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PUBLIC SESSION
For the meeting of February 18, 2009
A. RECOGNITION/PUBLIC RELATIONS
Staff
Music teachers from the district will be performing a wide variety of musical styles at the Music Faculty Scholarship Concert on February 19 at 7 p.m. in the NPHS auditorium.
Students
A committee of NPHS teachers selected the following students as "Students of the Month" for December for their exemplary work and behavior. Special recognition for their accomplishments included a NPHS pride pin, a letter of congratulations from Principal Stephenson, and a certificate. The students' parents/guardians were also sent a letter of appreciation for their support and influence.
NPHS senior Jessica Townley and junior Dondre Stuetly made the final round with their scene from "Rumors” at the Speech & Theatre Association of New Jersey (STANJ) High School Theatre Competition in association with the New Jersey Governor's Awards in Arts Education.
The following students have been accepted to the Robert Wood Johnson Mini Medical School for Students. This program includes six, two/three-hour sessions every Wednesday evening from February to April. The program gives students the opportunity to sample a medical school curriculum. After receiving an overwhelming number of applications three of our students were selected: Daniela Velastegui, Jamel Wilson, and Zubah Kolubah.
College Acceptances
Schools
Stony Brook School
Bantaba: The Circle of Celebration: The students and staff of Stony Brook School welcomed the African-American dance troupe – “Bantaba” -- for an all school assembly sponsored by the PTA. "Bantaba" is a Mandingo word that refers to "the center where all important events take place." Sponsored by Young Audiences Arts for Learning of New Jersey, the dance troupe works to combine traditional African and modern African-American dance while teaching about various African cultures and traditions. Students and staff were invited to join the circle for call-and-response singing, dance movements and drum ensembles. This assembly launched a month of Black History Studies. “It truly was a joyous celebration and so much fun!” exclaimed Cathy Kobylarz, principal. Second Graders Celebrate Half-Way Day: It doesn't seem possible, but the second grade students in Kathy Willwerth's and Marina Heller's classes have been counting the days of school and declared Tuesday, February 3 as the 90th day of school. This day marked the half-way point of this school year. What better way to celebrate than to incorporate mathematics? Each child arrived on the half-way day with special projects demonstrating half of something. The students shared their projects with each other, discussing symmetry and how half is determined. One student's project was half of his football. Many parents were on hand to share the celebration of half-way day. Jump Rope for Heart: On February 10, Stony Brook School joined thousands of elementary schools across the nation in its second annual Jump Rope for Heart educational fund-raising event. Sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, the purpose of the fundraiser is to engage elementary students in jumping rope activities while raising funds to support lifesaving heart and stroke research. This program teaches physical fitness and promotes the value of community service for students and their families. Organized by Lauren Labott and Shannon Zakrzewski, (physical education and health teachers at Stony Brook), the staff, students and their families raised close to $800.00 for this very worthy cause. East End School On February 2, East End held its Citizen of the Month Assembly which is based on the six pillars of character. Parents of the recipients were also present. Students' pictures were taken holding their certificates and placed in the Citizen of the Month bulletin board which is housed in the main entrance hallway. The PTA provided the second grade classes with an in-classroom workshop on dinosaur fossils on February 5. Rachel Bijaczyk from the Somerset County 4H presented to each second grade individually. Students learned a great deal about dinosaurs and then engaged in hands-on activities which included a dinosaur dig using Playdough. PTA member Rebecca Barnhart continues to provide the students with educational and fun classroom workshops this year. On February 5, East End School held its annual Gym Night for the fourth grade students and their parents. John Malazdra and Kathy Senna, East End School's physical education teachers, hosted the event. Teams of students and parents faced challenges that included teamwork and critical thinking skills. “It was so interesting to watch as different problem solving skills were used to complete each challenge. Mr. Malazdra and Mr. Senna put a great deal of time and effort into preparing for this most enjoyable and educational event,” stated Kathy Herrmann, principal. East End teachers Sharon Egan, Alexis Holbrook, Joanne Wendt, Kathy Porter, Karen Lewis, and Jill Fogarty went to Raritan Valley Community College after school hours to visit the college's planetarium to see their digital projection system. They learned a great deal about how images of the solar system are projected using the new digital system. This visit supported StarLab, which just recently concluded at East End School. West End School
Kindergarten Science Day Celebration: The West End School Kindergartners enjoyed a morning of science fun by exploring THE FIVE SENSES. The celebration took place in the Community Room. Teachers, paraprofessionals, and parents monitored twelve table activities as the children rotated to each station. The stations included a visit from Mr. Weinstein from Lenscrafters in Springfield, who brought a model of the human eye. Other activities included: Listening Center, Paper Cup and String Telephones, Scented Playdough, Sticker and Marker Art, Taste Test, Sand Paper Name Plates, Magnifying Glasses and Hidden Items, Microscopes and Slides, Snack Table, Computer Game on the Five Senses, and Feely Bags Guessing Game. The kindergartens returned on Friday to graph their favorite centers and to write THANK YOU notes to all of the wonderful volunteers. Many thanks to the kindergarten teachers for planning and providing this wonderful science experience: Mary Durkin, Rosemarie Hansen, Nancy Lubreski, Tara Mattielli, and Nicole Migliore
Adopt-a-Wildcat Project: The votes are in and counted and the winner is...Boo Boo! West End children voted by depositing a dime in one of the three buckets with the picture of the wildcat they wanted West End to adopt. Many thanks to Marilyn LaMarca and Wendy Szymanski for heading up the Adopt-a-Wildcat Project. Many thanks to Marilyn LaMarca for reading books on wildcats and teaching all of our students about these beautiful cats. Many thanks to Wendy Szymanski who has been in touch with Wildcat Haven, designed the flyer, counted the money and served as the liaison between West End and Wildcat Haven.
Parent Engagement Spaghetti Dinner: The Parent Engagement Second Annual Spaghetti Dinner was a wonderful success. About 100 parents and students sat down together with West End staff to enjoy dinner and each other's company. While staff heated up the spaghetti, parents filled out surveys about school interests and concerns. Parents and students were notified of upcoming 2009 events (Computer Night, Test Prep Night and the Science Fair) through entertaining skits acted out by staff. Besides the Parent Engagement Committee members (Marianne Harris, Marilyn Pinto, Taryn Buffolino, Alan Adams, Mariluz Torres, Dina Diaz and Nancy Lubreski), many staff members were in attendance and helped serve spaghetti and salad to the crowd. Some of the teachers participating included Alison Clark, Nicole Migliori, Mindy Durkin, Nicole Rivlin, Carol Irvine, and Rosemarie Hansen
Second Grade Project Trust Day: Many thanks to the second grade students and teachers for providing West End School with a wonderful Project Trust Day. Students visited the second grade classrooms to participate in activities that were centered on the second grade character trait Trustworthiness. Second grade teachers included: Lisa Cirillo, Sandy Deller, Jason Lilly, Veronica Quick, Patty Russell, and Ruth Siegel.
Jump Rope for Heart was a big success! The students were excited about jumping rope to fight heart disease and stroke. Student awareness about the very real dangers of these conditions was brought to the forefront of their minds. “It was also really touching to hear from some of the students who said that they were going to jump rope for a specific family member who was suffering from a heart related ailment,” stated Beth Sobel, principal. Barbara Walker, school nurse, organized all the fundraising material and collected the money from the students. The paper hearts that the children filled out to tell who they were jumping for and why are on display in the hallway outside of the gym. Many thanks to Wendy Alvarez, Todd Vanderputten, and Shannon Zakrzewski and to all the students who made the day fun and enjoyable with their excitement and enthusiasm.
The West End School community honored the following students and staff in January: Third graders Christopher Muz and Jessica Cerdena for collecting hundreds of soda can tabs to help Student Council; third grader Jordan Grundy for being kind and respectful to all his classmates; third grader Tony Godwin for consistently demonstrating the Character Counts traits of "Caring" and "Responsibility”; third graders Crispreet Kaur, Salma Ibrahim, and Tony Godwin for doing exceptionally well on their multiplication timed tests; first grader Adrian Dominguez for using listening skills, following directions, completing his work, and being an all- around GREAT student; and Wendy Szymanski, special education teacher, for just completing her Master's Degree.
B. DISTRICT OPERATIONS & AUXILIARY SERVICES SAFETY TRAINING The safety topic for February is “Safe Lifting Practices.” Related safety training will be conducted with all staff members on Thursday, February 19, 2009. HEALTH & SAFETY Safety Committee: Edward Ostroff, director of operations and auxiliary serves, is currently in the process of re-establishing a District-Wide Safety Committee. The goal of this committee will be to increase safety awareness, review procedures, and review accidents and injuries.
Asthma Friendly Schools: Mr. Ostroff is currently working with the school nurses to roll out and fully implement the “Asthma Friendly Schools Program” in all of the district's schools. DISTRICT OPERATIONS
In addition to completing routine work orders, maintenance personnel continue to complete a number of in-house projects. The following projects are now in progress:
PROJECT GRANTS
The following project grants have recently been approved for the district. Please visit the district's website and click on the link to Operations for more information. Somerset County Freeholders – Open Space Grant The Somerset County Freeholders have approved the North Plainfield School District for a $1,000,000 Open Space Grant. The grant funding will be utilized to replace the existing Upper Krausche Field with an artificial playing surface and other improvements as funding will allow. S.D.A./D.O.E. Construction Grant The New Jersey School Development Authority in conjunction with the New Jersey Department of Education have approved two grants totaling more than $1,200,000 for the replacement of boilers and heating system components at West End School and the Harrison School. Somerset County Energy Audit Grant The North Plainfield School District has received a grant offered by Somerset County to audit our energy usage. The audit will review energy costs at all of our buildings and one building will be chosen for a comprehensive energy study. STATUS REPORT (Capital Projects) HIGH SCHOOL/MIDDLE SCHOOL Auditorium Stage Lighting Upgrades. On hold. WEST END SCHOOL Boiler/Heating System Replacement. Specifications are pending. HARRISON BUILDING Boiler/Heating System Replacement. Specifications are pending. STATUS REPORT (Maintenance Projects) HIGH SCHOOL/MIDDLE SCHOOL Upper Field Sound System Upgrades. Scheduled. High School & Middle School HVAC upgrades. In Progress. EAST END SCHOOL Window Replacement (11). Awarded and installation is pending. HARRISON CAMPUS Modular T1, Floor Replacement. In Progress. WATCHUNG SCHOOL Office Flooring Replacement. Completed, January 13, 2009. DISTRICT WIDE INITIATIVES District-Wide Energy Savings Project. Planning Stage.
2009-2010 CAPITAL PROJECTS (PROPOSED) The following Capital Improvement Projects have been *tentatively selected for inclusion in the 2009/2010 School Budget.
*The aforementioned projects are proposed. The projects that are included in this year's budget will depend upon our share of state aid. Those figures are not available at this time.
Last Modified on 2/24/2009 8:22:44 AM |
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