Blog Page

Celebrating a Special Anniversary at Link!

January 18, 2023 By Sharon Machrone

Congratulations to Ms. Marlene Wilson on the 30th anniversary of her employment at Link! Students and staff celebrated with her - with cake, flowers, and cards. Marlene started in the cafeteria at Link on January 3, 1973 when the school was located on Irvine Tuner Boulevard. Ever popular with students and remembered fondly by alumni, "Mama Wilson" has served breakfast and lunch to thousands of Linkers.

Marlene's connection to the school is strong. Four of her 8 children attended Link; two taught at the school for a while, with one serving as the boys' basketball team coach for a number of years. Her parents and two siblings also worked for a time along side her years ago. She has worked with 7 different principals over the years. And, she goes above and beyond by helping out at Link family and other after hours events. We thank you, Mama Wilson, for your commitment to Link and its mission!

Literacy lifts young learners

January 3, 2023 By Sharon Machrone

To practice their reading fluency skills, a group of Link’s 7th and 8th-grade scholars had an opportunity to bring their reading skills and strategies from the upper house at Link to young readers in the lower grades. 7th graders who recently completed their study of The Lightning Thief, shared interesting Greek mythologies with the younger students. 8th graders, studying The Omnivore's Dilemma, engaged students in conversations about where food comes from and how we can make healthy food choices. As new readers, Kindergarten and first-grade scholars benefit from discussing what makes a text fiction vs. nonfiction (informational). 7th and 8th-grade scholars enjoyed the practice and are already asking about when they can return to meet with their younger reading buddies!

Fun at Family Write Night!

January 3, 2023 By Sharon Machrone

Link’s first Family Write Night, for grades K, 1 and 5, was a great evening! Families were treated to a delicious dinner of baked ziti and salad and circulated through the room taking part in many literacy – reading and writing – related activities. Thanks to Mighty Writers, a Newark non-profit that promotes literacy, for providing each student with a book to take home for their home libraries and for partnering with Link to ensure a fun and educational evening for all.

Visit to Mighty Writers to strengthen literacy

December 12, 2022 By Sharon Machrone

Link's Kindergarten teams took walking field trips across Lincoln Park to the Mighty Writers, a non-profit that teaches young people “how to think clearly and write with clarity.” Our friends at Mighty Writers took some time teaching mindfulness and giving. Scholars read a book, drew on a chalk wall, and spent time expressing themselves.Each student received a book for their personal libraries! Thanks to Mighty Writers for a fun and educational day for our young scholars.

Community Service Day at Link

December 3, 2022 By Sharon Machrone

Students in grades 5 through 8 prepared 125 lunches that were delivered to Apostle’s House. They decorated the lunch bags and made cards to go in each bag. They also created placemats and wrote letters for veterans and seniors. We are proud of our scholars for giving back to their community!

Link and Pingry School join for community service projects

November 6, 2022 By Sharon Machrone

Twelve Link students accompanied twelve students from Pingry School in Martinsville, NJ to Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc., an urban garden a residential neighborhood in the city of Newark. These 24 scholars have been partnering together in our joint "Peer-To-Peer Pingry and Link Program," in which the students have been meeting via Zoom regularly since last spring - discussing current events as well as sharing stories and insight from their respective school experiences, while building friendships and networking skills. The trip to Newark Science and Sustainability was an enriching opportunity to work together, to give back to others, and to learn about urban farming and sustainability. Students worked together to clean the urban farm (plot of land in Newark dedicated to helping grow food to feed local families). Mr. Tobias Fox, founder and managing director, spoke with the students about his journey to becoming a community activist and about how he has spread his knowledge and skills around Newark and other communities around the globe. In addition to learning about the urban farming and gardening business and skills, the students also had time outdoors to play, laugh, and learn about each other, and reflect on their community service experience.

At the same time, a group of students from Pingry visited Link to work on a project for the school, as part of their annual Rufus Gunther Day of Community Service, a day when Pingry students give back to the greater NJ community. Along with several Linkers, they sorted loads and loads of books collected over time into three categories: to give to students, to donate to other organizations, and to toss.