• Mrs. Marano’s Computer Applications class has been working with creating charts using Microsoft Excel. The students used data obtained from the NJ Department of Education website listing state aid for every school district in NJ. The students had to first organize the data and then decide on the proper type of chart for the data. They are now beginning a study of databases using a basic database in Appleworks.
• Mrs. Marano’s Computer Cycle 9 class has completed their study of tab stops and text boxes in Microsoft Word and are now working on creating drawings with Microsoft Word and paintings using Microsoft Paint. Students are experimenting to understand the difference between a layer-based art program and a pixel based art program. Before the holidays, the students will create a business or informational brochure.
• Mrs. McGinty’s U.S. I History classes are continuing with the subject of the American Revolution, students examined significant events, people, and documents.  During our examination of Common Sense, the students created their own pamphlets promoting their own patriot or loyalist agendas.  An examination of the Declaration of Independence led to lively discussions about the foundation on which America’s values rest.  Students also examined the domestic challenges faced by the new Republic and engaged in a simulation exercise of the Constitutional Convention.  They have gained an understanding of the American beliefs and principles reflected in the American Constitution.
• Mrs. McGinty’s U.S  II History students have been analyzing the effects of global and U.S. imperialism during the early 20th Century.  Topics of study included: The Spanish-American War, The Open Door Policy, construction of the Panama Canal, Big Stick Diplomacy, Missionary Diplomacy, and Dollar Diplomacy. Students examined examples of yellow journalism, viewed and analyzed political cartoons, interpreted maps, charts, and graphs, and viewed popular art works from the era.

Students were able to understand how all of these events helped shape the world at the time and gave them a reference for the beginning of our study of The Great War, WWI.  

Mrs. McGinty’s Honors -

In addition, the Honors class has examined primary documents and analyzed selections from relevant literature selections.  The subject of statehood for Puerto Rico was the topic of a position paper this month.  Each student completed a project related to the topic of imperialism:  they created and performed a two-minute monologue of a key figure from our study. 

• The in-class laptop is being utilized regularly.  With the addition of the LCD projector, we have been able to access and view power-point presentations to review information from appropriate chapters.  The American’s textbook has accompanying software, which enables us to view works of art, photographs, charts, and maps. It reinforces topics from direct instruction lessons. With the accessibility of the Internet right in our classroom, students have been able to gather information when specific questions arise.  Additionally, I maintain a grade book on the computer.  
• Ms. Cassidy’s U.S. History I classes have completed the study of the Revolutionary War and have started discussion on the framing of the United States Constitution.  The students will conclude the chapter by role-playing the Constitutional delegates at the Constitutional Convention.
• Ms. Cassidy’s A.P. History class has completed study on the time period leading up to the Civil War.  Students have continued to write essays and answer Document Based Questions as practice for the A.P. exam in May.
• Ms. Cassidy submitted a grant application to the Eagleton Institute for a $300.00 transportation assistance grant  to sponsor a field trip to the State House in Trenton.  Ms. Cassidy has received notification that she won the award for a trip to the State House.
• Mrs. Valenti’s World History classes have been studying Ancient Greece. They created their own Greek Menus. This exposed them to Greek culture and gave them the experience of running their own restaurant. Using the internet, the students did a search for “Greek Restaurants” and “Greek foods”. They had to choose “authentic and traditional” dishes for their menu. We are also focusing on the development of Democracy and Philosophy in Ancient Greece. Both topics are important for understanding the development of Europe as well as our own country. Lastly, the students will be pairing up in class to work on an alternative assessment project about the women of Ancient Greece, using notes that I have provided for them. In a creative way of describing what life was like for women of Ancient Greece, the students will have their choices of creating either a cartoon, pen pal letters, or an advertisement.
• Mrs. Valenti’s Honors World History:  The development of the ancient world by sea faring traders and various cultures on the move, has been our focus. Understanding the connections between certain cultures located at different ends of Asia, has allowed the students to see the similarities between the cultures of the world. The development of monotheism, with the advent of Judaism, has started off our unit on world religions. Currently, the class will be working on an extensive map project that will have them working in the school media center and utilizing both reference materials and the Internet. The project will allow them to trace the development of almost every kingdom, empire and country that existed in the eastern hemisphere from approximately 3000BC to 500AD. This is a concluding assessment to our studies on the ancient world.
• Mrs. Valenti’s  United States History I classes: been working on a project that focuses on the Revolutionary War. A timeline, map of the battles and the colonies and a chart of Washington’s first administration are the elements of this alternative assessment project.  The students are provided with a packet of notes, which they first have to organize, and from those they are to create the above mentioned items. They will then use their projects to take a test in class. This will indicate how well the students followed directions and understood the material. A unit on the Constitution will follow. It will focus on how the document was created as well as understanding the concepts presented by the founding fathers.

Mrs. Lewites’ World History POR classes have been studying the heritage of Ancient Greece.  We are learning about the early Aegean civilizations of Crete and Mycenae, both of which influenced Greek civilization.  Next we move on to the different forms of government that emerged among Greek city-states, especially in Athens and Sparta.  In the last part of this unit, the class will learn about the achievements of the ancient Greeks in philosophy, religion, literature, architecture, science, and history and the spread of Greek ideas following Alexander the Great’s conquests. 

MATHEMATICS / SCIENCE  DEPARTMENT –

• Mrs. Michaeli’s AP Statistics class learned how to design observational studies and experiments, and to solve problems involving probability.
• Mrs. Michaeli’s Algebra 2 classes learned how to solve systems of linear equations and inequalities and how to use them to solve word problems. They also reviewed HSPA problems involving cluster 2.
• Mr. Mastropietro’s  AP Calculus-  Students are finishing Chapter 3, Derivatives and will begin working on Chapter 4, Application of Derivatives. 
• Mr. Mastropietro’s Calculus classes are beginning on Chapter 3, Derivatives. 
• Mr. Mastropietro’sHSPA 9 – Students are working with negative and setting up HSPA word problems.
• Mr. Mastropietro’s Advanced Math classes are working on Matrices.  They are working with real-world math concepts as well. 
• Mr. Mastropietro’s HSPA 10 – students are working with patterns, geometric series, and basic geometry.  Also, they are working with SPA word problems.
• Mrs. O’Brien’s Algebra I students are sketching the graphs of linear equations.  Fundamental students are working on solving equations with variables on both sides, and HSPA 9 students are working on Algebra word problems.
• Mrs. Healey’s Precalculus classes are learning logarithms and their applications.  The Fundamentals of Math IV are learning operations with algebraic fractions.
• Mrs. Healey uses the laptop daily for grades, reports, research for curriculum enhancement, and electronic communication with staff, students, and parents.  The laptop was also used for a demonstration during an in-service presentation.
• Mr. Strama’s Computer Programming class has been working with computer generated random numbers.  They continue to practice with Loops, If-Then statements, and GoTo commands.  This month they will embark on another Loop that can be written in one line of code.
• Mr. Strama’s  Geometry classes are learning to use Side and Angle postulates (SSS, SAS, ASA, and SAA) to prove triangles congruent.  This chapter focuses heavily on proofs.
• Mr. Monks’ Algebra I class started working on Chapter 4 with scatter plots and graphing horizontal and vertical lines. 
• Mr. Monks’ Honors Algebra II class is solving linear systems using matrix equations. 
• Mr. Monks’ Geometry class has begun to use theorems to prove triangles congruent.
• Mr. Monks’ Fundamentals of Geometry class has completed their work in Chapter 4 which dealt with special triangles and solving for missing measurements. 
• Mr. Monks’ HSPA 11 class has completed their work with Cluster II topics and will begin probability scenarios.
• Mrs. Rad’s Fundamentals of Algebra 2 class has been completing problems that involve algebraic applications of percent.  The HSPA 9 class has been studying Cluster 1, Macro B which includes changing from a fraction or decimal to a percent and vice versa.  They are also learning to apply the concept to verbal problems.  The Integrated Math IV class has been learning to evaluate cost.  The HSPA 10 class has been studying Cluster 1, Macro B which includes solving a variety of problems illustrating and modeling applications of percent in real-life.
• Mrs. Stoehs’ Fundamentals of Geometry class has been working on triangles, discovering how to find the third side when 2 sides are given. The Fundamentals of Algebra students are ready to test on algebraic fractions.
• Mrs. Hicswa’s - The Biology classes have just completed their study of the cell.  Each of the students made a 3-D model of the cell including all necessary organelles.  As extra credit the students were allowed to bake a cake, brownies, a pizza, etc. and decorate that delicious item as a cell.  If they had made their non-edible model an animal cell, then the edible model had to be a plant cell.  The classes have now begun the study of asexual and sexual reproduction, mitosis, and meiosis.  This will lead them into the genetics unit. 
• Mrs. Hiscwa – Laptop –  
• Test program being used to make tests.
• Educational program used to make worksheets for reinforcement of topic.
• Beginning to be used to record grades and compute MP grades.

• Mr. Pignatiello’s AP Chemistry class has been going full force with gas law problems and Thermochemistry.  They are currently scheduled to go on their annual trip to Philadelphia with FDU.  The Honors chemistry and CP chemistry class have been introduced to gas laws and have been witnessing many different demonstrations dealing with pressure and gas laws.
• Mrs. Stoehs’ Environmental Science students recently completed their oral presentations on biomes. They had to be prepared for questions as well as give a quiz. They found out it is not as easy as we make it seem. The Earth Science students made topographical maps for their chapter on landforms. Maps included a scale and a legend.
• Mr. Binazeski’s – The Physical Science classes have completed their study of weathering and erosion. Students learned how materials are weathered and how erosion transports that material to a new location. Students also learned about topography and developed a topographic map of their own island utilizing various mapmaking techniques they learned in class. The Environmental Science class has completed the lesson on Populations and Habitats. Students designed a population survey in class that helped them understand how these surveys and their results are developed. Students will begin their study of biomes.
• Mr. Lentis’ – In all Physics classes, students are investigating rotational motion.  Concepts are being reinforced through teacher demonstrations, student hands-on-experiences and videos from the Conceptual Physics and Mechanical Universe programs.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION / HEALTH -The High School physical education classes are participating in a volleyball unit and a fitness unit, which includes pilates, yoga, and tai-bo.  This unit is being taught by the Physical Education student teacher, Allison Banca.

• Mr. Tessaro and Mrs. Kolich are preparing their 10th grade health classes for the state driver education test this marking period with discussions about stopping distances and rules of the road.
• Mrs. Kolich 12th grade health class has discussed the death penalty, debated the pros and cons and concluded the unit by watching “The Green Mile”.
• Ms. Gaccione’s 9th grade health class finished up the suicide unit after watching the film “Dead Poets Society”.  Written assignments were given in regards to the signs and symptoms of suicide and how to help an individual who is thinking about suicide. Students are currently learning about family life and human sexuality. 

ART DEPARTMENT-

• Mrs. Reed’s drawing classes has completed two projects using the method of still life.  Students created reproductions of these still life’s in charcoal and pastels.  Colored pencils have been used in the class’s pipes in space project, where students created design using tubes and pipes to show dimension, space and 3 dimension.  The class is working on a half and half drawing where students will use half of a magazine picture then draw the second half so it fits together like a whole.
• Mrs. Reed’s graphic Design class has created CD covers where students created the layout of a CD for their own group or singer.  The class has also created visuals that represent a sound.  Presently the class is creating a collage that shows the interpretation of the statement “ wouldn’t it be a strange world if….”.  Students are completing this statement using visuals.
• Mrs. Brinker’s Digital Photography Classes have been working independently on creating digital images through the use of adobe photoshop software.  Digital camera and computers are provided as the students address the assignments for the marking period, as they are inspired.  All work is created on the computers in Art Room 310.
• Mrs. Brinker’s Executive Board is working to coordinate the Annual Senior Luncheon, which will take place on Wednesday December 21st.  At the present time this group is working on wrapping favors, creating table charts, designing centerpieces and choosing linens.
• Mrs. Brinker’s Drawing Class is continuing to create in their “altered books.”  This project is a yearlong journey in creating and developing original art in textbooks that were discarded and no longer being used.  All drawings and sketches are being placed on the pages of these books as the curriculum progresses.
• Mrs. Kritzers’s Drawing class has completed an abstract unit.  The students studied the artwork of Abstractionist Kandinsky.  The students did their artwork in colored pencils.

The advanced art students are currently working on a painting titled “the Game of Life”.  The students were asked to compose a still life of the game that most represents their life.
Some interesting games have been represented.

• Mrs.Kritzer’s Student Council is having a busy month.  They recently completed writing a constitution that represents their government along with the class governments.  In keeping with traditions, they have adopted a family for Christmas.  The family is relocated to Seattle after losing their home to hurricane Katrina.  The students are donating gifts and money to help make this family’s holiday as normal as possible.

INDUSTRIAL ARTS DEPARTMENT -

• Mr. Masucci’s Industrial Arts classes are making jewelry boxes.  They also made a file cabinet for Mrs. Hicswa. 
• The 9th grade classes are making cutting boards.   

Middle School-
Music:

• Ms. Moroney continues to rehearse the sixth grade cycle for the holiday concert on December 21. They are also doing some sight reading for future concerts and are working on group sound, blend, and balance.

 

World Languages:

• Ms. Krysz’s sixth grade Spanish cycle have been learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week and months of the year in Spanish. They also have been practicing useful phrases on a daily basis.
• Mrs. Cafferty’s seventh grade Spanish cycle have been learning about familiar foods in Spanish and when they are eaten.
• Mrs. Squillace’s eighth grade Spanish cycle have acquired knowledge of vocabulary for family members and professions.

 

English Dept.: 

• Mr. Stillman’s Literature 8 and Literature 8 Honors classes have started their study of Edgar Allan Poe. Both classes are continuing with GEPA preparation as well.

 

• Mr. Sicilian’s English classes are working on original compositions for their individual portfolios. Students are learning the skills necessary for peer and self-evaluation in writing. Being involved in the process of critiquing writing samples strengthens their own

ability to write well, fosters a better understanding of rubric and holistic scoring, and gets kids to “talk” about writing…with each other!!!!

Several of the classes will be working on a communications/public speaking/performance by presenting monologue scenes from movies. Students will select a movie scene monologue, record the original scene either on cd/dvd, and then record their version or interpretation of the same scene. The audio will then be played. Some students have expressed interest in presenting their scenes on video and even in a “live” venue.

 The English Honors class, along with selected students from the other classes, is developing a research/survey project focusing on incentive programs that reward student achievement. Students will use Internet research, student and faculty surveys, statistical analysis, and technology integration to present their findings to determine if school wide incentives promote increased achievement. Although in its initial stages, the project could shed some light on an interesting topic.

 All classes are continuing GEPA preparation as well

• Miss Venneman’s Literature 7 classes are reading The River by Gary Paulsen and exploring all aspects of survival for the main character.

 

• Mrs. Rowland’s 7th grade English class are working on various sentence structures: simple, compound, and complex. After exhausting all grammar drills, they will be creating a characterization of themselves using strong, descriptive words and various sentence structures. Next, students will break into groups.  They will create another individual using one character trait from their own characterization. Following that, each group will receive an overhead projector sheet.  Strong words will be circled, and various sentence structure underlined. In addition, the class will be turned over to the students.  Each group using the overhead projector will present writing on the screen in front of the class.  Each group will emphasize strong vocabulary used and reinforce the various sentence structures to the class. Lastly, after group presentations are done, the class will vote on the best characterization and aspects as to why this writing is the best will be discussed.  Homework passes will be issued to the group for the best writing.
• Ms. Wolf’s sixth grade students are busy beginning their unit on Parts of Speech.  This is a very intense unit that the students will be able to dissect a sentence and recognize what are the words are.  At the end of the unit, the students will complete a project as a contest.  In addition to grammar, the students continue to learn new vocabulary and spelling through spelling units.  They also have been working on perfecting timed writing exercises in class.  This serves as preparation for state testing.  It also works to improve their writing skills.

Technology has been used in several ways this month.  As team leader, I used the certificate program included on the computer to print certificates for the honor roll students for the first marking period.  I also continue to use the computer to record minutes from each team meeting and parent meeting that we have.
For record keeping and clerical work, I continue to type all tests and quizzes on the computer to provide for the students.  I also record their tests and quiz grades as often as possible so that I have an accurate average when speaking to the parents.  This came in quite handy during last month’s conferences.
In addition, I continue to find ways to use the computer as an instructional tool.  I found a picture prompt on the Internet that the students used last week to complete a timed writing task.  The students were very excited this month when we began discussing something in class and it became an extra credit assignment.  Thanks to my textbook, historical information is given as examples and the students are excited to learn more.  They were given two separate questions and asked to do research.  They were then told to provide the information to me via email.  This provided them with extra credit points on tests.  About twenty-five percent of the students took advantage of this opportunity.

• Ms. Dolan’s 6th grade literature classes:  The entire sixth grade team dressed up as characters from the Wizard of Oz. Ms. Dolan was dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West and she used this opportunity to present a one day lesson to the students using the new technology she received as part of the pilot program. The students entered the classroom listening to music from the Wizard of Oz playing from her computer. She used speakers brought from home to amplify the sound. She then presented a power point presentation discussing the point of view of the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz compared to the Broadway musical Wicked. The power point incorporated pictures from both productions, as well as music from both. The students were given a different view of a story that they had all seen before. In fact, some of the students had participated in a play in one of the elementary schools. By the end of the period, the students were all seeing Elpheba (the Wicked Witch) in a new light and realizing that she wasn’t so Wicked after all, just misunderstood. The students were singing and dancing, and many of them want to go see Wicked now to hear the full story. It was an effective way to do a one day lesson and really brought point of view home to the students.

 

After completing Tuck Everlasting, the 6th graders did a one week unit on narrative compositions in preparation for state testing. The results of their testing will be inserted into their 6th grade writing folders.

In collaboration with Mrs. Wallace, the 6th grade literature students completed a two week unit on Greek mythology. The students read the myths in class and had a great time discussing the dysfunctional Greek Gods. They thought it was a riot that Athena was born out of Zeus head, after his son Hephaestus cut his head open with an axe.

The students are now completing a unit on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. The students are reading this classic story in a play form, taking on parts and reading with English accents. Rather than a final test, the students will be completing a story which will be graded using the New Jersey Registered Holistic Scoring Rubric. On December 15 and 16, Ms. Dolan’s and Ms. Mercandino’s classes will watch A Christmas Carol using the laptop provided by the sixth grade pilot program.

 

• Mr. Colangelo’s 8th Grade Literature class has started their study of Edgar Allan Poe.  The students will also continue to prepare for the GEPA.
• Mr. Colangelo’s 7th Grade Literature classes have started the reading of The River, a novel by Gary Paulson.  The students will follow the journey of Brian Robeson (Hatchet) as he battles the variables of nature.

 

• Mr. Colangelo’s Creative Writing class will continue to work on various writing projects.  They have completed journal writing, autobiographies, GEPA essays, and stories without endings.  The class will begin a writing lesson on newspaper articles.
• Mr. Colangelo’s Study Skills class has been working out of their Study Skills notebook, You Can Take Charge.  The students have completed various lessons from the notebook as they learn how to be more successful in school and at home.

 

Social Studies Dept:

• Ms. Wallace’s 6th Grade Social Studies classes are celebrating the close of 2005 with a special Current Events Project.  Ms. Wallace has reviewed the meaning of “the top 10 newsworthy stories of 2005” with the students by viewing several magazine and newspaper articles for format and content.  Students then created their own lists of the top 10 news stories of 2005, making sure to include at least one topic from the following categories:

National news
International news
Sports news
Entertainment news
School news
Local news
Because many of the sixth grade students are involved with play practice during their social studies classes, Ms. Wallace listed all information needed to complete the class and homework assignments using her Website Blog, www.socialstudies6.blogspot.com which is also accessible through the district website.

Students were then given a thorough review of the steps for outlining and summarizing information elicited from several resources.  Once the summaries are completed, students will utilize Microsoft Publisher and Word to create a magazine of their own to highlight their summaries.  Students will also include pictures downloaded from the Internet, and will create an attractive cover.
Students are using the Internet for resources.

In an effort to encourage the literary prowess of each student, the magazines will enter a competition for Literary Excellence and a class magazine will be compiled of the winning summaries and cover.  The classes will then compete for the Gold Medal of News Stories of 2005, which will be awarded to one class magazine.

A final Webquest Project will be created using the process the students completed as a model.  The webquest will include the standard 6-step approach to investigation: 
Introduction
Task
Process
Resources
Conclusion
Evaluation

Students will use models of Webquests that have been presented in Ms. Wallace’s Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation by using the LCD Projector and Laptop, which allows all of the students to view the presentation on the full-sized Projection Screen.

• Mrs. Gay's seventh grade Social Study students are discovering that it is no easy task to create a government.  Committees were formed to look at different aspects of government design, such as voting rights,international relations, and economic policy.  Since their time frame was immediately following the Revolutionary War, they were one of thirteen individual states trying to govern themselves without the benefit of an organized central government.  Upon critiquing their state government, most students concurred with the Founders that a stronger Federal government was necessary.

 

• Mrs. Rucci’s eighth grade social Studies classes acknowledged Veteran’s Day by discussing who veterans are and why we should show our appreciation to them.  Then students learned about the first American Veterans of the Revolutionary War.  Making a chart helped them analyze the colonists’ advantages that allowed them to win against a world power.  We continued with the organization of our government and the timelessness of the U.S. Constitution.  So far, we have covered the administration of the first four presidents including both their accomplishments and weaknesses.  The artists of the eighth grad are sketching the estates of Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello for our classroom bulletin board.  IN the Junior Scholastic magazines we read about China, Uganda, and the devastating effects of the use of child soldiers in Africa.

Technology Dept:

• Mrs. Marano’s Computer Cycle 6 and Computer Cycle 7 classes recently completed a self-designed CD Cover complete with artwork and song title list. The students are currently completing work on a two-sided, three fold brochure.

 

Art Department:

• Mrs. Reed’s art 7 classes have learned about the life and works of Matisse, Picasso and Chagall.  Students have created their own version of paper cut out designs in the style of Matisse.  Students have completed self-portraits in Picasso’s abstract style.  Presently students are creating surrealist designs in a stained glass style using the techniques of Chagall.

 

• Mrs. Brinker’s 6th Grade Cycle is working on weaving their reed baskets from natural reeds.  The process involves soaking the natural reeds in water and then weaving the reeds into baskets.  All students are creating interesting designs and shapes as they weave.

 Physical Education Dept:

Physical education classes are starting a unit in volleyball.  Each class will review the skills used for volleyball and then begin game play.  The 6th and 7th graders will use beach balls instead of the heavier and harder standard balls.

• Mrs. Kolich’s 6th grade Cycle 2 health class is working drug and alcohol awareness advertisements and anti drug posters.

 

• Mr. Delcalzo’s 7th grade health class discussed about HIV and AIDs virus dispelling misinformation about the disease. Conclude
• Ms. Gaccione’s 8th grade health class spent two weeks with Lt. Mullins discussing the dangers of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and violence.  Upon completion of the DARE program, students began the CPR unit.

 

Life Skills:

• Mr. Masucci’s Life skills class are making cutting boards.

 

Math Dept:

• Miss Krysz’s Geometry classes have been using the compass and protractor to measure angles and bisect angles and segments. The students have been learning to classify figures. The students are in the process of completing their chapter project.  The Algebra class has been comparing, adding and subtracting fractions, and working with conversions with decimals.  The students will be working on a chapter project that involves a demonstration.
• Miss Krysz uses the laptop to develop weekly lesson plans, adding and subtracting fractions using Word Perfect.  She has already used Mathrealm to construct tangrams and also used the technology to give a lesson on similar figures.  Miss Krysz is currently developing additional presentations for her classes using Mathrealm.
• Miss DiPiano’s Algebra class has estimating, adding and subtracting fractions.  The students have also completed the first section of gepa Packets and have taken the first cluster assessment.  By the end of the month the students will complete a project that will serve as a concrete model to demonstrate relationships among fractions and mixed numbers.  The Geometry students are completing the assessment for Chapter 8.  In Chapter 9 the students will calculate area and perimeter of rectangles as well as the circumference and area of a circle.  The students will learn to find the volume and surface area of rectangular prisms.  For the project students will design a cereal package and calculate the surface area and volume of the package.
• Mr. Strama’s class has begun Order of Operations. The class will be getting into problem solving and working backwards as a problem solving technique.  Next they will begin comparing, ordering, and modeling operations with integers.
• Mrs. Caputo’s , class currently the main stream 7th graders are working with proportions, ratios and unit price.  We had fun learning unit price with a huge bag of “StarBurst” candies that we all shared afterwards.  Our Cluster I Gepa quiz is scheduled for 12/9 .  We will be having our first test next week to be added to the three quiz grades thus far for the second marking period. In the honors’ class I 7th grade the students are currently working in combining like terms and algebraic equations.  We just had our first test on % for the second marking period to be added to our three quiz grades thus far.  The Cluster I gepa test is also scheduled for 12/9. 
• Mr. Sickel’s  7th grade math classes just finished Chapter 7, Investigating Geometry and will be taking the first test of the second marking period next week.  Honors class just completed chapter 8 Patterns in Geometry and will be taking the first test of the second marking period next week.  The class is still practicing their graphing skills, while they work on displaying the data collect from their M&M survey. 
• Mr. Aldea's classes will be working on applications of proportions. This includes rations and rates, units of measurements, similar figures, and an introduction of the basic trigonometric functions. The honors class will be working on an introductory chapter in probability. In addition, all classes will be extensively reviewing GEPA material. All classes will be given a cluster assessment on 12/5/05. Further cluster packets will be issued throughout the month that focus on probability.
• Mrs. Dunne’s Math 8 classes are adding rational numbers, completed comparing, writing equivalent forms, and graphing them on the number line.  The Algebra I class has begun graphing linear equations including vertical and horizontal lines, and graphing from a table of values.

 

Science Dept.:

• Mr. Rispoli’s Science classes are preparing for the trip to the Buehler Challenger and Science Center. They researched jobs and completed job applications.  Each student was assigned to a team.  The teams started their Buehler activities that include plotting coordinates, testing reflexes, finding pulses, learning about the light spectrum, building circuits, collecting and analyzing data, and learning about space flight and space missions.  The field trip to Buehler will be on Dec. 20th and Dec. 21st.
• Mr. Rispoli utilizes the laptop daily for recording grades, homework and preparing worksheets.  In class, it has been setup daily to display a countdown for liftoff at Buehler.  The Buehler website has a countdown of the days, hours, minutes and seconds until liftoff, just like NASA uses for their launches.  The students have been very excited by this.  The website has also been used to help prepare the students for the trip.  Individual teams have used the laptop for research to gather information about comets.  Other teams have used the laptop to research and gather information about planets and their satellites.
• Mr. Rispoli has also used the laptop with the projector to teach the students about Edmund Halley and Halley’s comet.  The students could see the parts of the comet, the path the comet, the shape of the comet’s orbit and actual photos of the comet.
•  
• Mrs. Toy’s 7th grade science classes are finishing up their unit on Cells.  They are excited about the next unit, Forensic Science.  Students will explore DNA and how experts use it to solve mysteries of medicine and crime.
• Mr. Cassiere’s students are covering phases of mater, kinetic theory of matter, and thermodynamics.  Students are currently finding the amount of kinetic energy it takes to melt ice and boil water while building a line graph to represent their data.

 

Euclid School –
Math-
PSD is concentrating on the numbers 11-15.  They are naming, tracing, writing and counting them.  They are learning to identify a star shape.
Kindergarten students are working with sets of numbers from 1-10.  They are identifying halves of symmetry.  They are identifying the missing numbers on a number line and graphing and comparing more and less.
Grade 1 students are practicing their subtraction facts through 10.  They are using a subtraction rule to complete a function table.  They are reinforcing their word problem skills by choosing an operation.  They created fact family houses.
Grade 2 students are learning how to use mental math to add.  They are adding one and two digit numbers.  They are counting backwards to subtract and regrouping with addition.  They are writing word problems to demonstrate regrouping.
Grade 3 is practicing their rounding and estimating.  They are adding three and four digit numbers.  They are practicing their multiplication facts.  They are subtracting and across zero.
Grade 4 continues to practice their Mad Minutes.  They are completing double and triple digit multiplication.  They completed bar graphs, double bar graphs, pictographs and line graphs.  They are solving word problems with the strategy predict and test.
Grade 5 students are working with the division of 2 digit numbers.  They are dividing decimals by whole numbers.  They are changing fractions into decimals and practicing their order of operations.  They are identifying number patterns and working with the greatest common factor.

Science-

PSD is working on their weather reports depicting the daily weather.
Kindergarten is experimenting with different faces.  They are pushing, pulling and working with magnets.  They are learning that magnets attract objects made of iron and steel.
Grade 1 is learning about a variety of environments.  They are learning about the many living things found within he different environments and how these plants and animals live.
Grade 2 is learning how animals live.  They are studying food webs and food chains.  They are learning about prey and predators.  They are identifying the dangers of an oil spill and how it destroys the environment.
Grade 3 has finished their unit on rocks.  They are now focusing upon animals.  They are learning the difference between a vertebrae and invertebrae.  They created models of the spiral column.

Social Studies-

PSD is developing an awareness of their own address.  They are learning about different holidays. 
Kindergarten is studying holidays around the world.  They left their shoes out on December 6th for St. Nick’s Day. They are reinforcing their calendar skills and classroom rules.
Grade 1 students are studying towns, farms and cities.  They are comparing their differences and illustrating each one.  They learned how a school has changed and the reasons for the changes.  They are distinguishing the past, present and future.
Grade 2 students are learning how to work together.  They are understanding how income, goods and services are related.  They are learning about their importance in our everyday lives. 
Grade 3 is studying rural, suburban and urban communities.   They are learning about their local government.  They are completing current event presentations.
Grade 4 continues their study of the regions of New Jersey.  They are creating maps of those regions.  They are studying elevation maps to identify various land forms.
Grade 5 students finished their study of Maya, Aztec and Inca Empires.  They are learning about the Silk Road, Marco Polo and Zheng He.  They are developing their skills of short answer writing.

Language Arts-

PSD is learning the letters, h, p and n.  They are also identifying the color green.
Kindergarten is building phonemic awareness by working with the at, ap and am family.  They are studying the letters f and g.  They created word walls, made finger puppets and created the letters out of clay.  They are working with the high frequency words; on, to, go and we.  They are focusing on character, setting and sequence of a story.
Grade 1 students are working with digraphs and blending sounds.  They are creating story webs and practicing oral fluency.  They are learning about nouns and creating noun picture cards.  They are practicing their skill of preview and predict and working on answers that are in a complete sentence.  They are practicing the writing process with a beginning, a middle and an end.
Grade 2 continues to work on picture prompts.  They are identifying nouns and the difference between those that are common and proper.  They are identifying patterns of syllables and working with the prefixes dis and and un.  They are improving comprehension by retelling the story read.
Grade 3 students are writing nonfiction “How To” essays.  They are using context clues to improve comprehension.  They are reading the class novel, The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates, with the novel characters and setting are being focused upon as well as predicting and plot.
Grade 4 students are reading informational text about Puffins.  They are researching using the Internet and practicing short answer questions.  They are completing book reports on Sarah Plain and Tall.  They are working with figurative language.  They wrote friendly letters and sent them home.  They are summarizing details and opinions.  They are working with adjectives, verbs and nouns.  They are utilizing four square writing to write a persuasive piece.
Grade 5 students are completing a review of narrative elements.  They are creating story maps and developing their listening skills.  They are making inferences and Reading Books for all Learners.   They are forming plurals and have completed book reports.  Students are writing “How to” paragraphs and working on DARE essays.  They are creating compound sentences.

Art

Kindergarten is developing their painting skills by creating pine trees.  They are practicing their weaving. 
Grade 1 created pointsettias and snowscapes via painting skills.
Grade 2 is working on proportion while creating soldiers.
Grade 3 is working with pastels and the skill of highlighting.
Grade 4 is practicing symmetry regarding their stain glass design. 
Grade 5 is creating day designs and masks.

Music

Kindergarten is learning seasonal music.
Grades 1, 2 and 3 are preparing for The Little People’s Choir Concert.  They learned various holiday songs and accompany them with percussion instruments. 
Grades 4&5 are preparing for their Holiday Concert.

Physical Education

Grades K-2 are developing leg strength, upper and lower body coordination and agility while moving on scooters.  Emphasis is also being placed on safety while playing scooter dog catcher.
Grades 3-5 are playing volleyball.  They are developing upper and lower hand serves, set, hump and hit techniques.  A beach ball is being used to introduce a simplified game and strategies.

World Language

Students in grades K-5 are learning their numbers with Kindergarten learning colors and Grade 1 is learning the vocabulary of familiar objects in Spanish. 
Grade 3 students are learning the names of familiar animals and how to describe them while Grade 4 students are creating posters describing what they eat and how they eat it, where, when and with whom they eat it.
Grade 5 students describe people and things in a restaurant setting.
Grades 4-5 are spending more time practicing writing while Grades 1-3 are more focused on reading Spanish.  Students are enjoying practicing what they have learned with challenging crossword puzzles, bingo games, Simon says, coloring and music CD’s and puppets.  Additionally, colored miscellaneous ditto sheets at different grade levels were distributed to review colors.  

Library/Computers

Kindergarten classes are using the computer program “Millie’s Math House” to reinforce basic math skills and “Bailey’s Book House” for practice in reading readiness skills.
Grade 1 is learning to locate letters and punctuation marks on the computer keyboard through use of Claris Works Writing Pad and the List Pad.
Grade 2 is developing word processing skills in the Appleworks program.  They are learning to use art tools and clip art to add graphics to a text document.
Grade 3 is logging on to Class Link and accessing the Inspiration program.  They are creating story webs on the computer to reinforce main idea and details.
Grade 4 is learning many features of Microsoft Word; features of toolbars; numbering & bulleting; copy any paste keyboard commands and moving from document by minimizing screen.
Grade 5 has begun the internet safety unit sponsored by I-Safe America.  Topics being covered currently are types of sites inappropriate for children and what to do; looping; e-mail flaming, spamming and forwarding.  Computer viruses will be discussed: what they do, how they are sent and how to prevent them.

 Lincoln School -
Mathematics:
Kindergarten classes recently completed recognizing and writing numbers 6-10 and using a number line.  They are now learning about solid figures – cone, cube, sphere, and cylinder. Our first graders recently completed a unit on graphing and will begin learning their numbers to 100 and place value.  The second grade has been learning to subtract without regrouping.  They are also working with ordinal numbers in Measuring Up.  The third grade has been reviewing multiplication facts and learning about elapsed time.  They will soon begin a unit on geometry.  Fourth graders are learning to multiply 2-digit by 3-digit numbers.  They are working hard on developing their problem solving skills.  The fifth graders recently completed a unit on fractions and are now learning about variables and expressions.  They are applying all aspects of mathematics to problem solving as well. 

Science:
Kindergarten classes are comparing the similarities and differences of animals and how they move.  Our first graders recently completed a unit on habitats and will begin a unit on the life cycle.  The second graders recently learned about adaptations and amphibians.  They are also learning about animals with backbones.  The third grade is completing a unit on the water cycle and will soon begin an investigation of rocks and minerals.  The fourth grade is in the midst of a social studies unit and will begin a science chapter on weather called “Hurricanes and Tornadoes”.   Our fifth graders are in a social studies unit and will begin an ecosystems unit next.

Social Studies:
Our kindergarten students are traveling in their holiday passports to learn about the celebrations and customs of different cultures.   The first grades completed a unit on the local community and will begin the study of “Needs and Wants.”  The second grade recently read the story ­From My Orchard to You and are learning about the earth’s resources. The third graders are studying family and community celebrations, traditions, and cultures.  The fourth grades recently finished a chapter on the regions of New Jersey and the corresponding characteristics such as landforms, cities, rivers etc...  The fifth graders are learning all about Native American Indians of the southwest deserts, the great plains, and the northwest coasts 

Language Arts:
The kindergarteners spent time investigating the letters D, G, and F. They recently read Peanut Butter and Jelly, Off we Go, and Sit on My Chair.  Next they will begin exploring “short I”.  Our first graders are currently learning about nouns and have read the story ­I am a Butterfly and Fun with Fish.  They recently wrote holiday stories. The third grades are identifying and integrating pronouns into their writing prompts.  They will begin a unit on adjectives next.  The students are reading the ­Talent Show, which is a story all about friendship.  The fourth graders are learning direct quotations and the skill of integrating direct quotations in to their writing. The students have been focusing on the narrative prompt and bulleting.  They will be investigating parts of speech next.  They are in the midst of reading  ­Stone Fox.  The fifth graders recently completed their informative speeches and learning about complex sentences.  The will soon be working on a persuasive writing unit.

Physical Education:
The kindergarten through second grade students are working on balancing skills and dribbling skills in basketball.  The upper grades are in the midst of a basketball unit focused on dribbling, shooting, and passing skills.  They will begin 5 on 5 basketball scrimmages in the near future. 

Music: (All Elementary Schools):
The fourth and fifth grade students are diligently preparing for the holiday sing-a-long concert on December 20th.  The primary students are studying varied cultural traditions through seasonal music.  They are also learning to sing and play instruments simultaneously. 

World Language:
Students in grades K-5 are learning their numbers with Kindergarten learning colors and grade 1 learning house vocabulary, colors, letters, and numbers and grade 2  learning the vocabulary of familiar objects in Spanish. Grade 3 students are learning the names of familiar animals and how to describe them while grade 4 students are creating  posters describing what they eat and how they eat it, where, when and with whom they eat it. Grade 5 students describe people and things in a restaurant setting.

Media Center:
The kindergarten has been introduced to word processing programs.  The first grade is working on mouse control.  The second grade is utilizing a graphing program to create graphs.  The third grade is working on Inspiration to web and outline.  The fourth and fifth grades are working on an I-safe Internet safety unit. 

 

Workshops - title, date, site, participant and summary

High School –

• 12/5/05 – Cheryl Reed attended a workshop at the Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ.

    
Middle School-  No staff members attended workshops.
Euclid School –
12/5/05- ClassLink Training – Posting lessons& templates for Grades 3-5.  Presenters were Lori Cintron and Eileen Drago.
12/8- Special Education Monitoring – Mrs. Simmons.
12/15-Professional Development-Jointure-Mrs. Simmons.
12/19-Osteogenisis Imperfecta-Grades PreK-5- Presenter Mrs. Grossano.           

Lincoln School -
11-29-05: Novice teachers observed Mrs. Pagano’s lesson integrating cooperative groups.
12-05-05: Special education meeting in art room facilitated via Mrs. Eisenberg
12-13-05: MaryAnn Pagano – “Project Wet” sponsored by the United Water Company – Science Based                                                       program to teach students about water.

General Administration - fire drills, day, date and time - from beginning of school year

High School –
Successful fire drills were held on:

• 9/12/05 @ 10:15 am
• 9/20/05 @ 9:01 am
• 10/5/05 @ 1:20 pm
• 10/18/05 @ 2:02 pm
• 11/7/05 @ 1:15 pm
• 11/21/05 @ 9:02 am
• 12/8/05 @ 9:49 am

Lockdown:

• 12/14/05 @ 9:48 am

Elevator Tests –

Successful tests completed on:

• 9/28/05
• 10/17/05
• 11/02/05
• 12/02/05

 

Middle School- Fire Drills
9/12/05 @ 10:15 am
9/20/05 @ 9:01 am
                  10/5/05 @ 1:20 pm
                  10/18/05 @ 2:02 pm
                  11/7/05 @ 1:15 pm
                  11/21/05 @ 9:02 am
                  12/8/05 @ 9:49 am
                   

Lockdown:

• 12/14/05 @ 9:48 am

Elevator Tests –

Successful tests completed on:

• 9/28/05
• 10/17/05
• 11/02/05
• 12/02/05

 

Euclid School –
Fire Drills
9/12/05
9/16/05
10/19/05
10/28/05
11/14/05
11/28/05
Lockdowns
9/30/05
11/15/05
12/13/05
Elevator Checks
9/29/05
10/13/05
11/15/05
12/14/05

 

Lincoln School -
09-13-05: Elevator Emergency Test
09-22-05: Fire Drill @ 11:35 AM
09-22-05: Lock Down @ 2:00 PM
09-30-05: Fire Drill @ 2:20 PM
10-07-05: Elevator Emergency Test
10-11-05: Fire Drill @ 1:35 PM
10-26-05: Fire Drill @ 2:00 PM
11-08-05: Elevator Emergency Test – Failed – institutional called 15 minutes after test – they claim that                                                       message must have the word “code 1” added to it. Work order #124 addresses issue.
11-08-05: Lock Down @ 1:30 PM
11-14-05: Fire Drill @ 1:10 PM
11-28-05: Fire Drill @ 1:35 PM
12-14-05: Elevator Emergency Test @ 10:56 AM – OK (call back within 4 minutes)
12-14-05: Lock Down @ 2:15 PM

 

Accomplishments -
High School –

• Mrs. Squillace’s Spanish I class has done dialog presentation in front of the class.
• Mrs. Cafferty’s Spanish I class has learned how to go shopping in a Spanish speaking country using clothing, colors, and prices to create their own dialogs.
•  Mrs.Washburn’s Italian Club will visit the elementary schools on December 15 to sing carols that have been specially prepared for the younger children. Club members share excitement and work hard each day to have a great performance. The trip is a great tradition and has been done for many years.
•  Mr. Eggmann’s French Club is preparing for the traditional Fete de Noel on December 16 with carols and French pastries.
• Mrs. Carr’s Spanish IV class completed their original fables.
• Mr. Ascolese has indicated that the marching band participated in the annual Heights holiday parade on November 25, 2005.
•  Mr. Vanamo reports that the concert choir performed for the Hasbrouck Heights Republican Club on November 17, 2005.

 

Middle School-

Mrs. Squillace’s Spanish 8 cycle class has presented and prepared a poster for their family tree.
Mrs. Cafferty’s Spanish 7 cycle students are working on group presentations of their assigned countries in Central America and the Carribean describing their geographical features in Spanish.
 Ms. Krysz’s Spanish 6 cycle class will be reading and reciting dialogs and performing skits within the next couple of weeks.

Mr. Vanamo, Music class, announced that Daren Isla, Sandhya Ramani, and Adriana Szabo were participants in the Bergen County Junior High School Chorus concert held on November 20, 2005 at Cresskill Jr/Sr High School.

Mr. McCarthy’s seventh grade music cycle class has completed the baroque and classical periods featuring Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Haydn.

• Seventh grade students of the Month, were Robbie Riener and Crystal Wrede.  On Friday, December 9th the student activities will be running an Arts and Crafts activity in the café from 3-4, refreshments and music will be served.  The event is free.   

 

Middle School Student Council:

The Halloween fundraiser was a huge success. $766.97 was raised for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness Fund. All of the students and teachers had fun wearing their costumes. Thanks to everyone who supported this successful endeavor.

The Center for Food Action was overjoyed with the food collected in our annual food drive. One of the workers at the Center actually hugged the teachers when she saw that four cars and trucks were filled to the rim with food. They were impressed that the food was collected by children. Special thanks are given to Mr. Sickels and Miss Krysz who volunteered their personal time to assist Mrs. Rucci and Ms. Dolan in bringing the food to the Center in Hackensack. Additionally, on the way to the Center, Mrs. Rucci made a detour to the Hasbrouck Heights Food Bank. They were also impressed with the amount of food that was collected by the students and a donation was made by the Middle School Student Council to directly benefit Hasbrouck Heights families.
The food drive winners for the 2005-2006 school year are as follows:
6th grade tie between