|
Quick Links
Board Policy
Borough Website
Updated District Calendar |
Upcoming Events
| |
May 27 (at HMR)
FLEF Spring House Tour
May 28
District Elem. Concert
May 29 (at IHHS)
Board of Education mtg.
Flag Day
June 14
Father's Day
June 15
|
|
|
Franklin Lakes Public Schools
School News and Views May 2014
|
|
Dear Community Members,
May is a time when we traditionally celebrate the dedicated professionals in our schools, beginning with Teacher Appreciation Week and then moving into our announcement of Bergen County Teacher Recognition Award winners. Please join me in congratulating this year's award winners - Ms. Janet Henry, CRS; Mrs. Michele DePalma, HMR; Mrs. Lorraine Preziosi, WAS; and Mrs. Katie DeRosa, FAMS. I am always so proud to lead not only individuals like the aforesaid but all of the members of our dedicated, innovative, and intelligent team of experts. I am so thankful for all those who support them regularly (e.g., administrators, secretaries, PTAs, FLEF, etc.).
Franklin Lakes Public Schools are places where anything good for children can happen and, quite often, everything does!
As you enjoy this May edition of School News and Views, remember all the brilliant folks mentioned above who work so hard to make the magic happen for our students!
To read more about the Bergen County Teacher Recognition Award, click here.
Sincerely,
 Frank Romano, III, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools |
|
|
How We Connect
 Web E-Mail |
|
District News
SNaV Curriculum: Flip This House!
Students in Dr. Creasy's fourth and fifth grade class have taken on the role of real estate investors, working in collaborative teams to purchase homes and transform them into profitable properties, ultimately "flipping" these homes. Students developed tenacity in solving real-world problems, identified sources of information, researched, and applied newly gained  knowledge to their work. ACES students have been busy making offers on the properties that they researched for their house flip. Students learned about down payments, property taxes, closing costs, and securing a mortgage. After students decided on the amount of money they would need to mortgage, they applied to the ACES Mortgage Company to get pre-qualified for a loan. With their pre-qualification letters in hand, they were able to make offers on properties within the ACES real estate market! After their offers were accepted by the sellers, students worked to complete the official loan application to secure the mortgage. Groups then settled on their houses and are now planning the renovations within a budget.
To celebrate the culmination of their work, the students in the FLSD ACES program would like to invite parents, relatives, and friends to the ACES Open House on May 19th at Woodside Avenue School at 6:00 in the evening. During this Open House, ACES students will showcase the houses they have renovated and remodeled during the House Flip Unit. We hope to see you there!
SNaV Technology: Laptops are Coming!
Implementation of the FAMS 1:1 Laptop Initiative, where every FAMS student will receive a laptop, is in full swing. The program will be introduced to the parents/guardians of incoming 7th and 8th graders (and any incoming 6th grade parent/guardian unable to attend the May 12th session) in a mandatory orientation offered on four dates: May 29th at 6:30pm, June 2nd at 1:30pm, or June 3rd at 9:30am or 6:30pm. Information will be disseminated and the required electronic signoffs collected via Genesis Parent Portal, so please remember to keep your email address information current.
We are excited to announce that our laptop support will include a new leadership position, Student Technology Ambassador. Selected students will receive specialized training and then operate as a help resource for students in their classes. Each student will receive a laptop with accessories on the first day of school, along with orientation. Our hope for the program is captured in the advice shown below (reprinted from the dangerously!irrelevant organization - Technology, Leadership, and the Future of Schools).
- Be empowered. Do awesome things. Share with us your ideas and what you can do. Amaze us.
- Be nice. Help foster a school community that is respectful and kind.
- Be smart and safe. If you are uncertain, talk with us.
- Be careful and gentle. Our resources are limited. Help us take care of our devices and networks.
SNaV Business & Operations: Paving the Way
 Although the school year is winding down with two months remaining, the Building & Grounds department is gearing up for a busy summer of cleaning, refurbishing, and renewing. One of the projects is asphalt resurfacing at HMR and WAS. At HMR, the entire lot will be paved except for the area above the new water line, which was completed last year. At WAS, the back lot and the side road leading the the back lot will be paved.
SNaV Special Services: Better Speech and Hearing Month!
For over 75 years, May has been designated as Better Hearing and Speech month, a time to raise public awareness, knowledge and understanding of the various forms of communication impairments including hearing, speech, language, and voice. Mrs. Lisa Gruber, Special Language Therapist, has a been sharing related thought-provoking quotes and handouts from the Michigan State University Department of Communicative Sciences & Disorders with the staff. Sample topics include:
- Tips for vocal health
- Disfluencies and fluency-enhancing techniques
- Identifying students with oral language delays
- Classroom strategies and accomodations for oral language, listening comprehension, and social communication deficits
- How speech/language skills can affect academic performance
- The 5 components of language - syntax, morphology, semantics, phonology, & pragmatics
- The role of the school-based speech/language pathologist
- Things educators can do to reduce students' exposure to loud noise, implications of hearing loss in children, & warning signs of hearing loss
|
|
FAMS News
SNaV FAMS: Social Skills
Social Skills is a weekly group lesson. It is collaboratively led by the speech therapist, Mrs. Christina Langella and the guidance counselor, Ms. Marybeth Como. The group combines students from Dr. Maracy Pryor's SLD class and Peer Leadership Corps. A variety of lessons are prepared to maximize carryover of speech, language, social/pragmatic, and emotional skills.
After four challenging days of NJ ASK testing, this lesson was designed to have the students think past their own hard work, and consider the necessary preparation and diligent efforts of the NJ ASK testing team, Mrs. Eva Prunk, Ms. Marybeth Como, and Ms. Allison McHenry. Recognition of empathy, dedication,
 and self-regulation were targeted throughout the lesson. The students worked in pairs to create a unique letter filled with figurative expressions using candy names to show their appreciation for the testing team's tremendous hard work.
SNaV FAMS: Trip to Little Italy
On Tuesday, May 6th, 8th grade Italian students enjoyed a trip to Little Italy! The first stop, the Italian American Museum, once served as a bank and community center for Italian immigrants arriving in New York (Banca Stabile). Many Italian immigrants made the apartments directly upstairs their first American home. Today, the museum contains artifacts that tell the story of the Italian American experience and life in Little Italy in the early 1900s. After the museum, students took a "passeggiata" (leisurely stroll) down Mulberry Street to have lunch at "Il Piccolo Buffalo", an Italian restaurant.
 
SNaV FAMS: Physics Fun
On Friday May 9th, the 8th grade traveled to Six Flags Great Adventure for Physics Day. Students studied mechanics and calculated different factors such as velocity and acceleration. This trip makes physics come alive for  students and demonstrates the application of abstract concepts. During the field trip, the students used simple devices to take measurements while on rides. The students are now using these measurements to calculate different variables back at school. For the remainder of the year, we will continue to learn about physics as it related to our observations on the roller coasters. It was an amazing day for both the students and the teachers. It's such a great opportunity to have fun while learning!
|
|
CRS News
SNaV CRS: Lions, Tigers, Bears Oh My!
After weeks of preparation and studying, the first graders at CRS put their skills to the test as they traveled together to the Bronx Zoo to explore animal habitats. Students relished this  opportunity to see firsthand how animals live in nature. Students delved into researching everything they have learned about animals and our teachers were very proud as students demonstrated cooperation, diligence and enthusiasm. Overall, our students had a wonderful and memorable day!
SNaV CRS: Teacher of the Year
We would like to extend very special congratulations to Ms. Janet Henry who was selected by the Bergen County Teacher/Education Services Professionals Recognition Program or "Teacher of the Year" for Colonial Road School. As the art teacher for Colonial Road School and High Mountain Road School Ms. Henry instills a tremendous sense of pride and purpose in all of our young artists each and every day. We celebrate Ms. Henry's honor and thank her for all of her passion and dedication.
|
|
HMR News
SNaV HMR: Hands-On Science Lessons
Have you ever explored a cow's heart? HMR fourth graders have! Students experienced incredible hands-on science opportunities through an in-class field trip from High-Touch High-Tech Science. The Globs, Goo & Guts program reinforced
the curriculum unit of study in life science. Students worked with skeletons to see how bones are joined and grow. Then they had a hands-on look at real cow hearts, kidneys, liver and other organs! Students learned more about the systems of the body and their functions. Despite some initial hesitation, the students all agreed it was an incredible experience.
Special thanks to Mrs. Tamara Bibergal for writing this exciting grant and to the Franklin Lakes Education Foundation for funding this opportunity!
SNaV HMR: Preschool celebrates Earth Day
 Our littlest students showed that they truly understand the need to safeguard the Earth's resources. On Earth Day, The classes used brown paper bags to collect litter. Afterwards, they discarded the litter properly and recycled the bags. SNaV HMR: Fiesta de Tapas
The two fourth grade classes at HMR each enjoyed a delicious Fiesta de Tapas during Spanish class, led by Mrs. Kathy Lonati. Each class created its own restaurant name, sign, menu and menu board. We researched the history of tapas and learned about the culture of  Spain. The map and flag of Spain became part of our decor and all food labels and signs were written in Spanish only. Students and their parents brought in many delicious tapas, which are small amounts of appetizer type foods that are very popular in Spain. Our beverage was kid-friendly Sangr�a and everyone had a great time socializing and enjoying the food and drink. This celebration is a tasty reinforcement of many elements in our curriculum such as the history and cultural traditions of Spain.
|
|
WAS News
SNaV WAS: The Early Bird gets the Worm
At the Discovery Room this past fall, 4th graders observed behaviors of earthworms, examined some adaptations with Pro-scopes, and investigated how they reacted to various stimuli to learn about the characteristics of these living creatures. The four main characteristics of living things were reviewed and explored. Students also learned how worms are important to the environment and why they are called "nature's recyclers."
Upon completion of the Discovery Unit, Mrs. Denise Hatley shared the wormery bin with Ms. Lauren Weidmuller, who enthusiastically engaged her students in caring for and learning  from our natural recyclers. The class has fed the worms, rotated the soil, kept the bedding moist, and observed changes in the amount of freshly made soil. One experiment had students compare the lengths of the worms to the amount of segments. Another activity asked students to test the sensitivity of the worms and determine the most sensitive part. This authentic, interactive life science learning was supported through other curricular areas including math, reading and writing.
SNaV WAS: Cross Training Our Brain
What is a great way to begin your day before going into NJASK testing? Attending "Cross Training Our Brain" with Physical Education teacher Mr. Bill Henshaw!
Research has shown that we all have a dominant side to our brain. Some people are "left brain thinkers" who are a bit more creative, while "right brain thinkers" tend to be more analytical.  Since we want to draw on both sides of our brains during testing, "Cross Training Our Brain" wakes up the side we favor less through light aerobic activity.
Mr. Henshaw has used these same techniques during the beginning of every physical education class this entire year. Research has supported that these activities improve stamina and expand memory. A big thank you to Mr. Henshaw in making sure our students are both physically mentally fit!
|
|
FLEF News
SNaV FLEF: House Tour
The Franklin Lakes Education Foundation is hosting a House Tour on May 28 from 9:30am to 2:30pm, featuring some preeminent and beautiful homes throughout town. A luncheon will be also be offered at Indian Trail Club from 12:00-2:30pm.
Enjoy a wonderful day celebrating the beauty of Franklin Lakes. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here to go to our website. 
|
|
|
|
|
