After what seemed like a very long, cold, snowy winter, Spring is finally here! In this issue of School News & Views, you will read about some of the exciting things that have been going on in our schools. From demonstrations of learning to celebrations of success, our students and teachers haven't let the winter get them down.

I would like to point out a few additional highlights of past events. Mrs. Ann Jameson, Director of Curriculum & Instruction presented the New Jersey School Progress Report data for all of our schools at the March 24th Board of Education meeting. This presentation highlighted ratings for our schools in the areas of Student Achievement, College & Career Readiness and Academic Growth. It should be pointed out that our students' level of growth dramatically increased over the previous year's results. You can access the full presentation on our website.

The FLEF Masquerade Ball was held on March 20, 2015. The evening was a huge success. I would like to thank FLEF for all they do for our schools and to congratulate them on hosting such a great event.

The Board of Education has chosen Schoolboard.net as a solution for paperless board meetings to support its goal of "Going Green." This digital platform is where you will find the agenda for recent and all future Board of Education meeting. You can access the site by using the link http://nj.franklinlakes.schoolboard.net/.

Once on the site, you can access the agenda by clicking on the link with the appropriate meeting date. Additionally on the site, you can sign up to receive email notifications about upcoming meetings. The meeting agendas are projected on a screen for the public during each Board of Education meeting as well. Members of the public can also access the agenda through the schooboard.net site with their tablet or smartphone. There will no longer be paper copies of the agendas provided at the meetings.

I hope you find this issue of School News & Views informative.

Sincerely,

Lydia Furnari

Lydia Furnari, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

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BOE News: Contract Negotiation Update

The Franklin Lakes Board of Education is extremely disappointed the Union failed to ratify the tentative agreement that was reached with the Board last month. This failure to ratify followed nearly nine (9) months of negotiations which included impasse proceedings with the assistance of a State-appointed mediator. The proposed contract rejected by the Union called for a 3-year agreement with cumulative salary increases that exceed the Bergen County 3-year average settlements, increases in tuition reimbursements, additional stipends for technology assistance in each school, additional accumulated sick leave, and payment for increased instructional time in lieu of minimum days on parent-teacher conference days. The Board also agreed to the Associations' request to clarify existing contract language specifying when instructional aides shall be required to participate in parent-teacher conferences and professional development. The Board also agreed to include stipends for teacher members of the newly established school improvement panel and District advisory committee for time outside of the contractual work day.

Regrettably, the Union's failure to ratify the tentative agreement means that the parties were required to initiate formal fact-finding proceeding through a State-appointed Fact-Finder. The fact-finding process will begin on the evening of March 30th and extend an already protracted negotiation at a significant cost to the taxpayers. We have been assigned a fact-finder by the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC). The fact- finder will be presented testimony, information, data and a tremendous amount of facts by both the Union and the Board. After the conclusion of the hearing or after receipt of the parties' briefs, the fact-finder will write a report and forward a copy to each party. The report will include a list of the issues in dispute, the parties' positions on each issue, a recitation of relevant statistics or date, recommendation for settlement, and the rationale or basis for the recommendations. In accordance with the July 2003 amendment to the PERC Law, the report is required to be released to the public 10 days after the parties have received the fact-finding recommendations.

While the Board is disappointed with the Union's failure to ratify this contract, it will continue to negotiate with the Union in good faith but with a continued commitment to the priorities that they have identified as necessary to maintain the outstanding educational program provided to the children of this District.

The Franklin Lakes Board of Education

District News

Curriculum & Technology: Stunning Showcases

The first session of our Independent Study Program culminated with an Independent Study Showcase where families and students were invited to share in celebrating their child's or classmate's work as a part of the program.

Students in the program utilized the Renzulli Learning System software to reflect on their strengths, their interests, and the way they like to learn and express themselves in order to generate their own learning profile. Students then identified personal areas for research and development of projects, as the program and their teacher suggested diverse and appropriately challenging Internet resources to help support their investigations.

The children have been busy at work these past few months! They have chosen a topic of study, conducted significant research and have created projects that demonstrated not only their knowledge in this area but also an extensive understanding of how to execute a successful presentation. The level of creativity and out-of-the box thinking was very apparent in their unique projects!

Technology: Middle School Students Demonstrate

Initiative by Integrating Learning Tools

Last year, FAMS teachers started to use a site called quizlet.com to build flash cards, quizzes and games designed to help their students review concepts from the various curricula. Students enjoyed studying with these teacher-created tools, which they found to be both engaging and fun. Fast-forward to this school year, where students are indepenently creating their own study tools on quizlet.com and then sharing them with their peers. A few days before a quiz, it's common for students to post a link to the Quizlet study tool they've made (via one of our communication systems such as FirstClass or Aspen). Other students are able to use the study tools (via a web browser or the free Quizlet app) to prepare for the upcoming assessment. We are excited to see how our students have absorbed this capability and adopted it for use amongst themselves.

Business & Operations: 2015-16 Budget Highlights

The Board proposes an overall tax increase of 1.41%. The overall budget increase would be $355,638. The Operating budget increase of $563,076, due to increase in health benefits and salaries, would be offset by lower taxes needed for debt service due to notes maturing. There was also a decrease in budgeted expense for tuition for students sent out of District due to students moving up to the high school. Current staffing levels would be maintained.

The hearing and final vote on the proposed 2015/2016 budget will take place at the April 28 Board of Education session.

Special Services: PARCC Preparation Tips

The Guidance counselors have been busy scheduling and helping to organize PARCC testing for Grades 3 - 5. All three grades have successfully completed testing and counselors are now in the process of administering make-ups to students that were absent. The next round of PARCC testing is quickly approaching and the counselors are confident that it will go just as smoothly. Research has shown that providing students with tools and strategies that build both emotional skills and healthy physical habits when preparing for a test can help them overcome test anxiety and the associated symptoms, while improving their ability to prepare for and perform. Below are some relaxation tips for parents and students to enjoy:

-take long deep breaths

-eat a hearty breakfast

-close your eyes for a count of 5

-think positive thoughts

-clench your fists for 5 seconds, then release

-count backwards from 10

-stretch your legs and hold for a count of 5

-write your name 3 times or doodle

-get a good night's sleep starting 3 days prior

-have fun the night before

-talk to your school counselor! :)

FAMS News

FAMS: Excel

Students in Grade 6 have the opportunity in Excel to create a final presentation that combines research with the valuable public speaking skills learned during the marking period. Using the Renzulli Learning System, a software program that personalizes student learning, the students answer a questionnaire that generates their interests, learning styles, and expression styles. The topics generated by Renzulli seek to inspire students to focus their presentations based on an area of curiosity and passion.

As the sixth graders delve into their own independent study, they must consider that their job is not merely to report; the students are to extend their thinking and learning by adding an audience-engaged portion and/or interactive technology.

The variety of topics the students have chosen result in very exciting and engaging presentation days where students are eager to hear from their peers. Students reflect upon how these skills can be utilized across their core subjects.

FAMS: Bonjour

There have been a lot of exciting things happening in French, but one of the most exciting was Mardi Gras. On Thursday, February 12th, the 7th and 8th graders celebrated Mardi Gras along with one of Dr. Pryor's classes. This was a fine event

where we enjoyed King Cake (made by students), Mardi Gras beads, masks and then finished off with a parade through the halls of FAMS. Mr. Vranesich, who lived in New Orleans, brought in artifacts that came from that city and gave a presentation on different parades that take place during this celebratory season. Everyone had a great time and we look forward to celebrating again next year! Happy Mardi Gras!

FAMS: Annual PLC VIP Dinner Dance

The Peer Leadership Corps hosted their annual VIP Dinner Dance on Thursday, March 12th. Both students and adults enjoyed a great night of food, family, friends, and memories. This dress-to-impress event gave our students an opportunity to recognize and thank an adult who has helped them become the person they are today. Our guest list included a selection of parents, teachers, administrators, relatives, coaches, and siblings. Congratulations to the PLC Core Group for putting together an amazing setting for our dinner. They transformed our everyday cafeteria into a classy banquet hall with a catered dinner, live band, DJ, and light show. Yes, they even built a SelfieStation�! Thank you for making it a great evening for our community!

CRS News

CRS: Holocaust Assembly

Recently, fifth grade students attended a very powerful assembly. A Holocaust survivor presented a moving depiction of his personal experiences during this tragic time. Our guest provided students with a real life survivor's perspective while also detailing historical events. This experience had a lasting impact on students, as they were able to hear a firsthand account of the many details they have studied throughout their Holocaust studies. We thank our PTA for providing students with this unforgettable opportunity.

CRS: St. Jude's Up All Day

Recently, students had the opportunity to help children struggling with life-threatening diseases at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "Up All Day" is a program that involves a full day of fun activities that challenged our students' skills.

Under the direction of Mrs. Scutti, all students willingly participated in a variety of activities in physical education classes. The event allowed students to share their strength as they raced through fun and interactive stations while keeping in mind that many others are not as fortunate.

In the spirit of giving back, our CRS students and families also took the opportunity to donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to raise money and heighten awareness for St. Jude's lifesaving mission of finding cures and saving children. We thank everyone at CRS for fulfilling our school motto of "Together We Can."

HMR News

HMR: 3D Printer

Perhaps you have heard about 3D printers in the news. Doctors are utilizing them to save lives, architects and designers use

them in their planning phases, and now students at HMR will be using this technology! We are excited about this new addition to the Think Station. The printer was recently installed and will work in conjunction with iPads and laptops.

Each day, we are learning more about how to tie this technology to our curriculum and expand the student experience. A great deal of gratitude goes to the Fernandez Family, Konica-Minolta, and FLEF for bringing this opportunity to our school and supporting it with resources and funding. The first item printed was a gear and now our minds are spinning with uses for this technology!

HMR: Simple Machines in Action

Fourth graders were actively engaged in applying 21st Century Skills while solving a Lego Challenge. The students worked as scientists and engineers, while using Legos to explore the operation of simple and compound machines. This unit provides students with an authentic learning experience as they practice skills such as collaboration, problem solving, creativity, leadership and communication. Students were engaged in the scientific method through observation, hypothesis, critical thinking and applying reasoning.

In the photo pictured here, students were creating a popcorn stand to solve a design challenge posed to the class. For this particular lesson, it was necessary for students to apply all previous learned information about simple and compound machines. Students learned from their mistakes and modified their designs until they successfully completed the challenge.

WAS News

WAS: Systems of the Human Body

As the 4th graders in Mrs. Higgins' & Miss Yorio's class

continue their study into the Systems of the Human Body, they took time to investigate the brain and the nervous system in more depth. Using eggs as a model brain, students created their own "helmets" and studied the effects of traumatic falls on the function of the body. Students built helmets, tested their hypothesis and recorded the cracks in their model skulls in accordance with the area of the brain that was affected.

We also welcomed a parent guest speaker, Dr. Catania. She is a pediatric neuropsychologist who visited and shared a wealth of information and hands-on activities with the students. Dr. Catania taught the children many fun and interesting facts about the brain. Then, they each built a model of the brain using Play-Doh and created a model of a neuron with pipe cleaners. The children really loved these explorations into the Nervous System and are looking forward to learning about the rest of the body systems.

WAS: Penguin Day!

First grade students celebrated the end of their Penguin Unit in science by having "Penguin Day" and going outside to experience what it was like to be a penguin. The students had a great time balancing water balloon "eggs" on their feet and trying to transfer the balloon to a friend's feet as parent penguins do. They also tried moving around on their tummies and building snow penguins.

Within this unit of study, our students, consistent with our English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, read informational texts, participated in collaborative conversations that were grounded in evidence from texts and built knowledge through content-rich nonfiction. In addition, as seen in the Next Generation Science standards, our students researched growth and development of organisms, researched ecosystems and focused on academic vocabulary.

Our conclusion? It wasn't easy being a penguin!

Franklin Lakes Borough

MAYOR'S WELLNESS CAMPAIGN

LIVING HEALTH CHALLENGE

Ten Week Challenge April 13 - June 20

The Franklin Lakes Mayor's Wellness Campaign ("MWC") is looking for participants for the MWC's first annual Living Healthy "Commit to Wellness" 10 Week Challenge, to be held from April 13 to June 20. The deadline for registering is March 25. The Living Healthy Challenge will guide you through your journey to bring health and wellness into your everyday life. Each participant will receive a journal to record wellness activities and to monitor progress against individualized wellness goals.

To register or to see additional information, including a list of participating fitness centers and a schedule of events (to be posted soon), visit the Living Healthy Challenge webpage. Please e-mail Mayor's Wellness Coordinator Dina Robinson at DRobinson@franklinlakes.org.

Franklin Lakes Public Library News

Upcoming Event: Two of a Kind - Caring for the Earth

Join us for an Earth Day Concert Celebration!

Grades K - 5

Wednesday, April 22 @ 4:00 p.m.

Enjoy songs, puppets, movement, stories and more with award-winning musical duo Two of a Kind in an event that inspires imagination and celebrates planet Earth! Registration required. Franklin Lakes residents only. Online registration available.