Fourth-graders from Jersey City traveled to Old Bridge on June 6 to meet with their pen pals at Carpenter Elementary School.
This marked the second time the children from the urban community met with youngsters from this suburban community. The Old Bridge students had traveled to Jersey City on June 2 to meet their pen pals at P.S. No. 33 Dr. Paul Rafalides School for the first time. The two classes have been exchanging letters since October as part of a language arts literacy and cultural awareness program. The project began in the fall when children in Karen Foley’s class at Carpenter began writing to children in Heather Tafur’s class.
“After all the communication during the school year, the children realized there were more similarities between them than differences,” said Foley. “The trip to Jersey City was the highlight of their school year.”
The visit to Old Bridge included a tour of the school by Principal Jack Phillips, a bus tour of the community and a stop at the Laurence Harbor waterfront. The children also enjoyed a picnic lunch at the school followed by an opportunity to play.
The Carpenter School trip to Jersey City included a chance for the children to talk with each other and to meet with P.S. No. 33 Principal Frank Piccillo, who is a member of the Old Bridge Board of Education.
The students took a quick tour of the school and short bus tour of the neighborhoods surrounding the school, which included sites such as nearby colleges, Liberty State Park, business areas, Jersey City’s waterfront and views of the Statue of Liberty.
Upon their return, the pen pals enjoyed a picnic-style pizza lunch in the courtyard, followed by playtime, which included games of basketball, jump rope and hula-hoop.
“It was heartwarming to witness their genuine friendly conversations as if they were best friends for a decade,” Piccillo said.