Photo by Linden Public Schools
Family Math Night sponsored by Phillips 66
Linden Public Schools
Linden Public Schools elementary School No. 4 organized a Family Math Night for students and family members on April 18, 2024. The event was sponsored by Phillips 66, and the company has generously donated three years of funding for the ST Math program to the Linden School District.
“I was excited to bring ST Math into Linden Public Schools this year. It’s a brand new supplemental program that we’re using and having a night like tonight, seeing students come with their families, and are excited about math outside of the normal everyday classroom makes me happy. It allows our department to grow, our students to flourish, and ultimately have a more positive impact on student achievement, especially in math,” stated Rick Molinaro, Director of Mathematics at Linden Public Schools.
ST Math is a PreK-8 visual instructional program that allows students an opportunity to learn math through manipulating objects in space and time (spatial temporal learning). ST Math is unique because instead of asking “How do we teach math?” the program asks, “How do we learn math?” With visual learning, students are better equipped to tackle unfamiliar math problems, recognize patterns, and build conceptual understanding, and without language barriers, the problem is accessible to all students.
Dr. Suzanne Olivera, Principal at School No. 4 said, “We’re building those family connections so that parents also know what their students are working on at home. We’re making learning fun and we’re encouraging family engagement, which is hugely important to us.”
During the event, students and families enjoyed refreshments and were able to play several of the ST Math games. At the end of the night, the families were able to take the games home. Guiding the families through the games was Kyla Merritt, the ST Math program manager for Phillips 66. Ms. Merrit noted that ST Math was “proud to partner with Phillips 66 to create a community event bringing staff, students, and their families together.” Volunteers at the event included school teachers, leaders and Phillips 66 employee, Mansi Sanghvi, Area Supervisor at Phillips 66 – Bayway Refinery.
Phillips 66 has long been a local partner to the Linden School District. Nancy Sadlon, Phillips 66 – Bayway Refinery Sr. Advisor, Field Communications noted, “The company is so very pleased the ST Math program is being utilized in our local community schools, including now both Linden and Elizabeth and that the students at these schools will see greater math learning benefits. The company invests in education equity because literacy and workforce preparedness are the foundation of individual achievement and our economic future. And to build a more diversified and equitable workforce in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, we seek to support academic training and education opportunities in our communities.”
