Upcoming Events
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February 10
Superintendent's Coffee Chats
February 10 - WAS
February 11 - CRS
February 12 - HMR
February 24 - FAMS
Minimum Day
February 13
Presidents' Weekend Recess
February 16-17
BOE Meeting
February 24
FLEF Masquerade Ball
March 20
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Franklin Lakes Public Schools
School News and Views January, 2015
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Dear Community Members,
January has come and gone, and what a great start to the New Year! Despite the challenging weather, exciting things continue to happen at all of our schools. Students are engaged in activities that help them to gain new perspectives about the world around them. My visits to the schools continue to provide me with a glimpse into the special places where teaching and learning happen for our children.
During the past few weeks, you have probably heard a great deal about PARCC both in our community and in the news. I want to remind everyone that our District has been preparing our students well over the last few years to be well versed in the content prescribed by both the Common Core State Standards for Language Arts & Math, and the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for the other curricular areas. This means that our students should be very well prepared for the PARCC administration. Some of you may have attended the Curriculum & Coffee PARCC parent sessions provided by Mrs. Jameson. These sessions gave parents the opportunity not only to ask questions, but also to try out some PARCC sample questions. The feedback on these sessions was quite positive, and we have posted materials and a webcast on the District website for those who may have missed the presentations.
There will be Coffee Chats with the Superintendent coming up at each of our schools during the month of February. I look forward to these informal conversations with parents.
I hope you enjoy this issue of School News & Views.
 Sincerely, Lydia Furnari Lydia Furnari, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools |
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District News
Curriculum: Exercising Our Brains
Students in Mrs. Hatley's fourth and fifth grade ACES classes have been learning about the structures of the brain and the functions of these structures. After investigating each part, students participated in a variety of hands-on independent and  collaborative activities which stimulated the specific portion of the brain recently studied. Each student was able to assess his/her brain's strengths and weaknesses as well as exercise the brain to improve function.
ACES students are focused on developing brain stimulating activities as culminating projects for the unit on the brain and its functions. Working individually or with a partner, students generated ideas for activities to exercise different areas of the brain including the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe, the occipital lobe, the cerebellum, and the corpus callosum. Upon completion, students will present the activity to the class, and peers will participate in the activities to exercise their brains! Everyone is excited to develop, share, and participate in the brain stimulation projects!
Technology: Teachers Teaching Teachers
At the January 7th New Jersey Educational Computing Cooperative's annual conference, five of our teachers presented educational technology best practices to their peers from other schools across the state. Mrs. Emmel, FAMS Math teacher, and Mrs. Tonelli, FAMS Italian teacher, presented "The First Year in a Flipped Classroom". They demonstrated their use of screen casting (a digital recording of their computer screen including their audio narration) to flip their classrooms. In this mode, students learn content online by watching video lectures as homework; traditional homework is done in class with teachers and students discussing and solving questions together. Mrs. Emmel and Mrs. Tonelli shared the success they are having with this innovative teaching method.
Mrs. Antonison and Mrs. Perry, both FAMS Science teachers, presented "Going Paperless in a 1 to 1 Environment". With the implementation of a computer for every middle school student, Mrs. Antonison and Mrs. Perry found moving students to interactive digital notebooks in their classrooms easy and helpful. Their presentation discussed the tools their students use to make this digital conversion and how this has helped students to be more organized.
Mrs. Melhorn, a WAS Kindergarten teacher, presented how she connects her students to people outside of her classroom. She uses her classroom Twitter account to keep her students' parents aware of what is happening in the classroom and to connect to other classrooms to gain a more global perspective. Mrs. Melhorn also uses kidsblog.org to publish her students' stories in a safe, authentic environment.
We are very proud of the work our teachers do and are always excited to see them share their expertise with colleagues.
Business & Operations: Synergistic Calendar
The Synergy Committee, made up of representatives from the District, the Borough, and the Public Library, has identified a joint calendar as an area of opportunity to promote communication and reduce scheduling conflict. An application has been selected and implementation work is underway.
Special Services: Laptops to Enhance Instruction
The Franklin Lakes Education Foundation has generously agreed to fund a grant requested by the Special Services department to acquire laptops to enhance instructional practice for special needs students at CRS, HMR, and WAS. The laptops will enhance instruction and create rich learning experiences for our special needs students. Special Education teachers will collaborate as a team, using the laptops with students to promote fundamental technology skills and also to track student progress and success.
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FAMS News
In a continued effort to advance the use of technology at FAMS, teachers and students are now creating iBooks. Teachers use iBook Author to differentiate instruction by customizing students' textbooks and pulling out key information that is paired with interactive tools for learning. Videos, self-check questions, galleries, and other "widgets" are tools that are embedded within an iBook to reinforce concepts learned.
Students at FAMS are also creating their own iBooks. In the 6th graders' study of hurricanes, students were assigned specific roles to research and then collaborated with one another to create iBooks based on their given topics. In 7th grade language arts, the students will write a narrative essay and transfer the narrative into a chapter book within iBooks to make the story come alive with all the tools that are offered. Eighth graders are also using iBooks to showcase their knowledge of the play 'Inherit the Wind' and establish nonfiction connections to this classic.
Using iBooks, teachers and students continue to incorporate 21st century technology skills into the curriculum while fostering creative and critical thinking skills.
FAMS: Media Literacy & Visual Arts
Ms. Behrens, Art teacher, and Mr. Vranesich, Media Specialist. have teamed up with an exciting unit to teach our students 21st Century skills. Whenever our students watch a video, see an advertisement, or navigate a web-page, graphic artists have used visual elements and have made specific choices to persuade their audience. It is important that our children are not only aware of these techniques, but become "media producers" in their own right.
We took our school-wide initiative of "No Bullying" and "hired"
 our student-artists to create posters to visually persuade their peers. Students used visual and graphic elements such as typography, background, images, color, contrast, and eye-movement on the page. Our artists used these elements to not only "get their message across", but also to emotionally persuade their audience. We've created, critiqued, and collaborated and the results are persuasive, original, and very sophisticated.
The FAMS athletic program had a very successful fall season and the winter season seems to be shaping up as well. Our soccer teams both made it to the second round of the playoffs and our volleyball team finished with a 5-5 record and had a nice showing in their end-of -year tournament.
The boys and girls basketball teams and our cheerleaders are off to nice starts this season. The boys have jumped out to a 9-4 record and the girls now stand at 4-9. There is a great amount of camaraderie and hard work being put in and it is starting to show. The teams will both complete their regular season schedule through the first week of February and hopefully be one of the top eight teams to make the league playoffs. Good luck to both clubs and many thanks to our enthusiastic cheerleading squad for all of their support!
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CRS News
CRS: It Takes Heart to be a Hero
Mrs. Scutti, Physical Education teacher, and our Grade 3, 4 and 5 students are so pleased to announce that, in conjunction with National Eating Healthy Day, our students recently participated in The American Heart Association's "Hoops for Heart." This basketball program is promoted throughout the country to raise awareness for healthy living as well as to support patients with heart conditions. The main mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. That single purpose drives all efforts behind this amazing organization. Click here for further information about Hoops for Hearts.
We are so thrilled to announce that student participants raised $494 and enjoyed a day filled with basketball challenges. Our PTA also supported this worthwhile event by providing delicious apples as a token of appreciation for each student participant. Congratulations to all on a job well done for a worthy cause! We thank everyone at CRS for fulfilling our school motto of "Together We Can."
CRS: Holiday Magic
On December 11th, the our students, staff, and families were treated to a spectacular event. Fourth and fifth grade band  students, as well as all of our fifth grade students performed at our annual Holiday Concert. Instrumental music students, under the direction of Mrs. Cindy Cipriano and Mr. James Finnen (Instrumental Music teachers), wowed the crowd with their catchy renditions of old classics, as well as more traditional tunes. Fifth grade students, under the direction of Vocal Music teacher Mrs. Karen Andruska, impressed the audience with their sophisticated musical repertoire, as well as choreographed moves that accompanied each song. Overall our performers had everyone in the crowd beaming as they set the perfect holiday mood for all to enjoy!
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HMR News
HMR: Fifth Grade Geography Bee
All fifth graders at HMR participated in a very competitive  Geography Bee in Se�ora Lonati's Spanish class. Students began the unit by completing a map for each of the twenty Spanish-speaking countries including the capital, a neighboring country, and the continent. Students studied the material for several weeks and practiced how to perform in a Bee. Students were very well prepared and were even able to spell the various locations. Prizes were awarded to the first and second place winners. The Geography Bee was a great culmination of the unit of study.
HMR: Ellis Island Simulation
(Written by 4th Graders: Natalie, Maria, Antonina, Amelia, Tyler, Harrison, Erin, and Adriana)
Imagine this...you are in a strange room, you don't know anyone, and you are separated from your family. Different languages are being spoken all around you and you are getting confused. You sit down and officials interrogate you about your personal information, these complete strangers intimidate you. This is the experience of an immigrant coming to Ellis Island.
The fourth grade at HMR participated in an immigrant  simulation. Dressed as immigrants, they set out to learn about what it was like to try to come to America. Students were given an identity for the simulation. Throughout the activity, students were separated from their families, deported, and accepted into America. Fifth graders participated as immigration officials and asked immigrants tough questions about their country of origin, health, criminal history, religious affiliation, vocation, and family history. Immigrants earned points based on their responses and went to the clearance station where it was determined whether or not they would be accepted to America. Students went through the real emotions of people during that time period in history and will surely remember this content for years to come!
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WAS News
WAS: Kindergarten Loves Gingerbread!
The main focus in our Shared Reading lessons this past month has been enjoying stories and learning how to communicate and listen to partners. We learned how to identify the setting and  characters in stories we love and enjoyed discussing similar story lines, sharing our favorite parts, and making connections, Books we all enjoyed include The Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Boy, The Gingerbread Cowboy, The Gingerbread Pirate and The Gingerbread Girl. (Bet you didn't know so many existed!)
Perhaps the most memorable of all lessons was the day we went to enjoy a story with the whole Kindergarten class. The Gingerbread man actually jumped out of the book and ran around the school leaving clues in his path. We searched all over school for the gingerbread man. We went to the Gym, the Library and even the office! We finally found him back in our classroom and he left a special treat for us all! Can you guess what it was? Yummy!
WAS: Empathy and Sympathy Development
To better understand and empathize with the feelings and  emotions of cancer patients or other chronically ill persons and to develop ways in which they could help, our fourth grade class created an "Empathy / Sympathy Quilt". Resources found on St. Jude Children's Research Hospital guided the student team with the development of the quilt. Questions such as "What does it mean to sympathize with someone?", "How do you show sympathy?", "What does empathy mean?" and "How is it different from sympathy?" were posed.
After reading various situations, students drew  responses on quilt squares, further developing these lessons. Students' quilt squares included comments such as, "you're stronger than you think you are", "fight back", "you are loved", and "we will fight together to fight cancer".
This quilt will be proudly displayed at the WAS entrance as a visual symbol of the care and concern displayed by our students in supporting those who are chronically ill.
WAS: Musical Holiday Celebration
On December 10th, fourth and fifth grade students presented the annual Holiday Concert, "Sounds of the Season." Our concert began with instrumental ensembles performing holiday favorites under the wonderful direction of Mrs. Cindy Cipriano and Mr. James Finnen, Instrumental Music teachers. These very talented fifth grade band members and fourth and fifth grade string ensemble members brought excitement to the audience as they performed "First Holiday Concert," "Hanukkah Dance," and "Rock Around the Clock," along with "Jolly Old St. Nick" and "Good King Snoopy." Next, the Fourth Grade Chorus thrilled the audience as they performed seven vocal pieces. These outstanding performers surprised their audience with a storm of "snowballs" while singing the popular hit from Frozen, "Let It Go." In addition, each of the fifty nine singers, under the very talented direction of Mrs. Amy Paz, dramatically entered the stage by candlelight and performed a flashlight choreography presentation to "Light the World".
Many thanks to our talented musicians and special thanks to our very accomplished musical staff for making this evening a very memorable one.
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Franklin Lakes Education Foundation
MARCH 20, 2015
Save the date for the FLEF Masquerade Ball Dinner/Dance!
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Franklin Lakes Public Library News
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Hearts & Crafts
Valentine's Day Craft
Grades K - 2
Thursday, February 5th from 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Visit the library to hear Valentine's Day stories and create a special craft! Franklin Lakes residents only.
Registration required. Please call or visit the Children's Department to register.
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