Hasbrouck Heights School District
Superintendent's Office
379 Boulevard
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
201-288-6150
 Modified: February 1, 2008
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Joseph C. Luongo,
Superintendent of Schools

Superintendent's Report
January 31, 2008

Curriculum and Instruction -
High School –
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT –

  • Mr. Smith’s English 9 classes have begun their study of the novella The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Time and attention is being given to the concept of how this book is a parable and how the characters’ actions are driven by greed.
  • Mr. Smith’s HSPA English 10 class continues to strengthen their HSPA skills in Language Arts by completing various HSPA type exercises. Most recently, students have been gaining practice and reviewing strategy on how to answer narrative text questions.
  • Mr. Smith reports that the 2008 Coronian yearbook is coming together well. The book is ½ way done and is expected to be completed by March, 1st 2008.
  • Mr. Pankiewicz’s English 10 and 10H classes have completed their study of Romanticism by presenting an original poem that incorporates the Romantic trends and various literary terms and sound devices.
  • Mr. Pankiewicz started a Book Club due to student interest.  32 students are currently reading Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. 
  • Mrs. Geftic’s English 12 classes are currently reading Homer’s classic epic, The Odyssey.  They are focusing on such themes as the power of cunning over strength, the pitfalls of temptation, and symbols that are used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.  Working with partners, students will write an original and create a corresponding Powerpoint presentation. The narrative will tell a clear, coherent incident with well-chosen details, reveal the importance of the incident, and use techniques like dialogue, action, and physical description.
    On Jan. 14, 2008, as a culminating activity for the unit on prejudice, students will attend an assembly sponsored by the Pilot’s Log and the PTA.  At the assembly, Joan Hecht, founder of the Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan, and Abraham Kuany Chol, a “Lost Boy,” will poignantly trace the journey of these young men who escaped one of Africa’s cruelest wars.  It is a story of courage, faith, and sheer determination to survive.
  • Mrs. Geftic’s Journalism classes have completed the second issue of the Pilot’s Log.  It features a new, reformatted broadsheet style printed on newsprint.  Currently, they are preparing their hands-on project for midterm exams. This project includes feature stories which they format into a front page using Adobe InDesign, PageMaker, and Photoshop.
  • Mrs. Meyer’s English 9 Honors class is finishing up their study of John Steinbeck’s novella The Pearl with a final project consisting of a 5 part booklet in which the students analyzed all aspects of the novel.  Before reviewing for the mid-term examination, some time will be spent studying the finer points of the use of punctuation, specifically the colon and the comma.
  • Mrs. Meyer’s English 9 class is in the middle of their study of John Steinbeck’s novella The Pearl.  Their study will concentrate on the characters, plot, and literary devices the author employs to present his story.
  • Mrs. Fernandes’ HSPA English 9 students are focusing on reading comprehension and persuasive writing.  Near the end of the month students will be reviewing HSPA skills to prepare for their mid-term exam.
  • Mrs. Fernandes’ HSPA English 11 students are reading narrative texts and writing responses to the readings; new vocabulary is also being covered.  We will also review HSPA skills for the upcoming mid-term exam.
  • Mrs. Fernandes’ Advanced Genres students are viewing films that deal with various concepts of power.  Some films they will be watching are Back to the Future dealing with the idea of changing the past and Paradise Lost, a documentary that explores the power of gossip and rumors.  Students received their mid-term project sheets early this month and will present them later in the month.
  • Mrs. Fernandes’ Genres & Critical Issues students completed the comedy genre with the film Raising Arizona.  The class has begun the action genre with the film The Matrix; we will be exploring the various philosophical ideas presented.  Students received their mid-term project sheets early this month and will present them later in the month.
  • Mrs. Schneeweiss’ Communications classes are busy working on their midterm projects that include writing alternate endings to film, sequels to films, reading novels that have not been turned into movies, casting them, and becoming the producer to decide if the book warrants a film, television and film spoofs, and self selected projects.
  • Mrs. Schneeweiss’ Drama class is also working on their midterm projects. They are rehearsing and memorizing scripts from television and film to perform based on character analysis and independent activity.
  • Ms. Kos’s English 9 class is beginning a unit on poetry and will be working in the text, as well as with supplementary sources, to become acquainted with various types of contemporary poetry. Students will read and discuss poetry and will learn about the various literary devices and conventions associated with poetry. This unit will culminate in a writing unit in which students write original poetry. As always, students will also work on developing and honing the reading and writing skills for the language arts portion of the HSPA.
  • Ms. Kos’s English 10 class just finished its work on The Crucible. This unit will culminate in a critical essay in which students take their understanding of allegory and their reading in U.S. History class to draw important parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and America in the 1950’s. A HSPA unit which integrates certain themes from the text as well as comprehension details will also be utilized.
  • Ms. Kos’s English 11 class is currently reading Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales in their textbooks. Students began the unit with a brief assignment on Chaucer’s life and then completed short independent inquiry projects in which they explored various aspects of the Middle Ages. Students seem to be enjoying reading the selection aloud and will do alternative projects to end the unit sometime before midterm exams. Students continue to work to develop reading and writing skills for the HSPA.
  • Ms. Kos’s English HSPA 11 class is continuing to practice various writing tasks and reading comprehension activities for the language arts portion of the NJ HSPA.
  • Ms. Kos’s World Literature and World Change (English 12) class continues to work on its school-wide recycling program and to this end recently participated in a town clean up effort which took place on a Saturday morning just prior to the holiday vacation. Students continue to exhibit enthusiasm and have recently focused their efforts on a school-wide public information campaign, in which they put in weekly announcements to the school to promote interest and understanding of environmental issues, as well as created posters and bulletin boards to increase awareness.
    In addition to this work, students recently began reading and writing about a Brazilian novel entitled Hour  of the Star by Clarice Lipsector, which deals with poverty and other social issues in Brazil.
  • Mr. Van Dam’s English 11 Honors classes are currently reading and studying the characterizations and social reforms contained within Geoffrey Chaucer’s Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.  The students are being challenged to identify and interpret the combination of implicit and explicit details that are utilized by the author in order to create timeless character profiles.  The classes will also be reading selected tales as part of this Medieval Literature Unit.
  • Mr. Van Dam’s English 11 class is currently completing their study of the Arthurian legend by watching the movie First Knight and comparing the characters, themes, stereotypes and resolution to other literary interpretations of the legend.  Upon completion of this unit the students will begin to read Geoffrey Chaucer’s Prologue to The Canterbury Tales. 
  • Mr. Van Dam’s English 12 Honors class is reading and comparing the themes and values contained within Homer’s The Odyssey with the epics of Gilgamesh and Beowulf that they have previously studied.  As part of this unit students will examine the concept of the absurd hero, as analyzed by Albert Camus, in order to gain insight into the modern relevance of epic heroes.
  • Ms. Monetti’s English 11 classes are reading the stories that make up the Arthurian legend.  We are also still working on building our vocabulary skills by learning Latin roots.  Lastly, participating juniors are looking forward to our trip to see the movie Beowulf at the IMAX Theater on January 11. 
  • Ms. Monetti’s English 10 classes are working on persuasive writing and comprehending persuasive reading passages.  To accomplish this we are reading persuasive passages such as President Kennedy’s inaugural address in the textbook, in addition to working with editorials in the newspaper and more traditional “HSPA” style reading and writing tasks.
  • Ms. Monetti’s HSPA 10 class is currently concentrating on practicing persuasive reading and writing tasks.  In addition, students are reading their second “free choice” library book at home to improve reading comprehension.
  • Miss Venneman’s HSPA 9 English class is identifying various types of persuasive text in order to prepare for the HSPA exam.  Students have recently been analyzing persuasive speeches in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
  • Mrs. Czekaj’s English 10 class is studying the techniques of persuasion that are crucial to HSPA success.  They are learning from historic writers such as Thomas Paine and Martin Luther King.  Over the holiday break they read novels they selected from the school library.
  • Mrs. Czekaj’s AP English class is studying Hamlet.  Over the holiday break they read self-selected novels by writers whose work may appear on the AP test.
  • Mrs. Czekaj’s Shakespeare classes learned to play the recorder and played holiday carols in the hallway before the holiday break.  They are currently reading Othello in class.  They had the opportunity to go on a field trip to NYC’s “Bowery Poetry Club” for a performance of “Slam-Chops,” a poetry performance that blends poetry with theater—much as Shakespeare’s plays do.
  • Mrs. Czekaj’s English 12 class is concluded its study of Gilgamesh, and is moving on to Homer’s The Odyssey.  Over the holiday break they read self-selected books and reported on them to the class.

HISTORY DEPARTMENT –

  • Mr. Warren's World History students ended their studies in the ancient world and returned to modern times with an in-class project that focused on discovering, researching, and analyzing the six major world religions of today.  The students created a large collage with images and documents that showed off some of the important ideas behind these religions.  They are currently displayed in the student's classrooms.  Following the World Religions unit, the students traveled back in time to discover what happened to the world after Rome collapsed.  Students discussed the power of the Christian religion and how it spread quickly thanks to Charlemagne and various Pope's and their involvement in political affairs.  Students also learned about feudalism and the required obligations and protections that come along with that type of society.  Finally, the students viewed a History Channel Special on the Dark Ages, the period of time between 500-1000 A.D.
  • Ms. Cassidy’s U.S. History I students have completed the study of the constitution and has begun study of the administrations of the early Presidents.    Students reviewed some  of the early major Supreme Court cases and the leadership of John Marshall.
  • Mrs. Sadiku’s U.S. History I students completed Chapter 4 on the Revolutionary War.  After students were assessed on Chapter 4 students watched the movie "The Patriot".  I provided students with a list of questions that they answered during the movie.  Students began learning about Chapter 5 "Shaping the Nation".  Students learned about the Constitution and the ratification process, as well as, the Bill of Rights.  During the month of January, students will begin Chapter 6 "Launching the New Nation". They will learn about how government truly represents all of its citizens. I will also prepare the students for the mid-term exam by providing them with a study guide and by reviewing material from past chapters.   
  • Mrs. Sadiku’s U.S. History II students completed Chapter 20 "Politics of the Roaring Twenties." Students completed two activities that connected to the chapter: first activity students had to print out pictures of a 1920's car and a car from the present.  Students had to then compare and contrast the two cars.  With the second activity, students had to bring an advertisement from a magazine or newspaper and they had to analyze the underlying messages and how the advertisement appealed to people's emotions and needs. Students also took a chapter quiz and test.  Students started Chapter 21 "The Roaring Life of the 1920's."  I will prepare students for the Mid-Term Exam for at least 3 days. I will provide students with a study guide and review material from past chapters.
  • Mrs. McGinty’s U.S. History II Students will be completing their study of the 1920s. As the roaring Twenties came to a close, the downturn in the economy signaled the end of an era. In 1929, the stock market crashed, marking the beginning of the Great Depression. This economic collapse brought enormous suffering to Americans from all walks of life.  Chapter 22 will be the final chapter before mid-term examinations.
  • Mrs. McGinty’s Honors - Additionally, the honors students continue to develop their skills with challenging DBQ tests. They will begin to work on the next unit projects by month’s end.
  • Mrs. McGinty’s CWA students in addition to staying abreast of national and world issues, students have been working on the mid-term projects and will begin the presentations of them during the week of mid-terms.
  • Mrs. McGinty’s Sociology students will spend the remainder of the month examining religion and the nature of religiosity. They will present their multi-media final exam projects for this semester.
  • Mrs. Marzi’s Psychology students completed the study of Learning, including a learning style inventory, which we will also be using in the chapter on memory. We conducted experiments on classical and operant conditioning and discussed real world applications for each. Our next chapter will be memory, which is a continuation of the chapter on learning. We will conclude the semester with projects on psychological disorders.
  • Mrs.  Squillace’s Accounting students:Students were able to create worksheets, plan adjusting journal entries, and make adjustments to miscellaneous accounts on a worksheet.
    Students will be able to prepare financial statements and record adjusting and closing journal entries for a service business.
  • Mrs. Squillace’s Life Management students were able to recognize the requirements for buying on credit, obtaining a loan and understanding charge accounts.
    Students will be able to recognize the requirements for buying a car. Students will be able to identify costs of owning and or leasing a vehicle.
  • Mrs. Squillace’s Word processing 1 & 2 students created different documents using different techniques such as: Text wrapping, bar graphs, insert different pictures with advanced techniques.Students will create web-pages using Word 2003.
  • Mrs. Marano’s Computer Applications I and II students have been working on individual projects. During January the students will work on reviewing for the Mid-Term by working on comprehensive projects.
  • Mrs. Mikulka- Eglow Library Media Center Among the teachers who scheduled classes into the Library Media Center this month were Mrs. Stoehs, Mrs. Lewites, Mrs. Czekaj, Ms. Monetti, Mrs. Washburn, Ms. Wolf, Mr. Binazeski, Mr. Warren, Mrs. Geftic, Mr. Pankiewicz, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Meyer, Mrs. Cafferty, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Schimel.
    Current displays include Cell Projects created by Mrs. Hicswa’s Biology classes, Ancient Rome Projects created by Mr. Warren’s World History classes, and decorative lidded pottery containers created by Mrs. Brinker’s 6th grade Art Cycle

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT -

  • Mrs. Boggis' Calculus students will be able to apply rules for definite and indefinite integrals. Students will use integration methods such as substitution and integration by parts. Students will also be able to explore the area between two curves.
  • Mrs. Boggis' Honors Algebra II students will be able to evaluate and graph polynomial functions by exploring end behavior. Students will also be able to add, subtract, and multiply polynomials. Students will explore how to factor and solve polynomial equations.
  • Mrs. Boggis' HSPA 9 students will be able to use algebraic concepts and processes to express, analyze, and model real world situations. Students will also be able to recognize, create, and extend a variety of patterns to understand mathematical situations.
  • Mrs. Boggis' Algebra I students will be able to write linear equations using slope intercept form. Students will be able to use slope and any point on the line to write an equation of the line. Students will also be able to write the equation of a line given two points.
  • Mrs. Healey’s Precalculus classes have completed an in-depth study of exponents and logarithms.  Prior to the midterm exam the students will learn how these skills can be applied in problem solving. 
  • Mrs. Healey’s Foundations class will complete their study of logarithms prior to reviewing for the midterm examination.
  • Mr. Heller’s (pd 1,7, & 8) Geometry – Mrs. Boggis, Mr. Stine, and Mr. Mastropietro are reviewing properties of triangles and quadrilaterals.   They will also prepare the students for the midterm exam.
  • Mr. Heller’s (pd 4) Geometry - Mrs. Marano is reviewing geometric concepts with the Period 4 Geometry Class. Students will complete work with parallel and perpendicular lines and learn about congruent triangles before the mid-term.
  • Mr. Heller’s Honors Geometry - Mrs. Marano is preparing the Geometry Honors class for their mid-term exam and working with the students on properties of quadrilaterals, parallelograms, and trapezoids.
  • Mr. Heller's Algebra 2 - Mrs. Marano is working with the students on various methods for writing the equation of a line. Students will work with line equations and inequalities and absolute value equations before the mid-term exam. 
  • Ms. Khandhar's AP Calculus -This month students will break away from the regular curriculum to spend focused time on practice AP problems.  Students will familiarize themselves with the AP test and work both alone and in groups to solve multiple-choice and open-ended AP questions.  This will allow the students to practice their written and oral communication as well to prepare for the midterm, which is designed as an AP test.  
  • Ms. Khandhar's Honors Precalculus  students will spend this month learning about exponential and logarithmic functions, some of which will be review.  Topics include rational exponents, graphs of exponential functions and logarithmic functions, common logs, natural logarithms, solving exponential and logarithmic equations and inequalities, and applications.
  • Ms. Khandhar's Foundations of Advanced Math  students will be finishing the unit on exponents and logarithms.  The next unit will be solving systems of equations using graphing, substitution, and/or elimination.  Students will apply these techniques to solve real life problems.  Towards the end of the month, time will be devoted to midterm review.
  • Ms. Khandhar's HSPA 10 students will be finishing the geometry unit with the study of surface area and volume of three dimensional figures.  Students will then move on to a unit on discrete mathematics which will involve probability, statistics, and data analysis.  Towards the end of the month, time will be devoted to midterm review.  
  • Ms. Khandhar's HSPA 11 students will review the concepts of patterns, sequences and series, and iterations.  Students will also review old skills in order to prepare for both the midterm exam and the HSPA exam. 
  • Ms. Khandhar's HSPA 12 Students will prepare for the HSPA exam, which they will take in early March.
  • Mrs. Marano's HSPA 11 class is currently working to complete work on Cluster III, probability and counting methods. Students complete daily worksheets and frequent quizzes to prepare for the March administration of the HSPA.
  • Mrs. Michaeli’s Algebra 2 classes learned how to perform operations with matrices. Students solved quadratic equations, performed operations with imaginary and complex numbers, and sketched the graphs of quadratic equations and inequalities. They also solved HSPA problems involving cluster 3.
  • Mrs. O’Brien’s Algebra I students are currently writing the equation of a line.  They are able to write the equation given the slope and the y-intercept, given one point and the slope of the line, given 2 points, and given a picture.  They are also able to write equations of lines that are parallel and perpendicular to other lines. 
  • Mrs. O’Brien’s Foundations of Advanced Math students are currently sketching the graph of the absolute value function. As well, they are graphing the square root relation.

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT –

  • Mr. Binazeski’s Physical Science classes have completed their study of river and stream formation, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes and weather formation. Students are utilizing Mr. Binazeski’s new website to download class notes. 
  • Mr. Binazeski’s Environmental Science class has completed the lesson on biomes (wetlands, savannas, rainforest, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, desert, grassland, tundra) and completed a 100-page report on three biomes of their choice. Students utilized the computers in Mr. Binazeski’s room to research the material for their report.
  • Mrs. Hicswa’s Biology classes have just completed their study of DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis.  The various causes of mutations and the types of mutations were reviewed.  An example of a disorder discussed was sickle cell anemia.  This topic review will lead us into the next unit of study- genetics.      
  • Mr. Pignatiello’s CP and Honors Chemistry - The honors chemistry class is currently working on advanced stoichiometry with non ideal gas conditions including limiting reagents and excess reagents.  This is one of the most difficult concepts the students will be working on throughout the year.  In the next couple of weeks they will be tested on gas laws and start to prepare for their midterm exams.  The chemistry CP class is also working on gas laws but are not experiencing as much of the rigors that the mathematics impose.  They are learning about Boyles, Charles, Gay-Lusaacs, combined, and ideal gas laws.  This topic covers many gas and pressure demonstrations as well as putting a large emphasis on calculations.
  • Mr. Pignatiello’s AP Chemistry - Students are working on bonding which includes hybridization, resonance, and formal charge.  The students will also learn about the Valence Shell Electron Repulsion theory, which summarizes how the covalent structures form including their bond angles.  The AP chemistry will also start to prepare for their midterm exams coming up in the end of January.
  • Mr. Stine’s CP and Honors Physics classes have completed the first semester curriculum (mechanics) and will review Motion, Forces, Momentum, Gravity, and Energy until mid term exams.
  • Mr. Stine’s AP Physics is beginning the study of calculus applications to physics problems.  The class will investigate rotational motion to include angular momentum and rotational inertia.

WORLD LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT –

  • Ms. Siddons’ Spanish IV/V class will be working on subjunctive forms and practicing it to express wishes, feelings, desires, demands, and  uncertainty while Spanish II continues to discuss daily activities and use reflexive verbs to discuss waking up, showering, brushing one’s teeth, etc..
  • Ms. Siddons’ Spanish I classes are able to discuss going places and future plans.
  • Mrs. Cafferty’s Spanish III class is learning how to talk about politics and describe things that happened in the past.
  • Ms. Torres’ Spanish I class is learning to describe classes and classroom objects and say where things are located and where one is going and how one feels.
  • Mrs. Washburn’s Italian students are actively researching and discussing articles written in Italian about an Italian folklore “La Befana” which takes place on January 6 as well as different activities done during the holidays.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT –

  • Mr. Ascolese reports that the concert and jazz bands are preparing for the “Pops Concert” to be held March 5.
  • Mr. Ascolese’s Music Theory class is learning about music in the medieval, renaissance, and baroque periods as it relates to vocal and instrumental composition.
  • Mr. Taylor is looking at a medley from the musical “Wicked.” The girls are practicing a SSA version of “Popular” while the boys are practicing a TTB version of “Dancing through Life.” An a capella chorus is also being practiced for the spring concert.

ART DEPARTMENT -

  • Ms. Caputo’s drawing classes are starting the month off by learning about atmospheric perspective, landscapes to be exact. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of atmospheric perspective by creating or reproducing a landscape made from brush and ink, pastel is optional.
  • Ms. Caputo’s graphic design class is working on a new project to start the month. They need to create an advertisement in print of an art event. Students will need to follow certain preset requirements while working on their advertisement such as creating their own illustrations, and working with only four colors.
  • Ms. Caputo’s technology class is starting the month with a new project. They have to create a theme park following certain requirements. The theme park must be created using the “bird’s eye perspective”. They have already started making their rough drafts.
  • Mrs. Kritzer’s Drawing classes are completing their personal pies.  They used symbolism to identify themselves in a tenth of a circle.  After coping the slice of pie, they used design markers to make them complete.  All ten pieces are constructed to make a Mandela, which is a circular art piece.
  • Mrs. Kritzer’s advanced art is using skeletons for their drawing observation.  They have complete creative freedom to make a triptych, which is a three piece art form.
  • Mrs. Kritzer’s Student Council has successfully given a Christmas to a family who was in need.  Through Tomorrow’s Children the Student Council adopted a family.  The students collected monies, for one week, by going to homerooms in the middle and high school. After the collection was complete, the students bought presents and Christmas dinner for a family who resides in Lodi.  The students knew of this family because the young boy suffering from cancer is known as the blind wrestler.
  • Mrs. Brinker's Senior Leadership Class directed a very successful Annual Senior Luncheon held at the Landmark on December 19th, 2007.   Plans are under way right now for prom themes and senior week activities.
  • Mrs. Brinker's Digital Photography classes are working on various digital projects including "Show an Emotion" and "Parts of You."  All students are creating virtual gallery power point files.
  • Mrs. Brinker's Altered Books classes are creating a new layout for their books reflecting the theme of contrast. Individual ideas and concepts are encouraged and applied in this class.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT -

  • The 10, 11 and 12 grade students are participating in physical fitness twice a week which includes running and fitness stations. The other three days the students are participating in volleyball, basketball, and fitness room.
  • The 9th grade is participating in physical fitness three times per week and activities twice a week.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT -

  • Mr. Delcalzo’s and Mr.Tessaro’s Driver Education classes are reviewing for the driver education state test and will be administering this month.
  • Ms Gaccione’s 9th grade classes are continuing Family Life.  Students will be participating in discussions and activities each day on abstinence, male and female reproductive systems, the endocrine system, and STD’s. 
  • Mrs. Miller’s 12th grade Health classes are continuing the infant baby program. The students take the babies and are responsible for them 48 hrs. The purpose of the program is to have the students understand exactly what the responsibilities are in taking care of a baby. The class just finished discussing the death penalty.

INDUSTRIAL ARTS DEPARTMENT -

  • Mr. Rossi took over for Mr. Masucci’s high school classes.  The students are finishing up making different types of lamps. He will begin teaching them how to frame a wall.

MIDDLE SCHOOL-
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT-

  • Miss Keller’s 6th grade mainstream Geometry classes will be exploring rotations, translations, and reflections of different figures with the aid of manipulatives and various hands-on activities.  Next, they will move on to estimating area by using grid paper to estimate the area of different figures followed by learning how to find the perimeter and area of rectangles and applying mathematical equations.  Using connecting blocks the students will be able to distinguish between area and perimeter.  Finally, the class will begin to review for their midterm exam.
  • Miss Keller’s 6th grade Honors Geometry classes will learn how to identify congruent figures and be able to determine corresponding parts.  Once the students have gained an understanding of congruent triangles, the students will begin to explore polygons and quadrilaterals. The honor students will investigate the different characteristics of the polygons and quadrilaterals and compare them to gain a better understanding of how they are similar and how they different.  Next they will begin to investigate circles and will be able to identify the center, radius, diameter and chord.  The last section the students will tackle before midterms is using diagrams to solve word problems.  The class will prepare for the midterm by reviewing the information studied during the first and second marking period. 
  • Miss Mercandino’s 6th grade mainstream Geometry class will begin exploring line symmetry, rotations, translations, and reflections of different figures.  Students will be able to use visual aides and manipulatives to help them understand reflections, rotations and translations of different shapes.  After they have mastered this skill they will continue to move onto estimating area.  In this section the students will use grid paper to estimate the area of different figures.  The students will then learn how to find the perimeter and area of rectangles and squares using mathematical equations. They will learn the difference between area and perimeter of different shapes.   Once the students have finished learning these three sections, the class will begin to review for their midterm exam.  The students will review the material they learned during the first and second marking periods     
  • Miss Mercandino’s 6th grade mainstream Algebra class has been busy using fractions. They have learned to estimate the sums and differences of fractions as well as modeling fractions with like and unlike denominators.  After learning various strategies they learned to add and subtract mixed numbers. After completing a mid chapter test, the students will be looking forward to working with the multiplication and division of fractions and using diagrams to solve word problems before preparing for midterm exams.   
  • Miss DiPiano’s 6th grade Algebra classes have been busy using fractions. They have learned to estimate the sums and differences of fractions as well as modeling fractions with like and unlike denominators.  They have also learned to add and subtract mixed numbers using different strategies.  After completing a mid chapter test, the students will be looking forward to working with the multiplication and division of fractions and using diagrams to solve word problems before preparing for midterm exams.   
  • Miss DiPiano’s6th grade Honors Algebra   classes are ready to complete a chapter test on integers and equations.  The students were introduced to variable expressions by writing them and using models to solve the expressions. They have become familiar with Algebra Tiles and use they use the tiles to solve simple variable expressions.  The students have also mastered subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers using this manipulative.  This hands-on method is giving the students a more positive outlook and attitude towards math. After completing this section, the students will be preparing for midterm exams.
  • Mrs. Caputo’s 7th grade mainstream algebra classes are currently working on and being quizzed on one step Equations in chapter three entitled Algebra.  The students will continue and complete this chapter before midterm review, which will be at the end of next January.   
  • Mrs. Caputo’s 7th grade accelerated algebra class finished and were tested on mid chapter 3  by end of next week.  We will complete chapter 3 entitled Equations and Inequalities by the midterm and start reviewing by the end of the month. 
  • Mrs. Caputo- The math-a-thon for St Jude’s will be collected at the end of the marking period, which counts as a quiz grade for all.  Students will also collect money for the St. Jude’s hospital and research for children with cancer and other diseases.  The total will be announced in the near future.   
  • Mr. Sickels’ 7th grade geometry mainstream students are currently finishing chapter 1, we will be working towards chapter 8 titled, Geometry and Measurements. 
  • Mr. Sickels’ 7th grade geometry accelerated class finished chapter 1, and will continue onto Lessons 4-8, 4-9, and 4-10 on Transformations.  We will then move into Chapter 6 Application of Proportions.  
  • Mr. Sickels- Review for midterms will continue in class one week before exams. Students were encouraged to start studying at home utilizing the outline and their Math folders/binders.  I am available to answer all questions the students might have in class or after school in room 405.  NJASK III A and GEPA review packets are being completed in a timely fashion by both honors and mainstream classes.  I would like to congratulate Nico Waters and Danielle Hicks on being named Students of the Month.
  • Mr. Mastropietro’s 8th grade geometry classes are working on chapter 1 through 4 for review of midterms 
  • Mr. Mastropietro’s 8th grade honors topics class is working on Chapter 6, Proportions and also working on basic trigonometry.  Our class also has started reviewing for midterms.  The students are working hard and studying for the upcoming exams. 
  • Mrs. Dunne’s 8th grade Algebra I class has begun Chapter 4 – Graphing Linear Equations.
  • Mrs. Dunne’s Math 8 classes have completed Chapter 5 – Rational Numbers.  Chapter 7 continues work with fractions and decimals and concentrates on percents and their applications.

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT-

  • Mr. Rispoli’s 6th grade science classes had a successful trip to the Buehler Challenger and Science Center back in December. The students accomplished their simulated mission by building a probe and launching it to meet with Comet Halley. Gas samples were collected and identified by the students. After returning home, the “astronauts” were involved in a press conference. The “astronauts” took the stage as their classmates acted as the press and asked questions about their mission. In January, the students will be learning about the sun, Earth and moon. They will learn about tides, the seasons, rotation and revolutions. Early space travel to current day travel will also be learned in class.
  • Mrs. Toy’s 7th grade science students have been given science midterm study guides/packets in order to prepare for the upcoming midterms.  They are finishing up their DNA unit, which leads us into our next unit on Forensic Science.  This is where students will study and examine fingerprints, DNA Fingerprinting and other crime scene evidence.  Mrs. Toy has collected evidence throughout the classroom and students will be fingerprinted soon.  Students will investigate a series of mock crime scenes and use their newly found knowledge to solve the crimes. 
  • Mr. Cassiere’s 8th grade students will be learning how to classify matter and preparing for the midterm.  A brief lab will illustrate how matter can be classified into elements, compounds, and mixtures.  Preparation for midterms will begin next week and cover all work from September.  Students will also be painting walls of classroom using colorful paints to show topics in chemistry and physics. 

ART DEPARTMENT-

  • Mrs. Kritzer’s Cycle 8 Art started the New Year by learning to draw from life.  They have successfully completed the “five days of drawing”.  In those five days they take steps in learning to look at something and capture it on paper.
  • Mrs. Kritzer’s 7th grade cycle studied about Renaissance artist Leonardo DaVinci.  The students then made their own sketchbooks in which they will use for planning art work during their cycle.
  • Mrs. Brinker's 6th Grade Cycle Class is current working on creating reed baskets.  These baskets are completely original and made from natural reeds that are soaked in water over night.  Each student will learn the art of basket weaving.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION-

  • PE classes 6th, 7th and 8th grade are continuing a fitness unit three times per week.  This unit includes a period of a run/walk outside and stations inside.  The stations are: sit ups, push ups, jump roping, and step ups. They will be playing basketball and volleyball.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT-

  • Ms. Gaccione’s 8th grades Health class has begun the CPR unit.  Students will practice skills and perform many learning activities pertaining to health emergencies for the next two weeks.
  • Mrs. Kolich’s 7th grade Health is working on drug awareness project. Each student is developing their own to present to the class.  Some students are doing power point presentations   
  • Mrs. Miller 6th grade Health class finished a unit on discussing the harmful effects of marijuana and other illegal drugs.  They are now working on Anti-smoking and Anti-drug posters to finish up the cycle class.

INDUSTRIAL ARTS-

  • Mr. Rossi who is filling in for Mr. Masucci‘s cycle classes are going over safety regulations and different tools.

TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT -

  • Mrs. Marano’s Computer Cycle 6 students recently completed PowerPoint presentations about themselves. Students will be working with Mrs. Dolan in January on a drawing created with Microsoft Word.
  • Mrs. Marano's Computer Cycles 7 and 8 concluded at the end of December. New Cycle classes will begin January 2, 2008.

SOCIAL STUDIES-

  • Miss Sigl’s 6th grade Social Studies students will continue to explore ancient Egypt. The students will be able to learn about the Egyptian Pyramids, mummies, culture, social roles etc. through text and hands-on activities.
    In the last week of January, mid-term exams will be given. The mid-term for Social Studies will include Chapters 1-4. The learners will be able to successfully complete the mid-term by reviewing all class notes, hand-outs, and teacher-made review sheets.
  • Mrs. Gay’s 7th Grade Social Studies students’ Geography course is concluding with a focus on the economic system and culture of the United States.  Students will be introduced to the workings of a free enterprise economy, and such terms as goods, services, and factors of production. They will examine how American culture is influenced by those of other countries.  They will explore the issue of global warming and its effects on the country and culture of Greenland, and their study of political cartoons will intensify in anticipation of their next semester's course in Political Science.
  • Mrs. Rucci’s 8th Grade Social Studies students continued coverage on the administrations of the first few presidents.  Students came to understand how Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of our country with the Louisiana Purchase and that the St. Louis Arch, which a couple of students have visited, honors the Lewis and Clark Expedition as the “Gateway to the West.”  They were interested to learn about the War of 1812, again fighting the British, and the role of First Lady Dolley Madison.  Then we analyzed the far-reaching effects of the Industrial Revolution as far as the new inventions, increase of slavery, and a developing sectionalism which will take us into the pre-Civil War era.  Then we will prepare for the midterm exams in late January.
    In the Junior Scholastic magazines, there was an issue about Iran’s history and we discussed the country’s present-day issues.  Students also had a “refresher course” about how time zones work.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT-

  • Allan Poe. The classes have studied his life and are in the process of analyzing the short stories "The  Tell-Tale Heart" & "Black Cat" (Lit. 8 Honors is studying "Masque of the Red Death" as its second story). As hard as it is to believe, once this unit is completed the students will begin reviewing for exams.
  • Mr. Colangelo’s 7th grade Literature classes are continuing their survival adventure with Brian Robeson in The River.  At the conclusion of the novel, the class will begin to prepare for their mid-term examinations.
  • Mr. Colangelo’s 6th grade Study Skills class is currently focusing on a lesson that discusses the dangers of bullying and the affects of negative peer pressure.  The class will continue to take notes and work from their Study Skills workbook, You Can Take Charge.
  • Mr. Colangelo’s 6th grade Creative Writing class has completed two writing assignments that include journal entries and autobiographies.  They are currently analyzing the film Rudy and at the conclusion of the film will be responsible for an essay response.  They will also be asked to complete stories without endings and prepare a news article for a mock newspaper. 
  • Mr. Sicilian’s English 8 classes are continuing skill building activities in writing with emphasis on descriptive word choice and varied sentence structure. The skill activities are then incorporated into larger pieces of writing—essays, prompt writing, and persuasive genres. All classes are working on vocabulary units and are preparing materials for mid term exams.
  • Mr. Sicilian’s Honors 8 English class is preparing its first communications project: “Audio Monologues”. The project asks students to present, in an audio format,a monologue scene from either a movie, play, speech, dramatic reading, etc…
    Students record the original scene and then record their interpretation of the same scene. Students will have to integrate some technology into the project via cd, digital recording, audio cassette tape, or digital video.
  • Mrs. Rowland’s 7th grade English classes are working on the black and white picture prompt using a plot line as a rough draft.  They have learned to write using imagery and applying sensory words.  Better vocabulary was enforced and students were allowed to use a thesaurus to help pull-out better vocabulary that they are familiar with.
  • Miss Venneman’s 7th grade Literature classes are continuing their survival adventure with Brian Robeson in The River.  Students will also be writing persuasively to promote a type of survival gear that they will be designing and presenting to the class.
  • Miss Venneman’s 7th grade Creative Writing class is currently using descriptive and figurative language to enhance their writing.  Students are focusing on metaphors and similes to create vivid images in their poetry.
  • Ms. Dolan’s literature 6 classes are beginning to read the historical fiction novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor.  This Newberry Award winning novel gives the students a glimpse into the racism faced by African Americans in the 1930’s in Mississippi.  The students will not only be reading the novel, but exploring the affects of racism.  This unit will last through February, 2008 in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month. 
    Additionally, Ms. Dolan’s literature classes will prepare to take their first mid-term examinations ever.  In literature, the students will be given a one week review, which not only will review what they learned in literature, but provide some hints on how to survive mid-term examinations. 
  • Ms. Wolf’s English 6 classes are busy ending their unit on “Parts of Speech”.  During this unit, the students learned how to identify parts of speech and use them correctly in their writing through class instruction, group work, movies, and activities.  During the next two weeks, the students will begin a group project to wrap-up this unit.  The project will count as a grade and be used as a contest.
    During the month of January, the students will also be introduced to Persuasive Writing.  This will be done with an introduction to one of the most persuasive speakers of our time, Martin Luther King, Jr.  The students will view his speech and read his words.  This will eventually lead to them creating their own persuasive writing pieces in class.
    In addition to this section, the students will continue enhancing their writing skills with bi-weekly writing assignments.  All of the writing assignments will follow the format of the NJ standardized tests. The writing will be based on pictures or scenarios for writing tasks.   The students will also continue to broaden their vocabulary with daily words and bi-weekly spelling units.
    Midterm Exams will be given on January 23rd, 24th, 28th, and 29th.  The students will spend a full three days reviewing for these exams.  They will review through class instruction, group work, and games. 


FOREIGN LANGUAGES-

  • Mrs. Cafferty’s eighth grade cycle students are learning their numbers from 0-100. They also have been practicing common classroom expressions with each other. 
  •  Ms. Torres’ sixth grade cycle students are starting to become familiar with the Spanish language. They are learning about differences between Spanish and English alphabets, the use of cognate words to understand general ideas, and commands they will hear and say in the classroom.
  • Ms. Torres’ seventh grade cycle students have been learning about important reasons to study Spanish, the use of cognates to understand dialogs, and school supplies.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT-

  • Ms. Moroney indicates that a new instrumental cycle has started. Tone production is the first thing to be learned. Preparations are under way with the sixth and seventh grade bands for the “Pops Concert” in March with sight reading new selections.
  • 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. Mr. McCarthy reports the seventh grade vocal cycle class is working on breathing, voice placement, and songs.
  • Mr. Taylor reports that he is looking into possible medleys for the “Pops Concert” like “Grease.” In addition, Mr. Taylor will audition eighth graders to sing for the high school and middle school choirs.

EUCLID SCHOOL –
MATH-

  • Kindergarten is working on fractions.  They are visually comparing wholes, halves, thirds, and fourths.  They are working with symmetry and reinforcing their coin recognition.
  • Grade One is learning about ways to create numbers using tens and ones. They are practicing writing numbers up to 100.  They are also beginning the Hundreds Club. This club is a fun way for students to practice writing numbers all the way to 1000.
  • Grade Two has been working on adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers.  The students are able to add and subtract 2-digit numbers with and without regrouping.
  • Grade Three is creating and comprehending bar graphs, as well as other types of graphs.  They just completed time and money, and will begin a unit on measurement.  In addition, they are continuing to practice our multiplication skills, as well as problem solving skills.
  • Grade Four finished Mean, Median, Mode, and Range.  They are moving on to Perimeter, Area, Temperature, and Volume.  They are doing a lot of N.J. Ask Test prep to begin each class.  They continue to practice our Mad Minutes in both multiplication and division as well.
  • Grade Five has been working on division.  They are now into division by two-digits and will be working on median, mean, mode, and range.  They continue with Problem of the Week and Mad Minutes.   In the near future, they will work with more fractions.

SCIENCE-

  • Kindergarten continues to study the four seasons.  They are identifying the characteristics of winter.  They are naming and categorizing animals and plants of winter.  They are also discussing how to dress in cold weather.  In addition, they are learning about the sun and the moon.
  • Grade One recently completed a unit on life cycles.  They created life cycle activities for the frog and the butterfly.  The students also read stories in their Reading books that correlated to this unit.
  • Grade Two is focusing on how plants and animals live together.  Students have learned that plants and animals are dependent upon each other for survival.  They have also discussed that if living things do not get food, water, shelter, and space they will die.
  • Grade Three is continuing a unit on energy and forces of motion. 
  • Grade Four completed a chapter on Weather.  They are now doing mini-lessons in their Measuring Up Science book to prepare for state testing.  They continue to review their QAAR, force and motion, using the N.J. Ask book as well as other resources.
  • Grade Five has completed the first part of the "Science Happenings" grant work.  Science experiments were conducted.  The classes documented their information using the Scientific Method.  The next part of the magazine brings the students to the study of Land Biomes.  They will be researching facts on biomes for the grant.

SOCIAL STUDIES-

  • Kindergarten continues to learn and work with their patriotic symbols like the Statue of Liberty, eagle, White House, flag etc.  They are also reading about Martin Luther King.
  • Grade One began Unit 2.  This unit helps the students learn map skills and information about their community. Next, they will be delving into lessons related to earning and spending.
  • Grade Two is working with the unit entitled Our Earth The teacher introduced the students to the concept of caring for the Earth’s natural resources- it’s land, water, air, and plants. They are exploring different ways children can conserve and protect natural resources.
  • Grade Three is beginning a unit on government, as well as community rights and responsibilities.
  • Grade Four is working on a chapter that focuses on the Lenape way of Life.  They are having great fun learning about New Jersey's first people and their culture.  They have also learned about inset maps and how to use them.
  • Grade Five has studied European explorers, which will lead them into the study of the New World and Colonial Times.

LANGUAGE ARTS-

  • Kindergarten is working with word building and utilizing the phonogram “ip”.  They are writing, reading and completing various activities with the letters l,h,b,k,and o.
  • Grade One is continuing to practice writing complete sentences.  The students are using C.O.P.S. to help edit their writing.  They are also learning about nouns and will be discussing action words soon. 
  • Grade Two is working on phonics. The students are learning about words that begin with spr, str, and thr. They are also covering the diagraph /oo/ and the letter patterns of eer and ear. In reading, the students are acting out the play Johnny Appleseed.  In writing, the students are beginning to focus on an informative paragraph. 
  • Grade Three is identifying singular and possessive nouns.  For their writing, they are continuing to practice picture prompts, as well as how-to paragraphs. In reading, they are working on comprehension by reading a story independently and answering questions, as well as reading other stories as a class.  Some skills they are continuing to work on are drawing conclusions, predicting outcomes, and author's purpose.  Some novels the third grade has been utilizing are Frindle, The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates, and Chocolate Fever.
  • Grade Four is working on a “Historical Fiction” book report after reading an excerpt from "Sarah Plain and Tall".  They are also doing some silent reading assessments in order to prepare for state testing.  Reading Essentials is also utilized to expand on isolated reading skills. In Language Arts they are also very busy working on narratives and open-ended responses to prepare for state testing for the next several weeks. They are learning so much about dialogue and quotation marks to show more "voice" in all of our stories.  Soon we will be isolating persuasive writing, and boy do we have a stand to take!!  As we finish up nouns, off to pronouns we will go in our grammar lessons.
  • Grade Five completed their mystery book reports.  Each student wrote a rough draft and good copy for The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  The Theme Two Holistic Assessment is being completed.  Students will begin their next book report.  The students will be reading an approved biography.  The report will be a PowerPoint Presentation of facts. The students are improving their DARE essays by adding compound and complex sentences.  In addition, the students are writing summaries for health articles.  The essays include a summary of an article and a personal response to the article.

ART –

  • The Kindergarten just finished painting snowmen (even though it was in the 60's this week).  I hope they don't melt.  The first graders were encouraged to paint a snow sculpture.  Snowmen are too easy, so they painted snow forts, all kinds of snow animals, and even some snow cars!  The second graders are beginning to design a house on paper, which they will be making out of paper mache.  A reminder to all the second graders:  Bring in those half-gallon milk or orange juice cartons (and make sure they are rinsed out).  The third graders have been weaving with paper, as an introduction to weaving with yarn.  The fourth graders are making stained glass windows with colored tissue paper.  The fifth graders are putting the finishing touches on their masks.

MUSIC –

  • Kindergarten classes are utilizing charts that develop music reading.  First grade students are learning about notes and rests.  The second grade music students are busy playing rhythm patterns.  They are layering rhythm patterns using different sound textures.
  • Third grade students are learning a rock passing game created in Africa.  The students must maintain a steady beat and focus on the words to play the game.  Fourth grade students are continuing to develop drumming ensemble I.  Fifth grade students are learning about the talking drums and the frame drums. Upper and lower grade students reviewed the SOS (Save Our Students) song for Drug Awareness Week.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION –

  • Grades K-5 will be preparing and participating in the annual jump rope for heart event.
  • All students will perform individual skills and group skills
  • Grades K-2 will be demonstrating the over hand throw for accuracy (snowball fight)
  • Grades 3-5 will be participating in a modified game of volleyball.  Emphasis will be on   basic skills of serve, bump, set, hit and spike.  Basic strategy will be discussed.

WORLD LANGUAGE-

  • Pre-K- Students are practicing counting, colors and body parts
  • Kindergarten- Students are learning the names of familiar classroom objects.
  • 1st Grade- Students are learning the numbers 0-10.  They are able to start recognizing the word for the numbers in Spanish.
  • 2nd Grade- Students are learning to add and subtract numbers in Spanish from 0-20.
  • 3rd Grade- Students are learning to write number sentences and recognize the numbers from 0-30.
  • 4th Grade- Students are learning to count by tens and recognize the numbers 0-59 in Spanish.
  • 5th Grade- Students are learning the names of familiar professions and are writing sentences about what their family members do for a living.

LIBRARY/COMPUTERS –

  • Kindergarten and First grades have been working with the word processing program Max Write. Kindergarten focused on the drawing and graphic tools of Max Paint, while first grade used keyboarding skills to type sentences, holiday greetings and spelling lists.
  • Second grade classes created graphic organizers using Kidspiration. They also accessed Internet websites to practice reading activities, and even created their own word search puzzles!
  • Third grade is working with Microsoft Word. They have typed and saved a document in folders that they created. The Clip Art file was used to access graphics, and page borders were added to complement the poem's content.
  • Fourth and Fifth grades are currently completing their Internet safety cycle, using the I-Safe America curriculum activities.
  • The elementary media specialists are now revising the technology curriculum to meet with state standards. New technology report cards, which reflect these changes, are being created for use in the 2008-2009 school year.

LINCOLN SCHOOL -
MATHEMATICS:

  • Kindergarten students have been very busy learning about measurement.  We are learning how to use different standards of measurement such as cubes and paperclips.
  • Our first graders are working on comparing and ordering numbers and will begin skip counting.
  • The second grade students are learning how to subtract 2-digit numbers, with and without regrouping. A mixture of addition and subtraction facts with and with regrouping will be practiced for sign recognition. 
  • The third grade students learned how to make equivalent sets of money, compared money amounts, compared money amounts, and used the strategy counting on to make change.  Along with working with money, third graders are exploring their division facts.
  •  Fourth graders are currently learning about organizational data.  This includes frequency tables, finding the mean, median, and mode, reading line plots, making stem-leaf plots, and comparing graphs.  Problem solving is being stressed daily.
  • The fifth graders have completed a unit on the GCF and LCM. The students have begun work on lowest terms, improper and equivalent fractions. 

SCIENCE:

  • Kindergarten students have been learning about the season of winter. The students are learning what happens during that season, what people wear as well as activities that happen during the winter.
  • Our first graders are working on the Life Cycle chapter and are learning about the life cycles of frogs and butterflies.
  • The second graders are continuing with the characteristics of mammals. In addition they are learning about spiders and how they spin webs.  Students will be making spider webs out of yarn.
  • The third graders identified how plants and animals change their environment and how the human body is made up of systems with structures and functions that are related.  Third graders categorized different types of foods in the appropriate food groups by making their own food guide pyramids.
  • The fourth grade students are working towards reaching their goals for the QAAR objective.  They have finished learning about matter.  They have begun studying energy, motion, and force. 
  • Our fifth graders will be starting a unit on Electricity.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

  • Our kindergarten students have wrapped up their holiday unit and learned all about the different holidays of the world.  The children are now enjoying many stories about Martin Luther King Jr. And are completing many different activities that show how his message was to spread peace and love. The Kindergarteners are looking forward to having their 100th day of school (February 8th), celebrating Chinese New Year and learning about the presidents during the month of Feb.
  • The first graders have begun the “Work!  Work!  Work!” chapter and are learning about jobs at home and school as well as needs and wants.
  • The second grade students will learn about our Earth and landforms.  They will become geographers and design their own landforms out of clay.
  • The third graders identified reasons why people form communities, and used cardinal and intermediate directions to locate places on a map.  In Character Education, third graders discussed and defined respect by reading The Great Kapok Tree, and Chicken Sunday.  They made their very own class recipe for “Respect Soup.”
  • The fifth graders have just completed a unit of study on the life and geography of the 13 Colonies.

LANGUAGE ARTS:

  • The kindergarteners of Lincoln School have been very busy learning the letter L, and now will be moving onto the letter H.  Each child is continuing to look about for objects that begin with the letter of the week.  The students are all busy at work learning to read. 
  • Our first graders have just finished On the Way to the Pond and will begin Friends Forever.  They are also writing seasonal stories.
  •  The second graders are learning the letter pattern oo and applying it during reading groups.  Students will also learn the importance of capitalizing holidays. They will also be writing stories describing their favorite holiday.
  • The third graders identified singular and plural possessive nouns.  They have also begun reviewing the parts of a persuasive paragraph and letter.  Third graders read Miss Nelson Is Missing, and wrote a letter to her persuading her to come back to school.  In reading, third graders read Rosie, A Visiting Dog, and The Stories Julian Tells from our reading series. 
  • The fourth graders are finishing up reading the book How to Eat Fried Worms and will be making dioramas as a final project.  They continue to work with the reading series and learn important skills needed for the NJ ASK.  Also, we are using the Essential Skills for Reading book to help prepare for the state test. The students are continuing to explore sentences.  They are currently learning about the different kinds of sentences, such as compound sentences and complex sentences.  They practice their revising and editing skills daily.  They are improving their narrative writing skills by writing about special gifts they have given others.  The students are preparing for the NJ ASK by refining their open ended responses.
  • The fifth graders have completed their Historical Fiction Book Report for the 2nd marking period.  They have just finished reading Iditarod Dream about a Jr. Iditarod race (dog sled race) in Alaska.   The students have just completed Unit 3 on Verbs.  They have started Unit 4 on Pronouns.  The fifth graders are working on Persuasive Writing and will be starting an interviewing unit in the next few weeks.

Pre-K Four- Curiosity Corner

  • Our sixteenth unit was Winter Wonders.  We focused on the season of winter, animals in winter, snow, and how to dress in the cold weather.  In our science lab we observed ice melting.  We reviewed the letter H this week.
  • Our seventeenth unit was Art and Artists.  This week we talked about artists and the different materials they use to create their art.  The students created their own art using paints, clay, and paper.  We also focused on colors and how mixing colors creates new colors.  The letter Q was also reviewed this week.
  • The eighteenth unit was Making Music!  This week we talked about different musical instruments and how they are used to make music.  The students even created their own rhythm instruments and practiced following the beat of a song.  The letter M was also reviewed this week.
  • We are currently working on the nineteenth unit called Pet Parade.  This week we will talk about the different animals people have as pets.  Students will have to opportunity to sort animals, count animals, and discuss their favorite animals.  They will also bring in a picture of their own pets to share with the class.  We will also be exploring the letter R this week.
  • Every week we continue to review identifying colors and color words, as well as, counting and number applications.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION:

  • K-2 Students- in these grade levels have been practicing jump rope skills in physical education classes. Students are learning the basic jump skills as well as more difficult jumping tricks. Included in their jump roping is also an introduction to the long rope. During Drug Awareness Week all students were involved in JUMP ROPE FOR HEART.
  • 3-5 Students- finished their Elk’s Hoop Shot Contest. Winners from Lincoln School were sent to the High School to compete at the next level. The student's have also been involved in practicing their jump rope routines for JUMP ROPE FOR HEART!! All students in these grade levels were actively involved in the program.
  • The fifth grade students held their D.A.R.E graduation on January 15th.

MUSIC: (All Elementary Schools)

  • Grade 4:  The 4th grade students are expanding their ranges both higher and lower this month.  They are learning about tied notes, fermatas, repeat signs.
  • Grade 5:  The 5th grade students are continuing on with their method books.  Most will be focusing on reading new key and time signatures and all will be working on new Major Scales.

WORLD LANGUAGE:

  • The students in grades K-3 learned to classify classroom objects, food items and clothing. The children in grades 4 & 5 learned how to identify gender and number of nouns.

MEDIA CENTER:

  • All grades participated in the PTA estimation contest. This was done for Drug Free week during their technology classes.
  • Kindergarten: The children were introduced to their first word processing program.(MaxWrite) They are learning to locate, open and close the programs as well as  how to locate and manage the MaxPaint feature.
  • First Grade: These classes are developing the skills to use undo, redo, re-size clip art, move clip art and to recognize the ‘file’ menu.
  • Second Grade & Third Grade: Classes used minimizing, borders, centering, sizing, font changes and clip art (or free-hand drawing) to create, print and mount posters about drug awareness. Second graders were introduced to the ‘move to back’ feature in draw toolbars.
  • Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade: Students were introduced to the on-line keyboarding program “Free Typing Games” and A Plus Math. Both programs are instructional, provide skill, drill and practice in learning, game and test formats. These classes bookmarked the sites and will continue to use them.
  • Fourth Grade: Students were also introduced to the use and setting of left tab markers.
  • Fifth Grade:  Students learned to use the graphic organizer to create webs.

Workshops -
High School –

  • Ms. Siddons has just attended three alternate route classes during December registered through Montclair State University while Ms. Torres continues working toward her standard New Jersey certificate.
  • Mr. Taylor served as judge for students who auditioned for the Regional Choir on January 5. Four students from Heights participated in the auditions.

Middle School- 

  • Ms. Torres continues to be working in the mentor program to obtain her standard certificate.

Euclid School –

  • 1/3/08 – REN WEB ASSISTANCE – EUCLID SCHOOL – MRS.