Upcoming Events
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April 12
Parent Academy - Olweus ES Session
April 13
Parent Academy - Olweus MS Session
April 14
FLEF Dinner Dance
April 15
Borough Community Clean Up Day
Parent Academy - Family Literacy: Session 2
April 19
BOE Meeting
April 26
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Franklin Lakes Public Schools
School News and Views April, 2016
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Dear Community Members,
Spring has sprung...we hope. Students have been engaged in learning opportunities that really show just how creative they are and you will find some very interesting things to read about in this month's issue of School News & Views.
First, let me remind you that the 2015-2016 District calendar has been changed to include additional days off in May and June; as long as we don't use any of our 3 inclement weather days, we will add 2 vacation days to the Memorial Day weekend, on May 27th and May 31st, and will shorten the end of the 2015-2016 school year by 1 day, making June 20th the last day for students.
Our Parent Academy offerings held on February 29th and March 23rd were extremely successful, and we thank Sharon McCarthy of Envision, Inc. for presenting these very engaging events. Our Family Reading Night held on March 9th was well attended and I would like to thank all of our guest readers for generously donating their time to read to young children. I would also like to thank the Franklin Lakes Public Library Director, Gerry McMahon, and Children's Librarian, Sarah Tobias, for all they did to help make this evening a success. Upcoming events will be presented in April and May. You will find more information about these events in the Curriculum & Instruction article below.
FAMS students in the Photography Club gave a wonderful presentation of their work at the March 22nd Board of Education meeting. Board members and the audience were treated to award winning student photos that were described by the students who took them. At that same meeting, the District said congratulations and farewell to Detective Sergeant Jeff Jost, who retired from the Franklin Lakes Police Department in January. Detective Jost worked with our schools for many years and we will miss him.
I hope you enjoy this edition of School News & Views.
Sincerely,
Lydia Furnari, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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How We Connect
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District News
Curriculum & Instruction: Parent Academy
We're in full swing with our Parent Academy offerings! The Approaches to Parenting program concluded with Session 2 - Parenting Protocols to Develop Children's Organization Skills. Parents and staff alike found the two-part program informative and helpful. April courses include:
Olweus Bullying Prevention on April 13th for elementary schools and on April 14th for the middle school. Please click here to view the flier, including registration information.
Family Literacy Session 2: Book Talk on Creative Schools: Fostering Student Creativity on April 19th. Please click here to see the flier, including registration information.
Technology: Equipment Advances
Thanks to the generous donations of the Franklin Lakes Education Foundation grant process, grades one and two at HMR, grade one at CRS, the Discovery Room and the Physical Education department at HMR all have new iPads. In addition, FLEF has supported the installation of a new projection system at HMR that includes a rear projection screen. FLEF's contribution to our technology resources is greatly appreciated.
Business & Operations: Outdoor Safety
The implementation of lightning sensor and alert systems at each of our four schools has been successfully completed as scheduled to coincide with the start of spring sports, A warning  of Imminent lightning danger would be provided by audible alarm and strobe lights. If you hear/see this warning, take immediate cover and remain until the 'All Clear' (sounds like a foghorn) is issued. Signage similar to that used by the borough will provide information on the system at each school. Our students' safety, both inside and outside of the school building, is our paramount concern, and this initiative further strengthens our safety measures.
Special Services: White Dry Erase Top Desks
Thank you to the The Franklin Lakes Education Foundation for the purchase of 16 Small Shaped Desks with White Dry Erase Tops for our Special Education students and teachers at CRS, as well as our Guidance Counselor's office. The whiteboard tables have allowed our children and us to be more creative with our learning.
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FAMS News
The FAMS Peer Leadership Corps hosted its annual VIP Dinner  Dance on Thursday, March 3rd. 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 with our biggest turnout yet. They transformed our everyday cafeteria into a classy banquet hall with a full-catered dinner, live band, DJ, and light show. Yes, they even built a SelfieStation�! Most importantly, our students had a chance to thank an adult in their life who has truly made a difference to them. Thank you for making it a great evening for our community!
FAMS: March Madness!
March Madness has overtaken FAMS again this year. Our annual intramural basketball tournament produced 18 different  teams competing in two different divisions. The double elimination format allows our amazing FAMS players to advance as they struggle to surpass their worthy opponents. So far, there have been some extremely close games, as is traditional with the NCAA tournament. The battle is slated to end during the first week of April. Many thanks to all who are participating and best of luck!
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CRS News
CRS: Holocaust Assembly
Recently, our 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 first hand account of the many details they have studied throughout their Holocaust studies. We thank our PTA for providing students with this unforgettable opportunity.
CRS: Read Across America: Read It, Solve It
On March 2nd, students took a day off from jeans and sweatshirts in favor of dressing as detectives and super sleuths  to celebrate Read Across America Day. Our theme this year was Read It, Solve It. Through a variety of activities and workshops grounded in reading and literacy, students utilized their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to make their way through reading and solving. Activities ranged from assemblies about mysteries, solving scenarios, escaping the room to visits from guest readers. We thank our PTA and Read Across America Teacher committee for providing students with this memorable day!
CRS: Buehler Challenger Science Center: 3,2,1 Blast Off!
After weeks of preparation and training, our fifth graders put their skills to the test, working together to successfully land a probe on the Moon. Students prepared for their Buehler  Challenger and Science Center field trip by partaking in hands-on experiments in Science. Students delved into researching minerals that are found on the Moon, how craters are formed, and what supplies and resources would be necessary to travel and survive on the Moon's surface. Divided into teams, the students worked hard to become familiar with the specific skills they would need in both Mission Control and on the spacecraft. The Challenger crew would have been very proud as students demonstrated cooperation, patience and dedication. 5-B, 5-C and 5-R successfully landed a probe on the Moon!
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HMR News
HMR: Read Across America
We celebrated Read Across America this year by having our children visit and learn about all of our Continents! Our opening  assembly was precious; children started the day off by celebrating our own country in song together, having the 2nd grade teach us how to sing hello around the world, and then our Kindergartners teaching us to identify the continents in their song.
The classroom lessons took us from penguins in Antarctica to Mexican hat dancing in North America, a safari through Africa, focusing in on the animal year we were born in China (Asia),
 making boomerangs and learning about Didgeridoos in Australia (Oceania), celebrating Carnaval with fiction and non-fiction texts and masks in Brazil (South America) and learning all about Europe with a focus on Ireland (who knew they did not have snakes there?)!
The Multi-Purpose Room was set up beautifully to support the learning in the classrooms with fact-filled tri-folds and artifacts from each continent! Students were engaged through song, dance, culture, geography, crafts, information, video clips, real photos, and learning that was tangible and supported their understanding. Even our own HMR teachers dressed up to depict the clothing that is often worn in these locations!
We hope our students had a wonderful day and a true learning experience with these visuals and exploration of our amazing and beautiful world!
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WAS News
WAS: Music and Math: The Perfect Harmony
 Mrs. Gordon's and Mrs. Bernstein's 3rd grade collaborative Math class learned about different types of angles using a whole-brain learning approach. Students sang about acute, obtuse, right and straight angles to the fun tune of Y.M.C.A.
WAS: The Last Great Race on Earth
Students in Mrs. Melhorn's Kindergarten class talked with a  Kindergarten class from Alaska, home of the famous Iditarod. Students learned about the Iditarod, affectionately called The Last Great Race on Earth, in their Library classes with Mrs. Stanton. Students loved following the news about the race and enjoyed seeing where their mushers and dogs were traveling as they raced. Mrs. Melhorn used Twitter to connect with the teacher on the trail. Together, they arranged to bring this incredible experience to both of the Kindergarten classrooms at Woodside.
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Franklin Lakes Education  Foundation News
APRIL 15th April in Paris
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Franklin Lakes Public Library News
Please click here to view the offerings for Children's Program in April and May.
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Franklin Lakes Borough News
Community Clean Up Day
Saturday, April 16, 9:00 AM to 12 Noon
Volunteers needed! Keeping our environment cleanand beautiful is an important step to maintaining a healthy, safe and enjoyable community. By working together we can make an impact. Join us for our Community Clean Up Day! Click here to register. Click here to view flier.
FLOW 2016 Green Film Festival
April 10, 17, 20, 28
The FLOW Green Film Festival Committee invite you to attend the 2016 Green Film Festival. This year we will be screening three excellent films, one of these in conjunction with Ramapo High School, and holding a fun event for young children. The first film, "Inhabit," is being shown on April 10 and explains the ecological design process called permaculture. Wanda Knapik who is a certified permaculture expert will give a short presentation after the film. The next event on April 17 is for young children and features a reading of Eric Carle's "The Tiny Seed," a craft and short films. The screening of "Mann vs. Ford" on April 20 is a joint event with Ramapo High School. The final film on April 28 is "Racing to Zero," which focuses on San Francisco's efforts to ensure that all their waste is recycled or re-used. The film will be followed by a small exhibition of local businesses and organizations that have made reusing the core of their activities.
Click here to view the flier that includes full details of the times, and locations.
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