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Franklin Lakes Public Schools
School News and Views April 2014
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Dear Community Members,
Spring sprang and sprung! Then winter returned and now it is done...hopefully! There's never a dull moment in our northeastern weather forecast and the same holds true in our buildings. During this busy and exciting time of year, schools are in full bloom. This issue of School News and Views reports on the accomplishments of ACES, preparation for PARCC, Synergies with the Town, Science and Spring Fling, Robotics and Rock, Instagram and Insects, and so much more.
Thank you to all those who contribute the aforementioned and so much more. I am proud to serve such a purposeful and caring community.
I hope you enjoy this April edition of School News and Views.
Sincerely,
Frank Romano, III, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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District News
SNaV Curriculum: ACES Accolades
Congratulations to Mrs. Sharon Milano's 8th grade ACE students on their recent accomplishments. In March, the Future Problem Solving Team of Allie Dalton, Dani Golden, Izzi Boomhower, Jaclyn Kemly, Kylie Halbach and Hollie Hopkins were invited to represent FAMS by attending the NJ Future Problem Solver's State Bowl at Kean University.
On April 1st, all students in the 8th grade ACE program traveled to Trenton to participate in EIRC's Mini Model Congress where they engaged in an all day simulation of the legislative process as they assumed the roles of legislators. Gretchen Kincade, Eric Wilcheck and Chris Santos received awards for Excellence in Debate, while bill co-sponsors Jaclyn Kemly and Allie Dalton, and Jamie Cox and Sasha Nihamin received awards for passing their bills out of general committee.
Congratulations to all on a job well done!
SNaV Technology: PARCC - A Family Affair
Next year, the existing Grade 3-8 NJASK tests will be replaced by the online PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessment. The Technology department has been hard at work preparing for the on-line component and its complexities. Two Language Arts classes at FAMS participated in an un-scored PARCC Field Test, which allowed PARCC to "test the test"; over a million students from fourteen states and the District of Columbia participated. We are pleased to announce that the Field Test also confirmed our District's technological readiness for next year's operational tests.
PARCC has developed practice tests so that all students (and their parents) can experience PARCC test items as they will appear on the tests starting in spring, 2015. We encourage you
 to try out the practice test yourselves so you can experience the types of questions that your child will encounter. PARCC suggests working through the Tutorial first to familiarize yourself with the computer based tools. Click here to access the practice tests and tutorials.
SNaV Business & Operations: Operational Synergies
Working in conjunction with the Borough of Franklin Lakes and the Franklin Lakes Public Library, the District will be exploring opportunities to improve efficiencies and save costs by finding
 operational synergies through shared services. Our Business Administrator, Mr. Michael Solokas, will join a task force made up of a representative from each organization. The task force will identify areas to explore, make recommendations for operational synergies, and work with the organizations to implement the cost savings.
SNaV Special Services: Spring Fling
Dr. Marcy Pryor's Beads 'n Me class just held a Spring Fling Sale in the FAMS MPR complete with a "deal wheel". Each customer was able to spin the wheel to receive either a discount or free gift with purchase. Students needed to figure out the discount and sale price.
Beads 'n Me is an original, real-world learning experience where students run a self-sustaining "business". Students create and sell custom-made lanyards, bookmarks, charm bracelets, necklaces, and eyeglass chains. Current proceeds will benefit Franklin Lakes' own Autism Unites Us. For more information, contact beads@franklinlakes.k12.nj.us or 201-891-0202 x511.
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FAMS News
SNaV FAMS: Technology Education 7th Grade Robotics
"Create a robot and then command it to walk, talk, or do most anything that you can imagine." This was the final assignment given to the most recent 7th grade Technology Ed. students. They were the first students to have the opportunity to be involved with the new Lego Mindstorms EV3 curriculum, made possible through a grant from the Franklin Lakes Education Foundation. The Mindstorms curriculum is not new to FAMS but EV3 is the third and most advanced release in Lego Education's 15-year history in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) robotics.
The student built and created robots included units that could sort and distribute parts by color, use various forms of locomotion, and avoid obstacles. There were also stair-climbing robots, crane bots and robots that could multi-task and be directed to travel based on the color placed before them.
This hands-on, minds-on approach enables students to take ownership of the learning process. These collaborative, problem-solving 21st century skills, so essential to becoming creators rather than just consumers, go to the heart of the Technology Education curriculum.
SNaV FAMS: Jammin' At FAMS
The FAMS Rock program held its annual concert on April 2. Once again, the bands did not disappoint. Students in sixth,  seventh, and eighth grade worked together as three bands played a variety of modern and classic rock songs. Each group brought a smile to the faces in the crowd and showed off their rather impressive musical abilities.
SNaV FAMS: Olweus Teaches Respect
Olweus is a wonderful program at FAMS that teaches students to respect one another. It features the four main standards that kids should go by. The four rules are: we will not bully others, we will try to help students who are bullied, we will try to include students who are left out, and lastly, if we know someone that is being bullied, we will tell an adult at home or at school. These rules teach students to be more aware of what is going on in our school.
The Olweus program has taught students not only about bullying, but how to treat others with respect. Olweus encourages students to try their hardest and always put their best foot forward. This program has made students more respectful, polite, and caring towards others. Olweus has played a major part in our school; inspiring all of the students at FAMS.
Vice-Principal's Note: Written by the following committed Olweus students in Mrs. Weiner's and Ms. Caesar's homeroom: William, Michael, Grant, Blake, Olivia, Remi, Katherine, Christian, Jacob, Bradley, Nathaniel, Brandon, Fernon, Anthony, Gianna, Rafael, Tyler, Parcea, & Andrew
SNaV FAMS: Mr. V. Goes to Morocco
21st century students face global issues in an unprecedented way. Our students need the global competencies to analyze and solve such concerns as world environmental problems, poverty, inaccessibility of education, mass migration, processing and evaluating the cross-cultural information available via the Internet, and competing successfully in a global marketplace.
Through a fellowship from the U.S. State Department, Media Specialist Mr. Tom Vranesich had the amazing opportunity to build global competence in FAMS students. He participated in a 4-credit graduate course in Global Education last Fall, attended a 3-day conference in Washington D.C. during Winter Break, and has just returned from a 2-week international field study in Morocco.
To read more about Mr. V.'s amazing trip, click here.
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CRS News
SNaV CRS: Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Our fifth grade students hosted a very special Colonial Day on Friday, March 28th. Under the direction of Mrs. Mayna Rightmire, students transported us back into the Colonial Days. Students donned traditional colonial garb and presented their projects based on the works of those who lived during this important historical time. In addition to providing such historical insight, our Colonial Day experts also performed traditional dances from this time period.
We are so proud of all of our students for bringing the Colonial time period to life right before our very eyes. We would like to thank Mrs. Rightmire for helping to coordinate such as amazing learning experience.
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HMR News
SNaV HMR: Solar System Science Fair
 The fifth grade class at HMR recently had a Science Fair to share their knowledge and research about the Solar System. To start the project, all of the 5th graders gathered together to receive a packet of information to begin planning. They were supplied with graphic organizers, a calendar to manage their time, and a rubric to guide their work. Fifth graders were able to record their top three choices of topics to research. Students were responsible to research in school and at home. Resources used were books, websites, media clips, and other references. Students created a visual to represent their projects and wrote a five paragraph essay. Student visuals  were very creative and included posters, diagrams, live experiments, PowerPoints, models out of Legos and clay, and even a skirt with the phases of the moon. Then they were assigned partners and practiced giving their presentations to each other. The partners provided constructive feedback about how to improve the presentations and then each student practiced in front of the class. The day before the Solar System Fair, fifth graders went to the cafeteria and began to set up their projects. Parents, teachers, and HMR students visited the Solar System Fair. The fifth graders eagerly shared their presentations and answered questions about their topics using note cards, their visuals, and knowledge learned throughout the project. Principal's Note: This article was written by 5th grade students. SNaV HMR: United States - Region in a box!
The HMR fourth graders recently presented projects to their families based on a study of the regions of the United States of America. These regions include the Southwest, Midwest, West, Southeast, and Northeast. First, they read books and gathered information. Next, they chose specific topics to write about in each region, like the economy or places to visit. Then, they took the information, organized it, and wrote a research paper. After, they wrote research papers and made a 3D box for each region.
The students showed great creativity! The boxes included something about each researched area of the region. Fourth graders learned a lot about the regions of America!
Principal's Note: This article was written by 4th grade students.
  SNaV HMR: Follow HMR on Instagram! Are you on Instagram? The kindergarten teachers have tapped into this incredible technology as a tool to give parents a sneak peek into their child's school day. The idea caught on and now we also have a school account. Follow us at: The photos can become an excellent conversation starter about your child's school day. Instead of the typical "How was school today?" which usually gets the "Fine" response, you can ask specific questions about what your child did during the day and have great conversations to foster the home-school connection! |
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WAS News
SNaV WAS: Learning About Our Insect Friends
Did you know that 75% of all the animals on Earth are insects?
A Super Scientist from High Touch High Tech came to the 2nd
 grade classes to teach us all about insects. Generously funded by the PTA, the Getting Buggy Assembly was informational and really fun! SNaV WAS: Angles and Lines Made Easy!
Fourth grade students learned about lines the easy way thanks to teacher Mrs. Lorraine Preziosi. Students danced and performed to a version of the "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!" tune. They used arm motions to represent Horizontal, Vertical, Parallel, Perpendicular and Oblique lines. Kinesthetic learning keeps the students active, using more than visual and auditory cues to impact the student.
The fourth graders have been studying angles and lines and will be moving on to squares and rectangles. Who knows what awaits them in their next chapter?
SNaV WAS: 1, 2, 3 Blast off!!
Second Grade did a wonderful job putting on a Solar System presentation, which included songs as well as facts about the planets. Families attended the presentation and enjoyed seeing their children share their knowledge about the sun, stars, moon, and planets.
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