I. CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION
Doyle School
Pre K Age 4 Full Day Inclusion- Mrs. Rightmyer/ Ms. Molta
The month of May has flown by in our preschool classroom! We cannot believe it is already over! This month the students enjoyed spending time in our ‘Summer Theme.’ Our classroom transformed into all different summer activities. The children loved playing in the sand at the beach! They had a great time camping at the campground. They were able to bird watch with our binoculars, roast marshmallows, and go on a hike. They also loved working at the Beach Shop and selling all summer related items. Rita’s was also a lot of fun. They were able to buy and sell Italian ice with real Rita’s cups! Their favorite was the boardwalk. While there, they were able to take turns working at the boardwalk and playing the boardwalk games. Because the boardwalk was in the blocks center, they especially loved designing and building different roller coasters!
The first week of May we spent a lot of time working on Mother’s Day gifts. The children got to plant sunflower seeds in little pots for their moms. Each plant was theirs to care for. We helped them water them every day, as well as draw and color pictures of the sunflower’s growing process. We also discovered a new way to practice our letters and words - LEGO LETTERS! The children absolutely loved using the Legos to build their letters. Western Day was a ton of fun! We all dressed up like cowboys and cowgirls. We did a lot of dancing to the Cotton Eyed Joe which was a challenging dance for the children to learn. However, they did a fabulous job!
As the year is coming to an end we began to reflect on our year here in preschool. The children are equally as excited to go to kindergarten as they are sad to leave preschool. We went around and talked about some things they would say to the upcoming preschool class; maybe a piece of advice or something to look forward to. Here is what they had to offer to the preschool students coming in next year:
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● Anne - If you are shy, it’s okay. Just find someone that you already know; and if you don’t know anyone, just go say hi. ● Makayla - Introduce yourself to someone new. ● Jojoba - These are our centers: blocks, literacy, table toys, art, science, dramatic play. ● Ariana - When you can’t sit next to your friend, make a new friend and sit next to them. ● Christopher - We have lunch in the cafeteria with the bigger kids. ● Frankie - It’s okay to lose in games. ● Brian - There’s lots of toys to play with in the classroom. ● Bobby - Our classroom changes into different themes. My favorite was community helpers. ● Brielle - You’ll make a pillow in art class with Mrs. Merman. ● Rocco - We have specials - gym, art and music. ● Bradley - If a friend is playing by themselves you can switch your center to go play with them so they aren’t alone. ● Matthew - It’s okay to be nervous because you are safe in preschool. ● Edam - You don’t always get your first choice, but there is always another center to go to. ● Joseph - You will learn to make new friends. ● Joey - You are going to learn your colors. ● Aiden - You will love going on the trip to the farm. ● Liam - Don’t be afraid, your teachers will keep you safe.
Pre K Full Day Self Contained- Ms. Albonico
This month and last month, we learned about the life cycle of a butterfly: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. The students patiently waited for the caterpillars to turn into butterflies. This month, we released our butterflies. The students were very excited to see the butterflies fly away.
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Each month, we learn different letters. We learned the letters U, V, and W. We made crafts for each letter and learned songs to go along with each letter. The students had a great time making a walrus for the letter W.
The students also enjoy playing outside. They love running around, climbing on different toys, writing with chalk, and blowing bubbles. Climbing and running helps strengthen their gross motor skills. Writing with chalk and blowing bubbles helps strengthen their fine motor skills and oral motor development.
Pre K Age 4 Full Day- Ms. Pollaro
May was a great month! We did a travel theme. We had our own preschool airport, where the students could dress up like pilots or check their bags. We had a travel agent center with lots of travel magazines and passports. There was also a camping center, beach center, New York center, and even a Disney World center! It was so much fun pretending to be traveling all over!
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To build up our camping theme, we told stories by “lantern” and made s’mores. They were delicious! We also watched a video about camping safety. This whole theme was great for making props and crafts!
The pre-k really showed their school spirit by celebrating Western Day and Doyle Day. We finished our alphabet and have moved onto opposites and rhyming.
Pre K Age 3 PM Session- Ms. Nolan
During the month of May, students reviewed the letters X, Y, and Z. The students completed activities that incorporated these letters, such as a xylophone, yoyo, and a zoo animal book. Students are working hard to get ready for the moving up ceremony in June. The three year old class is ready for Pre-K next year.
Our class was able to take part in the earth day celebration with the entire school. The boys and girls were very excited to be involved in an activity with the entire school. Students were able to observe the older grades singing, and recycling their trash at the end of the event.
In May, we also changed our centers for the last time of this school year. Our center themes revolve around summer fun. The centers include camping, fishing, games, movie theatre, and the beach. The children have improved dramatically in taking on roles that are new to them. All the centers throughout the year have aided in the development of every child socially and emotionally.
Kindergarten- Mrs. DePalma
Our kindergarten journey is coming to an end. We had some great adventures through our Jack and Annie stories. The children have been really writing and creating books. I hope this
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inspiration lasts a lifetime. Their reading reflects their writing. It’s great to look back and see the progress that has been made.
We had many exciting activities during the Month of May. We had a wonderful Mother’s Day tea. It was delightful to see our mothers’ share the afternoon with their children. We also went on a great trip to Green Meadows Farm. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. Then we had a wonderful and restful long Memorial Day weekend followed by Field Day.
We have completed most of our math activities. The next two weeks will be review and practice. It has been a wonderful journey through kindergarten. I know the children, with your support, will do well in first grade. Please set some time aside each day in the summer to have your child read and practice math. It is so important to reinforce all that we have learned.
Mrs. Whittaker and I had a great year with your children. We thank you for the time we have spent with them. Our wish is for your families to have a happy, healthy, and safe summer. Enjoy, relax, and unwind!
Kindergarten- Ms. Goodlin
In reading and writing class, we have been reading, writing, and acting out Magic Tree House stories for Lions at Lunchtime. We have learned a lot of background knowledge on these topics through Power Points provided from the Tools of the Mind program and have created cute crafts such as lion and zebra headbands our math topics have been identifying 3-D figures and using common directions to identify objects placement. Our science topics have been identifying characteristics of herbivores and carnivores and discussing how plants in an African Savannah use camouflage and adaptation to survive. In social studies, we have been using community and world maps to show direction. Finally we have had a few lessons on the projector, using Rosetta Stone learning Spanish.
Kindergarten- Mrs. Pagliocca/Mrs. Nass
We had a very busy month in kindergarten. The children were very excited for our Mother’s Day Tea. It was a beautiful afternoon for all. The children put on a spectacular performance by singing songs about their moms which were about how much they loved them. What better way to celebrate such a special person in our lives. They prepared All About My Mom books and painted a frame to put their picture in. What a beautiful keepsake to remember our special day.
Our field trip to the farm was absolutely awesome. What a terrific time the children had learning about the animals and being able to have this wonderful hands on experience with them. The parents that attended were such a huge help at the farm. We can’t thank you enough for all you do.
It is hard to believe that June is here. We have enjoyed watching and helping our kindergarten class grow socially, emotionally and academically for first grade. The most rewarding part of our job is to see what the children are able to do when they enter kindergarten and how much
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 5 they can do at the end. It is such a pleasure knowing that we were part of their early years of learning.
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.
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Speech- Ms. Rustad
All students continued to work hard in their small group/individual therapy sessions, throughout the month of May. This month, at WRIS and Doyle, students had fun playing board games and participating in spring themed games and activities. While participating, each student worked on their specific speech and language goals and then took their turn in the game or activity. Therapy sessions continue to be individualized to each child’s needs, and technology of the iPad is being incorporated into therapy sessions as appropriate.
Grade 1- Mrs. Hahn
Hooray for May! This month students worked on Reader’s Theater. Every student received a part in a play and performed the play for their classmates. They even created their own props and scenery. Students have also been working on their independent reading stamina by reading a lot of books at their level.
In writer’s workshop, we began our Poetry Unit. Students wrote descriptive poems using their five senses. We wrote acrostic poems and cinquain poems. Students shared their favorite poems during our celebration party.
In math, students explored plane shapes and solid shapes. We learned the names of all the shapes, how many sides, corners, faces and vertices the shapes had as well. We explored how to make other shapes using pattern blocks. We also created our own diagrams using the pattern blocks.
In science, we finished our lifecycle unit by releasing our butterflies. All five butterflies hatched and we had the pleasure of watching them become strong enough to be released. We fed them sugar water and fruit. We released them on May 20th. The students were so excited to see them fly away. We also explored magnets in science. We learned about the two magnetic poles, north and south. We investigated items in the classroom to see if they were magnetic.
Also this month, we went on our second field trip to see Junie B. Jones: Essential Survival Guide to School play. The students really enjoyed seeing their favorite characters come to life. We also celebrated our 2nd Annual Doyle Day. Thank you for all of your donations. The students had a great time celebrating our Earth.
Grade 1- Mrs. Jupinka
In our literacy block, the children have been working very hard on their independent reading. We continue to read at least 5 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 our character unit! They love reading and talking about their favorite book characters. Can you believe that we have learned over 160 red words so far this year?! Our spelling patterns have taken us through a variety of diphthongs. Synonyms, antonyms and contractions have also been part of our daily lessons. We have begun a unit of “poetry” in writers’ workshop. The children Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 7
have been coming home with a few of their poems. Many of them love writing in their journals coming up with their own adventures.
In math during the month of May, the children began working on geometry and will finish the year out with fractions. The children continue to look forward to our Friday math club!
In health, our May topic focused safety (which included summer safety, stranger safety and general safety in the home as well as outside).We will finish up with a brief unit on Character Choices, such as respect.
Have a good summer. It has been a pleasure working with your children this year.
Grade 1- Ms. Cortina
Where did this year go? It flew by! We had a great month!
In word study, we learned many phonic skills this month. The first skill we learned was how sneaky the letter Y can be! Mr. Y steals the sounds of long vowel e and long vowel I. We learned the diphthong /ou/ /ow/. We made clowns that were clowning around. The students had to think of words that had ou and ow. We learned that words that have ow or ou make us say ouch!
In math, we finished up Topic 15 on Geometry. We learned the difference between plane and solid shapes. My students loved getting a bag of plane shapes and making real-life things out of them! They were amazed how easy it was to make a rocket out of shapes. At the end of the month, we started Topic 16 on Fractions. We learned how to divide a shape into equal parts and how to describe equal parts of a whole. We are onto our step-up lessons to second grade! In Reader’s Workshop, we continue to work on many important 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.
In social studies, we learned what elements make up a person’s culture. For example, food, clothing, housing, language, religion, and art. We learned how families are alike and different and how many families have different traditions. Last, we learned that celebrations are ways to honor special people and events. We learned the difference between Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day!
In writing, we have been working on our Poetry Unit. We learned how to use our senses while writing. One of their favorite poetry lessons was writing about popcorn. We popped the popcorn an then everyone got popcorn put on their desk. They made their observations and obviously loved that they actually got to taste it! We also learned what an acrostic poem is. We read about why we celebrate Memorial Day and then wrote an acrostic poem about it.
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We went on a field trip to see Junie B. Jones! We had a great time, and all the students were able to relate to the play because it was all about a survival guide to school!
Grade 1- Ms. Cucuzza
I cannot believe the school year is coming to an end!
In reader’s workshop, we have been focusing on reviewing comprehension skills, such as visualizing, making connections, and problem and solution. Our class continues to build reading stamina each month, and we are able to maintain focus during independent reading time for over 20 minutes!
In word study, students are continuing to learn new word patterns through the Orton-Gillingham method. In the month of May students were introduced to diphthongs au, aw, oi, and oy. We also learned that y can sometimes act as a vowel, making the /e/ and /i/ sounds. We practice our new reading strategies and phonics patterns daily in our literacy centers. Students rotate between five centers throughout the week to practice working with new material, and help them review previously learned skills. We have also mastered 20 new red words to apply to our reading and writing!
With the enVision math series, children have completed Topics 15 and 16. In Topic 15, Geometry, students reviewed plane shapes and learned the names of solid figures. This included spheres, cylinders, pyramids, cubes, rectangular prisms, and cones. We learned how many vertices each solid figure had, along with flat sides. In Topic 16, Fractions of Shapes, students learned how to make equal parts, how to describe these equal parts of whole objects, and how to make halves and fourths of rectangles and circles. 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 continued with our sixth unit of study, Poetry. In this unit, students learned how to write many different types of poetry, such as cinquain and acrostic poems. Students have been doing a wonderful job peer editing. As the school year is coming to an end, we have now officially begun our First Grade Memory books. We are so excited to get them finished and binded so we can take them home for summer!
I am so proud and blown away by all the progress my first graders have made. I will miss them so much next year, and can’t wait to see all of the amazing things they will accomplish in second grade!
POR/RTI Grade 1/2- Mrs. Caicedo
May 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, non-fiction text features, and comparing and contrasting using fiction and non- fiction texts. 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, “or” and “ar” brothers, 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 money, including adding and subtracting money. First grade has been working on data and graphing data.
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
May was a very busy month! In our IMSE Orton-Gillingham sequence, we have concentrated on finishing up section five of our curriculum. Specifically, we have practiced the hard and soft g and c, the oi and oy sounds, and aw and au sounds.
For comprehension, we have enjoyed reading the My Weird School series. Students have been focusing on tracking, reading aloud to a small group, answering literal and inferential questions, making predictions, and drawing conclusions.
POR/RTI Math Grade 3- Ms. Humphrey
The students in my class have been very busy in May! We have been learning about volume, liquid and mass. The students made their very own “Gallon Man” to help them remember how many cups, pints and quarts are in a gallon. We have also been checking out different soda Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 10
bottles to see how many liters are inside. The students are now able to figure out how they would measure items and about how heavy something is.
Our “3rd Grade Café” has also been a big hit in May. The students have been earning money and using it to buy prizes at the end of each class. Each day a different person works the cash register. The students have been learning how to give change back to their friends who are checking out at the store.
We also had a class bake sale. The students brought in a food item for the other students to buy. The students decided on a good price to sell their items for, and made a poster to advertise their food. The students had so much fun making money at the bake sale!
Grade 2- Mrs. Engel
Reader's Workshop: The students were excited about starting their fiction book clubs in Reader's Workshop. The students were divided into groups. Each group focused on a book series. The students would read their book individually and then meet with their book club to discuss how their books are similar and how they are different. The students applied comprehension skills such as noticing patterns in stories, using the patterns to make predictions, noticing when a character was acting out of character, reflecting on the main idea of the text, identifying the author's purpose, and lessons an author might be trying to teach. This unit built upon what the students have learned previously and is setting them up for future success.
Writer's Workshop: In Writer's Workshop the students have been working on their "Opinion Writing" piece. We started the unit by identifying the difference between fact and opinion. Then the students each chose a topic they wanted to write about. Topics varied from favorite snacks, favorite shows, and best pet and favorite school subjects. The students wrote an opinion as their topic sentence and then supported their opinion with three facts. The students wrote a closing sentence and added transition words. The students were excited to share their writing pieces during our celebration.
Math: The students completed Topic 12 and 16. Topic 12 focused on Geometry. The students identified the difference between solid figures and plane shapes. The students related plane shapes to solid figures. They identified the plane shapes that are made by tracing the flat surfaces of solid figures. Students describe plane shapes and solid figures by their attributes: vertices, edges, sides, & angles. Students made new shapes by putting smaller shapes together and cut apart shapes to make smaller shapes. Students finished this topic by identifying if a shape has been divided into equal or unequal parts. In Topic 16 the students learned how to tell time to five minutes. They also learned other ways to tell time before and after the hour. The students organized data and applied it to make bar graphs and pictographs. The students used the graphs to answer questions.
Science: The students started our last topic in Science - Landforms. The students watched a video about the different kinds on landforms on brainpopjr.com. After the video the children
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have been working on a landform flip-booklet. The booklet consists of eight landform definitions and pictures.
Grade 2- Mrs. Delatorre
Math:
Students learned how to tell time. Their new favorite game that they played on the computers is "Stop the Clock", where they have to match the digital times to the correct clock while being timed. Students also learned how to read and create their own bar graphs. They even surveyed Mrs. Albanese's class to see what their favorite desert was, and then created their own bar graph with that information. As students have completed all of the Math Topics, they have been learning the "Stepping Up to Third Grade" topics, such as multiplication, division, and fractions! They were paired up with a student from Mrs. Albanese's class and were responsible in creating an array to match a whole row of multiplication problems.
Writing: My class absolutely loves to work on their persuasive commercials! They have started with an attention grabber, wrote down reasons why their restaurant/shop is the best and even created their own mottos! They have been preparing and rehearsing their scripts, and creating menus and props. There are six groups (Moo-time Creamery, Burger Bistro, Burgerlicious, Alphabet Scoop, Candy Land, and Sweets N Treats). They will be presenting their commercials next week and the class will vote on which commercial was the most persuasive.
Reading: Students are continuing to use their Nonfiction text stories (from Reading A-Z) to explore within their leveled reading groups. They are note-taking, asking questions within their groups, and responding to comprehension questions. Students are also reading fiction for their book clubs, and studying characters. They will be learning about Reader's Theater, and using Jan Bret stories to perform these scripts. Students also have learned about reflective nouns, and irregular plural nouns in grammar.
Grade 2- Mrs. Albanese
The month of May literally flew by in 2nd grade! Time flies when you are having fun! In reading, we started BOOK CLUBS. The students were broken up in to groups where they analyzed their books by completing different jobs through a rotation. The students loved comparing and contrasting different books within a book series. They also loved the independence they had during book clubs and the chance to work collaboratively.
In math, we learned about telling time. The students are now time telling pro's and remind me daily of our schedule! We did various projects within this unit, like creating a "Day in the life of"... personalized student schedule detailing what everyone does throughout the week. The Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 12 students also learned the different time telling lingo, such as "quarter to", or "half past". We have already begun our Step Up to 3rd Grade, which is multiplication and division!
In social studies, we learned about the 7 Continents and the 5 Oceans. The students completed various projects and created their own maps to master these Continents and Oceans.
In writing, we have been working on persuasive writing. The students are completing their "Whiz Kid Advertising Agency" jobs. Each student is part of an advertising team, and will try to convince the class why their local shop is the best. The students will be creating a TV commercial, along with writing the script, creating the background and props!
Grade 2- Mrs. Negro
May was a wonderful month in second grade! Students have learned more math skills that will help them in everyday life. Students learned how to tell time to the nearest five minutes. They also learned how to read and construct bar graphs and pictographs. Students also learned about different shapes and how shapes can be divided into equal parts.
The students are growing as readers as well. We conducted another novel study using the book The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. Students learned new vocabulary words from the story and enjoyed reading about the adventures of Ralph the mouse. We continued to work on becoming better readers by using Orton Gillingham strategies to decode and encode words.
In writing, students wrote persuasively. Inspired by the book A Fine Fine School, students wrote letters to Mr. Albro to persuade him not to hold school in the summer. To expand on their understanding of persuasive writing, students became part of an advertising “team” to write and star in a commercial for their unique small business.
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
This month in math, the students learned how to estimate liquid volume and mass, as well as reviewing how to solve for area and perimeter. First, in Unit 15, students learned how to measure capacity. We discussed the customary and metric units of capacity. Next, students learned about mass and weight. Students learned what tools and units are best to use when estimating mass and weight. In Unit 13 and 14, students learned how to solve for area and perimeter. Students learned appropriate tools to use when solving; such as ruler, yardstick, and measuring tape. Lastly, students learned how to find the missing lengths of common shaped polygons in order to solve for area and perimeter.
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This month in science, we began studying all living things. Students explored how all-living things are alike and different. Students enjoyed working in partners to conducted a science lab. Students put celery in a cup with died colored water. The next day, students observed the change in the celery. They were able to notice how the colored water traveled all the way up to the leaves of the celery. This experiment was an example of how food and minerals travel through a plant. In Chapter 2 we continued to talk about living thing, but focused more specifically on animals. Students explored how animals change as they grow. Also, we discussed different parts of animals and how they use these body parts to carry out their everyday lives. Students will be moving onto Chapter 3, which focuses on where plants and animals live.
Grade 3- Ms. Zielinski
In literacy, the students are continuing their love and appreciation of novel studies as we are about to finish up our final novel of the year, Dear Mr. Henshaw. We are strengthening our summary writing skills as we incorporate sequencing words into our writing to identify the order of events taking place. We also are continuing to work on using context clues to develop the meaning of unknown words in the text and using text evidence to gain a stronger meaning.
In writing, the students have been learning how to persuade through their writing. They are learning about the importance of supporting their arguments with examples and reasons and have been strengthening their writing with the use of transition words. Overall, the students have really enjoyed getting to choose their own topics and strived to convince their classmates of their ideas and opinions!
In science, the students have been exploring what makes up an ecosystem and learning about why living things live where they do. The students have also been tracing the flow of energy through a food chain and a food web and observing the differences and similarities between the two. In class, students have particularly enjoyed exploring how animals and plants depend on one another and how they each provide things the other needs.
Grade 3-Mrs. Hynes
Math: Students learned a great deal this month about measurement! Students were introduced to both the customary and metric units of measurement. They completed a lab using a pan balance to measure in grams and ounces as well as made their own “gallon man” creations to help with conversions! The month concluded with a study of area and perimeter of common shapes. Students put their knowledge to the test when developing plans for their very own dream houses! A great deal of creativity and fun was had by all! I think we may have some future architects with this group!
Science: This month students began studying living things. Students were excited to see the inner workings of plants with our celery lab. Groups were able to dye water with food coloring and observe over several days how the roots and stems brought the colored water to the leaves.
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The class truly enjoyed our colorful creations! Students also enjoyed studying food chains and ecosystems this month in science.
Special Events: Students in grade three visited the Newark Museum this month. We spent wonderful day learning about the history of the Ballentine House and had a wonderful hands-on workshop after a presentation on Ancient Egypt. Students created their own clay sculptures as a keepsake of this special day!
Grade 3- Mrs. Campagna
How can the school year be coming to an end??!
My third grade students have really enjoyed themselves this year!! Each lively literacy class was filled with so many awesome small group and whole group activities. Each student is certainly ready for 4th grade!
In period 2/3, students learned a new word…Frindle! We went on an amazing journey with Nick Allen as he challenged his new fifth grade teacher. Poor Mrs. Granger was not ready for Nick and his antics. Or was she?? Reading about their battle of words provided us with many opportunities to compare and contrast characters and settings. Cause and effect relationships were found and predictions were made. Students followed Nick’s idea and created their own new words. While reading Frindle, students learned some important math lessons as well as learning some pretty tricky business vocabulary words! Want to trademark your word and make serious cash? Read Frindle and find out how to turn your idea into cash!
In period 6/7, students read about the stress that a talent show can cause in third grade! We tried to help think of ideas that would help Gordy discover a talent for his dog Scratch in Doggone Third Grade. Students loved Gordy’s ideas! Predictions were made and character traits were compared as new characters tried to help Gordy train his impossible dog. The story tested the friendship between Gordy and Lamont. Lessons were learned and idioms were used to discuss each plot twist. Never judge a book by its cover! Did Gordy train Scratch and discover a talent? Read the book and find out!
In writer’s workshop, students completed the letter writing unit. Each student wrote a letter to their mother for Mother’s Day and a letter to me during Teacher Appreciation Week. Each class is now working on the persuasive writing unit. They are trying to persuade me to play their favorite video game or watch their favorite television show. Students are trying to persuade Mr. Albro to make some changes to Doyle. Ever wonder what the school would be like with a Slurpee machine in the cafeteria? Maybe Doyle needs a game room for recess on rainy days? How about a rock climbing wall in the gym? Students were able to write some very well-crafted and convincing essays. Well done third grade! Look out fourth grade...here we come!!!
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE PART OF YOUR CHILD’S LIFE! IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE
HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!
Parents please remember…I am an email away at [email protected].
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Important dates • Class Pizza Party: Thursday, June 16th • 12:28 Dismissal June 13th – June 17th • Farewell ceremony: Friday, June 17th @ 9:00 am – Doyle APR • Last day of school: Friday, June 17th
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:
During the month of May, all students at Doyle finished their artwork from April, then began the very important task of looking through all of the 2D artwork they had made throughout the year and selecting the two that they would be the most proud to display at the Art Show on June 8th. In addition to having two 2D artworks in the Art show, each student will also have a sculpture on display.
Students have also been participating in a collaborative project that will be displayed at the Art show. This year, students are creating a giant color wheel collage by cutting pictures from magazines in each of the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, then gluing the pictures to pieces of cardboard designated for each color. These pieces of cardboard will then be arranged in color order to create the color wheel.
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Physical Education- Mrs. Rose-Rella:
For the month of May, students have been practicing our Field Day events, such as the Egg & Spoon Race and the Big Foot Walk. In addition, they have been learning popular line dances, such as the Cotton-eyed Joe and the Cupid Shuffle, which they will be performing on Field Day. Finally, they have been playing a game called Dodge Tag, where they are learning basic skills such as throwing, catching, dodging and aiming.
Library/Media- Ms. Lewis
Grade 3 Students continued to research a famous person, filling out their graphic organizers with facts found in Worldbook Online. Students then used those facts to create a biographical poster.
Grade 2 Students explored different genres of fiction. Students listened to stories that were examples of both realistic fiction and science fiction. Students listened to a story about a Starfish and facts about Starfish. Students listed facts on Starfish. Students listened to a science fiction story and wrote their own science fiction adventure. Students listed to a story about Baseball and created their own summer bucket lists.
Grade 1 Students compared fiction and nonfiction books, brainstorming the differences. Students listened to a story about Starfish followed by illustrating and writing sentences about Starfish. Students listened to a science fiction story, writing fiction sentences about Space. Students discussed summer reading and learned about book reviews and opinions. Students listened to a story and wrote their own book review.
Kindergarten Students discussed what they would find on a beach, making predictions about the story we would read. Students listened to a story about the beach and discussed what we learned from the story. Students then did a beach related project.
Mrs. Gottlieb- ESL
The student continued to expand their English vocabularies. They concentrated on sight words, correctly spelling and pronouncing the words. Near the end of the month, they could generate three to five original sentences for each new word. Their listening skills improved demonstrated by retelling stories that the teacher had read to them and creating illustrations to enhance their understanding. Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 17
Intermediate School
Grade 4 - May
Reading: In our classes, we are nearing the end of our novel, Number the Stars. The students love reading this novel and it keeps them wanting to know what happens next. We are analyzing characters throughout our reading and finding supporting text evidence. The class is reading, discussing, and completing activities for the chapters. They are learning new vocabulary words to enhance understanding of the reading. In Chapter 14, the students loved comparing and contrasting the novel to the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood! We completed Google Slides presentations in groups about life as a Jewish citizen during the Holocaust. The students are really becoming “pros” on Google apps! The classes enjoy playing Kahoot to review chapters in the book and some even love to play Mrs. May’s 10 minute game show! As an extra activity, the students explored the Secret Annex interactive site online to further understand Anne Frank’s experience during the Holocaust. In June, we are planning to prepare short skits acting out our favorite, most memorable scenes from the novel!
In extensions, we had a Holocaust Memorial Service on May 5 for Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was a truly special experience for all the 4th grade students. The students learned about Auschwitz concentration camp. They were also given names of victims with brief descriptions, and in small groups they wrote a sentence to remember and honor this person. Each group read their sentence and lit a flameless candle in their honor. We ended with a moment of silence to remember all victims of this terrible time in our history. See pictures below…
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Holocaust Memorial Service May 5, 2016
Writing: We have worked on writing journal entries for different chapters in our Number the Stars novel. The students can put themselves in the shoes of a main character and write from their point of view. The classes have also completed other writing assignments relating to the Holocaust and what we are learning. One activity included reading an article called The Choice about harboring a Jewish person and writing a diary entry expressing what they would do in such a difficult situation. Some of these assignments can be found on your child’s school Google Docs
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 19
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! Social Studies : We have kicked off Chapter 5 on The Industrial Revolution in class this month! The students were so interested in learning about new inventions and technology in NJ during this time in history. I loved seeing the surprised faces when the class found out when every day, familiar items were first created. They all participated in discussions and asked important key questions. We discussed Henry Ford’s assembly line and watched a short clip of the classic, “I Love Lucy,” episode with a chocolate factory assembly line. We also made our own assembly line in class as a quick do now activity. We timed our assembly lines to see which group would have their “goods” manufactured the quickest! It was truly entertaining! In extensions, the classes worked on a Google Slides project to extend social studies. They researched the Industrial Revolution on Ducksters (online) and created presentations to illustrate an important topic or historical figure from this time period. The students were also excited to learn about immigrants and Ellis Island as well. In June, we will take an interactive virtual tour of Ellis Island on our chrome books to extend our learning! We plan to watch videos and write diary entries as if we were immigrants during the time as well. Toward the end of the year, the students will also watch an animated classic movie called “An American Tail” to illustrate immigration during this time period. Overall, it is great for the students to realize how important their home state was during the Industrial Revolution.
We went on a field trip this month to Waterloo Village, where we visualized and explored what we learned about the Lenape. The students had a blast! See some of them in action below….
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Waterloo Village Field Trip Activities
Extensions: In our extensions classes this month, the classes have practiced typing through a cool 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! They can do this at home and during the summer too! In addition to typing this month, we also practiced applying reading skills learned this school year through a mini Disney/Pixar unit! We listened to Frozen’s “Let it Go” and analyzed the lyrics (poem) for theme, rhyme scheme, and figurative language. It was awesome for the students to take a song they are so used to hearing and looking at it in a different light! We also watched Disney’s Inside Out to practice Show, Don’t Tell skills. The students picked a character to focus on and watched the movie. They took notes on their character throughout the movie and then at the end, each student wrote a paragraph describing how their character SHOWED their assigned emotion, instead of just telling what emotion they were. The students loved this activity, and so did I!
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Safety Patrol – May
The WRIS Safety Patrol is working hard. We held meetings this month to discuss strategies, suggestions, and concerns. Next month, we will hold a Switch Day so that members can experience a different post for one day. We cannot believe it is already nearing the end of the school year! Our squad members have made a great effort all year to help keep the students of the school safe.
Meeting Dates/Agenda:
• Wednesday, May 18- Discussed our annual Switch Day (scheduled for June 10); discussed student behavior in the gym and making sure safety patrol is separated throughout to keep all students safe
• Wednesday, May 25- Questions, comments, concerns from the group; shared suggestions and planned for Switch Day post switches
Grade 4 – Johnson
It is so hard to believe that we are coming to the end of the school year. It seems to have gone by so quickly. These last few months have been very busy for the 4th graders. We all had a great time on our class trip to Waterloo Village in Stanhope, NJ. We had the opportunity to learn about the lives of the Lenape Indians. The children had the chance to make some pottery bowls and try some tools used by the Indians for planting and cooking. We were very lucky to have a beautiful day of weather to completely enjoy this day.
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Scenes from Waterloo Village
Our 4th graders also had a chance to go on a trip to Carnegie Hall to watch and play their recorders with an orchestra. The program included a violinist who played and electric violin and a performance by a drumline. The children really enjoyed this. In addition to all of our trips, the 4th grade had a great time participating in a wonderful assembly. We would like to thank the PTA for the Pick a Packet program.
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Carnegie Hall trip
Math1 – In math we have worked on fractions and decimals and how they are related. We have spent a great deal of time converting fractions to decimals, placing them on number lines, and comparing them to money. We have used centers to reinforce these skills. Next the class will work on customary and metric units of measurement, and practice how to convert the different units. We are ending the year working on some fun units which involve using all the skills that we have worked with this year.
Math 2 - The children have finished the math textbook. We finished up with the chapter in their textbooks which included them learning to convert customary and metric measurement in order to solve word problems. We practiced working with money, time, line plots and measurement s. We will spend some time working on the Step Up to 5th grade and hope to work on an end of the year project that will incorporate many of the skills we have learned throughout the year.
Science- We spent time in May preparing for the NJ ASK test. Students completed sample tests to help them practice for the test. We used the computer and videos to review some of the concepts that the children had previously learned. We did some fun activities. There is nothing better than rubbing a balloon on your head and messing up your hair…all in an effort to learn about static electricity. We had been learning about electricity, both static and current. We will then continue the unit on current electricity. If possible, we may start learning about animal adaptations and survival, if there is time. This is always such a fun chapter.
Some science fun
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Student Council - Johnson
We started off the month of May with a kick off to our Penny Wars. Each homeroom class had a container used to collect money that will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We set a school goal of $1000. I am so proud of the students of WRIS. Together we raised $1,400 to donate to this foundation. Congratulations to Mrs. May’s 4th grade class. They won our Penny Wars and will be enjoying an ice cream party in June. We plan to finish out our school year with our “Hats off to Summer” fundraiser, with these funds going to the NJ Sharing Network in honor of our friend and teacher John Bischoff.
Student Council Officers Courtney Lyons and Andrew Berg
WRIS Student Council members: Anthony Huang, Courtney Lyons, Alison Gardella, Julia Della Penna, Danielle Arno, Andrew Berg, Vansh Zota, Mackenzie Burke, and Anurag Mathews
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Grade 4 – Ripp
Reading: We have continued reading Number the Stars by Louis Lowery. The students have been on the edge of their seats waiting to find out what will happen next. The class has been learning about various literary devices used in the novel. Currently, the students have been focused on identifying symbolism. As we read each chapter, we analyze the important symbols, what they represent, and why they are significant in the story. We also continue to evaluate character traits and how characters can change throughout a story. The students have also been building their vocabulary skills by learning new words for each chapter we read. Writing : Students continue to analyze point of view by working on writing journal entries aligned with Number the Stars. We read chapters from the book and discuss important scenes from different characters point of view. The students “get into character” by writing journal entries that reflect the various perspectives from different characters in the book. The students continue to work on using descriptive details and adjectives to “show” how/what the characters in the story are thinking and feeling.
Social Studies: The class finished learning all about the Industrial Revolution .The students learned what life was like before the Industrial Revolution and how it changed significantly. We focused on how important inventors such as Thomas Edison, Samuel Morse, and Alexander Graham Bell changed society with their new technologies. The students also worked on a Google Slides project to extend social studies. They researched the Industrial Revolution and created presentations to illustrate an important topic or historical figure from this time period. The students are looking forward to learning more about immigration. The classes will be leaning about how immigrants came to Ellis Island in search of new job opportunities and a better future. We will be taking an interactive virtual tour of Ellis Island on the chrome books to enrich their understanding. Extensions : In extensions, we had a Holocaust Memorial Service on May 5 for Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was a very special experience for all the 4th grade students. The students watched a short video to learn about Auschwitz concentration camp. We discussed the importance of remembering the victims of the Holocaust. The students were assigned a partner and given a piece of a paper with the name of a victim of the Holocaust with a brief description of their life. Each group wrote a sentence to memorialize the person they were assigned. The students read their sentence and lit a flameless candle in their honor. We ended with a moment of silence to remember all victims of this terrible time in our history. See pictures below…
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The students practiced applying reading skills learned this school year through a mini Disney/Pixar unit! We listened to Frozen’s “Let it Go” and analyzed the lyrics for theme, rhyme scheme, and figurative language. We also watched Disney’s Inside Out to practice Show, Don’t Tell skills. The students picked a character to focus on and watched the movie. They took notes on their character throughout the movie and then at the end, each student wrote a paragraph describing how their character showed their assigned emotion, instead of just telling what emotion they were.
Field Trip The 4th grade class went on a field trip this month to Waterloo Village in Stanhope, NJ. The students had a great time and loved learning all about the culture of Lenape Indians! Check out the scene below…
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Grade 4 – Romoff
Mrs. Romoff and Mrs. DiCori, 4th grade inclusion – math and science Mrs. Romoff, 4th grade – math and science
May has been a very busy month for the fourth graders this year. Students completed the PARCC exam this month and also took the NJ ASK Science. The students really concentrated on the exams and tried their best. In addition to test, 4th graders were treated to 2 field trips. The first, was to Waterloo Village, a recreation of a Lenape village. Students were amazed to experience how the Native Americans lived. The second trip was to New York City’s Carnegie Hall to perform with the orchestra by singing or playing an instrument. The students were also treated to “Pick-a-Packet”, sponsored by the PTA. The students worked in teams to discover answers to various questions or riddles.
In math the students have learned how to convert standard measurements of length, capacity, and weight and have been practicing these very important skills. As always, ongoing skills that have been taught this year are reinforced including fraction skills, word problems, all mathematic operations.
In Science, the students have learned about static electricity. They thoroughly enjoyed working with the activities to show that positive and negative objects attract, while the same charged objects repel. The children also learned about lightning safety and created beautiful posters that are displayed on the bulletin board.
FIELD TRIPS --- grade, date, destination, number attended, chaperones, benefits
4th grade – May 17 – Waterloo Village 4th grade – May 23 – Carnegie Hall
SPECIAL PROGRAMS --- class, grade, or school – wide
4th grade Pick-a-Packet
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Grade 5 – Ciliotta
Mrs. Ciliotta-Mr. Belger 5th grade
Math- Classifying Plane Figures and Coordinate Geometry- Our Geometry unit was lots of fun! We started the unit by learning all about how polygons, triangles and quadrilaterals can be described, classified and named. Once students became comfortable with the attributes of the different polygons, we further explored shapes by using Tangrams puzzles. Students heard Grandfather Tang’s story and learned about this ancient puzzle. They worked with the Tans to create their own figures. Additionally, students completed a Tangram super challenge where they had to create different polygons using different number of tangram pieces. We also explored the classification and measurement of different types of angles. Students then created a Geometry Glyph based on what they learned about polygons and angles. We moved on coordinate geometry and first learned about the man who popularized the Cartesion system of coordinates, René Descartes by reading a story. This was a great introduction into coordinate graphing. Students did very well with this topic and applied their coordinate graphing skills to play the classic game of battleship. Students worked very hard this year and we were very pleased with the growth and progress of their Math skills. Summer assignments will be posted on the district website! Keep up those Math skills. Have a great summer!
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Science- Galaxies- There are billions of Galaxies in the Universe. Some are small while others can have as many as 400 billion stars. Students learned about the three main types of galaxies through internet explorations and a webquest. They identified and are able to describe the characteristics of Spiral, Elliptical and Irregular galaxies. As a culminating acitivy students created a Haiku about galaxies using the program Google Slides. They presented these orally to the class. We started learning about animal and plant cells and will Cell-e-brate the end of the
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 30 year by creating models of each. Students have worked hard in Science this year and enjoyed being active participants during class labs and experiments.
Grade 5 – Diaz
Ms. Diaz’s Grade 5 Social Studies class is wrapping up the American Revolution which will conclude with a class trip to The Historic Village at Allaire. Ms. Diaz’s grade 5 LAL (PM) students will be concluding their Fiction, Tall Tale Unit and will be revisiting the Common Core aligned skills; fact/opinion, drawing conclusions, main idea and details, plot, character analysis, summarizing, narrative writing, and expository writing. Ms. Diaz’s grade 5 HP LAL (AM) students will begin reading excerpts from Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl (nonfiction) and working on aligned Common Core skills; fact/opinion, drawing conclusions, main idea and details, setting, summarizing, descriptive writing, and expository writing.
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Grade 5 HP ELA students taking their reading outdoors as they prepare for the end of the school year.
PARCC Remediation grade 4 PARCC Remediation grade 6
Chess Club – Diaz
Activities September- We introduced ourselves, discussed the club schedule, and talked about matches.
October- We discussed the official chess rules and played a round of virtual chess to see the rules in action.
November- We watched different student oriented videos on famous chess players to learn their strategies.
December – Students were matched based on skill and ability.
January- Students began in-school tournaments.
February- Tournament
March- Tournament
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April- Tournament
May- Final tournament and awards were given.
Meeting Dates Sept. 22, 2015 Oct. 1, 2015 Mar. 8, 2016 Oct. 22, 2015 Mar. 22, 2016 Nov. 12, 2015 Apr. 12, 2016 Dec. 3, 2015 Apr. 19, 2016 Dec. 17, 2015 May 10, 2016 Jan. 7, 2016 May 24, 2016 Jan. 14, 2016 Jun. 7, 2016 (canceled, Field Day) Feb. 4, 2016 Feb. 18, 2016
Agenda September: introductions October: Chess “How to” and rules November: Chess strategies December: Matching skills January, February, March, and April: Tournaments May: Finals and awards
Grade 5 – Muscle
Mrs. Muscle 5th grade ELA (ICS – Mr. Belger) May has been a very busy month in the 5th grade! During our class time, we are continuing to work on our skills and strategies. We have been utilizing all our skills while we read our novel “Maniac Magee.” We learn new vocabulary and then we work on different comprehension activities to further analyze the text. We have worked with characterization and studying the relationships of characters within the text. Students really enjoy diving deep into the conflicts that are within the text too. Finally, we will watch the made for TV movie and draw comparisons and conclusions about the presentation of the material in text and media form.
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.
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Our DARE program in coming to a close with Officers Marchitelli and Vitkovsky of the WRPD. The students have presented their essays to the class and have picked a winner to read their essay at graduation in the coming weeks. Students picked a representative that wrote an essay that truly represented what they learned in DARE this year. The class is grateful to our officers for all they have taught!
Muscle - Drama Club Monthly Report
The Drama Club continues to meet regularly to practice for our Spring musical. We met on May 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24 and 25, with our final performances on the 26th. We continue to practice our play, Peter Pan. Each week we run through our lines, practice stage blocking, and practice our songs. We, then, performed selected songs and scenes for the school during the day and a complete show for our friends and families at night. The students and teachers have really worked hard this performance year.
Student attendance:
Alexandra Theodoracopoulos Andrew Berg Arisnelle Vasquez Ava Macchia Ava Picheo Ava Rizos Brett O’Neil Briana Schmidt Britney Lyons Brooke Kalafsky Christina Medulla Christina Piacentino Conor Ferguson Courtney Lyons Crystal Johansen Danielle Arno Emilie Dine Gabriella Annese Jessica Piacentino Jessica Savonjie Jessica Schmidt Julia Dellapenna Kaitlyn Fallon Kaitlyn Miqueli Katy Sassaman Lauren Kedersha Lia Crandall Lilliana Wronko Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 34
Lily Sebastian Mackenzie Burke MaryGrace Milne Mia Scarvaglione Mia Sebastian Nicole Kikkert Olivia Cappello Rebecca Paar Sophia Miuccio
Grade 5 – Beley
• Math: o Regular math students practiced interpreting data by making lines and surveys. Students worked in small groups to create their own survey, collect data and then created line plots based on that data. Students then studied polygons, where we classified triangles, quadrilaterals, and special quadrilaterals. Students drew family trees to help understand the relationship between quadrilaterals. Students are currently studying ordered pairs, coordinate grids, and patterns in graphing. o HP math students finished studying ordered pairs, coordinate grids, and patterns in graphing and used that knowledge to create games to play with their classmates. Groups were required to incorporate ordered pairs and graphing into their game. One group based their game on “Twister” and had students spin for an ordered pair and then, just like “Twister”, they placed their hands and feet in the appropriate spots according to the “grid”. Another group projected a grid on the whiteboard and split the class into teams. Each time would have one person at the board drawing a picture using given ordered pairs and their team would have to guess. We are currently working on the “Step-up” Lessons, which involve ratios, unit rates, and proportions. • Science: o Both classes began Chapter 4: Living in Space, where we read from the textbook and discussed concepts like, life on the ISS, extraterrestrial life, and communication with other worlds. o Students went on a virtual field trip to the ISS through a guided tour by an astronaut. Students learned the different compartments of the station, where astronauts ate, slept, and how they brushed their teeth. o Students worked on their projects: The Life Cycle of a Star. Students depicted the life cycle in a 3D display. Students participated in a Gallery Walk to view their classmates’ presentations and voted on whose they liked best.
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Grade 6 – Begyn
In Mrs. Begyn’s Math class, students learned about 2- and 3- dimensional figures. Students were able to classify all types of figures, along with find the area, perimeter, surface area, and volume of the different figures. The students created a 3-d poster and informational book using the nets (flat 3-d figures). In Mrs. Begyn’s HP class, students have finished learning 3-d nets and reviewed the 6th and 7th grade curriculum in preparation for the End of Year Test. Students were given practice problems from throughout the school year to demonstrate mastery. Both classes have started an End of Year Project about Math Careers. Students will research various math careers, focusing on the education required, annual salary, and test / certifications needed. This project is to allow students to find careers they may be interested in pursuing or learn about a career that is new.
In Mrs. Begyn’s Science class, students have finished the soapy penny lab, and have moved on to researching the different types of marine life at Sandy Hook. They students researched their individual animal, and they created a Google Slides presentation to teach the class about that animal. In the presentation, students taught the class the animal’s habitat, size and color, prey, predators, interesting facts and showed a video on how the animal moved. The class kept of record of all animals being presented to help highlight animals on the 6th grade field trip.
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 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. The class is looking forward to watching the movie as a culmination of the unit!
We are busy preparing the students for next year. The students completed their HP tests for seventh grade placements. The year has gone so fast and we have learned so much!
Social Studies – We have read Chapter 6 Ancient Greece. As a final project, the students are working with a partner to create a Google Slide presentation on one of the sections of the chapter. The students will present their slides to the class so that we can all learn as much information as we can on this fascinating culture before the year is up!
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Grade 6 – Drudy
Grade 6 Math (ICS/Panayoti)– In math students completed Envision Math Topic 12 Area and Topic 13 Surface Area and Volume. Students reviewed how to find the area of rectangles and triangles. Next students used this knowledge to find the area of complex figures such as kites and trapezoids. Students then learned how to find the surface area and volume of three-dimensional figures including prisms and pyramids. In class we relied on hands on activities to help develop their understanding of the various formulas. Students constructed prisms and pyramids to analyze their edges, vertices and faces. Students were then asked to construct two different prisms to determine which holds the most popcorn. This lesson was used to help students discover the relationship between dimension and volume. Students continued to develop their basic skills by participating in daily-individualized fluency drills. Fluency drills this month focused on reviewing fractions, decimals and ratios.
Science/Health/Extensions (ICS/Panayoti)– In science, students are preparing for their trip to Sandy Hook. In order to prepare for this trip each students was assigned an animal that lives in the Sandy Hook Bay. Students were responsible for conducting online research on their animal and then designing a google slides presentation to share with the class. Students were shown how to embed videos into their presentation. Each student then taught the class about their animal. In Extensions students continued to work on Think Through Math and were introduced to the online math game Prodigy. During Health students received a visit from students in the high school. The high school students talked with the sixth graders about social issues included bullying and peer pressure.
STEM Club – Drudy
The Stem Club had three meetings things month. There was a sixth grade meeting, and fourth/fifth grade meeting and one meeting that combined all three grades. During the individual grade meetings students were introduced to the substance oobleck. Oobleck is a classic science experiment based off of a Dr. Suess book. Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid which means it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of your hands. Students first created the substance according to the recipe and then were challenged to vary the amount of the ingredients to see how it changed the properties of the substance. This messy project was enjoyed by everyone. The combined meeting challenged the stem club to work together to use building straws to create the tallest free standing tower. This challenge focused on their knowledge of building structures will developing their teamwork skills.
Members: 37
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Grade 6 – Koernig
Students diligently read their independent books and keep track of completed reading minutes on a monthly calendar until the end of May. As the fourth marking period commenced, we increased our stamina and focused on specific reading skills for our Post-It notes. As our mentor text, we completed The Giver, by Lois Lowry. We focused on the following on the reading skills: internal and external character traits and the symbolism found thought the book. We continued to correctly respond to reading questions and fill out graphic organizers on each chapter. Students are looking forward to comparing and contrasting The Giver, by Lois Lowry with the movie.
Social Studies- We have completed Chapter 5, and learning about all the Ancient Chinese Great Leaders and Thinkers: our study was a combination of research, slides, visual pictures, and reading our textbook. Students studied Confucius, Shi Huangdi, Liu Bang, Wudi, or Sima Quian. Students were provided a description of the historical person, when they lead/ruled China, major accomplishments, and what impact he had on future generations of China.
Art – C. Sterba
Grade 4 Art- Students studied different uses of line in artwork, focusing their attention on the work of Keith Herring and is simplified outline drawings. Afterwords, they designed come characters of their own using a similar style. They are then taking these designs and attempting to make them appear to be moving.
Grade 5 Art – Students looked at some examples of traditional and modern Persian artwork, and studied how pattern is a major motif in the work. They then begin using an 18th century miniature as inspiration for creating a pattern based image of their own.
Grade 6 Art- Students looked at the work of artist/director Tim Burton. Using the same steps that would be used in creating a character for one of him films, students are creating an alter-ego version of themselves. They started with a list of adjectives, then several sketches, followed by a more refined and detailed drawing. Then used this drawing as the basis of a sculpture.
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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 May was “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the ‘Ole Oak Tree” in honor of Memorial Day. The students also learned to sing “A Song for Mama” in honor of Mother’s Day.
Fourth grade Field Trip to Carnegie Hall NYC Link Up - The Orchestra Rocks Students in grade four are given the opportunity to join the orchestra in this highly participatory program, in which they learn to sing and play an instrument in the classroom and perform with a professional orchestra from their seats at a culminating concert at Carnegie Hall. On May 23 WRIS fourth grade class enjoyed a wonderful field trip to Carnegie Hall. They sung and played their instruments with the amazing St. Luke’s Orchestra.
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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.
Sixth graders You cannot talk about a city’s cultural life without talking about its music. This month in music class we studied Unit 4 “Music in Our Cities.” Students learned about works from musical theater and music from major music festivals. Students responded to “Castle on a Cloud” from Les Miserables, “The Circle of Life” from Lion King, and “Seasons of Love” from Rent. Students also listed the instrumentation of instruments in a zydeco band and mariachi band. We finished off by discussing the cultural importance a song like “Don’t Laugh at Me” by Peter Yarrow, can have as it was performed at a folk festival.
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.
Grade 4 May 23, 2016, Carnegie Hall NYC, 67 students, 8 chaperones. This field trip links up the classroom with the concert hall, where students learn to perform music that they then perform with a professional orchestra.
Students in Band and Choir will put on a concert on June 2, 2016.
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Choir club Students have met ten times since our Winter Concert. We are currently working on memorizing our lines and music for our Spring Concert on June 2. We look forward to putting on a wonderful show.
Library/Media – Lewis
Grade 4
Using facts from their graphic organizers, students created a Google Slide presentation on a planet, to present to the class.
Grade 5
Using facts from their graphic organizers, students created a Google Slide presentation on a state, to present to the class. Students also created a Works Cited page showing the sources they used to research their state.
Grade 6
Students chose a career they were interested in to research. From that research they created a Google Slide presentation to present to the class. Students also created a Works Cited page showing the sources they used to research their career.
Physical Education – Aranda
During the month of May the students of WRIS were working on finishing their FitnessGram fitness assessments and the 5th grade in particular are filling out their FSF (Fitness Summary Form). The FSF is an individualized packet for each student to record, track, and evaluate their own fitness performance. These packets are designed to help students recognize & analyze where their current level of fitness is for each fitness component; muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance/aerobic capacity, and body composition. While breaking down their own fitness info students are able to realize where their strengths and weaknesses are and figure out the best way for them to enhance & develop those weaknesses while still maintaining their strengths.
Any classes who finished with the fitness assessments moved on to team building activities such as “River Crossing.” River crossing is an activity which encourages; cooperation, problem solving, creativity and imagination. The key to success in this type of activity all depends on how well the group members work with each other rather than the selfish act of competing to try and outshine one another. The students tend to quickly figure this out and have a blast lending a helping hand or sharing some useful insight/advice with a teammate in need. Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 41
Grade 5 Puberty Education lesson for boys – 5/11/16
Rosetta Stone
FitnessGram – physical fitness assessments
FSF – Fitness Summary Forms
Healthy U school recess, some of May’s Healthy U activities include; Track Laps, Gold Rush, Ball Roll Knockout, Kickball, Critter Dash, Whiffle Ball, Seaweed tag, F-T-W (fire-trees-water) tag, Frisbee toss & catch, Flying Saucers, Hot Potato Pass/Exercise Dice, Race n Reach, Freeze Dance, Grid Obstacle Run, Grid Basketball Dribble, 5 Line Individual Sprints, 2 Player Basketball Scramble, & Activity Sections (soccer – volleyball – tennis – football).
WRIS Field Day coming up on 6/7/16
Special Education – Di Cori
● Collaborated with Mrs. Carroll on modified Math and Reading 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 Science NJASK – to 4th grade extended time students ● Worked closely with the behaviorist and other 4th grade teachers to readjust a behavior plan for a single student ● Chaperoned field trips to Carnegie Hall and Waterloo Village ● Participated in Pic-a-Packet
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 42
Special Education – Panayoti
● Collaborated with colleagues to finalize the Grade 6 Supply List for 2016/2017 ● Collaborated on cross curricular projects in Math and College/Career Readiness ● Completed summative evaluation and submitted Professional Development Certificates ● Completed and submitted SGO ● Reviewed Special Education student growth for the year and made projections for placement in Grade 7 ● 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 ● Pulled from servicing ICS classes twice in the month of May to cover teacher absences in Grades 5 & 6 (pulled for substitute coverage ten times to date)
Special Education – Carroll
5th Grade Math Resource Room The class learned about classifying plane figures: polygons, triangles, quadrilaterals, and special quadrilaterals. Checklists and visual guides were made for each category of plane figures. The class then moved on to coordinate geometry. They learned how to identify the parts of a coordinate grid, how to plot a coordinate point, and how to list coordinate pairs for a point on the grid. Students learned how to find distance between two points on the grid. They also learned about relationships between points.
4th Grade Math Resource Room This month the class finished topic 13: extending fraction concepts. The students learned about fractions and decimals on a number line. They also learned about decimal place value and how to name decimals: expanded form, standard form, and word form. Next the class moved on to topic 14: measurement units and conversions. We began with identifying and understanding customary units of measurement for length, capacity, weight and how to convert these measurements. Next the class identified and understood metric units of measurement for length, capacity, mass, and changing these units of measurement.
4th/5th Grade ELA Resource Room The class has continued 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 continued their primary source scrapbook for the sources found in the novel. They identified the type of primary source, created a caption, and explained the significance for each. Story elements in the novel were analyzed for how they have an affect on the plot or main events. Character traits and motivation were studied for Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 43
Satchel Paige or other main characters. The class watched videos on Satchel Paige pitching and footage of the Clowns warming up and playing in a game. They were exposed to primary source advertisements for Venaluan snake oil. They also saw photographs of the uniforms the Negro teams wore in the 1942 world series. They also watched interviews with players from the Negro League discussing Buck O’Neil, Satchel Paige, and Josh Gibson. In writing, students wrote newspaper articles for the Negro Newspaper The Pittsburgh Courier, character analysis essays, main idea and details essays suing valid internet research on the Monarchs and the Grays, advertisements for Venezuelan snake oil, point of view from Flip when he pitches, comic book panels for the confrontation and big event of the novel when Satchel Paige pitches to Joshua Gibson, point of view postcard writing, and National Baseball Hall of Fame induction plaque.
RTI classes The 4th grade ELA RTI classes have been working on a variety of skills. • Main Idea and Details: 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 newspaper articles, problem and solution flow charts, and summaries. • Point of View: Students learned about first and third person point of view. Then they discuss how point of view can change the events, outcome, and tone of a text. They discussed a variety of fairy tales and how it would be different if told from the point of view of the prince/princess or the evil character. Then they read Rumplestiltskin and rewrote the fairy tale one page at a time from the miller’s daughter’s point of view. • The 6th grade Math RTI class • Perimeter, volume, area: The class learned the formulas for perimeter, volume, area of rectangles, squares, cubes, prisms and combined volume and area.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 44
Art Club/Stage Crew Monthly Report - Carroll
Stage Crew
Meeting on May 11, 2016: 7 members Meeting on May 12, 2016: 8 members Meeting on May 19, 2016: 11 members Meeting on May 25, 2016: 11members Meeting on May 26, 2016 (night performance)
The stage crew members practiced their role behind the scenes of Peter Pan.
Special Education – Belger
Mrs. Ciliotta & Mr. Belger ICS Math 5 -Coordinate Planes, Plotting & Geometry Our month began learning about how polygons, triangles and quadrilaterals can be described, classified and named. We used hands on assistive learning tools such as Tangram Puzzles, and stories such as Grandfather Tang and the ancient puzzles. Additionally, students completed a Tangram super challenge where they had to create different polygons using different number of tangram pieces. We also explored the classification and measurement of different types of angles. Students were prompted to create a Geometry Glyph based on what they learned from angles and polygons. From Polygons we moved on to plotting points on a coordinate grid. We learned about René Descartes credited with the Cartesion system of coordinates. Students did very well with this topic and applied their coordinate graphing skills to play the classic game of battleship. Students worked very hard this year and we were very pleased with the growth and progress of their Math skills. Summer assignments will be posted on the district website! Keep up those Math skills. Have a great summer!
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 45
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 46
Science 5- Galaxies There are billions of Galaxies in the Universe. Some are small while others can have as many as 400 billion stars. Students learned about the three main types of galaxies through internet explorations and a webquest. They identified and are able to describe the characteristics of Spiral, Elliptical and Irregular galaxies. As a culminating acitivy students created a Haiku about galaxies using Google Slides. They presented these orally to the class. We started learning about animal and plant cells and will Cell-e-brate the end of the year by creating models of each. Students have worked hard in Science this year and enjoyed being active participants during class labs and experiments.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 47
5th grade ELA (Mrs. Muscle, Mr. Belger ICS) May was a busy month, we continued working on our skills and strategies in comprehension and sentence structure. We have learned new vocabulary from our reading, “Maniac Magee” and worked on different comprehension activities to further analyze the text. We characterized and studied relationships of characters within the text. Students really enjoy diving deep into the conflicts within the text and are excited to compare and contrast the made of TV movie version to the text version. This will conclude our year in Language Arts.
5th grade Social Studies (Mrs. Muscle, Mr. Belger ICS) In Social Studies, students continue to study American colonization. Students have learned about the French and Indian War and how it lead to the American Revolutionary War. We are now enhancing knowledge 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/World Language – Hamerling
English Language Arts Students have continued reading a number of history texts and articles to practice a variety of comprehension skills. During this unit, Fifth Grade students have been reading articles revolving around the Boston Massacre. The articles read were titled “Boston in Turmoil”, “The Boston Massacre”, and “The Trials of the Boston Massacre”. While reading these articles, students were not only learning about an important time period, they were also using numerous comprehension skills while reading. Some skills that were discussed and practiced included main idea and key details, point of view, making inferences, and drawing conclusions. Students even discussed which side they agreed with after reading about the trial – the Loyalists or the Patriots. Sixth Grade students read articles set during historical periods and one article connected to what they are currently learning about in Social Studies. The articles students read were titled “The Silk Road”, “Cleopatra: The Last Egyptian Queen”, and “Returning History”. Students worked with a variety of comprehension skills including main idea and details, analysis, making inferences, and point of view. While reading “Returning History”, students had to decide which side of an argument they agreed with. The article discussed artifacts that are on display but not in the country they are from due to them being stolen during times of war. Students were able to choose a side and form their argument to explain their beliefs.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 48
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 finished units on area and perimeter. Some students were able to solve area and perimeter problems using whole numbers, while others also worked with fractions and decimals. Some groups created robots on graph paper based on the directions given, while others became architects to create their own dream houses. They also practiced comparing areas of more than one figure. • Fractions – After finishing a unit on adding and subtracting fractions, we continued by adding and subtracting mixed numbers. Students reviewed how to use regrouping when subtracting mixed numbers and converting improper fractions in their final answer to a mixed number and then adding it to the whole number. Students also worked with multiplying a fraction by a whole number, fraction by fraction, and multiplying mixed numbers. • Line Plots – Students have had the opportunity to create frequency tables in order to create line plots. They have also learned how to interpret line plots based on the data given to them. Some students worked with line plots that dealt with counting money, while others used fractions that needed to be converted so each fraction had the same denominator before creating a line plot.
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.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 49
Speech – Rustad
Therapy Session Activities All students continued to work hard in their small group/individual therapy sessions, throughout the month of May. This month, at WRIS and Doyle, students had fun playing board games and participating in spring themed games and activities. While participating, each student worked on their specific speech and language goals and then took their turn in the game or activity. 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 student continued to expand her vocabulary, using Google translate, with the help of the teacher. She usually answered questions during the mainstream classes in Spanish. These answers were translated into English in the ESL class. Rosetta Stone was also used to help add vocabulary words and correct grammar to the student’s skills. This fifth grader works very hard and is anxious to learn English. It is a pleasure to work with her and I hope she continues to use the language during the summer.
Jr/Sr High School
English Department
Mr. Forman
11th Grade Language Arts Junior English classes has just finished a unit detailing the poems of Robert Frost. The unit connected the unique historical connections between the poet and President John F. Kennedy. Student wrote essays elaborating on the connections between the varied poems that Frost wrote. The Juniors are currently reading the works of famed American writer Langston Hughes and working in groups to discuss the role of the Harlem Renaissance in the poems Hughes wrote. 11th Grade Language Arts Honors Honors American literature students are working on the year long essential question: How does American literature define the American dream? Students are gathering information for their summative oral presentations to be given during exam week. Honors students are also reading the works of famed American writer Langston Hughes and working in groups to discuss the role of the Harlem Renaissance in the poems Hughes wrote. As the year comes to a close, students will finish their group driven websites for final assessment.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 50
Christine Green
English 4 AP
Students are participating in discussions based on reading selections required this academic year. They have completed the AP testing....We wish them luck on their results!!!
English 4 College Prep...
Classes are researching modern British society and the progress made by the English people since the early Ango-Saxon period to today. They will present their findings in group RoundTable Discussions. Students refine their research skill level within this assignment in preparation for college and career.
English II Honors
Students are researching societal issues which affect their age group and will then present their opinion in group RoundTable Discussions. The discussion groups develop the students research, analysis and public speaking skill level.
Ms. Hunter English I
English I students completed their unit on poetry by creating anthologies featuring a variety of their own poems. Students also shared one of their poems with the class or through an online audiovisual like Voki or Animoto. Students are now reading Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, and discussing what it means to be a hero by comparing and contrasting heroic qualities in ancient Greece to what our society values in a hero today. Students also practiced punctuating titles correctly, and finished their Wordly Wise vocabulary books. English I Honors English I Honors students completed their unit on poetry by creating anthologies featuring a variety of their own poems. Students are now reading Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, which explores the life of a young German girl growing up during World War II. The book has a unique structure, and students spent time analyzing the hints that the book’s narrator, Death, gives throughout the early part of the novel to form predictions about the ending. Students also practiced punctuating titles correctly, and finished their Wordly Wise vocabulary books.
Robin Woods English
7th grade Resource Center: Students are experiencing what the future holds for Buck as they finish reading The Call of the Wild, by Jack London. Students have enjoyed this adventure and have learned about the life in the wild. We will begin to complete study guides for final exam.
8th grade Resource Center: Students are reliving Elie Wiesel’s experiences as they finish reading Night. Students now how a stronger understanding of the true meaning of survival. Students have also watched an interview with Elie Wiesel and Oprah Winfrey at Auschwitz.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 51
9th grade Resource Center: Students have just finished reading A Child Called it, by David Peltzer. David’s experienced one of the worst cases of child abuse, but he persevered and began an advocate for abused children. The students have also watched interviews with David, and written several essays relating to this subject
Colleen Kozibroda English
English II Resource Room In English II, students are completing an interdisciplinary unit on the Vietnam War. Students are almost finished with Tim O’Brien’s war story, The Things They Carried. Students are keeping reader response journals to write their reactions to the events in various chapters. They are also completing projects that depict common themes addressed in the novel and students’ perceptions of each character as revealed through the plot.
English III Resource Room Students are currently reading “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. We are currently reading Act III;at the completion of the play, students will write an essay in which they interpret the play’s primary themes and explain how they reflect both the historical context and universal human issues.
English IV Resource Room In English IV, we are currently almost finished reading Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein. Students will then host their own storytelling contest. They will choose a theme, such as the good and evil in all people, the limitations of human knowledge, or the fear of failure. Each student should try to come up with a story on this theme. Stories will be shared!
English Matt Bogert
Grade 7 Throughout the month of May the students have completed their third novel The Call of the Wild by Jack London. As we enter into the month of June students continue to develop their writing through the use of Zaner Bloser Strategies for Writers. Students have been reviewing and preparing for their final exams.
Grade 7 Honors Throughout the month of April the students have completed their third novel The Call of the Wild by Jack London, and their fourth novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. Students have continued to develop their writing through the use of Zaner Bloser Strategies for Writers. As we enter into June, student continue to review a prepare for their final exams.
ESL
Carol Gottlieb
The students continued to expand their vocabularies, using some of the words they had recently learned. These words were incorporated into explanations of characters’ motives and choices in decision making. The students will be brainstorming ideas for their final presentations in English.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 52
Many of the students spent numerous hours completing standardized tests. Some of these tests included PARCC, NJ ASK, WIDA, and ASK. The students were pleased to complete these using their knowledge of English.
Ms. Ihle Grade 8 English Language Arts In May, the eighth graders continued to work in their literature circles, following a meeting schedule and completing rotating roles to analyze the novels. At meetings, students continued to lead discussion, to create and to facilitate activities, to research and apply vocabulary, and to investigate and connect their reading selection to the world around them. Additionally, students have continued work with No Red Ink and Zaner Bloser’s Strategies for Writers. After completing their novels, students have begun crafting thematic, informative essays as well as creating student-choice performance based assessments for their novels.
Ms. Ihle Grade 8 English Language Arts Honors In May, the eighth graders finished student-choice novels in literature circles, following a meeting schedule and completing rotating roles to analyze the novels. At meetings, students continued to lead discussion, to create and to facilitate activities, to research and apply vocabulary, and to investigate and connect their reading selection to the world around them. Additionally, students have continued work with No Red Ink and Zaner Bloser’s Strategies for Writers, using those resources to create informative essays based on their novels’ themes. They are currently editing and revising these writing pieces in alignment with the Six Traits for Effective Writing.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 53
Ms. Ihle Grade 7 & 8 Creative Writing This month, the Creative Writing students presented their ‘lessons’ when they teach each form of poetry to one another. This includes writing about poetry descriptions, the history, analysis, and how to write one. They acted as teachers, and some even dressed up! They facilitated activities and helped each other to create one of each poem form. Then, we have shifted to “This I Believe” philosophy statement writing as well as writing letters to their 12th grade-selves, reflecting and looking toward the future.
Kimberly Millar English II
The English II classes have finished reading John Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men. Upon completion of the novel, students juxtaposed the relationship between two sets of characters, completed an essay option to assess understanding, and debated the decision of one of the main characters at the end of the novel. Students are currently working on their final exam presentations.
Ms. Millar English IV and English IV (H)
Students are about to finish 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 within the novel and will later assess and debate which character is the true “monster” in the novel.
Mathematics/Business Department
Debra Beck Entrepreneurship - The students investigated the laws and regulations apply to different types of businesses. They applied this knowledge to their individual business aspirations. The students determined the that factors that impact prices in order to make price strategy for their business aspirations. The students created promotional plans for their businesses.
Financial Literacy - The students learned about how credit score affects a person’s ability to take out loans. They researched different costs and features of credit cards. They learned about the costs and benefits or renting versus owning a home. They researched buying a home and taking out a mortgage. Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 54
Business Math - The students learned how to use different inventory methods to valuate inventory for profit reporting and tax purposes.
David Porfido TV Production: TV Production students finished the year by producing the most of any school year! The latest student- produced videos include the Senior Farewell Videos, Junior Reflection Video, Pro Sports News, Wood- Ridge News and Sporting Events. Students will also be producing the annual Spring Concert, 6 Flags Trips, a new TV P&C Commercial, and weekly news segments. Students will be finishing up the year by working on their final exam: a music video!
Web 2.0: In May, students learned all about RSS Feeds and how setting up and subscribing to feeds can reduce browsing time. Students added RSS Gadget to their blogs and created accounts on Digg Reader and added over 15 sites from various categories to their feed reader. Now students were taught to create web-based screen capturing tutorials. Students will create a full 5 minute training lesson for their final project.
Tech Literacy: These 7th/8th graders will be marketed their products through web-based flyers and embedded them on their blogs. Students have also learned all about Avatars and created a summary of a lesson in another core class. Students will now be working together on a website to define, describe, give examples, and demonstrate emerging technology terms.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 55
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 & style sheets. Students will finish the year be designing a 6 page site from scratch.
Stephen Olsen Algebra 2 Students participated in PARCC Algebra 2 testing during the 3rd week of May. Students completed a unit on Conic Sections where they identified, graphed and wrote equations for Parabola’s, Circles, Ellipses and Hyperbolas.
Algebra 2 Honors Students participated in PARCC Algebra 2 testing during the 3rd week of May. Students completed a unit on Conic Sections where they identified, graphed and wrote equations for Parabola’s, Circles, Ellipses and Hyperbolas. Students began a unit introducing content they will see in precalculus.
Pre-Calculus Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 56
Students Completed a unit introducing calculus topics including limits, the definition of the derivative, and the integral. Student will complete the year covering topics of discrete algebra including probability and counting principles.
Pre-Calculus Honors Students completed the unit covering conic sections. Students were able to recognize, graph and write equations for conics in vertical and horizontal orientations including parabola’s, circles, ellipses and hyperbolas. Students will complete the year with brief chapter covering Sequences and Series.
Robert Berger Resource Geometry We began the month with finishing chapter 6 with a test. We then worked through chapter 8, right triangles and trigonometry. We explored the topics of : Pythagorean theorem, special right triangles, trigonometric ratios, and angles of elevation and depression. We took a quiz on these topics. Following this we worked in chapter 10: Area. We have been working on lessons ranging from: area of parallelograms and triangles, area of rhombuses, kites, and trapezoids, and area of regular polygons. We will be finishing this up in the beginning of June, and then explore some surface area. Students continue to work on Khan Academy. Star testing was administered.
Resource Algebra We began the month with finishing chapter 7, exponents with a test. We then worked through the beginning part of chapter 8 polynomials and factoring. We were delayed by the administration of the Parcc assessment. We covered the topics of adding and subtracting polynomials, multiplying and factoring polynomials, multiplying binomials, multiplying special cases, and factoring trinomials in different forms. We have taken a quiz on the first half of chapter 8 and expect to finish with a test on content from chapter 9 quadratics and the end of chapter 8. Students have continued to work on Khan Academy. Star testing was administered.
Resource Algebra II We began the month with finishing chapter 6 radical functions and rational exponents with a test. We then worked through the beginning part of chapter 7 exponential and logarithmic functions. We were delayed by the administration of the PARCC assessment. We covered the topics of exploring exponential models, properties of exponential functions, logarithmic functions, and properties of logarithmic functions. We will finish the month with a quiz on chapter 7.1-7.3, and finish chapter 7 in the beginning of June. Students have continued to work on Khan Academy. Star testing was administered.
Lisa Ames Geometry To complete our area unit, students focused on circles and determining the circumference and area of them in addition to the area of sectors and segments. Then, we applied area to geometric probability to determine probabilities of real life games such as darts and various carnival games. Our last chapter is surface area and volume which we began by drawings nets of 3D solids and proving Euler’s formula by analyzing faces, edges, and vertices of different polyhedra. We began calculating surface area of various solids and will continue that and start volume as we head into June. The last STAR test for the year was also completed.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 57
Geometry Honors To complete our area unit, students focused on circles and determining the circumference and area of them in addition to the area of sectors and segments. We then incorporated probability into our study of area by looking at geometric probability and determining the chances of outcomes in various carnival games. Our last chapter is surface area and volume which we began by drawings nets of 3D solids and proving Euler’s formula by analyzing faces, edges, and vertices of different polyhedra. We learned how to determine the surface area and volume of composite solids and applied surface area to real life applications. We also used Khan Academy and Think Through Math and students needed to master three topics per week that was either review or based on concepts we are currently learning. We completed the last STAR test for this school year.
Statistics We are winding down the year in statistics by looking at correlation and regression. Students learned how to find a linear regression line and how to use it to predict values and find residuals. They also looked at multiple regression equations and used their graphing calculators to determine the coefficient of determination as well as standard error estimates. We are finishing up statistics with the Chi Square goodness of fit test as well as testing for independence. Students will review chapters 6-9 for the final exam.
Jim Santangelo AP Calculus AB The students took their AP Exam on May 5th. They have also reviewed, discussed, and solved again all of the Free Response questions from that exam, which the College Board releases a couple of days after the AP Exam. I commend all of the students for their hard work and dedication during the school year. Congratulations to all of you!
Geometry Students are rounding out the year by finding the area of two-dimensional figures and the volume of three-dimensional objects. Students will complete a short unit on circles before their final exam.
Algebra I Students completed a unit on exponents and exponential functions. They are now learning about polynomials, their properties, and how to perform operations on them. They will round out the year by completing a unit on quadratic functions.
Algebra I Honors Students just completed a very challenging unit on quadratics. They learned the many methods of solving quadratics, how to graph a quadratic and identify its properties, and how to determine which type of function is appropriate for modeling certain situations. We will round out the year by discussing Pythagorean Theorem and performing operations on radicals.
Kristine Racaniello Grade 8 Math/Pre-Algebra (7th Honors) In the month of May, we completed the pre-algebra curriculum with finding surface volume and area of various shapes. Students also took the math PARCC exam. After completing the curriculum, we focused on reviewing material that students struggle on in Algebra 1. We also worked on a Khan Academy project.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 58
Algebra 2 Algebra 2 students completed a chapter on Logarithms and exponential equations. We then turned our focus to Conic sections. We learned how to write the equations and graph parabolas, circles, ellipses, and hyperbolas. This chapter will help prepare students for Pre-calculus. This month, students also took the PARCC exam for Algebra 2. Additionally we worked on Khan Academy lessons to improve our basic skills.
Math Remediation This month we focused on helping students that are struggling in current classes. We reviewed Algebra 1 and Geometry material. Students used the period to ask for extra help on topics they were struggling on.
Gary Minervini Algebra XX During the month of May, students participated in PARCC testing. Upon completion of testing we focused on basic skills such as, calculations with fraction, word problems, calculations with negative numbers without the use of a calculator. We are currently wrapping up the year by revisiting all previous topics in order to prepare for the final exam.
Math 8 During the month of May, students participated in PARCC testing. Upon completion of testing we focused on a weak area for many students, calculations with fraction and mixed numbers without the use of a calculator. We are currently wrapping up the year by revisiting all previous topics in order to prepare for the final exam.
Marc Fazio & Kim Simpson (Special Education ICS) Grade 7: 7th grade is completing a lesson on Statistics, working on topics of Variability. Student completed their Think Through Math Project earlier in the month.
College Math Students began unit on Trigonometry Topics. Students used math programs Acellus and Khan Academy for review on this topic.
Alexis Sous Resource Grade 7- 7th grade math is working toward completing their textbook, we are currently working in Chapter 9 on Probabilities and the odds of an event happening. We will be using some class time to work on a probability project, where the students will construct an experiment and then test it on their fellow students.
Alexis Sous Resource Grade 8- The 8th grade has made it halfway through chapter 8, they have been working on rotations, translations, and reflections on a coordinate plane. The students have graphed each one of these separately and we are currently working on multistep transitions. We are working on these skills to prepare ourselves for Geometry.
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 59
Gabriel Ben-Nun
Algebra 1 We began the month by finishing chapter 7, exponents with a test. We then worked through the beginning part of chapter 8 polynomials and factoring. We were delayed by the administration of the PARCC assessment. We covered the topics of adding and subtracting polynomials, multiplying and factoring polynomials, multiplying binomials, multiplying special cases. We have taken a test on the first half of chapter 8 and moved to Chapter 9 quadratics. Students have continued to work on Khan Academy and Star testing was administered.
Algebra 1 Honors We began the month by finishing chapter 9 quadratic functions and moved to radical equations. The 8th graders went to DC and after their return we continued work on chapter 10. Star testing was administered during this month.
Calculus The seniors in this class are working on their final project presentation. They are researching different applications of math and will present or submit a project detailing how math can be used to solve a real world problem.
Science Department
Kristen Larson Forensics In May, students completed a final research project based on an analysis of serial killers and mass murderers. Students collaborated to compare the crimes of three famous criminals throughout history. Groups analyzed various aspects of the crimes including the modus operandi, signature behavior, and psychological profile of the killer. As the month came to an end, each group created a multimedia presentation showcasing the results of their findings. Students did an excellent job with the presentations and we are looking forward to furthering our examination of forensics in media in June.
Biology In May, students completed the genetics unit and began to tackle evolution. Students worked together to explore the differences between adaptation, assimilation, and evolution. We also looked at what causes evolution to occur. Students spent the last couple of days of May preparing for and taking the New Jersey Biology Competency Test (NJBCT). In June, we will complete evolution and take on populations and communities.
Science 7 In May, Science 7 took a look at all types of animals. From Echinoderms to Mammals, students explored a variety of organisms. Students compared animal characteristics and discussed the importance of each organism on the planet. We looked at conservation efforts and possible causes for extinction of animals in the past. Science 7 just analyzed animal behavior and is excited to begin population and community ecology in June!
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William G. Maniscalco, MS, DABR, DABMP Robotics
Students continue to gain a better understanding of robot design and programming. The focus this month was on “Robots in Our World”. Students have completed a five page research paper on a specific robot being used in the world today. Students talked about the development of robotics and its role in modern society. The topics included: the three rules of Robotics and the potential for robot humanity in the future. They are now reconstructing their robots for the “toughest robot competition”. Each group designs, builds and programs, what they believe will be, the strongest and best built robot. Each robot competes, in a sumo style circle, for the title of toughest robot.
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 continue to be important to the classwork. Students expand their knowledge of medical language by expanding into body organ systems. Students have just completed work on the “Cardiovascular System” and are presently working on terms and processes connected with the above. Students began work on final project: “The Human Body”. Students will draw and label the human body, all organ systems, major bone structure and blood vessels. Discussion is a major part of the course. Students continue using the terms in medical conversations as often as possible. Students continue experience surgical procedures, videos, which include language the physician would use in the given situations.
Biology
Students prepared for the New Jersey Biology Competency Exam which is given at the end of May. Students have been going over the major aspects of the Biology curriculum. Topics covered included: Heredity, Reproduction, Molecular and Mendelian Genetics, Evolution, Natural Selection, Ecology, Biomes, Cells, Transport in the Cell, Human Body Systems and the Impact of Humanity on the Biological World. After completing the review and the NJBCT test students will begin work on their final project: “The Human Body”. Students will draw and label the human body, all organ systems, major bone structure and blood vessels will be included.
Engineering the Future
Last month students designed and blueprinted a house consisting of a kitchen, dining room, family room, 3 bedrooms and at least 2 bathrooms. They drew the scale designs and included all electric connections. This month the young engineers learned to convert the 2-D blueprints into a 3-D computer generated virtual house. The students learned to make use of a 3-D CAD (computer assisted design) program called “Google SketchUp Pro”. SketchUp Pro lets the student add model views to pages, choose drawing scales, adjust line weights, and add dimensions, callouts, and graphics. Students can draw from a predesigned library of design concepts. Upon completion of the CAD design, students will construct a reduced scale architectural house model.
Wendy Sistarenik Chemistry: Students are currently reviewing the major concepts that were focused on during the course of this class in order to prepare for the project component of their final. Students are working together to brainstorm Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 61
key/main ideas that were focused on throughout the chemistry curriculum and then justify how the two terms are connected together and related to the atom.
AP Chemistry: The AP students have finished the AP Chemistry curriculum and completed the AP Chemistry test on May 2nd. In class, students are discussing current advancements in fields of chemistry and applying chemistry concepts to constructing high quality bubble solutions in contrast with commercial bubble solutions.
Honors Chemistry: Students are currently reviewing the major concepts that were focused on during the course of this class in order to prepare for the project component of their final. Students are working together to brainstorm key/main ideas that were focused on throughout the chemistry curriculum and then justify how the two terms are connected together and related to the atom.
Ted Colarusso Anatomy & Physiology Students are currently working on planning, designing and coordinating their final exam projects. Each group was given three options for the final exams. Each group chose to design an anatomy-related board game/game show. All games must incorporate at least six of the organ systems we covered this year, as well as physiological mechanisms and concepts. In addition, students completed a unit of dissection including the dissection of frogs and mammalian hearts
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AP Biology In order to help prepare for the upcoming May 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. Students are continuing their review for the AP Biology Exam by going through terminology utilized in each "Big Idea". Students will also review various scientific and mathematical concepts contained within each “Big Idea”. Finally, students will review all laboratory experiments and practice open-ended, as well as grid-in responses from practice exams. AP Biology students are in the process of completing their dissection unit, culminating in the dissection of a mammalian heart.
Biology The Biology class is currently in the process of dissection techniques and designing concepts maps to interrelate all of the concepts that have been discussed in Biology this year. Students were able to dissect pig hearts and frogs in class. In addition to their concept maps, students will be explaining how concepts are interconnected. Students will present their concept maps to their classmates during their scheduled final exam period and explain several connections. The biology students also completed their review for the upcoming NJBCT exam by utilizing practice set problems and open-ended questions that highlighted the concepts covered in class.
Honors Biology The Honors Biology classes are designing concepts maps to interrelate all of the concepts that have been discussed in Biology this year. In addition to their concept maps, students will be explaining how concepts are interconnected. Students will present their concept maps to their classmates during their scheduled final exam period and explain several connections. Students were able to dissect pig hearts and frogs in class as well. The biology students also completed their review for the upcoming NJBCT exam Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 63
by utilizing practice set problems and open-ended questions that highlighted the concepts covered in class.
Genetics The Genetics class is researching epigenetics - the study of heritable changes in gene activity that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence. Students are researching different methods in which their DNA can be altered by their environment. In addition, their research will include legislative and business models toward applying new technologies and research methods. Students will present their findings to their classmates. Jonathan Hassinger AP Physics Students have completed the AP Physics Test and are working on engineering projects designed to solve real world problems.
Science 8 Honors: Students are preparing for the NJASK Science 8 Test and also completing their study on Earth Science and Plate Tectonics.
Physics and Physics Honors: We concluded our study of Simple Harmonic Motion, Waves, and Sound. Students are now constructing projects relating the concepts we have learned this year to their everyday lives in a demonstration of how Physics has an impact on everything they do.
Chemistry Students are currently reviewing the major concepts that were focused on during the course of this class in order to prepare for the project component of their final. Students are working together to brainstorm key/main ideas that were focused on throughout the chemistry curriculum and then justify how the two terms are connected together and related to the atom.
Christina Cigolini 8th Grade Science Students in 8th grade are continuing the Earth Science portion of the curriculum. Students have completed a variety of hands-on labs studying earthquakes, volcanoes and plate tectonics. In our most recent activity students used the engineering design process to create earthquake proof spaghetti towers. During this activity students had to budget for supplies and materials, create blueprints, fill out purchase
Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 64 orders and construct and test their designs. Students also researched specific volcanoes in this unit and created travel brochures to volcanoes. In the final chapters students will study Space Science.
7th Grade Honors Life Science Students in 7th grade Honors Life Science recently completed a unit focusing on mammals and animal behaviors. During skills labs from this chapter students explored food webs and the skeletal system through the dissection of owl pellets. Students currently are researching specific animal behavior patterns and creating interactive slideshows. In our final chapters students will study biodiversity and environmental issues.
7th Grade Life Science Students in 7th grade Life Science recently completed a unit focusing on mammals and animal behaviors. During skills labs from this chapter, students explored the physics of flight, simulating birds using paper airplanes and answer critical thinking questions. Students also have been researching animal migration patterns and creating maps, posters and slideshows about a specific migrating animal. In our final chapters students will study biodiversity and environmental issues.
Social Studies Department
Victor Minnocci AP US History The class completed the AP exam on May 6th. Thereafter the class investigated various historical periods such as 1968, the space race, the presidential primaries and current events.
Victor Minnocci US History II Honors The class analyzed the Nixon Era. Focusing on Nixon's New Federalism, and id foreign policy successes. The Watergate Scandal was evaluated and the causes and effects of the Nixon resignation, The Ford and Carter years came next focusing on the domestic problems facing the nation, such as inflation and unemployment, the OPEC oil embargo and the Iranian Hostage Crisis. The classes have begun analyzing the Conservative Era.
Victor Minnocci, Kimberly Forsyth and Christina Scardino US History II
This month students explored the presidencies of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. We spent a significant amount of time analyzing the concepts surrounding Reaganomics to determine whether or not it was a plausible option to improve the economy. Students also learned about the social issues that faced the nation including the call for stricter education standards and the lengthening of the school day. We analyzed the various aspects of the conservative agenda and built a profile of what grassroots organizations were fighting for during that time period. Students researched organizations, initiatives, and individuals that were a part of the conservative movement to determine what impact they had on the shaping of average American viewpoints.
Stephanie Gaven US History I Honors In May, USI Honors students learned how American life underwent rapid and radical change in the 1920s. African-American ideas, politics, art, literature, and music flourished in Harlem and elsewhere in Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 65
the United States. In their “Time” Magazines they illustrated how American women pursued new lifestyles and assumed new jobs and different roles in society during the 1920s. The mass media, movies, and spectator sports played important roles in creating the popular culture of the 1920s—a culture that many artists and writers criticized. Americans experienced cultural conflicts as customs and values changed in the 1920s. We ended the month by completing our semester research paper.
Stephanie Gaven, Mallory Garvin and Christina Scardino US I History In May, USI students also learned how American life underwent rapid and radical change in the 1920s. As we analyzed African-American ideas, politics, art, literature, and music. We got to see how mass media, movies, and spectator sports played important roles in creating the popular culture of the 1920’s. We ended the month by completing our unit test and semester-long research paper.
Mallory Garvin and Evan Dolan World History Honors and World History World History is wrapping up the year with World War II. From the Holocaust, to the dropping of the Atomic Bomb, D-Day to Iwo Jima, this war defined the 20th Century. This is a unit that the students are always excited about, knowing that great impact World War II had on our world today.
Students will be making Stupeflix videos on various World War II battles and complete a DBQ on the dropping of the atomic bomb. We are certainly ending the year with a bang as we conclude World War II.
Steve Schneidman and Christina Scardino 8th Grade Social Studies Mr. Schneidman’s 8th grade finished the chapter leading up to the Civil War covering the topics, the Dred Scott Case, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Compromise of 1850, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown. We are about to complete the chapter on the Civil War, where we have covered most of the major battles, we have learned about many of the prominent generals and the trials and tribulations of Abraham Lincoln.
Steve Schneidman, Kimberly Forsyth and Christina Scardino 7th Grade Social Studies The 7th grade finished the chapter of Thomas Jefferson's presidency, we learned about his polices and his philosophy regarding the Constitution. We covered the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark, the troubles with the Native Americans in the Ohio River Valley, and the War of 1812.
Stephanie Gaven Sociology In May we finished our study of crime, deviance and prejudice and then moved on to our unit on gender, family and marriage. We analyzed advertisements that “objectify” a man or a woman. Students are finishing up the course by completing their Changes in Societal Viewpoints portfolio. Throughout the semester the interviewed three different people from different generations about three “Central Questions” or “Central Issues” based on topics covered throughout the semester.
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Victor Minnocci Law The class continued to analyze the different legal defenses. When was a crime committed, or not committed. When is a criminal act excusable or justified. Defendants commit a criminal act, but are not criminally responsible. The different types of insanity defenses were analyzed.
Economics The class began the month analyzing market structures. Evaluating how competition affects the choices they made. Describing the characteristics of perfect competition, this led to describing how monopolies, including government monopolies are formed.
Melissa Manolakaksi Choir
Sight- Singing – Choir - Full year course - Periods 3, 4, 5, 6 & 8 -What a fun filled month. Students performed, competed and enjoyed wonderful trips. We had our Spring Concert June 2nd, June 3rd we participated in the Music in the Parks Competition at Six Flags We had 100 students perform at the competition and around 150 students in the concerts! Period 4 gym and choir students performed their Hip-Hop Dance during the concert and debuted with our annual Spring Concert. It was a wonderful fun to showcase everyone’s talents!
Teen Institute - We are able to bring 12 students to camp this year via scholarship for the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute Summer Leadership Conference. Students are a combination of both WR Teen Institute and Neutral Zone to participate to help plan for a peer-mentoring group for the 2016-2017 school year. Since our groups are both growing we are very excited and want to work as a team in the future. Camp is a way to unite the groups. Camp is August 24th – 28th 2015. Ms. Scardino is going to take over for next year as an advisor.
I would also like to invite you to attend the Friends and Family Day at 2pm - 3pm Friday, August 26, 2016 at the 2014 LMTI Summer Leadership Conference to visit and see what Wood-Ridge has been a part of for 20 years (since 1994). LMTI is an innovated alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention and leadership trainging program for high school students in NJ. We extend this opportunity so that you can observe some of the fantastic programming that our students are involved with! For more info, please call (201) 696-0368 or myself. Hope to see you there!
Here is the site of The Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute http://lmteeninstitute.org/ where all the information can be found. Please see Mrs. Mano for an application/registration/permission slip.
Toni Baumgartner
Periods 8: History of Rock and Roll (Semester Class) Listening, comparing, analyzing, melody, instruments, harmony, song form, etc • The Beatles • Surf music • Soul music
Period 3: Study Skills • Maximizing textbook reading
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• Graphic organizers • Communication • Taking tests
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 o Patriotic Spectacular o Yankee Doodle/ Chester Medley
Period 7: Band (Full Period) • 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 o Happy o Star Wars o I’ll Be There o Patriotic Spectacular o Yankee Doodle/ Chester Medley
• Wood-Ridge Jr/Sr HS Jazz Ensemble o 11 Students o Rehearse weekly after Concert Band rehearsals on Wednesdays o Take the A Train o I’m A Believe • • EXTRA Activities o Teen Arts Festival at Bergen Community College 5/20/16 o Memorial Day Parade 5/30/16 Please click on link below to see pictures from Teen Arts
https://goo.gl/photos/u4ZnsiV6XDs7UiJW8 Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 68
Taylor Condal
Physical Education 9&12
Students are participating in Speedball for the second half of the marking period. The students began by learning the rules of the game. After each student understood the rules, they started working on their skills such as: spatial awareness, passing, kicking, and shooting. 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 Speedball. 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 Speedball Tournament. The team that wins the most games during that week wins the Speedball Championship.
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 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 Physical Education 7th Grade PE
These students finished the unit on Fitness and turned in the workout logs, which were used daily for the fitness class. Students utilized the fitness center and demonstrated the understanding on the equipment use daily, and applied all that was learned. Further students were partnered up in order use peer assessments as a way to correct each other's form, and strengthen the learning process. There final assignment was to create an exercise/fitness game.
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10th Grade PE (Period 4) During physical education class, students are continuing playing hockey in a week to week playoff format. Students have been broken up into exactly 2 teams, and are allowed to make substitutions, plan accordingly and really assign leadership roles to their classmates/teammates. During class, the activity is stopped in order to practice skills, remind the students about safety, and modify the game when and where necessary. Students also completed the MUSCULAR STRENGTH portion of the Fitness component testing.
10th Grade PE (Period 6) Students continued with 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 skills, safety concerns, rules and regulations of the game, teamwork, sportsmanship, how to strategize (offensive & defensive), and even how to officiate. 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 • Students attended the Washington D.C. trip for 3 days this month. • Students complete 1 current event assignment • Students had 2 Chapter tests, and 2 Quizzes. • Students also complete 1 poster assignment.
Chapter 13 - Fitness Students learned how to identify what the components of fitness, the benefits of exercise/activity (long and short-term), and how to apply this information for now and in their future. In addition the students will complete a chapter test when they come back from memorial day break.
11th Grade PE Students continued with 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. In addition, may was a very busy month for the 11th grade students, many of my students were out for AP testing, Athletic events (Track, Baseball), and for the prom. Therefore, some days classes were modified based on the number of students that were present for class.
Andrea Marino Physical Education
Students in grades 8 and 9 have been participating in archery. They are learning how to hold a bow correctly and how to adjust themselves to properly get ready to aim at the target. The students have been taught how to properly load the arrows into the bows. They have been taught the “command” words for safety purposes. Each student gets 4 arrows to shoot and they try to hit the bullseye which sometimes has a balloon on it for them to pop for extra points.
Students in grades 10 and 12 are continuing to play volleyball. They continue to play competitive games in class. Each class period allows them to play 2 out of 3 games to 25 just like a regular volleyball match. Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 70
The students continue to work on their serve, and game play situations and they are working together very nicely to play the correct volleyball way.
Erika Blumenfeld 12 Grade PE (Period 1)
Students were introduced to the game of basketball and volleyball. Students received a full review of all the rules that are in place when participating in the game. Students were reminded (when needed) to implement all the rules during gameplay. Students were willing to apply the skills needed to create a successful and cooperative learning environment.
9th Grade Health
Chapter 5: Mental and Emotional Problems
Students learned how to cope with different mental and emotional situations. The chapter also identifies risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems and describes how the problems can be treated. Students learned by working with peers, looking at Powerpoint instructions as well as answering questions from the text book. Students completed a quiz and a test.
Chapter 22: Illegal Drugs
Students were introduced to different types of Illegal drugs. We are currently discussing how the drugs affect the body, and providing strategies for avoiding the use of illegal drugs. Students are reading the sections, while also being instructed through power points. Students are also answering questions from the textbook while applying real life scenarios to avoid drug use in class discussions.
9th Grade PE (Period 3)
Students were introduced to the game of Handball. Some students learned and some reviewed how to properly pass the ball in the game of Handball. Some of the other skills that were reviewed were defense skills, offensive skills, safety concerns, rules and regulations of the game, teamwork, sportsmanship, and how to strategize (offensive and defensive). Finally students also play team v.s team to implement the skills that they learned in the class.
8th Grade PE (Period 5)
Students were introduced to the game of Handball. Some students learned and some reviewed how to properly pass the ball in the game of Handball. Some of the other skills that were reviewed were defense skills, offensive skills, safety concerns, rules and regulations of the game, teamwork, sportsmanship, and how to strategize (offensive and defensive). Finally students also play team v.s team to implement the skills that they learned in the class. Students also missed some classes and some classes were modified due to testing and the trip to Washington D.C.
8th Grade PE (Period 7) 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 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 May 2016 71 skills, safety concerns, rules and regulations of the game, teamwork, sportsmanship, and how to strategize (offensive & defensive). Students were able and willing to apply all the skills learned throughout the unit by participating in a team vs. team format. Students also missed some classes and some classes were modified due to testing and the trip to Washington D.C.
9th Grade PE
Students played Basketball & Volleyball. Students were regularly reminded (when needed) to implement all the rules during game play. Students were able and willing to apply all skills learned thorughout the unit by participating in the team vs team format. Some of my students were out due to AP testing, and Athletic events. Some classes were modified based on the number of students present for that specific day.
Macrina Olweck Family and Consumer Science
Culinary Arts 2 Class
Has been planning for their final meal which will also be their final grade for the marking period, Top Chef. They watch the TV reality show, Top Chef and then plan and present their version of the program. The students spend several days researching their recipes( an entree and a dessert), they write up a market order for their ingredients, they spend a day preparing their ingredients and finally the prepare, plate and serve their recipe to 3 judges who grade their food for its’ presentation, difficulty of preparation, flavors, and taste.
7th and 8th graders have been learning about hand sewing and have completed a book of stitches which include the running stitch, back stitch, overcast stitch, buttons and finally the hem stitch. They are still working on their final project, A Pillow. They are learning how to measure ½ inch seam allowances as a sewing guide, how to cut out a pattern, how to use their hand sewing skills to sew the pillow and how to use their class time effectively in order to have good time management.
21st Century Life Skills has been working on managing their money and planning a food budget.They have been working on a project where they learned how to read and use the Sunday Food Flyer. They must plan a 3 day menu for 1 person - breakfast, lunch and dinner. They must include 2 fruits, 2 vegetables and 2 proteins per day and only spend $15.00. They are now starting to research their possible future careers, colleges they may wish to attend, the cost, and possible scholarships. They will research and hand in a project with all the important information.
Jennifer Hemmel Art
Graphic Design Students are working on digital portraits using Illustrator and the layers palette. Students are creating vector shapes based on a digital image using both Illustrator and Photoshop.
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Art and Design Students are completing their Surrealist designs using either colored pencil or paint. They had their choice of materials and size in order to create their designs. We are also working on the figure drawing unit in which they will be creating gesture drawings of fellow classmates.
Foundations of Art Students are working on their Egyptian inspired playing cards using a mixed media approach… colored pencils, markers, and paint. Those that are finished will work on a basic printmaking exercise to create a motif using relief printing.
• The Art Club is hosting a fundraiser called, Empty Bowls, in which members designed 81 ceramic bowls in which we will serve ice cream sundaes on 6/10 at the art show. Students, families, administrators, faculty and community members are all invited to partake in the event from 6-7:30, enjoy some ice cream and admire the creativity and craftsmanship of the Wood- Ridge art students. All proceeds from the sale of the bowls will go to support Eva’s Village. Bowls will be sold for $10, admission to the event is free.
World Language
Tess Iannacco Italian
The Italian I classes continued to learn about family members and friends. Students applied the concept the different relations one has within the nucleus of a family. They watched an authentic video regarding the family. For the grammatical structure, they learned possessive adjectives and simple and articulated prepositions. Lastly, they learned the conjugation of -ire verbs. They watched an authentic advertising ad and learned the preference of food of the Italian people.
Italian II This class continued to explore the thematic unit “La routine del mattino”. Students watched an advertisement about a TV channel in Italy. The grammatical structure reflexive verbs, the reciprocal construction of reflexive verbs in the passato prossimo, and the words “ci” and “ne”.
Italian III and IV These classes continued to learn about Italian cities; they learned the concept of the “piazza” and the role it has had in Italian society. For the structure of the language they learned il “il si impersonale e passivante” and relative pronouns. They watched an advertisement “La citta’ e i mercati” to further expand this concept of city living.
AP Italian This class learned about leasure activities and past times. Additional vocabulary were learned. Students discussed their preference and time to do certain activities and associate it with the weather. They watched a short documentary “Bulli si nasce” to further explore the argument of bullying. The class discussed the thesis presented in the documentary. They also learned about Tuscany and Florence. Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 73
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 • Created “Mi Orario Escolar” about school and school schedule • Learned how to conjugate and use verbs correctly in the present tense in daily conversation • Learned how to form plurals of Spanish nouns • Gained cultural appreciation with Cinco De Mayo class activity and “Fiesta”
Spanish II
• Weekly Biographies on famous Hispanics • Daily vocabulary word drills • Created “Un Cuento” storybook using daily vocabulary words • Paragraphs on themed vocabulary • Wrote and presented dialogs on current theme vocabulary • Continued working with Preterite (Past) tense conjugation of verbs • Wrote paragraphs using verbs in the Preterite about past events and presented orally • Learned Demonstrative Adjectives • Learned Preterite Form of some irregular verbs • Gained cultural appreciation with Cinco De Mayo class activity and “Fiesta”
Joseph Mojkowski Spanish
Spanish II • Exercises, short essays, and formal assessments related to using the past preterite • Formal essay relating a shopping trip utilizing the past tense, related shopping and clothing vocabulary, and incorporating the use of adjectives as nouns when describing and expressing preferences • Introductions of irregular past tense verbs IR and SER
Spanish III • Exercises related to using the helper verb HABER in situations where a subjunctive tense is needed • Use of vocabulary related to jobs and applying for volunteer opportunities in formal assessments • Introduction of the future tense and more vocabulary related to jobs and professions
Spanish IV • vocabulary and study related to environmental issues
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• 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 • Incorporation of more conjunctions that necessitate the use of subjunctive tenses
Spanish AP • Spanish AP test first week of May
Media Center Report May 2016 Eileen Layman Wood-Ridge Jr/Sr High School Circulation of books: 66 In house circulation: 24 (Reference books used only in Media Center) BCCLS: 1 book borrowed BELS: - 2 books lent
Media Skill Class – Seventh Grade Semester Class The seventh grade Media Skills class is researching factual information versus opinion. POINTS OF VIEW, a subscription database introduces the students to primary and secondary points information on hot
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button topics. Students will be working on animal experimentation and treatment of autism among other topics.
Students have concluded the coming of age novel, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. They read and listened to a full cast production of the novel. Professional Development – Mrs. Layman attended the final school year meeting of the BELS Consortium. Technical presentations along with the Gale/Cengage database announcement of their coupling with Google Schools. Research with any of the Gale/Cengage databases is automatically saved to the student’s Google docs, with all the benefits of remote access.
Teen Arts
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Freeholder Dinner for Teacher of the Year Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 77