MONTH: January 2012
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Jefferson School
Kindergarten
 Miss McCrea’s Kindergarten began their study of numbers larger than ten. The
children became familiar with the use of ten frames to demonstrate number 1120, as well as multiple sets of 10. This will lead to the skills they will study next
– counting by 5’s and 10’s.
 Mrs. Northrop’s Kindergarten is moving ahead in literacy. They are reading
books, writing and illustrating their own stories, and playing word basketball,
which reinforces their high frequency words.
First Grade
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Mrs. Pereira and Mrs. Paglucci's first grade classes have been working on
digraphs and continuing to review vowel sounds in Reading, as well as,
capitalization of names, places, days of the week, months and holidays.
In Math, the students have been modeling and comparing two-digit numbers to
determine which is less than, greater than and equal to.
In Science, we have been exploring how plants and animals live.
We have also been working diligently on the mid-year benchmark assessment
(Reading).
Second Grade
 Mrs. Nolan's second grade read leveled readers in small groups. Students also
worked on individual and partner learning centers reinforcing concepts learned in
class.
 Mrs. Palermo’s second grade studied four environments (arctic, desert,
rainforest, woodland forest) and in groups drew murals depicting their selected
environment and the animals found in each.
Third Grade
 Mrs. Buchanan’s third grade class has been learning about the various types of
ecosystems that make up the earth. The students were put into small groups of 3
and were given an individual ecosystem to study and create. Each group made a
large poster of their ecosystem, labeling the parts that made their system so
unique.
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Mrs. Korycinski's third grade class is corresponding with third graders in
Hawaii! The students living in Hawaii attend school on the island of Oahu. The
school is located on a military base and most of the children attending this
particular school have a parent serving in the military in some capacity. The
students in Mrs. Korycinski's class have written the first letters to their pen pals
and are anxiously waiting to hear from their new friends across the globe soon.
Fourth Grade
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Mrs. Rotondo’s fourth grade students created unique New Year resolutions.
Students engaged in oral activity in which children complimented another peer. A
self-esteem boosting short story was read by students. Students read Martin
Luther King Jr’s biography. Students shared what they felt was most memorable
about MLK.
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Mrs. Rotondo’s fourth graders created Snowy Similie books utilizing
technology.
Mrs. Rotondo’s fourth grade science students created unique tornadoes.
Students presented tornadoes and written presentations to their peers.
All fourth grade students attended The Meadowlands Environmental Center. We
engaged in hands-on activities dealing with the Solar System and solar energy.
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Mrs. Herrmann’s 4th grade Language Arts Classes read five short stories with
a variety of genres. Reading skills taught and reinforced included fact and
opinion, theme, and cause and effect relationships. Students are also engaged in
reading independently for 20 minutes per day. In addition, small groups are
working on their reading fluency using Reader’s theater scripts. In preparation for
the NJASK4 in May, students are using the Study Island program.
Fifth Grade
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Mrs. Applegate’s Fifth Grade Social Studies spent time examining the role of
Martin Luther King and his impact on societies, not only in the United States but
throughout the world. Students viewed a DVD with parts that were documented
pictures of some key parts of Dr. King’s life. Students read a selection about his
life and works. Students were then asked to write essays in which they expressed
Dr. King’s ideology with regard to the Civil Rights Movement. They also were
asked to include their personal reactions as to how Dr. King’s work has
influenced their lives and the lives of their family and friends.
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Miss Jacobson’s 5th Grade Math classes learned how to multiply numbers by 1digit, 2-digit, and 3-digit numbers. Students learned the step-by-step process of
multiplication. Students learned to multiply decimals using double digit
multiplication. Students will multiply normally and then place the decimal point.
The classes were familiarized with Standardized Test Prep Materials. Students
will work on materials in Data Analysis & Probability, Measurement, Number
Sense, Operations, and Algebraic Thinking.
Art
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Mrs. Sanchez’s art classes celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. with a variety of age appropriate projects focusing on equality and
justice. Art students illustrated how they could continue Dr. King’s dream each
day. Fifth grade arts students also began a cross curricular lesson bridging art and
science to help the world’s endangered polar bear population.
Music
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Mr. Nicolle’s music class Grade 3 viewed Holiday Programs, wrote individual
critiques on the performances, and began Recorder study; Grade 4 viewed
Holiday Programs, wrote individual critiques on the performances, and began
Music Notation study; and Grade 5 viewed Holiday Programs, wrote individual
critiques on the performances, and began Study on The Beatles.
Mr. Mullen's general music classes have been learning the fundamentals of
reading and writing music. They are working towards becoming "composers".
The instrumental classes have been working hard preparing for their annual
"Parent Night" in February with Dr. Stringham.
Comprehensive Health & Physical Education
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Mr Cioffi’s Physical education classes have been working hard into the winter
break. Grades K-2 has been working on developing the proper techniques towards
the game of basketball. They have been using skills such as dribbling, passing,
and shooting. Grades 3-5 will be finishing up working on the grant that they were
awarded. After the break they will begin working on a project title “Running
across America.”
World Language
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Mrs. Baeza’s third grade classes learned about the weather. Students looked at
posters of different weather and stated in Spanish, how the weather was outside
that particular day.
Counselor
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Ms. Hourihan has continued to meet with fourth and fifth graders for classroom
guidance lessons during the month of January. Students recently had a discussion
about the importance of treating each other respectfully and not calling each other
hurtful names in honor of National No Name-Calling Week. National No Name-
Calling Week first started in 2004 and was inspired by a book entitled, “The
Misfits” by James Howe.
Special Ed
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Mrs. Volpe’s Resource class read and discussed Martin Luther King Jr.
addressing the times and the man, his accomplishments, and how they affect us
today. Our goal is to have all students reach the goals and objectives set forth in
their Individual Education Programs (IEP).
ELL
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Mrs. Nouravi's 4th & 5th grades ELLs students learned how to organize story
elements such as the characters, setting, plot, and conflict of the story using a
graphic organizer. In addition, the students provided further details and evidence
to explain how and why the story elements are presented or sequenced.
BSI
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Ms. Maier’s BSI reading / literacy classes focused on the common core
standards to address and develop college and career readiness anchor standards
for reading. The focus of instruction targeted the key ideas and details of the
common core state standards for English language arts and literacy. Students read
closely to interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how
specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Highlights
Roosevelt School
January 2012
Pre-K-Ms. Mack
This month Pre-K students have been busy working on their fine motor skills. They
practiced coloring, cutting, and pasting. We also learned about Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. and about being kind to one another. We read stories about friendship and about Dr.
King.
Kindergarten-Ms. Malanga
Mrs. Malanga's class continued learning about,“The Gingerbread Man” folktale in
January. The children heard many different versions of the story. They compared the
various endings.The children then decided to write their own version of the story. The
class wrote,“The Gingerbread Man Goes to the City!” The students illustrated the story
and created a three dimensional city diorama.This literacy unit tied in with a social
studies theme about the places people live.
Kindergarten-Ms. Hennessy
Ms. Hennessy’s class made gingerbread cookies and read several versions of The
Gingerbread Man. We also started making "time capsules" that hold various writing
pieces to our "future selves" and information about 2011. We decorated the time capsule
boxes and put a sign on them that read: "Do not open until the year 2022." We also
completed a model of our community using clay and by looking at North Arlington on
Google Earth.
First Grade-Ms. Arena
The first grade wrote riddles for their Writing Workshop activity this month. The
children brought in an item they received for the holidays and described it by writing the
riddle. The rest of the class had to guess what it was before the student showed it. It was
called, "Tell and Show".
Second Grade-Ms. Phalon
Second graders are busy learning writing techniques that will help to prepare them for the
NJASK in the future.
Third Grade-Ms. Giuffre
Students have been learning to identify literary genres of fiction and nonfiction. They
have worked in small groups and individually to complete various activities which enable
them to recognize the many types of genre. They are encouraged to choose books from
each type of genre from our classroom library to expand their repertoire of fiction and
nonfiction books.
Fourth Grade-Ms. Crismale
The fourth grade is busy working on their Black History Month presentations. They will
present these to their classmates.
Fifth Grade-Ms. DiTommaso
For Mix-it-Up at lunch, students in 5th grade sat with Kindergarten and assisted them
through the lunch period.
Fifth Grade-Mrs. Whalen
Ms. Whalen's fifth grade class has been observing and studying, red bellied toads. These
are the new additions to their science class. The students have written in their journals
about the toads’ activities and the changes in their environment. They will continue
doing this throughout the school year.
Spanish-Mrs. Baeza
Mrs. Baeza’s third grade classes learned about the weather. Students looked at posters of
different weather and described the weather in Spanish.
Music-Mr. Mullen
Mr. Mullen's general music classes have been learning the fundamentals of reading and
writing music.
They are working towards becoming "composers".
The instrumental classes have been working hard preparing for their annual "Parent
Night" in February with Dr. Stringham.
Music-Mr. Nicolle
Grades 3, 4, and 5 have been reviewing the Holiday Concert and writing critiques on
their class and the other classes.
Art-Mrs. Sanchez
Mrs. Sanchez’s art classes celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
with a variety of age appropriate projects focusing on equality and justice. Art students
illustrated how they could continue Dr. King’s dream each day. Fifth grade arts students
also began a cross curricular lesson bridging art and science to help the world’s
endangered polar bear population.
ESL-Mrs. Stringham
Kindergarten – students continue to learn/reinforce letter of the week through stories with
comprehension and writing intertwined.
Grade 1 – students learned about various animals in different type climates.
Grade 2 – students researched a rainforest animals based on the story, “Rainforest
Babies.”
Grade 3 – students learned and researched a part of a tree and wrote 5 facts about that tree
part.
Grade 4 – students wrote 5 causes and solutions based on book, “Forest Fires.”
Grade 5 – students continue to learn vocabulary for weekly stories; students have
researched their country and shared the information in class.
Physical Education-Ms. Vespoli
Ms. Vespoli has been gearing up for her first, “Jump Rope for Heart”, event with grades
3, 4, and 5. The students have been working hard to get ready for the big day!
BSI-Ms. Young
Mrs. Young’s reading groups are continuing to learn new vocabulary words and are
practicing reading fluency.
Mrs. Young’s math classes are working on addition, subtraction with regrouping, long
division and multiplication.
Washington School
Monthly Highlights
January 2012
Pre-K 3 (Mrs. Porfido)
Mrs. Porfido’s class learned all about winter. The children learned about the weather
during the winter time and the different articles of clothing that they wear during that
season. Students utilized the Smart Board to learn winter vocabulary and to match words
to pictures.
Pre-K 3 (Ms. Depken)
Ms. Depken’s Pre-K class welcomed 2012 with special New Year crafts. They decorated
noise makers and hats to ring in the New Year at home with their families! They also
have been learning to trace 2012 using all different types of materials. The children had
so much fun celebrating 2012 and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store
for them!
Pre-K a.m. (Mrs. Johnson)
Mrs. Johnson's Pre-K class has been learning about cold weather, families, and animal
habitats and homes. They've explored characteristics and homes that help animals
survive where they live. The children sorted and measured their own cold weather
clothing such as scarves, and they designed their own mittens using ribbon, lace, buttons,
and markers. They also used family pictures to count members of their families, and
students are learning their own addresses and phone numbers. Of course, they also
listened to and discussed many stories about these topics. In this way, they were able to
link social studies, math, science, art, and language arts.
Pre-K p.m. (Mrs. Luciano)
Mrs. Luciano’s Pre-K class enjoyed reading a variety of Gingerbread stories. They
celebrated this unit with gingerbread cookies as they told of their favorite story.
In Science the children are just finishing up a unit on Life Science. They enjoyed
learning about the five senses as well as living things. The children expressed their own
thoughts in their Science Discovery Journals. This is a wonderful opportunity to
introduce our youngest learners to the writing experience.
K-1 (Ms. Paserchia)
Miss Paserchia’s kindergarten- first grade class engaged all five senses in learning about
New Year’s Day and the many ways to celebrate it. Students learned how to count
backwards and explored their sense of hearing through New Year’s noisemakers. They
watched celebratory fireworks and loved to see the ball drop. The children tasted and
smelled some holiday treats and used different textures to make decorations. Our New
Year’s party was a hit!
Kindergarten – 2nd (Mrs. Kosiakowski)
Mrs. Kosiakowski's class learned about the five senses in January. The children smelled
different spices and what food it made them think of. One of the students brought in fruit
for the class to taste. Students touched different objects and described how they felt. The
class listened to a piece of music and wrote in their journals about what it made them
think about. The students discussed how important the sense of sight is and talked about
their favorite things to look at. It was fun to learn about how important our senses are!
Kindergarten (Mrs. Dillon)
Mrs. Dillon’s kindergarten class learned about numbers to thirty. They often warm up to
Dr. Jean’s “Numeral Song” to help practice the correct number formation. With the use
of music, handwriting practice becomes more fun!
Grade 1 (Mrs. Wei)
Mrs. Wei’s First Grade students talked about Martin Luther King, Jr. and why he was
important. They also discussed his dream. Students then wrote about their own dreams
for their “Tree of Dreams” display. Our hallway is unique!
Grade 2 (Miss Palmer)
Miss Palmer’s class learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. The class discussed his dream,
what he stood for, and the changes he made for our country. Each student then
constructed their own dream booklet containing their dream and the changes they would
like to see. They are all so special.
Grade 2 (Mrs. Haag)
Mrs. Haag’s second grade class presented their Paper Bag Book Reports to the class.
Each child read a book of their choice, decorated a paper bag, and filled it with five items
to help them retell the story to their classmates.
Grade 2 (Miss. Pusaver)
Miss Pusaver’s second grade class read the story Flat Stanley. They then sent out Flat
Stanley letters to family members and friends. The students are just starting to receive
letters back from all over the country and the world. Flat Stanley has even been to Paris,
France!
Grades 3 – 4 (Mrs. Cutruzzula)
Mrs. Cutruzzula’s third and fourth grade class listened to the Read Along book Martin
Luther King, Jr. The students discussed the changes Dr. King wanted to make and the
dream he had for the equal treatment of all people. They completed a sequencing activity
on the smart board by arranging the important events in Martin Luther King, Jr’s life in
the correct order.
Grade 3 (Ms. Mielke)
Ms. Mielke’s third graders were very busy getting ready for winter. In Language Arts,
the students wrote a Realistic Fiction story about a snowman. During Art class, Mrs.
Sanchez helped them bring their stories to life by creating snowmen with clay. In
Technology, the students wrote poems about winter and typed them on their laptop using
various fonts and color! What a great way to begin the season!
Grade 3 (Mrs. Phelps)
Mrs. Phelps’ third grade class was diligently working on collages of North Arlington
during the month of January. Students brought in pictures from magazines, newspapers,
and the internet to create realistic collages of North Arlington. Our work is displayed in
our classroom and hallway. In addition, students learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
by exploring Brainpop and books. Lastly, learners have been working hard to memorize
their multiplication facts. They have utilized and created “math bags” which have their
own personal flash cards to reinforce facts, and they created multiplication problems using
an egg carton with partners.
Grade 4 (Ms. Verrier)
Ms. Verrier’s 4th graders learned about the sun at the Meadowland’s Environment
Center. Students learned specifically about how the sun gives off heat, light, and energy.
Grade 5 (Mrs. Sauchelli)
Mrs. Sauchelli’s fifth grade class worked collaboratively on building their classroom
terrarium earlier this month. The students first brainstormed on what should go into the
habitat and agreed on putting in three red bellied toads, crickets and meal worms. The
class also planted four plants and made a little “pond” for the toads. The students are
observing the habitat on a weekly basis and are taking notes in their Science journals.
Once the habitat was complete, the students took turns bringing the terrarium around to
the other classrooms which all students truly enjoyed.
Resource (Mrs. Keegan)
Mrs.Keegan's third grade Resource Class has been working on multiplication facts using
the Smartboard. The students have been competing with one another in various
interactive games to see who knows their multiplication facts the best.
BSI (Mrs. Drozdowski)
Mrs. Drozdowski’s Basic Skills students have been working on their reading and writing
skills. In fifth grade the students read tall tales and discussed the uses of figurative
language and imagery in the writing. The fourth graders worked on chapter books in a
literature circle. In third grade the students created acrostic winter poems and published
them using Microsoft word. The second grade students compared fiction and nonfiction
writing. The first graders have been working hard on their reading skills and began their
third reader for the school year. In kindergarten the students have started to write
sentences using their sight words.
Art (Ms. Sanchez)
Mrs. Sanchez’s art classes celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
with a variety of age appropriate projects focusing on equality and justice. Art students
illustrated how they could continue Dr. King’s dream each day. Fifth grade arts students
also began a cross curricular lesson bridging art and science to help the world’s
endangered polar bear population. Third grade art students participated in a cross
curricular lesson involving realistic fiction writing about snowmen coming to life and in
art class they sculpted these characters with Model Magic.
Music (Mr. Mullen)
Mr. Mullen's general music classes have been learning the fundamentals of reading and
writing music. They are working towards becoming "composers". The instrumental
classes have been working hard preparing for their annual "Parent Night" in February
with Dr. Stringham.
Music (Mr. Nicolle)
Grades 3-4-5 have been reviewing the Holiday Concert and writing critiques on their
class and the other classes.
Pre- K – grade 2 have been reviewing the Holiday Concert and giving verbal critiques.
Physical Education (Ms. Vespoli)
Ms. Vespoli is gearing up for her first Jump Rope for Heart event with grades 3, 4, and 5.
The students are very excited and working head to prepare for the big day.
World Language (Mrs. Baeza)
Mrs. Baeza’s third grade classes learned about the weather. Students looked at posters of
different weather and stated in Spanish how the weather was outside that particular day.
Speech (Mrs. Hornstein)
Students in Mrs. Hornstein’s speech and language therapy sessions have spent the month
of January using the themes of New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King and winter to
develop their expressive and receptive language skills, to expand their vocabularies and
to build more syntactically mature sentence structure during both oral and written
expression activities.
School Nurse (Ms. DeVenio)
Ms. DeVenio congratulated all the students and families who participated in the Kids
Cook Mondays’ challenge. They all enjoyed healthy meals they made together. In
collaboration with Ms.Vespoli, the students combined fun exercise games with learning
about fruits and vegetables for the Eat Right, Play Hard Challenge.
Student Council
The Student Council participated in the "Souper Bowl of Caring" during the months of
January and February The meaningful event encourages youth across America to fight
hunger in their own community during the Super Bowl football season. Various nonperishable food items were collected and donated to the Queen of Peace Food Pantry.
MONTH: ___January 2012_____
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Mathematics
 Mrs. Neubauer’s 6th grade Math classes worked on adding and subtracting
fractions. They will begin multiplication and division of fractions upon
completion of midterm exams. They continued to add words to the math word
wall in the classroom as well.
 In Miss Maucione’s 7th grade Math class, the students continued with percent of
change. They were asked to find five coupons that represented percent of change.
Each coupon had to be glued to poster paper and had to include all the work
needed to find the percent of change. All of the students exceled at this topic and
really enjoyed working on the posters.
 Rounding out the first half of the school year, the students in Miss Mezzina’s 8th
grade Math classes have successfully completed through chapter six in their
textbooks. The students recently studied, in depth, functions and graphs. They
began by expressing relations as tables, sets of ordered pairs, and then as graphs.
The students also solved linear equations for a given domain and/or range, and
graphed the linear equations. In addition, they learned how to determine if a
relation is a function and how to use functional notation. Finally, the students
were introduced to using direct and inverse variation.
 The students in Mrs. Macari’s 6th grade Math class explored the world of
fractions, decimals, and percents. The students understood these concepts by
reading number lines, ordering numbers, finding the probability of different
events, and recognizing where fractions, decimals, and percents have showed up
outside of school. They also learned to estimate and add and subtract while
performing these operations in word problems.
 In Mrs. Araujo's Basic Skills Math class the students explored rational numbers,
learned to multiply and divide fractions, as well as how to add and subtract like
and unlike fractions. They also learned how to convert fractions to decimals,
factor numbers, and determine the least common multiple. They examined
measure of central tendency. The students also learned to solve equations and
identify sequences.
Language Arts
 Mrs. Duff's sixth grade Reading classes finished reading a novel entitled WALK
TWO MOONS by Sharon Creech. In the story, the characters learned about
Pandora's Box, which is part of Greek Mythology. Each student made a list of
good things and one evil thing they would put into their own box. Each student
wrote and explained each item chosen for their box. It was very interesting to
learn what each student considered a rewarding gift from Zeus and what they
considered a punishment. The students presented their Pandora's Box to the class.
 This month in support of “No Name - Calling Week”, Mrs. Boyd's Writing class
focused on the topic of bullying. The students viewed a video entitled "Bullied"
and responded in an essay form as to how they could personally help prevent
bullying in our school. The students were given the essay planner used in the
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recent writing workshop to use as a tool to help organize their ideas. They also
wrote poems about creating peace in our school using a recipe poem format. The
seventh graders came up with some creative ideas for promoting peace and nonviolence in our school.
Miss Keeler’s 8th grade Reading classes spent the month of January sharpening
their detective skills as they read several short stories. Several of the stories were
written by the prolific American short-story writer O. Henry. A master of surprise
endings, whose narratives combined humor and emotional appeal with an ironic
twist of plot, O. Henry wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City.
Cooperative and independent activities required students to focus on literacy skills
such as characterization, making inferences, verbal irony, and investigating
character motivation.
Mrs. Callahan's 8th grade Writing classes concluded their unit on Expository
Writing--Responding to a quote by honoring Dr. King. The students were
required to write an essay, relating to themselves and the world, based on Dr.
King's famous, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate
cannot drive out hate, only love can do that" quote. In addition, to better enable
the students the write the essay, time was spent discussing Dr. King's own life
situations and how he, himself, responded to adversities.
o Mrs. Callahan's 7th grade Reading class concluded its unit on the
Holocaust by reading the memoir, “Diary of a War Child”. The students
focused on vocabulary development in addition to the differences between
a memoir and an autobiography and a memoir and historical fiction. The
students then compared and contrasted the experiences of Daniel in
“Daniel's Story” to the experiences of Gertrud in “Diary of a War Child”.
o Mrs. Callahan's 6th grade Reading classes spent the month of January
reading and responding to various short stories. The students learned the
elements of a short story and were able to identify the theme of each story
they read.
Mrs. Coughlin’s 8th grade Reading classes typed out a two page report about the
biographies they had chosen to read as their personal reading books for the second
marking period. The students learned how to use Microsoft Office Word and also
how to attach their reports to an email, as they had the option to email their papers
to Mrs. Coughlin’s school email address. This assignment had the students focus
on their book’s topic person, learn what type of work goes into writing a longer
length paper, and some constructive computer use.
Mrs. Helms’ 7th grade Reading class began reading the novel, “The Devil’s
Arithmetic” by Jane Yolen. In the novel, the main character Hannah gets
transported back in time to the Holocaust. Being from the present day, Hannah
knew what horrors awaited her and the people of her village. Hannah had to stay
strong and fight to remain alive during this horrific time. The students enjoyed
reading the novel this month especially since it correlated with their social studies
curriculum.
Mrs. Kowalczyk's Writing 6 learned two new plans for essay writing. One was
the "Giant T" and the other was a "CPW". Both can be used on the NJASK
depending on which genre of writing is on the test. The students were given
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different writing prompts to use the planners with in order to prepare for the NJ
ASK 6 test in April. They worked both individually and in groups on these
writing tasks. Furthermore, in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., the students
were given one of his great inspirational quotes. The quote was, “Everyone has
the power for greatness, not for fame but greatness, because greatness is
determined by service”. The students wrote their own interpretation of the quote
and then the class discussed everyone's response.
Mrs. Fisher's Writing class focused on bullying. The class discussed the new
H.I.B. Law and watched a video called, “Bullied”. The video was about a young
man named, Jamie Nabozny. Jamie was bullied throughout his middle and high
school years. The students were touched by his account. After introducing
explanatory writing, students used information from both the video and the New
Jersey H.I.B. Law to include in their writing pieces.
The students in Miss Maucione’s Writing class worked on No Name Calling
poems. As a class, they read poems and stories that dealt with bullying and name
calling. They also discussed these poems as a class and created their own poems
on the topic.
Miss Neubauer's Writing class discussed “No Name Calling Week”. They
discussed why name calling is such a problem, and wrote Dear Abby letters
regarding name calling issues. Other students acted as "Abby" and wrote back to
the original letters. In addition, the writing class recently started a pen pal
program with sixth grade students in Nutley.
"Convince me why you should not have homework tonight." Ms. Demetroules's
Writing class was thrilled to hear those words - until they were informed that it
would take a well thought out five paragraph essay to complete the task! In an
effort to prepare for the NJASK, the students have moved onto the
Argumentative/Persuasive genre of writing. Ms. Demetroules's students have
taken on the challenge of convincing our Board of Education to "implement an
extra month of summer vacation" and a "no homework policy" - issues that they
are extremely passionate about!
Mrs. Roller's English Language Learners read biographies of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. in preparation for a discussion of his life and his importance in American
history.
World Languages (Mrs. Marchese)
 The sixth graders learned the song “Eres tu”. They danced to the “Macarena” and
“El Cha Cha Slide”.
 The seventh and eighth graders learned the song “La Bamba”. They also reviewed
other songs like “Eres Tu”, “Rie”, “Llora” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”.
 The eighth graders made a menu which included all the Spanish foods they
learned.
Social Studies
 Ms. Demetroules's Social Studies students wrapped up their exploration of
Ancient Egypt. The students participated in an internet-based scavenger hunt on
King Tut; finding information such as his real birth name and what mysterious
object was included in his infamous tomb. The 6th graders also learned how to
write their name in Egyptian hieroglyphics, while learning about the ancient
writing system.
 Mr. Barber’s Social Studies classes have, after a month and a half, finally
completed their “Create a Nation” projects. Here, the students were asked to
create their own country with as little limitations as possible put on them to allow
for maximum creativity. Every project was to have both a visual and a written
piece handed in to receive full credit. The visual was to be put on a poster board
and all had to have the following: a unique flag, a map of their country, the name
of their country, the flags of five allies, the flags of five enemies, at least seven
examples of their nation’s money, and three main exports. The written
components the students handed in described, in detail, what made their nation
one of a kind. Here, the classes were asked to write a 1-2 page brief history of
their nation that should have been written as if it were going to appear in a text
book, a 1-2 page constitution that outlined the laws of their nation, a paragraph
outlining the history between their nation and each ally and enemy, 2-3
paragraphs describing their flag and one paragraph describing why other nations
are willing to buy the three exports they put on their poster from them. Overall,
Mr. Barber was very pleased with the end results of these projects and cannot wait
to do more fun assignments like this with the students.
Science
 Mrs. Rinzivillo’s sixth grade students learned about populations, communities,
ecosystems, and symbiotic relationships in science class. The students completed
a lab called “Elbow Room”. During this lab, the students had to complete a
puzzle while staying within a one meter by one meter square. This demonstrated
how space is a limiting factor. In addition, the students also completed a lab
based on the mark and recapture technique. This lab demonstrated how
population calculations are done. Furthermore, to demonstrate what students
learned about symbiosis, they completed a group assignment in which they
worked together on a comic strip like poster to explain a type of symbiotic
relationship. Many students became very creative and enjoyed this task.
 Mrs. Galante’s 7th grade Science students completed their study on the Geologic
Time Scale. After studying and researching how life began, changed, and
developed, the students were asked to become geologic time travel agents. The
students chose a time period they enjoyed learning about and designed a travel
brochure to go along with the chosen time period. For example, the Jurassic time
period was when dinosaurs ruled. Using the information taught to the students,
they made-up hotels, restaurants, activities, safety precautions, and what they
needed to pack for their adventure. The travel brochures had to be created and
designed to convince the reader to visit their time period. The students enjoyed
this activity and shared them with their classmates.
 In Mr. Haines’ Science class, the students were busy preparing for the ASK8
exams working on techniques of test taking as well as reviewing previous
standardized tests. The students finished the physics portion of the curriculum
using the Rutgers University Middle School Modules Kinematics and Dynamics
including writing and interpreting functions “x(t) = and v(t)=”. The students
began the chemistry portion of the curriculum. They studied matter and how it
changes the atomic theories of Bohr and Rutherford.
Art (Mrs. Branco)
 The 6th Grade had lessons using line and color, which are two of the elements of
art. They created color blending projects by blending the edged of crayon into
each other. This project used the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. The
students were also shown the element of value using color and adding either black
or white to the hue; they were not required to incorporate that into their projects.
Furthermore, the students then created a series of four upside down drawings, i.e.
this is a classic art lesson in which the students use the right side of their brain to
do something creative where your mind changes the image into a series of lines.
The students did an amazing job on this project.
 The7th grade students had a lecture and slide show on Art History. This lecture
covered from Prehistoric/Cave art to the impressionist era. The students were
encouraged to ask questions and participate in conversations about the works they
were seeing. They also were taught the background stories of many of the works
and historical significance of the different Art Eras. The students began the first
drawing project which was to create a value scale with nine stages of value. They
then incorporated these values into their simple into complex drawings, where the
students used drawing guides to create complex images using basic shapes. The
students also participated in the “No Name Calling Week” and created posters
with positive quotes to decorate the classroom.
 The 8th grade students did a huge project using the historical era of Op Art. They
created two completely different works of art, one included creating a correctly
measured grid and layered shapes, and the other was made up of ONLY layered
shapes. The students used sharpie markers to color in both their grids AND their
layered shape project. They did an amazing job of combining colors and creating
dynamic works of art. Furthermore, the students previewed a lecture and slide
show on Art History covering the eras from Impressionist Art up to current artists
who are creating art today. The students were encouraged to ask questions and
participate in the conversations about the works they are seeing.
Music
Comprehensive Health & Physical Education
 This month in Physical Education the students were given the opportunity to play
the ever-anticipated Floor Hockey Unit. The sixth graders learned the basics:
passing, shooting, and ball control. The seventh graders learned how to put the
skills they learned last year to work in developing offensive plays during the
games. Finally, the eighth graders got the opportunity to choose their own teams,
make team names, and compete in a tournament. All of the students did a great
job in this unit!
Computers
 Mr. Guanci’s 7th grade Computer class was able to create an Acrostic Poem about
Martin Luther King, Jr. The students created the poem using Microsoft Word.
The teacher instructed the students on the different tools, such as borders,
shading, and inserted pictures from clip art. The students also changed the font
size, color, and style. The students researched Dr. King using the internet. They
all worked together and discussed Dr. King’s accomplishments from what they
learned researching his life.
Special Ed
 Mrs. D. Brown's 6th Grade Reading Literature Class created a project to
accompany the book, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. The students
worked with a classmate to create a menu and a written summary of a party event
that occurred in the story. The class planned out and illustrated the menu. They
also wrote an essay that described the party and the effect on the characters. The
group projects were shared with the rest of the class.
 The students in Mrs. C. Brown’s 6th grade Science class participated in three
projects/labs with Mrs. Rinzivillo’s Period 9 class this month. The first lab was
called “Elbow Room” and taught the students how space is a limiting factor to
animals. The second lab was based on learning the mark and recapture technique
used in calculating populations. The third and final project for the month of
January was a group assignment that taught the students about the three different
types of symbiosis. In this project, the students had to create a comic strip like
poster to explain one symbiotic relationship.
 The students in Ms. Tzakis' class explored the fight to end Separate but Equal in
honor of Black History Month. The students studied the plight of Thurgood
Marshall and the NAACP who fought for the desegregation of southern public
schools. The students also wrote reflections that compared past discriminations to
current events and made connections to their own experiences. Overall, the
students learned that by excluding a group it was sending a message of
insensitivity and a lack of tolerance.
School Accomplishments (i.e. clubs, fundraisers, food drives, performances etc.)
 Mrs. D. Brown’s Reading class set a goal as a group to read independently for
more than 1,035 minutes (Marking Period 1). They surpassed their goal and read
a total of 2,514 minutes. They are very proud of their achievement.
 The Middle School participated with the VFW, Junior Women’s Club, and the
North Arlington Honor Society in making generous contributions to families
during the holiday season.
Special Programs (i.e. Battle of the Books, Read Across America, DIRT assembly)
 Mr. Haines and Ms. Keeler brought 14 students from the North Arlington Middle
School Shakespeare club to Mahwah High School to participate in their annual
Shakespeare festival. The actors performed three scenes from Shakespeare’s “A
Midsummer’s Night Dream” and they were enthusiastically received by their
audience.
North Arlington High School
January 2012 Report
I. Curriculum and Instruction and Implementation of Objectives:
English Department

Mrs. Albuquerque’s English IV Regular and Honor students reviewed how to
develop an MLA works cited page and submitted it as a first draft with sources
being researched for the thesis paper. Students also reviewed all of the assigned
novels and literature evaluated since September in preparation for the midterm
examinations. Students cooperatively traced themes developed within the plots
and effect on the readers. Specific scenes and quotes were evaluated to validate
students’ responses and interpretations. Students also analyzed the repercussions
of Name Calling by synthesizing several scenarios during No Name Calling week.

Mrs. Albuquerque’s Journalism students continued composing open-ended
interview questions in order to record more formal interviews and upload them to
the website.

In Mrs. Burns' English 3 students have just completed the study of the
foundational texts from the Civil War such as, The Gettysburg Address as well as
the works of Frederick Douglass and Walt Whitman. In preparation for Black
History Month as well as No Name Calling Week students have begun reading
different novels about social casts and discrimination such as Huckleberry Finn,
Native Son, and Brave New World.

In Mrs. Burns' English 3 Honors students have just complete their unit on
Macbeth. For each scene, students worked collaboratively in teams and each
team taught mini-lessons on each scene. Presentations focused on summary,
analysis, and synthesis of figurative devices used by Shakespeare.

In Mrs. Burns' Propaganda of Genocide and Oppression students are
continuing to study a unit on Settler Colonialism. Students have just finished a
study of the colonial powers in Asia now we are looking at the birth of English
Colonialism with the Ulster Plantations in Ireland.

Mrs. Hughes’ English I continued with the Poetry Unit by studying narrative
poetry and completed a re-write and recitation of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18.

Mrs. Hughes’ English I Honors completed their study of the Sophocles’ Greek
tragedy Antigone. In conjunction with the reading, students were introduced to the
Theater of Dionysius and constructed replicas of the ancient theater.

Mrs. Hughes’ Advanced Placement English IV began their close reading of the
short stories in the Bedford Anthology. Each week, students are quizzed on
Biblical and Mythological Allusions to prepare them for the AP Exam in May.
Finally, students completed their 11th formal writing assessment based on the AP
Literature and Language Free Response questions, their 4th Independent Critical
Analysis of a Literary Work, and their 5th Independent Reading Assignment with
selections pulled from the AP Canon.

Mrs. Hughes’ HSPA class has been working on the persuasive writing section of
the HSPA. The students utilize The Learning Network on the New York Times
blog http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/ for a weekly persuasive essay. In
addition, they utilize the software on www.studyisland.com weekly. All classes
prepped for the mid-term exams by completing extensive reviews beginning the
week of the 23rd.

Ms.Ingannamorte would like to thank all of the parents who attended
conferences this month. Ms. Ingannamorte’s English IV class is continuing to
hone their writing skills and is busy completing the process of writing a research
based thesis paper.

Ms. Ingannamorte’s Creative Writing class has completed writing short stories
but the highlight of this month was writing six word memoirs. It was a cathartic
experience.

Ms. Ingannamorte’s English IV class and Creative Writing class are preparing
for midterms as well.

Ms. Shaver’s English I began a poetry unit and analyzed a variety of poetry
forms. In addition, the students wrote and illustrated their own Six-Word
memoirs, Haiku and Tanka poems, and longer extended metaphor poems.
Students studied works by noted poets from both Western and Latin cultural
backgrounds as well as other teens published in Smith Magazine.

Ms. Shaver’s English II classes continued the unit on Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar. Students rewrote sections of the play in modern English and performed
these plays in class. In addition, students began longer term projects allowing for
creative expression and choice with a variety of project options offered.

Mrs. Turner Turano’s English II class completed the play Julius Caesar.
They then worked cooperatively to re-write a scene of their choice in a modern
setting.

Mrs. Turner Turano’s English II Honors class also completed Julius Caesar
along with the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The class then viewed the movie To
Kill a Mockingbird and wrote a short comparative essay.

Mrs. Turner Turano’s English III classes have completed their study of The
Civil War period. They studied the writings of poets Walt Whitman and Emily
Dickinson and evaluated how their writing impacted the genre of poetry. The
class has also begun to read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and has
been analyzing the theme of alienation along with evaluating the role of religion
in Puritan society. The class has also used Edmodo as a forum for taking online
reviews and discussions. They also continue to participate in weekly virtual
literature circles using www.wikispace.com All classes have continued to prepare
for the HSPA by using Study Island and completely writing assignments at least
once a month via turnitin.com.
Social Studies Department

Mr. Coughlin’s PEG class felt the motivations for the English Civil War through
a simulation in which each of the students was assigned a role and had to choose
whether to fight for or against the king.

Mr. Coughlin’s US History I class compared facts about the Whiskey Rebellion
to the account presented in the textbook to look for signs of bias.

Mr. Coughlin’s US History II class used primary source photographs to analyze
the styles and impact of the First World War.

Ms. Ingannamorte’s Sociology classes have studied group behavior and are
applying their findings to working in groups successfully. They have applied
these strategies to their preparation for their midterm exam working in study
groups.

Mrs. Kusher’s U.S. II classes learned about yellow journalistic reporting during
the Spanish-American War. Students recreated front page news articles from the
time period, drew an illustration and wrote a story using the technique of yellow
journalism.

Mrs. Kusher’s US I classes have been studying the Constitution and discussed
how the Constitution is a living document still affecting their lives today.

Mrs. Kusher’s U.S. I & II classes have been following the 2012 primary season.
Students have been discussing current events as they relate to these on-going
elections.

Mrs. O’Brien-Romer’s U.S. History I students learned about the Constitution
and how it is a living document that affects their daily lives. Students also learned
about the life of teenagers in early America including their social lives, education,
and dating rituals.

Mrs. O’Brien-Romer’s A.P. U.S. History class read an excerpt from The Jungle
by Upton Sinclair. This book famously prompted President Theodore Roosevelt
to investigate the meat packing industry and pass legislation that protected
consumers.

Ms. Smith’s United States History I Honors students analyzed the impact the
Bill of Rights has on their everyday lives.

Ms. Smith’s United States History I classes summarized the issues, decision and
significance of the landmark Supreme Court case, Marbury v. Madison.

Ms. Smith’s AP European History students analyzed historical documents to
evaluate the changing role of French women as a result of the 1789 revolution.
World Languages Department

Mrs. de Diego’s Spanish II classes have been learning about classes, schedules,
and –ar verbs. They were able to discuss their routines and write a simple
composition about themselves and their lives.

Mrs. de Diego’s Spanish III and III- Honors classes have been learning the
Irregular Present tense in Spanish and also the verbs saber and conocer. They
gave a speech in Spanish in front of their classmates using those verbs.

Mrs. de Diego’s Spanish IV classes have been working on the the Impersonal Se
construction and the commands forms. They prepared a presentation called “Soy
un Chef” while they taught their classmates how to prepare/ cook their favorite
recipe.

Mrs. McKeown’s French I students were divided into groups to prepare for
exams. Each group divided the tasks, shared answers, and explained what they
knew to each other. Special prizes were awarded for being on task, working well
together, and “paying it forward” (explaining what you just learned to someone
else who needed help.

As a mid-term review, Mrs. Murad Spanish I, Spanish I Honors and Spanish
II classes worked in groups to make up skits. Each group had to include all the
grammar points they have learned to date. Each student had to have two props.
They performed their skits to the class. Mrs. Murad’s Spanish I and Spanish I
Honors classes drew a picture of a classroom. They had to label at least 10
objects in the classroom and they had to write 10 sentences describing where the
classroom objects were located.
Math Department

Mr. Nazi’s AP Calculus completed the first part of Calculus (Differential
Calculus) and its applications. The students are poised to start Integral calculus
after midterms.

Mr. Nazi’s JAVA class is dealing with many related data items as a group by
means of a structure known as an array. They are investigating one and two
dimensional arrays as well as their applications in sorting and searching.

Mr. Nazi’s AP Statistics class is comfortable identifying distributions as
symmetric or skewed. Also they are able to identify the properties of a normal
distribution and find probabilities for a normally distributed variable by
transforming it into a standard normal variable. They will start exploring sampling
and sampling distributions as well as the Central Limit Theorem.

Mr. Nazi’s Algebra IIH class had a very productive ½ a year in Algebra II. They
are ready to further their studies and explore more advanced topics in algebra.

Mr. Nazi’s HSPA class are preparing for the New Jersey HSPA Test in
mathematics. The continuously practice multiple choice, short constructed
response and open ended questions.

Mrs. Khalil Computer Visualization: Students in Computer class are in the
process of finishing their first game design. Student used process of
transformations to create the visual effects.

Mrs. Khalil Algebra 2A: Students in Algebra 2A learned to graph absolute
value equations, Graphing linear systems and solving linear systems algebraically
using substitution and elimination. Students in the class utilized the graphing
calculator and smart board.

Mrs. Khalil Algebra 1A: Students in Algebra 1A learned to identify relations,
functions, domain, range, and the inverse of a relation. They also explored
graphing linear equations, identify slope given two points and writing arithmetic
sequences. Students in the class utilized the graphing calculator and smart board.

Mrs. Khalil Algebra 1: Students explored graphing linear equations, identifying
slope given two points and writing arithmetic sequences. Students used their
algebraic manipulation to rewrite linear equations in various forms. They were
given real-world problems to describe their equation writing skills and the
relationship to the real word. Students in the class utilized the graphing calculator
and smart board.

Mr. Zukatus’ HSPA classes have been working on word problems. Students
worked on solving given HSPA word problems, showing understanding of what
was asked and how to solve. Students are able to explain answers in detail to
show what they did to solve given problems. Problems have been focusing on
geometric word problems, giving students a better understanding of questions
asked within that subject matter on the HSPA test.

Mr. Zukatus’ Geometry class worked on congruency in triangles. Students are
able to prove parts of given triangles are congruent by using the CPCTC theorem.
This states that “Corresponding Parts of Congruent Triangles are Congruent”.
Students also worked with the HL theorem, which is a congruency statement for
right triangles. Students now know and can apply multiple methods to prove
triangles congruent.

Mr. Zukatus’ Intro to Statistics class worked on permutations and
combinations. Students are able to find the number of ways events can happen by
knowing if order is a factor or not. Students also began working with binomial
distributions, knowing what makes a distribution binomial and being able to find
given probabilities. Students are also able to find mean and standard deviation for
binomial distributions, using these to find outliers of the given problem.

Mr. Zukatus’ Algebra 2B class worked on logarithmic functions. Students are
able to graph exponential growth and decay functions, and solve for given values
in said functions. Students worked with graphing out functions, seeing how
graphs move given values in said functions. Students have also worked with the
number e, and are able to perform basic operations using both the log functions
and the number e.

Miss Fash’s Algebra 1 and 1A classes have been preparing for their midterm
exams. Also, students complete online assessments on a weekly basis to help
them prepare for online testing.

Miss Fash’s AHSA Math class has completed the first testing window for the
AHSA process. They will begin to prepare for the March administration of the
HSPA.

Mrs. Maresca’s Honors Algebra 2 class used the TI-89 graphing calculators to
investigate the end behavior of polynomial functions. After graphing the
functions on white board grids, the students presented their graphs and analyzed
the properties of the functions.

Mrs. Maresca’s Algebra 2A students completed a unit on solving systems of
linear equations. The students were introduced to various methods, such as
graphing, substitution, and elimination. In a writing assignment the students were
required to use two different methods and explain which method they preferred.

Mrs. Maresca’s Honors Precalculus classes participated in a smart board
activity titled “CSI North Arlington, the Case of the Ambiguous Triangle”. The
students were introduced to the Law of Sine’s and investigated the various cases
by means of an interactive presentation.

Mrs. Maresca’s Algebra 2 students completed a project using the Geometer’s
Sketchpad computer program. The students researched parabolas in real life,
inserted a picture of the parabola into the program, and found the equation to
model the parabola. The students also wrote an essay about the parabola,
describing its location, actual dimensions, and other interesting facts. The written
portion of the project was submitted through “Turnitin”.

Mr. Dembowski’s Algebra 1 class has been analyzing data by using the slope
intercept form to create a line on charts and graphs. Word problems that show a
change over two time periods allow the student to create an equation to predict the
outcome of an event in the future.

Mr. Dembowski’s Geometry Honors class used their creative side to create a
story that contains a problem that needs to be solved using their knowledge from
chapter four. Each student then created a map where peers can use congruent
triangles to solve the problem addressed in the story. Stories ranged from “To
Kill a Mocking Bird” with Boo Bradley hiding items for the boys, Sponge Bob
trying to find the crusty crab, Star Wars with Luke trying to find Yoda, to the
history of the triangle trade route.

Mr. Dembowski’2 Geometry class used their creative side to create a story that
contains a problem that needs to be solved using their knowledge from chapter
four. Each student then created a map where peers can use congruent triangles to
solve the problem addressed in the story. Stories ranged from finding a band at
Bamboozle, Leprechauns finding gold, a pharaoh trying to find where to place his
next pyramid, to Buddy the elf trying to find his dad in NYC.
Science Department

Ms. Rosen’s Exploring Science Classes researched different careers in the field
of science. Students then choose one of the careers to present to the school. In
their presentations they explained what types of necessary skills are needed and
what schools they could attend.

Ms. Rosen’s Environmental Science Classes are participating in an ongoing
effort to raise awareness for recycling in school and at home; through the
collection and organization of discarded paper. Students finished learning about
the different biomes of the world by showing the power point presentations that
they made of their assigned biome

Mr. Necoechea’s Honors Chemistry Classes have started developing an atomic
model with structure through the modeling curriculum. Specific investigations
have included a PhET simulation of the various early atomic and quantum models
(Dalton, Thomson, Bohr, DE Broglie) and a Webquest activity on the many
scientists who were responsible for the structured model (Rutherford, Thomson,
Millikan, Chadwick, etc.).

Mr. Necoechea’s Exploring Science Classes have been studying optics at the
quantum level. They have used a discharge lamp and spectroscope to investigate
atomic emission spectra, and have also modeled emission spectra using the PhET
website.

Mr. Mott’s AP Biology class performed a photosynthetic lab. In this lab they did
a chromatography on a variety of plants to determine the types of pigment
involved in each plant. Rf factors were determined to help in the identification
process. After the chromatography, a spinach leaf was crushed to extract its
chlorophyll. This was exposed to various amounts of light as well as being boiled
to determine the effects of light on chlorophyll. A spectrometer was used to
determine the change in light transmittance over time. The students then
combined data to determine the class average for the various conditions being
tested. They also performed a mitosis and meiosis lab in which they demonstrated
the various stages, observed stages in prepared slides, calculated the average time
based on relative numbers, made a stained slide of onion and observed crossover
in Sordaria.

Mr. Mott’s Human Anatomy and physiology class examined in great detail the
various tissue types found in the body. A diagram and description was made of
each. Later these were used to identify unknown tissue types. They also began an
epidermis lab in which they took fingerprints and compared to various types.
They also prepared and examined hair of various members of the class. The
various structures of the skin were examined by using prepared slides; after
visiting the library and following a web quest a report was generated on hair
growth, and diseases of the skin. Lastly they removed the skin from the cat as the
beginning of their cat dissection.

Mr. Mott’s Chemistry Honors Class continued in the modeling theme
examining the various models of the atom. By use of simulations they examined
the resulting data and compared to the models of the time giving justification for
their validity or not. In addition they examined the heat of fusion, vaporization
and capacity of various elements, and related it to the heat involved in various
changes. Through the use of Diagnoser and simulations from PhET Students were
able to observe the relationships between matter, heat in Physical changes of a
substance. The students also performed a spectrum analysis lab using a
spectroscope and various chemicals heated in a Bunsen burner to discover how
the electromagnetic spectrum could be used to identify various substances.

Scott Robinson’s Physics 1 Honors class has investigated forces through the
study of dynamic situations. They have discovered Newton's 1st and 2nd laws,
used Newton's second law to solve multi-step problems, and will discover
Newton's 3rd law by the end of the month.

Mr. Robinson’s Physics 1 classes have completed their investigation of
kinematics and begun their work on dynamics. They have discovered Newton's
1st law and will discover Newton's 2nd law by the end of the month.

Mr. Robinson’s Physics 2 Honors class has completed their investigation of
electricity in static situations and will move on to developing an understanding of
electric fields and other dynamics models.

Mr. Patel's Physics 12 and Physics 1 classes researched and wrote a 5-6 page
paper on a scientific subject or scientist of their choosing. Students were given
three days of writing practice to help develop and improve their ability to
paraphrase. Students also altered sentence structure and enhanced sentence
complexity by taking sources and altering sentence structuring.

Mr. Rapp’s Chemistry students performed a laboratory experiment in which
they became acquainted with the general organization and usefulness of the
Periodic Table. They also became familiar with different types of chemical
reactions.

Mrs. Abdel Messih’s Biology Classes. Students have used the paper
chromatography to separate the plant pigments and analyzed data obtained from
it. They also, collected different types of green leaves and used the internet to
research why the plant leaves change color during fall.
Business Education

Mrs. Tomko’s Wall Street students are completing the course and preparing for
the end of course exam. Students have competed in simulations and have
assessed the value of investing for their futures. Current event topics have been
infused into the coursework using The Bergen Record - online as a source.
Students also had some fun creating projects entitled, “Funny Money”.

Mrs. Tomko’s Advanced Computer Applications students are completing the
presentation of Comic Projects. Using autoshapes and effects, students created
comic strips in PowerPoint. Student work was exceptional! Students are
preparing for their Midterm Exams.

Mrs. Tomko’s Computer Applications students have completed tables and are
preparing for Midterm exams. Students viewed a biography on Sam Walton of
Wal-Mart and discussed related current event topics such as unions, domestic
employment, and child labor laws.

Ms. Giampaolo’s Computer Applications students have just learned how to
create tables in Microsoft Word. The students will be taking their midterm
examination this week and then will be going into a unit on formatting research
papers.

Ms. Giampaolo’s Accounting I students have just learned how to bring their
journal entries into the general ledger. The students will now be going into a unit
on depreciation of assets.

Ms. Giampaolo’s Advanced Computer Applications students have just finished
their cartoon projects in PowerPoint. The students created a cartoon storyline
along with animations and movements. Each group presented their cartoon to the
class.

Ms. Rosolen’s Desktop Publishing students completed a unit on Copyright, Fair
Use, Public Domain, and Creative Commons Licenses.
Family & Consumer Science

Ms. Dempsey’s Culinary Arts I & II students have learned about the American
Dietary Guidelines and how to read and use the Food Guide Pyramid. Students
have made a one week meal plan using the Food Guide Pyramid. We have gone
into detail about the Grains group and have prepared Pasta Primavera. For the
midterm students cooked, and brought in an entrée that reflects their ethnicity for
the class to try.

Ms. Dempsey’s Child Development I & II students have learned about the
importance of literacy. All students have written their own children’s book, and
read it aloud to the class. The students will be writing lesson plans with the theme
of their book in mind for the upcoming preschool session.
Art

Ms. DuJack’s Art Studio and Exploratory classes completed a one point
perspective cubes ditto sheet and are currently working on an aerial view of a
cityscape in one point perspective.

Mrs. Branco’s Art Studio & Visual Art classes worked with texture simulation
by creating a grid and using different texture to fill in the spaces. They then chose
a line drawing to copy and filled all the areas with texture which creates
texturized color areas making the eye read the color but recognizing the broken
nature of the color fields. They are continuing to work on these projects.
Music

Ms. Corcoran’s Chorus students have spent this month working on the basics of
singing, evaluating the winter concert to see what can be done differently to make
the spring concert better. They have worked on breathing techniques and some
sight singing.

Mr. Kastner’s Instrumental Music classes have been working on scales, scales
patterns, 3rds, intervals, and chord studies in the Key of Db concert. They
performed these as a skills set for their last benchmark of the marking period. We
also have taken a look at the life of American singer, Ella Fitzgerald, through a
documentary film.
Virtual High School

Mrs. Bratowicz’ VHS students participated in various Independent Learning
Opportunities during the VHS winter break. Spring semester courses opened on
January 25th.
Physical Education Department

Mr. Marcantuono’s, Mr. Farinola’s, Ms. Ryan’s, and Mrs. Scalia’s Physical
Education classes participated in several activities that coincide with the NJCCS
in the areas of fitness (2.6) and motor development (2.5). The activities that were
played during the month of January were volleyball, basketball, and weight
training. Zumba has also been added into the daily activity choices. “Workout
Wednesday’s” the students work on various components of fitness, i.e. (muscular
strength, muscular endurance, agility, and flexibility). On Friday’s the students
compete in class vs. class full court type games.

All physical education and health classes we required to take the same midterm at
the end of this month. All students were given a review of the exam as well as
website links in order to help them study.

Mr. Marcantuono’s freshman health class discussed topics pertaining to making
healthy decisions and nutrition. To incorporate technology for the 21st century
learner, students used Livestrong.com to track calories and created a healthy diet
plan. Also, they used Edmodo for other various assignments.

Mr. Marcantuono’s junior health class this class is taught in a computer lab,
therefore is treated like “blended” class. The students use Edmodo every day to
research and complete assignments pertaining to the lesson or lecture.

Ms. Ryan’s junior health class discussed topics pertaining to family life. To
incorporate technology for the 21st century learner, all lessons were taught with
the use of power point presentations as well as videos. The students were
continuously filling out a comparison chart of different sexually transmitted
infections and how to prevent contraction and spreading these infections.

Ms. Ryan’s freshman health class discussed topics pertaining to the dangers of
drug use and abuse. . To incorporate technology for the 21st century learner,
students met in the media center and worked together on group projects pertaining
to current health topics we were discussing. Power Point presentations where
used to present health information.

Mr. Farinola’s junior health class discussed topics pertaining to harmful
diseases. To incorporate technology for the 21st century learner, all lessons were
taught with the use of power point presentations.
Guidance Department

Mrs. Puorro worked with Mr. Asmus setting up the Student Portal on Realtime
in preparation for student course selections for the 2012-2013 school year.

All counselors spoke with students who are in danger of not being successful.

Parent/Teacher conferences were held on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.

Several students are beginning to receive college acceptances at this time.

S-test preparation was started.
II. Workshops Attended: (title, date, site, participant, summary)

Mrs. Hughes attended the BCEA workshop on Suicide Prevention entitled
“Sticks and Stones” on January 18, 2012.

Mrs. Kusher attended an after school workshop on Jan. 18, 2012 presented by
the Bergen County Education Association. This workshop entitled “Sticks &
Stones” explored the topic of bullying and provided resources to deal with this
problem.

On January 19, 2012 all Humanities department staff attended the district
professional development workshop on suicide awareness. The presenter
included useful information about the signs to look for in a person who may be
contemplating suicide and useful contacts to get the person in crisis professional
help.

On January 26, 2012 all high school staff participated in a writing across the
curriculum professional learning community. At this meeting staff was educated
on the different types of writing that the Core Curriculum Content standards
wants all subjects to incorporate into their content area. Departments
brainstormed about how they currently include writing in their curriculum.

On January 19, the Art, Music, Business, Family & Consumer Science
Departments and Mrs. Bratowicz attended the District Professional
Development program on Suicide Awareness, presented by CarePlus.

On January 26, the Art, Music, Business, Family & Consumer Science
Departments and Mrs. Bratowicz attended the Writing Across the Curriculum
workshop presented by Mrs. Albuquerque and Mrs. Turner-Turano.

The Mathematics Department attended 2-hour professional development
session on Thursday, January 19th featuring Care Plus for suicide prevention. The
guest speaker highlighted warning signs, interventions, and services that are
available for patients and families.

The Mathematics Department attended a professional development
workshop/faculty meeting on writing across the curriculum on Thursday, January
26th. This workshop was presented by members of the English Department to
staff members. Highlights of this workshop included the types of writing, and
how to incorporate them into our subjects. Turnitin and other resources were also
reviewed during this session.

Mrs. Maresca attended the BCEA Professional Development workshop, “Sticks
and Stones”, presented by John DeVoe and Jeff Angermeyer from the Bergen
County Prosecutor’s Office, and Andrew Yeager, Park Ridge High School
Student Assistance Coordinator. Participants viewed an intense and highly
emotional video on cyber-bullying, and a discussion followed.

The Science Department attended 2-hour professional development session on
Thursday, January 19th featuring Care Plus for suicide prevention. The guest
speaker highlighted warning signs, interventions, and services that are available
for patients and families.

The Science Department attended a professional development workshop/faculty
meeting on writing across the curriculum on Thursday, January 26th. This
workshop was presented by members of the English Department to staff
members. Highlights of this workshop included the types of writing, and how to
incorporate them into our subjects. Turnitin and other resources were also
reviewed during this session.

Mrs. Puorro attended a workshop at Lincoln Technical School in Mahway on
Friday, January 13, 2012.

The Guidance Department hosted a Financial Aid Workshop to parents of high
school students on Thursday, January 19, in the evening.

Mrs. Puorro and Mrs. Lipsky attended the HSPA training workshops on
January 18 and 19.

Mr. Marcantuono, Mr. Farinola, Ms. Ryan, and Mrs. Scalia attended the
mandatory district wide workshop on Suicide Prevention. There was a guest
speaker who came into the high school to discuss with us the warning signs and
dangers of suicide.

Mr. Marcantuono, Mr. Farinola, Ms. Ryan, and Mrs. Scalia attended the high
school workshop on Writing Across the Curriculum. The topics that were
discussed were the conventions and qualities of good writing lenses as well the
three text types. The workshop was held to make sure all levels and subjects are
helping to better our students for their next step in education.
III. Student Recognition:

Ms.DuJack recognizes Jesse Groome and Kevin Goffredo for their outstanding
automotive paintings in acrylics. Their work is in the hallway display case.

Ms. Giampaolo recognizes Richard Miller for his outstanding cartoon and
PowerPoint presentation.

Mrs. Tomko recognizes Marta Brulinski for her outstanding job on her cartoon
project.

Mrs. Branco recognizes Angela Vilas for her hard work and innovative art work.

Mr. Galante’s Period 5 Global Studies Honors Class –was honored by being
victorious in the Global Studies Trivia Challenge with a Pizza Party.

Mrs. Maresca’s Algebra 2A class created projects that illustrated a real-world
application of scatter plots and best-fit lines. The students researched data on the
Internet, including sports statistics, population changes, life expectancies, and
even the caloric content of various foods. The students discovered the wide-range
of data that could be evaluated with the aid of linear functions.

Mr. Dembowski’s Geometry and Geometry Honor classes created excellent
maps and stories that demonstrate their understanding of how to use congruent
triangles outside the classroom. The projects are proudly displayed in the back of
room 207.

Compliments to Jessica Barros for all of her hard work on her poster for Ms.
Rosen’s Environmental Science Class.

The following Students were nominated to the National Youth Leadership Forum
on Collegiate Success, they will have the option of taking part in workshops and
college preparation by learning new skills critical to mastering the transition from
high school to college
o
Yara Alrabaa
o
Matthew Karras
o
Matthew Katsock
o
Crystal Marrero
o
Gabriella Peitronico
o
Alexandrea Soden
IV. Accomplishments: (including activities)

Ms. DuJack’s students helped create a display of art work in the main hallway
for parent teacher conferences.

Ms. Giampaolo’s Class of 2015 students ran a very successful fundraiser this
month. The class sold “class lanyards” to each grade level.

Ms. Ingannamorte, the advisor of SADD, along with SADD members, held their
January meeting and made plans for upcoming events.

Mrs. Murad mentored Andrea Salguero, a junior practicum student from William
Paterson University. Miss Salguero observed Mrs. Murad’s classes for six days.

Mr. Dembowski and the North Arlington Boys soccer team continues to work
hard by preparing for next year season. They attend weight room Monday
through Thursday to stay in shape and become more conditioned for the following
year.

Mrs. Abdel Messih Biology Classes. The students have handed in lab reports to
summarize their findings.

Mrs. Abdel Messih Study Island Classes. The students have worked on cells
and Human Body Systems assignments.

There has been a successful integration of Zumba (and other workout DVDs) into
the physical education program. Students been to be responding well and it has
significantly helped to increase participation in physical education.
V. Special Programs (Debates, etc.)

On Monday, January 16 at 5:30 p.m., Mr. Necoechea held an astronomy night
outside of the high school. The object of study was Sirius, which is the brightest
(extrasolar) star in the sky. A second viewing night was held on January 30; the
object of study was Jupiter and the Galilean satellites.

Mr. Mott’s Chess club continues to meet each Wednesday, traveling to Roosevelt
school and instructing the third through fifth graders in the strategies of chess. In
addition Students compete against each other develop their ranking; Time is spent
on proper methods of recording moves, and use of a time clock for competitions.
In addition some students meet on Friday and continue to practice, and teach new
members the basics of chess.

All of Mr. Robinson’s classes are utilizing Google groups as a means of a class
mailing list and a place to post and receive homework assignments