NEWS FROM THE BERKELEY HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS MARY KAY MC MILLIN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

Kindergarten Teachers from Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center recently joined teachers from the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District in meeting with Katie Spadola, from the New Jersey Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood, to discuss working with the Teaching Strategies Gold observational assessment tool in half-day programs.

The Early Childhood Center is currently piloting Teaching Strategies Gold as part of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge. ****************************************************************** Also in December, students enrolled in the Preschool classes at Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center celebrated the upcoming winter solstice by wearing their pajamas to school and eating pancakes for snack. In recognition of much shorter days, the morning and afternoon classes taught by Mrs. Carol Scales and Mrs. Christine Ekert joined together for snack, songs and a special story. Preschoolers listened to the story The Night Tree by Eve Bunting. The highlight of pajama day was getting to wear their pajamas to the community celebration! It was a great deal of fun and a special day for all!

THOMAS P. HUGHES SCHOOL Thomas P. Hughes School is excited about the wonderful addition of Ms. Jennifer Hanselman to our staff. Her Art lessons have been engaging and fun for all. The design studio at Hughes School has been very busy! The entire school jumped right out of summer into the monochromatic pool and made portraits inspired by the book, “The Day the Crayons Quit.” Students imagined what it would be like if they could only use one color family because the rest of the colors went on strike. The results were astounding, and one can take a peek in the hallway outside the multi-purpose room to appreciate the visions of the students. As the school year progressed, students opened their design elements toolbox and pulled out ‘line’ as their tool for discovery. Grade 2 students used line

with oil pastels and watercolor to design Native American blankets and sunsets inspired by the Tomie dePaola book, “The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.” Third Graders celebrated Picasso’s style, birthday, and use of line to create dual

portraits (simultaneous frontal and profile pictures,) of themselves as Frankenstein. If you wander down the Third Grade hallway, see if you can spot the two people hiding in the picture!

THOMAS P. HUGHES SCHOOL (continued) Grade 4 students experimented with linear and geometric shapes after taking a virtual tour of New York City, and they designed an entire city block of skyscrapers using pen and ink as well as newspaper. They demonstrated a keen sense of cityscapes by layering their buildings to show perspective. We may just have a new generation of architects on our hands! Fifth Graders definitely got into the linear groove to create wacky hair styles using photography and 12 different concepts of line. You just may want to “wig-out” when you see their groovy “dos” dancing along the Fifth Grade wing. After all, “A dot is a line that takes a walk…” If you miss a chance to walk around Hughes School to see these wonderful innovations, they will be posted on Ms. Hanselman’s gallery page. “Art washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso

MOUNTAIN PARK SCHOOL Students in Grades 3-5 Spanish classes taught by Mrs. Mariann Tierney at Mountain Park School recently learned all about Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a holiday which is celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries to honor and remember loved ones who have died. Students enjoyed beautiful Spanish music and viewed videos of authentic Mexican celebrations, parades, costumes, and ofrendas, which are altars set up in Mexican homes to honor the dead. Students set up a classroom ofrenda to remember Señora Tierney’s abuelos, grandparents, and they were also able to take part in interesting interactive online activities, such as creating their own virtual ofrendas at the Smithsonian Latino Center. Students learned vocabulary related to Día de los Muertos and saw many examples of the calaveras (skulls), calacas (skeletons) flowers (campasúchiles -marigolds), and food (pan de muerto—bread of the dead) from digital flashcards also created by Señora Tierney. Students were very excited to decorate and take home their own sugar skulls, calaveras de azúcar, as our culminating event. ¡Bravo!

MOUNTAIN PARK SCHOOL (continued)

Every class at Mountain Park School created a “Chain of Kindness” during the recent school-wide assembly that celebrated Red Ribbon Week and World Kindness Week. Each of these “Chains of Kindness” are now displayed in the hallways at Mountain Park.

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Grade 3 students at Mountain Park School recently enjoyed planning, writing, and sharing their own pourquoi stories. A pourquoi story is a type of fantasy that explains why something is the way it is. Many imaginative tales were written about topics such as how a Dalmatian got his spots, how a moose got his antlers, and more!

WILLIAM WOODRUFF SCHOOL The study of Thanksgiving has deep roots in the Third Grade classes at William Woodruff School. The students read, did research, and created booklets on the history of the First Thanksgiving. The students also made authentic pilgrim and Native American costumes, soup, and butter as part of their annual Thanksgiving Feast celebrated at lunchtime. This year, the students learned more about Thanksgiving and the role of the turkey during a PTO-sponsored In-school Professionals program provided by Quiver Farms. ****************************************************************** The Stirling Chapter of B.P.O. Elks annually sponsors the Elks Hoop Shoot basketball competition for students ages 8-13. The students shoot foul shots with the hope of moving on to the national Hoop Shoot Championship, where a $25,000 college scholarship is awarded to the winners in each age category. In addition to the individual competition, the elementary students in town compete as school teams in an effort to win the Elks Hoop Shoot School Trophy. This year Thomas P. Hughes School took the crown! William Woodruff School students did a super job as well, with three students placing first in the four age categories. These students will compete in January for the Union County Championship. Congratulations to First Place winners Kate Granielli, Simone Amkraut, and Nick Gold!

WILLIAM WOODRUFF SCHOOL (continued)

Being ‘green’ is an ongoing theme for students and staff members at William Woodruff School. Every morning, Fifth Grade students announce how much energy is being supplied by our solar power devices. Throughout the day, the students and staff continue to be conservative with

electricity use and focus on recycling bottles, caps, juice packs, and tabs during lunch. For several years, Woodruff teachers Sally Barmakian and Sarah Burga have teamed up with the intermediate students to present Green Team assemblies. The fall assembly this year was both an opportunity to learn, demonstrate your knowledge, and have fun. The Fourth Graders taught about how solar energy is made and stored. The students got to apply their knowledge during the Green Challenge Game Show. Students were randomly selected by grade level to be a contestant on the show and answer questions about “being green.” The students were excited, had fun and learned all at the same time. In order to raise awareness about being green at home, students were also invited to complete a Home Energy Audit. Over 120 students completed the audit with their parents/guardians and helped them learn ways to conserve at home.      

COLUMBIA MIDDLE SCHOOL Grade 8 Science students at Columbia Middle School, taught by Mrs. Christina Froehlich and Mr. Thomas Clayton, are currently studying the solar system. These students recently had an opportunity to work with a scale model of the solar system set up in one of school’s hallways.

Comments from the students included, “Wow, we are really small!” and “I had no idea that Jupiter was so far away!” Once the model was complete, the CMS students spent time working with the facts/data of each planet in an effort to discover the trends that exist within our solar system. ******************************************************************

Congratulations to the Columbia Middle School students who recently participated in a full-day Chess Challenge at Brookdale Community College. The team from CMS, who organized their participation in their spare time, consisted of (pictured, L to R) Michael Matlin, Jonathan Skarregaard, Jessica Moran, David Mirsky, Justin Lewis, and Daniel Matlin.

The team is pictured here displaying the Second Place trophy; Columbia finished just a few points behind the team from Princeton Middle School.

GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL

For the first time in school history, Governor Livingston High School is conducting a percussion class geared specifically to students who are enrolled in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program. Mr. Chris Colaneri, Teacher of Music in the Berkeley Heights Public Schools since 2000, came up with the concept for such a class.

Two years ago, the high school offered a percussion workshop for the students in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program. The success of the workshop generated interest in creating a course for the DHH program students.

The class currently has eight (8) students ranging from 9th to 12th grade. So far, the students have been studying African hand drumming, snare drum fundamentals, timpani, drum set, and melodic percussion instruments. Through feeling the vibrations of the sound, the students are able to

play multiple rhythms. Currently, the students are working on composing and arranging their own songs. Mr. Colaneri is very happy with the results of this new class and he is not alone. A junior in the class has taken to drumming so much that she has asked her parents for a drum set to have at home. Another student plans to play at her uncle's upcoming wedding. It's a great way for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students to express themselves in an environment that is completely their own.

GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL (continued) During the past month, the Governor Livingston High School chapters of Mu Alpha Theta and the National Art Honor Society inducted their newest members during special programs held at the school. The Math Honor Society, known as Mu Alpha Theta, recognizes those GLHS students who have enrolled in or completed five semesters of honors or regular math courses, have earned a 3.75 or better in all of these math courses, and have been recommended by the faculty and administration. Mu Alpha Theta inducted 92 new members during a ceremony in school’s Davis Hall Auditorium. The National Art Honor Society recognizes GLHS students who have achieved high standards in the Art program and have completed at least four Art classes with a B+ average or better. The National Art Honor Society awarded 30 students with red carnations symbolizing their induction during a ceremony in the GL Media Center. Congratulations to these students, whose names are listed below, for their amazing achievements in these areas!

GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL (continued)

Mu Alpha Theta Inductees Shai Amkraut, Cassandra Anzalone, Amanda Atkinson, Jeremy Berlinski, Sydney Birbrower, Amanda Bostwick, Ethan Brackman, Matthew Bruno, Juliette Caffrey, Vanessa Candeloro, Jacqueline Cassano, Bethany Chen, Michelle Ciepiela, Andrew Clark, William Clark, Katelyn Comerford, Julia Coyle, Jack Davey, Kelly Deegan, Karly Deland, Stephen Disko, Lindsay DiStaso, Rachel Ellis, Olivia Emanuel, Elisabeth Galgano, Veronica Gedal, Jonathan George, Jacqueline Goldbeck, Dana Gray, Colin Hegarty, Ryan Hernandez, Jakub Janiak, Austen Joa, Alexander Ju, Emmanuel Kanellos, Monica Kim, Matthew Koutsaftes, Ryan Lalevee, Jasper Lee, Katelyn Leong, Alexandra Leontowycz, Edson Lin, Sama Manchanda, John Manganelli, Marcela Martinez, Tara Mathias-Prabhu, Katherine Matlin, Rachel Mattera, Devon McLean, Kelly McLoughlin, Ashley McMahon, Beatriz Medeiros, James Mezzo, Dominick Milano, Melissa Mirabelli, Anne O'Halloran, Maura Pallitta, Sarah Pasquale, Vincent Polimeni, Joshua Quinn, Nicole Ramos, Katheryn Reese, Meghan Rielly, Matthew Rothfeld, Danny Sanchez, Kristen Santullo, Nina Scalora, Kerry Sheridan, Kyle Sherman, Rachel Siegel, Darian Slattery, Anna Song, Lauren Soranno, Stephen Sottosanti, Caitlyn Splaine, Kristen Splaine, Colin Stevenson, Evan Stuart, Victoria Thomaides, Amy Tullo, Drew Tweeten, Duylinh Vu, Christopher Weeks, Anthony Wong, Judy Wong, Allison Yang, Julia Yang, Meiyouka Yao, Nicholas Young, Linda Zhang, Raymond Zhang, Ryan Zucker.

National Art Honor Society Inductees

Stephanie Bade, Ryan Blackman, Libby Cardone, Juliette Caffery, Benjamin Chien, Megan Compton, Anthony Di Nizo, Michelle Drobish, Kayla Eisenthal, Kalli Faulkner, Heidi Fergus, Maddy Gerrato, Alex Giambalvo, Claire Hulburt, Sarah Illis, Kristen Koczot, Matthew Koutsaftes, Katelyn Leong, Amy Liu, Urim Marke, Georgia Minks, Cassandra Quaglia, Juliet Sabella, Neil Schickedanz, Zoya To, Dana Vogelzang, Katelyn Wells, Dina Xie, Emily Xu, Julia Yang.            

GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL (continued)  Students from Governor Livingston High School's Interact Club made 800 sandwiches to help feed the homeless this past Thanksgiving. Students gathered in the school cafeteria before the holiday weekend and worked like elves to put together peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, and turkey sandwiches to give to the Market Street Mission in Morristown. GL students (pictured below, L to R) Patricia Kocziol, Elisabeth Galgano, and Duylinh Vu were just three of many Interact Club members who worked hard to make this charitable project a success.

GLHS staff members brought in bread to contribute to the effort. Other generous donations were made by two local businesses, Town Deli in Summit and the Prestige Diner in New Providence. Making sandwiches for the Market Street Mission has become an annual tradition for Interact Club, and the spirit of giving increases every year as more and more students join in the effort.

DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL SERVICES Various speakers have either visited or are scheduled to present workshops for many of the district staff members this winter. Most of our Project Read training for the 2014-2015 school year has been completed, with just one more date on the calendar. Mr. George Scott, of Rutgers Behavioral Healthcare and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, recently spoke to our school counselors, psychologists and social workers about suicide prevention and crisis response. In February, the district will welcome Dr. Michael Asher and Dr. Debra Salzman, both of Behavior Therapy Associates, to speak to teachers, Child Study Team members, administrators and paraprofessionals about ADHD and anxiety, respectively. And finally, in March, Dr. Maurice Elias, renowned author and Rutgers University professor, will conduct an evening presentation for staff and parents on maintaining healthy relationships with children while managing homework routines in the home. As part of the regularly-scheduled Special Education Parent Advisory Committee meeting on February 25th, Language Circle will provide a 45-minute webinar providing parents with general information about this program. This meeting will begin at 1:00pm in the large conference room on the second floor of the Clausen Administration Building. Parents of children with disabilities in grades K-8 are welcome to attend and hear more about Language Circle. Please RSVP the Director of Special Services, Mrs. Michele Gardner, at mgardner@bhpsnj.org if you plan to attend so that we can allow for adequate seating.