christmas in July, or for whatever purpose you wish.
See More: A Guide to Christmas Tree Farms in New Jersey
Get Crafty
Everyone is a maker these days. The more techie our work lives get, the more we want to construct something with our hands. Your old Christmas tree offers up quite a few potential projects if you aren’t quite ready to kick it to the curb.
Wider parts of the tree’s trunk can be cut into tree rounds and used for all sorts of things. You can make coasters and trivets from the rounds and tic-tac-toe game sets from assorted pieces. Cut a groove in a piece of wood for a card stand to keep your wifi login on display for guests. Make fresh-scented sachets from the needles. Bird feeders are an easy project and act of kindness to the birds: cut a foot-long branch off your tree, cover it in peanut butter, roll it in birdseed, hang it from a tree outside, and start waiting for spring.
