MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS
MONTH: May 2008
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: JEFFERSON SCHOOL
Kindergarten
 Ms. McCrea’s Kindergarten engaged in:
o Addition of single digit numbers (Harcourt Math)
o Letter families –at, -ap, -ad (Harcourt Reading) their pronunciation and
application in sight words.
o Water discoveries (Harcourt Science)
o Thematic Units and Centers on Insects -- Ichthyology
 Mrs. Northrop’s Kindergarten engaged in:
o Science- Planting and daily observation of seedlings as they grew
o Social Studies- Identifying holidays, using a timeline and recognizing
parts of a calendar including, day, week, month.
o Language- Word Basketball, Oral Reading, Expanding Sight Word Lists
o Math- Addition and Subtraction as they play Math Basketball
o Writing- Writing stories using more than one sentence
First Grade
 Mrs. Pereira and Mrs. Paglucci’s first grade classes are continuing to work on
Theme 5 Set Sail in Reading. This theme centers around all sorts of different
places characters explore from backyards to far away destinations. Infused within
this theme are lessons on long vowels, verbs, main idea, describing words, and
distinguishing from reality and fantasy. In Social Studies, we are continuing Unit
6 The Marketplace, where the students are learning about markets, things people
want, and the work that people do. This unit coincides with our current
Math Unit on Money and Time. In Science, we are discussing Unit D Weather,
which is the perfect integration with our current curriculum.
Second Grade
 Mrs. Nolan’s and Mrs. Korycinski’s second grades receive mail on a daily basis
from all parts of the world. The envelopes contain replies from the Flat Stanley
project in which they are presently engaged. In Math, students are learning about
geometry, three digit place value, and patterns. Integrating reading and science,
children are studying the solar system. The unit of study began with a story in the
second grade reading anthology entitled "Postcards from Pluto." Students created
solar system projects at home and shared them with the class. They also used the
computer to find photographs of the planets and visited some interactive websites
on the Smartboard.
Third Grade
Mrs. Keogh’s 3rd graders:
 Picked-up and packaged over 300 trees for student distribution on Earth Day.
 Earned Read to Succeed passes to Great Adventure.




Traveled to the Papermill Playhouse to view Dear American.
Planted seeds, observed and measured their growth: sent plants home for
Mother’s Day.
Created a Mother’s Day placemat with an original repeated pattern design for the
border (Math related)
Created a class video which will be sent home with a parent journal.
Mrs. Harte’s 3rd grade:
 Explored various graph forms by using manipulatives and the Smartboard.
 Prepared for the annual Spelling Bee and conducted their in-class competition.
 Prepared for class trip by studying immigration and beginning history of the US.
 Traveled with 3K to Papermill Playhouse to see Dear America.
 Completed summary of a chapter books which each child read independently.
Fourth Grade
 Miss Jacobson’s 4th grade Science class continued to learn about and work with
electricity and magnetism. Students completed hands-on investigations in which
they identified and compared characteristics of magnetism and electricity. The
classes began to study the physical properties of matter and completed
investigations to study the states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases.
 Mrs. Herrmann’s 4th grade Homeroom activities:
-Participated in Teacher Appreciation Week activities
-Class Spelling Bee (1st place) Maritza Cubello (2nd place) Jaela Ross-White
-Mrs. Laughlin and Mrs. Dennison read to class
-Class trip to Liberty Science Center
-Mr. Fernandez (Andrew’s father) gave a presentation on
The Meadowlands Commission
-Character Magic Assembly
-Engaged in Mother’s Day activities
 Mrs. Rotondo’s 4th grade students recognized Native American Rights Day
which is observed on May 12th, by engaging in a writing prompt where students
explained why some people look down on others because they are different. A
whole group discussion followed with ways to treat all people equal. Students
created and illustrated unique Mother’s Day poems. May 18th was Youth Against
Violence Day; the class discussed bulling, ways to avoid fighting and methods to
prevent fights. A writing activity followed where students listed ways to help
others during a potentially dangerous situation. Dr. Carrick, New Jersey City
University Professor in Residence, worked with all fourth grade math students on
an M&M activity. Students sorted, estimated, aggregated and graphed data in
cooperative groups.
 Mrs. Applegate’s 4th grade Social Studies class completed booklets from New
Jersey State House about various aspects of New Jersey’s municipal, county, and
state government. Students also completed research projects about notable New
Jersey people, places, and historical sites. Reports were required to have
background information, pictures, contributions and/or importance about the
approved topic of their choice. Students orally presented their reports in class.
Leveled readers were also used to supplement these topics.
Fifth Grade
 Miss Jacobson’s 5th Grade class completed NJASK testing. Students began the
study of atoms and elements. They learned concepts about elements, compounds,
and molecules. They also applied their concepts by using the periodic table to
find specific information and identifying elements.
 Mrs. Rotondo’s 5th grade math classes continued their focus on higher level
thinking questions in preparation for the NJ ASK, which was taken the week of
May 5th. Fifth graders focused on Study Island as a test preparation tool.
Students were encouraged daily to complete all areas of assessment on Study
Island. As a review, SmartBoard technology was employed for various
mathematic activities and lessons.
 Mrs. Herrmann’s 4th and 5th Grade Language Arts Classes
Mrs. Herrmann’s Language Arts Classes are eagerly engaged in Literature
Circles. Students are not only progressing in reading and writing strategies but in
discussion etiquette as well. 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 gathering together to discuss their
novels in depth. They are all engaged in critical thinking and reflection as they
read, discuss, and respond to their book. In addition, the students are involved in
cooperative learning and peer collaboration experiences. Each member of the
circle is assigned a daily role which helps guide the group in their reading
activities. Students are enjoying reading many different novels within their circle
inside and outside of class. These Literature Circles are building excitement for
books!
 Mrs. Applegate’s 5th grade Social Studies class studied key people and events
leading up to and including the American Revolutionary Period. Students were
given a list of people, places, and events of material discussed in class from which
they were to choose one topic to research and complete with a diorama with
detailed information about the topic. Dioramas were orally presented in class. To
supplement information about this period in American History, students watched
a historical fiction movie, Johnny Tremain, and related it to material in text and
discussed in class.
 Mrs. Applegate’s 5th grade class took NJ ASK 5 in Math and Language Arts.
The class had completed work on Study Island in these areas. Writing Workshop
folders were completed by all students, with selected pieces put into individual
writing folders that were combined with pieces from previous years to be sent to
NAMS. Students also worked on completed individual memory essays of their
time spent at Jefferson School.
Art

Ms. Cronk’s Art Classes continued their world tour this month! In May we
visited Asia and Australia. Each grade created several unique projects inspired by
the cultures and countries we studied. Some of our exciting projects included:
Kindergarten- Chinese Paper Fans
1st Grade- Aboriginal Dot Pictures
2nd Grade- Rice Paper Kimonos
3rd Grade- Elegant Asian Elephants
4th Grade- Henna Designs
5th Grade- Gyotaku Fish Prints
Music
 Mr. Mullens’ instrumental music students marched in the Memorial Day
Parade and partook in a very successful and enjoyable Spring Concert. They are
looking forward to “touring” the elementary schools in early-June. This will
provide an opportunity to showcase their newly acquired instrument skills.
Comprehensive Health & Physical Education
 Mrs. Robb’s Physical Education students in grades 3, 4, and 5 contributed
$1505 to the American Heart Association as a result of funds raised through a
Jump Rope for the Heart. The schools will receive a $100 gift certificate for
physical education equipment from US Games. Mrs. Robb also arranged for an
assembly program with the New Jersey Devils Hockey Association. Former
Devil Rob Skrlac (right wing #32 ) spoke to students in grade 3, 4, and 5. He
spoke of sportsmanship, character and decision making.
Computers
 Mrs. Paglucci, grade 1 teacher recently received an Ed Foundation grant which
enables her to purchase an interactive computer assisted learning program entitled
Reading A to Z. All primary grade teachers are becoming familiar with its
nuances.
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.
BSI, Supplemental Reading, Student Support:
 Mrs. Volpe’s Resource Class continues to be successful in completing the
curriculum instruction according to each students Individual Education Program
(IEP) and weekly action plans. All students are successfully progressing towards
their own goals and objectives.
 Mrs. Osinski’s and Mrs. Young’s students are eagerly engaged in computer
assisted instruction in both reading and in mathematics. Geometry ,
multiplication and long division skills are the focus of their encounters.
 Mrs. Osinski’s second graders enjoyed using yardsticks and rules to measure
“everything and anything” in their classroom. They then set about using
balancing scales to determine equal weights given items with different densities.
ESL

Mrs. Nouravi, ESL teacher, recently administered “The MAC II” to evaluate the
English Proficiency of students in grades K-5 in four areas : speaking, listening, reading
and writing. Also, the Reading A-Z website has been used in many ESL classes in
grades 1 and 2. Students had an opportunity to ask and answer questions as they read
the story books.
Health Office
o Nurse-Doreen Terletzky is presently conducting an assessment and intervention
of health needs for a recently diagnosed 7 year old diabetic student. The process
includes developing an Individualized Healthcare Plan (IHP) as mandated by the
Department of Education.
o Due to an outbreak of pediculosis, examination of grade specific students occurs
at regular intervals.
o Participated in Kindergarten orientation.
Workshop Attendance
 Ms. McCrea participated in several Saturday workshops focused on delivery of
early childhood curricula
 All staff members participated in cross curriculum meetings conducted Tuesday
May 13, 2008.
Trips:
 Ms. McCrea’s Kindergarten went on a class trip sponsored by the PTO to Van
Saun Park, Paramus. The visit included admission to the Bergen County Zoo,
train, pony and carousel rides, as well as a class picnic.
 Mrs. Northrip’s Kindergarten sojourned to the TurtleBack Zoo on a class
outing. Their visit too included a train ride and class picnic.
 Other class trips included: Ellis Island and Liberty State Park; The Liberty
Science Center; The Bronx Zoo.
Student Recognitions
 For over a decade North Arlington Elks Lodge #1992 has supported The GOOD
CITIZEN AWARD which recognizes and rewards students for their exemplary
school citizenship and outstanding work ethic. In early June, 48 Jefferson School
students will be so honored.
School Accomplishments
 Ms. Colleen McCrea attended Teacher of the Year Recognition dinner held at the
Fiesta in Carlstadt. On hand to greet this year’s outstanding teachers was the
County Superintendent Dr. Graham.
Special Programs
 Grades 3, 4, and 5 participated in the annual Jefferson School Spelling Bee
 Mrs. Young, Reading Specialist, recently conducted The Battle of the Books for
grades 4 and 5.


Ms. McCrea’s class sent paintings and cards to McCauley Hall Health Care
Center, Watchung, NJ, as part of their character education unit on volunteerism.
Mrs. Nolan’s second grade held their annual pancake breakfast. Student teacher
Sondra Infante and aide Natalie Keliber assisted the class. Students were
responsible for cooking, setting up, serving, cleaning up, and decorating the gym.
“We learned important life skills and about nutrition and a great time was has by
all and the pancakes were delicious!”
NEWS REALEASE
The National Schools Project is designed to share our youth’s talents with others as well
as provide publishing opportunities for young poets. Ms. Marge Maier, elementary
reading coach, presented North Arlington’s Washington School students with the
opportunity to write original prose. Not only did she coach and work with many of these
students to submit their creations, but also she made this information available districtwide through a newsletter, a website, and a bookmark created for distribution. Tatiana
Yared, a gifted and talented student in Mrs. Korycinski’s 2nd grade became aware of this
opportunity. She visited Ms. Mair’s website for details and then Tatiana took the
initiative to follow through and submit her poem. After review by a panel of educators,
Tatiana’s poem was selected for publication in the 2008 edition of Young American
Poetry Digest (several Washington School students also had their poems selected). The
selection panel chooses only the best poems submitted and are especially well written for
the age level of the student. This is the 12th year of this National Schools Project -complete information can be found at www.youngpoets.org. Ultimately Tatiana hopes to
put here poem to music by using Garage Band which is an interactive computer program.
Noteworthy, of course are the Washington School students whose works were also
selected for publication.
MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS
MONTH: MAY
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - ROOSEVELT
Pre-K
 Mrs. Mack’s Pre-kindergarten class began their study of butterflies. Children
are learning about the life cycles of butterflies and are observing and recording
changes to their caterpillars on a daily basis. The class is anxiously waiting for
the butterflies to emerge. As an art project, the students cut out butterflies and
then painted them to resemble the Painted Lady butterflies. These are beautiful
and are displayed on the corridor bulletin boards.
 Pre-K Parents continue to read to the class. This month Mrs. Alho and Mr. Ketz
read to the children.
Kindergarten
 Mrs. Malanga’s kindergarten class has been learning about insects this month.
The children acted out the metamorphosis of a butterfly, did an author study of
Eric Carle, created their own Hungry Caterpillar stories, made craft caterpillars,
painted butterflies, measured bugs and sang insect songs. They are now waiting
for their real caterpillars to emerge into butterflies!
First Grade
 Mrs. Arena’s first grade class is learning the format of letter writing. Children
created a postcard to a friend or a family member after learning the steps of
writing the address. They also illustrated a picture of the place they visited on the
front of the postcard. The postcards are displayed on our school corridor bulletin
board.
Second Grade
 Mrs. Phalon’s class, as part of their science and math program, planted two types
of seeds, marigold and green beans. The students observed and recorded
observations in a journal daily. Students also measured the lengths of stems and
leaves and recorded the measurements in their journals.
 Students continue to use Harcourt School.com on a weekly basis to reinforce
literacy focus skills (cause and effect, main idea, synonyms, and antonyms).
Third Grade.
 Mrs. Giuffre’s third grade class worked in small groups to make murals of their
community. The mural included landforms, bodies of water, climate, human and
physical features. Student groups presented their murals to the class and then
displayed them in the hallway.

Mrs. Crismale’s third grade class chose a biography from the library. After
reading a book, students completed a book report. Oral presentations about the
biography they read will be made before the class by each student. Students will
dress the part of the person they read about as they perform their work.
Fourth Grade
 Ms. Jaume’s fourth grade class is already preparing for the grade 5 state test.
The students have risen to the challenge of persuasive writing. First, they wrote a
collaborative piece regarding a new design for the New Jersey State Quarter.
Using their Social Studies textbook as their resource, they each designed their
own state quarter and wrote an accompanied persuasive essay.
 Ms. Jaume’s fourth grade class demonstrated their understanding of realistic
fiction in their latest book report. The theme was Café Jaume. Given a “menu”
of options, the students selected how they wished to depict information from the
story. Differentiated instruction was offered as they chose from an appetizer,
entrée, and dessert. On the day of their oral presentations, Ms. Jaume served a
food sample from each section of the menu. The lesson was a huge success.
Fifth Grade
 Mrs. Badiola’s fifth grade class wrote persuasive paragraphs about whether or
not public trials are necessary in a democracy. Citing both sides of the
controversy, children backed their opinions with facts and also provided an
opposing idea. The paragraphs were then transposed into notes and used for
public speaking
Resource –Special Ed
 Mrs. McKenna, Resource Room teacher, worked collaboratively with Mrs.
Arena as an inclusion teacher in the first grade as the children learned how to
write postcards. The children had to write about a place they had visited. Mrs.
McKenna assisted her resource room children and their classmates.
Basic Skills
 Mrs. DiTommaso gave each Basic Skills student 10 index cards on which to
write ten of their spelling words. As Mrs. DiTommaso dictated the words,
students wrote one word on each card. As a class the misspelled words were
corrected. The index cards were then sorted onto two tables, one table labeled for
words that end with “ild”, the other table labeled for words that end “ind”.
Students had to sort their index cards and place them on the correct tables.
Art
 Ms. Cronk’s Art classes continued their world tour this month! In May, they
visited Asia and Australia. Each grade created several unique projects inspired by
the cultures and countries they studied. Some of the exciting projects included:
 Kindergarten - Chinese Paper Fans
 1st Grade – Aboriginal Dot Pictures
 2nd Grade – Rice Paper Kimonos
 3rd Grade – Elegant Asian Elephants
 4th Grade – Henna Designs
 5th Grade – Gyotaku Fish P
Music
 Mr. Mullins’ band students from each elementary school have been rehearsing
at Roosevelt School for their Annual Spring Concert. All efforts with students in
the instrumental program at their home schools have been to practice and rehearse
in small groups to be ready for this special event. Rehearsals at Roosevelt School
provide students and teacher their first opportunity to hear the full sound of the
entire band.
Comprehensive Health & Physical Education
 Mrs. Robb’s classes met with challenge problems this month:
Kindergarten and Grade 1 had a basketball challenge of counting aloud their
baskets while working as teams and trying to score higher in a given amount of
time than the other time.
Grades 2 & 3 had a transportation challenge using scooters as boats and having
to take a goat, a wolf and a head of cabbage across the river. The goat, if left
alone, would eat the cabbage and the wolf would eat the goat. The children
enjoyed shuttling back and forth across the “river” to try to find a solution.
Grades 4 & 5 were fascinated with the challenge of “Oceans & Islands” in which
each team must cross the ocean using scooters and jump ropes, and not touch the
water at any time. Hula hoops were strategically placed in their paths to provide
“Safe Islands”.
These problems required students’ critical thinking skills, teamwork, solving
mental problems and using students using their physical abilities.
“Peds for Kids” program, begun last year with grant funding, was introduced to
Grade 3. Students learn about pedometers, how to reset, how to attach them to
their clothing and then keep a log of their results each gym period. The goal is to
have a greater number of steps each gym class and to stress eating a healthy diet.
Computer
 Miss Tokarz program continues to support classroom instruction:
Kindergarten / First Grade students are working with Trudy’s Time & Place to
learn direction, time, and map skills.
Second Grade students are working with Kid Pix Deluxe drawing tools to make
a spring picture. Students will demonstrate the use of lines of symmetry to make
a butterfly.
Third Grade students are continuing to use Typing Pal, Jr. for basic
Keyboarding skills as recommended in the State Standards. One lesson is
included as part of their weekly Technology classes. The students are also
working with Kid Pix Deluxe to make a simple slide show that shows the topic of
spring and how things grow.
Fourth Grade students are continuing to work with Keyboarding skills in
Typing Pal Jr. whenever a project is completed and they have extra time.
Fourth/fifth Grade students were given Schoolexpress.com website (Typing) as
an at home source to practice Keyboarding.
Fifth grade students are working with Kid Pix Deluxe in groups to make and
present a slide show including transitions, sound, and the production of the slides
themselves.
World Language
 Mrs. Gonzalez’ students in grade 4 participated in an interactive board gamestyle classroom object vocabulary game. This game uses the Smart Notebook
software displayed on Smart Boards at Jefferson and Washington Schools.
School Accomplishments
 An Autism Speaks fundraiser was sponsored by our Student Council under the
guidance of their advisor, Mrs. Badiola. Change was donated by our students
during lunch time for one week. This fundraiser was done because one of our
Roosevelt School families has an autistic child. Children donated $ 86 to this
worthy cause.
Special Programs
 The Roosevelt School Annual Butterfly Program has begun. Each classroom
including ESL and Resource Rooms received a Butterfly Pavilion and 33 Painted
Lady caterpillars with special caterpillar food. The caterpillars take about three
weeks to develop. Children’s books were also purchased for each class,
appropriate to the grade level, so that children can learn more about the life cycle
of the butterfly.
To aid the Butterflies on their day of release, Mothers’ Day flowering plants
were purchased for each class. Each class selected a barrel and planted their
flowers. When the butterflies are released next month, they will be released near
the flowers and trees on our front lawn. This will be a ready source of food
supply for our butterflies on their release until they are ready to fly away.

Mothers’ Day Plant Sale
Plants were made available for all children to purchase at cost for Mothers’ Day
gifts. This program is an annual program run by the PTO as a service to our
children.
Field Trips
 Mrs. Badiola’s fifth grade class, on May 27th, will visit the Stirling Hill Mine in
Ogdensburg, New Jersey. This trip correlates to the New Jersey Core Curriculum
Content Standards, 5.8.A. Earth‘s Properties and Materials as well as augmenting
our study of Earth Science.

Mrs. Badiola’s fifth grade class attended the North Arlington Middle School
production of Into the Woods. The students and teacher totally enjoyed the
production. Attending the program is very motivating to our students who
become excited about being a part of the production when they are in the NAMS
next year. It is also wonderful for our staff, students and me, the principal, to note
how many of our past Roosevelt School students were involved in the Into the
Woods.

Mrs. Badiola’s fifth graders will attend a NAMS orientation program during the
last week in May.
MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS
MONTH: MAY
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: WASHINGTON
Pre-K
Mrs. Luciano’s – Pre-K class



Science – We learned about the life cycle of a butterfly as we watched the
amazing changes from caterpillar to butterfly. We were great “butterfly
keepers”.
Math - We learned about symmetry as we painted one half of a butterfly
shape, closed the paper and rubbed.
Literature - We have enjoyed learning nursery rhymes and acting them out.
Pre-K
Mrs. Johnson’s - Pre-K class


Mrs. Johnson’s Pre-K class has been very busy again this month learning
about opposites and rhyming, reviewing all the letters in the alphabet and
exploring numbers and patterns. They have really been enjoying their time
in the gym playing “Duck, Duck, Goose”, running races and playing various
games with balls.
We are so thankful to all of the parents who came in during the week their
child was the “Star Student”. Just this month alone, the children were able
to make personalized visors and t-shirts; bring home an “injured” stuffed
bear and create a cute ladybug or ant art project (along with snacks!). All
materials were provided by our generous and creative parents.
Kindergarten
Mrs. Haag’s - Kindergarten class



Science – We walked around our school neighborhood and looked at all the
different plants that had started to bloom. We pulled a dandelion weed so
that we could study the different parts: roots, stem, leaves and flower.
We planted our own individual sunflower seed and gave them water, sunlight
and air. Then we waited for them to sprout. Some of us have transplanted
our plants to our backyard. We are hoping that our sunflowers will reach 12
feet in height.
Continuing our lesson about plants, we studied the different types of leaves
that have grown on all the different trees near school. We saw pointy leaves
and “needle” leaves. We talked about how the leaves looked the same and
how they looked different. We drew a picture of all the leaves we saw.
First Grade
Miss Pusaver’s – First grade class



The 1st grade students completed and performed their “Living Book
Reports”. The students dressed up as the character from the story they
chose and performed a retelling of it. Family members enjoyed watching this
special performance.
In Math we are learning time and measurement.
In Reading, the 1st grade is learning all about underwater animals to go
along with the story The Big Big Sea.
Second Grade
Ms. Mielke’s - Second grade class

In May the students in Ms. Mielke’s 2nd grade class worked on a time-line for
social studies. They charted important events in their second grade
classroom. Each student illustrated their event on chart paper to conclude
this activity each student typed their event on our classroom computer. We
will display our time-line in the hallway in June.
Second Grade
Miss O’Connell’s - Second grade class

Students in Grade 2-O worked with a partner to create and illustrate poems
about the weather. The fifth grade students paired with the second grade
students to type their poems on the laptops. The poems was presented to our
class. This project was thematically based and it included science and
language arts.
Third Grade
Mrs. Schneider’s - Third grade class



Studnets started reading novels with accompanying teacher made openended questions for students to answer in essay form.
Students made tessellations by using pattern blocks traced onto construction
paper.
Students completed research reports on desert animals.
Fourth Grade
Ms. Verrier’s - Fourth grade class




Class Play – “Red Writing Hood” performance
Class Trips – “Birds of Prey” at Ramapo College, Liberty Science Center
Science Hands-On Investigation – coral reef diorama
Social Studies – research report on a person from NJ history



Mother’s Day – Cards and Plant Sale
School Assembly – reptiles
Book Fair
Fifth Grade
Ms. Lonergan’s – Fifth grade class




The fifth grade went to see the middle school play this month.
Relief was had by all when the NJ ASK test was completed.
The class enjoyed the reptile assembly.
The Student Council raised money for the victims of Myanmar.
Pre K-3 class:
Ms. Kenny’s - PreK-3 class






Read Book: Giraffes Can’t Dance - All activities for this week were based on
this book.
Students visited the Turtle Back Zoo and recognized animals.
Students discussed various animals that you can find at the zoo.
Students painted the dots on giraffes and discussed attributes of the animal.
Students made the cricket from the above book. They discussed different
bugs.
Students played, “Guess the Animal” with two students from Mrs. Luciano’s
class. They picked an animal cracker and pretended to be the animal they
selected. The other students guessed what animal they were.
First Grade
Mrs. Kosiakowski’s – First grade class

In May we planted cucumber seeds and watched them grow into seedlings.
We made sure we kept the soil moist and kept them in the sunlight. Then we
took them home to plant in our garden.

We practiced our invented spelling while writing about our favorite season.

We also learned how to read a thermometer. First we put it in hot water and
then we put it in cold water. We saw the mercury rise and fall!
Second/Third Grade
Ms. Whalen’s – Second and Third grade class

Ms. Whalen’s 2nd and 3rd grade class has been very busy. We had a fantastic
trip to Turtle Back Zoo. Come see the pictures hanging in the hallway. We
made beautiful magnets for our mothers for Mother’s Day. We also got the
opportunity to purchase flowers from the PTO Plant Sale. We’ve been
working on money and measuring in both math and science. In social studies
we learned about different cultures and we looked up on our world map
where our ancestors came from. We saw a wonderful assembly called
Snakes & Scales. Boy, did we enjoy touching the boa constrictor. We also
learned about Memorial Day and made beautiful flags. Congratulations to
Brian for earning Student of the Month for May.
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Cutruzzula’s – Fourth grade class



Mrs. Cutruzzula’s 4th grade class took part in Friendship Day sponsored by
the Elks Organization at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange. The children
enjoyed the train ride, animal exhibits and lunch provided by the Elks.
The Verizon Pioneer Club sponsored our trip to Liberty Science Center in
Jersey City. The students viewed “Hurricane on the Bayou” at the IMAX
Theater before visiting many of the hands-on activities.
Mrs. Cutruzzula’s fourth grade class learned how to write letters and
address envelopes. The students wrote letters to professional athletes,
entertainers and even a presidential hopeful. The class walked to the North
Arlington Post Office to mail their letters and are hoping to receive responses
back.
Fifth Grade
Mrs. Frederickson’s – Fifth grade class


Mrs. Frederickson’s 5th grade class at Washington School successfully
completed and survived the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge
2008 test!
On May 13th, High School Guidance Counselor Mrs. Marie Griggs, and her
group of outstanding sophomore ladies, brought a most interesting program
about bullying to our class. The Viking girls directed role plays and asked
questions from the 5th grade students. It was an enlightening experience for
everyone and we appreciate the work that Mrs. Griggs and her pupils put
into the presentation.
Physical Education
Mrs. Scalia’s - Physical Education class


The 2nd through 5th grade students are busy completing the 8 physical
challenges which test individual and partner skills. Some of the events are
tennis paddle, balance shuffle, hula hoop, pogo stick, jump rope and volleyup. Students are encouraged to physically challenge themselves in
completing the 8 events.
Certificates will be awarded to students who complete at least 5 events.
MONTH:_May 2008
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Mathematics
 Miss Neubauer's math classes learned how to plot points in each of the four
quadrants on a coordinate grid. Then, they used that knowledge to create a
picture by plotting points. Next, they wrote up a list of directions for someone
else in the class to follow to hopefully get the same picture after plotting the
points. Her students also worked on the Four Color Problem. This problem
requires students to use only four colors to color the entire United States, and no
two states could touch that were colored the same color.

Students in Mr. Bernstein's eighth grade math classes created scale model
houses which were then put on display. This lesson was the culmination of
lessons dealing with scale, proportion, like figures, perspective and geometry.
Students demonstrated their skill in combining elements they have learned this
year to successfully produce a real scale model of a house. Students had a lot of
fun and helped each other throughout the lesson. The variation and creativity
employed by the pupils was something to behold.

Miss Thomas’ 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math classes will be spending the rest of
the year working on real-world math situations. In only a few years these
students will be responsible to do some planning, whether it’s on a trip or figuring
out how to save money for a car. Students will learn all the preparation and
budgeting it takes to fulfill a strong desire.
o The 6th and 7th graders worked in groups to create a dream vacation to
a place of their choice. Groups started with a dollar amount and through
this, they will be responsible to find transportation, hotels, excursions, and
meal plans to fit their budget. The students found the right price, booked
the accommodations through their travel agent, Miss Thomas by the use of
checks. They were also responsible to find the exchange rate of the
American dollar for leaving the states, differences of time zones, and
creating a map drawn to scale.
o Miss Thomas’ 8th grade students took the budgeting project a step
farther. They had fun earning a salary from a career of their choice. The
students were required to choose a career and then randomly picked a
salary out of a “hat” after a probability lesson. After learning their
salaries, including how much they will net and gross each week, the 8th
graders were able to create a budget. They browsed through the
classifieds to find an affordable home and car, learned what their average
bi-weekly (as opposed to monthly) utility bills would be and then picked
out the best cell phone plan.

Mrs. Califano’s math students investigated volume by creating and comparing
containers of various shapes. The students made 3-dimentional figures using
three 5x8 index cards and folding one into a rectangular prism, one into a
cylinder, and one into a triangular prism. They taped these figures closed and
added bases. Next they estimated which shape would hold the most or the least
(the volume). Finally, they used rice to test these predictions.

Miss Maucione’s class completed their 4th marking period project. This project
consisted of the students teaching the class. They picked a lesson out of their
textbook and had to teach the class. They were split into groups and were given
about 15-20 minutes to teach the lesson. The students were creative and really
enjoyed this project. The students also constructed their own 3-D figures. They
were given a pattern and had to fold the pattern into a 3-D figure. Once they
folded the pattern they had to complete a chart listing the characteristics of the 3D figure. Foldables were used throughout the month to help students remember
geometric terms.

Ms. Janzcak math students worked in a group of three and planned a vacation.
Given a specific budget, they needed to calculate their round-trip costs for travel,
lodging, food and entertainment. Students worked on multiple math skills, e.g.
making decisions. Travel options, rounding numbers, estimating the costs of all
the above, calculating the overall costs for a vacation, and using technology in
problem solving. At the end of the project they presented their plan in the form of
a collage on poster board to the teacher.
Language Arts
 Mrs. Duff’s sixth grade class read Where the Red Fern Grows this past month.
After reading, the students watched the movie and did a comparison of the book
and the movie using a Venn diagram.

Mrs. Helms’ reading class focused on their expository writing skills. The
students were assigned a how-to project. Each students wrote an essay on how-to
prepare their favorite family recipe. Focusing on an audience and using order
words, the students presented their how-to essay to the class. Topics that were
chosen were; Chicken Yakitori, Chocobobs, Irish Soda Bread, Seker Pare, & Flan
de Coffee to name a few. Finally we all got to enjoy the deliciously prepared
food.

Mrs. Boyd's 7th grade reading students were immersed in a variety of folk
tales. The students studied the elements of myths, legends, tall tales, and fables.
They researched and located folk tales from their own background. As a
connection with math, the students used tangrams to create pictures to retell that
folk tale. They acted out the folk tales read in this unit as a review for the test

Miss Keeler’s Reading class entered Tolkein’s legendary world of MiddleEarth. The class was introduced to his classic novel The Hobbit and all of the
mythical races of species within it. Beginning with the lore of dragons, the class
compared and contrasted the personality traits of realistic and fantastical beings.
After the setting was understood, the class began to follow the quest of the titular
Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.Through both group activities and individual assignments,
the class explored the various themes of the novel; these include Bilbo’s heroism,
race, lineage, and character.

Mrs. Coughlin’s 6th grade writing classes worked on expository writing. This
area of writing deals with the importance of accurate information. Writing
invitations, creating maps, and writing directions for making their favorite
sandwiches are among the activities the classes worked on to learn expository
writing. These lessons fulfill the NJCCCS in many ways including 3.2B 5, 6, and
9 and 3.2 D 12.

Mrs. Kowalczyk's Writing 8 classes have had a busy year writing many essays
and doing a great deal of vocabulary development work. This month the students
spent their class time on a few fun projects. The first one was called "Broadcast
News", where the students had to work on writing an actual newscast using their
creative writing and critical thinking skills. The next one was called "Magazine
Magic", where the students used several different writing styles to write different
articles for a magazine. The last one that they worked on was called "A Cooking
Show", where the students got to create a cooking show that they could do in
class and then bring in the finished meal so that the rest of the class could sample
it. These projects were the culminating activities to a long year of writing many
different essays and articles.

Mrs. Keegan's 6th Grade Reading Class just completed their second mysterysuspense novel of the year. They already started reading their third novel and
want to finish a fourth before the school year ends. The class did a great job reenacting some of the scenes from the novel. They have already written some
predictions on how the story they are reading now will end.

Mrs. Callahan’s 7th grade reading classes continued reading the book Holes.
Character development and conflict were key areas of discussion.
Mrs. Callahan’s 7th grade writing classes concluded their unit on persuasive
writing by writing essays which related to changing the school hours and
extending lunch time.
Mrs. Callahan 6th grade reading classes began reading Top Ten Ways to Ruin
the First Day of School. Classroom discussion revolved around genre, author’s
purpose and an author’s use of humor.


World Languages
 Mrs. Marchese’s sixth graders learned all about the activities they do after
school. They have learned many verbs to express their pastimes and hobbies.
 Mrs. Marchese’s seventh graders learned the verb to have and the three
different meanings.
1. I have cold, thirst and freight. ( showing feelings)
2. I have a car. (Showing possession)
3. I have 13 years. (Showing age)

Mrs. Marchese’s eighth graders practiced for the NJ STAMP Test.
Social Studies
 Mrs. Walsh’s sixth grade class used a specialized vocabulary in Social
Studies. As some students were not recalling such terms as rural, urban,
decidious, coninferous, and six other terms, she decided to give the class what
she called "POP" Quiz notes. These notes listed the terms and their
definitions. The students then had the notes to study for a few days and then
the "POP" Quiz was "popped" on them.

Mrs. Fisher's class studied the Spartans. They participated in an activity called
the Spartan Manhood Challenge. It supported lessons that were taught in class.

Mr. Wolowitz's writing class had to face one of their biggest fears by getting up
in front of the class and delivering a two minute speech. For the last few weeks,
the students would get some tips from Mr. Wolowitz about how speak in front of
people. Some of the tips he went over were: speak clearly, do not speak too fast,
standing up straight, making eye contact, and to use their hands for emphasis.
Science
Art

Miss Scerbo’s students learned about the digestive system in science class. One
activity that the students did to better understand this system was to act out a
play. The title of the play is called The Adventures of Harriet Hamburger. The
students were given parts, props, and a script to act out the adventure that Harriet
would go through while being digested. Some parts in the play were Erin
Esophagus. Louie Liver, Mike Molar and Sally Salvitory Gland. The students
really enjoyed themselves and at the end understood the digestive process better.

Mrs. Galante’s sixth grade students studied the 10 minerals from Moh's
hardness scale. They researched an individual mineral and reported on how
they were made, where they came from, and what they are used for. The
students wrote 2 paragraphs, did an illustration, and presented their information to
their classmates.

Mr. Haines lead the entire eighth grade class on a class trip to Montclair State
University’s School of Conservation in coordination with the GK12 program with
Mr. Bernstein, and the MSU Fellows.

Mr. Haines lead the eighth grade overnight class trip to Boston, which included
80 students and 11 parent chaperones.

Mr. Haines’ science classes brought in and have presented final poster projects
which had began in January as a 10 page research papers and concluded with the
students becoming the class “experts” on their topics and disseminated the
information to their classmates.

Mr. Haines had select students prepare posters for the Math/Science day at
Montclair State University on June 6th where they will be judged in competition
with students from surrounding school districts which have been involved with
the GK12 program.

Mrs. Branco participated in creating many wonderful props for the Drama show.
She taught students after school how to develop real life scenery.
Music

The NAMS Bands participated in the MEBCI sponsored Bergen County
Elementary/Middle School Band Festival in Midland Park on May 9th.
Both bands received a plaque inscribed “outstanding performance.”
The NAMS Bands and Chorus performed their spring concert on May
14th with great success.

The NAMS Bands will be marching in the borough Memorial Day Parade
on May 26th.
Comprehensive Health & Physical Education
 Both the 7th and 8th graders prepared for the 2008 upcoming Field Day.
The students leaned how to compete in events such as the shot put, high
jump, discus, long jump and the most popular event, the hurdles!
Although the weather was a major factor this month, the students were
determined to get outside and get some practice time. .
Guidance
 Mrs. Bacek continued to work with those students “academically” at-risk for the
school year. Many of these students will have to attend our summer school
program. Some students still have the opportunity to pass for the school year.
Special Ed

Students in Ms. Tzakis’ class wrote letters of gratitude to the young veterans of
the Iraq War. Students expressed how difficult it must be for them to put their
lives on hold to fight for our country. We also tied this into our history lessons on
the President’s Cabinets, one of which is the Department of Veterans Affairs. We
hoped that they were providing our soldiers with the financial and medical
assistance they deserved.

Students in Ms. Tzakis’ grade 7 history class explored the Middle Ages and the
Feudal System. They constructed shields that represented their family crest. They
researched colors and symbols that were actually used by the knights.
Student Recognitions
Grade 6- Flora Balla, Jamie Sharpe, Matt Katsock, Kaylee Vasquez
Grade 7- Katie Rouski, Kaitlyn Welton, David Peralta, Robert Gwiszcz
Grade 8- Rachel Miske, Gisselle Trochez, Kim Moreno, Tyler Krychkowski
Ms. Janzcak’s Class- Joseph Reiff
Ms. Tzakis Class- Jamie Aquino
Field Trips
 On April 30 through May 2 the sixth grade students of the North Arlington
Middle School went on the Environmental Trip to Blairstown, NJ to a camp
called “Happiness is Camping”. The teachers that attended were Ms. Scerbo,
Ms. Neubauer, Ms. Deblasio, Mr. Guanci and Mrs. Kommer. The students
took part in a number of activities that relied on team work. The students first
played a number of large group games and later were split up into smaller groups
for the classes. The classes included the zip line, the tower, the swing, pond
ecology, and ASE. The first night the students performed skits and told scary
stories in front of the camp fire while making Smores. The second night was the
big square dance and ice cream social. The final day had students race across the
pond in row boats and this year no one got wet!
Monthly Highlights: May 2008
North Arlington High School
Curriculum and Instruction
Mathematics Department:

Miss Fash’s Geometry Honors students completed a project where they had to
research different types of tessellations and create their own. They had to include
the figure(s) used and the transformation(s) required to create the tessellation.

Mr. Dembowski’s students continue to use their time effectively and complete
assigned projects by their due dates. Class time is used diligently to work on
projects and attempt complex problems to further their understanding of material.

Students in Ms. Meichenbaum’s Math Technology classes are currently learning
right triangle trigonometry. Her Algebra 1 students are currently finishing a
chapter on factoring
English Department:

Ms. Albuquerque’s English 4 and English 4 Honors classes completed their
reading and exploration of Hamlet by composing their own poems using
figurative language and emulating the famous soliloquy, “To be or not to be.”

Ms. Burns’ English 3 and English 3 Honors are reading Pygmalion (English
III Honors also reading Wuthering Heights,) and are engaged in a number of
activities surrounding this literature including, Smartboard presentations,
interpreting stage directions and presenting dramatizations. Students in all classes
are also reading a collaboration of poetry and discussing tone, diction, symbolism
and mood. The POGO class is reading various news sources from around the
world and comparing/contrasting the sources. They are also maintaining daily
journals to write their reactions to the discussions on these critical world issues.
Students are learning about and evaluating the usefulness of the International
Humanitarian Law established by the Geneva Convention. Visual and
Performing Arts students are using Smartboard technology to learn about
improvisation and pantomime.

Ms. Hughes’ English I and English I Honors students completed their
mandatory freshmen historical fiction research papers. The students have been
reading excerpts from the play Romeo and Juliet and completed “body
biographies” of main characters to delve into the character’s personalities and
impact to others. They also wrote poems regarding these characters. English II
students read excerpts from Othello, created a “playbill” and also drew “body
biographies” to explore the characters in depth.

Ms. Ingannamorte’s SAT students honed in on vocabulary skills, and many
students took the SAT test in May. English IV students are delving into
Shakespeare, reading Hamlet, having already seen the play on a class trip. The
students agreed that seeing the play is a tremendous help to reading and
understanding the play.

Ms. Nichols’ English 3 students are reading Macbeth. As a follow-up, hands-on
activity, students brought in play dough and molded it in to different things that
reminded them of scenes that were read in class. Learning to Write/Writing to
Learn students are putting together a portfolio of their favorite pieces of the year.
Selections are being typed and a final project of their choosing will be added.

Ms. Singler’s AP Lit students have completed their AP Novel and this year,
acted out and filmed some of their scenes. Mrs. Singler was a lead participant in
our 2008 Summer Reading Committee and was instrumental in helping to get
parents involved this year as well.

Ms. Turner’s students in English I completed their mandatory freshmen
historical fiction research papers, are reading The Odyssey and have examined the
poem The Song of the Siren, by Margaret Atwood; writing their own “siren”
songs in pairs. English II students have begun reading excerpts from The
Crucible, discussing the Red Scare and Joseph McCarthy, and how it was the
basis for the writing of this play. They are also performing scenes from the play
in class. The Journalism class focused on writing better captions for pictures by
writing captions from pictures they brought from home. They are also diligently
working to put together the final issue of the Viking Saga for this school year.
Social Studies Department:

Mr. Galante’s PEG Honors class took a virtual tour of “The Forbidden City” via
the Smartboard. The Modern World students completed biographical reports on
the Dictators of the 20’s, 30’s & 40’s. Samples were hung on the
Superintendent’s Bulletin Board. Sociology classes presented a mock presidential
election with their age group (separated by gender) being the random sample.
They published the results of the candidates’ winning status among NAHS
Modern World Students.

Ms. Ingannamorte’s AP European History students took the AP European test,
and shared their positive experience with each other. They are also completing a
year-end project based on their choice of who they believe to be the most
influential person of the last one hundred years. Presentations will be made in
June. US I students are approaching the Civil War and examining our earliest
relationships with our Mexican and Canadian neighbors. They are also
researching our states early flag, state seal, date of statehood and other interesting
Civil War era facts.

Ms. Kusher’s students in all classes continue to follow and discuss the
presidential primary elections.. US I students completed their studies on the
Jackson era leading up to the Civil War. US I Honors students played a
Smartboard based “Jeopardy” game on the War of 1812. US II students
completed their study of the New Deal and the culture of the 1930’s examining
the art of Grant Wood and such movies of the time including, “Gone with the
Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and the radio broadcast, “War of the Worlds.”

Ms. O’Brien’s PEG class watched “The Last Emperor,” and
compared/contrasted the life of a Korean and American student. The AP US
History students took the AP US History exam and went on a scavenger hunt
with clues related to their own birth year. US Government students are following
the presidential race closely, discussing the issues and watched the movie
“Unprecedented,” analyzing the events of the 2000 presidential election. US
History II students listened to the radio broadcast, “War of the Worlds,” and
reviewed primary source documents on the Hoover Administration. They also
analyzed photographs of Dorothea Lange from the Great Depression.

Ms. Smith’s US I students are studying the early battles of the Civil War, and
are writing personal accounts of what they believe the life of a soldier or family
on the home front would have been like. Later, they will compare their accounts
with those of American Historians. US II Honors classes utilized Smartboard
technology to view personal stories of the Holocaust. Students were given
identification cards which included a brief biography of a Holocaust survivor and
were asked to write three diary entries based on the life of that survivor. The
PEG classes have been studying early East Asian Empires and were treated to a
Smartboard virtual tour of the “Great Wall of China” and the “Forbidden City.”
World Language Department:

Ms. deDiego’s Spanish IV Honors students completed their in depth study of
Spanish culture and the Arts by working in small groups to create a mural
depicting their favorite artists and representing the styles/political influences of
their time. They are also studying the history of “Flamenco” dancing and
discussing their views totally in the target language. These activities have greatly
enhanced the native and non-native speaker’s vocabulary. Spanish II and III
students have learned the vocabulary of the human body and also learned
expressions using the verb “doler” to express pain or discomfort. This activity
culminated in the student’s creation of a life-sized human body, completed
labeled and creatively decorated. These posters are hanging throughout the third
floor for others to learn from and enjoy.

Ms. LoPresti’s Spanish IV students are keeping with the culture, art and
literature theme by reading the contemporary novella by Julio Fuentes, Aura. The
novella embraces the “surrealismo mágico” style which keeps the students
interested, and utilizes all of their new grammar skills for comprehension.
Additionally, the students have begun watching a contemporary version of Miguel
de Cervantes’ Don Quixote de la Mancha, discussing this famed work for its
international merit and contemporary look at the human dilemma.. Students are
also expanding on their vocabulary by discussing the characters and the scenes,
including the infamous “windmill” scene.

Ms. Murad’s Spanish I students are learning food and restaurant vocabulary,
using it with interactive games, art projects and Smartboard activities and
focusing on descriptive adjectives. Spanish II classes read a few episodes of
Lazarillo de Tormes and also learning some contemporary vocabulary associated
with cars and car parts.

Ms. Pereira’s Spanish I students are reading “Dear Abby” letters in Spanish and
responding to them writing back in Spanish as well. They also acted out an award
ceremony using the superlative and dialogued with fellow classmates in the target
language. Spanish I Honors students discussed and wrote about
“Cyberspanglish,” and dialogued with a partner using present and past tenses.
Additionally, students picked names from a hat and acted out conversations as
celebrities. Finally, students wrote and read compositions comparing the
similarities and differences between middle school and high school students. In
keeping with the departments art and culture theme, Spanish 3 Honors students
studied a drawing by Frida Kahlo entitled, “El Autobus,” which has very deep
meaning due to Kahlo’s devastating accident that changed her life when she was a
young adult. Additionally, students are studying new vocabulary that helps them
to give and receive directions, and put it to the test by reading a map.

Ms. McKeown’s French II Honors students are reading French poetry selected
in accordance with their interests and skill level. For practice, they will write a
“bio-poem” in French, and begin assessing their writing skills including use of
tenses, adjective agreement and using various pronouns. This activity is crosscurricular as it also enhances the student’s dictionary skills as they look up new
vocabulary, parts of speech, etc.
Science Department:

Mr. Mott’s Biology Honors Class continued the study of genetics. Each student
performed various experiments comparing statistical information to that of chance
in terms of traits of organisms. They also used mathematical formulas to calculate
expected vs. actual. Finally they developed reasoning skills in the determination
as to what effects traits. A computer generated simulation was used to
demonstrate the various movements in eukaryotic and prokaryotic chromosomes,
and a comparison was made. The students also simulated a genetic cross with the
use of coins to represent parents. They calculated the results based on 100 and
2800 tosses, and compared the results of expected (calculated mathematically)
and chance (coin toss). The relationship of chance events and probability was
made. Comparisons of various anatomies were examined along with their
evolutionary significance. Various structures were compared and Darwin’s theory
of evolution was discussed. In addition a comparative anatomy of various
organisms was begun; the dissection of the worm was the first. Great detail was
discussed, followed by the comparison of worm and live pill bugs to examine
various structures and complexity. The students are preparing to examine live and
preserved fish to compare structure.

Mr. Mott’s AP Biology performed a lab to demonstrate transpiration. Each of the
plants was put under various environmental conditions and than results was taken
for the following 50 minutes. The rate of transpiration was calculated to the
square cm. of a leaf. Results were shared. The results of the drosophila crosses
were examined this month, as the offspring are separated. They continued to run
their genetic lab with the various strains of drosophila and drew final conclusions
about their specific traits. The results were analyzed and shared. Lastly they
observed the oxygen carbon dioxide cycle and the factors which would affect the
amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. All results were shared and reviewed.
All labs from the year were reviewed for the AP Exam in May. Final review for
the AP exam occurred

Mr. Mott’s Anatomy and Physiology class examined the muscular system. A
cat’s muscles were dissected and related to various human muscles. The Anatomy
and Physiology class examined the muscular system. Each muscle equivalent on
the cat was carefully dissected and related. This was followed by examination of
the internal organs of each of the remaining systems. The students were assigned
specific body systems and then presented their findings. Lastly the final dissection
of the cat for internal organs occurred. The students observed the variations that
occur as a result of pregnancy in the cat. Delivery of the kittens was examined,
then each of the remaining systems were examined, as well as the identification of
all of the organs, and some of the abnormalities that occurred.

Mr. Mott’s Biology Class began the study of Genetics. The students did several
labs on mono and dihybrid crosses examining punnett squares to real time factors.
The results were analyzed. The students then did a web search to research the
processes involved. A simple dissection of the worm was performed.

Mrs. Abdel Messih’s Biology Classes completed the following activities:

DNA Model Kit Lab (All students): Students have constructed a DNA
model using plastic kits provided in the laboratory. Also, the students
simulated transcription and translation by combining their models,








creating a complementary RNA strand, and finding the amino acids
equivalent.
Earthworm Dissection Lab (All students): The students have used
earthworms provided in the laboratory to identify the external organs in
the Earthworm and the organs that make up various systems of the
Earthworm.
Frog Dissection Lab (All students): The students have worked in groups
using frogs provided in the lab to identify internal and external structures
of frog anatomy and what features of the frog’s anatomy and morphology
lead to classify it as an amphibian.
Catfish Dissection Lab (All students): The students have worked in groups
and used catfish provided in the laboratory to identify the external organs
in the catfish and the organs that make up various systems of the Catfish
Gene Expression Activity (All students): the students have demonstrated
the importance of genetic code through simulating RNA translation using
class materials.
Genetic Disorders On-Line Project (All students): the students have
worked in groups of four and have pretended to be genetic counselor
teams working in a hospital to identify the genetic disorders in humans,
their symptoms, and ways of treatments. The students used the computer
to collect required information and present it in PPT slide show.
Gene expression project (Bio H): The students simulated the flowing of
genetic information in cells from DNA to proteins by creating a DNA
molecule and trace the genetic information until it becomes a polypeptide
chain.
Human Genome Project Research (Bio H): The students have used the
computers to research the human genome project, when it started and
ended, and the significance of identifying the entire sequence of the
human genome. The students put their findings in a report.
Cloning and vaccine research (Bio H): The students have searched the
web to collect information about the application of genetic engineering in
medicine and agriculture using one example of each.

In Mr. Velardi’s environmental science the students continued to aid in raising
awareness for recycling through the collection and organization of discarded
paper. The students discussed resource use, society’s dependence on oil, the
ecological impact of human, biodiversity, and the endangered species act.
Students were assessed with a test on their understanding on resource use and
biodiversity. The students also viewed and discussed a film on the effect of the
human footprint.

In Mr. Velardi’s biology the students performed a laboratory experiments that
demonstrated concepts in genetics and anatomy. These experiments involved
creating DNA diagrams, and studying DNA sequences and the dissection of an
earthworm. In the classroom the students gained an understanding of the function,
structure and replication of DNA. Students were assessed with a test on their
understanding of DNA. In addition, the students performed numerous review
questions for the state biology test.

In Mr. Velardi’s Anatomy and Physiology the students were assigned an organ
system in which they had to research. The students then completed a term paper
and a PowerPoint presentation on their assigned organ system. Students then
viewed and discussed a film detailing each of the anatomical and physiological
concepts for organ system in the human body.

In Mr. Rapp’s Chemistry Classes completed the following activities:
 Students performed a laboratory experiment in which they found the
molecular mass of an unknown gas and corrected its volume to standard
conditions of temperature and pressure.
 Students performed a lab in which they reacted a piece of magnesium
metal with hydrochloric acid. They determined the volume of hydrogen
gas produced per mole of the metal at room temperature and pressure.

In Mr. Necoechea’s Honors Chemistry, students have performed a series of
experiments measuring the energy changes during phase changes and chemical
reactions. Students measured the molar heat of fusion of ice, the heat of
crystallization of sodium thiosulfate, and the heat of combustion of paraffin. At
the theory level, students are being introduced to the calculation of heats of
combustion from heats of formation, the calculation of Gibb’s free energy, and
the use of Hess’s law.

In Mr. Necoechea’s Physical Science, students have studied weather, climate,
and environmental science. Particular emphasis has been placed on the
quantitative analysis of climate (and other environmental) data. Activities have
been drawn from both the PBS website and the Prentice-Hall resource guide, and
have included a graphical analysis of temperature and precipitation for three
cities, and an analysis of fossil fuel consumption from 1978 through 2001.

Mr. Spaccavento’s Physics 1 classes completed activities involving the
Momentum, Conservation of Linear and Angular Momentum, Energy,
Conservation of Energy, Conservation of Matter and Energy. The Law of Work,
Simple Machines, Efficiencies, Mechanical Advantage, The First and Second
Law of Thermodynamics, Heat and Temperature, mixtures, Heat Engines States
of matter, Phase and Temperature changes and Calorimetry.

Mr. Spaccavento’s Physics 2 students studied the development of electronics
and specifically the computer from the Vacuum Tube through to the Integrated
Circuit. The development of the computer industry as we see today was explored
from the UNIVAC to today’s machines.
Business Education Department:

Mrs. Tomko’s and Mr. Kenny’s Keyboarding students are currently presenting
Game Show projects that were worked on collaboratively. Students completed
Lesson 5 and 6 of Excel. This involved function formulas, sorting, filtering, etc.
Students have begun the Internet Unit. They are learning the basics of the
internet, how it works, and effective search/research techniques.


Project- As a capstone Excel project, the students created games in Excel
using all the skills they learned. They created 25 Excel review questions
from lessons 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 and incorporated these questions into the
game (in the form of cell comments). The students presented these games
to the class using the SmartBoard.
Mrs. Tomko’s and Mr. Kenny’s Computer Applications II students
completed working with worksheet charts in Excel, creating charts (column, bar,
pie, line scatter) and making changes to them. Students have begun the Advanced
Microsoft Word portion of the class.

Project-Students also created Excel review games. Students created 30
Excel review questions from their experiences and incorporated them into
the game. Students used their advanced knowledge of Excel (charts,
hyperlinks, research tool, conditional formatting, functions, etc.) in the
making of their games. The students presented their games to the class
using the SmartBoard.

Mrs. Tomko’s Intro to Business students are working on Insurance and have
completed chapters on Life and Health Insurance.

Mrs. Tomko’s Personal Finance students have been busy working on the
Wedding Projects including budgeting and consumer buying skills. Presentations
will begin next month.

Mr. Kenny’s Accounting students are learning Cash Controls. This involves
writing checks, filling out stubs, bank reconciliations, petty cash, change account,
etc.


Project-Students will use Excel to create Accounting statement templates.
These templates will be used for their final exams
Ms. Rosolen’s Web Design students worked on group projects highlighting the
impact computers and the Internet have on society. The groups were able to
decide on the format for their presentations—PowerPoint, Webpage, Brochure,
etc.—and presented their findings to the class. The FrontPage program was
presented to the class and they have been busy creating websites using this
program.

Ms. Rosolen’s Information Management students are currently working on
practice tests in preparation for taking the IC3 certification test.

Mr. Kenny and the Student Council conducted Spirit Week.

Mr. Kenny and Mrs. Tomko (Class of 2008) Working on Prom, Senior Trip to
Boston, Class Night, and Graduation. Additional preparations are being made for
the year-end activities.

Ms. Rosolen and Mrs. Tomko (Yearbook) The 2009 yearbook work has begun.
The theme has been selected and the cover design has been created. Members of
the junior class had their senior portraits taken on May 13 and 14.
Family and Consumer Science:

Mrs. Comer’s Culinary Arts students completed a menu planning project that
taught them about the value of this marketing tool. Menu design, pricing, and
artistic medium were discussed. Students then planned and designed their own
menus and this drove recipe selections and preparation in the foods laboratory.
Recipes such as burritos, baked mashed potato casserole, and homemade
mozzarella sticks were prepared to name a few.

Mrs. Comer’s Child Development students were busy preparing for nursery
school graduation. Programs, diplomas, decorating, and speeches were written in
preparation for this special day. Ownership, accomplishment, and pride were
seen through each completed event.
Music Department:

Ms. Corcoran’s Chorus classes performed a number of selections at the Spring
Concert, including a medley from Rent.

Mr. Kastner’s Instrumental classes fine-tuned their pieces for the concert and
presented a very enjoyable performance at the Spring Concert on May 13. The
Band Trip to Florida provided the musicians with the opportunity to attend a
workshop in Epcot with a professional musical director which culminated with
the Band taping the background music on a DVD.

Mr. Kastner’s Music Cycle class worked on a project utilizing the computer
room in which they researched an artist and presented an oral report to the entire
class.

Ms. Corcoran (Chorus and Musicals) Both musicals, The Little Shop of
Horrors and Into the Woods had successful runs and received very positive
reviews from the audiences.

Mr. Kastner (The Tri-M Music Honor Society) The induction ceremony for the
group was held on May 23.
Art Department:

Ms. DuJack’s Art classes worked on a variety of projects this month:
 Writing assignments focusing on modern art
 Graphing exercises
 Pointillist project on Overlapping Shapes
 Calligraphy project in which the students wrote “Chinese proverbs” in
calligraphy
 Drawing assignment on creating paper currency for a fictitious country.
Students are also learned basic handling, cleaning, and techniques involved in
working with the airbrush system. The advanced students completed airbrush
paintings and acrylic paintings for Teen Arts.
Physical Education Department:

Ms. Vespoli, Mr. Marcantuono, Mr. Placenti, and Mr. Farinola
o Expanded warm-up activities to include cardiovascular components of
fitness
o Students continued utilizing our weight room to improve on muscular
strength and endurance through various strength training exercises.
o Mr. Cimo, Paul’s student teacher has taken on full responsibility of Mr.
Marcantuno’s Physical Education classes. Mr. Cimo has improved on
student discipline, attendance taking techniques, and the overall
understanding of how to run a high school physical education class.
o Finishing in early May all Physical Education students completed a school
wide Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge. Each student will complete
a timed sit-up and push-up event, shuttle run, broad jump, and pullup/flexed arm hang. These activities will test our student body on
flexibility, endurance, agility, and strength components of fitness.
o Continued the unit of indoor soccer/ outdoor stick ball/ and outdoor
basketball. These activities will foster student participation and improve
game skills.
o Students will begin an outdoor golf unit focusing on grip, stance, and
swing. Students will be taught the correct way to “chip” a golf ball. This
unit will culminate with a chipping competition using our outdoor targets.
o Several students were selected to begin taking full golf swings using 6
irons.
o Students utilized the outdoor field area by walking around the perimeter of
the field for 30 minutes. This activity was geared to improve student’s
cardiovascular fitness as well as promote healthy living habits.
Workshops Attended:

Mrs. Maresca attended the second session of a workshop on “Differentiated
Instruction” presented by the South Bergen Jointure Commission. This workshop
addressed the issue of grading and assessment when assigning a variety of tasks to
students of varying ability levels.

Mr. Mott and Ms. Abdel Messih will be at the read for the NJ end of year
Biology test on June 2 and 3, and read at the AP read in June.

Mr. Spaccavento attended a NJAAPT Executive board Meeting at Rutgers.

Nancy LoPresti and Mr. Kinloch attended a Smartboard software workshop
presented by Montclair State University, which provided valuable information
about the latest software for use with the Smartboard. Sample CD’s were brought
back to provide demonstrations for next year.

Karin Kusher attended a BCEA workshop on autism focusing on strategies and
techniques for the teaching of students with Autism.
Student Recognition:

Miss Fash’s classes are currently helping the SADD organization in their can
drive by collecting “cans for credit”. Each student will receive bonus points for
every can they bring in.

Klevi Fusha, a student in Ms. Meichenbaum's Algebra 1 class, is continuing to
tutor his peers after school.

Mr. Mott’s Students: Juliet Hughes, Nathalie Almonte, SeHe Cho , Amanda
Yau, Marisa Brown, John Ahn, Andrea Sanchez, and Alexandra Schemel were
inducted into the Who’s Who in Science for talents performed in AP Biology or
Human Anatomy and Physiology Class. This has opened scholarship
opportunities to them if they continue to pursue a career in Science.

Twenty nine music students were inducted into The Tri-M Music Honor
Society. The induction ceremony for the group was held on May 23 which
included performances by the inductees.

The Concert Band should be congratulated for their excellent performance in
Disney World.

The Concert Band and the Chorus performed at the Bergen County Teen Arts
Festival and received excellent comments from the adjudicators.

All seniors have been recognized when they have been accepted to College and
have had their name displayed on the Bulletin Board outside the Home
Economics room. A gold star appears next to the college that the student has
agreed to attend.

Ms. de Diego (and her baby, Camilla) chaperoned three Spanish Honor Society
students including Luis Gomes (and his Mom), Palek Patel and Jessica Anaya
who participated in the annual Cerebral Palsy walk-a-thon in Brookdale Park,
Bloomfield on Saturday, May 17th. We greatly appreciate Ms. de Diego’s giving
of her week-end time and are proud of these NAHS representatives who did the
same for a worthy cause.
Accomplishments:

Mrs. Maresca’s Precalculus classes completed a unit on exponential and
logarithmic functions. As a culminating project, the students used the website of
Kelly’s Blue Book to research the selling prices of new and used cars. They used
these values to find an exponential regression in the form y = abx, covert it into
the form y =A0ekt, and find the rate of depreciation. Then they compared their
rate to the rates of the other students and analyzed how these rates would affect
their decision to buy a new or used car.

85% of Miss Fash’s Algebra 2A juniors received Proficient or Advanced
Proficient on the HSPA.

Mr. Dembowski’s students, Eddie Tillou, Martina Spacilova, Michael Palatella,
Madeleine Velez, and Shaboo Williams have made great efforts to help and tutor
students in their classes who are having trouble with new material.

The chess club continues to meet on Fridays and after school.

Mr. Spaccavento has been elected to the NAHS Athletic Hall of Fame for his 25
years of coaching. The induction ceremony for him and 10 former athletes was
May 9th

Mr. Velardi completed Graduate classes this spring semester which included:
Ecology, Developing Communication Skills for the Atypical Child, Medical
Implications in Special Education, and Procedures of Teaching the Mentally
Retarded.

Mr. Spaccavento was awarded a grant through the Rutgers University Physics
Department to work at the University this summer performing research in modern
particle physics under Dr. Steve Schnitzer.

Mr. Spaccavento also has received funding through QuarkNet to provide jobs to
3 or 4 students at Rutgers for a portion of the summer. Senior Matt Cordiero
worked there last summer, he may return, with several juniors from this year. All
the details are still being worked out.

Over 275 applications to various colleges were sent out, senior scholarships
opportunities were recognized and local scholarships were assigned to many
seniors.

Ms. O’Brien and Ms. Smith have taken on the challenge to select representative
essays from their PEG classes as submissions in the “Association of Black
Women Lawyers of New Jersey Law Day Competition – 2008.” We are looking
forward to having a finalist among our entrants.

Mrs. Burns, Ms. Turner, and Ms. Corcoran presented a fabulous school play,
Little Shop of Horros, enjoying record attendance. Their dedication and the
student’s hard work yielded one of our school’s most professional and memorable
plays.
Sports:

Baseball:
The baseball team finished the season with a 10-13 record a 7 game improvement
from last year. The boys have impressive wins against Wallington, Secaucus, and
Harrison. The team was lead by senior pitcher Joe Monahan, senior outfielder
Anthony Iavarone, and senior first baseman Mike Gross. The JV team finished
with 6 wins and was competitive in a majority of their contests. The teams
finished the season with 33 athletes on both teams.

Softball:
The softball team finished the season with an 11-11 record and qualified for the
state tournament. Unfortunately they lost a close game in the first round to High
Tech 3-0. The girls improved on their win total from last year and will have a
majority of the team returning next season. They posted impressive wins against
Lyndhurst, Harrison, and Wood Ridge. The JV team finished with 5 wins in the
league.

Boys Track:
The boys track team finished the league season with a 6-2 record and placed 2nd at
the league championship meet. The boys were lead by seniors Ruben Santos,
Anthony Orovio, Matt Barrington, and Dawys German. The team will be
competing in the State Sectionals and State Group Championships. The team is
comprised of over 30 boys doubling the participants from last year’s team. 8 boys
will compete in the state finals track meet in Egg Harbor.


Girls Track:
The girls track team finished the league season with a 7-1 record and placed
second in the league championship meet. The girls will be competing in the State
Sectional meet in Parsippany, and the State Group Championship in Egg Harbor.
The girls have broken several school records in the pole vault, and relay events.
Coach Fash was selected as the BCSL National Girls Track “Coach of The Year”.
8 girls will compete in the state finals track meet in Egg Harbor.

Golf:
The golf team finished the season with 6 wins which was good enough for third
place in the league. Our boys had the opportunity to compete in the Bergen
County Golf Championships, as well as the BCSL Championships. The team
consisted of 8 golfers all of which will be returning next season.
Honors/Awards
o Anthony Iavarone won the Lou Lanzalotto Scholarship from the Bergen
County Coaches association.
o Kaitlyn Schaefer won the Bergen County Women’s Coaches Association
Scholarship.
o Kristen Palatella represented our school as the NJSIAA Scholar Athlete
Award winner.
o Kerrin Dys broke a school record by belting 3 homeruns in one game
(Harrison 5/19)
o Joe Monahan pitched a no-hitter against Harrison 5/19
o Our programs were highlighted in several newspaper articles including the
Star Ledger, Bergen Record, The Observer, and The Leader.
o Gissela Andagana and Mike Rodriguez have been selected as our BCSL
Sportsmanship winners. They will attend a luncheon on May 28 at the Chart
House in Weehawken.
o Our girls and boys track teams set several school records in the pole vault, 800
m, long jump, and sprint medley teams.
o Spring Sport Awards Night was held on May 27, 2008 in the high school
cafeteria.
Implementation of Objectives:

Mr. Abu-Hakmeh’s AP Calculus finished preparing and took the BC version of
the AP Exam. After the exam, students worked on a modeling project where they
have to derive equations and analyze graphs using differentiation and integration
techniques.

Mr. Abu-Hakmeh’s Statistics class started a unit on Correlation and Regression
where they learn how to make inferences about a correlation between two
variables and describe such a relationship with an equation that can be used for
predicting the value of one variable given the value of the other variable.

Mrs. Maresca’s Algebra 2 classes used the TI-89 graphing calculators to explore
the graphs of rational functions. The calculators allowed the students to analyze
the domain of the function as well as the vertical and horizontal asymptotes.

Mrs. Maresca’s Precalculus classes used the TI-89 graphing calculators to find
an exponential regression to model the growth of E-coli bacteria.

Mrs. Maresca’s HSPA Math class is working on a unit on data analysis. The
students used scatter plots to interpret distributions and apply them to real-world
situations.

Miss Fash’s Algebra 2A and Geometry Honors classes are completing weekly
writing assignments based on the topics of the week. Students are asked to reflect
on, explain, or justify their work through a journal-style writing assignment.

Mr. Capriola’s Pre Algebra class recently completed an assignment on relations
and functions. Students researched and analyzed information on different sets of
real-world data to determine if any relationship existed between the sets of data.
If the students found a relationship they were also instructed to determine whether
the relationship was a function. This assignment enabled students to gain a better
understanding of how functions are used to describe the relationship between two
quantities.

Mr. Capriola’s Geometry Basic class completed hands on activity involving
transformations. The activity involved the rotation of a triangle about the center of
a circle. Students traced the triangle around the circle at 60 degree intervals
creating a circular pattern of the figure. Using these results the students then
repeated the activity with there own figure to create a colorful design. This
activity helped students to improve their understanding of drawing and identifying
rotational images.

Mr. Capriola’s Algebra 1 classes completed an activity involving the factoring
of polynomials and vertical motion. Students were asked to research the initial
take-off speed of various types of commercial jet airliners. The students then had
to use their researched take-off rates and the formula for vertical motion to
calculate the initial take-off height after 60 seconds of the various types of planes.
Students needed to utilize their knowledge of factoring polynomials in order to
derive their answers from the formula of vertical motion. Students were also
responsible for interpreting their results and determine what factors of each type
of airliner affected initial take-off heights. This project helped students understand
how both mathematical and scientific procedures relate to real-world applications.

Mr. Dembowski’s Geometry classes have been learning surface area and
volume. The classes have also been working on projects using geometric
probability. Each student is creating a game that can be played by all ages that
uses geometric probability. Some games students have been working on are bean
sack tosses, ski ball, and coin tosses. To present their projects, classmates will
have the opportunity to play each game.

Mr. Dembowski’s Algebra 1A classes have been working on graphing
equations, graphing functions, and slope. Students were presented with real
situations such as renting cars and acceleration to demonstrate functions on
graphs. Students are also researching and beginning their final project for the
year. Students are researching one topic covered in Algebra 1a this year and
creating an advertisement that demonstrates their understanding of the material.

Ms. Meichenbaum’s Math Technology completed a writing assignment that
used word problems to solve for distance, rate and time. This helped students
practice applying the formula d = rt in real-world word problem solving
applications.

Students in Ms. Meichenbaum’s Algebra 1 classes are currently finishing a
chapter on factoring. This section is especially important because students have
to use critical thinking skills to determine the factors of one number that add to up
another. Later in the month, students will be introduced to graphing quadratic
functions which will prepare them for Geometry and Algebra 2.

Ms. Hazina’s Algebra II Honors class working on a project “About Face”.
Through this project, students use graphs of quadratic relations to create designs
for clown faces. They try to capture specific emotions in their designs. They will
organize a display of their work.

Ms. Hazina’s SAT and HSPA classes were practicing the different problemsolving strategies and taking practice tests.

Ms. Hazina’s Computer Programming class is working on the “Multiple
Choice Grading Program”. Project Overview: Create a program to correct and
grade a set of multiple choice test results. Read a set of correct answers (the key),
from a data file, and compare it with the answers in a data file with students’
names and answers. The data file will have two fields, separated by a comma, for
each student. The first field will contain the student’s name. The second field will
contain a set of answers to a multiple-choice test. For each student, compare the
answer key answers to the answers from the student’s record. Keep a count of the
number of answers from the student’s record that match the answers in the answer
key. For each student, display the student’s name, the number of correct answers,
and a letter grade. Calculate the letter grade scale based on information provided
by the instructor. Calculate the average number of correct answers for the class
and report it in a separate picture box.

The guidance staff analyzed test scores and determined who needs remediation
classes in next years schedule in order to be more knowledgeable for the tests
next Spring. Student’s schedules for next year were modified to affect this need.

The Freshmen research papers were collected and nearly 100% of the students
handed this in on time! We continue to work toward timely submissions for all
level’s research papers.

The 2008 Summer Reading List has been compiled, distributed and is posted on
the school’s website. We were pleased to have five parent participants this year
that were an integral part of the research and selection process. Thank you notes
for their participation were sent at the end of May.

English, Social Studies and World Language staff worked diligently on their
bench mark assessments during the May Cross Curricular meeting and most have
completed the first; the second one (given in November) has been started as well.
We will use our June 3rd in-service day to participate in “Study Island” training
and continued work on bench mark assessments for next year.

All Departments are preparing their Final Exams with particular concentration
on differentiated assessment strategies to reach all learners. Mrs. LoPresti will be
reviewing all Finals formats to meet this important objective.
Special programs:

Miss Fash was inducted to the North Arlington Athletic Hall of fame for her
achievements as a high school athlete in Volleyball and Track and Field. Miss
Fash also received the honor of the BCSL National Girls’ Track and Field Coach
of the year award for the 2008 season.

Mr. Dembowski and the freshmen class have been working together to collect
dues and create new fund raising ideas for the following years.