I. CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

 Doyle School

Pre K Age 4 Full Day Inclusion- Mrs. Rightmyer/ Ms. Molta

The month of April has been extremely fun and exciting in our classroom. Our theme of the month was Travel Theme. Our classroom transformed into all different places that the students could travel to. We had a Travel Agency that was filled with handmade brochures and maps. There was a computer and a telephone there for the kids to talk to their customers and book trips including flights, hotels and activities. There was also a spot for them to make their customer’s passports. We had an airport that was extremely fun to play in! They made their own suitcases and passports which were waiting at the door of the airport if they went to that center. The children, of course, had to scan their bags through the x-ray scanner before they could get onto the plane. Also, the children had a great time acting as a pilot, a copilot, a flight attendant, and a passenger. Another one of our centers was a camping ground which was so much fun! The students could camp out in the tents, use binoculars to go birdwatching, roast marshmallows in the fire, or even go fishing in the lake! They also could have traveled to the Beach, Disney World, and NYC!

This month we also had a lot of fun walking to the park. The children always have a blast! The children are really becoming independent with swinging on the swings and climbing on the rock wall! They especially love the ice pops that they get when we return to school.

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We learned so much when we celebrated Earth Day. The student’s loved doing different things to help keep our earth clean. We planted flowers and watched them grow with our science eyes. We also took the students on several “nature walks” where we used our science eyes to explore different parts of nature such as birds, grass, bugs, butterflies, and trees.

Our sight-word of the month was “for.” The students enjoyed reading through books and searching for all of the sight-words that they have learned so far. Overall, it was a great month!

Pre K Full Day Self Contained- Ms. Albonico

Since the weather has been so nice lately, we have taken many nature walks and walking field trips to the park. The students are enjoying the weather and are having so much fun playing outside. They are using their gross motor skills to play, climb, and run.

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We celebrated Earth day. To celebrate Earth Day, we use recycled water bottles to make volcanoes with baking soda, dish detergent, and vinegar. The students had so much fun watching them erupt. Each student got a chance to make his or her own volcano!

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We also learned about the life cycle of a butterfly: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. In our classroom, the caterpillars are currently in the chrysalis stage. We are anxiously waiting for them to turn into butterflies. All the students are so excited!

We planted a seed into little pots. We have been watering them and monitoring their growth. The students learned what plants need to survive: sunlight, water, soil, and air.

Pre K Age 4 Full Day- Ms. Pollaro

We had a lot going on in April! We did a school theme this month! We turned every center in our class into a different part of the school! We had our own Art Room, Music Room, Cafeteria, Library, Nurse’s Office, and Classroom. It was so much fun pretending to be different teachers!

We learned letters V, W, and X, and completed crafts that associated with those letters. We also continued our Scientist of the Week! Two students showed the class some really cool science experiments! We were able to go down to the Kindergarten class and read with them for book buddies! We even asked them some questions about Kindergarten.

One of my favorite things about April, was that we all created calendars to keep track of the “April Showers”. It was really fun to see what kind of symbol we were going to give the day. We also created a classroom garden, and have been learning all about plants.

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Pre K Age 3 PM Session- Ms. Nolan

During the month of April we reviewed letters V, W, X,and Y. The students took part in activities that incorporated these letters and our new season, spring. The children were able to make turtles, vases, flowers, and umbrellas. In class we went over the saying “April showers bring May flowers,” and we planted flowers for our garden and for our moms. Students are taking care of their plants by watering them and making sure they have enough sunlight.

In April we celebrated Earth day, talking about what we can do to keep our planet clean. The children came up with ideas to keep our school and neighborhood sanitary such as recycling. To

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continue with the spring theme, we have been watching the life cycle of caterpillars in our classroom. We observed the caterpillars growing every day and made sure they had food to live.

We were able to change the themes of our classroom centers during April. Our new centers include all parts of our school. We have incorporated the gymnasium, nurse’s office, library, cafeteria, classroom, and music room into our centers. The children are taking on teacher roles very easily. During W week the students became chefs and made waffles. The children were very excited that they had the chance to measure, mix, and eat something they created.

Kindergarten- Mrs. DePalma

During the month of April, we have expanded our reading skills. We have been working on blends, ending sounds, and context clues. Along with our reading, we have become much better writers. Not only are we writing two and three sentences, we are also making our own books.

In math, we have just finished working on various shapes including spheres, cones, cubes, and cylinders. We enjoyed finding many of these shapes with our teams in the classroom.

As we approach the end of the school year, our journey so far has been great!

Kindergarten- Ms. Goodlin

We have been focusing on many topics in class. For morning work we fill out our center charts with pictures and words of what are job is to do at each center. In Reading and Writing class we have been reading, writing and acting out Magic Tree House stories for Dolphins at Daybreak. We have learned a lot of background knowledge on these topics through Power Points provided from the Tools of the Mind program. Our Math topics have been sorting shapes and objects by color and size. Our Science topics have been comparing and contrasting different sea levels and the creatures that live in them and used BrainpopJr to learn about fish and What is a Food Chain. In Social Studies we focused on our community and the buildings/types of land around it. For Spanish, we continue to use Rosetta Stone in whole class instruction to match Spanish phrases to their appropriate pictures. Finally in Health class, we have been focusing on topics on BrainpopJr about What Are Allergies and Why Exercise is Important to our Bodies. For the last two weeks in class we have been practicing physical activities such as yoga and active exercise in class.

Kindergarten- Mrs. Pagliocca/Mrs. Nass

The children have been very busy getting ready for our Mother’s Day Tea on Friday, May 6. They made a book, All about Mom, planted flowers and painted beautiful picture frames. We have prepared songs to sing, that will definitely make them smile or maybe cry tears of happiness. The Wood-Ridge Education Association is sponsoring the treats for our tea. It will be an afternoon filled with much love for our wonderful moms.

Jack and Annie are on an adventure to the Wild West. The children are learning about living in the Wild West. We created our own camp fire out of colored paper and sang cowboy songs.

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Look at us having fun at it. The children also are learning about horses and living in a time without many of the luxuries we have today. They made books about what they would do if they were a cowboy or a cowgirl too. May is going to be an exciting time for us. We have a class trip to the Green Meadows Farm. What a great hands on experience it will be.

Speech Therapist- Ms. Allen

We continue to work hard during speech class in our small group/ individual speech therapy sessions. Speech instruction for all students is working toward complete carryover of accurate sound productions and/or improvement of language goals. Therapy sessions are individualized to each child’s needs, and technology of the iPad is being incorporated into therapy sessions as appropriate.

Speech- Ms. Rustad

All students continued to work hard in their small group/individual therapy sessions, throughout the month of April. This month, at WRIS, we completed a bulletin board project using speech goals for each student. Each student used their speech goals to decorate two hand prints. The hand prints were then placed together to make a flower. The students were very creative and made each one of their hand prints unique. At Doyle and WRIS, student had fun answering spring “Would You Rather” questions. Therapy sessions continue to be individualized to each child’s needs, and technology of the iPad is being incorporated into therapy sessions as appropriate.

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Grade 1- Mrs. Hahn

We’re really blooming this month. Students have also been working on their independent reading stamina by reading a lot of books at their level.

In writer’s workshop, we continued with our Opinion Writing Unit. The students wrote their opinions on topics such as, Favorite Pet, Favorite Ice Cream Flavor and The Best Toy. They planned out their writing by providing reasons to support their opinion. Once we were finished with the unit, we had a publishing party in which the students selected their best writing piece and shared it with the class. The class then provided constructive feedback. The students really enjoyed this writing unit.

In math, the students have been working on telling time. We explored the parts of the clock. The students learned how to tell time to the hour and half hour. They also explored how to write the time two ways, digital and analog.

In science, the students are learning about lifecycles. We explored the life cycle of a butterfly and a frog. We worked on many hands-on projects that depicted the two life cycles. We will also have our very own butterfly garden. The students will be able to witness a butterfly life cycle happen right before their eyes. We currently received our caterpillars and we will monitor the changes and progress we see over the next few weeks. The students are so excited to be a part of this experience.

Grade 1- Mrs. Jupinka

In our literacy block, the children have been working very hard on their independent reading. We are up to 8 books in our independent reading bags including nonfiction books. We continue to love our quiet reading time in our favorite spots. We are very excited about non-fiction! We continue to work on long vowels including other spellings for those sounds. Synonyms, nouns, verbs and pronouns have also been part of our daily lessons. We have begun a unit of “poetry” in writers’ workshop. We have completed our first “sensory poem”.

In math during the month of April, the children began working on ways to measure, including non-standard and telling time. We have begun a topic on graphing. The children continue to look forward to our Friday math club!

In health, our April topic focused on exercise and also started talking about safety. We started safety by discussing the importance of knowing our addresses and phone numbers. Please encourage your children to practice these at home. During the month of May, we will continue to focus on safety, to include stranger danger as well as summer safety.

Grade 1- Ms. Cortina

It’s hard to believe that April is over already. We had a very busy month! Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 8

In word study, we learned many phonic skills this month. We started off with vowel team ay and ai and we learned a special phrase “when two vowels go a walking, the first one does the talking!” We made umbrellas and they had to cut out raindrops and add words with ai and ay. In the middle of the month, we learned vowel teams ow and oa .We made rainbow floats! In the rainbow part, we thought of ow words to write and in the float part we thought of oa words. At the end of the month, we learned vowel oo as in moon and as in look. This was a tricky skill! However, we did a great job because we have learned to be great decoders! We went on an exploration and students made their own “look”ing for words explorer hat. We made explorer backpacks and went on a hunt for words that have the short oo sound!

In math, we finished up Topic 12 on Measurement. My students were really excited to start our next topic on Time. They were excited to learn about analog and digital clocks. We learned to tell time by the hour and half hour. They understand that the minute hand is the longer one and the hour hand is the shorter. At the end of the month, we started Topic 14 Using Data to answer questions. We learned all about picture graphs and bar graphs. We learned how tally marks can be used to collect information. We collected data from our classmates and asked them if they have a brother, sister, both, or neither and then graphed it!

In reader’s workshop, we have been working on many skills! We have been practicing how to tell a story from beginning, middle, and end. In small groups, we’ve been discussing the author’s purpose and problem/solution. They really enjoy the app Raz-kids on the IPad. They get really excited when they earn all of their stars in the book room.

In social studies, we learned how communication and transportation link communities and that people and good move from place to place using different methods of transportation. We read the story Me On The Map by Joan Sweeney and we reviewed what town, state, country, continent and planet we live on.

In writing, we learned what a friendly letter is and all of the parts to a friendly letter. They wrote a letter to one of their classmates and shared it with the class. We really enjoyed the story I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman because it tied into friendly letters. We thought of an animal we really wanted and wrote a letter to our mom and dad giving reasons why we want it. We finished Opinion/Persuasive writing this month and had our publishing party! They did an awesome job using their revision checklists to make sure that they were handing in their best work. We are onto Poetry now!

Grade 1- Ms. Cucuzza

In reader’s workshop, we have continued focusing on getting to know the characters in our stories. We are still mastering how to notice characters in books and make inferences about them based on what they look like, how they act, and how other characters react to them. We also have been introduced to problem and solution and cause and effect, using the text as evidence. Our

Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 9 class continues to build reading stamina each month, and we are able to maintain focus during independent reading time for 20 minutes! I am so proud of the growth of these first graders!

In word study, students are continuing to learn new word patterns through the Orton-Gillingham method. In the month of April students were introduced to dipthongs oo, ew, ow, and ue. We practice these new learned skills and patterns every day in our literacy centers. Students rotate between five centers throughout the week, which include red word practice, listening to books on the iPads, reading with the teacher in our guided reading groups, dipthong word work, and opinion writing. These centers not only challenge them to work with new material, but help them stay fresh with the old. We have also mastered 20 new red words to apply to our reading and writing!

With the enVision math series, children have completed Topics 13 and 14. In Topic 13, Time, students learned how to tell time to the hour and the half hour. We learned new songs to help us remember which hand was the minute hand, and which was the hour hand. In Topic 14, Understanding Data to Answer Questions, students learned how to use data from real graphs, picture graphs, and bar graphs. They also learned how to make tally marks. We had so much fun with this topic, because we were able to make our own graphs! Students graphed favorite colors in our class, as well as how the weather has been. Students love practicing our basic math facts daily with our Karate Math Belt Club. Students have become so excited about mastering their basic math facts and moving up to different color belts!

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In writer’s workshop, we began our sixth unit of study, Poetry. In this unit, students learned how to write poetry by channeling their five senses. We talked about how descriptive our writing could be when we use our senses to help us. Students have been doing a wonderful job peer editing, and we look forward to be able to explore many different kinds of poetry throughout the remainder of the school year.

POR/RTI Grade 1/2- Mrs. Caicedo

April was an exciting month in the resource room! We continue to work daily on our phonics and decoding skills using the Orton-Gillingham multisensory reading program, and Reading Workshop where we focus on decoding and comprehension skills, such as visualizing, making connections, and non-fiction text features. We explored books that are on our reading level and of interest to us and practiced decoding skills learned in Orton-Gillingham. Additionally, we began to apply skills and strategies learned in reading workshop and Orton-Gillingham, while reading independently and conferencing with the teacher. Some very important skills reviewed are beginning and ending blends, consonant –y endings, and red words. Finally, we have been using passages from Reading A-Z to help build fluency and accuracy while reading.

In math, second grade has been working on place value and using different strategies to master three-digit subtraction, with and without regrouping, in addition to place value, in addition to being introduced to Geometry. First grade has been working on place value and are exploring strategies to master two-digit addition, in addition to working on measurement.

Additionally, resource room students paired up with the Kidz Care Club to plant seeds for all of the teachers and classes in the school in honor of Earth Day. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 11

Finally, RTI classes are meeting on a weekly basis where students have been working on decoding, encoding and phonemic awareness through Orton-Gillingham and reading comprehension skills using resources from Reading A-Z.

POR/RTI Grade 3- Mrs. Gibney

April flew by so quickly! In our IMSE Orton-Gillingham sequence, we reviewed a lot of skills: “bossy r” (r controlled vowels), dipthongs ow and ou, and igh, initial and final consonant blends, the suffix –ed, special endings of –ng, -nk, and –ck, “ph” sound, magic/silent e, and vowel diagraphs. We constantly reviewed red words to build mastery.

Students have made some nice progression with their cursive! They are so happy that they know enough letters now that they can form many words. In our Orton-Gillingham sequence, we have been focusing on the hard and soft g sound. Students have enjoyed practicing their spelling and cursive on dry-erase boards.

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POR/RTI Math Grade 3- Ms. Humphrey

The students in my class have been working very hard in April! In the beginning of the month we learned about fractions. The students loved making fractions using themselves, pizza, and the fraction tiles! By the end of the month the students were able to place fractions with the same denominator in the correct order on a number line. I am so proud of the students in my class for working so hard in April. We are all very excited to start our “3rd Grade Café” in May!

Grade 2- Mrs. Engel

In Reader’s Workshop, we have started our non-fiction book clubs. Each week the students are broken up into groups and each group has a different topic to focus on. The students are learning different comprehension skill they can apply when reading their non-fiction text. So far the students worked on filling out a KWL chart showing what they already know, what they want to know, and what they learned about their topic. They have learned how to identify the main idea and supporting details of a non-fiction text. The students have had discussions within their book clubs to share their thoughts and feelings about the topic of their non-fiction books. Students have also learned how to visualize the information presented in their books to get a better understanding about their topic. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 13

Persuasive writing was the unit of study in Writer’s Workshop this month. The students have been learning how to differentiate between a fact and opinion. The students have chosen a topic to persuade someone about. They have written three opinions and three facts about their topic. We have also used a checklist to proofread our sentences. The students will continue to work on their persuasive writing pieces next month.

In math, we have focused on money. To make the meaning of money more meaningful we created a 2nd grade class store for the students to go shopping at. A big thank you to all of the parents that donated small toys, pencils, erasers, stickers, etc… to be sold at our class store. Each day the students brought in coins that equaled the value of 25 cents. The students practiced adding up the prices of the items they wanted to buy. Once they had the items they wanted to purchase they would pay the cashier (Mrs. Engel) 25 cents. The money that was collected has been donated to a charity (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital). How awesome to see kids donating to kids!

We are using multi-sensory techniques from the Orton-Gillingham program to learn how to spell and read words during Word Study. The students have been practicing how to read and spell words with vowel controlled “r” like “ar” and “or”. The students had fun making pirate hats to help them remember the sound for “ar”. The students also learned the sound that /oo/ makes (short like in foot/long like in moon). They created “cooking” hats to help them remember the sound for /oo/.

In Science the students continued to learn about the “3 States of Matter.” The students watched a brainpopjr. video to learn how the states of matter can change. The students made models to represent what the molecules look like in each state of matter. They glued cheerios into pictures of a sock (solid), a glass of water (liquid), and a balloon (gas). The cheerios represented the molecules in each object. The students were very excited to learn about physical and chemical changes. We conducted an experiment of mixing vinegar (a liquid) with baking soda (a solid) to see what kind of change would take place. When we mixed the items together it created bubbles (a gas). The children identified this as a chemical change because you can’t undo the mixing of the items to put them back into their original states.

Grade 2- Mrs. Delatorre

Math: Students continued to add and subtract money. They also problem solved to determine if they had enough money to purchase specific items. Students were stoked to use their coins to make purchases at "Delatorre's Dollar Deals" shop. At the end of the week, all of the second grade donations went to St. Jude's Hospital. Our class raised over $37!

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Students have learned about plane and solid shapes and their attributes. In this picture, they are designing their own objects, using plane shapes.

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They can count rows and columns, and even created their own grids, using Cheerios!

Writing: Students completed their second personal narrative, and have learned to include dialogue. We discussed multiple action words to use when characters are speaking instead of "said." They also peer edited their stories. They have brainstormed multiple reasons why the school year should not be extended as an introduction to persuasive writing. The students are in the process of completing job applications and providing reasons to me, the CEO of Whiz Kid Advertising Agency, why I should hire them to represent a specific place (Target, Starbucks, Wendy’s, Nike) and create an advertisement that will entice people to like their product.

Reading: Students are continuing to use their Nonfiction text (from Reading A-Z) to explore within their reading groups. Identifying topics and subtopics is an example of what students have practiced, as well as reacting to the text. Students made a connection to reacting by using “emoticons” to express their thoughts. They learned how to use visualization as a way to grasp what they are reading, and ask and answer questions. They continue to study word patterns and red words. They can identify and name collective nouns. They also learned about homophones- feel free to ask them to sing the Brian McKnight homophone song they learned and can’t get enough of!

Health: Students learned about the importance of keeping our Earth clean, and how the environment affects health and well-being. The whole second grade participated in a group effort to clean up the perimeters of Doyle School. They also learned about the history of bicycle helmets and how they have changed over time. We discussed the importance of bicycle and traffic safety. Students then designed their own helmets.

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Grade 2- Mrs. Albanese

In social studies, we have been taking a look at Location, and where things are on a map. We also celebrated Earth Day this month. We talked about recycling and how to reduce garbage... The whole 2nd grade took a recycling initiative and went outside to clean up garbage on our school grounds. The students enjoyed beautifying the school property by collecting trash while wearing their gardening gloves!

In math this month, we have been learning about Geometry, and how different shapes have many different attributes such as edges, vertices and faces. The students really enjoyed using their artistic abilities to draw perfect shapes using rulers! Everyone was able to take their creativity further and make a SHAPE MONSTER! They were able to create a monster using any 2D shape.

In reading/language arts, we have been working on summarizing non- fiction texts. These texts include Reading A-Z and Scholastic News Articles. Students are using the SWBS strategy for summarizing (Somebody, Wanted, But, So). The students love to work in their Non Fiction Book Clubs to work as a team to compare and contrast their texts, and take their learning to another level by learning from each other!

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In writing, we have been working on Persuasive Writing. Each student was tasked on a team at Wiz Kids Advertising Agency. Each team's job is to create a persuasive commercial as to why their shop such as "Pizza Pro's" or "Burger Bistro" is the best in the business. The students love working together to create a gripping persuasive commercial to impress their CEO, Mrs. Albanese!

Grade 2- Mrs. Negro

April has been an exciting month in second grade! Students have learned new math skills that will help them in everyday life. Students learned to identify different coins and to add and subtract monetary amounts. In celebration of these new skills, we conducted a “Second Grade Store”. Students had the opportunity to spend 25 cents each day in our classroom store. The money that was collected will be donated to the St. Jude Foundation.

The students are growing as readers as well. In April we revisited our studies of nonfiction texts. Students worked as “book clubs” to learn about new topics. Inspired by our field trip to The Turtleback Zoo, the book selections were all about different types of animals and their habitats. We continued to work on becoming better readers by using Orton- Gillingham strategies to decode and encode words.

In writing, students completed their study of poetry. After compiling a book of their original poetry, students participated in a poetry slam. Each student read one poem to their classmates. As each student read, another student was improving technology skills by creating an audio recording of the poet using an iPad.

Students continue to use the iPads to access the Rosetta Stone program. They are improving their skills in their selected language—Spanish or Italian.

Grade 3- Ms. Moccia

We have moved onto a new concept, understanding fractions. Students have learned a basic understanding of fractions and have learned some new vocabulary. Some of these new vocabulary words are numerator, denominator, unit fraction, and mixed number. Students are now taking their basic understanding of fractions and using it to understand more complex concepts; such as fractions with mixed numbers on the number line and using fractions to understand the length of a whole. Students continue to expand their knowledge on fractions in Unit 10. In Unit 10, students are working on comparing fractions and finding equivalent fractions to whole numbers.

In addition, this month we continued preparing for the PARCC Assessment. The students were exposed to the practice tests provided on the PARCC website. We completed the first practice test as a whole class, students were introduced to the online tools that are provided on this assessment. Next, students worked on the second practice test with a partner. While working with a partner students had the opportunity to use the online tools and record their answers. Lastly, as a class we worked on a packet of third grade math practice questions. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 18

Students were prepared for the start of the Math PARCC Assessment on April 26th.

Grade 3- Ms. Zielinski

In literacy, the students are continuing their love and appreciation of novel studies as we began reading Dear Mr. Henshaw, a book told from the perspective of a young student that is told entirely through his letters written to his favorite author. The students have been working on developing their inferencing skills to identify clues within the letters to help them identify how the main character is feeling at that point in his life. They have also been comparing and contrasting the characters within this story with characters from other stories we have read throughout the year using clue words such as similarly, also, however, and on the other hand. The stories have been working with different kinds of graphic organizers to help them keep their ideas organized and help them transition their ideas into writing. In writing, the students have been learning about realistic fiction and how to create stories with a beginning, middle, and an ending. The students have been learning about terms such as conflict and resolution and learning how to implement these ideas into their writing. We have developed stories by using the stages of planning and prewriting. The students also developed characters, a setting, and implemented them into a story map, creating a rising and falling action within the story.

In science, we finished up our unit on the planets and the students enjoyed working on a group project getting to take a closer look and an assigned planet individually. The students are looking forward to our next unit of study on plant and animal life.

Grade 3-Mrs. Hynes

Math: Students learned a great deal this month about fractions! From plotting fractions on a number line to comparing them, students were able to see just how much fractions can be found in their everyday lives. Students also learned about geometry in April with a study of polygons and angles. They spent lots of time comparing and sorting triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons. This month students also began the math portion of the PARCC test. They met this new challenge with an eagerness to show what they have learned and worked very hard throughout the week.

Science: This month students learned about the three states of matter and the properties of each. Students were able to classify various types of matter into each of the three states. The students also conducted an exciting lab on magnetism where they were able to use magnets to classify objects around the classroom. They are looking forward to our next unit where we will begin studying living things.

Special Events: Students in grade three were very excited to have celebrated a special day this month. Students participated in the annual grade three Arbor Day celebration where they learned the history of Arbor Day and received seedlings to plant and watch grow. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 19

Grade 3- Mrs. Campagna

Welcome to 4th marking period!

In reader’s workshop, Book Talks, Book Clubs, and Literature Circles were enjoyed every day. Students are experts at applying several literacy skills and strategies. Citing evidence continues to be applied across the curriculum.

In period 2/3, students joined Jessie and Evan as they put their best foot forward to battle each other in The Lemonade War. Character traits were in full force! Students enjoyed comparing the brother and sister as they planned out the neighborhood’s best lemonade stand. This book was the perfect opportunity for students to compare and contrast setting, plot, and theme. We focused on identifying the narrator. Cause and effect relationships were found and predictions were made. Students threw themselves into the book by creating signs to advertise their own lemonade stands. We charted how characters changed and interacted throughout the story. It was sad to watch friends become foes but it was great to watch foes become friends! Our literacy class turned into a math class on some days as we “helped” Jessie and Evan count their earnings. Who won the war? Read the Lemonade War to find out!

In period 6/7, students entered the fun filled world of Judy Moody and her hilarious cast of friends in Judy Moody Predicts the Future. Students loved this fast paced read! The setting changed constantly as Judy Moody’s mission to get her mood ring back intensified. Predictions were made and character traits were compared. A student even bought in a mood ring so the class could test its “magical” powers! Students became part of the book as they identified cause and effect relationships and each character’s mood. Did Judy predict the future? Actually…she did! Read the book and enjoy the adventure!

In preparation for PARCC, students successfully accessed several web sites each week. RAZ Kids and EdCite have proved to be the most effective online sources. Both web sites can be accessed at home! Students were also given access to the PARCC online practice tests. It was a perfect opportunity to introduce students to the tools and maneuvering of the PARCC screen. Much anxiety was lifted after students realized they could do it!

In writer’s workshop, students continued to use their imagination to plan and write a fictional story. Students are learning to complete a story by using just an introduction. Organizing thoughts, ideas, and details became easier as each story was completed. Students were able to write some very well-crafted, imaginative fictional story. Great job third grade! You are ready for fourth grade! Writer’s Workshop will take us to our last stop in May. Students will learn to express their opinions and create persuasive essays.

Our wonderful year is almost over. I am very proud of each student. Hard work and determination definitely pays off! Parents please remember…I am an email away at bcampagna@wood- ridgeschools.org.

Important dates • Class trip: Friday, May 13th – Newark Museum • Field day: Wednesday, June 1st – Doyle Field • Farewell ceremony: Friday, June 17th @ 9:00 am – Doyle APR • Last day of school: Friday, June 17th

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Music- Mr. LaBelle

Third grade has been preparing for the spring concert by reviewing pitch, rhythm and lyrics for songs: Help!, Can't Buy Me Love, and Rock Around the Clock. Additionally, students are working on commencement repertoire: Blackbird and Free Bird. If extra time, students work on music literacy and instrument performance on xylophones.

Second grade has been preparing for the spring concert by reviewing pitch, rhythm and lyrics for songs: Nowhere Man, Jailhouse Rock, and Blue Suede Shoes. Second grade has been practicing reading notes on the staff by identifying line and space notes and labeling notes with the appropriate letter name and then playing songs in groups and individually on the xylophones.

First grade has been preparing for the spring concert by reviewing pitch, rhythm and lyrics for songs: This Land is Your Land, When I'm Sixty Four, Dancing in the Street. Second graders have been practicing reading notes on the staff by identifying line and space notes and labeling notes with the appropriate letter name and then playing songs in groups and individually on the xylophones for songs such as 'Down in the Meadow' and 'Who's That Tapping at the Window?'.

Kindergarten and Pre-K have been preparing the spring concert as well. Kindergarten has been working on: On Top of Spaghetti, America, the Beautiful, You're a Grand Old Flag and Let's Go Fly a Kite. Pre-K is working on Hakuna Matata, Five Little Ducks, Bingo, and Zip-A-Dee-Doo- Dah. K and Pre-K students have also started using the alphabet to play early childhood folk songs on the xylophones such as Mary Had a Little Lamb and Three Blind Mice.

Mrs. Amerman- Art:

The Pre-K artists were introduced to the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, one of the most famous female artists in history. She is most well known for her paintings of flowers that are so big they take up the whole canvas. Sometimes the petals even go off the edges! Students were asked to close their eyes and imagine that they were walking outside and came across a beautiful flower. They were asked to imagine that it was so beautiful; they wanted to get a closer look at it. So they had to imagine that they bent down and put their face really close to the flower. Then we talked about what size the flower was when they did that. It was big, of course! The Pre-K artists learned that Georgia O’Keeffe painted such big flowers because she wanted everyone to notice how beautiful they are up close. Then students got to work making their own big flowers. First, they painted two pieces of paper with either warm colors or cool colors. Warm colors remind us of things that are warm or hot, such as the sun, fire, and lava. Cool colors remind us of things that are cool or cold, like grass, water, ice, or the night sky. Next, students drew a dot in the middle of each of their papers, and then made flower petals by drawing loops that start and end on the dot and reach all the way to the edge of the paper. Last, students cut out their flowers and layered them on top of one another by gluing them to a background paper with the petals hanging off the edges.

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After reviewing how the primary colors are mixed to make the secondary colors, Kindergarteners traced circles in various sizes onto watercolor paper, colored inside the circles with any two primary colors, then brushed water on top to mix the colors and make a secondary color. Next, students each colored a color wheel with the primary and secondary colors. Then they cut flower petals in various shapes and sizes from scraps of red, yellow, and blue paper. Since the Kindergarteners would be working on a large work of art with their tablemates, we talked about the best ways to work together in a group. Students glued their flower petals around dots drawn on a large piece of paper with their group members. We then talked about opposites and learned that colors have opposites, too! Whatever color is all the way on the opposite side of the color wheel is the opposite of that color. In Art, we call them complementary colors. The kindergarteners cut out their circles and used their color wheels to match circles to flowers that are complementary colors. Lastly, students added stems, leaves, and grass to their group collages.

First grade artists began by looking at Paul Klee’s Once Emerged from the Gray of Night and identifying the Art Elements of Shape, Line, and Color. Upon further inspection, they noticed that the lines are actually letters, and the different colored shapes between the lines are made by the spaces between the letters. We talked about how these letters look different than the way we write everyday they are all capitals and are so close together that they touch one another, which makes the shapes between them. Examining Paul Klee’s art showed first graders that we can take things we see or use every day, such as letters, and use them to make art. Students created their own art with letters by writing their names in the style of Paul Klee, stretching their letters from top to bottom and making them touch one another to create shapes between them. They added color to the shapes with oil pastels.

Second grade artists began a textiles lesson by learning about Adinkra cloth, which is made in Ghana. Adinkra cloth artists make stamps of various symbols, each with a different meaning, by carving them out of a calabash plant. Then they dip a comb in ink and drag it across the cloth to create borders and sections. They dip the stamps into the ink and print them on the cloth. Second graders made their own stamps of an Adinkra symbol they felt represented them in some way. They also had the option of designing their own symbol and a meaning for it. To create their own Adinkra cloth, students chose a color of paper, then used their stamps and rulers to plan out a design. They had to think about where they wanted the lines and the symbols and see how many they could fit on the paper. Students made “comb” lines by dipping plastic forks in India ink and dragging them on their papers. They then worked with a partner to print their symbols on their Adinkra cloths. Lastly, the second graders created colorful edges for their Adinkra cloths with oil pastels and wrote some information about Adinkra cloth and their chosen symbols on the back.

Third graders continued working on their realistic cake drawings inspired by Wayne Thiebaud. The inspiration for these cake drawings comes from Thiebaud’s painting Cakes. Students began by practicing drawing a cylinder cake with a slice cut out four times to get comfortable with the process of drawing this 3D shape. We then looked at another painting by Thiebaud, Lemon Cake, and saw that he made the cake look like it was sitting on a table by adding a horizontal line in the background. Using their imaginations and photos of real cakes as inspiration, the students sketched their own cake designs by starting with the basic cylinder drawing and adding at least Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 22

three details, such as frosting, layers, toppings, and candles. Like Lemon Cake, students also had to draw something for their cake to sit on, such as a table, plate, or cake stand. Third graders then drew their final cake designs on black paper and colored them with oil pastels. Looking at Lemon Cake as well as other works by Thiebaud, students were asked how they can tell where the light looks like it is coming from. We then discussed highlights and shadows and how to create them in our art. They blended black and white with their chosen colors to create shades (color + black) and tints (color + white), which become the shadows and highlights needed to make their cakes look as realistic as possible. To conclude, we looked at more paintings by Wayne Thiebaud. In addition to desserts, he also painted different foods and everyday objects such as sunglasses and toys. Students were asked to write how they made their cakes look realistic, as well as why they thought Thiebaud chose to paint these subjects.

Physical Education- Mrs. Rose-Rella:

In April, our students engaged in various fitness stations in P.E. Some of the stations included the following: 1. Agility- running in and out and around cones 2. Balance- moving on a balance beam & poly spots 3. Cardiovascular endurance- jump roping 4. Coordination- bouncing a basketball 5. Flexibilty- yoga exercises

In addition, they have been learning popular line dances, such as the Whip/Nae Nae and the Cha Cha Slide to get them prepared for field day. Finally, they have been engaging in teamwork activities and games, such as kickball and blob tag.

Library/Media- Ms. Lewis

Grade 3 Students explored the biography section of Worldbook Online and became familiar with searching Worldbook Online for biographical information. Using Worldbook Online and print sources students utilized a graphic organizer to gather facts on a famous person to use in a poster.

Grade 2 Students learned about the origin of fairy tales. We read the original version of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and a newer, fractured fairy tale, “Kate and the Beanstalk”. Students compared the two stories for differences and similarities. Students then wrote and illustrated their own fractured version of “Jack and the Beanstalk”.

Grade 1 Students learned about a character in a story having distinctive features, as the Librarian read multiple stories about Anansi the Spider, an African folktale. Students brainstormed, coming up with descriptive words for Anansi. Students learned about the origin of folktales and located Africa on a map. Students then completed a character map on Anansi.

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Students learned about the Caldecott Award and viewed illustrations from award winning books. We read “Beekle; the Story of an Unimaginary Friend” stopping to talk about the illustrations. Students then created an illustration of their own imaginary friend.

Celebrating Poetry Month, we learned about the history of Mother Goose. The Librarian then read selections from “Mother Goose in California” and some newer poems. Students completed a worksheet on rhymes.

Mrs. Gottlieb- ESL

The students are expanding their sight reading vocabularies. They readily use the new words to form sentences, and read these sentences aloud. After hearing a new story, discussing it and trying to retell it in their own words, the students enjoy drawing pictures to further demonstrate their understanding.

 Intermediate School

Grade 4 - May

Reading: In our classes, we have begun reading our spring novel, Number the Stars! The students absolutely love this book already. We discussed the historical background of World War II and the Holocaust in order to give the students a better understanding of the story. We kicked off the study with some short stories about the Holocaust in other European countries. They loved to listen to “The Butterfly,” which was set in France and illustrated how some citizens were brave enough to harbor Jewish people and help them during this time in our history. Once we started the book, we quickly began reading, discussing, and responding in chapter journals and response questions. The students are learning new vocabulary words to enhance understanding of the reading as well. They enjoy playing Kahoot to review chapters in the book. They cannot wait to keep reading in this book and it is amazing how interested they are! We will continue reading the novel and learning about the Holocaust into next month. Check out next month’s report to see our classroom memorial service (done in Extensions classes) for Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is May 5! On April 28, our class tuned into a live webcast with author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Jeff Kinney! We listened to Jeff Kinney tell us about his real life experiences that inspired the plot in his books. He answered great questions about his characters and explained how he draws the characters for his series. At the end, he revealed his new book title and cover for the FIRST TIME! The students were thrilled to be among the very first people to see book #11 Double Down, coming out this upcoming November! Just remember, as Jeff Kinney always says, “Be Big. Be Bold. Be Wimpy.”

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Live Webcast With Jeff Kinney!

Writing:We have worked on writing journal entries for different chapters in our Number the Stars novel. The students are able to respond to reading by relating it to their own lives, experiences, or feelings. They have written from different points of view of various characters in the book too! It is enjoyable when they can put themselves in a character’s shoes and pretend to be that character in their writing. In the HP reading class, students have completed an Internet Workshop in which they have researched three important women figures of the Holocaust and answered response questions reflecting on their lives. Some of these assignments can be found on your child’s school Google Docs account, along with other writing pieces that we have completed throughout the school year. You should check it out! Have them show you so they can be proud of their hard work this year!

**This month, we also completed PARCC testing for ELA and most of Mathematics! **

Social Studies :We have started Chapter 4 on The Civil War. The students are so interested in learning about the war and slavery. They all participated in discussions and asked important key questions. We read a story called “Henry’s Freedom Box,” about a man who escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad by mailing himself to freedom! They loved this story! We also read about soldiers during the Civil War through a true story called “Pink and Say” by Patricia Polacco. We watched Brain Pop Jr and other short documentary videos on Frederick Douglass and William Still. These stories and videos helped the students understand the textbook material better. A big hit this unit was our Underground Railroad online simulation! The students participated in a web quest, where they imagined themselves as a slave. They had to make various decisions and it lead them to various outcomes, such as escaping to freedom, staying on the plantation, or escaping, but getting caught! The students enjoyed this activity thoroughly. It is Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 25

posted on our Google Classroom account if you want to try it out with your child. It is worth taking a look! We will continue to read in this chapter about the Reconstruction and our country after the war and segregation. The students really seem to love this chapter.

Extensions: In our extensions classes, we have continued working on various activities and skills. This month, we worked on PARCC-like sample tests in efforts to prepare the students for the state test. The students wrote short essays using a fictional text and poem given to them on the sample test online. They were able to use strategies they acquired in our ELA classes to apply to this writing. They also wrote narrative stories in response to a fictional text read on the PARCC sample test online. The students have continued completing PARCC sample multiple choice questions online as well. In addition, the classes have practiced typing through typing.com and a newly discovered site called Nitro Type. The students LOVE this typing website! They have created usernames in class and can compete against each other “racing cars” as they type. It is a very cool, FREE resource for the students to practice typing, while having fun! Next month, we will practice applying reading skills learned this school year through a mini Disney/Pixar unit!

Safety Patrol – May

Safety Patrol members are continuously working hard in their roles and new posts. In February, we switched classroom posts to allow members to experience other grades and classes! The squad is striving to keep the school and students of WRIS safe in the gym and hallways before school officially starts each morning. We hold meetings to discuss strategies we try with the classes and talk about pros/cons with these strategies. Students are doing a job well done thus far!

Meeting Dates/Agenda:

Wednesday, March 2- 7:45 AM in the gym- Addressed staying at own posts and keeping students lined up by classes in hallways; discussed new roles and updates on how things were going; went over strategies for students following directions

Wednesday, March 23-7:45 AM in the gym- Questions, comments, concerns from the group

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Grade 4 – Johnson

Math1 – April has been a very busy month for all our 4th graders. We reviewed and prepared for the PARCC test. The math portion of the test was completed during the last few days of the month. During the testing month we continued to work on the fraction chapters. We have finished the chapter on adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers, and have moved onto working with decimals. We have quite a few activities and centers that go along with decimals to help with understanding. From there we will begin to work on measurement using both customary and metric units.

Math 2 - The children have finished working with fractions and decimals and have moved onto learning about customary and metric measurement. We are practicing measuring length, capacity, and weight using customary units to start. The children moved around the classroom measuring items such as the closets, the board, and their desks. They were then asked to find items at home that went along with the unit of measurement being studied at school. Students also went home to find out the height in feet of the Chrysler Building and the Willis Tower, and their birth weight in pounds and ounces. This was a lot of fun for them, and a great way to carry over school to home.

Science- We finished studying the unit on light. This was a fun unit that gave us many opportunities to complete a variety of activities to add to the learning. We have started learning about energy and electricity, both static and current. We will be experimenting with the idea of conductors and insulators and hopefully demonstrating with various materials so the children can see how they work. After we talk about different forms of energy, we will move on to learning about the earth, sun and moon. We will spend some time this month preparing for the NJ ASK test. This assessment will be given at the end of the month. Students will have the opportunity to complete some sample test questions to help them practice for the test. We also use the computer and videos to help review some of the concepts that the children have previously learned.

Grade 4 – Ripp

Reading: The reading students have started a novel study on Number the Stars by Louis Lowery. The novel is set during World War II in Copenhagen, Denmark. The story is told from the perspective of a ten year old Danish girl named Annemarie. She is living in Denmark during the Nazi occupation and she witnesses the Nazi’s coming to arrest the Jewish citizens. Her best friend Ellen is Jewish and she and her family must do whatever they can to protect her safety. To launch the novel, the class discussed aspects of World War II, labeled maps to gain understanding of important geographical locations, and read aloud several books for children Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 27 about the holocaust. We have read the first few chapters of the book and the students cannot wait to continue reading to find out what will happen next!

Writing: Students have learned how to analyze point of view and have been working on writing journal entries aligned with Number the Stars. We read chapters from the book and discussed important scenes from different characters point of view. The students “got into character” by writing journal entries that reflect the various perspectives from different characters in the book. The students are working on using descriptive details and adjectives to “show” how/what the characters in the story are thinking and feeling. The students have completed an Internet Workshop in which they have researched three important women figures of the Holocaust and answered response questions reflecting on their lives. Some of these assignments can be found on your child’s school Google Docs account, along with other writing pieces that we have completed throughout the school year.

Social Studies: The class has been learning all about the Civil War. Topics we covered so far include: conflicts between the North and South, the Underground Railroad, Lincolns election, The Emancipation Proclamation, and The Gettysburg Address. The students also worked on an interactive website to develop their understanding of what it was like for slaves who escaped on the Underground Railroad and they wrote reflections about the experience. We also read several read alouds about the Underground Railroad. The students were fascinated to learn about the hardships slaves faced as they escaped to freedom.

Extensions: In our extensions classes, we have continued working on various activities and skills. This month, we worked on PARCC-like sample tests in efforts to prepare the students for the state test. The students wrote short essays using a fictional text and poem given to them on the sample test online. They were able to use strategies they acquired in our ELA classes to apply to this writing. They also wrote narrative stories in response to a fictional text read on the PARCC sample test online. The students have continued completing PARCC sample multiple choice questions online as well. In addition, the classes have practiced typing through typing.com. The students also enjoyed spending time reading and discussing Scholastic News articles.

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Grade 4 – Romoff

Students in math continue to be challenged with a variety of skills this month. Students have extended their understanding of fractions to how they relate to decimals and are able to convert many fractions to decimals. The children have also practiced many problem solving skills and strategies in preparation for the PARCC.

In Science, the students have continued learning about light. The students have learned how light “bends” or refracts when light passes from one material into another, such as from air into water. The children have also compared how objects look when viewed in concave and convex lenses. Students were also interested in how their eye works and did not realize the image in their eye is upside down and the brain turns it right side up.

Grade 5 – Ciliotta

Grade 5 – Mrs. Ciliotta-Mr. Belger

Math- How can line plots be used to represent data and answer questions? Our main focus for the month of April was to learn how to represent data visually in more than one way. Students learned that line plots are a useful way to represent numerical data from categories. Data can be collected and organized in order to answer a set of questions. Relationships, trends and patterns can be noted and analyzed. Students had opportunities to conduct their own surveys in class and create line plots to display their results. To conclude the unit, students created origami frogs and worked in groups to plot the frequency of jumps to ten feet. They answered questions related to their findings and we are happy to say our frog races were a successful way to sum up our learning. Our frog plots are out on display in the hallway. In the coming weeks we will venture into our Geometry unit of study.

Science- Star light, Star bright… In Science, students learned about star characteristics and how astronomers measure distances in space. They role played being astronomers and used flashlights to find the apparent magnitude of stars. Additionally, students learned how to use a Spectroscope in order to observe the colors in light. For the last section of our unit, students learned about the life cycle of a star by creating 3D poster of each stage. Their stellar work can Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 29

be seen adorning our classroom walls. This unit will end with galaxies, including our own Milky Way before we move on to Living Things.

Grade 5 – Diaz

In LAL, students began the unit on Fantasy Reading and Writing. This theme will have grade 5 students reviewing elements of fiction along with key components of a book report. They will have the opportunity to identify and share the concepts they have learned by writing and illustrating a mini-book. The mini-book will be loosely based off of the fiction story they read in class. All grade five strategies are aligned to the Common Core and include, but not limited to; identify elements of fiction (plot, character, setting, conflict, and theme), analyze a fiction book, communicate elements of a plot, write, edit, and publish a book.

On April 28th Diary of a Wimpy Kid went virtually live not only in our classroom, but also globally. Students had a chance to see and hear Jeff Kinney talk about his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and his inspiration for writing them. Students also had an opportunity to get a glimpse at his new book due out in November, we can’t wait!

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In Social Studies, students are completing chapter 4 which focused on; the Colonies and the events leading up to the American Revolution. They learned about colonial class structure, mercantilism, and the French and Indian War. The children are very interested in the American Revolution and look forward to learning about life in the colonies during the American Revolution.

Grade 5 – Muscle

Mrs. Muscle 5th grade ELA (ICS – Mr. Belger) April was a month that really “tested” our students! We have been working diligently on the PARCC testing in both Reading and Math. During our class time, we are continuing to work on our skills and strategies. We worked on a performance task that used many skills we have covered. First, we read two informational texts written about the Maya ruins in Guatemala. We analyzed the text structures of both using signal words and text features. Then, we compared and contrasted the structures and the authors’ purposes for writing these texts. Next, we created writing samples that asked us to choose three characteristics we had learned about the ruins and create a writing that will encourage visitors to come see the ancient wonders, while using textual evidence for support. Finally, we created brochures of our own that took our writing and brought it into a visual media. We also have worked with writing some poetry of our own. We have created poems about recycling to be entered into the statewide contest. We, then, created Cinquains and Diamantes. Those poems used our knowledge of the parts of speech. When we completed those poems, we used our knowledge of rhythm, rhyme, and rhyme scheme to create poems called “10 Little______”. We picked nouns and had those nouns find some trouble in our poem. They eventually are left with none! Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 31

Finally, we continue to respond to daily journal prompts that are based off national holidays, some real and some not so real. We are looking forward to beginning our novel in the next week or two!

Mrs. Muscle 5th grade Social Studies (ICS – Mr. Belger) During Social Studies, the students continue to study early American colonization. Students have learned about the French and Indian War. We are now preparing to learn about the causes of the American Revolution. We plan to wrap up our studies of the colonies with a Webquest and a performance task. Students continue to use virtual interactive BrainPop episodes to reinforce new concepts and engage cognitive activity through an educational cartoon. The use of graphic organizers and close readings have enhanced the material and increased retention. They have reviewed material by engaging in an interactive review, using Kahoot! and Quizziz after specific lessons and/or review sessions. Our DARE program continues during Social Studies with Officers Marchitelli and Vitkovsky of the WRPD.The students have begun working on their DARE essays for graduation in June. They are writing about the skills and knowledge that the officers have taught them, and how they can use them to be drug, alcohol, and violence free. During extensions, students continue to strengthen their typing skills by using www.typing.com. Students enjoy the lessons, the short quizzes, and the games. They also love looking on the class leaderboard to see where they stand.

Muscle - Drama Club Monthly Report

The Drama Club continues to meet regularly to practice for our Spring musical. We met on April 6, 7, 12,13,14, 29, 20, 21,26,27, and 28 to continue to practice our play, Peter Pan. Each week we run through our lines, practice stage blocking, and practice our songs. We have broken into groups and practice certain scenes on designated day. We have started our wands fundraiser and ticket order forms have also gone out to the students.

Grade 5 – Beley

• Math: o Regular math students practiced dividing decimals mentally by 10, 100, or 1,000, dividing by whole numbers, other decimals and applying those skills to multistep problems. o HP math students practiced identifying various polygons. They classified triangles and quadrilaterals according to their sides and angles. Students worked with a partner to create posters displaying where their assigned polygon can be found in the real world. Some examples were, umbrellas, stop signs, honeycombs, the Superman logo, the American flag, and candy corn. o Both groups practiced for PARCC by completing practice test problems, playing a whole group game using ixl.com, and reviewing past concepts. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 32

o During PARCC testing, the HP math group created “Geometric Dream Houses” using their prior knowledge of polygons. • Science: o Both classes finished Chapter 3: Stars and Galaxies where we discussed and explored what stars are made of, the life cycle of a star, black holes, and the different types of galaxies. o Lessons were enhanced with videos and images found online that pertain to the topic. o Students worked in small groups to create planet presentations using Google Slides and shared them with the class. Students were graded using a teacher created rubric. o Students recently began working on their latest project: The Life Cycle of a Star. Students are depicting the life cycle in a 3D display. Some students are using materials like, cotton balls, clay, felt, and glitter and gluing them to a poster to give it a 3D element. Others are creating dioramas from boxes.

Grade 6 – Begyn

In Mrs. Begyn’s Math class, students have finished learning expressions and moved on to solving one-step equations. An equation contains a variable, constant separated by an addition or subtraction sign, and includes an equal sign. Students learned how to write equations and how to solve equations using the properties of equality. After equations and PARCC testing, students also started area and perimeter of 2-d figures. In Mrs. Begyn’s HP class, students have finished learning about three-dimensional figures. Students also learned how to find the surface area and volume of rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, and cylinders.

In Mrs. Begyn’s Science class, students have finished researching volcanos to create a travel brochure, and are now working on a Penny Lab. The penny lab posed the question to students about which type of water would hold better on a penny – soapy water or not soapy water. Students conducted the lab and are writing a lab report showing their results.

Students are completing a weekly Do Now on solving various PARCC questions and then practicing typing their answers into the Chrome Books. Students are able to use the buttons and keyboard to practice.

Grade 6 – Borelli

English- The Sixth Graders worked very hard completing the PARCC in April. They have also been working hard completing their placement tests. They are getting excited to be starting their adventure as Seventh Graders soon but they are also a little nervous as well!

The class is reading our final novel of the year, The Giver. This is a science fiction novel that tells the story of a dystopian society. There will be a lot of good discussion about interesting topics that go along with this novel. We are moving quickly towards the end of the year!

Social Studies – We have begun reading Chapter 5 Ancient China. This chapter is very interesting and we cannot wait to learn so many things about this mysterious country. The class Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 33 also completed a current event write up and had interesting discussions on topics that are going on right now around the world. The year has gone by so fast, we cannot believe that we are nearing the end!

Grade 6 – Drudy

Grade 6 Math (ICS/Panayoti)– In math students completed Envsion Math Topic 12 Area. Students reviewed how to find the area of rectangles, parallelograms and triangles. Students were taught how to find the area of polygons by decomposing the shapes into parts and then adding the area of these parts. Finally students were shown how to find the area of polygons on the coordinate plane. In class we relied on Think/Pair/Share and Peer Tutoring so that students could be successful with the topic. In addition students continued to work on PARCC type problems that have been integrated into each daily lesson. Fluency drills this month focused on reviewing decimal operations.

Science/Health/Extensions (ICS/Panayoti)– In science students completed their final penny lab. Students investigated to see if a penny would hold more drops of regular water or more drops of soapy water. Students had to design their own experiment and then come up with explanations about their data. Students were able to practice both their writing and science process skills. In Extensions students continued to work on Think Through Math. In Health students learned about the different components of physical fitness: strength, flexibility and endurance. Students then had to design and lead a 3-minute exercise routine that incorporated each component.

STEM Club – The Stem Club had two meetings things month. There was a Fourth/Fifth grade meeting and a Sixth Grade meeting. During the meeting students were challenged to build a boat that would hold the most mass without sinking. Each student group was given two blocks of clay to use to design their boat. Students were provided with a large tub of water and pennies to test their designs. Once they had their final build students proceeded to the testing location to test their final build. Students were able to observe that boats with a large base were better able to hold more mass. Members: 28

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Grade 6 – Koernig

A special thank-you to all my students for their hard work on the PARCC. I’m proud of each and every one of you!

Students are diligently reading their independent books and keeping track of completed reading minutes on a monthly calendar. As the third marking period commenced, we increased our stamina and added time to our weekly logs in period two. As our mentor text, we are reading the The Giver, by Lois Lowry. We are focusing on the following on the reading skills: internal and external character traits and the symbolism found in chapters five and six. We continue to correctly respond to reading questions and fill out graphic organizers on each chapter. We are starting to Study Chapter 5, Ancient China. Students are learning how to research the geography of China. They are also going to learn about Confucius and his teaching, how warring kingdoms untied, and the great achievements of Ancient China. We will take a closer look at the Ruler Shi Huangdi and The Great Wall of China.

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Art – C. Sterba

Grade 4 Art- Students finished working on artwork based off of the style of Andy Warhol. In the style of his celebrity Pop-Art portraits, the students created self portraits, then using different color schemes to fill them in they discovered how their image was affected.

Grade 5 Art – Students continued working on perspective drawing. Focusing on one-point perspective, the students used the skills they gained from the exercises that accomplised last month to create an art gallery display of their own work.

Grade 6 Art- Students started the design of a alter ego sculpture in their sketchbooks after learning about how artist/director Tim Burton works on character design.

Music – J. Sterba

Each month in all general music class we learn songs that celebrate patriotism and special holidays. Our patriotic song for the month of April was “God Bless America”. The students also learned to sing and simple ASL to “What a Wonderful World” as sung by Louis Armstrong for the celebration of Earth Day. All classes also learned how to rap the piece “The Dewey Decimal Rap” in order to promote memorization of the Dewey Decimal System.

Fourth grade Instrument Families of the Orchestra. This unit was designed for the purpose of providing students with an opportunity to explore the musical instrument families. We introduced musical instruments to students through demonstration and worksheets. Due to the fact that technology is so prominent in their everyday lives, we also are using technology as a tool to help to keep them engaged in learning about Music and perhaps boost creativity and academic success as well. That is why we also use the Carnegie Hall based website: http://listeningadventures.carnegiehall.org/index.aspx. In the listening adventure “Benjamin Britten’s Guide to the Orchestra” students go an an African safari adventure finding and discovering new information about the instruments of the orchestra.

Fifth graders The New Jersey Performance Standards for music frequently mandate the use of standard notation in the music education environment. Iconic/graphic notation is an intermediate step, but literacy with standard music notation is the goal. Students in fifth grade are learning about half notes and rests as well as intervals. We are also working on a mini-musical entitled “Interplanetary Jammin’” to coincide with their science curriculum.

Sixth graders Much of the music you hear in your community has its origins in the musical and cultural heritage of other countries. This month in music Unit 3 “Music in Our Communities” begins by Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 36

having students spend time experiencing the traditional folk music, dance and customs of different countries. It continues by traveling back home and discussing music in their home community. Students talked about performances in their home town such as Music in the parks and parades. Inspired by rap artist Chris Judah-Lauder students created their own raps about what types of things they would see at their local community park. We then discussed parades such as the Macy’s Day parade and the Disneyland electrical parade. Students then decided what types of music they would have performed in a local parade held in their home town.

BAND Instrumentalists are hard at work preparing for our concert on June 2, 2016. Full band rehearsals consist of a rhythmic warm-up followed by a run-through of the pieces we will perform. Lessons consist of a rhythmic warm-up, breath support practice, articulation skill work, inner ear practice, scale work, and note-reading ability followed by practice of our repertoire.

Choir club Students have met eight times since our Winter Concert. We are currently working on memorizing our lines and music for our Spring Concert in June. We will begin blocking our short scenes in the upcoming rehearsals.

Library/Media – Lewis

Grade 6

Students learned about the Boolean theory of searching by using connector’s to create search strategies. Utilizing the Google Advance search page, students practiced constructing effective searches.

Students viewed a video on career paths and discussed what a career path means. Students then did a self assessment on their learning styles in preparation for the career research project.

Grade 5

Using multiple sources students researched a state using a graphic organizer to record facts. Students located their state’s official website and added to their grahic organizer using information from the state’s website.

Grade 4

Using multiple sources, students researched a planet, organizing their research in a graphic organizer. Using facts from the graphic organizer, students utilized a postcard template posted in Google Classroom to create an original postcard from outer space..

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Physical Education – Aranda

FitnessGram is back! It’s about that time of year again…for physical fitness retesting. Once April rolls around so does FitnessGram, getting the students ready to reassess their personal fitness levels. The students are tested twice a year, once in the fall (pre-test) and once in the spring (post-test). The results of the student’s fitness assessments will also tie in to their SGOs. The first of the FitnessGram assessments is known as the PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run), this test measures aerobic capacity/cardiovascular endurance. Other FitnessGram tests include; 90° Push-ups which measures upper-body strength, Curl-ups measures abdominal strength & endurance, Trunk Lift measures low back strength & flexibility, and the Back-Saver Sit & Reach which measures hamstring flexibility.

Special Education – Di Cori

● Collaborated with Grade 4 colleagues on the Math Summer Assignment for the 2016/2017 school year ● Provided copies of class notes and assignments for students ● Collaborated on lesson plans with Co-teachers in Grade 4 ● Used co-teaching strategies to assist with teaching in the classroom ● Utilized resource/extensions classes to provide study skills/test prep to IEP students ● Modified class notes/assignments/homework for ICS students ● Modified tests and activities for IEP students in all content areas ● Administered the PARCC – to 4th grade extended time students ● Participated in Professional Development for Next Gen Science Standards ● Organized and Analyzed the Next Gen Standards and how they are different from today’s standards ● Collaborated with 1-3rd grade teachers on how the Next Gen standards spiral and grow through the Elementary years. ● Worked closely with the behaviorist and other 4th grade teachers to make a behavior plan for a single student

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Special Education – Panayoti

● PD 3/18/16 Attended the Professional Development Workshop entitled, “Branching Minds” ● PD 3/18/16 Attended the Professional Development Workshop “Prodigy” ● Collaborated with colleagues to finalize the Summer Math Packet for Grade 6 ● Reviewed the Grade 6 ELA HP test for incoming students; made changes accordingly with Grade 6 colleagues ● Introduced the Prodigy website to students and assisted them in setting up user names and passwords ● Administered/Proctored the PARCC test for Grade 6 IEP students ● Collaborated with co-teachers in Grade 6 on cross curricular projects ● Utilized resource/extensions classes for IEP students to provide study skills and extra time to complete assignments ● Provided after-school homework help for students in Grade 6 ● Modified tests for IEP students in all content areas

Special Education – Carroll

5th Grade Math Resource Room This month the class worked on Topic 11 multiplying and dividing fractions. KCF method was taught. The class moved on to Topic 12-Volume of Solids. Students created a poster identifying edges, vertices, and faces of a prism, cone, cylinder, and pyramid. Then students use Legos to build a solid and draw the different views of the solid. Nect students learned how the formula for calculating volume of a solid. They used this knowledge and applied it to finding the combined volume of a solid.

4th Grade Math Resource Room This month the class finished Topic 12 adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with like denominators. The class used fraction bars and math procedures to borrow and carry when adding and subtracting mixed numbers. They learned how to calculate this as well as create a visual. The class worked on word solving strategies for word problems with mixed numbers. The class completed a benchmark assessment on Topics 9-12. The class then moved on to Topic 13-Extending Fraction Concepts. They learned about unit fractions, multiplying a whole number by a fraction, and how to represent this using fraction bars. The students learned how to convert fraction to decimals and decimals to fractions for denominators 10 and 100. They also learned how to use equivalent fractions to find tenths and hundredths decimals of a fraction.

4th/5th Grade ELA Resource Room The class has begun their final Unit for Reader’s/Writer’s Workshop. To meet the needs of historical fiction for 4th grade and social issues for 5th grade, the class is reading Satch & Me A Baseball Card Adventure By Dan Gutman. Students prepared for the novel by researching Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 39 famous Negro League Baseball Players on the National Baseball Hall of Fame website. They also learned about primary sources by reading a primary source book on the LIttle Rock Nine. Students created a primary source scrapbook with the primary source, identifying the type it is, writing a caption for each, and analyzing the significance of each. Students have developed their vocabulary on key terms related to baseball, segregation, and history by using context clues while they read. While students read the novel, the comprehension focus was on elements of historical fiction, science fiction, and realistic fiction, character analysis, problem/solution, and sequence of events. We also read Freedom on the Menu to give history behind the Greensboro sit ins and understand Chapter 7 The Diner of Satch & Me. In writing, students wrote facts on a Negro League player to create a baseball card. Other writing activities include a text message conversation between two characters, character analysis, eBay auction descriptive writing, theme analysis, and a compare and contrast essay.

RTI classes The 4th grade ELA RTI classes have been working on a variety of skills. ● Main Idea and Details: Students read Totally Gross. The topic of the text is things that are gross. Students used the box and bullets method to summarize each gross item in the text. Students then read Eat It! This nonfiction text features gross food from around the world. Students worked with partners to summarize each food item using the box and bullets method. Students read articles on a variety of topics and used the box and bullet method to identify the main idea and supporting details of the article. Students then turned this into a well developed paragraph and typed it in Google Docs. ● Theme: Students were introduced to the seven common themes in children’s literature. Then they read short fables and had to identify the theme of each. Students read The Gingerbread Boy and had to write a literary analysis on the theme of the text. Students then read The Sweetest Fig and analyzed the theme. The students had to write a literary analysis on the theme of the text. ● Literary Elements in a novel: The class has been reading Dragon Trouble, a high interest chapter book with short chapters at a lower reading level. Students have been using context clues to define key terminology. Each chapter the students discuss the literary elements and how they develop over time or impact the outcome of the text. Students are discussing characters, setting, problem, solution, and theme in the text. Students have been writing for each chapter as well. They are writing summaries, newspaper articles, and literary analysis essays.

The 6th grade Math RTI class ● Fractions: The class learned how to find a least common denominator for two fractions. This led the students to adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. Students applied the skill using equations and word problems.

Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 40

Art Club Monthly Report - Betty Carroll

Meeting on April 5, 2016 (group A-4th/6th grade)-18 members attended

The Art Club members learned about promoting a show this month. The young artists made posters to promote Peter Pan, the Drama Club show. Posters were judged and the the winning posters will be displayed on the club activities board in WRIS, the main office of WRIS, the cafeteria of WRIS, and the hallway of Doyle school. All other posters will be displayed in the classrooms of WRIS to spread the word about the upcoming show. The students worked very hard on this project.

Stage Crew Meeting on April 14, 2016: 8 members We met in Mrs. Muscle’s room and Stage Crew members watched the play practice to listen for their stage direction cues.

Meeting on April 21, 2016: 11 members The stage crew members got a real feel for their roles behind the scenes as we have practiced on stage. Members were shown how to work lights, curtains, sound, and moving props. The crew jumped right in and took on their roles behind the scenes quickly responding to to stage directions. They are enjoying their role in the play!

Meeting on April 28, 2016: 7 members The stage crew members practiced their role behind the scenes of Peter Pan.

Special Education – Belger

Mr. Belger (ICS) & Mrs. Muscle This month we explored how line plots can be used to represent data and formulate opinions or factual evidence to answer questions. Students learned how to represent data visually in more than one way. Relationships, trends, and patterns of certain groups and the class were analyzed. Students created their own surveys and recorded information in a data table. Students successfully presented their findings to the class. Students collected data and organized their information so they could answer a set of questions. To conclude the unit, students created origami frogs and worked in groups to plot the frequency of jumps to ten feet. They answered questions related to their findings and we are happy to say our frog races were a successful way to sum up our learning. Our frog plots are out on display in the hallway. In the coming weeks we will venture into our Geometry unit of study.

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Language Arts 5 (ICS) Mr. Belger (ICS) & Mrs. Muscle Our focus this month was characteristics of different types of star and the life cycle they endure. We discussed how astronomers measure long distances in space. Students role played being an astronomer using flashlights to find apparent magnitude of stars. Students learned how to use a spectroscope and critically think about how astronomers measure light, size and life cycle a star will go through. Our culminating activity for this unit students explored the life cycle of a star by creating 3D poster of each stage. This unit will end with galaxies, including our own Milky Way before we move on to Living Things.

Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 42

Language Arts 5 (ICS) Mr. Belger (ICS) & Mrs. Muscle The month of April really “tested” our students, we diligently worked on comprehension reading skills and strategies for the PARCC testing. We completed a performance task that used many skills we covered. Informational text about the Maya Ruins in Guatemala and The Pyramids of Tekal were compared and contrasted. From these texts we created writing samples that focused on specific details of the text to expand on and create a brochure. The brochure was made to encourage visitors to come and see ancient wonders while using textual evidence to support their claims. Students were also introduced to poetry writing. We created poems to be entered into the statewide contest for Recycling. From there we introduced Cinquains and Diamantes. We used our prior knowledge from parts of speech lessons to review those skills and incorporate them into our poems properly. Our “10 Little Something’s” poem uses nouns constantly being eliminated and reduced until we are left with none. Students creatively came up with lines that used rhythm and rhymes to create an original poem We continue to respond to daily journal prompts and recall activities that are based off national holidays, and current events. We are looking forward to beginning our novel in the next week or two!

Social Studies 5 (ICS) Mr. Belger (ICS) & Mrs. Muscle Social Studies, the students continue to study early American colonization. Students have learned about daily life in the colonies, slavery and the French and Indian War. We discussed new Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 43

vocabulary, important people, key conflicts and solutions to conflict. We are now preparing to learn about the causes of the American Revolution. We plan to wrap up our studies of the colonies with a Webquest and a performance task. Students continue to use virtual interactive BrainPop episodes to reinforce new concepts and engage cognitive activity through an educational cartoon. The use of graphic organizers and close readings have enhanced the material and increased retention. They have reviewed material by engaging in an interactive review, using Kahoot! and Quizziz after specific lessons and/or review sessions.

RTI/Typing During extensions, students continue to strengthen their typing skills by using www.typing.com. Students enjoy the lessons, the short quizzes, and the games. They also love looking on the class leaderboard to see where they stand.

RTI/World Language – Hamerling

Response to Intervention (RTI) Classes

English Language Arts Students have been reading a number of history texts/articles to practice utilizing a number of comprehension skills. Fifth Grade students have been reading articles revolving around the Boston Massacre. While reading “Boston in Turmoil”, students worked with context clues and finding the main idea and supporting details. In “Boston Massacre”, author’s viewpoint was reviewed by reading about the Boston Massacre from the viewpoint of a Patriot and a Loyalist. In “The Trials of the Boston Massacre”, students practiced citing evidence and determining meanings of unknown words. Sixth Grade students have been reading articles about different times in history and something it is known for. First, they read “The Silk Road” which discussed a vital trade route that spanned from Asia to Europe. They focused on using text features, such as a map, and analyzing key ideas. In “Cleopatra: The Last Egyptian Queen”, students focused on author’s viewpoint reading about Cleopatra from the side of a critic and a sympathizer. Finally, students read “Returning History” about a variety of historical artifacts. They were able to practice drawing inferences and identifying author’s point of view.

Math Each RTI Math group has been working diligently on a variety of topics. Students are utilizing manipulatives, participating in centers, using whiteboards, and playing games to practice these important math skills. As always, students should be practicing their basic facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) at home! • Area and Perimeter – Students used unit cubes to create polygons in order to determine the area and perimeter of the figure. Word problems were also completed using the CUBES method. Students also worked on comparing the areas of two or more figures. Sixth graders working on these skills became architects to create and sketch their dream home. After sketching it out, they needed to determine the perimeter of their home, as Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 44

well as the total area of their home. Fourth graders were able to use their knowledge of area and perimeter to create robots based on the specifications given on the task card. • Fractions – Students have focused on equivalent fractions, reducing fractions, and comparing fractions by finding common denominators and using the butterfly method. They also worked with adding and subtracting fractions, as well as completing word problems. • Line Plots – Students reviewed how to read and analyze a line plot to gather data. Then they used data from surveys to answer questions and create their own line plots. Finally, students were given data to create frequency tables using tally marks to then turn that into line plots.

World Language Students continue to meet once a week to use Rosetta Stone. Please check Realtime to see students’ grades and to monitor their progress. As always, students are able to access Rosetta Stone from home using the same log in information as they use in the classroom. From the district website, go to the “For Students” tab and choose Rosetta Stone from the drop down box. If a student would like to switch their language (options are only Spanish and Italian), a note signed by a parent/guardian should be given to me in order for the change to occur. Students may only change their language ONCE for the 2015-2016 school year.

Speech – Rustad

All students continued to work hard in their small group/individual therapy sessions, throughout the month of April. This month, at WRIS, we completed a bulletin board project using speech goals for each student. Each student used their speech goals to decorate two hand prints. The hand prints were then placed together to make a flower. The students were very creative and made each one of their hand prints unique. At Doyle and WRIS, student had fun answering spring “Would You Rather” questions. Therapy sessions continue to be individualized to each child’s needs, and technology of the iPad is being incorporated into therapy sessions as appropriate.

Gottlieb

The teacher and student worked on Social Studies assignments about slavery and the Maya civilization, using Rosetta Stone on the computer to translate. Science lessons were also reviewed and reinforced regarding the galaxy and the life cycle of a star. The student works hard and is very eager to learn English.

Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 45

 Jr/Sr High School

English Department

Pete Forman English III

11th Grade Language Arts Classes will turn their attention to the poetic works of one of America’s greatest writers: Robert Frost. In this unit, students will examine the historical significance of Frost’s life and how his poems support our “year long” essential question: How does American literature define the American dream? Class wide written assessments will compare and contrast Frost’s works with other poems we have read throughout the year.

11th Grade Language Arts Honors Honors students continue their websites in preparation for their final presentations. Students will continue to meet outside of school in their google groups for Socratic discussion on literary topics including Robert Frost, gender in literature, and the historical relevance of poetry to the 1960’s. In class, students will read the works of Robert Frost and begin writing “target” essays in teams. Students will work to edit, revise, and draft their written works using “google doc’s”.

Robin Woods English

7th Grade Resource Center - Students have just begun reading about the wild adventures with sled dogs in the Yukon. We have just started reading the classic novel Call of the Wild. Students have been introduced to the major character Buck and are beginning to understand the meaning of “Survival of the Fittest”.

8th Grade Resource Center- Students have just finished a mini lesson on Hitler’s rise to power and his treatment of the Jewish population. We will now start to read Night by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Elie Wiesel.

9th Grade Resource Center- Students are reading the astounding book, A Child Called it. Students are busy writing responses to David Peltzer’s life and determination to survive.

Chris Green English IV

AP English 4

Students are busy preparing for the AP English Literature and Composition Test in May. They are reviewing literary terms, taking prep tests under timed conditions, developing their writing skill level, and reviewing all the reading selections this academic year. They read 20 novels and plays! This is in

Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 46

addition to all the reading and analysis of poetry selections and reading passages during the school year. We wish them good luck on the test!!

English 4 College Prep

Students are completing the Modern unit in their British Literature textbook. They are reading and completing analysis of selected poems, fiction, and non-fiction pieces. They are studying about England 1900 to the present time and the changes in British Literature based on societal events such as WWI and WWII. Writers such as George Orwell, William Butler Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen are discussed. The students began the academic year in the Anglo- Saxon period and are now in England present day. They have come a long way!!

English II Honors

Students are completing Socratic Circle presentations. They combine their research skill with their public speaking skills and are doing a wonderful job! They recently submitted a Poetry Writing Portfolio and are now beginning a Creative Essay Writing Portfolio. This writing assignment will be integrated with art and will become interdisciplinary.

Carol Gottlieb ESL

The Jr. Sr. High School students were busy taking the PARCC test this month. They also had to complete the WIDA ACCESS 2.0 Test which was for ESL students. The testing was frustrating for some students, especially when they were shut out of the testing site, some of their work was lost and waiting times to resume were very long.

We also reviewed vocabulary words and discussed the motives of the characters in upcoming chapters.

Ms. Hunter English I

English I students finished reading Romeo and Juliet, and compared/ contrasted the endings of two movie versions. They had a choice of culminating projects, including writing a sequel about a surviving character, creating their own version of a scene, or writing an analytical essay. Students then began a unit on poetry, including defining and creating examples of poetic terms and analyzing poems. They also wrote many of their own poems in a variety of forms and styles, and critiqued one another’s poems during a poetry workshop.

English I Honors

English I Honors students spent the month reading and writing poetry. They defined and created examples of poetic terms, and analyzed poems they read. Students also wrote numerous poems of their own, including sonnets, odes, tankas, roundels, triolets, free verse, and a class sestina about a very interesting rabbit. They critiqued one another’s poems during a poetry workshop, and are currently working on creating a collection of their poetry. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 47

Colleen Kozibroda English

English II Resource Room In English II, students began an interdisciplinary unit on the Vietnam War. The unit was introduced by reading Wilfred Owen’s descriptive poem, Dulce et Decorum Est, after which students discussed their own views on war. We have started to read Tim O’Brien’s war story, The Things They Carried. Students are keeping reader response journals to write their reactions to the events in each chapter. They are also completing projects that depict common themes addressed in the novel and students’ perceptions of each character as revealed through the plot. They are also watching various interview clips from several chapters explaining the chapters more in depth.

English III Resource Room Students are currently reading “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. After completing Act I,students will write a newspaper article reporting Betty’s sudden illness and the accusations of witchcraft in Salem that followed. After reading Act II, students will write a persuasive letter. They will assume the persona of the character in the play and write a persuasive letter urging another character to take a particular course of action.

English IV Resource Room In English IV, we are currently studying Romanticism and reading Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein. Students are completing a character attribute chart, choosing one character from Frankenstein. They will then create an essay after completing the novel as to whether the character is static or dynamic.

Kimberly Millar English II

The English II classes have begun reading John Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men. The lesson was introduced by reading Robert Burns’ poem, To a Mouse, from which the title originated. In addition to completing reader response journals, students are discussing themes presented in the novel, such as friendship, loneliness, the American Dream, and racism. Upon completion of the novel, students will juxtapose the relationship between two sets of characters and select an essay option to assess understanding. They will also complete projects that depict common themes addressed in the novel.

Ms. Millar English IV and English IV (H)

The English IV and English IV (H) classes have completed their comprehensive study of the Transitional Poets. They evaluated the literature of the era, focusing on how historical events and the beliefs of the era influenced the literature. Students are now studying Romanticism and reading Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein, which is supposed to serve as a lesson to those who experimented during The Age of Reason society to not mess with science/nature. Students are identifying the characteristics of Romanticism and will later assess how such characteristics are evident in the literature of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats in addition to recognizing characteristics that are unique to each author.

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Melissa Ihle Grade 8 English Language Arts In April, the eighth graders transitioned to literature circles, which we call our book clubs. Students chose novels based on their reading levels and interests, decide on reading assignments following a meeting schedule, and complete rotating roles to analyze the novels. At meetings, students lead discussion, create and facilitate activities, research and apply vocabulary, and investigate and connect their reading selection to the world around them. Such titles include And Then There Were None, The House of the Scorpion, and The Giver, Ransom. Additionally, students have continued work with No Red Ink and Zaner Bloser’s Strategies for Writers, using the text and resources to study and write poetry along with a letter written and sent to their favorite teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day.

Melissa Ihle Grade 8 English Language Arts, Honors

In April, the honors eighth graders also transitioned into a literature circle classroom where teams analyze student-chosen novels through rotating roles and a student-chosen reading schedule. At meetings, honors students rigorously lead discussion, create and facilitate activities, research and apply vocabulary, and investigate and connect their reading selections to literary works and the world around them. Additionally, students have continued work with No Red Ink and Zaner Bloser’s Strategies for Writers, using the text and resources to study and write poetry along with a letter written and sent to their favorite teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day.

Melissa Ihle Grade 7 & 8 Creative Writing

This month, the Creative Writing students shifted focus to poetry including sensory language, figurative language, theme, and cadence. Then, Creative Writing students have worked individually or in teams to research and select a form of poetry, such as an elegy or ode. Then, they studied to become ‘experts’ on their form of poetry. Using past classes as a model, students began to create presentations and activities that help to teach each form of poetry to one another. This includes writing about poetry descriptions, the history, analysis, and how to write one. They are looking forward to taking over the class to teach what they learned to others. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 49

Matthew Bogert English Grade 7

Throughout the month of April the students have completed their second novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. As we enter into the month of May students continue to develop their writing through the use of Zaner Bloser Strategies for Writers. Students have begun reading their final novel The Call of the Wild by Jack London.

Grade 7 Honors

Throughout the month of April the students have completed their second novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Students have continued to develop their writing through the use of Zaner Bloser Strategies for Writers. As we enter into May students will continue reading their final two novels, The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein and The Call of the Wild by Jack London.

Art Department

Jennifer Hemmel Art and Design

Students completed compositional arrangements in which they selected a single object and interpreted it into 9 unique compositions considering all aspects of composition. Students are now working on trompe l’oeil table top art set ups. Designs will be completed with mixed media.

Graphic Design

Graphic Design: Students are creating their business stationery packages using the logo they created at the beginning of the semester. Designs must showcase an understanding of the principles of graphic design: alignment, contrast, proximity, and repetition.

Foundations of Art

Students worked on shading and value by studying the work of M.C. Escher and created a drawing inspired by his print called “Eye”. Students created large scale charcoal eye drawings on toned paper. Students are now beginning a Chinese inspired landscape using watercolor and pastel.

Art

Graphic Design: Students are creating their business stationery packages using the logo they created at the beginning of the semester. Designs must showcase an understanding of the principles of graphic design: alignment, contrast, proximity, and repetition.

Foundations of art: Students worked on shading and value by studying the work of M.C. Escher and created a drawing inspired by his print called “Eye”. Students created large scale charcoal eye drawings on toned paper. Students are now beginning a Chinese inspired landscape using watercolor and pastel

Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 50

Art and Design: Students completed compositional arrangements in which they selected a single object and interpreted it into 9 unique compositions considering all aspects of composition. Students are now working on trompe l’oeil table top art set ups. Designs will be completed with mixed media.

Social Studies Department

Victor Minnocci AP US History

The class analyzed the Cold War from 1960 - 1980. Topics included the Bay of Pigs, the Berlin crisis, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. U.S. involvement in Vietnam was evaluated, emphasizing the Homefront. The election of 1964 and 1968 was highlighted. The Nixon administration's handling of the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal were investigated. The class has been preparing for the AP exam by taking practice tests.

Victor Minnocci US History II Honors

The evaluated the administrations of JFK, LBJ and Nixon evaluating their foreign and domestic policies. The Counterculture Movement was analyzed focusing on the anti-war movement, women's movement and the Latino and Native American Movement. These movements were compared and contrasted with the Civil Right's Movement.

Victor Minnocci, Kimberly Forsyth and Christina Scardino US History II

This month students explored the world of hawks and doves as they relate to the Vietnam War. We started our study of the war from a defense-related point of view. As April progressed we switched gears to analyze the opinion of the war from those who disagreed with our involvement. Students explored the counterculture movement as well as the people who spoke out in favor of “peace and love.” We concluded by analyzing the impact that the civil rights movement had on other minority groups in their quest for equal rights and a better quality of life in the United States.

Stephanie Gaven US History I Honors

USI students examined the impact of World War I had on America and the world. To understand the impact of “Total War” we analyzed propaganda, evaluated wartime agencies and pondered if civil liberties could be limited during war. Finally, the students finished the month by completing a historical research paper.

Stephanie Gaven, Mallory Garvin and Christina Scardino US I History

We also examined the impact of World War I had on America and the world. To understand the impact of “Total War” we analyzed propaganda, evaluated wartime agencies and pondered if civil liberties could be limited during war. Finally, the students also completed a historical research paper based on a topic of their choice. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 51

Mallory Garvin and Evan Dolan World History Honors and World History

World History had an exciting month of April as we concluded the Great War and discussed events that would cause massive ripple effects in world history such as the Armenian Genocide and the Russian Revolution. All of these events will carry us to World War II. As the school year winds down it become easier to see how the events that happened in the past directly impact our world today.

Steve Schneidman and Christina Scardino 8th Grade Social Studies

Mr. Schneidman’s 8th grade finished the chapter leading up to the Civil War, focusing on the issue of the expansion of slavery. This chapter introduces Lincoln to the national scene and the secession of the Southern states. 8th grade honors has begun a DBQ asking the question how free were Blacks in the North? A DBQ is a mini research paper.

Steve Schneidman, Kimberly Forsyth and Christina Scardino 7th Grade Social Studies

Mr. Schneidman’s 7th grade honors finished the chapter on launching the new nation. Topics covered were George Washington's presidency, Hamilton's economic plan, the opposition Jefferson expressed. In foreign affairs we touched on the XYZ Affair and the French Revolution and at home the Whiskey Rebellion. We have started an in class project called the Bio-Poster, which involves research and creating a poster of a historical figure

The seventh grade class topic of focus has been the United States Constitution. We began by determining why there was a need for a new set of principles to guide our country and identifying the problems that our nation faced as a result. We discussed the purpose of the Preamble to the Constitution and even memorized the main points with the help of a time-honored song from School House Rock. Students then translated the Articles and Amendments into “modern language” to gain a true understanding of what the framers were trying to protect for the American people. We concluded the month with a real-life application of the Constitution on modern day situations. Students especially enjoyed learning about the process to become an American citizen and took a sample test to see if they could become a citizen all over again through the naturalization process.

Stephanie Gaven Sociology

In April we began our study of crime, deviance and prejudice! First we evaluated key terms that go along with obedience, conformity, and social control as well as analyzed what role these ideas play. Next we analyzed the legalization of drugs in the United States by researching the topic and holding a debate in class. Lastly, we defined and analyzed the main concepts regarding race and prejudice and completed a brief sample case study on the topic of prejudice.

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Victor Minnocci Law

The class analyzed crimes against personal property, crimes against a person and parties to a crime. The class is now evaluating criminal defenses.

Economics The class continued to focus on supply and demand focusing on the supply of oil and other consumer goods. The Federal Reserve was described; students were able to understand how currency is circulated. The class is currently completing an activity called a "Guide to Buying a Car.”

Science Department

Kristen Larson Forensics

In Forensics this month, students finished studying DNA and DNA fingerprinting. Students completed a final assessment on the DNA cases and did exceptionally well! Later in the month, students chose to watch the PBS coverage, Umbrella Assassin, of the Georgi Markov case. The case involved many aspects of forensics we have studied so far and students were excited to connect cases they may have heard of in history class to forensics. Students ended wrote an analysis to speculate as to how the investigation could have been improved and researched advancements in forensic technology. The month ended with a mock crime scene investigation. Students were split into groups and tackled the obstacles of the crime scene by collecting and analyzing evidence.

Biology

In Biology this month, students finished up their chapter in meiosis and began exploring genetics. Students collaborated on critical thinking questions involving Punnett Squares and gene linkage. Students also discussed the importance of genetic counseling and epigenetics in our future. As the month comes to a close, students are beginning to look at protein synthesis and genetic disorders. In May, students will tackle the New Jersey Biology Competency Test and begin to study the exciting field of evolution.

Science 7

In Science 7 this month, students completed their unit in Plants as well as a unit on Sponges and Cnidarians! Students are quickly moving through the material as they explore the worlds of various living things. Students are excited to share their prior knowledge of animals and new knowledge of plants. At the beginning of the month, students planted seeds at home and have spent the last four weeks taking photos of the progress. Some students have plants that will be full-grown by June! In May, students will continue to study animals and possibly even move onto the human body!

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William G. Maniscalco, MS, DABR, DABMP

Robotics

Students develop a more complex understanding of robot design and programming. They have modified their designs several times to accomplish an assortment of tasks. They continue to deepen their understanding of NXT Robotic Language and they display this understanding in the programs they develop to solve an ever increasingly difficult array of tasks. They are presently working on a project which requires the robots to rise and lower in order to traverse an obstacle course. Discussions are an important part of classwork. Students have watched the movie “Hugo” and are learning about and discussing the development of “automatons”, early precursors to robots in the late 1800’s.

Medical Terminology

Students continue learning “The Language of Medicine.” Memorization, props, worksheets, reading X- ray, CT scans and videos of actual surgeries, each followed by class discussion are important to the classwork as always. Students expand their knowledge of medical language by expanding into body organ systems. Presently they are working on terms connected with the “Nervous System” & the “Cardiovascular System”. Discussion is a major part of the course. Students are using the terms in medical conversations as often as possible. Students continue experience surgical procedures and the language the physician would use. The continued develop and the construction of complex medical terms by combining Greek and Latin prefixes, root words and suffixes continues.

Biology

Students completed their work on World Ecosystems and Biomes. They have discussed locations, weather, landforms, animals, shrubs and plants, producers, food chains, symbiotic/competitive relationships, food chain and human impact. Students were directed to choose a biome and develop/design the biome of their choice. Students worked in teams and researched all aspects of a particular biome. They then constructed a power point to present the information they researched and organized to the class. Students are beginning to review for the NJ Biology Competency Test.

Engineering the Future

Students researched forms of power generation being used in the United States and around the world. Methods of power generation covered included nuclear, water, wind, fossil fuel and solar. Each student has completed designing a house. Each member of the class has designed a unique house and drawn up an accurate set of blueprints for the structure. Blueprints consisted of scale drawings utilizing regulation engineering and architectural symbols. Students included materials, structural safety and security regulations and electrical designs into their blueprints. Power distributions from the street to each location in the facility were included in detail. Diagrams also included a blow-up diagram of the facilities main circuit box and details about each breaker and its power distribution throughout the house.

Wendy Sistarenik Chemistry:

Students continue to investigate aspects and properties of gases. Students have spent time researching how the different gas laws impact their daily lives and different types of activities. Students have also researched the Hindenburg explosion and how properties of different types of gases played a major role in

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the explosion. Students are utilizing the gas laws to mathematically compare relationships between gas variables, like pressure, volume, and temperature.

AP Chemistry:

The AP students have finished their final topic, electrochemistry. Students spent the rest of the month reviewing previously covered topics in preparation for their AP Chemistry Test on May 2nd. Good luck students!!

Honors Chemistry:

Students have just finished their investigation of solutions. Students will now begin examining experimental data to analyze basics about equilibrium. Students will then observe how reactants and products interact in reversible reactions by virtually manipulating the amount of reactants as well as the pressure on the chamber. Students will examine how the amounts, concentrations, and partial pressures of each reactant and product can be tracked over time as the reaction proceeds toward equilibrium.

Ted Colarusso Anatomy & Physiology

Students are currently completing their study of the digestive system, and have completed the physiological functions of several digestive disorders, as well as nutritional and supplemental health guidelines. In addition, students are learning about the various types of eating disorders, as well as modern surgical procedures that help control food intake (i.e. gastric bypass). Through discussion and research, students investigated specific types of digestive disorders along with the symptoms, treatments and prognosis each disease presented. Finally, students discussed the endocrine system along with chemical digestive enzymes, macromolecule hydrolysis and organ origination of each enzyme.

AP Biology

The AP Biology students are completing their studies of the endocrine system and plant physiology. The students calculated and compared the transpiration rate of bean plants in the following environmental conditions: normal, high humidity, high temperature and high wind conditions using an experimental setup that allowed a bean plant to be attached to a 1mm pipette which recorded uptake of water within a tube system. In order to help prepare for the upcoming AP Biology exam, students have selected a topic for a “senior seminar” in which they will present information to their classmates on that given topic. We have also completed a dissection of a mammalian heart and explored electrical activity of the heart by capturing ECG readings using Vernier technology. Students are continuing their review for the AP Biology Exam in May by going through terminology utilized in each "Big Idea". Topics in Big Idea 3 include genetics and information transfer. The Enduring Understandings found in Big Idea # 3 begins with areas of study that students will find somewhat familiar: the Central Dogma of Biology, mitosis and meiosis as well as transmission of information via chromosomes from parent to offspring leading to inheritance patterns dictated by Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics. Students will again encounter cell-to-cell communication in this Big Idea as regulation of gene expression comes under study. This concept is dealt with in studying eukaryotic gene control at the molecular level and as a result of chemical signals within and between

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organisms. Genetic variation is a major topic of study in Big Idea # 3. Students study various ways that genetic variation increases in populations. Finally, a study of how organisms take in information, integrate the information and produce a response completes the diversity of concepts in Big Ideas # 3 and # 4.

Biology

The Biology class is currently completing work on the topics of transcription, translation, genetic expression, evolution and biomes. Students are exploring how the mechanisms of protein synthesis, gene regulation and evolution, as well as how genes and mutations affect a population. The students also began to review for the upcoming NJBCT exam by utilizing practice set problems and open-ended questions that highlighted the concepts covered in class. In addition, the students were able to reproduce the mechanism of natural selection through a learning game that highlighted a particular skill / strategy set. “Surviving” students were allowed to “reproduce” and compete again!

Honors Biology

The Honors Biology class is finishing their last unit of study on evolution. Students will be comparing natural selection to artificial selection as well as analyzing how a species can become so genetically different that they are considered two different species. Lastly, all of the students will be reviewing for the New Jersey Biology Competency Test on May 26 and & 27th.

Genetics

The Genetics class is researching the impact of the Human Genome Project. Students are investigating the goals, ethical and legal concerns, and practical applications of the knowledge gained from the genome project. Students will also use current genome databases to examine comparative sequences of human DNA.

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Jonathan Hassinger AP Physics

Science 8 Honors:

Student completed their projects on Space Science and Astronomy. Students will now be studying Earth Science and Geology.

Physics and Physics Honors:

We concluded our study of the Electromotive Force and Simple Harmonic Motion and will be starting our study on Sound and Waves.

Chemistry

Students continue to investigate aspects and properties of gases. Students have spent time researching how the different gas laws impact their daily lives and different types of activities. Students have also researched the Hindenburg explosion and how properties of different types of gases played a major role in the explosion. Students are utilizing the gas laws to mathematically compare relationships between gas variables, like pressure, volume, and temperature.

Christina Cigolini 8th Grade Science

Students in 8th grade have started the Earth Science portion of the curriculum starting with the geologic time scale and Earth’s history. Students have completed a variety of hands-on labs studying how objects are dated and how the Earth has changed overtime. In our most recent lab activity students mapped out fossils, rock formations and mountain ranges and used this information to form a map of Pangaea. In the upcoming chapters students will explore plate tectonics and earthquakes.

7th Grade Honors Life Science

Students in 7th grade Honors Life Science recently completed a unit focusing on vertebrates and symbiosis. Students researched and watched videos about the three types of symbiosis. Using this research, students had to illustrate and write about a specific symbiotic relationship. During skills labs from this chapter, students explored the importance of swim bladders. In our upcoming chapter students will continue studying vertebrates, specifically birds and mammals.

7th Grade Life Science

Students in 7th grade Life Science recently completed a unit focusing on vertebrates and symbiosis. Specifically students explored fish, reptiles and amphibians. During skills labs from this chapter students explored how swim bladders work and also how lizards control their body temperatures. In our upcoming chapter students will continue studying vertebrates, specifically birds and mammals.

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Mathematics/Business Department

Debra Beck Entrepreneurship

The students learned how to perform market analysis and analyze data. The students learned about the different parts of a business plan. They created a business plan for a business after analyzing the industry and target market. They used the Trademark database to create a unique business name and created a logo.

Financial Literacy

Students learned how to evaluate different checking accounts, taking into account fees and different checking account features. They learned how to write and endorse checks, write deposit slips, read a bank statement and balance a checkbook. They completed a banking simulation. The students learned about different types and aspects of credit. They researched different features and types of credit cards.

Business Math

Students learned how calculate and use simple interest and compound interest. The students learned how to interest is calculated for credit cards. The student built upon this knowledge to calculate future and present value to solve business problems.

David Porfido TV Production:

Students continue to learn the ins and outs of TV Production. During April, students took a culminating exam and all students demonstrated growth since coming into the course in September. In addition, student were tested on director hand signals and worked to produce higher quality videos. Productions focused on advertising, including various commercials of Wood-Ridge School Events such as the School Musical and various fundraisers. Other videos included NCAA D1 Basketball Championship, NFL Basketball Game, NHL, Champions League Soccer, W-R Sports Updates, School Updates, and more demonstration videos! These students have already produced over 100 videos this year!

Web 2.0:

Students recently learned all about Wikis and are even creating their own where they collaborated with other classmates! Partners worked together and used Wikispaces to design their own. All students recently were given a post-blog post task and I'm happy to report that 100% of the students demonstrated proficiency. Students have also completed blog prompts to prepare for PARCC and discuss technology current events.

Tech Literacy:

Students in 7th and 8th grade have been busy taking the PARCC exam during April, but these students still worked extremely hard in Technology Literacy by marketing their products through interactive presentations and business cards. Students also publish & present current technology news. Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 58

Advanced Web Design:

Students in Web Design have been learning all about the HTML programming for the web and its relative terminology used throughout this course. Students have been using Notepad to design many websites according to specific specs. This month focused on frames. Students also publish recent technology events to learn to speak using proper computer lingo.

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Stephen Olsen Algebra 2

Students completed Marking Period 3 with a unit which covers exponential and logarithmic models and equations. Students began the unit covering conic sections. Students prepared for PARCC by completing independent online assignments using Khan Academy and were formally assessed with two (2) Quizzes and a Chapter Test.

Algebra 2 Honors

Students completed Marking Period 3 covering exponential and logarithmic models and equations. Students began the unit on Conic Sections writing equations for and graphing Parabolas, Circles, Ellipses and Hyperbola’s based on their geometric definition. Students prepared for PARCC by completing independent online assignments using Khan Academy and were formally assessed with one quiz and a Chapter Test.

Pre-Calculus

Students completed Marking Period 3 covering polynomial and rational functions. Students began the unit on Conic Sections writing equations for and graphing Parabolas, Circles, Ellipses and Hyperbola’s based on their geometric definition. Students completed independent online assignments using Khan Academy. Students were formally assessed with a unit test a super test, and a quiz.

Pre-Calculus Honors

Students completed Marking Period 3 coving conic sections writing equations and graphing parabolas, circles, ellipses and hyperbolas. Students began a unit covering Sequences and Series and found partial sums of infinite and finite arithmetic and geometric series. Students completed independent online assignments using Khan Academy. Students were formally assessed with two (2) unit tests and a super Test.

Robert Berger Resource Geometry

Students began the month with a quiz on 6.1-6.3: roots and radical expressions, multiplying and dividing radical expressions and binomial expressions. Due to PARCC testing the class did not meet for one week, where students were assigned khan academy for practice at home. Continuing in chapter 6 students have been working on the topics of rational exponents, solving square root and radical equations and function operations. They are finishing the month with a quiz on 6.4-6.6, and will finish chapter 6 the first week of May and move onto chapter 7 logarithmic and exponential functions. Each week they have been assigned 5 lessons for Khan Academy.

Resource Algebra

Students began the month with a quiz on 7.1-7.3: zero and negative exponents, multiplying powers with same base, and more multiplication properties of exponents. Due to PARCC testing the class did not meet for one week, where students were assigned khan academy for practice at home. Continuing in chapter 7 students have been working on the topics of: division of exponents, rational exponents and radicals, Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 60

exponential functions, exponential growth and decay. They are finishing the month with a quiz on 7.4-7.6, and will finish chapter 7 the first week of May and move onto chapter 8 Polynomials and factoring. Each week they have been assigned 5 lessons for Khan Academy.

Resource Algebra II

Students began the month with a quiz on 6.1-6.3: polygon angle sum theorem, properties of parallelograms, proving quadrilaterals are parallelograms. Continuing in chapter 6 students have been working on the topics of: conditions for rectangles, rhombuses, and squares; trapezoids and kites; polygons in the coordinate plane; and applying coordinate geometry. They finished the month with a quiz on 6.4-6.6, and will finish chapter 6 the first week of May and move onto chapter 8 right triangles and trigonometry. Each week they have been assigned 5 lessons for Khan Academy.

Lisa Ames Geometry

At the beginning of April we finished Chapter 8 by applying trigonometric functions to real life situations using angles and elevation and depression. Then, we focused on determining area of various figures in Chapter 10. We started by proving the area formulas for parallelograms, triangles, trapezoids, kites, and rhombi using hands-on investigations. Then, we discussed the area of regular polygons as well as how perimeter and area ratios can be applied to real world situations. Students began sketching floor plans for their Dream Rooms projects which will be completed in May. Students also completed 2 Think Through Math or Khan Academy lessons a week related to the topics we are learning in class.

Geometry Honors

We began our study of Chapter 10 which involves determining the area of various shapes. We started by proving the formulas for trapezoids, kites, and rhombi using hands-on investigations. Then, we applied special right triangles to determine the area of regular polygons. Using the ratios and proportions we had studied in chapter 7, students discovered the ratios for perimeter and area and how they can be applied to real world situations. Lastly, we focused on circles and determining the circumference and area of them in addition to the area of sectors and segments. Students worked on the Chapter 10 Dream Room challenge where they constructed a floor plan for their dream room using various shapes and then created a 3D model of it on Tinker CAD. We also reviewed PARCC practice questions in preparation for the Geometry PARCC test that occurred at the end of April. Each week students completed questions on either Think Through Math or Khan Academy.

Statistics

We continued Chapter 8 looking at different hypothesis tests for two samples. Students used both z and t values to determine if a null hypothesis could be rejected or not. Students applied all of their hypothesis testing knowledge to a project they presented on a question they collected data for and tested their claim. Students used the terminology and formulas we have been learning from Chapter 7 and 8 to test their claim and many were surprised with their results when there was not enough evidence to prove their claim even though they had predicted it was significant. We also began Chapter 9 looking at correlation and regression equations using our graphing calculators.

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Jim Santangelo AP Calculus AB

After completing a unit on applications of integrals, the AP students turn their focus to performing on the AP exam. The students took a full-length practice test and received an actual AP Exam score for their efforts. The students will make a final push towards the AP exam date by reviewing strategies for test- taking along with all of the material that they have been over the course of the year. I wish all of the students the best of luck on Thursday May 5th when they take the AP Calculus AB Exam!

Geometry

Leading up to the PARCC Exam at the end of the month, students completed units on quadrilaterals, trigonometry, and areas of polygons and circles. Students also completed sample problems on their Chromebooks in preparation for the test. Moving forward, students will complete a unit of volume and a brief unit on circles leading up to the final exam in June.

Algebra I

The students completed a unit on systems of equations and inequalities, while applying those concepts to the real world. Students continue to work on their Think Through Math pathway on a weekly basis. With the PARCC Exam three weeks away, the students still have time to finish their unit of study on exponential functions and quadratics.

Algebra I Honors

The students completed a unit on polynomials and performing operations on them. Students learned the FOIL method of multiplying two binomials and applied multiplication of polynomials to geometry. Students then learned the various methods of factoring a polynomial. The month was closed out by applying quadratics to the real world and solving quadratic equations using various methods in preparation for the PARCC Exam during the first week of May.

Kristine Racaniello Grade 8 Math/Pre-Algebra (7th Honors)

During the month of April, we focused on PARCC prep by completing independent online assignments using Khan Academy. We also completed a chapter on volume, surface area and proportions of various 3- D shapes. We finished the month by starting a review of material needed in Algebra 1.

Algebra 2

This month we finished Marking Period 3 with a take home test on Rational Root Equations. Students then completed in the unit which covers exponential and logarithmic models and equations. We focused on converting between the two and solving equations involving these topics. Students also prepared for PARCC by completing independent online assignments using Khan Academy. Students

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Math Remediation

Students in this course work on homework for their current math classes in an effort to ensure they perform well this marking period. This class is an independent study class. Students work on what they need to and I help when they need assistance.

Gary Minervini Algebra XX

During the month of April students completed a unit on exponential and quadratic functions. We are currently using Khan Academy to review all previous learned topics in order to prepare for upcoming PARCC testing.

Math 8

During the month of April students completed a chapter on volume and surface area of 3-dimensional figures. We then began a review of all previous units in order to prepare for upcoming PARCC testing. We will conclude the month by studying the sample PARCC test provided by the Pearson website.

Marc Fazio & Kim Simpson (Special Education ICS) Grade 7:

Student completed unit on 3d Geometry. Students found surface area and volume of Prisms and Cylinders. Students also determined the 2d cross section from 3d solids. All 7th grade students began their Think Though Math Project that is due in May. Students created accounts for the exciting Prodigygame, an online math reinforcement program.

College Math

Students completed lessons on Geometry and began Trigonometry lessons in Acellus. Students also completed lessons on similar topics using supplemental math programs Think Through Math and Kahn Academy

Alexis Sous Resource Grade 7

7th grade math is beginning to touch on the beginning skills of Geometry. We started off this chapter by constructing 3 dimensional shapes with 2 dimensional shapes. Students were able to work with these shapes, counting sides, angles, and faces, while looking for the surface area and volume, all skills they will need in High School Geometry. 7th graders also completed their final round of STAR testing, SGO testing, and are preparing for PARCC.

Alexis Sous Resource Grade 8

April has come and gone quickly in 8th grade math class. We spent a majority of the month working on our Chapter 7 skills and material. Chapter 7 is an introduction to Geometry. We began the chapter Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 63

working with transversals, interior and exterior angles, and congruent/similar figures. In addition to this, we took some time to complete our 3rd round of STAR testing and review PARCC material. As we start Chapter 8, we begin looking into transformations, rotations, reflections and slides of figures on coordinate planes.

Gabriel Ben-Nun Algebra 1

The students completed the systems of equations and inequalities chapter. Student continue to work on Khan Academy on a weekly basis. With the PARCC Exam three weeks away, the students still have time to finish their unit of study on exponential functions and quadratics before working on PARCC review.

Algebra 1 Honors

The students completed a unit on polynomials. Students learned the FOIL method of multiplying two binomials and applied multiplication of polynomials. Students then learned the various methods of factoring a quadratic equation. The month was closed out by applying quadratics to the real world and solving quadratic equations using various methods in preparation for the PARCC Exam during the first week of May.

Calculus

Students are practicing all concept of high school math in preparation for the various college math placement tests.

Physical Education

Andrea Marino Volleyball

All students have been participating in various forms of “volleyball games”.

Students in 8th grade have the option of small group passing games and actual game like playing. This allows students will various skill levels to feel confident and also allows for maximum participation in class setting.

Students in 9th grade have been participating in modified volleyball games where they are allowed to catch the ball or attempt to use volleyball skills as passing, setting and hitting. Again, allowing maximum participation and confidence among the students.

Students in 10th and 12th have been playing actual games, using all the volleyball skills to the best of their abilities for great games in class. The class is a mix of seniors and sophomores, some that are a part of the volleyball team. This helps keep longer rallies and stay at a quicker pace, which keeps the games highly competitive.

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Chris Lange Physical Education

12th Grade - Senior Physical Education

The students learned how to develop a fitness plan. Students learned Weight training using machines and free weights. Students learned cardio workouts and how to monitor their target Heart Rate Zone. Students performed dynamic warm up/flexibility exercises. Students learned core training and how to incorporate stability balls and additional training equipment into their workouts.

7th Grade Physical Education

The students will be prepared with the knowledge and skills required to participate in the game of lacrosse. Students learned game strategies and skills for Lacrosse. Students were taught basic skills of spatial awareness, passing, catching, cradling, shooting and dribbling with a lacrosse stick and drills associated with these skills. Students began team play.

10th Grade Physical Education

The students signed up for Fitness. The students learned how to develop a fitness plan. Students learned weight training using machines and free weights. Students learned cardio workout and their target Heart Rate Zones. Students learned core training and how to utilize stability balls and other training equipment.

Joseph Vaccaro 7th Grade PE

Students were introduced to Wood-Ridge Fitness Center. Students received a full review of all the rules that are in place when participating in the Fitness Center. Students also received their own workout log sheets and have been recording their daily workouts accordingly. Students have received a verbal instruction and visual demonstrations on how to properly utilize the fitness equipment and to ensure an efficient and effective fitness routine. Corrective positive feedback is provided when necessary.

10th Grade PE (Period 4)

During physical education class students are playing hockey. Students have been broken up into teams, and first team to 2 goals wins the game. During the class the activity is stopped in order to practice skills, remind the students about safety, and modify the game when and where necessary. The final 2 weeks the students participate in a tournament format. Students also completed the MUSCULAR STRENGTH portion of the Fitness component testing.

10th Grade PE (Period 6)

Students were introduced to the game of soccer. Some students learned and some reviewed how to properly kick and pass a soccer ball by using the instep of the foot, and to avoid kicking the ball with their toes. Some other skills that were taught and reviewed were the following: defensive skills, offensive Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 65

skills, safety concerns, rules and regulations of the game, teamwork, sportsmanship, and how to strategize (offensive & defensive). Finally, we covered all rules and regulations of the game as on ongoing practice and students were regularly reminded (when needed) to implement all rules during gameplay. Students were able and willing to apply all skills learned throughout the unit by participating in a team vs team format.

8th Grade Health Chapter 3 - Stress Management

Students learned how to identify what stress is (stressors), how there is positive and negative stress, and how to limit, manage, and eliminate stress. Students also complete their first current event, and completed the chapter 3 exam.

Chapter 4 Mental and Emotional Health Students learned about recognizing emotions and what triggers and emotion, understanding how to channel emotions in a healthy way, and how to recognize and help those with emotional issues, and those demonstrating unhealthy emotional expression.

11th Grade PE

We covered and reviewed all rules and regulations for the game of Basketball. Students were regularly reminded (when needed) to implement all rules during gameplay. Students were able and willing to apply all skills learned throughout the unit by participating in a team vs team format. Students were also given a best out of 3 team tournament for the last week of class.

Taylor Condal Physical Education 9&12

During our Hockey unit, students began by learning the rules of the game. After each student understood the rules, they started working on their skills such as: passing, receiving, dribbling, stick handling, wrist shot, and backhand shot. After each skill was mastered to the best of each individual’s ability, the students were broken up into 2 teams to start playing regulation games of Hockey. On every activity day, the students would start a new game. Each game lasts the entire period. The team with the most goals at the end of each period wins. During the last week before students switch activities, there is a Hockey Tournament. The team that wins the most games during that week wins the Hockey Championship.

Joseph Gingerelli 11th Grade Health

Students learned about decision making and goal setting skills. Students also learned about how to make safe decisions regarding sexual relationships. Students also began learning about the male and female reproductive systems. The components and function of the system. Students were tested and quizzed on the material.

Students learned about decision making and goal setting skills. Students also learned about how to make safe decisions regarding sexual relationships. Students also began learning about the male and female

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reproductive systems. The components and function of the system. Students were tested and quizzed on the material.

7th Grade PE

Students learned the basics of softball including hitting, fielding, catching, and throwing. Students were divided into 2 teams and they compete on a daily basis. On Wednesday we have our fitness day where we cover various fitness exercises or fitness testing.

Melissa Manolakakis Choir

Choir & Lunch Choir – Full year course - Periods 3, 4, 5, 6 & 8 – All my classes are getting ready for the Great Adventure, Teen Arts and of course our concert. Please see below our attached schedule. Both classes have continued using the same sight-singing book “Essential Musicianship” Book 1. It is imperative for choir students to have a firm grasp on sight-singing and vocal technique. Students who are enrolled in these classes are beginners when it comes to reading music. Most of them enjoy singing, but the majority cannot sight-sing on their own. Every day they are challenged to incorporate correct vocal technique that includes posture, breath support, shaping their vowels, articulation and of course singing in tune. Then the lesson continues to challenge them to read Treble and Bass Clef, pitches, rhythms, musical terms, key signatures, time signatures and sight-sing movable “Do”. This month is also full of sound and written assessments! Every week they are tested in their sections and their music theory for their SGO. Students are challenged to sight-sing in their sections: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass while I am recording them. As long as they try their best they will all receive an A. We continue to revisit the MP3 recordings and compare their abilities to when they first began. The recordings also help the students stay on task with the exercises and also holds them accountable to their behavior during class since I am able to email the MP3’s to the administrator and/or parents. I have seen improvement and they are able to sing the pitch, notes, rhythms, words and dynamics at the same time while singing in different parts. In the midst of all of this we are learning to sing: Our Spring Concert Music - Alma Mater, Anthem, Elijah Rock, Glory, Suavemente, God Bless the USA, New York State of Mind, Sit Down Your Rockin the Boat.

All are welcome to come and visit us to hear us sing at our Spring Concert on Thursday, June 2nd at 7pm in the WR Jr/Sr HS Auditorium.

Period 4 Choir are participating in the NJPAC Historical Hip-Hop Dance class for 16 sessions which started mid-April and will continue to their final performance at the Spring Concert 6/2/15. All are welcome to attend!!!

Six Flags Great Adventure – Lake Compounce 6/3/16 – WRHS Glee Club, Concert Choir and Concert Band . Students will be able to participate in “High Notes” music competition/festival in the state of NJ. WR Jr/Sr HS will showcase our Concert Band, Concert Choir and Glee Club students in critiqued performances. Students will be engaged at a deeper level of artistry and professionalism. In addition they will take part in the awards ceremony directly after their performance then enjoy the park for the remainder of the day.

Teen Arts Festival – Bergen Community College 5/20/16 – WRHS Glee Club, Concert Band, TV Production, Drama Club & Art Club students. Students will be able to participate in the largest and most Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 67 comprehensive arts education project for teens in the state of NJ. In addition, WRHS will showcase our Concert Band, Theater students, DVD, Artwork & Glee Club students in critiqued performances and exhibits. Students will be engaged at a deeper level of artistry and professionalism Periods 8: History of Rock and Roll (Semester Class) Listening, comparing, analyzing, melody, instruments, harmony, song form, etc • British Invasion Bands o Rolling Stones o Herman’s Hermits o Animals o Kinks o Cream o Spencer Davis Group o Troggs o Yardbirds o Who • The Beatles

Period 3: Study Skills • Maximizing textbook reading • Graphic organizers

Periods 4, 5, & 6: Lunch Band (Half Period, Full Year Class), • Tone production, breathing, posture, note fingerings • Rhythm, clapping, counting • Working together as a group • Blending, listening to each other o Warm ups (Basic scales and chorales) o Maria Maria/ Smooth o Grand Canyon Overture o Themes from Jupiter o Happy o Star Wars o In The Mood o I’ll Be There

Period 7: Band (Full Period) • Performed at “Scoring Points For Kids” 4/8/16 • Music theory - note reading, keyboard note identification • Tone production, breathing, posture, note fingerings • Rhythm, clapping, counting • Working together as a group • Blending, listening to each other o Warm ups (Basic scales and chorales) o Maria Maria/ Smooth o Grand Canyon Overture o Fog on the River o Themes from Jupiter Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 68

o Happy o Star Wars o I’ll Be There • Wood-Ridge Jr/Sr HS Jazz Ensemble o 11 Students o Rehearse weekly after Concert Band rehearsals on Wednesdays o Perform at the Coffee House Fundraiser 4/15/16 o Take the A Train o In The Mood o I’m A Believer

• Band performs at Scoring Points for Kids with Intermediate Band members o Played at halftime o 20 J/S HS members o 20 IS members o Star Wars o Happy o Final Countdown o See attached pictures

• Jazz Ensemble and select soloists perform at “Coffee House Fundraiser for Eva’s Village” on 4/15/16 in the all purpose room o Amazing night o Turned into an open mic type show after the scheduled performers were done o Lots of musical enthusiasm o Good turnout o Raising money for a good cause

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Coffee House Fundraiser For Eva’s Village

Tess Iannacco Italian

The Italian I classes begun learning new vocabulary about family members and friends. Students learned the different relations one has within the nucleus of a family. They listened to authentic recordings and responded to the questions being posited by the speaker. Students learned how to extract information from a letter and relay that information to their classmates. The pronunciation of the tonic accent was Superintendent’s Monthly Report April 2016 70 introduced and practiced. Students watched an authentic short film “Tutti in famiglia” to reinforce the vocabulary and the cultural concept of the ‘family” within the context of Italian culture. Students read “La famiglia italiana” and learned how the Italian family evolved from the ’40 and ’50 to contemporary times. They watched a video “Baciami ancora” to further reinforce this societal evolvement. This class also enjoyed an interdisciplinary trip to Accademia Barilla in NYC with the Culinary Arts class.

Italian II

This class begun a new thematic unit “La routine del mattino”. This chapter introduces vocabulary related to morning routines and personal hygiene. They made life size posters and labeled the different parts of the body. They presented this class project to the class. They listened to authentic recordings and were able to sequentially place a series of events. They learned the spelling of plurals “i” and ancient Italian proverbs. They watched a short film “ Sbrigati, Lorenzo!” and were able to determine if a series of events were true or false. Culturally, they learned about the Italian people and their rapport with personal grooming and Italian lifestyle. They will continue with reflexive verbs.

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Italian III and IV

These classes begun learning vocabulary about Italian cities; how to give directions and talk about the different parts of a city. Students learned to associate an activity with the correct urban place, i.e. “vado a nuotare in piscina” “guido la macchina per strada” etc. Students used a real map of an Italian city and gave directions to classmates. Also learned “parole affini” or words that are cognates with the English language. They watched a short film “Come si va in Piazza di Spagna?” to further reinforce this theme of cities urban design. We focused in the “Piazza” and the context this place holds within the Italian society. They learned the concept of “La Citta’ Ideale” based on the study of classical work (Latin and Greek) of Plato and Aristotle. To further explore both philosophies, we watched the documentary of the City of Urbino, considered to be the “Ideal City”. Students interacted and discussed the different geometrical forms and classical figures, needed to create an image of rigor, balance and beauty. These classes also prepared “Polenta con salame” and authentic Northern Italian dish.

AP Italian

This class begun the study of media influence in our lives. We used different media, radio, newspapers, tv, internet, social media and how each of them contribute to the spread of information, and in most cases, influence global knowledge. We explored the immediate access to information both at home and outside, in every hour of the day and night. What use do we make of it? Are we in the position to control the enormous quantity of information that reaches us or are we passive victims? Do these forms of communication show us a true reality or is it in some way distorted? Students discussed the many aspects this topic offers. Students watched the cortometraggio: “Il numero di Sharon”. They discussed the main argument and possible outcomes presented in this short film.

Joseph Mojkowski Spanish

Spanish II • Exercises and short essays using the past preterite • Practice with demonstrative adjectives comparing and contrasting w/ other known adjectives

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• Creation of a fashion magazine demonstrating knowledge of clothing and shopping vocabulary used in class Spanish III • Incorporation of the past tense of the verb HABER comparing and contrasting formation and usage with that of the present perfect • Use of vocabulary related to jobs and applying for volunteer opporunities

Spanish IV • vocabulary and study related to environmental issues • Investigation into different usages of the subjunctive mood in Spanish and how to distinguish between when to use different subjunctive and indicative tenses focusing adjective clauses and whether referring to a defined, definite subject or an undefined, hypothetical subject Spanish AP • short, timed grammar and comprehension practice exercises • timed reading and listening comprehension exercises • interpersonal and presentational speaking exercises • timed interpersonal and presentational writing pieces

Angela Daniele Spanish

Spanish I

• Current events of the Spanish-speaking countries • Continue introduction and working with verbs • Wrote and presented dialogs on current theme vocabulary • Learned Ordinal Numbers • Learned Subjects • Created “Mi Horario Escolar” – (My School Schedule) Written and Oral Presentation • Began working with Verbs and conjugation in the present tense

Spanish II

• Researched and completed weekly biographies on famous Hispanics • Daily vocabulary word drills • Paragraphs on themed vocabulary • Wrote and presented dialogs on current theme vocabulary • Worked with clothing vocabulary and incorporated into oral presentation • Began work on “Un Cuento Con Las Palabras Del Dia” (A Story With The Daily Words) written and oral presentation.

Macrina Olweck Consumer Science Department

Culinary Arts 2 - Students finished their Italian Food labs and are starting to research the culture, geography, traditions, and foods of Mexico. They will be supplementing their research by preparing

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some traditional Mexican recipes. For example, Beef and Chicken Burritos, Chicken Enchiladas and Tortilla Soup.

7th&8th grade classes were learning about eggs and how they contribute to many different recipes. Teacher demonstrated a variety of egg preparations such as Poached Eggs, Egg in a Hat, Sunny Side Up Eggs, Omelets, Pancakes and French Toast. Students will be preparing each of these recipes while practicing good safety and sanitation measures. They will also learn the different techniques used to prepare each of these recipes.

21st Century Life Skills - The students are studying diverse family units and the importance of good parenting techniques. To reinforce their readings the students will examine diverse child scenarios involving a variety of childhood behaviors, and situations. They will use their writing skills to express their ideas about each situation and how they would have handled the children.

Eileen Layman Media Center Report

Circulation of books: 153 In house circulation: 31 (Reference books used only in Media Center BCCLS: 5 books borrowed BELS: - 8 books lent Media Skill Class – Seventh Grade Semester Class The seventh grade Media Skills class is researching Latin and South American countries. Students are learning the history of their chosen countries and cultural aspects that have been passed through generations. Many of the students’ families still honor these traditions. Students are using the subscription database, CultureGrams for research and interactive presentations. Currency conversions, travel patterns, time differences, national anthems, description of the flag, recipes and famous people are some of the SmartBoard presentations that have taken place. Students have reached the interlude in the Neil Gaiman award winning novel, The Graveyard Book. The action is taking a different turn as the protagonist attends the local school. A full-cast audio presentation is also played as students listen and follow along in their books. Students from the Media Skills class visited the Wood-Ridge Public Library to learn about the many free offerings available with a current library card. Students interacted with the Director Margaret Mellett and learned how to search public resources through the BCCLS online catalog. Submitted email – May 2, 2016

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Mrs. Layman’s Media Skills class visited Wood-Ridge Public Library as part of the Media Skills program Bridging Schools and Community.

Joe Batcho signing to Penn State.

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