Newton Public Schools 57 Trinity Street ♦ Newton, NJ 07860-1831 ​ ​ 973-383-7392 phone ♦ 973-383-5378 fax ​ ​ www.newtonnj.org

Dr. G. Kennedy Greene Donna C. Snyder Superintendent Business Administrator

Principals’ Reports Halsted Middle School - Kristi Greene Increase student achievement in 5th - 8th grade Math & English Language Arts classes. ● English Language Arts & Math Support ○ Met to discuss standards based grading ● Math Fluency Initiative ○ 2nd Marking Period - Subtraction Fluency ■ Math minutes taking daily - rotated through each content area ■ Subtraction Hall of Fame - posted outside the library and announced during morning announcements ● Math Consultant: Terri Germain-Williams hired ○ 11/27 - Worked one on one with four math teachers after observing Math and Math Support classes ○ 11/30 - PLC meeting focused on past learning. Worked individually with four math teachers after observing their classes Im​ plement research based behavioral and social emotional multi-tiered interventions to improve climate and culture and increase academic achievement. ● PBSIS 2017 Cohort ○ 11/14 & 12/8 - Universal Team meeting with Sharon Lorhmann, PBSIS - Rutgers consultant, BCs and Administration - ■ Incentive Day Planning ● Students will participate using Halsted 5 tickets to purchase two periods of activities on December 22nd. ■ Halsted 5 Focus of the Week ● Hallway Behavior ● Listening ● Comprehensive Adolescent Program (CAP) ○ Small group Tier II Counseling continues twice a week Other School News: ● November 17th was Bring Your Parents/Guardians to School Day - 68 people attended, ate breakfast with their student, followed them to two classes and ending with a question and discussion session with Ms. Greene (P​ icture)​ ● Sunday, November 19: Twelve 6th grade students and their running buddies participated in Girls on the Run at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. (​picture​1, ​Picture 2​ )

Newton High School - Jeff Waldron Support the use of technology in the educational process ● Our leap into social media is off to a great beginning. We have started our three accounts (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook). Our primary focus at this time is on our Twitter account. In the short time we have been live, we have 108 followers. Our content has been live tweeting the state football games, weekly club schedules, as well as club and class activities. You can follow us @nhsbraves. ● ELA teachers report the Turnitin software has been useful in helping to detect student plagiarism which is in-line with our expectations. However, we have been pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of the program as an editing tool. Students submit papers via Turnitin and the software provides timely

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feedback at the sentence structure level. Students can make the suggested corrections and resubmit as many times as they like before the final draft is submitted to the teacher. ​Maximize teacher effectiveness by supporting professional growth through reflection ● Our Math teachers completed the first two sessions with Generation Ready facilitator Carrie Kizuka. They have unpacked all standards and converted them to skills and knowledge identifiers. They have also grouped the standards into units of study for each math course. At our next session, teachers will begin creating/ revising common unit assessments. Assessments will be designed with strict standard alignment and appropriate rigor in mind. Other School News ● Please refer to the T​ apinto article ​ to read ​about our guests from Germany. ● NHS Library Monthly Report ​ The deleted books section indicates the number of books weeded from our collection. ● Mr. Bennington has been researching course options that will help expand our technology offerings to include classes with a computer science focus. He has been speaking with local high school program coordinators as well as SCCC for ideas. We plan to present the board with a course proposal shortly after the new year. ● In an ongoing effort to increase the number of students taking challenging coursework, we have been adding AP courses that are accessible to more than the top 10% of our student body. Recent additions include AP US Government and Politics as well as AP Environmental Science (Be on the lookout for a course proposal for AP Macroeconomics). The graph below shows the number of exams taken in each course since 2013.

Merriam Avenue School - Kevin Stanton Foster social and emotional well-being and an academically engaged classroom environment through integration of research based character education and social / emotional interventions. ● Kevin Stanton and Deirdre Iuliani were trained as School of Character evaluators. ● Kevin Stanton, Kristi Greene and Deirdre Iuliani met with representatives from Character.org and visited a school in West Milford, NJ in its third year as a National School of Character. Close achievement gaps through research based, student centered assessment and instructional practices for all students school-wide. ● We are starting to implement the Scholastic Independent Reading Assessment to test it as a possible way of screening and monitoring student achievement in reading comprehension in the upper elementary grade levels.

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● Teachers who are currently using ​The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers w​ ill be discussing the book and strategies with other teaching staff who have ordered the book to use in their classes. ● A school-wide meeting will be held later in the month to identify interventions which will address two key areas: Tier 1 Math instruction & Access to interventions, specifically academic Tier 2 interventions in Language Arts and Math. ● School based professional development during the January In-Service will focus on small group instruction and differentiation in Math. Integrate digital learning and literacy into classroom instruction in order to enhance and individualize student learning. ● Health, literacy, and technology are integrated into interdisciplinary lessons at grades Kindergarten -- 4. ● Symbaloo - a web page to organize bookmarks - is being promoted as an instructional tool for classroom teachers. Increase family and community involvement in school programs. ● Kevin Stanton and Linda Salerno attended the Sussex County Human Services Advisory Council Meeting at the end of November. Jennifer Pasquali will be joining Kevin Stanton and Linda Salerno at the December meeting. ● On December 11, the Chorus will be singing at the Tree Lighting at 6:00pm at Town Hall. On December 13, the Band and Chorus will present their Holiday Concert at 7:00pm. On December 14, the Chorus will be singing at Bristol Glen at 10:00am and then at Newton Medical Center at 12:30pm.

Directors’ Reports Information Services - Mary Decker ● Data Collections: o ASSA – submitted o State assessment registration o New data collection - GPDC (G​ raduation by Pathway Data Collection) ● Picatinny Arsenal came to Merriam to demonstrate technology used there. ● Google Expeditions came to Halsted to show their new augmented reality program. ● Linda Carmona Bell from the State Technology Department came to Halsted to interview Megan O’Mara and Joe Bolen. They taped them teaching with technology in a blended learning environment. This is for a new PD technology project being compiled by the state. ● Megan O’Mara has been selected to present at the Techspo and NJECC conferences. ● Project Launch has partnered with Dream Girls to offer monthly Skype and STEAM related activities. ● Pepperidge Farm participated and spoke about packaging as well as food development research. The participants from Pepperidge Farm discussed how their education and career path led them to what they currently do. ● Halsted’s second Maker Day is scheduled for March 29. ● Follow each school on social media now. It’s a great way to keep up to date with the many happenings in our district.

Athletics - Ryan Hashway ● Football won the North I Group II sectional title for the first time in program history. ● Matt Parzero was named the High School Coach of the Year by the New York Giants public relations department. This field included coaches from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. ● The football team will or has been honored by the town of Newton, the Sussex County Freeholder Board, Green Township, and Andover Township at each of their respective meetings. ● Kayleigh Furth earned NJAC Girls Soccer Player of the Year. ● Twelve NHS student-athletes attended the NJAC Sportsmanship Summit on December 8 at Randolph HS. ● Winter sport scrimmages have begun for most sports, while bowling, swimming, and ice hockey have just begun regular season competition. ● Winter sports:

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o Swimming – Girls 1-2; Boys 3-0 o Ice Hockey – 4-1 o Bowling – 0-4

Curriculum - Elysia Ochs During the December 12th In-Service: I. CLT Member Goals were to ensure that the following items were met: A. Complete 21st Century Themes and Skills B. Ensure Unit Calendars were updated C. Run Standards Alignment Report for content area and share with Director D. Due December 19th: Use the Google Doc for content area to mark which courses need Board Approval - this includes any course that made changes to the following after September 1st: 1. Essential Questions 2. Enduring Understandings 3. Knowledge and Skills 4. 21st Century Themes and Skills II. Met with the all CLT members to complete Phase II Training A. Shared this C​ LT Phase II Information Folder​ with all members B. Explained Phase II Expectations to CLT Members: 1. Supporting Staff while they are: a) Uploading Materials - Google Docs, Word Docs, Websites b) Instructional Strategies c) Modifications: Special Ed, Gifted, ELL, students at risk d) Uploading Assessments -standards alignment 2. Communicating any needs to building principal and Director of Curriculum 3. Running Standards Analysis Report for Targeted Not Assessed C. Went over January 15th In-Service Tentative Agenda with CLT members to train their content areas: 1. Meet with Content Area 2. Demonstrate/Share Instructions on how to Upload Materials 3. Go over Instructional Strategies 4. Demonstrate/Share Instructions on how to Upload Assessments 5. Complete Assessment Methods Activity - share with Director of Curriculum any missing assessment methods.

Character Education - Samantha Castro ● Newton Public Schools music programs are bringing cheer and joy to the community. ○ NHS choir not only put on their annual show at the high school on December 7th, but has been heard on the local radio, community centers, and retailers. ○ On the evening of December 19th the Halsted Band and Chorus will bring holiday cheer to all of the Newton community during the annual Holiday Concert which is held in the high school auditorium. ○ The HMS Choir has entertained senior citizens with the sounds of Christmas at a holiday banquet, and helped holiday shoppers get into the spirit by caroling at Shop-Rite. ○ December 13th, the Merriam’s 4th grade band/chorus performed a holiday concert. ● The ABS team is currently attending trainings on HIB update laws, which will go into effect July 1, 2018, as well as cyber bullying awareness seminars. The team will turn-key at a later date. ● On December 5th, Ms. Greene, Mrs. Iuliani, and Mr. Stanton visited Macopin School in West Milford, a National School of Character, to build collaboration between MAS and HMS. NHS will join the process and aid with a district of character application within the next two years. ● Halsted and Merriam communities reached out to those in need during this holiday season by participating in the annual “Mitten Tree Program.”

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NHS ● Bristol Glen, Merriam Home and Barn Hill are full of life and holiday joy. The FFA, Robotics team, Peer Leaders, #TAGS, Spanish Club, Interact Club, and other NHS organizations have been in to deliver holiday cards, food, and cheer. ● The Strong and Smart Students (SASS) will hold their holiday dinner with their representative families on December 14th. ● Peer Leaders are organizing our annual 8th grade tours, which are planned to occur throughout the month of January. HMS ● On December 15th the 8th Grade Mentoring Group from Halsted will visit the High School to participate in their annual Gingerbread House Making Contest. This event will focus on relationship building and facilitate a smoother transition to the high school. ● The 8th grade Strong and Smart Students (SASS) as well as the 5th-8th grade CAP programs will be wrapping up their first half of the year initiatives with the end of December and will be looking forward to implementing new initiatives with the coming new year. SASS will have their annual End of Program/Holiday dinner on December 14th. HMS staff as well as participants families are invited. MAS ● On November 29th, Mr. Lasso hosted a STEM Family Learning Academy. Families were presented with a set of materials and challenges to complete and had fun tackling problem-solving activities and developing critical thinking skills. ● During the month of December, 4th graders are receiving instruction in cyberbullying and internet safety during combined guidance/health lessons. ● G&T students are beginning a service learning project on the global need for clean water. Students are researching the issue and brainstorming ways they can help be part of the solution. A fundraising event will be planned in the spring.

Special Services - Jennifer Pasquali ● Total CST students ○ PSD: 29 ○ MAS: 75 ○ HMS: 71 ○ NHS: 105 ● Students currently being evaluated ○ PSD: 2 ○ MAS: 4 ○ HMS: 1 ○ NHS: 0 Special education students moved into or out of the district: ○ MAS: 0 In, 1 Out ○ HMS: 1 In, 1 Out ○ NHS: 3 In, 1 Out ● Homeless: There are a total of 32 homeless students; 12 of the homeless students are Newton residents. 27 are attending school in Newton, 3 are attending Sussex County Technical School , 1 is attending Willowglen Academy, 1 is attending Sussex County Charter School. ● Preschool: Parent Teacher conferences were well attended. Of note, Mrs Bastek reported that “O​ ne thing that I'm really pleased about concerning November is that I had 100% conference participation for morning and afternoon preschool - either face to face conference, phone conference, or written report conference. That's a great start for parent participation and student success!” Preschool classes are hosting a holiday craft, story and snack hour with parents on December 21st. In addition the preschool classes are learning simple winter songs to help learn about all the different celebrations that are in December.

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● MAS BD Program: In Science, during the Supermoon week students read and researched phases of the moon and used Oreo cookies to create the phases of the moon. (​ Moon Activity) ​ Last month students planted beans and they have been growing well ​(Beans)T​ heir beans are growing and with the help of Mr. Schmedeike, students made a trellis to support their growing plants. ● NHS Best Buds Club: On December 10th students, friends, and families enjoyed a private showing of the movie W​ onder ​at the Sparta Theatre. ● MAS MD: Students participate in Integrated Occupational Therapy once a week which has been a successful delivery model. Student goals include: following directions, social interaction with peers, processing sensory input, completing fine motor/sensory projects, use functional communication skills, and improve self-help skills. Last week’s activity involved using marshmallows to paint a snowman. The students needed to request the items needed, pass out those items, and be tolerant of the texture of the marshmallows. ● MAS LLD: Students have been focusing on writing skills and learning how to write a letter. Students wrote letters to pen pals at the high school and are mailing out letters to Santa this week. Students have been engaged in recent STEM projects such as building bridges and discussing gravity and air resistance, which lead to a fun activity of making parachutes ● Halsted Best Buds Club: Best Buds ran a Christmas ornament sale. Students made paper ornaments with decorative paper and reindeer ornaments ​(Paper and Reindeer Ornaments)​ ● High School MD: December 8th was the annual Holiday SWAP Luncheon/Dance. NHS students participated along with several other Sussex County High Schools. The Holiday Tea is December 14th. This is a wonderful event for alumni, parents, and staff to enjoy some holiday cheer and delicious cookies. ● DLM: Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA) ELA, Math, and Science. Eleven students will be participating in DLM this year. Training modules are available online and teachers will schedule time to complete the required trainings. Spring test window is 4-417 through 6-1-17. ● PARCC: 504 coordinators, CST members, and ESL teachers will complete their review of all PARCC accommodations by December 22nd. Special Education teachers will have an opportunity to review all their students current accommodations between January 2nd and the 22nd prior to the initial upload.

Assessment & Professional Development - Kenney Lutz Professional Development ● A plan for professional development on the district’s next in service day on January 15th is currently being constructed. Staff members will be notified of the plan as soon as it is finalized by building administrators. ● Our Safe Schools Training component is now 95% complete. All staff members have completed their assigned training components. The only outstanding individuals are new substitute teachers who are looking to work in the district. This percentage of completion will slowly increase as the year moves on. Assessment ● The district’s PARCC Testing Committee met on December 8th for the third time this year to continue conversations regarding the implementation of the state assessments. Details will follow and be represented in upcoming reports. To date we are on target and ready for all that PARCC will present this year. All testing coordinators will be attending the state training component for this assessment on February 28th. ● All Special Education Teachers, 504 Facilitators, ESL Teachers, and CST Members are in the final stages of the modification process regarding their identified students and what they will need for the PARCC Assessment. Upon completion of this step, initial testing groups will be established.

Facilities Services - Joe Van Kirk ● Chet Wisniewski & Adam Johnson attended an Integrated Pest Management training session on November 3. ● Replaced water heater at Halsted on November 20. ● Scheduled VCT flooring replacement in room 104 at Halsted for week of winter break.

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● Scheduled moving the art room from G3 to B1 at Halsted. ● Removed large tree from Halsted. ● Received quotes last week for district generator projects. ● Continue to clarify costs for future facility projects as per the November 28 Board of Education meeting.

Building Coordinators Reports Newton High School English - Karen Seely-Nelson Professional Development ● On the in-service day most teachers worked on recording interdisciplinary connections in the curriculum and discussing other curriculum issues. ● Auriela Selimi met with Steve Runske and Brenn Feeney to review and input AP curriculum. Other News ● Students made holiday cards to accompany packages for US military personnel. ● Karen Seely-Nelson’s Honors 2 classes have become pen pals with Mike Sheeran’s and Kelsey Nelson’s second grade classes at Merriam. Guidance - Karen Mazur Student Accomplishments: ● Kayleigh Furth has signed her letter of intent with Cornell University to run track. ● Sophomores Daniel Flores and Ivy Nisler have been selected as this year’s Hugh O’Brien Leadership attendees. ● Juniors AJ Intoccia and Michael Rizzo have been selected as this year’s New Jersey Scholars Program nominees. Professional Development: ● Lisa Bechtel attended a cyber bullying presentation on Nov 28th at the CFPC by Dave Nash; a​ Substance Abuse update seminar in Andover sponsored by CFPC on Nov 30th; and a Bullying Law Update on December 4th presented by Legal One. ● Theresa Hough participated in three professional development opportunities: Ramapo College Counselor Workshop, Suicide Prevention Prevention Conference, and Montclair State University Counselor Workshop ● Lisa Casamassina and Michelle Herring attended 504 and I&RS training offered through St. Barnabas Health. Other News: ● PSAT scores were returned to the sophomores and juniors who took the test in October. Students received their scores along with a presentation on how to interpret these scores. ● Guidance is currently planning the tour schedule for district 8th grade visits on January 9th and 10th. ● The 2017-2018 course catalog is being updated with new course titles and identification system. Our hope is that this new system will serve the district for many years to come, as additions within any subject area will be logical and systematic. Health & Physical Education - Ana Maniago Student Accomplishments: ● Representatives from the Army came to our P.E classes and had the students participate in team relays. You could see the sense of accomplishment that the students had when leaving class knowing that they were able to do their part for their team. Activities for the relays included running, push ups, sit ups and team push ups. ● Students were able to donate over $150 to go towards helping others in need in Newton during the holiday season. Staff Accomplishments: ● The phys ed staff successfully implemented our first aid/cpr classes. There will still need to be some tweaking but overall we were pleased with the turnout. Professional Development:

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● Ms. Rimassa, Ms. Steele and Ms. Jacobellis attended The Center for Prevention and Counseling’s annual conference on substance abuse at Farmstead, learning new things regarding current drug trends. ● Worked on Atlas during our in-service day Other ● Newton EMT’s came to health classes to give the students some hands-on experience with first aid/cpr. ● The NJ Sharing Network came in to talk to our students about organ and tissue donations. ● A representative from Lincoln Tech came in to talk to our students about college and goal setting. ● Newton Police finished up their #notevenonce program in our health classes. Social Studies / Visual & Performing Arts - Brendan Scullin Student accomplishments ● Mr. Rabbit and his US History 1CP classes attended a field trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. ● Mrs. Krol hosted representative Devon Lee from Savannah College of Art (SCAD). Ms. Lee's presentation explored all the different degree and job placement opportunities the Art School has to offer. It also gave future artists a look at options the college provides for them to study abroad.SCAD also has wonderful summer workshops for students who think they may want to attend the school in the future or another experience to add to their resume. ● Mr. O’Toole - 8 students participated in the All Sussex County Honors Band concert on November 15 that was conducted by Chris Bernotos. Three of those students had first chair seats in the group and all represented our school extremely well during the five rehearsals and concert. Staff Accomplishments ● Mr. O'Toole also performed some percussion during the county band rehearsals and concert as well as co-managed the group along with Andy Lopez from Sparta HS. Professional Development ● Mrs. Langschultz and Mrs. Moretz ​ attended a workshop at Ramapo College called "Neighbors on Neighbors: Complicity in Genocide" on November 16, where they met with a holocaust survivor, Eric Mayer, and listened to a presentation by Timothy Kaiser who is putting together a display for the Smithsonian Holocaust Museum. They were part of a workshop presented by Dr. Ann Mahon who taught lessons for the classroom ● Mr. O’Toole attended the New Jersey Association for Jazz Educators convention on November 17. Other News ● The Marching Band concluded its marathon season with Newton's holiday parade on November 25 followed by their banquet on November 30 and the sectional final football game on December 1. It was a great season with lots of first time accomplishments for the band. Jazz Band auditions were held in mid November and we once again have two jazz bands. A Band will be the group that competes at our various competitions throughout the state, and B Band will continue to be the training ground for future A Band members. Several members of the band will be performing with the choir at the concert on December 7. The Band's Holiday concert was held on December 14. ● The cast & crew of T​ he Diary of Anne Frank ​produced an outstanding experience for our audience members. The final product exceeded all expectations. World Languages - Ana Maniago Student Accomplishments ● Mrs. Adam’s Spanish 2 ACP students experimented with Adobe Spark to create restaurant presentations. Example: ​https://spark.adobe.com/video/z03fBS6t6eIKR ​ and used Google Slides to create a presentation about their family for a pretend reality TV show. ● Mrs. Adam’s Spanish 1 ACP students created “Poema en Diamante” poems about themselves to share with their classmates and participated in a “texting” in Spanish activity with classmates. ● Mrs. Gray-Revoredo’s Spanish 1 ACP classes gave a presentation entirely in Spanish (of their “me gusta/no me gusta” google slide) ● Mrs. Gray-Revoredo’s Spanish 1 CP and A level students all created an Adobe Spark video incorporating new vocabulary with question words to form simple sentences and spoke these sentences on each slide of the video. A level example: ​https://spark.adobe.com/video/wSTlIh9zlGxmv

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CP level example: ​https://spark.adobe.com/video/UGe1xjeXRdTr9 ● Mrs. Maniago’s Spanish Advanced Honors classes finished reading La Casa en Mango Street entirely in Spanish and now are discussing in Spanish the main themes presented by the author. ● Mrs. Maniago’s ELL classes are reading stories assigned based on their levels and answering questions in Google Classroom. ● German 2 students presented scenes in a restaurant, designed menus and made appetizers, main dishes and desserts from German-speaking countries. ● French 3 students did their first song analysis comparing two French holiday songs. ● French 2 students created their own life story by designing their own road, inspired by a popular hit song by Maitre Black. ● French Club voted to spend $75 of club fundraised monies for “Stuff the Stocking”. Club officers then contacted Walmart who graciously allowed the officers to purchase $150 worth of toys for only $75. The toys were placed under the tree in the main office for pick-up and distribution. Staff Accomplishments ● On December 5th, the World Language Honors Society Induction Ceremony took place. Our guest speaker, J​ en Morilla, also known as ​The Social Girl Traveler​, provided the students with information about the importance of being bilingual in our world today. ■ German: inducted 5 new members ■ Spanish: Inducted 32 new members who read sayings in Spanish ■ French: Inducted 6 new members and read poems written by Jean de la Fontaine (famous for his Aesop Fables which teach morals to live by). ● Kate Adam wrapped up the Yankee Candle Fundraiser with Jenn Coffey and held a parent meeting for the Class of 2021 on December 4th. Professional Development ● On December 12th during the in service half day, the department finalized the 21st Century Skills and Themes for all courses in Atlas and discussed how they are going to upload their assessments during Phase II. ● Mrs. Hannig-Eisenberger was observed by her Syracuse German liaison Professor Mona Eikel-Pohen in the Advanced German 4 Honors class on December 1.

Merriam Avenue School Steve Down, Deirdre Iuliani, Rose Lange, Nik Lasso, Linda Salerno Foster social and emotional well-being and an academically engaged classroom environment through integration of research based character education and social/emotional interventions within the RtI framework ● Fourth graders in combined Guidance and Health classes received instruction in cyberbullying and internet safety ● Our school community reached out to those in need this holiday season: ○ The Mitten Tree brings warmth to families facing financial concerns ○ Volunteers select a mitten from a tree in the lobby ad then purchase a pair of gloves, a hat and a book for the child for whom the mitten represents ○ Dozens of children are helped each winter in this annual community and school-wide act of kindness ○ The generosity of anonymous members of our community have allowed entire families to be adopted for the season. Warm clothes, toys and gifts will surely fulfill needs and will also bring happiness to families ● NHS Agriculture teacher Jenny Allen worked with us on a community service project. Ag students made holiday boxes for twenty pre K students. Each of the decorative boxes were filled with a hat, gloves, warm winter socks and a small toy. ● First grade Health and Tech classes shared different holiday customs and traditions with students to create an understanding of the variety of cultures ● First Graders have been “traveling” around the world to learn about the different holidays. Classes have been exploring several countries and their cultures through read alouds, independent reading and class

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discussions. First graders have made many discoveries throughout their adventure around the world! Close academic achievement gaps through implementing RtI practices and promote inclusionary educational practices for all students school-wide ● 3rd and 4th grade teachers worked on tools that will help identify students requiring Tier 3 Math intervention. Teachers are currently sharing their individual findings so that they can collectively agree on a systemic approach to Math intervention ● First grade Technology classes have incorporated Google Docs into their spelling word routines. Students type their spelling words and learn to format a Google Doc at the same time ● Physical Education activities are using station work with numbers to help students gain a better understand of number value and the concepts of greater and less than ● December Ignite Session introduced T​ he Reading Strategies Book​ ​by Jen Serravallo, which complements and extends teaching. Teachers will use it as a valuable reference tool when planning and implementing differentiated instruction for one-one, small guided group and whole group instruction Integrate digital learning and literacy into classroom instruction in order to enhance and individualize student learning ● Students in 4th grade witnessed the confluence of technology, design and function as they program Lego 2.0 modules to perform student determined tasks ● Third grade students worked on holiday cards for veterans and the elderly. Students used a specialized coding program, “Made With Code”, that allows them to create individual cards by writing code- an engaging and rewarding process for students ● With the assistance of 2nd grade helpers, Kindergarten students were introduced to basic Chromebook skills ● All technology classes work with Google Docs to enhance language arts and digital literacy skills Increase family and community involvement in school programs ● Engineering mentor facilitated STEM learning Gifted and Talented Program ○ Mr. Caraballo, a parent of two Merriam students, is an experienced and expert programmer who specializes in coding. Students learned to create algorithms that would permit two robots, Dash and Dot, to perform multi-step functions ● Mrs. Nethery and Mrs. Sullivan’s first and third grade students joined together during their Reading Buddy time to help ​ Forgotten Soldiers Outreach ○ Forgotten Soldiers Outreach i​ s a non-profit organization whose focus is to encourage and support United States servicemen and women who are currently deployed overseas ○ The children assembled care packages that included friendly letters, holiday cards, and essential items ○ The “We Care” packages are presently making their way around the world- a special note of thanks goes out to all who assisted in collecting the donations ● Students in the GT Program are beginning a service learning project on the global need for clean water ○ Students are researching this critical issue and brainstorming ways they can be part of the solution ○ Students will present their findings to their peers, in the hopes of creating a grass roots problem solving movement ○ A fundraising event is planned for the spring ● Mr. Stocker and our Chorus celebrated the Town Tree Lighting. Students sang spirited renditions of holiday classic tunes. The front page of the NJ Herald highlighted the talented students as they entertained community members at Newton Hospital and Bristol Glen. Congratulations to all! ● “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” sledded into Newton Theatre! ○ Families met on a cold December night to enjoy this holiday classic that celebrates the spirit of the season. Everyone showed their support for their school and the fantastic PTO ● PTO brought back the Holiday Shoppe. With assistance from PTO parent volunteers, students carefully purchased gifts for their loved ones during this wonderful event

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● NHS Madrigals brought holiday cheer to students and staff at Merriam. Everyone was dazzled by the musicality and talent of the members of the Madrigals. This annual presentation is a highlight of the winter season ● Physical Education staff worked with the PTO to discuss the possibility of conducting a fundraiser in the near future ● Physical Education staff organized a trip for 3rd and 4th grade students to attend a Sussex County Miners Game in June

Halsted Middle School Sue Desautels, Eileen Fisher, Joanne Nieman, Jean Perrier Student Achievement: Students of the Month: 5th Grade: Mitzari Garcia 6th Grade: E​ dreece Sharafi 7th Grade: Melanie Fredes 8th Grade: Christian Blakely Student Programming ● Sixth grade math students in the midst of designing their Career Projects. This unit has focused on comparing rates and ratios and calculating unit rate. Within the project, each student will choose a career that fits his or her personality and lifestyle goals as well as research the salary. Then, the students will break down the salary to find out how much will be earned per week and month. Ideally, connections will be made between the job and how math relates to it. ● Recently, two employees from the Department of Education visited Joe Bolen’s classroom to observe firsthand examples of innovative technology implementations in the classroom. During this time, Mr. Bolen ran a lesson with three different technology assignments based on pre-assessment results for narrative writing with one group viewing an EdPuzzle video on narrative planning/strategies, another working on reading passages and identifying narrative text types on Quizlet, and lastly a group that was working on Google Docs by isolating narrative writing strategies such as foreshadowing, onomatopoeia, dialogue, and extended metaphor as preparation for an official narrative writing task due at a later date. ● On another professional note, Mr. Bolen also recently worked with Mr. Brennan and devised a list of argumentative writing strategies that the students employed in a long-term editorial assignment for my class and will now be asked to incorporate them into an on-demand writing task in social studies arguing which event from history is more of a seminal moment -- World War II or 9/11. ● In the classroom, students in Mr. Bolen’s seventh grade classes battled it out on argumentative duels and flashed major writing potential in choosing either the pro or con side of a controversial essay and crafting an essay with the option of having it play out publicly in front of the class. Students evaluated and voted on the superior essays with the winners coming out on top and receiving a snack pass, graciously provided by Miss Daria from the main office, for their efforts. ● Art Club is very popular this year. Because of the overabundance of 5th grade membership, Mrs. Del Vecchio has opened up a second weekly meeting. 6-8th graders meet on Wednesday after school and the second Art Club is solely for 5th graders. This has created an opportunity for Advanced Art students to become student teachers. Starting on December 1st until June, students have signed up with a partner to teach a personal project to the 5th grade art club class. As part of the Advanced Art course, students must plan, prep and teach at least one class to 5th graders after school. ● Student Council Update: The Student Council would like to thank all who participated in the fall fundraiser. The items sold will help fund various student activities throughout the year! Student Council members will be selling "Candy Grams" to spread holiday cheer. During lunches, students can purchase a card that will be paired with a candy cane and sent to a friend or staff member. School & Community Service & Involvement: ● Halsted music students participated in Newton’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 12th. Many of our art students created original ornaments for the tree and students sang carols for the community.

Monthly Reports - December 2017 Page 11 of 12

● The National Junior Honor Society sponsored its annual Mitten Tree; its 21st year! This anonymous system, in both giving and receiving, sponsored forty-three Halsted students. Our generous staff members purchased gifts requested on the mitten, and NJHS students wrapped and organized for parent pick-up. A special thank you to Miss Daria, our resident Head Elf, in once again helping with this endeavor!

Monthly Reports - December 2017 Page 12 of 12