HASBROUCK HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Superintendent’s Report
June 21, 2007
Curriculum and Instruction -
High School –
HISTORY DEPARTMENT-
· Ms.
Golle’s World History students, including the Honors
class, completed the “World History Project.” The
students produced a spectacular array of projects, including posters, flyers,
t-shirt designs, letters to the editor, and public service announcements. Some
projects can be found on display in the HS library. This week, the students
are collecting for Dollars for Darfur, which will benefit the victims
of genocide in Darfur. We are eagerly anticipating the results of this
event.
The final unit of study for the year was European Exploration. The
students learned about exploration in Africa, Asia, and the Americas,
with a focus on the economic inspiration for discovery. We
compared Spanish, French, English, and Dutch settlements in the
Americas, and connected the history to the cultural diversity that
remains in the Americas today.
Currently, the students are preparing for their final exams.
· Ms.
Cassidy’s U.S. History I classes have completed the study of
urbanization and immigration in the early 20th century. The students
are beginning to review for the final exam.
· Ms.
Cassidy’s AP History class completed the course work and took
the AP exam in May. The students then worked on and final project for
the class.
· Mrs.
Stinziano’s U.S. History classes completed the final unit on
Migration and Industrialization Change Society. The students learned
how immigration, industrialization, and urbanization reshaped life in the United
States in the late 19th century. The students were also given a
study guide for the exam. The exam will cover Chapters 8 -15. The
students will be reviewing for the exam in class by discussions and review
games.
· Mrs.
McGinty’s United States History II Classes-The highlight of
this month was the culmination of the year-long project on the study of immigration.
Students compiled portfolios with samples of their work ranging from reflective
journal entries to reactions to current events regarding immigration to letters
written to legislators about pending immigration legislation. This was a valuable
project for the students as they developed the skills necessary to analyze
a current controversial issue and to create an informed opinion on the subject.
A comprehensive review of all material covered since the mid-term
will take place in preparation for the final exam at the end of
the month.
· Mrs.
Lewites' U.S. History I POR class is winding up the year going through
the Reconstruction period following the Civil War, touching on the Industrial
Age and discussing Immigration, setting the stage for their U. S. History II
class next year. Our last week will be spent going through an extensive
Final Exam review.
· Mrs.
Mikulka-Library/Media Center
Among the teachers who brought classes into the Library Media Center
this month were Mrs. Shannon, Mr. Pankiewicz, Ms. Kos, Mrs. McGinty,
Mr. Van Dam, Mrs. Meyer, Mr. Stillman, Mrs. Washburn, Mrs. Czekaj,
Mr. Smith, and Mr. Schimel. The Library was very ably run
by our Youth Week counterparts Ms. Lisa Coburn and Mr. Brendan
Sanatar on May 24th, our takeover day. I am in the process
of ordering some of the books they reviewed and recommended for
next year. Our Youth Librarians also helped to process some
donated paperback books. This month the Library was the site
of the Youth Week Blood Drive, Yearbook Photos for the Class of
2008, the Primary Election, and a very festive Spanish Luncheon.
· Mrs.
Marzi’s Sociology class completed our study of social class,
class mobility, class stratification, and castes. We have also spent some time
discussion class portrayal over time in the media, watching a selection of
television clips to demonstrate this. We have talked about some additional
issues in regards to culture, such as family, marriage, occupations, and life
style. We are ending our year with students presenting a sociological study
of an assigned decade, from 1900 to the present.
· Mrs.
Marzi’s Psychology class completed our study of learning, memory,
and intelligence, focusing on aspects relating to studying and maximizing learning
efficiency. Our final project entails our students each researching a psychological
disorder and presenting information to the class regarding diagnosis, treatment,
and prognosis.
· Mr.
Ketcho’s Business classes
Accounting I –Automated Accounting II –Consumer
Economics Security First Bank Project.
Word
Processing I and II
– Oceanview
Jobs #(1-20)
Computer
Applications 9 Cycle
– Oceanview
Jobs #(1-20)
WORLD LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT -
· Mrs.
Cafferty’s Spanish III students are learning about applying
for a job by filling out a questionnaire on which type of job would be suited
to their skills and personality.
· Mrs.
Squillace’s Spanish I students practiced a variety of activities
in Spanish about daily routines and grooming while Ms. Perdomo’s Spanish
I students are learning to order a meal in a restaurant, order drinks, and
ask for the check. Students are now learning about stem-changing verbs and
present progressive to indicate what they are doing and different activities
related to themselves.
· Mrs.
Carr’s Spanish II students are learning how to use the past
tense and reviewing for final exams while Spanish IV are writing short essays
using a variety of tenses. Spanish V is also reviewing for the final
exam.
· Mrs.
Washburn’s Italian students are researching information in Italian
and English on the Internet about the different cultures of the world.
MUSIC DEPARTMENT –
· Mr.
Ascolese reports that his music theory class is finishing recording
projects creating original compositions in 32 bar song form as well as piano
lessons in basic skills. Preparations for the 2007-2008 marching band season
are now underway.
· Mr.
Taylor reports that the choir is working on the selections to be sung
at the graduation ceremony on June 22. Selections include “You Raise
Me Up,” “Time to Believe in Our Dreams,” “The Star
Spangled Banner,” and the “Alma Mater.”
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT -
· Mrs.
Geftic’s journalism students have completed the last edition
of the Pilot’s Log which included a salute to the class of 2007. Currently,
students are preparing their final exams, an in-depth center spread on a current
topic.
· Mrs.
Geftic’s English 12 students are completing a unit on the Holocaust
and the effects of prejudice. As a culminating project, students created
journals, video presentations, and PowerPoint presentations about the life
of a given victim, bystander, or perpetrators.
· Mrs.
Czekaj’s English 10 students read works by groundbreaking poets
Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, and wrote their own poetry modeling on these. They
are reading The Glass Menagerie and watching the faithful film version
directed by Paul Newman.
· Mrs.
Czekaj’s Shakespeare Honors class is culminating its year of
study by viewing Tom Stoppard’s fictionalized version of Shakespeare’s
life, Shakespeare in Love. The producers have provided an educational
companion video for school use, which students will view in conjunction with
their final exam.
· Mrs.
Czekaj’s AP/College English students are intensely researching
the colleges they will attend in the fall for real-life information about the
dorms, the professors, and their programs.
· Mr.
Smith’s English 9 classes are concluding the course by learning
how to analyze poetry. Time and attention is being given to using the TPCASTT
method of analyzing poetry as well as how important it is to understand an
author’s biography before reading his or her poetry.
· Mr.
Smith’s HSPA English 10 class is concluding the course by completing
a film study unit in which they address elements of persuasion in film. Recently,
students completed an essay in which they discussed a person who motivates
them to change. This topic was inspired by students viewing of Freedom
Writers.
· Mr.
Van Dam’s English 11 classes are completing their study of William
Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The students are analyzing three
significant themes and identifying current events and political situations
that parallel the themes and characters in this tragedy.
· Mr.
Van Dam’s English 11-Honors class has completed their study
of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and is currently reading excerpts and
poetry from selected Romantic writers such as Blake, Wordsworth, and Keats. Students
are identifying content elements within the works that represent the ideals
and tenets of Romanticism while also analyzing poetic devices and structures.
· Mr.
Van Dam’s Juniors received their HSPA Language Arts scores and
the students continued to do very well on the state test. 98% of Mr.
Van Dam’s juniors passed the Language Arts section and 46% of those who
passed scored as Advanced Proficient.
· Mr.
Van Dam’s English 12 class is completing its research on classic
authors and their works. Each student’s research will serve to
teach and inform their peers on a work and author that they may study again
in college.
· Mr.
Van Dam’s English 12-Honors class is currently studying Asian
and Middle-Eastern poets and philosophies. The works of Rumi, Confucianism,
Taoism, Li Po, and others will be read, analyzed, and contrasted to traditional
western values and beliefs.
· Mrs.
Meyer’s English 9 class has finished their study of Romeo
and Juliet and have begun reviewing for their final examination.
· Mrs.
Meyer’s English 9Honor class has finished their reading of William
Golding’s Lord of the Flies and is finishing off the
school year analyzing the novel by writing three essays dealing with the major
themes of the work.
· Mrs.
Schneeweiss’ Communications classes are currently assessing
film as critical thinkers and working on projects such as recasting characters,
prequels, and sequels.
· Mrs.
Schneeweiss’ Drama class is in the process of rehearsing their
final scenes and projects for their final exams.
· Mr.
Pankiewicz’s English 10 students completed a film unit- viewing
Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. Students completed
a study guide to enhance comprehension. Furthermore, students will complete
a practice SAT writing prompt as a culminating activity.
· Mr.
Pankiewicz’s English 10 Honors students completed a study of
modernist poetry- specifically studying the imagist works of William Carlos
Williams and H.D; the stream of consciousness work of T.S. Elliot; and the
concrete poetry of E.E. Cummings. After a collaborative study of Robert
Frost’s poetry, students will complete a practice SAT writing prompt
on poetry as a culminating activity.
· Mr.
Pankiewicz’s Creative Writing students viewed The Chronicles
of Narnia as a prompt for writing. Students had the choice to complete
a movie review or utilize a character in the movie as a source for fan fiction
writing.
· Ms.
Monetti’s SAT Cycle class has taken the June test. Feedback
from the students was positive. Most of them felt confident after the
fact and felt that practicing the various parts of the SAT was useful, especially
learning Latin bases, prefixes, and suffixes to aid them with difficult vocabulary
they encountered on the test.
· Ms.
Monetti’s Genre and Critical Issues classes are finishing up
the drama genre. Students enjoyed The Shawshank Redemption and
have written their last journal for the year on this movie. Finally,
students will hand in and present final projects next week.
· Ms.
Monetti’s English 10 classes are watching and analyzing the
end of Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie. Students have
received the final exam review and are in the process of reviewing for the
exam.
· Ms.
Monetti’s English 11 classes have finishing reading and analyzing
William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Macbeth. As a review
for the final exam classes will watch Roman Polanski’s version of this
play. Lastly, there was positive feedback from the students on the Career’s
Research project; most expressed the importance of doing this project along
with goals they need to achieve for a successful end to their high school career.
· Mrs.
Fernandes’s Genre and Critical Issues classes for this month
are completing the drama genre with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and
the theme of change. Students will be presenting their final projects
during exam week.
· Mrs.
Fernandes’s HSPA English 10 and 11 students are refreshing their
writing and reading comprehension skills. The class is writing a persuasive
essay and reading a persuasive text. Their final exam will contain the
topics we are reviewing this month.
· Ms.
Kos’s English 9 students are finishing up their year with an
intensive writing process unit and a review on literary devices. This month,
students are working on week-long writing assignments in which they complete
multiple drafts that address different aspects of their writing, as well as
different parts of the process. Additionally, students are working on completing
their literary devices glossary, looking to this year’s readings to provide
specific examples.
· Ms.
Kos’s English 10 students are just finishing their study of
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. The HSPA curriculum
designed to complement the teaching of this novel was utilized. The unit will
culminate with students watching the movie version and writing reviews in which
they address critical aspects of both the film and the novel.
· Ms.
Kos’s English 11 class did a wonderful job with their 11th grade Career
Research projects with 100% of students completing the project on time and
in a satisfactory manner. Students are currently meeting individually with
the teacher to discuss the projects and to review summer reading requirements.
This class will end with students working to clean-up and revise a number of
assignments in their formal writing folders.
· Ms.
Kos’s English 12 class ended their year with the reading of
Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451. Students seemed to enjoy
this science fiction narrative about the future and are currently writing critical
essays in which they address some of the key social issues introduced in the
novel.
· Miss
Venneman's HSPA 9 classes have recently read and analyzed parts of
William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in order to utilize the examples
of persuasive speech within the drama. Students will be reviewing test taking
strategies and techniques for the remainder of the school year to better prepare
for the final exams.
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT –
· Mr.
Aldea's AP Calculus class will be introduced to additional topics
in Calculus.
· Mr.
Aldea's Statistcs class will be introduced to the Normal Distribution
in Chapter 9 and then will review for Final Exams.
· Mr.
Aldea's Honors Algebra II class will be finishing their
study on Rational Functions in Chapter 10 and then will finish off the year
studying Trigonometric Ratios and Functions in Chapter 13.
· Mr.
Aldea's Foundations of Advanced Math class is reviewing
college placement tests.
· Mrs.
Healey’s Precalculus classes completed the trigonometry unit
and are preparing for the final examination.
· Mrs.
Healey’s HSPA 11 class has completed their review for the HSPA.
Students are now working on reviewing skills for their Algebra II final.
· Mr.
Heller’s Geometry classes are completing the year with the study
of circles and the relationships between each of their components. These
classes are thoroughly reviewing the facets of triangles and circles covered
during the second half of the year in preparation for their final exams. Classroom
exercises include group discussions in problem solving and the many practical
applications of relationships within triangles and circles.
· Mr.
Heller's HSPA Math 9 class is continuing its comprehensive review
of material regularly found in the math portion of HSPA, with particular focus
on word problems, equations, inequalities, and general problem solving. In
each of these areas, the class is solving numerous problems similar in format
and content to those found on the HSPA exam, many of which include or require
familiarity with algebraic equations.
· Mr.
Heller’s HSPA Math 10 class is continuing its comprehensive
review of material regularly found in the math portion of HSPA, with particular
focus on word problems, equations, and general problem solving. In each
of these areas, the class is solving numerous problems similar in format and
content to those found on the HSPA exam, many of which include or require familiarity
with algebraic equations.
· Mrs.
Marano's Fundamentals of Advanced Mathematics class is working on
a review of basic algebra substitution and factoring. They will shortly begin
reviewing for their final exam.
· Mrs.
Marano's HSPA 11 class has completed their review for the HSPA. Students
are now working on reviewing skills for their Algebra II final.
· Mrs.
Michaeli’s Algebra 2 classes learned how to multiply and divide
rational expressions and how to solve equations containing rational expressions.
· Mr.
Monks’ Fundamentals of Geometry class has completed its work
in Chapter 10 which dealt with terms of a circle and determining the measurements
of central and inscribed angles, as well as their intercepted arcs.
· Mr.
Monks’ Algebra I class is finishing their work in simplifying
rational expressions and using properties of algebra to solve them when given
an equation or proportion.
· Mr.
Monks’ Geometry class has completed their work in Chapter 9
which dealt with area of figures and will finish the year studying the distance
and midpoint formulas.
· Mr.
Monks’ HPSA 9 class is directing their focus towards reviewing
their work during the year to prepare for the final exam.
· Mrs.
O’Brien’s Algebra I students are finishing up their study
of rational expressions. They are able to simplify an algebraic rational
expression, multiply and divide rational expressions, and solve rational
equations.
· Mrs.
O’Brien’s Fundamentals of Algebra I students are finishing
up their study of rational expressions. They are able to simplify an
algebraic rational expression, multiply and divide rational expressions,
and solve rational equations.
· Mrs.
O’Brien’s Fundamentals of Algebra II students are finishing
out the year by solving rational equations. Next we will be reviewing
for final exams and closing out the year.
· Mrs.
Stoehs ' Geometry class tackled trigonometry ratios. Once
they found the sine, cosine, and tangent of angles. They used the formulas
to determine the measurement of unknown sides of a right triangle.
· Mrs.
Stoehs' Algebra students worked on probability using dice, color cubes
and scrabble tiles. Students applied knowledge of ratios and multiplication
of fractions to determine the probability of events happening. They also used
counting principles to find possible combinations.
· Mrs.
Rad's Fundamentals of Algebra 2 class is solving problems by applying
the distributive property, simplifying algebraic problems by combining like
terms or parentheses, solving problems involving two numbers, as well solving
problems about factors and multiples.
· Mrs.
Rad's HSPA 9 class is completing problems that involve permutations
and combinations, as well as continuing to work on open-ended problems.
COMPUTER
APPLICATIONS -
· Mrs.
Marano's Computer Applications I class is currently concluding work
with Photoshop CS2 and preparing for their final exam.
· Mrs.
Marano's Computer Applications II class worked on the same projects
with the Computer Applications I class.
· Mr.
Ketcho’s Computer Applications 7 and 8 Cycles
Goals
Report
· Mrs.
Marano's Computer Cycle 6 class has recently finished a drawing using
Microsoft Word and a painting using Paint. Students are currently completing
a brochure using Microsoft Publisher. A final project will be to create an original
CD cover with art work and song list.
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT –
· Mr.
Binazeski’s Physical Science students continue
to learn about magnets, electricity, diodes, semiconductors, waves,
sound, light, music, the science of toys. An experiment was performed to
determine the physics of toys and the various topics learned throughout the
course in physics. If time permits an experiment to develop an USB charger
for an Ipod will be performed. Extra help for review for the final has been
offered each day form 2:40-4pm Monday-Friday.
· Mr.
Binazeski’s Environmental Science students
continue to learn about alternate energy resources (wind, solar, water, thermal)
and are beginning an exploratory lesson on hazardous waste and the effects
on the environment and local community. A discussion was held on the recent
toxic waste discovered in Paramus Middle School as well as Curtis Wright
in Hasbrouck Heights. Students then discussed the impact love canal had on
recent legislation and then watched Erin Brocovich to see how a case is handled
and settled in court. Extra help for review for the final has been offered
each day form 2:40-4pm Monday-Friday.
· Mrs.
Hicswa’s Biology classes have completed their study
of the Vertebrates. The topics covered were fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and
mammal. In covering these topics the students related performed dissections
on the shark, crayfish, frog, and pig. While studying the pig- the representative
mammal- the information was related to structures and their functions in the
human. The participation and motivation of the students was phenomenal
while performing these dissection labs. An overview of the Plant Kingdom
also was accomplished. Discussions concerning the various
levels of plant forms, flower structure, types of fruit, dispersal
of seeds, are a few of the topics studied.
· Mr.
Pignatiello’s Chemistry Classes are working on Acids and Bases. They
are experimenting with pH and titration with strong and weak acids. The
students are also starting to work with organic nomenclature. The students
will touch the surface of what organic chemistry has to offer. This
is one of the most difficult college classes and the students get
to work on the basics for a better foundation of chemistry
· Mr.
Pignatiello’s AP Chemistry Classes have completed the year
with a follow-up review of the chemistry topics that were covered
on the AP test. The
students help establish guidelines to follow for the new format that appeared
on the AP test this year. The students have worked on comparisons
of notes and methods to ensure progress for next years AP students.
· Mr.
Stine’s Physics classes are completing the study of optics,
to include the behavior of lenses and mirrors. The unit includes
an optical bench lab, which investigates the structure of telescopes and
microscopes. Mr.
Stine also spent 4 days (May 29-Jun 1) at a standards setting conference held
in Jamesburg N.J. The purpose of the conference was to establish cutoff scores
for proficient and advanced proficient on the 2007 Science HSPA.
· Mrs.
Stoehs' Biology students studied mammals and their body systems
by dissecting the fetal pig. Students learned the parts of the digestive,
respiratory and circulatory systems and saw how all the organs work together
in a healthy body. We further were able to tie all the past topics, such
as cells, diffusion, bacteria, and genetics, together to understand the complexity
of life.
· Ms.
Caputo’s painting classes are starting one more project before
the final. They will learn about the artist Piet Mondrian and the
styles he used in his paintings. This is a mixed media project.
The students will be working on scratch board and using acrylic paints. When the
last project is complete the students will start the final project for the
year.
· Ms.
Caputo’s graphic design class is currently finishing an advertisement
project. This project counts for several grades so the students
have extra time to work on this. The final product must be complete
and mounted before the final exam week. The students can begin their finals
early if they have completed the current project.
· Mrs.
Kritzer’s Advanced Art class is wrapping up the year by completing
a large painting of their choice. The class is also doing
a pencil self-portrait using descriptive words for shading and
toning ,
· Mrs.
Kritzer’s painting classes used silk as a painting surface. They
had to paint something with wings on a silk disk. All high school art students
had the opportunity to attend The Teen Arts Festival held on June 1st at Bergen
Community College. The Heights art exhibit showed very well.
Three out of ten students received a special recognition.
· Mrs.
Brinker’s Leadership Class is preparing events for senior
week including the annual Splash Party and the annual Medieval
Times trip and the annual senior-faculty barbecue.
· Mrs.
Brinker’s Multicultural Arts have been working
on Nearikas which is Mexican Yarn painting. These students have created
images using yarn and glue. All high school art students had the opportunity
to attend The Teen Arts Festival held on June 1st at Bergen Community College. The
Heights art exhibit showed very well. Three out of ten students
received a special recognition.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION / HEALTH EDUCATION -
· Grades
9 – 12. All Phys. Ed. Classes are continuing units in
tennis, soccer, power walking, wiffleball and use the cardio fitness room.
The police department spent the day at the school and 11 and 12 grade students
participated in a drunk driving demonstration. The police department set
up a driving course in the parking lot. The students drove the course with
a police officer with the drunk driving goggles and then repeated it with
the drunk driving goggles on. The students learned about the dangers of drinking
and driving.
· Ms.
Gaccione’s 9th grade health class continues to learn about
family life. Students have been participating in class activities while
learning about contraception, sexuality, and male/female reproductive systems.
· Mrs.
Kolich’s and Mrs. Miller’s 11th grade health classes
finished up a unit on Domestic Violence/Date Rape with a guest
speaker from the Bergen County Rape Crisis Center.
· Mrs.
Kolich’ 12th grade Health class is discussing HIV/AIDS awareness. The
topics included prevention, symptoms, and discrimination.
INDUSTRIAL ART -
· Mr.
Masucci’s Classes are finishing their table tops. The advance
classes are making shelves for the band room for their instruments.
USE OF LAPTOP:
· Mrs.
McGinty utilized The Americans software and the LCD projector,
students benefited from a PowerPoint review for the Civil
Rights chapter assessment.
· Mrs.
Geftic’s Journalism students used the laptop
to view NSPA and CSA winning newspaper entries in their national
contests. English
12 students viewed the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s presentation
of “Crisis in Darfur,” a powerful multi-media presentation
to help focus attention on the genocide in Darfur.
· Mrs.
Schneeweiss’ classes are using the laptop to research film,
casts, back stories, scenes, and reviews.
· Mr.
Pankiewicz’s journalism students utilized the school laptop
as a source for Internet Research. In addition, the creative writing class
revised the school’s literary magazine on the school laptop.
· Mrs.
Healey: The laptop has been used to calculate grades, write
reports, and communicate with students, parents, and teachers. It has
also been used for research purposes.
· Mr. Monks: Grades
and reports were calculated on Excel. Lesson plans have been generated in Word. Tests,
quizzes and extra help worksheets have been generated in Word. Email
has been used to communicate with parents and department teachers.
· Mrs.
Stoehs: The laptop is indispensable at exam time. Any spare
moment can be utilized to put together reviews and tests. Having
information stored on a flash drive or CD enables quick recall
of past work and cut and paste of previously used questions, with
the ability to change numbers and choices to essentially make a totally new
exam. With only one computer in the teacher's room, the laptop eases the
demand for usage.
I'd like to thank the district for giving me the opportunity to
use the laptop this year.
Middle School-
MATH DEPTARTMENT-
· Miss
Keller’s 6th grade mainstream Geometry classes will start
June off learning about theoretical probability as well as tree diagrams
and the counting principle. Through group work and practice problems the students will learn
how to use tree diagrams to help them determine the probability of an event. After
completing the sections, the students will begin reviewing for the final.
· Miss
Keller’s 6th grade Honors Geometry class will finish their
school year learning about dependent and independent variables. The students will
learn to be able to distinguish the difference between the two different events
as well as find the probability of each type of event. After completing
the sections, the students will begin reviewing for the final.
· Miss
DiPiano’s 6th grade Algebra classes have been working with
exponents and the distributive property. We will then work with functions and the
coordinate plane. The students learned about the meaning of exponents and
how to use the calculator to display exponents. The students will be learning
about the coordinate plane and function tables. They will learn to graph
functions on the coordinate plane before reviewing for final exams.
· Miss
DiPiano’s 6th grade Honors Algebra class has
completed their work with exponents and the order of operations. They have
worked with word problems that involve looking for patterns using their knowledge
of exponents as well as square roots and ordered pairs. They are currently
working with functions and the coordinate plane. They will create function
tables and graph linear equations before reviewing for final exams.
· Mrs.
Caputo’s 7th grade mainstream Algebra classes are finishing
Chapter 10 which will be followed by a test. Then the students will be complete
exam reviews.
· Mrs.
Caputo’s 7th grade Honors Algebra class is finishing Chapter
10 which will be followed by a test. Then the students will be complete
exam reviews.
· Mr.
Sickels’ 7th grade Geometry mainstream students are
finishing Chapter 11 followed by a test during the first week of
June. Then
the students will be complete exam reviews.
· Mr.
Sickels’ 7th grade Geometry Honors class is finishing Chapter
11 followed by a test during the first week of June. Then the students
will be complete exam reviews.
· Mr.
Mastropietro’s 8th grade Geometry classes are finishing
and making presentations on the mall project. Then we will be reviewing
for final exams.
· Mr.
Mastropietro’s 8th grade Honors Topics class is finishing
and making presentations on the mall project. Then we will be reviewing
for final exams.
· Mrs.
Dunne’s 8th grade Algebra I class has completed the chapter
on Rational Expressions. They have simplified, multiplied and divided rational
expressions, and solved rational equations. Exam review will follow the
last test.
· Mrs.
Dunne’s Math 8 classes have completed work with inequalities. They
have written, graphed, solved and used inequalities as a strategy to solve verbal
problems. Exam review will follow the last test.
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT:
· Mr.
Rispoli’s 6th grade science students are learning about the
human body. They have learned about the skeletal system, the digestive system
and the circulatory system. They have already being given information regarding
the final exam, including an outline of information on the exam. The final
week of classes will be spent reviewing for the exam.
· Mrs.
Toy’s 7th grade science class had another successful year
camping in Blairstown, New Jersey. The year is winding down and the students
are finishing it by completing a lab. They are constructing boats and sinking
them to understand the concept of density.
· Mr.
Cassiere’s 8th grade students concluded their introduction
to organic chemistry by synthesizing aspirin. The students combined organic
compounds such as Salicylic acid & Acetic anhydride to form Acetylsalicylic
acid (aspirin). Students tested their sample with a control (Bayer aspirin)
by using an iron chloride solution with 95% ethanol to see if they achieved a
100% synthesis of aspirin. The results were predictable with 13.3% of the
eighth grade achieving 100% aspirin. The students then began an introduction
to acid/base properties. After the acid/base introduction students will
be preparing for final exams.
ART DEPARTMENT:
· Ms.
Caputo’s technology class is currently working on a layout.
They need to create a design for a theme park using the bird’s eye view method. The
project will be completed by Wednesday. Students will then move on to two or
three more projects for the cycle duration
· Mrs.
Kritzer’s Cycle 8 art are working on tissue paper bottle made
by recycling glass bottles. They will complete the year by doing a watercolor
self-portrait.
· Mrs.Kritzer’s Cycle
7 art classes made a Matisse inspired name plate using collage
methods. They
also did scratch art of a Renaissance artist.
· Mrs.
Brinker’s Cycle 6 Art Class has been working on silk paintings
of flowers and fish as they learn to blend colors and shades.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION:
· 6th,
7th and 8th grade PE classes are all participating in either softball
or tennis, unless the activity must be indoors due to inclement
weather, where the will play wiffleball or use the cardio room.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT:
· Ms.
Gaccione’s 8th grade Health class just completed Heart saver
CPR. Students
practiced and demonstrated skills for CPR in the adult and child. CPR skills
were then assessed individually by an oral test.
· Mrs.
Miller’s 6th grade Health cycle is finishing the unit on tobacco
and alcohol with a picture story poster that is displayed in the
health room.
INDUSTRIAL ARTS:
Mr. Masucci‘s new cycle class are finishing
up cutting boards.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
· Mr.
Warren's Social Studies 6 classes wrapped up the year by closing
out their study of Ancient and Classical Greece with the presentation
of their Fourth Marking Period Projects. The students had a choice of projects to
work on which included creating a Map of Ancient Greece that featured the
major cities written in English and Phoenician (an ancient language), the varied
geography of Greece and what kinds of food were grown in different regions. The
maps were on display in the Middle Level Hallway. Some students decided
to research a god or goddess and included pictures of how they looked. Others
chose to make a replica of Greek coins using clay and etching tools to engrave
the clay with symbols from Ancient Greece. The final choice included a
recreation and performance of one of Aesop's Fables. The students who chose
this project brought in props and created a script to follow and performed these
legendary fables in front of their classmates. Moving westward, the students
left Greece and traveled to Ancient Rome where they traced the legend of Romulus
and Remus and the founding of Rome. From there the students analyzed the
daily life of Romans and were introduced to Roman numerals and the Julian calendar. Finally,
the class learned about the Origins of Christianity and how that new religion
affected the Roman Empire.
· Students
in Mrs. Gay's Social Studies classes are concluding their Geography
course by focusing on the United States. They are demonstrating their knowledge
of the location of the fifty states and the major water bodies both within the
United States and surrounding it. They are also learning about the
free enterprise system/market economy of our nation and the values and cultures
of the country.
· Mrs.
Rucci’s 8th grade students completed and handed in their Washington,
D.C. projects. The last test folders with all the recently graded
papers have been sent home for parents to see. Topics that we’ve covered over
the past month were: The Roaring Twenties, The Depression, WWII, The Holocaust,
Korean War, Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. The students were
very interested in the class discussions, especially when talking about the last
fifty years. Final exam review will begin shortly.
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT:
· Mrs.
Rowland’s 7th grade English classes are working from Anne
Frank Beyond the Diary and analyzing this work of literature,
showing how it reflects the heritage, traditions, attitudes, and beliefs of the
World War 11 era.
· Mr.
Sicilian’s 8th grade English classes are working on the last
vocabulary unit of the year, prepping for final exams, and finalizing
writing portfolios with the selection of writing samples they choose
to send up to the high school.
· Mr.
Sicilian’s English 8 Honors class is working
on the same activities, but is feverishly finishing their own autobiographies,
complete with a multi-media technology piece. Student presentations
will take place June 11-14 in class.
· Ms.
Wolf’s English 6 classes have spent the last month learning
about several rules in grammar and writing. They finished up the year with learning
rules for capitalization and punctuation which will enhance their writing. The
students have continued enhancing their writing skills with bi-weekly writing
assignments. All of the writing assignments follow the format of the NJ
standardized tests. The writing is based on pictures or scenarios for writing
tasks. Many of the writing tasks ask the students to create “persuasive
writing” pieces. In addition, the students have also continued to
broaden their vocabulary with daily words and bi-weekly spelling units. During
the last week and a half of school, the sixth graders will review all of the
material that they have learned during the course of the year. This will
help them prepare for their final exams which will be given during the last week
of school.
· Mr.
Stillman's Literature 8 Honors and Literature 8 classes
are rapidly winding up the school year. The final units of Romeo & Juliet (honors)
and Soldier X (regular) have been wrapped up and the focus
of the class has turned toward finals. Everyone is still trying
to figure out where this year went!
· Mr.
Colangelo’s Literature 8 class will conclude its unit on Soldier
X. The class will receive a brief review regarding Joseph Campbell
before beginning their review for the final exam.
· Mr.
Colangelo’s Literature 7 classes just finished their unit
on The
Wave. The final assessment for the unit consisted
of a group (music) project. The classes will begin their review for the final exam.
· Mr.
Colangelo’s Creative Writing 7 class will continue to write
in a variety of forms. The class has completed lessons on journal writing,
autobiographies, film studies, and finishing stories without endings. They
will move on to news articles before reaching their final exam.
· Mr.
Colangelo’s Study Skills 6 class will continue to work out
of their Study Skills workbook, You Can Take Charge. The
class has covered numerous lessons from healthy eating habits to
resisting negative peer pressure. They will conclude with a lesson on the value of group work before
preparing for the final exam.
· Miss
Venneman's Literature 7 classes have recently completed the unit
in which they studied the novel The Wave by Todd Strasser. Since
then they have begun a unit on poetry in which they will analyze various forms
of poetry and identify several literary devices that are commonly found in poetry.
Students will also be reviewing for the Literature 7 final exam.
· Karen
Dolan’s 6th Grade Literature students have been very busy
this month reading Kindertransport by Olga
Levy Drucker. The
final novel test will be on Monday, June 11, 2007. On June 12-14 the students
will prepare for their first final exam ever. They are nervous and many
have already begun to study for this big test. We are sad to see them leave
sixth grade, but are confident that they have worked hard. The summer reading
list is ready for the upcoming sixth graders. A copy of the summer reading
requirement for entering sixth graders will be available this summer on the sixth
grade website (http://ms.hhschools.org/six/). On
June 19 and 20, 2007, Ms. Dolan will travel to
the two elementary schools to discuss the reading requirement to
the upcoming sixth graders. Additionally,
any student who reads a total of 9 books over the summer will earn a 100% quiz
grade for Ms. Dolan’s literature class in
September. By
upping the ante, Ms. Dolan hopes she will encourage
more students to read this summer. Copies of the summer reading requirements will also
be available at the Hasbrouck Heights Public Library, as well as in the Middle
School office.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES:
· Mrs.
Cafferty’s eighth graders are working on writing a report on a
Spanish speaking country in Central America in Spanish to present to the class
as well as learning town, food, and clothing vocabulary.
· Ms.
Perdomo’s seventh graders are learning the vocabulary to describe
what is in their room. They will also be learning about Spain.
· Ms.
Perdomo’s sixth graders have been learning a variety of phrases
to write basic dialogs that include questions they ask when they meet someone
(name, age, origin, likes, dislikes, etc.).
MUSIC DEPARTMENT:
· Ms.
Moroney reports that her cycle classes are continuing to learn new
notes and proper fingerings and will start with simple melodies shortly.
The sixth and seventh grade bands will spend the remaining rehearsals sight-reading
appropriate arrangements for their ability level.
· Mr.
McCarthy reports that his seventh grade vocal class is working on
voice placement, breathing, sol feggio, mixing vowels.
· Mr.
Taylor reports continuing practice a variety of selections.
6th Grade Technology Pilot Program
Michelle
DiPiano – Math
Weekly quizzes,
tests, and worksheets are created using Microsoft Word. Weekly lesson plans are created weekly using Microsoft
Excel. Grades are entered weekly using the Grade Quick Program. The
program was also used to calculate marking period 4 progress reports,
as well as a reference when speaking with students and parents. Microsoft
was also used to create final exams and exam outlines. We are also
currently receiving training in Edline and hoping to be up and
running soon.
Miss DiPiano’s webpage at teacherweb.com is still being
used daily. The students check homework, update notes, and
to complete extra practice on the topics they are learning in class.
Karen
Dolan – Literature
Throughout
the month of May, Miss Keller will use her lap top in a number
of ways to help improve her teaching. With each
quiz and test Miss Keller administers to her students she uses
Grade Quick to organize and keep track of her students’ averages.
Miss Keller has also used her computer in other helpful ways. Through
the use of Microsoft Word, Miss Keller has created test, quizzes
and worksheets that have been used in her Geometry classes. Having
internet access allows Miss Keller to keep in contact with parents
and administrators through the use of e-mail. Educational
websites have also helped her with lesson plans and group activities
which the students can complete in order to grasp the topic in
which they are learning. These educational websites also
provide Miss Keller with additional problems the students can use
to practice their math skills.
Michelle
Keller – Math
Throughout
the month of June, Miss Keller will use her lap top in a number
of ways to help improve her teaching. With each
quiz and test Miss Keller administers to her students she uses
Grade Quick to organize and keep track of her students’ averages.
Miss Keller has also used her computer in other helpful ways. Through
the use of Microsoft Word, Miss Keller has created test, quizzes
and worksheets that have been used in her Geometry classes. Having
internet access allows Miss Keller to keep in contact with parents
and administrators through the use of e-mail. Educational
websites have also helped her with lesson plans and group activities
which the students can complete in order to grasp the topic in
which they are learning. These educational websites also
provide Miss Keller with additional problems the students can use
to practice their math skills.
David
Rispoli – Science
The laptop
in Mr. Rispoli’s possession has been used daily
for recording grades, homework and preparing worksheets. It
was used to create tests, quizzes and study guides. It
is also used daily to research questions the students ask during
discussions.
The laptop was used in coordination with the projector to show
several video clips from www.unitedstreaming.com. Topics
included were the circulatory system and the digestive system.
Michael
Warren – Social Studies
The school
issued laptop was used to create the rubric for the Fourth Marking
Period Ancient Greece Project as well as a visual aide for the
students in the class. The students were able
to see pictures from their teacher's recent trip to Italy and Rome
in particular. A slide show was presented to the students
as they viewed such historical places as Pompeii village, the Coliseum,
the Roman Forum, and the Vatican. Lastly, the computer was
used to keep track of grades via Grade Quick, and to create student
quizzes and tests via the resources from McDougal Littell.
Allison
Wolf – English
Ms. Wolf has
made great use of technology in the past month with her school
provided laptop. The laptop has been used as an
instruction, communication, grading, and preparation for class.
As an instructional
tool, Ms. Wolf has used the laptop to help students in her “Pull out Support” class. They
use the programs and games as a review of material learned in class. Ms.
Wolf will use the computer as a reinforcement during review for
final exams.
This past month,
the laptop was a great source of information in order to enhance
the students’ learning experience when
understanding the effects of The Holocaust.
The laptop
continues to be a great source of communication with the parents. Ms. Wolf is able to communicate quickly with
parents about their child. This is a great tool for a specific
response to a question, an update on a grade, or a behavioral issue.
Ms. Wolf uses
the “Grade Quick” program on her computer. This
program allows Ms. Wolf to keep record of all of the grades for
tests, quizzes, and homework. The program also allows Ms. Wolf
to send home computer-generated progress reports to parents to
update them throughout the marking period. In addition, the
laptop continues to be used to create all tests, quizzes, and assessments
for Ms. Wolf’s classes. This is a very quick and convenient
tool.
During the
month of July, Ms. Wolf will continue to use the computer and
all that it provides while teaching summer school.
Euclid
School –
Math
• Kindergarten is demonstrating their awareness of subtractions
by utilizing coins. They are reviewing their number concepts previously
learned. They are using pictures to solve real world problems. They are
creating and acting out number stories. They are practicing these skills
through multiple manipulatives.
Grade 1 is working with fractions. They are identifying
halves, thirds and quarters. They are reviewing the value of coins such
as the penny, nickel and quarter. They are solving word problems by practicing
the strategy, “Using Logical Reasoning”. They are practicing
their act it out strategy for working with money. They are reviewing various
concepts like shapes, addition, and subtraction that were previously learned
this year. Grade 2 has completed their study of the metric
system. They are exploring multiplication and taking timed mini tests
to sharpen their accuracy and speed. They continue to complete two step
problem solving. They are focusing on division and working to improve
their speed regarding computation. They are reviewing time and measurement.
They are completing review drills from concepts learned earlier this year. Grade
3 is focusing on a review of two and three digit multiplication. They
are solving problems by choosing an order of operation. They are dividing
with remainders and two digit numbers. They are working with money. They
are comparing amounts and making change. They are telling time and completing
their mad minute practice. They are completing review exercises on multiple
skills previously learned. Grade 4 is working on divisibility
rules. They are finding factors and multiples using a number line. They
are focusing on the problem solving strategy of finding a pattern. They
continue to review their basic multiplication facts. They are completing
their mad minute drills for the year. Grade 5 is continuing their study
of dividing fractions. They are practicing their mad minutes and reviewing
and reinforcing their skills for multiplying decimals. They are practicing
their multiplication of fractions and working with percentages. They
are practicing their problem solving skills and completing their mad minute
drills for the year.
Science
• Kindergarten has completed their study of animals and
the life cycles. They are learning about the ocean habitat. They are
creating aquariums that exemplify various fish and plant life. They are
identifying sea creatures that are mollusks and reading about jellyfish.
Grade 1 is learning all about the characteristics
of different types of weather. They are studying erosion different types of land and
water erosion and types of air masses.
Grade 2 is continuing their study of space. They are
learning about the moon and its phases and the various characteristics of the
solar system.
Grade 3 is focusing on forces and motions. They are
determining how things change position. They are identifying variable
speeds and forces that affect motion. They are concentrating on their
study of gravity and magnetism.
Grade 5 is classifying nonrenewable resources. They
are identifying the sun as a star and the characteristics of energy. They
are discussing hydroelectric energy and its traits.
Social Studies
• Kindergarten is learning about Flag Day. They are
reading stories and creating flag wind socks. They are studying the flags colors
and their meaning. They are practicing the Pledge.
Grade 1 completed their study of landforms and is now focusing
on the earth. They are learning about the earth’s resources and how
important recycling is. They created posters to show what they have learned.
Grade 2 is working on their geography skills. They are
studying the globe and various type of maps. They are using a compass and
drawing maps of the classroom.
Grade 3 is focusing on their study of places that communities
start. They are identifying the characteristics of a mountain community
and water community. They are working with graphs and identifying world
climate patterns.
Grade 4 is learning why the Lenape Indians left New Jersey. They
are creating books about the Lenape Indians. They are studying the clothing and
jewelry of the Lenape Indians. They are also creating group murals that
show the Lenape’s way of life.
Grade 5 is discussing the Bill of Rights. They are learning
about the Constitution and writing reports about famous women. They are
learning about the history of the flag and its symbolism. Students are
creating their own flags and completing new nation activities.
Language Arts
• Kindergarten is practicing the writing of upper and lower
case letters from dictation. They are responding to literature using phonetic
spelling. They are rhyming syllables and identifying signal words. They
are matching words with the same medial sounds and decoding short vowel words.
They are focusing on sight words and creating word families. They are reviewing
their color words and number words. They are listening to and reading stories
about the sea.
Grade 1 is working with the long sound of u. They are
blending sounds and building high frequency words. They are previewing,
predicting, and tapping in to prior knowledge while reading. They are practicing
their use of was and were in written sentences. They are writing zoo stories. They
are creating memory books and identifying the main idea of a given paragraph.
Grade
2 continues to work with action verbs and identifying “ou” words. They
are creating How to Booklets for cooking. They are reading a story about
Dinosaur Travels. They are working with idioms. They are spelling
words with a vccv pattern. They are focusing in literal and inferential
comprehension questions. They are perfecting their summaries that include
a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Grade 3 is developing their listening skills through audio taped
stories. They are working on fact and opinion. They are utilizing
leveled readers to reinforce skills. They are concentrating on present
tense verbs. They are completing various exercises related to the novel, Chocolate
Fever.
Grade 4 is locating main ideas and supporting details. They
are making inferences and identifying cause and effect in their reading selections. They
are taking oral fluency assessments and completing their holistic assessments.
They are presenting book reports. They are identifying prepositions and
the object of the preposition. They are completing personal narratives
and taking their QAAR assessments. They are creating a class newspaper
using the different genres of news articles.
Grade 5 is focusing on vocabulary words by alphabetizing
them, defining them, and identifying their parts of speech. They are practicing
their oral fluency and working on think and respond questions. They are
completing their holistic assessments. They are editing informational essays
and working with verbs. They are formulating contractions. Students are
completing narratives in relation to their 5th grade memories.
Physical Education
• All of the students at Euclid School had an excellent
time at Field Day. They participated in a multitude of activities like
the long jump, softball throw, track and field activities, sack race and the
tug of war. Mr. Minichiello passed out ribbons to the winners at a Field
Day Culmination Assembly.
Art
• Kindergarten is
identifying colors that are warm and cool. They are completing a mural
and identifying the colors of the rainbow. First Grade is
working with 3-dimensional houses. Second grade is creating drawings of
an underwater city. Grade three is working on spectrum
designs. Grade 4 is using math in art by creating angles. Grade
5 is completing their plaster projects.
Library and Computers
• Kindergarten is creating a graphic using art tools. They
are making text boxes and inserting text. Grade one is
creating a graphic using clip art to edit font and size in a text box. Grade
two is producing a graphic on a square grid. Grade three is
working on their key boarding accuracy. Grade four is
formatting a letter on a word document. Grade five completed
their Power Point presentations and continue to practice their keyboarding.
World Language
• Students in Kindergarten are learning the names of familiar
animals. First graders are reviewing numbers, colors and
facial parts. Second graders are reviewing animals and community
workers and toys. Third graders are reviewing numbers 1-30,
rooms in a house and buildings in a town. Fourth graders are
reviewing food, places in town and vehicles. Fifth graders are
reviewing numbers 1-100, food and Spanish countries and their capitals.
Music
• The Spring Concert was a great success for the fourth and fifth grade
choir. Kindergarten is working on their performance skills
for their Kindergarten Celebration. Grade One is working
on continuous and non-continuous beats. Grade Two is working
on beat and creating some original compositions. Grade Three is
working on improvising with instruments. Grade Four is
singing songs and creating beats to compliment the music. Grade
Five is working on their Graduation performance.
Lincoln School -
Mathematics:
Kindergarten students learned about data, graphing,
and probability. They gathered information and made graphs
and tally tables. Our first graders have
been discussing fractions and 2 digit addition and subtraction.
We are continuing to practice all of our facts and time
our students. We are always reviewing word problems. The second
grade classes reviewed the skills of measurement in
inches, centimeters, feet, temperature, cups, pints, quarts,
capacity, and weight. They are also reviewing the multiplication
tables to five. The third graders are mastering
2- and 3- digit by 1-and 2- digit multiplication as well as long
division with remainders. Fourth graders will
finish up by continuing to be challenged on a fifth grade level.
The learners will be able to work with percentages and negative
numbers. The learners will then prepare for Miss Sigl's Final
Challenge Exam, which will be given on Monday, June 18, 2007.
The final exam will include all topics covered from September
through June. The learners will get a packet to review prior
to the exam. In addition, the learners continue to take weekly
Mad Minute Quizzes in both Multiplication and Division. As well
as, complete a problem of the week to be filed into the math
folders. The fifth graders have completed a
unit on integers and are currently studying volume and surface
area of solid figures.
Science:
Kindergarten students learned about the lifecycle
of a butterfly. How exciting it was to watch the caterpillars
change into beautiful butterflies. They made butterfly
booklets and read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." They also
had so much fun releasing their butterflies in front of Lincoln
School. Our first graders have completed
our unit on the Solar System. The second
graders completed their weather unit and discussion
of the water cycle and are now reviewing the concept of the different
kinds and sources of energy. They are also discussing motion
and force. The third graders are finishing the
chapter on sound and will start the solar system. The fourth
grade students completed their Volcano Projects and
they will demonstrate them on June 15th. Each student chose
an active, dormant, or inactive volcano and made a model
of this volcano. Students completed a short report to accompany
their volcano.
Social Studies:
Our kindergarten students learned about Memorial
Day and proudly displayed their red, white, and blue wreaths
and flag pictures. They also made gifts for their
mothers and fathers in honor of Mother's Day and Father's Day.
The first graders have completed the text book.
We have discussed our country's holidays to end the year. The second
grade classes discussed the meaning of Memorial Day and
are currently making Father's Day Projects and projects for Flag
Day. The third graders are learning about explorers,
their contributions to the new world, and new settlements in America.
The fourth grades. The fifth
graders are studying the 50 states and the abbreviations
of each to prepare them for the Middle level.
Language Arts:
The kindergarteners read Theme 11, Exploring Our
Surroundings and learned about the letters Q and U. They
became familiar with the sight words "one" and "little". The
reading series ended with Theme 12, Under the Ocean. The
classes reviewed the short vowel sounds. They also continued
to practice writing. Our first graders completed
the last reading book. We completed the pages in our phonics books
and practice workbooks. We also completed the last oral reading
frequency test. The second graders have completed
reading the story, "Dinosaur Travels". The focus skill
for this story was descriptive element. The next story will be "Montique
on the High Seas". The focus skill for this story will be
time order words. In spelling, the second grade classes have completed
their spelling unit on draw and caught words. In English, the second
grade classes completed a unit on poetry. In addition the
concepts of verb tense, suffixes, prefixes, and editing skills
were reviewed. In phonics, the second grade classes reviewed the
str and sch sounds and are presently reviewing the digraphs and
dipthongs. The third grades All third graders
have finished their second reader, On Your Mark. They are currently
completing the Holistic Assessment for the third theme. We are
presently reviewing grammar. The third graders are reviewing letter
writing and responding to everyday text. They are still using
picture prompts in their writing. The fourth graders completed
a unit on adjectives and adverbs. Students are currently
learning about prepositions and prepositional phrases and they
learned how to write an advantage/disadvantage essay. This month
we will be finishing the book MR POPPERS PENGUINS. The 4th
grade reading class will be making balloon globes learning about
all of the places penguins live. They will be using blue
balloons and markers drawing the north and south poles, the continents,
and the equator. The students will also be researching explorers
and different famous theaters in history. A unit test will follow. The fifth
graders are completing Number the Stars and it
appears they enjoyed the book. The Living Wax Museum speeches were
a success for the 5th graders, while they are finishing a unit
on prepositions in their Language Arts class.
Physical Education:
K-5- worked on developing their skills for Field Day 2007.
K-2- grades worked on assorted relay races and agility relays.
Most of this month we got to work outside on these various skills.
The areas worked on were: crab and bear walks, jump rope relays,
hockey stick and waffle ball, bean bag races, soccer relays and
assorted running races.
3 & 4 – worked on organizing their relay race positions
and placing their team mates in different events for the 40 and
60 yard relays. Practice for the 50 yard obstacle course was also
practiced in preparation for Field day.
Music: (All Elementary Schools)
The 4th and 5th Grade Instrumental students performed their Spring
Concert successfully. Professional musicians were brought
in to do a demonstration for the 3rd Grade students in order
to recruit for next year's Band Program.
For the remainder of the year, the students will be working from
their Standard of Excellence method books.
World Language:
All students will complete an oral assessment on the following
topics:
K-
Greeting words; Colors and #'s 1-10
1st-Polite
words; parts of the face and #'s 1-10.
2nd-
#'s 1-20; community workers and community places.
3rd-Community
workers' community places and community vehicles.
4th-Meals,
parts of the house, kitchen items and items in the bedroom.
5th-Classroom items; rooms in the house; kitchen items
and items in the bedroom.
Media Center:
Students in the third, fourth and fifth grades have concluded
their use of Microsoft Publisher and are concentrating on keyboarding
skills. Third graders use Type to Learn 3, fourth and fifth graders
use New Keys for Kids and Type to Learn 3.
Second Graders have been reviewing and strengthening their internet
skills.
Kindergarteners and first graders are reviewing the skills developed
during the year.
Books are being returned and fines will be collected.
Workshops –
High School – Nothing to report
Middle School- Nothing to report
Euclid School –
Improving Instruction – June 4, 2007 – Mrs. Simmons
School Master Training – June 5, 2007 – Mrs. Carlin
Lincoln School - Nothing to report
General Administration -
High School –
Successful fire drills were held on:
• 9/12/06 @ 10:05 am
• 9/21/06 @ 9:04 am
• 10/3/06 @ 12:02 pm
• 10/20/06 @ 2:38 pm
• 11/3/06 @ 1:17 pm
• 11/16/06 @ 9:49 am
• 12/7/06 @ 1:17 pm
• 12/14/06 @ 9 am
• 1/4/07 @ 1:16 pm
• 1/12/07 @ 9:51 am
• 2/1/07 @ 11:02 am
• 2/26/07 @ 1:44 pm
• 3/21/07 @ 1:18 pm
• 3/27/07 @ 1:19 pm
• 4/11/07 @ 8:59 am
• 4/16/07 @ 2:10 pm
• 5/8/07 @ 1:30 pm
• 5/17/07 @ 9:12 am
• 6/7/07 @ 11:02 am
• 6/12/07 @ 9:01 am
Lockdown:
• 2/28/07 @ 9:50 am
Elevator Tests:
• 9/18/06
• 10/13/06
• 12/9/06
• 11/15/06
• 1/12/07
• 1/16/07
• 3/15/07
• 4/13/07
• 5/11/07
• 6/13/07
Middle School:
• 9/12/06 @ 10:05 am
• 9/21/06 @ 9:04 am
• 10/3/06 @ 12:02 pm
• 10/20/06 @ 2:38 pm
• 11/3/06 @ 1:17 pm
• 11/16/06 @ 9:49 am
• 12/7/06 @ 1:17 pm
• 12/14/06 @ 9:00 am
• 1/4/07 @ 1:16 pm
• 1/12/07 @ 9:51 am
• 2/1/07 @ 11:02 am
• 2/26/07 @ 1:44 pm
• 3/21/07 @ 1:18 pm
• 3/27/07 @ 1:19 pm
• 4/11/07 @ 8:59 am
• 4/16/07 @ 2:10 pm
• 5/8/07 @ 1:30 pm
• 5/17/07 @ 9:12 am
• 6/7/07/ @ 11:02
• 6/12/07 @ 9:01 am
Lock Down:
• 2/28/07 @9:50 am
Elevator Tests:
• 9/18/06
• 10/13/06
• 12/9/06
• 11/15/06
• 1/12/07
• 1/16/07
• 3/15/07
• 4/13/07
• 5/11/07
• 6/13/07
Euclid School
Fire Drills:
9/13/06
10/10/06
10/18/06
10/19/06
11/17/06
11/27/06
12/07/06
12/11/06
1/25/07
2/28/07
3/13/07
3/29/07
4/19/07
5/9/07
5/15/07
6/14/07
Lockdowns:
10/31/06
11/06/06
11/30/06
1/16/07
1/25/07
3/20/07
4/09/07
4/12/07
5/18/07
6/14/07
Elevator Checks:
9/21/06
10/16/06
11/15/06
12/12/06
1/15/07
2/9/07
3/12/07
4/09/07
5/15/07
6/14/07
Lincoln School :
Fire Drills:
9/13/06
9/22/06
10/16/06
10/24/06
11/6/06
11/29/06
12/12/06
12/13/06
1/9/07
1/18/07
2/1/07
2/2/07
3/1/07
3/13/07
4/3/07
4/10/07
5/8/07
5/15/07
6/18/07
6/20/07
Lock Down:
9/22/06
10/25/06
11/20/06
1/10/07
2/7/07
3/15/07
4/11/07
5/17/07
6/18/07
Elevator Check:
9/22/06
10/16/06
11/06/06
12/12/06
1/12/07
2/7/07
3/14/07
4/13/07
5/9/07
6/11/07
Accomplishments –
High School –
• Mrs. Carr’s Spanish IV students finished reading “Don
Quijote” in Spanish while the Spanish II students presented
oral reports on Spanish government.
• Mr. Eggmann’s French students went to Madeleine’s
Petit Paris restaurant and ordered a French lunch for take out.
Mme Caloz, owner of the restaurant, assisted them.
• Mrs. Washburn’s Italian students have gone on a trip
to the United Nations to see what the different nations of the
world discuss and how they act upon world problems.
• Mr. Ascolese reports that the marching band performed
well in the Memorial Day parade on May 28
• Mr. Taylor reports that the high school choir performed
in the spring concert on May 23 and will perform again at Teen
Arts and graduation.
Middle School-
• Ms. Perdomo’s seventh grade students made a brochure
to invite people to go to Spain and celebrated with a fiesta that
will involve dancing the popular dances like flamenco and sardana.
• Ms. Perdomo’s sixth grade students will end with a
Spanish Fiesta where students will be able to taste some authentic
Spanish cuisine while discussing the culture and customs of Spain
and Latin America.
• Mr. Taylor reports that the middle school choir performed
nicely in the spring concert on May 23. The sixth and seventh grade
vocal music classes continue to learn new unison and 2 and 3 part
songs.
• Mr. McCarthy reports that the seventh grade general
music class has completed the romantic period, Beethoven, and Shubert
while the eighth grade has completed Dixieland jazz and other American
music.
• Ms. Moroney reports that the middle level band performed
nicely in the spring concert too.
Middle School Student Council
• The Middle School Student Council visited the fifth grades
at both Lincoln and Euclid School on Thursday, May 17, 2007. The
members of the Student Council Welcoming Committee prepared presentations
to be given to the fifth graders to prepare them for their journey
to the Middle School. Once again it was a successful program, and
many of the 5th graders’ fears were alleviated by the Student
Council members. On Wednesday, June 6, 2007 the Middle School Student
Council held its last meeting of the year. At the meeting, the
Student Council members were given a $15.00 gift certificate to
Barnes and Noble as a sign of appreciation for all of their hard
work this year. It was a very successful year, and all members
of the Student Council should be congratulated for their hard work
and dedication. Mrs. Rucci and Ms. Dolan are looking forward to
next year!
· Mrs.
Squillace’s eighth grade cycle class learned and sang holiday
songs in Spanish and completed their South America’s country
project. Mrs. Cafferty’s seventh grade cycle class created
flashcards for study as well as vocabulary games.
· Mr.
Vanamo reports on a successful winter concert with the middle level
choir on December 21, 2005.
· Mr.
McCarthy reports on the start of the third cycle for seventh grade on the baroque
period and for the eighth grade on early American music. Some students sang
solos for extra credit at the end of the second cycle.
Euclid
School –
6/1-Torch Run
6/6-Spring Concert
6/7-Kindergarten trip to police station
6/7-Kindergarten Learning to make Pizza using measurement at Lovey’s
6/11-5th grade Picnic at Depken Field
6/12-Summertime reading presentation to students by Mrs. Nichols
6/13-Kindergarten Orientation
6/13-Mrs. Dolan’s Summer Reading Program
6/14-Patrol Celebration Grade 5
6/14-Torch Run Lunch Celebration
6/15-Fourth Grade Trip to Newark Museum
6/15-5th Grade Dance
6/18-What’s Blooming Celebration – Grades K & 2
6/19-5th Grade Promotion
6/20-Kindergarten Celebration
6/21-5th Yearbook signing
Lincoln School
Field Day June 1, 2007
5th grade picnic June 6, 2007
Spring Concert June 7, 2007
5th grade tours HHMS June 7, 2007
Read a Thon assembly June 11, 2007
Jump Rope for Heart June 11, 2007
Torch Run Party June 12, 2007
Kindergarten Orientation June 13, 2007
Kindergarten Celebration June 15, 2007
5th grade dance and party June 18, 2007
Student Recognition
High School –
· One
new student was inducted into the Spanish National Honor Society on June 6
as follows: Harvir Kaur.
· Ms.
Perdomo wishes to congratulate Alejandro Fortoul for his dedication
and effort and Luis Sanchez for being so cooperative.
· Chris
Alcantara, Lisa Vacarella, and Julie Ersfeld all successfully sang solos
at the spring concert. National School Choral Award and Choir Directors Award
will be given at the senior awards ceremony on June 12.
Middle School-
· Ms.
Perdomo wishes to congratulate James and Jacob for their dedication
to their sixth grade Spanish work and in the seventh grade, Sylvia Shafik,
for her dedication and organization in her assignments.
· Mr.
McCarthy reports that students will sing voluntarily solos for grading
in both the seventh and eighth grade classes.
· Mr.
Taylor reports that Johanna Nass sang her first solo during the spring
concert. Sandfhya Ramani, Sarah Pianese, Kevin Dugay, Joseph Daidone sang in
the high school choir as well as middle school choir.
Euclid
School –
· Birthday
Bulletin Board Acknowledgment
· Books
for Birthday Treats
· Star
Student Recognition
· Signing
of Tests by Principal
· What’s
Blooming Award Certificates
· Kindergarten
Award Certificates
· Graduation
Awards presented to Grade 5
Lincoln
School –
· May
31, 2007 A.S., D.S., R.P., M.L. N.G., Z.D, P.L., D.V., D.C. Were awarded with
flowers and certificates courtesy of Mrs. Heck and Mr. O’Shea for the
Environmental Poster Contest.
Staff
Attendance by percentage & number-
High School –
Attendance from 5/11/07 to 6/13/07 = 98.5%. 23 teachers
were absent. Total absences from beginning of the year to
present is 98%.
Staff punctuality by percentage and number
Punctuality from 5/11/07 to 6/13/07 = 100%. 0 teachers
were tardy. Total tardiness from the beginning of the
year to present is 100 %.
Substitute Information
During 5/11/07 to 6/13/07, 86 substitute teachers have been
hired. Total substitutes hired from the beginning of the
year to present = 509.5.
Based on sick days, professional, field trips, testing, and
office sub.
Middle School
Attendance from 5/11/07 to 6/13/07 = 96 %. 31 teachers
were absent. Total absences from beginning of the year to
present are 97%.
Staff punctuality by percentage and number
Punctuality from 5/11/07 to 6/13/07 = 99.5%. 0
teachers were tardy. Total tardiness from the beginning
of the year to present is 99.5%.
Substitute Information
During 5/11/07 to 6/13/07, 27 substitute teachers
have been hired. Total substitutes hired from the beginning
of the year to present = 225.5.
Based
on sick days, professional, field trips, testing, and office
sub.
Euclid
School –
Attendance from 5/18/07-6/14/07= 97.9%. 12-1/2 teachers/paraprofessionals
were absent. Total absences from beginning of the year
to present are 98.1%.
Staff Punctuality by percentage and number
Punctuality from 5/18/07-6/14/07=100%. 0 teachers were tardy. Total
tardiness from the beginning of the year to present is 100%.
Substitute Information
During 5/18/07-6/14/07, 12 substitutes were hired. Total
substitutes hired from the beginning of the year to present = 113.
Lincoln
School –
Attendance from 5/18/07 to 6/15/07 = 98.4%. 9.5 teachers/paraprofessionals
were absent. Total absences from the beginning of the year to present
is 97.6%
Staff punctuality by percentage and number
Punctuality from 5/18/07 to 6/15/07 = 100%. No teachers were
tardy. Total tardiness from the beginning of the year to
present is 100%.
Substitute Information
During 5/18/07 to 6/15/07 – 2.5 substitutes were hired. Total
substitutes hired from the beginning of the year to the present
= 120.5
.
Press Releases –
High School - Nothing to report
Middle School- Nothing to report
Euclid School –
· Connor
McCabe, a fifth grader at Euclid School won recognition from the governor for
an essay he had written - The Observer
· Environmental
poster winners – The Observer
· Torch
Run – The Observer
· Euclid
Field Day – The Observer
· Bug
Award Recipients – The Gazette
· Grant
Winner’s – The Gazette
Pilot’s
Log Awards
· American
Scholastic Press – First Place with Special Recognition
· Garden
State Press – First Place Overall Excellence
· National
Scholastic Press – 3 time winner of First Place Best in Show
· National
Scholastic Press – 3 time winner Pacemaker Award – the Pulitzer
Prize for high school journalism
· NJN
Television – Classroom Close-up feature of the Pilot’s Log
· United
States House of Representatives Pilot’s Log Achievement Proclamation
Athletic
Highlights 06’- 07’
John
Tessaro
Director
of Athletics
In the 2006’ 2007’ school
year Hasbrouck Heights High School recorded 6 league championships
and 2 state sectional titles.
During the
fall the Girls Soccer Team won their 5th consecutive league title
while the Girls Tennis Team won their 7th consecutive title.
In the winter season the Wrestling Team recorded their 2nd State
Sectional Title and 2nd District Championship in as many years.
In the spring the Golf Team won their 2nd consecutive League Title
with coaches Matt Sicilian and Nick Delcalzo received Coach of
the Year Honors.
Both the Boys
and Girls Track Teams had a perfect 10-0 record in dual meets
leading the Boys to their 3 consecutive League title while the
Girls won recorded their 12th consecutive championship. Rob
Brady was once again selected BCSL Coach of the Year and Brendan
Gareffa was an All County Selection in the discus as well as being
an All county selection in Football back in the fall.
The Baseball
Team finished their season with a school record 21 wins. In doing so they won their 3rd league title in the
last 4 years and recorded the 1st State Sectional Championship
in School history. The team was led by Matt Connors who broke
a school record for career hits with 163 and stolen bases 35. Matt
was a 1st Team All County and All North Jersey Selection along
with coach Rocco Minichiello who was honored as the “North
Jersey Coach of the Year”