Updates 10/16/2026

On Wednesday, October 14th, our first graders enjoyed a beautiful fall day at Fink’s Country Farm! Students had a wonderful time picking pumpkins, playing in the corn pit, bouncing on inflatables, and visiting with some farm animals!

The day was filled with smiles, laughter, and plenty of fall fun! 

A special thank you to our first grade teachers, staff, and parent chaperones for helping make this such a memorable experience for our students. What a fantastic day! 

Congratulations to Ms. Golding’s and Ms. Schirtzer’s classes for filling their SOAR boards! Through their commitment to demonstrating Safety, Ownership, Acceptance, and Respect, students earned a special class celebration!

To recognize their hard work, both classes enjoyed a fun-filled Special Beverage Day! Students had the opportunity to “order” different drinks and enjoy a special treat together.

What a wonderful way to celebrate their teamwork, positive choices, and dedication to showing SOAR each day! We are so proud of these students for all their efforts.

This week, we’re excited to spotlight Mr. Justin Amendola, one of our first-grade teachers at FJC!

For Mr. Amendola, teaching at FJC is especially meaningful because Rocky Point is home! Born and raised in Rocky Point, he has always dreamed of becoming a teacher and making a difference in the same community that helped shape him. Now, as a first-grade teacher at FJC, he has the opportunity to give back to a place that has given him so much.

Mr. Amendola was inspired to pursue a career in education by the incredible teachers who supported, encouraged, and believed in him throughout his own school years. He hopes to have that same lasting impact on his students. One of his favorite parts of teaching is watching students grow in confidence and seeing the pride they take in their accomplishments. He is passionate about creating a classroom where every child feels happy, comfortable, and confident being themselves and trying new things.

A Few Fun Facts About Mr. Amendola

When asked what he hopes his students know, Mr. Amendola shared that he will always believe in them, support them, and be someone they can count on. Most importantly, he wants them to know how proud he is of them and that they should be proud of themselves, too!

Mr. Amendola shared how grateful he is to be part of the FJC family and how much he looks forward to the memories, relationships, and experiences ahead. As he put it himself, “You know what they say...the place to be is FJC.”

We are so excited to have Mr. Amendola teaching in the very community where he grew up! His enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to making a difference in the lives of his students are wonderful additions to our school. We can't wait to see all the ways he helps our students learn, grow, and SOAR! 

Congratulations to Ms. Sumwalt’s and Ms. Ardolino’s class for filling their SOAR board! Through their commitment to demonstrating Safety, Ownership, Acceptance, and Respect, students earned a special celebration of their choosing!

The class decided to celebrate with a Stuffed Animal Pajama Party! Students enjoyed a cozy, fun-filled day with their favorite stuffed animals and classmates.

We are so proud of our students for their hard work, positive choices, and creativity in choosing such a fun way to celebrate their accomplishment. Keep up the great work and continue to SOAR!

Each day at FJC, our students have opportunities to show what it means to SOAR through Safety, Ownership, Acceptance, and Respect! When a student is recognized for demonstrating one of these SOAR attributes, they receive an Eagle Ticket, which is entered into our weekly SOAR raffle.

Congratulations to last week’s SOAR raffle winners!  We also want to celebrate every student who earned an Eagle Ticket this week. Each ticket represents a moment when one of our students made a positive choice, showed kindness, helped someone else, or demonstrated what it means to SOAR at FJC.

We are proud of all our Eagles—keep collecting those tickets and keep SOARing!