North Arlington High School
OCTOBER
Monthly Report
I.
Curriculum and Instruction and Implementation of Objectives:
English Department:
 Ms. Albuquerque’s English 3, 4 and 4 Honors classes read an article in Time
Magazine that related to our district’s recognition of “Violence Prevention
Week.” The article discussed bullying from the perspective of both the victim
and the offender, offering interesting insight to this common dilemma. This
activity paved the way to very insightful evaluation and discussion in all classes.

Ms. Burns’ English 3 Honors students created graphic organizers for personality
traits of the characters of “The Prologue,” studied in Canterbury Tales. The
Propaganda, Genocide and Oppression class researched and discussed Darfur.
This class spoke to Mrs. Kusher’s period 9 class to raise awareness about Darfur
and attended a presentation on this important topic presented by the Save Darfur
group from Ramapo College. They completed a Power Point presentation
projects on propaganda in the media. Ms. Burns completed the College Board
SAT workshop on October 10th and reorganized the class implementation with a
co-teacher in the math department, Elaine Maresca. Students have now
compleeted the SAT pretest and began using collegeboard.com’s materials.Visual
and Performing Arts students have begun final projects where they memorize a
scene and perform it for the class. They performed pantomime, practiced
improvisation and diagramed the stage areas also.

Ms. Hughes’ English I students completed their first novel, The Chocolate War.
English I Honors students completed set designs of The Miracle Worker, and
English II students completed their first novel, Of Mice and Men. The HSPA
class was instructed in Specualtive Writing.

Ms. Ingannamorte’s students all participated in “teen violence” discussions in
recognition of “Violence Prevention Week.” English 3 students wrote college
admissions letters, essays and or a letter of introduction to perspective employers.
This generated in depth conversation about the college process and life after high
school. Creative Writing students experienced live theatre at the Pax Amicus
Shakespeare Theatre, where thay saw “Tales of Poe” performed. “Tell Tale
Heart” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” were the classes favorite
performances. After the performance, the students were permitted to speak to and
interview the actors. It was a very enjoyable trip and the students were wonderful
representatives of NAHS.

Ms. Nichols’ English 2 students have been reading short stories. The stories are
different, but students are able to see a theme running through the stories and
make connections. Students are also referencing events from older short stories
when discussing the ones they are reading currently. English 3 Honors students
completed “The Prologue,” of the Canterbury Tales. The students wrote their
own 30 – 40 line tale about themselves. Students were able to demonstrate their
ability to follow a rhyme scheme, pattern and flow. Journalism students have
completed their articles and are excited about putting out the first issue of the
Viking Saga for this year. The students are already planning for the next issue
and discussing ways to improve upon what they have already accomplished.

Ms. Singler’s English 4 and 4 Honors students are preparing to perform scences
from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” to participate in our hosting of Shakespeare Day at
NAHS on November 14th. AP Lit/Comp students are working on their
traditional class novel and also recited, by memory the poem, “If” by Rudyard
Kipling.

Ms. Turner’s classes have been preparing to participate in our first Shakepeare
Day on November 14th. English I classes were given notes on a Shakespearean
Comedy and were put into groups and assigned an act of their particular play.
Each group was responsible for giving a presentation on their act using any visual
aids they chose, i.e. puppets, artwork, power point, etc. English 2 and 2 Honors
students are learning a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Several
members of the classes also participated in a class trip to the Pax Amicus Theatre,
where the were treated to plays based on the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Social Studies Department:

Mr. Galante’s PEG classes did well on their first bench mark exam. The
students are viewing a segment of “Amistad” depicting the Atlantic Slave Trade
and then constructing an empathetic essay based on the student’s emotions and
thoughts on what they had viewed and discussed. Also, an anti-violence lesson
honoring “Violence Prevention Week” led to discussions regarding the media’s
role in making violent images accessible to young people, which ultimately
desensitizes our youth to violence. The Modern World students also engaged in
discussions related to antiviolence, and attended the Darfur presentation by
students from Ramapo college.

Ms. Jimenez’s US History 2 students took part in a mock debate. Students
researched a particular aspect of each candidate’s platform and were divided
between McCain and Obama teams. During the debate, the students were given
the opportunity to present their research on topics such as the economy, the war in
Iraq, education, healthcare, etc. PEG classes worked on a “DJ for a Day” project,
highlighting the musical forms, styles and societal/historic impact of African
music and musicians. Students also completed a project researching where items
in their homes originated and then labeling a map to coordinate. In addition, they
created an imaginary “island” incorporating key geographical terms learned in
class.

Ms. Kusher’s students coordinated the National Mock Election for NAHS. All
Social Studies classes particpated in this along with other students from around
the country. All students participated in finding pictures of people who represent
peace in recognition of “Violence Prevention Week.” US History I classes are
completing campaign poster collages as an election project. Students had to
research biographical information on the presidential and vice presidential
candidates, and also collect pictures for the poster. They continue to follow the
presidential election and discuss this as a current event topic each day. US
History I Honors classes also completed this project, but additionally, they were
required to read articles on the election and keep a scrap book with all of their
election information. They were also required to watch one of the debates and
write a reaction paper. All students are following the election through their daily
highlights of current events, through the use of the Daily Record newspaper to
keep them updated and for interpretation of political cartoons. Economics
students have also been using current events to follow the economic crisis in the
United States. These students are currently finalizing their essays to participate in
the VFW’s “Voice of Democracy” contest.

Ms. O’Brien’s Sociology students participated in a TPR activity that examined
“values’ in society. When they read separate statements regarding typical values,
students picked a corner of the room to demonstrate their opinions; i.e agree,
disagree, somewhat agree or not sure. This invoked in-depth discussion.
Students also read an excerpt from the text about “nettling,” the use of pepper and
newspapaer during childbirth. The AP US History class completed a DBQ
activity on the American Revolution, and examined test taking and essay writing
strategies. US History 2 students created their own labor union poster. They also
read Jacob Riis’ How the Other half Lives” and discussed the correlation between
poverty and violence. Other important topics covered were the comparison of
policies and opinions from the McCain/Obama platforms including healthcare,
gay marriage, immigration, abortion and Medicare. Immigration was studied
closely, whereas students analyzed charts and graphs to compare and contrast
immigration trends from the early 1900s and today. Mr. Joseph Scanzillo, who is
a student teacher under the mentorship of Ms. Sharon O’Brien is beginning to
take on more teacher responsibilities to hopefully, be handling the entire schedule
by mid November.

Ms. Smith’s US I students worked in groups to create their own colonies in the
United States. The Colony Project consisted of three segments: 1) a questionnaire
based on political, economic and social aspects of the colony, 2) a colonial map,
and 3) oral presentation. After studying New England, Middle and Southern
colonies, students used online resources to compare and contrast their colonies to
one of the original 13 colonies. US II Honors students used the Internet and
Primary Source Documents to research the backgrounds and viewpoints of the
2007-2008 presidential candidates. Using the information gathered, students
participated in an informal class debate and wrote a persuasive essay describing
the candidate for whom they would vote. The Sociology students participated in a
question and answer session with Senator Sarlo. Also, in recognition of
“Violence Prevention Week,” students acted as the members of the Middletown
School Board to determine how to spend the $200,000.00 that the school was
allotted to improve safety in the district’s schools. This prompted some very
engaging and analytical discusssion.
World Language Department

Ms. de Diego’s Spanish 3, 3 Honors, 4 and 4 Honors classes have been
reviewing previous supporting curriculum and working speicifically on stemchanging verbs. Classes of varying levels were given scenarios such as a
restaurant, coffee shop, a department store or a taxi, and were asked to prepare
authentic dialogues that would take place in these scenarios, demonstrating
mastery of stem-changing verbs in the present tense. Students enjoyed speaking
and acting-out a real-life situation completely in the target language.

Ms. Murad’s Spanish I classes are learning ordinal numbers in the target
language using their schedules or “horarios” by labeling class names and periods
in which they take place. They are also revieiwng the verb, “gustar” by labeling
the ten things they like to do and ten that they do not like to do. Spanish 3
Honors students reviewed the preterite tense in a fun and communicative way.
Using the same premise as the game “telephone,” the students said something
they did, and in turn had to repeat all of the things that previous students “did”
before them. These students also completed a cultural readng on Andalucia, La
Catedral de Sevilla and La Giralda. To demonstrate their learning, they created a
3-sectioned poster which displayed facts and pictures of all three historic sites.

Ms. McNerney’s Spanish I and Spainsh I Honors students learned that the
adaptation of games and songs to facilitate learning of vocabulry and
pronunciation are extremely enjoyable and effective. Students in all classes
learned a HIP HOP song called, “La Sala de Clases” to learn vocabulary related to
the classroom in Spanish. Tongue Twisters are proving to be a great teaching and
learning tool also.

Ms. McKeown’s French 2 students were asked to create a list of adjectives, both
masculine and feminine forms, along with their meanings as a homework
assignment. When they arrived in class with the completed assignment, they were
given pieces of paper for each of the students in the class equaling 14. Students
wrote their french name on the paper and added whatever adjectives they felt fit
the individual. “People Posters” were created from the entire group effort and
students learned a great deal about how others perceive them. The French
Honors students did this same activity, however, they used dictionaries to add to
and expand upon their adjective list. The final product yielded some very
beautiful and artistic posters that are on display.

Ms. Sanabria’s Spanish 2 students continue to review their Spanish I
curriculum, specifically reinforcing their present tense verb conjugation and
learned vocabulary. Spanish 2 Honors students are doing the same at a more
rigorous pace, with some brief introduction to some preterite usage. These
students also recognized “Violence Prevention Week” by searching for articles in
the target language that dealt with violence in Spanish-speaking countries.
Student groups presented their research, in the target language as well, which
opened the opportunity to explore cognates as a way of identifying new
vocabulary.
Math Department
● Mr. Nazi’s AP Calculus completed a through coverage of derivatives, including
implicit differentiations and is practicing challenging AP problems by taking
practice tests and reviewing test-taking strategies.
● Mr. Nazi’s Statistics class is working on a project related to batting average and
pitcher ERA on one major league baseball team.
● Mr. Nazi’s Algebra II-A finished working on graphing linear functions, slopes,
intercepts and finding the equation of a line.
● Mr. Nazi’s HSPA classes are heavily involved with problems related to
trigonometry. Applications of sine, cosine and tangent included solving real life
problems, such as measuring the heights of tall objects.



Mrs. Maresca’s Precalculus classes began a unit on trigonometry. They were
introduced to the unit circle and radian measure. The students derived formulas
for converting between radians and degrees, finding the length of an arc, and
finding the area of a sector using radian measures.
Mrs. Maresca’s Algebra II classes investigated the relationship between
distance, rate, and time by participating in an activity called “Walk the Line”.
The students had to duplicate a graph illustrated on a graphing calculator by using
a Calculator-based Ranger (motion detector), and then find the equation that was
a model of the graph. These equations were then used to illustrate “piece-wise
functions.
Mrs. Maresca’s SAT Preview class began using the new SAT Online Course
program from College Board. The students successfully registered for the
program and began taking a full-length pretest that will be used to identify their
strengths and weaknesses.
● Mr. Capriola’s Algebra 1 Classes completed a project involving data on US
Education. Students were given data on elementary and secondary school
enrollment in addition to data on the number of students per computer. Students
then constructed scatter plots based on this data. Students also produced a written
report explaining the scatter plot and made predictions based on their graphs. This
project allowed students the opportunity to review and reinforce the concept of
interpreting data when presented as a graph or scatter plot.
● Mr. Capriola’s Geometry Basic Classes completed a project involving mapping
on a coordinate plan. Students created a map on a coordinate plan that showed the
route from school to their homes. An essay describing the map and the ordered
pairs relating to the trip was written. This exercise gives students a better
understanding of the geometric coordinate system.
● Miss Fash’s Pre-Algebra students are participating in a “Stock Market
Competition”. Students choose a stock (or stocks) that they wish to invest in
(given $100,000) and track that stock. This long-term project applies their
knowledge of integers and operations involving integers. Students are assessed
based on neatness and accuracy of their record-keeping. There is a bonus (but no
penalty) for the money made at the end of the project.
● Miss Fash’s Algebra II-A students completed a writing assignment/project on
graphing linear equations and the effect of the slope on the graph of a line.
Students had to complete a two-part assignment answering essay questions about
slope, linear equations, parallel and perpendicular lines. Then, they had to
complete a “proof” section by graphing special-cases of lines (horizontal, vertical,
parallel and perpendicular lines)
● Mr. Dembowski’s Geometry classes have been using paper folding to
demonstrate new properties and theorems learned. The paper folding provides a
visual of the theorem that will then be proved algebraically. This provides two
different methods for students to understand key concepts in geometry while
learning congruent angles, parallel lines, and vertical angles.
● Mr. Dembowski’s Algebra I-B classes have been working with the different
types of inequalities. Word problems are being worked out in groups to approach
real life problems consisting of inequalities. The problems are also preparing the
students for questions with written explanations that may be asked in standardized
testing.
●
Mr. Dembowski’s HSPA Math class continues to work on HSPA based
problems daily. Students are also receiving extra work in their weak areas after
being evaluated. HSPA style word problems are also given weekly to keep
students practicing their explanations while solving.
● Students in Ms. Meichenbaum’s Math Technology classes are currently learning
about fractions, decimals and percents.
● Ms. Meichenbaum’s Algebra II Honors students completed the second chapter
on linear relationships and functions. They are currently mid-way through the
third chapter about matrices.
● Ms. Meichenbaum’s Algebra I students recently completed a unit on real
numbers and are currently mid-way into a unit about solving linear equations.
● Ms. Meichenbaum’s HSPA students are reviewing Cluster 2, Macro A and
continue to use Study Island to reinforce learning and problem solving skills.
● Mr. Zukatus’s Geometry learned how to complete paragraph proofs, as well as
statement-reason proofs. We also discussed and worked with conditional
statements, the converse of conditional statements, biconditionals, the Law of
Detachment, and the Law of Syllogism. Students also completed a project
dealing with measurement and finding the shortest distance between two
locations.
● Mr. Zukatus’s Algebra I & Algebra I-A Algebra 1/1A – Students worked with
probability and odds; dealing with flipping coins, spinners, and playing cards.
We also worked with rational numbers, number lines, addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division of rational numbers, and reading and analyzing data
from graphs. Students also completed a project pertaining to graphing points and
making inferences to data based on said graphs.
Science Department


Mr. Mott’s Biology Honors class performed a microscope lab in which they
examined how a microscope works. By cutting out a letter R, examining thread,
cheek cells, cork, potato starch and blood they began to master the use of the
microscope. As an added feature each attempted an oil emersion of blood to see
the difference between healthy blood and sickle cells. In addition they worked
with pH meters to determine the buffering ability of milk and water. They
compared the pH meter to doing the same test of each material using litmus, low
range pH paper, high range pH paper. They compared the advantages of each type
of monitoring and the appropriate time for use of each. In addition they
researched and created simple organic molecule models. They explained the
structure and function of each.
Mr. Mott’s AP Biology class began the required labs. They examined how time,
temperature and ph affect the rate at which this enzyme works. To better
understand the process they acted as an enzyme using toothpicks. All the results
were written up in lab form and added to their Lab notebook. They created
organic molecules by researching the various forms and than making a chart of
20 different molecules giving structure and function of each. They concluded this
by creating a 3-d model which they presented to the class. A class discussion
followed bringing all to the same conclusion of similarities in each of the
classifications. The students then performed a lab on organic molecule testing.
Working with various indicators the students tested 5 different known substances
and determined what the positive of the test looked like. They then took an
unknown substance and determined which of the 5 substances where found in it.
The skills of pipeting and measuring were practiced.

Mr. Mott’s Anatomy and Physiology class reviewed the function of the
microscope. They studied the basic parts of the cell. They created models of
meiosis and mitosis to demonstrate the difference in the two processes in
humans. Lastly they performed an organelle lab to examine how organelles work
in the human body.

Mr. Rapp’s Chemistry students performed a lab in which they synthesized a
compound of magnesium oxide. The students determined the composition of the
compound in terms of the mass percentage of the elements. The students also
used the library to write up reports on different elements that were assigned to
them.

Mr. Spaccavento’s Physics 1 Honors students completed laboratory activities
involving a pendulum and simple harmonic motion. They also completed a lab
on constant motion and derived equations to describe both conditions. The
youngsters are now fluent in using the Graphical Analysis software and their
white boarding and analysis skills are improving exponentially.

Mr. Spaccavento’s Physics 2 students completed several optics laboratory
activities using the optics benches involving reflection and refraction. They
made telescopes to keep. They also used the LASER and various slits and
diffraction gratings to study diffraction and interference of light waves. This was
compared to interference of sound waves. Finally light wave communication
was demonstrated as well as holograms.

Mrs. Abdel-Messih’s Biology students have completed several activities:
students have learned how to measure the PH of different solutions using PH
paper and litmus paper. Students have studied the effect of acids and bases on
organic molecules. Students have studied the effect of temperature, PH, and
enzyme concentration on the activity of two enzymes, carbonic anhydrase and
lysozyme. Students have worked in groups and used class materials to simulate
the chemical bonding in chemical reactions. Students have built up models of
different organic compounds using molecule kits and compared the molecular
formula of some isomers. Also, students have simulated condensation and
hydrolysis reactions.

Mrs. Abdel-Messih’s Honors Biology Classes, in addition to the activities
mentioned above for the regular biology class, students in the Honors Biology
classes have done the following additional activities: Students have used the
computers to research many topics like acid rains (the effects of the acid rain on
humans, building materials, architecture, and plant, and what humans can do to
solve this problem), aspartame and its effect on the infants born with PKU, ATP
as the energy currency in the living systems. Also, students have worked in pairs
on an on-line project (Molecules of Life). Students have worked in pairs to create
an energy poster that shows the meaning of energy, different forms of energy,
and how energy can be converted from one form to another.

Ms. Rosen’s Biology students learned about the composition of matter and
atoms and identified the four major classes of macromolecules and why we need
each type. The four classes of macromolecules were then tested for in common
foods.

Ms. Rosen’s Environmental students raised their awareness for recycling
through the collection and organization of discarded paper. Youngsters turned
current articles on science into posters to catch a reader’s eye. They drew food
webs for different ecosystems to illustrate how many different species in an
ecosystem are connected.

Ms. Rosen’s Anatomy and Physiology students reviewed the information on
chemistry and the cell that they learned in previous years but will still need for
this year. They identified different macromolecules by using indicators while
practicing our measurement skills.

Mr. Necoechea’s Honors Chemistry students have been studying atomic
structure, including the history of the atomic theory, the Bohr model, and
quantum mechanics. Important activities have included a PhET simulation of the
photoelectric effect, and a “flame test” lab in which students test different metal
ions for their emission spectra.

Mr. Necoechea’s Physical Science students have been studying atomic structure
and chemical bonding. The students have used the Applied Science Concepts
Molecular Model Kits to construct models of hydrocarbons, esters, organic acids,
alcohols, and cyclic and aromatic compounds. Another outstanding activity has
been the use of freshney.org program and Periodic Table to investigate element
properties.

Ms. Esquetini’s Technology students in the Digital Electronics module were
treated to an after school talk on Digital Circuit Gate Function given by Mr.
Nechochea. There were lots of light bulbs lighting up as he spoke and not just
during the presentation.
Business Department

Mrs. Tomko’s and Mr. Kenny’s Computer Applications II classes have begun
the unit on Access. Students are progressing through well and have completed 2
original projects to support their book work.

Mrs. Tomko’s and Mr. Kenny’s Keyboarding/Computer Applications classes
have completed the alphabetic keyboard and have covered Word Basics and Basic
Editing for Office 2007.

Mrs. Tomko’s Introduction to Business has been working on chapters from the
book covering Economic Principles and basics of business. Students have been
discussing current events and working on projects.

Mrs. Tomko’s Wall Street class is working hard! This course is off to a very
interesting start due to the state of our economy and its affect on the Stock
Market. Students thoroughly enjoyed their Virtual Stock Exchange competition
and learned valuable investing lessons along the way.

Mr. Kenny’s Accounting students have started working with the accounting
equation and business activities that change this equation. The Accounting
Careers unit has been completed. This included an Accounting Careers project in
which the students had to find various accounting jobs using local newspapers and
internet sites.

Ms. Rosolen’s Multimedia class is currently working on an audio book project.

Ms. Rosolen’s Desktop Publishing class has started working on their design
portfolios which will include a number of documents ranging from posters to
greeting cards. The students researched areas of their choice in which violence
may be found and created violence awareness posters on the topic. The posters
are displayed in the hallway outside Room 212.
Family & Consumer Science

Mrs. Comer’s Culinary Arts students are busily preparing quick breads. To
date the hallways have been filled with scrumptious smells of scones, biscuits,
and corn bread. The students are happy with their progress and the prowess the
have developed in the kitchens, and are eagerly anticipating the beginning of
yeast breads.

Mrs. Comer’s Child Development students were awestruck with the beginning
of nursery school. They could not believe that the children’s development was
just as they learned and they have begun teaching lessons focusing on the socialemotional, physical, and intellectual development of this age group.
Art

Mrs. Branco’s Visual Art Cycle students spent the month of October creating
many different kinds of art. The class has just completed a work of art that is an
abstracted figure painting like the work of William de Kooning. The students
abstracted a figure, in technical proportion and then filled the background in with
geometric and abstract shapes. The students who require special help did very
well on this project, they were not worried about making their work look exactly
like someone, the goal was abstraction and they had great pride in their work.

Mrs. Branco’s Art Studio classes created a cross curricular project using idioms
to make art. They made a sentence out of at least 3 idioms and they illustrated it.
This project was involved and the students used the internet to research pictures
for inspiration for their work. The students then created a grid piece of work
using the technique of OpArt like the work of artist Victor Vasarely they then
create a series of at least 3 layered shapes that, once the work is completed, will
create a sense of movement in the work of art.

Ms. DuJack’s Art classes also worked on the cross curricular project using
idioms to make art. They took at least three idioms or figures of speech and
created one sentence. They were then required to illustrate the sentence on paper
or canvas using different mediums depending on their skill level. The students
are currently creating a Fall Still-Life in Pastels using a beautiful fall arrangement
set up in the front of the room.
Music
 Mr. Kastner’s classes have been working on a new ensemble method book.
Foundations for a Superior Performance provides a multi-level to work out
intonation, tone, technical studies, chord studies, rudiments, balance, scales, and
key.
 Ms. Corcoran’s Chorus students have been studying interval training and have
been learning vocalization and warm ups to help better their singing technique.
Students also began weekly after school rehearsals this month to prepare for the
winter concert.
II.
Workshops Attended:
● On October 10th, Mr. Abu-Hakmeh gave a workshop to 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade
teachers. The workshop was given at North Arlington High School as part of the
South Bergen Jointure Commission Region-Wide Professional Development. The
workshop material provides middle school math teachers with, knowledge,
practice, and resources to help them successfully prepare their students for the next
grade level.
● Mr. Dembowski attended an On-line preparation class in North Arlington on
October 10, 2008. The class demonstrated how to raise student test scores
through an interactive website.

Mrs. Maresca attended a very informative workshop presented by College Board
to introduce members of the math and English departments to the use of the SAT
Online Course.

Mr. Capriola attended two workshops on October 10; a morning workshop on
Study Island and an after noon workshop on Web 2.0.

Mrs. Kathy Puorro attended the monthly Directors of Guidance for Bergen
County meeting. Highlights of this meeting included, honors level classes, online
courses for students, the annual college fair and upcoming sponsors.

Mrs. Marie Griggs and Mrs. Kathy Puorro attended a Bergen Community
College Symposium. This workshop discussed the needs of high schools and
programs at BCC including the NJSTARS program.

Mrs. Kathy Puorro attended a counselor’s workshop at William Paterson
University. This Seminar included discussions about college majors, special
programs, and a tour of the campus and student presentations

Mr. Rapp attended the New Jersey Science Convention on October 14th in
Somerset. Several new demonstrations in Chemistry were presented. He also
attended a workshop on using “Study Island” during the teacher in-service day on
October 10th.

Mr. Mott attended the annual New Jersey Teachers of Science convention. He
was able to attend various workshops related to Biology, AP Biology and Human
Anatomy and Physiology. He participated in an autopsy, forensic workshop, virus
modeling workshop, Stem Cell research workshop, two different electrophoresis
workshops using different methods to separate DNA, DNA extraction, and a
DNA modeling lab. He participated in an AP Biology teacher seminar with other
AP teachers who shared ideas and methods of teaching the course. He has
accepted an invitation to be a consultant for the New Jersey State Biology Test.

Mr. Spaccavento attended the NJ Science Convention; he chaired two
presentations by Rutgers University Physics Professors, Dr. Steve Schnitzler, Eva
Helicoids and Scott Thomas. After Lunch he prepared materials for his afternoon
workshop - “Finding the Top Quark”. The evening Speaker Dr. Jeff Goldstein
from NASA was exceptional! On Wednesday, Mr. Spaccavento presented his
“Terrific Telescope Workshop” at 8:15 AM. Thanks to the sponsor, the American
Optical Society Foundation, 35 teachers left the workshop with a classroom kit to
make 10 telescopes in their classroom, and a packet of other related activities. Mr.
Spacavento’s relationship with the AOSF has brought over $500 of equipment
and supplies to the NAHS science department and is an ongoing source of
educational materials. He also attended a wonderful session by Dr. Jeff
Goldstein, which was much related to the telescope presentation. A Physics
Teacher Roundtable followed by a session on the New Science Standards for New
Jersey was very informative.
III.

Mr. Spaccavento presented a full day workshop for physics and physics science
teachers for the South Bergen Jointure Commission In-Service-Day.

Mr. Spaccavento attended a NJAAPT executive board meeting at Rutgers
University.

Dennis Kenny, Patricia Tomko, Debra Comer, Shirlene DuJack, Emily
Corcoran, Peter Nicolle, David Mullen, and Martha Rosolen participated in a
Learning Community approach to investigating the changes in the Office 2007
program on October 10. Each person presented a topic to the group in this
extremely worthwhile workshop.

Mrs. Cindy Branco attended “The Caring Classroom” given by Glenn Johnson,
which dealt with how students deal with and handle bullying. The afternoon class
was “Internet and Cyber Bullying, Internet Safety.” This class was presented by
Maria Goodman which covered the basics of internet safety.

Mr. Christopher Kastner attended the “Creating Podcasts” workshop presented
by Scott Hughes. The workshop gave the basics of recording, saving, and posting
audio podcasts as well as application in daily curriculum.

Mrs. LoPresti attended Reforming New Jersey’s Secondary School for the 21st
Century presented by the NJDOE with key note speaker, Grant Wiggins on Oct.
24th.

Ms. Smith attended the Mock Trial Competition Workshop on October 29th.

The SAT Prep teachers, Ms. Burns and Ms. Maresca, received information on
implementing the new SAT online course provided by Collegeboard.
Student Recognition:

Students in Ms. Meichenbaum’s classes are generally working very hard and the
results have become clear as several students received perfect scores on writing
assignments and/or in-class assessments.
● All of Mr. Dembowski’s students understand the importance of due dates and
quality work. The students of Geometry and Algebra I-B have all completed and
turned in their projects by the due date and displayed them around the room.
IV.
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Paul Alverez received recognition to the National Merit Scholarship.
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Klevi M Fusha was recognized in Biology for his excellent work in building
multiple models of the monosaccharide, and disaccharides. He helped the other
groups in the class to build their models by explaining how he understood them.
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Danelle Baloga, Michael Burrofato, Oliver Stringham, Peter Santos and
Marlee Rodriguez received an excellent work pencil for their “A” on the last
Physics 1 test.
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Wall Street students worked hard on their first Virtual Stock Exchange
competition!
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Student artwork is being displayed in the main hallway for all to enjoy!
Accomplishments:
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The National Honor Society, under the direction of Mrs. Maresca is conducting
a “Great Pumpkin Drive” to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. All
students are being asked to purchase a paper pumpkin for $1.00. These pumpkins
will be displayed in the cafeteria.
● Mr. Dembowski and the sophomore class are fundraising the month of October
and November. All sophomores are selling wreaths and poinsettias for the
Christmas season and will distribute them early December
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Mrs. Marie Griggs was responsible for conducting several activities throughout
the school for Anti-Violence week. Ribbons of Orange and Purple where
displayed on lockers showing school support for Anti-Violence
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Mrs. Comer applied for and received a mini-grant from the Education
Foundation for the supplies necessary to make holiday cookie trays for the senior
citizens of North Arlington. These delectable treats are presented from the
Culinary classes when the band, chorus, French club and nursery school children
visit and perform at the Senior Center for the Christmas season.
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Ms. Corcoran’s Chamber and Chorus have begun after school rehearsals. Middle
School Chorus begins towards the end of the month when the cycles change
V.
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The SADD Members planted red tulips in recognition of RED RIBBON WEEK
in hopes that when they bloom in the Spring, students will be reminded of our
commitment to end bullying in our schools.
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The Spanish Honor Society received and reviewed candidate applications for the
2008-09 school year and has selected new members for induction.
Special Programs:
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Mr. Abu-Hakmeh has started classroom visitations and unofficial observations
of the middle school math teachers. He completed a first round series of visits to
the primary 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math teachers. A second round will be
conducted within two weeks.
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Mr. Dembowski’s classes proudly display their projects in room 207.
● Miss Fash and the I&RS team have begun taking cases for the 2008-2009 school
year. Teachers can send recommendations for students to be assesed.
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PSAT’s were given to all 10th graders and 11th graders who chose to take it
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Peer Mediation training took place on October 24, 2008 at the Elks in North
Arlington. This training includes Queen of Peace High school students and was
conducted by Fran Lipsky, Dawn Amelung and Intern Marya Connolly.
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Recruiters from various colleges came to speak with our students about
admissions, they include: Manhattan College, St. Elizabeth’s, Kings College,
Ramapo, Monmouth, Montclair State University, Long Island University and
Caldwell College.
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The chess club is in the organizational stage, students are meeting and beginning
to compete against each other to form ranks in the club.
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Mr. Spaccavento attended a Basketball Coaches Clinic at Ramapo College
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“The Legal Eagle” and “Respect” quarterly periodicals have been delivered for
use in various curricula in our school. These publications address numerous
issues from legal precidents in NJ public schools to teaching tolerance throughout
our nation.
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The Voter Registration initiative, chaired by Nancy LoPresti, provided students
who had attained the age of 18 or older, voter registration paperwork in their
social studies classes. The teachers encouraged these students (and their families)
to exercise their privilege to vote.
VI.

Ms. Karen Smith has continued to research and train for the coordination of a
Mock Trial team, with the hope that we may begin to build a team for competition
in upcoming years. She recently received the free workbooks that will be used for
this purpose.
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Mrs. Karen Kusher spearheaded the Mock Election activity in which we
participated with schools from all over the United States. Some of her students
will enter the “Voice of Demcoracy” essay/oral contest.
Field Trips:
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Elks Peer Leadership Training
MONTH: October______
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Mathematics
 Mr. Bernstein's Math class participated in a game called the "Human Number Line."
Two teams competed against each other solving equations. The answers were written on
paper and each participant positioned his/herself on the number line (a piece of rope with
a zero on it). The degree of difficulty depended on each individual’s ability and in what
section they were in.
 Miss Neubauer's Math classes used statistics regarding violence and vandalism in
Bergen County school districts to analyze data. They participated in a project in which
they collected data, analyzed it, and displayed it in various types of charts.
 Mrs. Califano’s students solved puzzles using context clues, and interpreted quantitative
clues by making connections between abstract rules of number theory and motivational
historical events.
 Miss Thomas’ Math classes discovered the world of numbers. They brought themselves
to understand the meaning of the complex number system and found that each number
has a place on the number line. They learned the difference between natural numbers,
whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, real numbers, and even
imaginary numbers (numbers that don’t really exist.) They learned these numbers
through a Venn diagram.
Language Arts
 Mrs. Kowalczyk's 6th grade Writing classes reviewed the parts of speech, along with
their usual spelling/vocabulary words. The big focus for this month was Violence
Awareness. Using materials that she downloaded from a government website, Mrs.
Kowalczyk did several activities with her students. Over the course of a week, the
students developed definitions on what is and what is not violence, explored violence in
different settings, and explored ways of handling actual and potential violence in their
lives. The students answered questions at home and then discussed them as a group in
class. They also made anti-violence posters that were displayed in the classroom. The
culminating activity was a visit by Mr. Cooper, our dean of discipline, and a discussion
about what they did in class.
 Mrs. Duff, Ms. Neubauer, Ms. Demetroules, and Ms. Scerbo (Team 6) worked on a
writing prompt for October to fulfill the requirement for Anti- Violence month. The
prompt read: When someone picks on someone else, how do you feel? What do you do?
All of the classes shared the responses aloud, and elaborated on any important issue.
Afterwards, students wrote a story about a time when they came to someone's rescue. The
stories were written in final copy and placed in their writing folders.
 Mrs.Galante, Mrs. Boyd, Mrs. Fisher, and Ms. Maucione (Team 7) made the students
aware of “Violence Awareness Week” in their individual Writing classes. The students
were asked to brainstorm the word “Violence” and put their thoughts into their writing
journals. Each 7th grade teacher discussed the journals with their writing classes. The
students were later asked to bring in newspaper articles on violence. The students read
the articles and had a classroom discussion. After the discussion, the students were asked
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to change the violent situation into a peaceful situation by making a list of synonyms
about peace. Using these words, the students created poems called “A Recipe of Peace.”
Miss Keeler’s 8th grade Reading class read S.E. Hinton’s heroic story of friendship and
belonging, The Outsiders. By first using the internet to explore Middle-American life
during the 1950s and 1960s, the class grasped a better understanding of the protagonists’
struggles, interests, and language. Through independent reading and reading circles, the
students analyzed and addressed timeless issues such as bullying, friendship, loyalty,
family situations, and financial struggles. In observance of Violence Awareness Month,
the class worked in groups to present their compositions on hypothetical peer-mediation
between the novel’s rival gangs: the Socs and the Greasers.
Mrs. Callahan's classes:
o 8th grade Writing classes acknowledged "Anti-Violence Week" by journaling and
writing essays related to the subject. First, students wrote an entry on their
definition of 'bullying' which led to a classroom discussion. Next, they wrote an
essay about “What teenagers can do to prevent violence/bullying”. Finally, the
students shared their essays with their classmates.
o The 7th grade Reading classes read Maniac Magee. The book dealt with
bullying and race issues, both of which tie into "Anti-Violence Week."
o The 8th grade Reading classes read The Outsiders. This book dealt with
bullying, fighting and social-class difference. Classroom discussions were
centered on the "Anti-Violence" theme.
Mr. Haines’ Writing class conducted an interdisciplinary writing, research, and
geography paper. First, the students interviewed someone from a different culture. Then,
they researched their families’ native country. Finally, each student presented a report
and poster about their fellow student’s culture to the class.
Mrs. Coughlin’s 7th grade Writing classes learned about bullying. The class did
several journal writings about different aspects of bullying. Then, the students wrote
essays on their opinions of bullying and gave some recommendations on how bullying
should be stopped. Finally, the Dean of Students, Mr. Cooper, came to the writing
classes to discuss school violence with the students.
Miss Thomas’ Writing class spent some time on a thematic unit recognizing National
Violence Awareness month. Students chose October 23rd to wear purple along with a
purple ribbon since purple symbolizes violence awareness. Throughout the unit, students
recognized the seriousness of violence and found that it is all around them. Violence
isn’t only physical abuse, but also mental. Students took the time to recognize a
situation they may have been either the abuser or the victim. Many students shared
stories of violence seen on television or even read in books and how it affects the people.
Some wrote poems of a time they experienced a form of violence. Students also created
posters of different facts about violence so other students could see the severity of
violence and abuse. The class was shocked when they learned the statistics, especially in
teen dating.
World Languages
 Mrs. Marchese’s sixth graders learned ways to describe people, places and things by
using adjectives. They also adventured into some Spanish speaking countries like Puerto
Rico, Columbia and Argentina. The seventh and eighth graders researched El Dia de
Los Muertos. They presented their ideas, beliefs and traditions from Guatemalans and
Mexicans to the class.
 Mrs. McNerney’s eighth grade students learned and practiced new vocabulary by role
playing. Each morning, they played “Simón Dice” (Simon Says) to refresh and practice
vocabulary, as well as stretch and have fun interacting with each other. The seventh
grade students had the opportunity to learn about families in Hispanic countries. They
were encouraged to shared anecdotes from their own families in order to create cultural
awareness, better understanding, and respect for others. Together, they finalized the
chapter by creating a class family tree.
 Mrs. Roller's ESL students observed School Violence Awareness Month by reading an
article from The Record on bullying, cyber bullying, and an article in the Heath Literacy
series on how to talk out conflicts and peer mediation. The students then wrote a dialogue
in which a target is bullied. Later, they rewrote the dialogue to show how the target could
respond differently to the bully.
Social Studies
 Celebrate Diversity! Miss Demetroules’s 6th grade Social Studies classes took a closer
look at culture and cultural diversity. To highlight this theme, as well as celebrate the
cultural diversity in our classes, the 6th grade participated in “Cultural Food Day”. On this
day, each student brought in a food dish, music, or traditional dress from their culture.
Accompanying the food/music/clothing was an explanation of its significance or
uniqueness to their culture.
 The students in Mr. Wolowitz’s eighth grade Social Studies classes did a project in
which they had to create a colony on an unknown planet. They had to create a name for
the colony and a list of rules for their colony to live by. The project was based on the
Mayflower Compact. When the students were done, they wrote their rules on the board
for the class to see. The best ones were chosen and they would become the rules for the
classroom for the rest of the month.
Science
 Ms. Scerbo’s sixth grade Science classes learned how to classify objects and species
like scientists. Students completed a class activity in which seven students were
classified into a taxonomy key. Students then completed an at home project in which
aliens were classified based on characteristics. Students also began to learn about the cell
and its functions. They completed Brain Pop activities, i.e. an interactive on the smart
board, and a comparison of the cell to people in the school.
 Students in Mr. Haines’ Science classes conducted experiments to determine how a
sprinkler works and gained hands-on experience on Newton’s Third Law of Motion.
Students were assigned a group project to build a “Rube Goldberg Machine” which
helped to explain the six simple machines.
Art
 The month of October has been a fun filled spooky adventure in Mrs. Branco’s Art
classes.
o The sixth graders not only explored the color wheel with crayons and practiced
their blending skills, but they also created haunted houses using the bas relief
techniques with paper. They created their own sketch books to practice
techniques and their own creativity. The students finished their cycle by creating
Op Art pieces using bright card stock paper, rulers and black sharpie markers.
o The seventh graders concentrated their efforts on drawing techniques. They
learned the different types of pencils and erasers, the art element of value by
creating a value scale, and trying different types of value. They also created a
handbook for anti-violence and anti-vandalism week.
o The eight graders’ first project was a self portrait done in the style of the Fauves.
They created a self portrait, broke their face and background down into shapes
and then filled them in with unnatural colors and patterns. They also created Op
Art grid works with rulers, stencils and sharpie markers. The students completed
their cycle with a cartoon character project based on “The Last Lecture” by Randy
Pausch. They drew a cartoon character they thought represented them and they
filled the paper with information on how they felt they connected with the
character.
Music
 Mr. Nicolle’s Middle School bands participated in entertaining the grammar schools
with a Halloween parade.
Comprehensive Health & Physical Education
 Ms. DeBlasio’s Physical Education classes completed the World Cup. Each class made
up teams, team names, and chose a country to be from. They completed an outdoor
soccer tournament. The winning team was awarded the "World Cup".
 Ms. DeBlasio’s 8th grade Health classes learned different techniques to use during
conflict. They then developed skits using techniques like peer mediation, anger
management, and conflict resolution. The 7th graders focused on their changing minds,
emotional health and well being. They designed comic strips on the following topics:
belonging, peer groups and cliques, attraction to others, and independence. The 6th
graders focused on treating one another with respect. They were each given a phrase
from which they had to create a poster, and finally they made a grade-wise booklet.
Computers
 Mr. Guanci's Advanced Technology class made their own T- Shirts. The students used
a computer program that allowed them to create their own design on a piece of transfer
paper. After the students printed out their final product on the transfer paper, they were
able to iron it onto their plain T- Shirts. The students were very creative and made
designs on the front, back and sleeves of their shirts.
 Mrs. Helms’ Reading classes discussed bullying and teen violence. All classes agreed
that bullying and violence inflicted by anyone should not be tolerated.
o The eighth grade read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and talked about teen
violence and gangs. The students discussed various tragedies that are the result of
teen violence and gangs. The students also discussed mental and physical abuse
inflicted by parents.
o The seventh grade read The Smallest Dragonboy by Anne McCaffrey. They
discussed how smaller students are bullied in a classroom environment by bigger
students. They discussed mental and physical abuse inflicted by bullies.
o The sixth grade read The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida. They discussed the
mental and physical abuse the Japanese-Americans received after WWII because
of their nationality. The students read how many Japanese-Americans living in the
United States were removed from their homes, separated from their family and
friends, and forced to live in internment camps.
Guidance
 Mrs. Bacek met with her "IEP" students. She discussed goals and objectives, as well as
strategies to help the students find success. The students were encouraged to seek out
help whenever they felt the need to and to discuss the positive events that motivated them
to continue to work toward their goals.
Special Ed
 Miss Janczak’s sixth grade Writing class learned how to differentiate bully behavior
from normal behavior. They watched an AIMS Multimedia video titled “Bullying: Not
Just a Guy Thing”. Upon the completion of the video, the class had a discussion on
various bullying behaviors in the school. They also wrote their own personal/made-up
story about someone who was bullied and what happened.
 “Caught in the Act of Doing Something Good”-- Miss Janczak’s sixth grade Writing
class, along with Mrs. Clarke, has been distributing rewards for catching students doing
something good in the Middle School. The class plans on continuing this program
throughout the school year.
 Ms. Tzakis’ Writing classes discussed the effects of bullying. They found that “seven
percent of eighth graders stay home at least once a month to avoid a bully.” Students in
grade eight wrote stories of what a typical day in the life of a student who is being bullied
felt like, while students in grade seven constructed poems that expressed how name
calling affected their self image. Both groups presented their work to the class. Students
also made up contracts in which they promised not to take part in any bullying.
 Mrs. Keegan's 6th grade Social Studies class worked on the campaign trail. The
students made up posters and had fun with some political activities, such as debating the
issues and having a mock election.
Student Recognitions:
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Catrin Janczak....................Hannah Cross
Persa Tzakis.......................Megan Gato
Grade 6...............................Michael Cammett, Elizabeth Danco, Isabel Cruz,
Leandra Acosta
Grade 7...............................Elena Thomas, Vidhi Shah, Alexandra Sperandeo,
Angela Vilas
Grade 8................................David Peralta, Amy Lin, Amanda Awad, Robert Keegan
Special Programs :
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On Friday, October 3rd, the sixth graders participated in a walk for health. The profits
that were collected were donated to Lung Association.
On Thursday, October 16th, the student population participated in a Local Hero
Luncheon. Several members of the fire, police, and emergency squads attended.
Registration has begun for the 8th grade class trip.
Mr. Haines began the Shakespeare Club at lunch time. Students in the Shakespeare
program have been rehearsing daily in preparation for the First North Arlington
Shakespeare Day.
PTO program was held on the October 27th. The theme was “Welcome Night for
Parents”.
A Halloween parade was conducted for the Elementary schools with the Middle School
Bands.
The PTO conducted a highly successful Book Fair.
The PTO began a new fundraiser, “Market Day”.
Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Bacek spoke to classes in honor of Anti-School Violence month.
Mrs. Boyd conducted a Peer Mediation trip to the NA Elks for training.
Open House was conducted at the High School for parents of Grade 8 students.
Field Trips
 On Thursday, October 23rd, the sixth graders went on a field trip to Stony Hill Farm
Market in Chester, New Jersey. In small groups, students navigated through a giant corn
maze. The theme of the maze was centered on the upcoming election.
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2008
JEFFERSON SCHOOL
Kindergarten
 Ms. McCrea’s kindergarten class engaged in:
 Social Studies – Seasons, Safety (Fire and Traffic)
 Science – Animals
 Reading – Letter Sounds M, S, T, R
 Math – Patterns
 Captain Ron Miltner of the Hoboken Fire Department discussed the importance of Fire
Safety. Captain Miltner’s daughter is a student in our Kindergarten.
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Mrs. Northrop’s kindergarten class is presently engaged in:
Science- Animals, Fall leaves, Fall season
Social Studies- Fire Prevention, Columbus Day, Halloween safety rules
Language- Assessment, High frequency words a, my, the, go, I
Math- Assessment, Patterns
Writing- Inventive writing and picture telling, sharing stories
First Grade
 Mrs. Paglucci’s and Ms. Portella’s first grade classes have had an intriguing October.
In Math, we have finished Chapter Three, Four, and Five Addition and Subtraction. We
will continue to sharpen our skills in addition and subtraction throughout the year. In
Reading, we have finished Theme One and Theme Two within the program. We worked
on beginning, middle, and end of a story as well as characters in a story. We worked on
short vowels a, i, and o. We learned new high-frequency words and learned to develop a
complete sentence using a naming part and a telling part. Our writing has also improved
by using captions under pictures, starting sentences with a capital letter, and ending them
with a period. In Science we are working on Chapter Two Plants and Animals. Both
first grades carved a pumpkin, felt the inside of it, then roasted the seeds and ate them
using all five senses. What a treat!!!
Second Grade
 Mrs. Nolan’s second grade read several stories in the new Harcourt Storytown reading
program. They enjoyed using the electronic book component in class on the Smartboard.
All student materials are available in electronic form. All of the stories that we read can
be projected on the Smartboard, with the computer reading the story the class. All
transparencies and workbook pages can be displayed on the Smartboard.
In Math, students learned about place value, skip counting, and ordering numbers up to
100. We had several lessons that had coordinating Smartboard lessons where the
children came up to the board and interacted with the problems.
In Social Studies we began to learn about being a citizen, including the rights and
responsibilities.
Mrs. Carol Goffredo from the North Arlington Woman's club visited and read an
interactive story to the class.
Mrs. Korycinski’s second grade students engaged in the following activities:
 Reading biographies about famous sports figures. Groups of students read biographies at
their instructional reading level to improve comprehension and fluency.
 Students learned to identify the genre of a story. They can now identify stories that are
fiction, nonfiction, realistic fiction, or a biography.
 In science, students learned how to classify animals into groups. They made booklets to
reinforce the information they learned about animals and their unique characteristics.
 Students are learning how to write paragraphs that include a main idea and three details.
Third Grade
Mrs. Keogh’s third grade activities included:
 Reading Center-Class wrote plot book report posters.
 Study Island- the class spends 40 min. in the computer lab working with Study Island.
 Math- created fraction posters from m&m packets to illustrate fractions: students went to
a fraction website and 3 have printed out certificates after completing the work
 Social Studies- class viewed video on Christopher Columbus and completed a worksheet.
 Character Education- 3K presented the play “Writing On the Wall” to 3H- a play about
vandalism- students wrote about what makes a “Good Citizen.”
 Class is writing letters to the soldiers.
Mrs. Harte’s third graders:
 Wrote spooky stories as part of writing workshop and then illustrated them using ghosts
and haunted houses.
 Used technology including the Smartboard, to locate a website about Christopher
Columbus to read stories and play some educational games. The children then completed
a booklet on Columbus.
 After a class discussion on bullying, Mrs. Keogh’s class came into our room and
presented a play on how harmful bullying can be.
 We continue to use Study Island. The children also have been given availability to our
books on line using their username and passwords.
Fourth Grade
 Mrs. Rotondo’s fourth grade students engaged in a writing prompt entitled “The
Heartbeat Of…” in which they shared their individual wants, fears, needs, likes and
dislikes. Each student created a unique spooky Halloween story and illustration. Mrs.
Rotondo’s fourth graders participated in a mock class election in preparation for the
November 4th presidential election.
 Mrs. Rotondo’s fourth grade Math classes surveyed and graphed data based on the
students’ favorite way to eat an Oreo cookie. Created hands on elapsed time Smart Board
lessons to facilitate learning concepts of time. Study Island has been successfully
implemented for all fourth graders in the area of mathematics.
 Mrs. Rotondo’s fourth grade Science classes investigated and classified live animals
such as bearded dragons, fire belly newts, frogs, hermit crabs, angel and beta fish based
on the animals’ characteristics.
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Mrs. Herrmann’s fourth grade Language Arts Classes are actively engaged in
Literature Circles. The 4-6 member groups are working simultaneously, each reading
different teacher approved novels and performing different tasks. The small groups of
students are enjoying discussing their novels in depth. Each student is engaged in critical
thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to their book. In addition, the
classes are reading their weekly stories in their anthology book on line using the smart
board and new Harcourt e-book technology. Reading skills taught and reinforced during
the month of October included compare and contrast, conflict and resolution, character
traits and motivations as well as making character judgments.
Mrs. Herrmann’s fourth grade Social Studies Classes are learning about democracy
and the race to the White House. Students have participated in election activities which
helped them actively learn about the national voting process. In addition, in the Social
Studies textbook students are learning about how the exploration and settlement of North
America led to changes in the area that is now New Jersey.
Fifth Grade
 Miss Jacobson’s 5th Grade Science classes continued to analyze and learn about the
roles of the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and excretory systems. The class began the
study of the processes of animal growth and reproduction. The students completed an
investigation about inherited traits. They discussed with their families which traits were
passed on through the family, such as eye color, hair color, etc.
 Miss Jacobson’s 5th Grade Math classes continued to practice the concept of rounding
whole numbers. There was a review of adding and subtracting whole numbers and
decimals. The classes also learned to estimate sums and differences of whole numbers
and decimals. The students began to apply the strategy logical thinking to solve
problems. Students solved word problems in everyday life using logical thinking.
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Mrs. Applegate’s 5th grade Reading classes continued to use the new Harcourt Reading
series, Storytown, Students were given passwords and user ID’s so that they can now
access the reading program at home.. Emphasis was placed on the focus skill of
character, literary genre, robust vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategies.
Leveled readers were used by students to reinforce skills from their text. Students are also
reading biographies and autobiographies on notable individuals and are utilizing them to
write written reports.
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Mrs. Applegate’s 5th grade Social Studies classes studied the physical features of the
five regions of the United States and the smart board was used to enhance map skills.
Students were also given passwords and user ID’s so that they can access their textbooks
at home. Students were also given Election booklets and newspaper articles to study
about the election process and the candidates running for office. They were required to
complete the booklet, as well as completing Current Event articles on the presidential
candidates.
Mrs. Applegate’s 5th grade writing class was introduced to Study Island and began
completing activities for the program. Writing skills focused on writing a short story, an
essay, and writing a letter to a soldier currently serving in the military overseas. Students
continued to work on grammar activities.
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Art
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Ms. Cronk’s Elementary Art classes K-5 worked hard to fill the schools with beautiful
autumn projects! Ms. Cronk’s kindergarten art classes created colorful fall leaves. Ms.
Cronk’s 1st grade art classes painted perfect pumpkins! Ms. Cronk’s 2nd grade classes
sculpted and painted Model Magic jack o’ lanterns. Ms. Cronk’s 3rd grade art classes
made festive Indian corn. Ms. Cronk’s 4th grade art classes learned about printmaking
and created and printed their own unique autumn compositions! Ms. Cronk’s fifth grade
art classes made abstract leaves.
English Language Learners
 Mrs. Nouravai’s first grade ELL class, we focused on the beginning, middle, and end of
the story. The students also made their own stories in class and acted them out with their
peers. At the Kindergarten level, the students became familiar with the characters in the
story, and we also worked on the robust vocabulary.
Speech
 Mrs. Hale’s students receiving speech and language services have made progress
towards mastery of the goals set forth in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Goals
have been addressed in the context of the general curriculum and/or NJCCS when
appropriate. Technology has been incorporated into therapy through use of interactive
software to address verbal reasoning goals
Music
 Mr. Mullen began instrumental lessons during this month. More than 40 Jefferson
School students take instrument lessons.
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Mr. Nicolle's fifth grade general music classes prepared reports on the history of "The
Star-Spangled Banner"; and students in grade 2 through 5 enjoyed the annual "Halloween
Songs that Tickle The Funny Bone" sing-a-long filmstrips.
Comprehensive Health & Physical Education
Ms. Doreen Terletzky, our school nurse reports:
 Continuous pediculosis screenings.
 Reviewing emergency cards, incorporating information onto health charts.
 CST evaluations.
 Screenings.
 Completed health deficit lists.
 Formulating Individualized Healthcare Plans for 2 students with serious medical
conditions.
 Organizing presentations for Gr.1 and Gr.5 from Hackensack Trauma Center.
 Monitoring immunization records. Written and verbal communication with parents of
students not in compliance with state requirements.
Basic Skills
 Mrs. Osinski and Mrs. Young are working with the new Harcourt Reading Program.
The students are learning phonics, comprehension and critical thinking skills.
 Mrs. Osinski’s BSI math students are practicing addition, subtraction, estimation and
equations with variables.
Special Ed
 Mrs. Volpe’s resource class is successfully achieving the goals and objectives set forth
in each student’s Individual Education Program (IEP). The students used the dictionary
and thesaurus skills learned in class to write scary Acrostic ghost poems for Halloween
Workshop Attendance
 Ms. Cronk attended the Art Educators of New Jersey Annual Conference on October 7,
2008. Famous artist, author and activist Faith Ringgold was the keynote speaker and
workshop presenter!
 Ms. McCrea attended several weekend symposiums in the field of early childhood
 Mrs. Paglucci is a member of the executive board of the North Jersey Council of the
International Reading Association.
Assemblies
 Interactive Halloween Magician assembly presented by the PTO
 Otto the Auto safety program sponsored by AAA in conjunction with the NAPD
Student Recognitions:
 Each month one child is selected from each class as the Student of the Month. The
decision process is a difficult one as many students regularly demonstrate extra-ordinary
effort, cooperation, kindness, a positive work ethic and learning attitude. North
Arlington’s Jefferson School teaching family is pleased to proclaim the following
children as Students of the Month of October 2008: Aylin Koseoglu, Christopher
Fontes, Ashley Montesdeoca, Alexa Paparelli, Siddhartha Das, Max Guo, Joseph
Pasquel, Jasmine Proventud, Alex Lago, Matthew Phelan, Jessica Gilmour, Theresa
D'Errico, Paige Atkinson, Nyasia Torres, Karlee Rodrigues, Louis Rodriguez, Anthony
Lemongello.
School Accomplishments
Student Council members:
o Visited all classrooms to read a story, present an activity, or read a poem for
Columbus Day depending upon the age level of the class.
 Held a fall bake sale to raise money for Thanksgiving baskets which will be
distributed to needy families in Jefferson School.
 Conducted a mock presidential election in which student council members made
posters, ballots, and ballot boxes for grades 2 to 5. Members went to each of these
classrooms and talked about the importance of the election. Note: Obama outpolled McCain.
Special Programs
 Utilized Smart Board Technology for a Back to School Night Power Point presentation.
Practicing “Thinking Outside the Box” based on October 10th’s Professional
Development workshop.
 Reading- NAWC reader read a Halloween story to the class
 Anti-Bullying Assembly
 Back to School Night
 Student Council read a Columbus story to the class
 Students wrote Thank You letters to the Rotary Club for dictionaries
 Class wrote Thank You notes to the PTO for their pumpkins
Field Trips
 Ms. McCrea’s kindergarten is planning a trip to PETCO in Clifton.
MONTH: OCTOBER
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: ROOSEVELT
Pre-K
 Mrs. Mack’s Pre-kindergarten class are been settling in nicely and learning
classroom rules and routines. This month the students learned about the life cycle of
an apple. Children tasted different varieties of apples and graphed their favorite.
Red apples are the favorite.
 Pre K students discussed what a friend is and how to make and treat fiends.
 Many stories were enjoyed by the students about apples, shapes and friends.
Kindergarten
 Mrs. Malanga’s kindergarten children were busy getting to know one another. At
home the students made books about themselves and then shared them with the
class.
 Students played Name Bingo. This activity helps the children learn to recognize and
read everyone’s name.
 Under Mrs. Malanga’s direction, students created a graph showing the number of
syllables in each child’s name.
First Grade
 Mrs. Arena’s first grade students are learning about the parts of a plant. Mrs.
Arena brought in a large sunflower containing a myriad of seeds and demonstrated
the parts of the flower. Students then labeled and colored parts of a sunflower.
Under Mrs. Arena’s supervision, students performed an experiment with the seeds
to find the seed coat.
Second Grade
 Mrs. Phalon is successfully increasing parent participation in her class. Thus far,
four (4) parents signed up to visit the class. The first parent discussed Columbus
Day, read a story and helped the students make the three ships from apples,
toothpicks and marshmallows.
Third Grade
 Mrs. Giuffre’s third grade class drew and colored diagrams of flowers and labeled
the parts of flowers. Labeling the flower diagrams also included naming the
functions of flowers parts.
 Students are learning about plant life, plant needs and how and where plants thrive.
Fourth Grade Mrs. Crismale
 Mrs. Crismale’s fourth grade class has been learning and discussing wind and its
measurements during science. They have made a windsock to measure the wind
and have documented it in their science journals.
 Mrs. Crismale’s students have been using the newspaper, The Record, to gather
information about the presidential election.
 Fourth grade has held its own election for student council representatives.
Fourth Grade Ms Jaume

Ms. Jaume’s class fourth grade class recognized Anti-Bullying Month by reading
“Felicia the Critic”. This story opened the door for constructive dialogue about the
many forms of bullying. Characters’ actions and words were analyzed to
understand their perspectives. Colorful and symbolic mobiles were created to
reflect each student’s viewpoint.
Fifth Grade
 Mrs. Badiola’s class of fifth graders has been participating in differentiated
instruction. In addition to using the Harcourt Leveled Readers, the fifth grade has
opted out in spelling and math. Students who have an average of 90 or better on
their last two math tests and pass all or part of a pretest are given the option of
opting out of the math homework, but participate in the daily lessons and
evaluations. Students scoring 100 on spelling pretests can opt out of spelling
homework and tests but must a complete a project in lieu of the work.
 The fifth grade under Mrs. Badiola’s supervision is working on leveled writing.
Based on the NJ State Holistic Writing scores generated by the previous
composition, the students are given a prompt, which requires specific components.
All prompts are on grade level but, some of the students are asked to stretch and
attempt more difficult risk.
Art
 Ms. Cronk’s art students in grades K – 5 began the school year with various name
design projects. Students created unique works of art that helped build self esteem
and recognize and celebrate individuality. Currently, the elementary students are
embarking on variety of fall themed projects, including nature collages, and
printmaking with leaves.
Music
 Mr. Mullen’s instrumental program once again has more students from Roosevelt
School than any other school. Roosevelt School and I am very proud of this fact.
ESL
 Mrs. Stringham’s ESL is now in progress. After assisting classroom teachers with
assessments and conducting her own ESL assessments, Mrs. Stringham developed
her list of ESL students and schedules. Among her students is one new
Kindergarten student who speaks no English.
World Language
 Mrs. Gonzalez’ students in Grades 4 & 5 are learning about many Spanish speaking
countries and their cultures during this month, Hispanic Heritage Month. As a fun
project, students are creating “Mascaras”, that is, festive masks used for traditional
celebrations and plays.
Computer
 Miss Tokarz’ has been implementing the Keyboarding program in grades 4 & 5.
 Emphasis is being placed on the State Technology Curriculum Standards across the
curriculum.
Special Ed
 Mrs. Whalen’s third and fourth grade class:
… decorated paper t-shirts to represent their fun summer
… wrote fabulous stories about one thing they wish they knew how to do
… are learning about Native Americans and Christopher Columbus
Resource
 Mrs. McKenna’s resource room students learned how to use adjectives to describe
themselves. Students brainstormed a list of descriptive adjectives which children
later used to construct acrostic poems regarding their first names. All finished work
is displayed in our corridors.
Speech
 Mrs. Hale’s speech and language services have begun to be provided for students in
her program. Students and schedules have been developed to accommodate student
goals that are being developed.
Nurse
 Mrs. Terletzky, our school nurse, has been monitoring student health records as per
state requirements, and formulating new student health charts. In addition, Mrs.
Terletzky has been developing the Student Health Deficit lists for our elementary
schools.
School Accomplishments
 Roosevelt School elected it Student Council members. The representatives chose
Theme Days to encourage school sprit. As its first project, the Student Council is
collecting Yoplait lids, which will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation.
Special Programs
 The students of Mrs. Badiola, Mrs. Crismale and Ms. Jaume are looking forward to
a meeting with Senator Scalera on Monday morning, October 20th. Students are
working with their teachers in preparation for this visit.

The North Arlington Fire Department conducted a fire drill at Roosevelt School
during Fire Prevention Week. Several classroom visits were made by firemen in full
suits and helmets that would be worn in a real fire to familiarize children so they
would not be afraid of them in an emergency.

Mrs. Badiola’s grade 5, Ms. Jaume’s and Mrs. Crismale’s grade 4, and Mrs.
Whelan students are participating in Mix-It-Up-Day in order to combat bullying
and harassment. On Wednesdays, once a month, the aforementioned children will
be lunching with children with whom they would not normally associate.
Homeroom teachers will assign random tables at which children will sit. It is our
hope that learning to
get along with others will lead to a friendlier and more tolerant school.

Detective Joe Prinzo, our Dare Officer, presented an assembly program on AntiBullying and Violence Awareness to Grades 3 – 5.

PTO conducted its Annual Book Fair