In my letter to our staff this summer, I shared a statement made by Albert Einstein that reads "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." For those of us who teach, this statement affirms what we ourselves have experienced when we see understanding dawn in the eyes of a child, or when our students excitedly come to us to share a new discovery.

Schools are too often portrayed as places of compliance and complacency. Educators know this portrayal to be a false one. While there are requirements and mandates that we must follow, this is not the crux of the educational environment we create. Our classrooms are places of wonder, of exploration, and of creativity. We must never forget the higher purpose of our profession.

We are preparing students for careers that may not yet have been created, where they will be using technologies that are yet to be developed. We are living in an age where mobile data traffic is referred to in petabytes and exabytes. Wearable technology is estimated to reach 177 million users by 2018. Replacement heart valves, joints and artificial bones are being crafted using 3D printing technologies, and many of the top rated jobs in recent polls are mathematics and STEM related. Remarkable things are happening all around us in Technology, Science, Medicine, Business and the Arts.

Our world is more connected, yet in some ways, less personal than it has ever been. Your child's teachers know and understand the power of personal connection that they bring to the lives of our students each and every day.

Our District Vision is to build a learning environment where all children and adults take ownership to become imaginative, reflective, information age explorers and contributors to society. The trusting, respectful environment we create in our classrooms is vital to the success of our children.

In closing, I want to thank our faculty for their dedication to our students, to one another, and to this community. I also want to thank all of our stakeholders; parents, caregivers, and members of the Franklin Lakes community for your willingness to partner with us in supporting each and every student as they learn and grow.

Sincerely,

Lydia Furnari

Lydia Furnari, III, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

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District News

SNaV Curriculum: New Teacher Orientation

We welcomed eight new members to our teaching staff at our New Teacher Orientation that ran from August 25th through August 27th. With the support of Dr. Furnari, the administrative team, the FLEA, the PTA, teachers, counselors, nurses, and the staff of Central Office, the newest members of our Franklin Lakes family learned about the inner workings of our district. The overwhelmingly positive results from our survey of the new teachers after their experience indicate that this was a successful week.

SNaV Technology: Teachers teaching Teachers

Along with the 1 to 1 laptop initiative, this year at FAMS saw the introduction of Aspen, an Instructional Management System (IMS). Aspen allows for a blended learning environment, where online technology will not only supplement, but will actually transform and improve the learning process for our middle school students. After attending Aspen training last year, members of the Digital Learning Committee shared their knowledge by conducting workshops for fellow FAMS faculty members in June and again in September. Additionally, FAMS staff attended a voluntary after-school Aspen workshop to learn more about this valuable online platform.

SNaV Technology: Students helping Students

lncoming 6th, 7th and 8th grade students were encouraged to apply to be Student Technology Ambassadors for the 2014/2015 school year. The response was terrific and approximately 40 students were selected. This leadership opportunity allows them to play an important role in the successful implementation of the new 1:1 Laptop Initiative at FAMS, which provides a laptop to each student for use in school and at home.

Student Technology Ambassadors will be a resource to support fellow students with any questions about laptop operations that might arise. Those selected for this important position attended specialized orientation and training in late August to prepare for the program rollout the first week of school. Their contribution is much appreciated.

SNaV Business & Operations: School's Open!

The Building & Grounds department's hard work over the summer was evident when school opened this month. Floors shone, classrooms sparkled, hallways, lunchrooms, and gyms

glowed. Besides preparing the schools for our children, the department also oversaw improvements to the WAS Faculty lounge, Central Office restrooms, and the parking lots at both HMR and WAS. We appreciate all of the hard work and dedication shown by the Buildings & Grounds staff at both the District and school levels.

SNaV Special Services:

Dr. Pryor's Beads 'n Me program, operated by her FAMS SLD class, will once again represent the state of New Jersey at the National NAME (National Alliance for Medicaid in Education, Inc.) conference in Niagara Falls, New York this month. Beads 'n Me previously represented New Jersey at the 2011 NAME conference in New Mexico.

NAME provides information among stakeholders in the field of Medicare in Education. NAME also interacts with federal partners to understand and develop public policy that supports children's health and their ability to learn. The Beads 'n Me products (lanyards, bookmarks, eyeglass chains and charm bracelets) that New Jersey is bringing will be used as part of a silent auction to benefit The Food Bank of Western New York, specifically their backpack program. Dr. Pryor's Beads 'n Me students are proud that their work is being recognized and are hard at work creating their signature products for such an honor.

SNaV Special Services: Franklin Lakes University update

Four special education teachers began their second of four semesters in the Dyslexia Studies Program at Fairleigh Dickinson University, taught by fellow special education teacher Ms. Denise Borgess (adjunct instructor and Orton Gillingham Teacher Trainer). After completing the program, Ms. Luisa Betrus, Ms. Alexis Cassese, Ms. Emily Mier, and Ms. Meagan Yorio will be certified in Orton Gillingham, an intensive, highly structured phonics program with specialized instructional methods. A FLOW colleague, Ms. Nicole Feery, is also taking the class. As an added benefits, a number of District students have been invited to receive free specialized reading instruction in the program's reading clinic.

FAMS News

SNaV FAMS: A Great Beginning!

Welcome Back! We welcomed all returning 7th and 8th grade students as well as 157 incoming 6th graders. With the many new faces, implementation of our laptop initiative, and revised curriculum in Mathematics and Language Arts, FAMS is a busy place; however, the opening of school could not have gone better. FAMS' faculty and staff are excited about the new challenges and look forward to working with all of the middle school students. As well as the new student faces, we also welcomed two new staff members to our Social Studies department. Ms. Maura McLaughlin is a graduate of Rutgers University and will be teaching 6th grade. Mr. Matt Jenisch is a graduate of Ramapo College and joins our 7th grade team.

SNaV FAMS: Flipped Classroom

If you hear your child talking about his teacher "flipping" his classroom, don't be alarmed. Teachers at FAMS are trying out an interesting method of teaching, wherein the traditional delivery of instruction is done online outside of class, and "homework" has moved into the classroom. In a "Flipped Classroom," students watch short lectures at home at their own pace, taking notes or perhaps communicating with peers and teachers via online discussions. Back in the school, class time is spent doing interactive activities to illustrate concepts. The availability of online video and our 1:1 laptop initiative has made this model possible and we look forward to students feeling engaged and supported.

CRS News

SNaV CRS: Welcome Back to School!

We had a wonderful first week back to school. All students were warmly greeted by our teachers and have already hit the ground

running with their learning! We are so proud of all of our students, particularly our new students who have already begun to make themselves at home in Colonial Road School. We would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our families and special staff members who allow our Proud Pandas to shine.

SNaV CRS: "Together We Can"

As we here at CRS cherish our blessings, it is important to take the time to thank our parent community for the many ways they have contributed to our successful school opening. Our PTA Board has been working diligently to ensure that students and families are well prepared for the many exciting activities and events planned for this school year. In addition, class parents

have already begun to set up each homeroom class for success. Lastly, our school building has come to life with the vibrant and creative theme our decorating committee has so cleverly chosen to kick off the year; 'CRS is out of this world'. We thank all of our parents for fulfilling our school motto of "Together We Can."

HMR News

SNaV HMR: September 11th Project

The students of High Mountain Road School began the school day on September 11th with a school wide Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence. Principal Bajzath spoke about the importance of first responders on this tragic day in our history and the impact that they had. The students then got to work on a positive project, thanking our local first responders for all that they do to keep us safe. The Franklin Lakes Police Department, Fire Department and Ambulance Corp have some amazing letters and pictures headed their way with heartfelt messages! Our school community is so thankful for all that these first responders do and this was a positive way to show our appreciation on this historic day.

SNaV HMR: Back to School Night New Family Coffee Chat

HMR hosted a New Family Tea on Back to School Night. This was a wonderful opportunity for new families to learn more about our school and District. The also had the opportunity to

make some new friends. The highlight of the event was our speaker, Ms. Melanie DeFazio, school guidance counselor, who spoke about joining a new school and gave parents some helpful tips for a successful transition. We are so happy to welcome these new families to HMR!

WAS News

SNaV WAS: Art Around the World

This year, our art theme will be Art Around The World. Each grade level will create a project relevant to various cultures from each continent. We will take a cultural and artistic journey through Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America,

Australia and Antarctica. While we'll focus on art production, students will learn that there is more to art than just its creation by also studying art history, aesthetics (the beauty of art), and art criticism (critiquing/discussing the artist's work and their own work). These four disciplines of art provide a well-rounded art education background, giving students an enhanced understanding and appreciation for the arts. All lessons meet the Visual and Performing Art New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.

Our European art form study will include:

*Kindergarten: Picasso shape faces

*First Grade: Family as Russian nesting dolls

*Second Grade: Paul Cezanne inspired still life paintings

*Third Grade: Greek vase drawings

*Fourth Grade: Illuminated manuscripts of our Initials

*Fifth Grade: Complementary color tessellations

SNaV WAS: Wonderful World of Kindergarten

The Wonderful World of Kindergarten in Woodside is in full swing and the classes are working very hard on building their communities. The students are learning about each other, their classrooms and school, and making new friends. The students went on a tour of the school, and met many of the fantastic teachers. The kindergartners worked hard with their teachers to learn about safety in school and the classroom. They developed classroom rules, learned what to do during a lockdown drill, and where to go during a fire drill.

The kindergartners are also learning how to be bucket fillers. Listening to the story Have You Filled a Bucket Today? (by Carol McCloud) helped students learn how to help, compliment, and respect each other. The concept is that when we feel good, our bucket is full, but when someone says or does something that hurts our feelings, they dip into our buckets and the bucket begins to empty. You can help your child become a "bucket filler" by asking him/her what they can do to fill someone's bucket today.

FLEF News

Join us for FLEF's Ladies' Night Out and take a walk on the wild side! The event will be held on Thursday, October 9th from 7:30 to 11:30pm at the Indian Trail Club. To see the flyer, RSVP and pre-purchase tricky tray tickets, click here.

Franklin Lakes Public Library News

Fall into the Fall 2014 Children's Programs at the Franklin Lakes Public Library! Click here for a look at the great offerings.

Franklin Lakes Borough News

The Wyckoff Family YMCA and the Franklin Lakes Mayor's Wellness Campaign are pleased to announce the 2nd Annual "Franklin Lakes Scenic Half-Marathon & 5K" to be held Sunday, September 28, 2014. Both routes will wind throughout Franklin Lakes, beginning and ending at the Municipal Complex on DeKorte Drive.

Proceeds from the race will benefit the Franklin Lakes Mayor's Wellness Campaign and the Wyckoff Y's Pietro Maugeri Fund, which helps families navigate and survive the financial challenges of critical illness and injury. Click here for more information and to register. Sponsorships are still available. Click here to view sponsors.

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