7th Annual SMS Music Recital

4/24/2025 10:42 am

🎵Calling All 3rd-5th Grade Musicians!🎵 

The 7th Annual SMS Music Recital will take place on Wednesday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m.  Any 3rd-5th Grade student who takes private or group music and/or performance theatre lessons (not including school band or orchestra) is eligible to perform.  Both solos and group performances are permitted, as are pieces of any style or genre (max 2 minutes). 

See HERE for performance parameters and sign-up here by this Friday, May 2!

Team Unscreen

4/14/2025 4:24 pm

Team Unscreen - Pollinate Your Pledge Challenge

Have you heard of Team Unscreen? We’re a local movement helping families delay smartphones and social media for kids—pro-connection, not anti-tech.

Over 500 SOMA families have signed the Wait Until 8th pledge—and we’re aiming for 1,000 this spring!

To help get there, we’re launching the Pollinate Your Pledge challenge. Signing shows the shift is real—and connects you with other like-minded families in your grade. Join us!

Join us for our next Parlor Meeting on May 14 at 10:30 a.m.
Have questions? Click here to learn more. Ready to take the pledge? Visit waituntil8th.org to sign!

Casino Night Online Auction

4/14/2025 4:20 pm

🎲 ♠️ Casino Night Online Auction Goes Live April 22 ♦️ ♣️

The auction is live and will close on April 25 at 11:00 p.m.  

Visit GALABID to browse and bid!

We are delighted to invite you to participate in our Casino Night online auction! We have a fabulous array of items to offer that you won't want to miss. All proceeds will go to the PTA to fund the essential support we provide to our school. Please extend the invitation to your friends, family, and anyone else who might be interested, too!



Featured Auction Items:

Gift certificates and items from local businesses

Consultant services

Classes and camps for adults and children

Event tickets

Mayor for the day

Sports memorabilia

Designer apparel



Questions? Contact Allison Tragash (atragash@gmail.com) and Kim Gaiti (kimberlygaiti@gmail.com)

SEPAC SOMA - Transitions: 6th and 9th Grade, April 29

4/7/2025 11:27 am

SEPAC SOMA - Transitions: 6th and 9th Grade

Tuesday, April 29 @ 7:00 p.m. | Columbia High School

 Questions? Email info@sepacsoma.org.

Green Team Update - Volunteers Needed

4/7/2025 11:17 am

Green Team Update

Spring is a wonderful time to connect with nature, and the Green Team has some exciting opportunities for you to get involved in supporting environmental initiatives at our school and in our community:

• Garden Build: Lend a hand on Saturday, April 26th (rain date: Sunday, April 27) to help Ms. Ducharme and Mr. Jones's class build a wooden garden bed and prepare existing ones for planting. Children are welcome to participate, however this is not a drop-off event. Sign up here!
• River Day Cleanup (May 4: Join the Village of South Orange, the Environmental Committee, and Green Team for the annual River Day event on Saturday, May 4. This is a fantastic opportunity to educate our community about river stewardship by helping to remove trash and debris from our section of the Rahway River. Children are encouraged to participate with a parent! Sign up to join the SMS Team here.
• Lunchtime Composting Support at the Annex: We still need parent volunteers to assist with our lunchtime composting program at the Annex.  Your support is crucial to the success of this initiative.  Sign up here for slots through May. 

SEPAC CUP CHAT - Executive Functioning Skills, April 22

4/7/2025 11:16 am

CUP CHAT - Executive Functioning Skills 

Tuesday, April 22 @ 7:00 p.m. | 525 Academy St.

Staying organized, keeping track of assignments, planning ahead ... SEPAC SOMA consistently hears from parents that Executive Functioning is an enormous challenge for kids with disabilities. Share your experiences, vent your frustrations, and ask questions at this informal discussion. Executive Functioning Coach (and local mom) Stephanie Cannon will be there to lead the conversation and answer questions. Learn more about the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC SOMA). Questions? Email info@sepacsoma.org. 

Achieve's 10th Annual Maker Madness

4/7/2025 11:13 am

Achieve's 10th Annual Maker Madness

Saturday, April 26: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Columbia High School

What do robots, a bubble machine, a woodshop, a tech tear-down station, and tons of LEGO have in common? They’ll all be at Achieve's 10th Annual Maker Madness!

Join us for 25+ maker stations at this free STEAM event hosted by the Achieve Foundation of South Orange & Maplewood. Enjoy a day of hands-on learning, creativity, and career-readiness fun for families.

We appreciate our volunteers! Sign up here for a rewarding experience or contact Katy Walmsley at katywalmsley04@gmail.com. 

💫 SOMA Swish All-Elementary Basketball Tournament – SMS TAKES THE WIN!

3/17/2025 9:05 pm

🏀SOMA Swish: SMS Triumphs Over Tuscan! 🎉

SMS takes the win over Tuscan in a thrilling 53-49 showdown! Huge congrats to everyone who hit the court for the first-ever SOMA Swish on Sunday, April 6! What an epic kickoff to this new tradition! Shoutout to all the players, coaches, and fans who brought the energy. Many thanks to all the staff, volunteers, parents, our Superstar mascot, and alumni for showing up to support all six elementary schools. All 3 games were sold out! Special thanks to Sabatino’s for providing tasty treats for the event and to CHS cheerleaders for delivering the extra cheers for both teams.
And of course, an extra loud THANK YOU to our lead sponsor, Sonny’s, for helping make this year’s SOMA Swish an unforgettable event.

Way to go, SMS SUPERSTARS – champions on and off the court!!

The Box Tops Program - Generate $$ for Our School While You Shop!

1/3/2025 9:39 am