Upcoming Events
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October 31, 2014
FL Trunk or Treat
October 31, 2014
FL Living Healthy Week
November 1-7, 2014
Election Day
No School - NJ Teachers Convention
November 6-7, 2014
Board of Education mtg.
November 11, 2014
Veterans' Day
November 11, 2014
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Franklin Lakes Public Schools
School News and Views October 2014
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Dear Community Members,
October is the month during which we celebrate and focus on Character Education. School Violence Awareness Week, The Week of Respect and Red Ribbon Week are all intended to provide our students with opportunities to make sound, healthy choices in their lives, and to make efforts to get to know themselves and others, while interacting in appropriate, respectful ways.
We often hear about the Anti-bullying Bill of Rights and the Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying regulations in the aftermath of events that invoke the need for these requirements. It is in exposure to making better choices and learning about tolerance, good decision-making and respect that the most benefit is found.
In this issue of School News and Views, and on the web pages for each of our schools, you will find that our children, teachers and administrators have been working hard to learn more, and to practice what they have learned in order to keep school behaviors positive and to truly enact a culture of caring.
As we continue to celebrate Red Ribbon Week, our children will have the opportunity to hear from caring adults from our community and beyond who will share with them ways to make healthy choices with regard to substance abuse. You may have noticed the Drug Free School Zone banners at FAMS, and the variety of activities planned at all of our schools. Ask your children what they are learning. I am sure they have lots to share.
Please help us to spread the messages of awareness, advocacy, respect, and sound decision-making. As always, thank you for partnering with us.
Sincerely,
Lydia Furnari
Lydia Furnari, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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District News
SNaV Curriculum: Parent PARCC Preview
This Spring, the NJASK given to students in grades 3-8 will be replaced by the online PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessment. PARCC is based on the core belief that assessment should work as a tool for enhancing teaching and learning. Because the assessments are aligned with the Common Core State Standards, they ensure that every child is on a path to college and career readiness by measuring what students should know at each grade level.
PARCC tests will mirror the kind of high-quality work that students are already doing in our classrooms. In essence, "practice" is occurring throughout the year. A more formal practice test, consisting of representative items for each grade level, is available to help teachers and parents familiarize students with the format of the assessments and technology.
We encourage you to try out PARCC sample test items in their intended environment and walk your child through the tutorial by clicking here.
SNaV Technology: Reverse 911 Notification System
This year, the District has moved to a more robust reverse 911 calling system called Blackboard Connect 5. One of the new features is text messaging. If your cell phone number has been listed under your child's Contact information, you will receive a text message for any emergency notification, such as school closings. If you do not wish to receive text messages, simply reply back to any text message from the District with the word 'STOP' and the account code 'FL07417' (STOP FL07417).
If you do not yet have your cell phone number in Genesis Parent Access and would like to receive text messages from the District, please log into Genesis Parent Access and click on 'Contacts'. Under your name, see 'Add Phone/Email' and then select 'Cell Phone'. Enter your cell phone number and the carrier. Click 'Save All Changes'. While you're in Genesis Parent Access, please take a moment to review your child's other Contact information.
SNaV Technology: Care and Cleaning of Laptops
Now that middle school students all have a personal computer, it's important to make sure that the laptop is being maintained properly. In addition to the need to keep the cover on the laptop and al  ways carry it in the carrying case, students were also instructed on the care of their computer on the first day of school. When their computer is in need of cleaning, students can go to the IT office, where cleaning supplies are available for the screen, trackpad or keyboard.
For cleaning a computer at home, we ask that you follow Apple's recommendations:
- Disconnect any external devices and other cabling.
- Use only a soft, lint-free cloth to wipe dust from the display. Abrasive cloths, towels, paper towels, and similar items may cause damage. If additional cleaning is required, use a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth.
- Keep liquids away from the product. Don't get moisture into any openings, and don't use aerosol sprays, solvents, or abrasives. Use a cleaner intended for use with a screen or display. Never spray cleaner directly on the screen. It may drip inside the display and cause damage. Don't use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, ammonia, abrasives, or cleaners containing hydrogen peroxide or acetone to clean the display.
- At times, the trackpad or keyboard may also need to be disinfected. Use Lysol Wipes or Clorox Kitchen Disinfecting wipes and follow Apple's guidelines.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: Never use excessively damp cleaning wipes. Squeeze the wipe to remove any excess dampness before using it on a computer. Excessive moisture will damage the computer. Liquid damage is not covered under Apple's warranty.
SNaV Business & Operations: Anticipated Busing Delays
 After the contractor currently working on Colonial Road completes the work past Sunset Terrace, Colonial Road will be closed from 7:00 a.m. until approximately 4:00 p.m. between Franklin Avenue and Route 208. Many of the District's school buses will be delayed and/or the bus route may be slightly rearranged due to this detour. The current ESTIMATED date that school bus routes will start to be affected is Monday, November 10. Please allow extra time in the morning for your child to be picked up and allow extra time for your child to arrive home. ALL schools will be monitoring student tardiness accordingly. Please check the borough website for information updates.
SNaV Special Services: Lights! Camera! Action!
In Ms. Caesar's Language Arts class, students completed the exciting book Indigo, by Alice Hoffman. In reading this novel, students gained an understanding of identifying characters with extreme differences. This fantasy-fiction novel portrays unique challenges that the characters face. Their distinctive physical qualities allow them to save Oak Grove from a devastating flood.
To further enhance comprehension, students participated in a culminating multi-media activity for this unit. The students took the roles of a reporter and the protagonists to explain the heroism required to save their town.
It is important that today's students are both media consumers and producers. Working with Ms. Caesar and Mr. Vranesich, scripts were written, vocabulary infused, and oral presentations in our classroom "newsroom" were filmed and enjoyed.
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FAMS News
SNaV FAMS: Week of Respect
During the first week in October, Franklin Avenue Middle School celebrated the Week of Respect. The Anti-bullying Bill of Rights Act designates the week as the "Week of Respect" in the entire state of New Jersey. School districts are directed to observe the week by providing age-appropriate instruction focusing on preventing harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Here at FAMS, students participated in a variety of activities relating to character education and respect for themselves and others. On Monday, October 6th, students and staff celebrated World Day of Bullying Prevention by wearing blue shirts. By wearing a blue shirt, students pledged to help put an end to bullying and cyberbullying.
Students also viewed a wonderful multi-media presentation entitled, Quest For Respect, which was created by Camfel Productions. This presentation discussed the importance of maintaining good character and achieving respect by making good choices and doing the right thing. The next day in homeroom, teachers and students discussed the presentation and reiterated the message of making positive choices. Throughout the week, students signed a pledge to do a random acts of kindness for someone else and were given the opportunity to write a short note to a service member currently deployed. FAMS will continue to emphasize to our students that we should all respect one another each and every day.
SNaV FAMS: "Cell-abrating" Science
Ms. Antonison and Mrs. Weiner's 7th grade Science students have had a busy month learning about cells! First, students prepared for the Trial of the Century, "Cell vs. Organelles." An organelle is a specialized part of a cell having some specific function. Each student took on the role of a lawyer to defend his/her organelle client, and used Google Docs through Aspen to conduct research and prepare an argument using Claims, Evidence and Reasoning. Students then applied their understanding of organelle function in the "Organelle Grab Bag" activity. Students pulled everyday items out of their grab bag and worked as a group to determine which organelle would be the best match for that analogy. Students also utilized the NGSS skill of analyzing models when they practiced sorting pictures of organelles. Each group was given a set of pictures, where each organelle was represented in several different ways. Students had to work together to pick out certain clues that would help them accurately group their pictures. The Cells Unit will culminate later this month with student created Cell Projects. Students choose their own type of project to demonstrate their learning. Expect to see cell cakes, 3-D models, scrap books, music videos, short stories and mini movies! It's a "Cell-a-bration!" in 7th grade Science!
SNaV FAMS: Global Challenge
Ms. Antonison and Mrs. Weiner's 7th grade Science classes have been accepted into the Global Challenge 20/20 program! This winter, our classes will pair up with classes from Lebanon, Mexico, Mississippi, and Romania to work on solutions to global problems like Deforestation and Global Disease. Students will communicate through blogs, Google Docs, and Voicethread presentations while learning about these issues and how they affect people locally and globally. Finally, students will work to implement their solution ideas.
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CRS News
SNaV CRS: Mix It Up at Lunch Day
Each year, CRS participates in a nationwide campaign that supports students who want to identify, question and cross social boundaries that separate them from each other. The day  helps build an inclusive and welcoming learning environment. It is a simple call to action for students; take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students can cross the lines of division, meet new people, and make new friends. At CRS, we celebrated Mix-It-Up Day last week during our Week of Respect. Students were randomly assigned to each table with tickets that were handed out in the beginning of their lunch period. There were topics for discussion that students used to get to know each other better. Click here to learn more and to see CRS on the Mix-It-Up Map.
SNaV CRS: Helping Hands Committee
The Helping Hands Committee is off to another great year! Formerly known as the Student Advisory Committee, the club was created for students that have shown leadership skills, integrity and compassion. The committee will meet twice per month during lunch and recess to plan school wide events, help  existing programs and improve the overall spirit of CRS. This year, the Helping Hands Committee will consist only of our fifth grade students. In past years, some of the group's endeavors included: "Think Pink Day" for cancer awareness, assistance during "Education Day," and promoting school wide assemblies. Mrs. Gagliardo and Mrs. Ballas are extremely excited about CRS' Helping Hands and know that the school community is as well!
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HMR News
SNaV HMR: Week of Respect
Mix-It-Up Day at Lunch Day is celebrated during Week of Respect at HMR. Mix-it-Up Day is a national campaign launched by Teaching Tolerance over a decade ago. This event encourages students to identify and cross social boundaries.
One day a year during Week of Respect, we ask students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch. It's a simple act and interaction that can help increase acceptance and teach diversity. When students interact with those who are different from them, misperceptions can fall away, and new friendships can be formed.
The tables in our multi-purpose room were decorated with colored boxes. Students were seated randomly using color-
 coded cards. Each table's box contained 'getting to know you' questions that helped engage the students in conversation. Our school counselors and lunch aides were on-hand to help utilize these questions and facilitate conversation. Overall, it was a huge success, and the students enjoyed 'mixing it up'!
SNaV HMR: Expressing Feelings in Spanish
Fifth Graders have had the opportunity to study Spanish for multiple years and are learning to apply their knowledge consistently in conversational language. These students  worked in their Spanish Classes to continue the annual tradition of making "feelings" posters to display all year in the classroom. Created with great imagination and detail, the posters serve as anchor charts in the classroom and encourage students in multiple grades to express how they feel in much more detail during Spanish class.
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WAS News
SNaV WAS: Exploring Friendship
Do you know the qualities of a good friend? Well, the second graders at Woodside Avenue School do! They've been working
 hard learning all about what makes a good friend. We have read a variety of literature that discusses friendship such as Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud, Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister and Miss Tizzy by Libba Moore Gray. In addition, we are reading stories through our Junior Great Books unit about friendship! We encourage students to reflect on friendship and its role in their lives. The stories and activities done in class offer students the opportunity to talk and reflect on friendship, why people need friends, and how to resolve differences between friends. Together we are truly building a "School of Friendship".
SNaV WAS: Celebrations in Spanish Class
Septiembre was a very busy month in Spanish class! Our First Graders arrived in M�xico, Second Graders started their tour across Central America, Third Graders began traveling through South America, Fourth Graders started packing for Spain and Fifth Graders prepared to explore the ancient Aztec civilizations...which means Octubre is a time to relax and CELEBRATE!
Hispanic Heritage Month: Look who we celebrated with! Students danced and sang with salsa singer Celia Cruz. They soared through the universe with astronaut Ellen Ochoa. They read with author Gary Soto. Students played baseball with Jorge Posada and hung out on the set of 'I Love Lucy' with Desi Arnaz.
El D�a del los Muertos: The Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday, celebrates loved ones who have passed away. Students created an ofrenda (memory table), made papel picado, decorated funny skeletons, danced 'The Dance of the Old Man', and ate pan de los muertos with sugar skulls before spending the night with family and friends in the graveyard! �Qu� Fant�stico
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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.
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Franklin Lakes Borough News
Trunk or Treat
The Borough, in conjunction with the K-8 schools, would like to invite everyone to come to DeKorte Drive for Trunk or Treating  on Friday, October 31st, from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. We ask that residents come and hand out candy to children. Just bring your car to DeKorte Drive parking lot, set up for the trunk or treaters, decorate your trunk, come in costume if you would like and hand out candy. Cars parked and participating in Trunk or Treating will stay for the duration of the event.
A portion of the lot will be set aside for participants to stand and hand out candy and leave when they would like. Residents will be allowed to drop off candy prior to the event at the Borough Hall. It was a big success the last two years and lots of fun, so please join in. Click here to view the flyer for more information.
Living Healthy Week November 1 - 7, 2014
The Franklin Lakes Mayors Wellness Campaign will be holding its first annual Living Healthy Week, a program of wellness activities featuring events held by various local businesses during the week starting Saturday, November 1. The Kick Off Event on November 1 will start with a walk at 9:00am with Mayor Frank Bivona around Municipal Field and continue with a variety of programs at the Franklin Lakes Stop & Shop. Additional programs, classes and events will be held at locations throughout the Borough each day during the week. All events are FREE! Click here for a schedule of events.
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