Minutes of Business Meeting of November 20, 2008
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MINUTES OF BUSINESS MEETING OF MAY 19, 2011 The monthly Business Meeting of the Piscataway Township Board of Education was held on Thursday, May 19, 2011 at the Administration Building. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by the Board President, Ms. Maas. I. CALL TO ORDER Salute to Flag - Board President Roll Call - Board Secretary P Mr. Connors P Mrs. Lopez P Mr. Okamoto Mrs. Greeley P Ms. Maas P Mr. Stoddard P Ms. King Mr. Mosier P Mr. Szymonowicz II. NOTIFICATION ANNOUNCEMENT HEREBY BE IT KNOWN that the Piscataway Township Board of Education has complied with the notification requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act for the announcement of this meeting date and place on June 22, 2010, in the following manner: Posting of the public notice on the posting board for the Board of Education in the Administration Building Mail notification to the newspaper serving Piscataway, The Home News Tribune Notification filed with the Municipal Clerk at the Municipal Building on Hoes Lane This meeting is being digitally recorded. This recording is not an official record or supplement to the minutes and is intended only as a source of information that the public might utilize at a later date to familiarize themselves with the Board's activities. III. EXECUTIVE SESSION BE IT RESOLVED that the Board adjourn to executive session for the purpose of review and discussion of a detailed personnel agenda for action this evening, and other matters involving individual staff members, as well as numerous outstanding matters in litigation. It is not known at this time when these matters can be disclosed to the public. Motion to adjourn: Moved Ms. King Seconded Mr. Szymonowicz Yea 7 Nay 0 IV. PUBLIC SESSION BE IT RESOLVED that the Board reconvenes public session. Motion to reconvene: Moved Mr. Connors Seconded Ms. King Yea 7 Nay 0 Public session reconvened at 8:00 p.m. V. PRESIDENT’S REPORT . Arbor School G & T Bell Choir VI. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT SCHOR MUSICIANS DEBUT AT LINCOLN CENTER The Schor Jazz Band and Chamber Choir, under the direction of Mark Fischer and Rebekah Sterlacci, participated in an outdoor concert on the plaza of Lincoln Center as part of the Young Music Makers program. Twenty-eight students performed selections that included Shenandoah, Hey Jude and In the Mood, receiving thunderous applause at the conclusion of the event. PISCATAWAY ALUM VISITS FROM NASA Cathy Bahm, Piscataway graduate, currently serving as an aerospace engineer at NASA, will be visiting King and Arbor Schools next week to speak with students about her responsibilities at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in California and to present the district with a tile from a retired space shuttle. Cathy was inspired to pursue a career in science by her Piscataway teachers, from her first years at Grandview to graduation from Piscataway High School. KING STUDENTS MAKE MEMORIES WITH ORPHANS IN INDONESIA The phrase “a picture says a thousand words” has meaning for Lucy Wei, Klaudine Celario and Sayuni Dias, 5th grade students at King. They participated in The Memory Project, a nationwide initiative in which students create artwork to be sent to children in orphanages around the world. Under the direction of art teacher Irina Nikitovic, the three students created portraits of children from Indonesia, which were sent overseas. The Indonesian students responded by sending their own photos holding their King portraits. Ms. Nikitovic and her students hope to share the message that “art connects us all…” RANDOLPHVILLE TOPS IN COUNTY FOOD DRIVE Randolphville has earned the distinction as the top elementary school in the Middlesex County 2011 Spring Food Drive. Students collected 6,750 pounds of food during the drive, which incorporated math activities and lessons on community service into a cooperative competition between classes. The school will be recognized with a proclamation at an upcoming meeting of the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WIN FIRST PLACE IN “DON’T DRIVE DANGEROUSLY” CONTEST Piscataway High School was awarded the top two prizes in the Middlesex County "Don’t Drive Dangerously" contest for public service announcements created in our broadcast studio. The first place video, “Flash Forward,” was produced by 11th grader Kristen Perrello, 12th grader Yery Ysabel, 9th grader Cody Hughes, and 9th grader Vernon Johnson. The first place audio, “Save Yourself!” was produced by Justin Miranda, Shaquille John, Kevin Castro, Felipe Cabrera and William Proulx, all seniors in the Piscataway High School radio club. The award-winning video is featured on the Piscataway High School morning news and the audio can be heard on WVPH 90.3 FM. Both are posted on the district website under “News and Broadcasts.” KNOLLWOOD STUDENTS “ON TAP” WITH WATER CONTEST Students in Elizabeth Spasiano’s third grade class worked with music instructor Jennifer Sernotti to create an original song entitled “Don’t Waste a Bottle, Don’t Waste a Can” for submission in the Scholastic/NJ American Water Contest, “Tap for Tap.” The song promotes the drinking of tap water from reusable water bottles as a way to help the environment. PROJECT HEALTHLINKS RECEIVES STATEWIDE HONOR “Project Healthlinks,” the district initiative designed to introduce Piscataway middle school minority students to careers in the field of medicine, has been selected as a winner of the 25th Annual School Leader Award, sponsored by the NJ School Boards Association. The award, recognizing unique and innovative district programs, was presented at a ceremony at the Trenton War Memorial last week. PISCATAWAY FACULTY IN THE NEWS Scott Foglyano, Faculty Adviser to the Piscataway High School Chieftain, has received a Fellowship with the 2011 American Society of News Editors Reynolds High School Journalism Institute at the University of Texas in Austin. Ed Cohen, science teacher at Quibbletown, has been selected to participate in the 2011 Japan-U.S. Teachers Exchange Program, a component of the Fulbright Experience for Global Leaders, taking place in various areas of Japan this summer. Nancy Ostrowski, Piscataway High School business teacher and adviser to Future Business Leaders of America, has been named to the National FBLA Adviser Wall of Fame at the National Center in Virginia. HEAR YE! HEAR YE! MOCK TRIALS DEMAND ORDER IN THE COURT! Rumplestiltskin, Simba and Peter Rabbit have been summoned to court in a series of Mock Trials taking place throughout the district. Researched from favorite books and stories, and written and rehearsed by students, the court proceedings include “Charlie vs. The Chocolate Factory” at King, “Matilda Wormwood vs. Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood” at Grandview, “Rumplestiltskin vs. Queen Meredith” at Arbor, “The Trial of the Lion King” at Knollwood, “Wolverine Wolf vs. Tommy H. Huckleberry” at Eisenhower, and “Mr. McGregor vs. Peter Rabbit” at Randolphville. Check school websites for date and time to report for jury duty! PISCATAWAY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WINNERS AT CONGRESSIONAL ARTS COMPETITION Senior Stephanie Wademan received a 2nd Place award in the 2011 Congressional Arts Competition for her self portrait in colored pencil. Senior Lindsay Brown and Junior Jennifer Lynn Grare received Honorable Mention designations for their artwork. QUIBBLETOWN MUSICIANS TAKE THEIR SHOW ON THE ROAD The Quibbletown Jazz Band and Chamber Ensembles entertained senior citizens at Sterling Village and the Piscataway Senior Center in a concert that included popular tunes such as Tequila, Georgia on my Mind, and Superstition. The performers received resounding applause and a standing ovation. Bravo! ORIGAMI EXHIBIT TAKES SHAPE AT CONACKAMACK, KING AND KNOLLWOOD Origami art creations by 7th grader Zachary Lopez, and 6th grader Anya Lopez at Conackamack were selected by Origami USA for display at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. 7th grader Andrew Lerner at Conackamack, 4th grader Christopher Lopez at King and 1st grader Basheerah Ali at Knollwood received Honorable Mention awards. KING MUSICIANS EARN TOP RATING IN BAND COMPETITION On Friday, May 6, the King Concert and Jazz Band, directed by Thomas Seeland, participated in the Dorney Park Band Competition in Allentown, Pa. Both ensembles earned a superior rating. The Concert Band accomplished this with a score of 92, while the Jazz Band earned a score of 93. CONACKAMACK VIOLIST PERFORMS WITH ALL-STATE ORCHESTRA Conackamack Orchestra member Tiger Li performed in the All-State Orchestra concert last Saturday, May 14th. He is the only middle school student in our district who made it to All State String Orchestra this year. CLIMBING THE WALLS AT GRANDVIEW Grandview School will dedicate a new rock-climbing wall on Friday, May 20 at 9:30 a.m. Plans are in place to integrate use of the rock wall to develop motor skills during physical education classes. Funds for the project were raised by the PTO and through Box Tops for Education. VII. PERSONNEL & LABOR RELATIONS – Margaret King BE IT RESOLVED that the following motions, identified as items “A” through “C”, be approved as presented: Mr. Connors Mrs. Lopez Mrs. Greeley Mr. Okamoto Ms. King Mr. Stoddard VIII. APPROVAL OF MINUTES BE IT RESOLVED that the following minutes be approved as submitted: Agenda/Business Meeting April 14, 2011 Agenda/Business Meeting Executive Session April 14, 2011 Moved Mr. Connors Seconded Ms. King Yea 7 Nay 0 IX. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE FLOOR The Board of Education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and school matters of community interest. In support of this position, the law establishes a period of public comment at every Board meeting. Individuals wishing to speak must state their name and address. Comments are limited to three minutes’ duration, but an individual may speak a second time after all others who wish to speak on the topic have been heard. The Board may require that individuals register to speak prior to the beginning of the meeting.