NEWS FROM THE BERKELEY HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS MARY KAY MC MILLIN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER Cliff Wright-Sunflower is a master beekeeper, environmental educator, storyteller and performer. Cliff recently visited Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center and presented his audience participation program, “Dancin’ with the Honeybees,” to First Grade students at the school, bringing the scientific magic of the honeybee hive to life. James Cannizzaro (pictured, right) was just one of many students who were happy to be a part of this activity. “Dancin’ with the Honeybees,” a school assembly and workshop program, is planned and sponsored annually at the Early Childhood Center by the PTO as a special enhancement to the Grade 1 Science curriculum. ******************************************************************************

The students and staff of Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center recently participated in the Kick-off Assembly for our Annual Saint Jude Wheel-a-Thon. The Wheel-A-Thon is a free educational program that teaches our students about riding-toy safety and the importance of helping others while benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The assembly included a parody skit with our Principal, Mrs. Anne Corley-Hand, and First Grade grade Mom, Lauren Cottam, modeling the right and very wrong way to ride a bike! A highlight of the event was when former MKMECC student Nicholas Tarabokia (pictured, left) spoke to our students about his own battle with childhood cancer. Here, Nicholas speaks with First Grader Alexa D’Amato (right), who is currently in remission from

cancer, and Mrs. Amy Tarabokia, Nick’s mother and a HELP Teacher at the Early Childhood Center.

THOMAS P. HUGHES SCHOOL

For the past few months, Thomas P. Hughes School alumnus Colin Hegarty has been working hard on his Eagle Scout project. In the spirit of giving back to the community, he created a “Pathway to the Future” display near the playground area at Hughes School. The Pathway is a series of displays geared at helping students understand different forms of energy. A working solar panel and ammeter are featured on two of the signs, along with age-appropriate explanations of wind power and solar power.

The project was recently completed and is now ready for visitors! Teachers are invited to bring their students outside to visit the Pathway, and students are welcome to share this experience with their families before and after school. Many thanks to Colin for creating the Pathway and sharing his talents with Hughes School!

MOUNTAIN PARK SCHOOL Did you know that there are 5,000 species of ladybugs? If a ladybug lands on you, it is considered to be good luck! How lucky Mountain Park School Third Graders are to have their own pet ladybugs to observe and care for, thanks to a generous grant from the Berkeley Heights Education Foundation (BHEF). Students will begin exploring ladybug life cycles and later compare and contrast their findings with the life cycles of beetles and butterflies. ******************************************************************************

Grade 2 students at Mountain Park School became botanists for a morning as they participated in a High Touch –High Tech program entitled “Smarty Plants.” The students explored the amazing world of plants and learned about photosynthesis and germination. They discovered amazing facts about roots, shoots and transportation inside a plant. They each made a terrarium to bring home.

This program was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Mountain Park School Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO).

WILLIAM WOODRUFF SCHOOL The economy, finance, sales, and budgeting were on the minds of each William Woodruff School Fifth Grader as they ran a simulated town during the Junior Achievement (JA) Biztown program held at the offices of MetLife in Raritan Center, Edison.

The students participated in a 10-week program, sponsored by MetLife and other companies, to learn about 21st century skills and careers. The students learned how to budget, write checks, and make banking transactions with credit and debit cards. They learned how to start, run, and sustain a business for productivity and growth. The students learned interviewing skills, as they had an opportunity to meet with and ask questions of candidates for mayor, attorney, and business administrator in the simulated

town. They also interviewed for positions in media, technology, utilities, medicine, sales, banking, retail, and restaurants. The students ran the town for the day in every aspect of business and evaluated their performance based on financial assets at the end of the day. The experience was a terrific one that opened the students’ eyes to the possibilities of future careers. Special thanks to Mrs. JoAnne Barton, Mrs. Sarah Burga, and Mr. Sean Waller, Grade 5 teachers, for supporting this highly-engaging experience. *************************************************************************************The William Woodruff School Fifth Grade Drama Club scored big with this year’s production of Goal. This play takes place on the soccer field, where the students learn the importance of working together, believing in oneself, giving it your all, and how it’s not all about winning, but how you play the game. The students showed their talents on and off the “field” as they performed intricate dance numbers, sang their hearts out, and hit the mark on each line delivered. The Woodruff students completed a run of three shows before large, enthusiastic audiences. Congratulations to all students who participated and special thanks to directors Mrs. Sarah Burga and Mrs. Kim Delatour, along with scenery volunteers Mrs. Diana Bjorge, Mrs. Daniella Delaney, Ms. Stephanie Parrott, and Ms. Kathryn Morris.

WILLIAM WOODRUFF SCHOOL (continued) Four Grade 5 students from William Woodruff School – David Andrews, Kaitlyn Chee, Molly Lenhart and James Rubino, recently performed in a concert presented by the Central Jersey Honors Band at Matawan Regional High School. Each year, Music educators from throughout New Jersey donate their time to listen to student auditions for this special performance opportunity. Students are invited to audition by their teachers – in the case of the Woodruff students, Mrs. Helen Bartolick - and then they are chosen for the CJHB based on their ability and the need for musicians who play particular instruments within a concert band. Mrs. Bartolick’s love of music has clearly carried over to her students, as Woodruff School’s Music teacher has encouraged many of them over the past few years to demonstrate their talents as part of the Central Jersey Honors Band. ****************************************************************************** William Woodruff School students Carinne Zhou (Grade 2), Angel Li (Grade 4), and Aidan Linde (Grade 5) were recently honored by having their artwork displayed at The Liberty Center in Union as part of the annual exhibit sponsored by the Union County Art Educators. This art show is designed to highlight the artistic achievements of students from throughout Union County in grades Kindergarten through 12. Mrs. Diana Bjorge, Teacher of Art at Woodruff School, selected the works by Carinne, Angel and Aidan for inclusion in this countywide exhibit. The pieces produced by the aforementioned Woodruff students varied in medium, color, design, and technique. Each student was presented with a certificate and art bag filled with supplies to further support their interests and talents.

COLUMBIA MIDDLE SCHOOL The Speech Team of Columbia Middle School recently had the honor of making a presentation during a public meeting of the Berkeley Heights Board of Education. The CMS Team is now preparing to compete in its first forensics tournament against students from other area schools in late May. At an age where students first develop an interest in pursuits beyond reading, writing, and math, Speech Team offers a way for middle school students to learn to verbally engage with each other and communicate in front of an audience. Initiating these critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills at a young age prepares a foundation on which students can flourish, both academically and socially. This organization at Columbia Middle School is for students who love public speaking. During meetings and individual practice sessions with their coaches, Ms. Lisa Babic and Mrs. Susan Prendeville, team members practice, perfect and perform a variety of speech styles. The students have grown as speakers since the beginning of the school year and they support one another as they learn. ******************************************************************************

Students in Mrs. Marcie Hall’s Grade 7 Science classes at Columbia Middle School have been researching a chosen biome in celebration of Earth Day, which is observed every April.

Students researched characteristics such as animal/plant adaptations, climate, geographical features, and ecological concerns.

Once the research is complete, students then designed a postcard related to

their biome and sent their postcard off to one of their favorite teachers. Teachers will have an opportunity to give feedback to the students, using Mrs. Hall’s rubric of expectations.

GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL The students of Governor Livingston High School recently participated in the “Days of Realization” program. Every 15 minutes, someone in the United States dies as the result of an alcohol related traffic collision. Due to this startling fact, several TREND students at GLHS organized this two-day program. On the first day, students were taken from their classrooms and an announcement was made over the loudspeaker announcing their death. Their faces were painted white and they were returned to class; however, they were not allowed to speak for the remainder of the day. After school, the 26 students and three staff members who suffered this fate were taken to an undisclosed location for the night. Here, they participated in activities and heard from a guest speaker, who tragically killed her friend as a result of an alcohol-related accident. During their time away, students and staff members were asked to write letters to their loved ones, saying what they would not have gotten to say if this were in fact a real situation. The next day, in an assembly program for the junior and senior students, specific members of this group shared their letters with the student body. In addition, Maria Esteves of the Union County Prosecutor's Office shared the heartbreaking story of losing her 9-year old daughter due to the actions of a drunk driver. The program was a simulation of the impact that traffic fatalities have on a community of people. We hope that this program will help students realize the true risks of reckless behavior and understand the dangers of driving under the influence. This program was driven by GLHS students with assistance and guidance provided by Mr. Robert Segear, Berkeley Heights Student Assistance Counselor. Also assisting and providing leadership were our School Resource Officers, Officer Edward Gaffney of the Berkeley Heights Police Department and Detective Shaun Bendik of the Mountainside Police Department. The program was completely supported through numerous donations by the generous people and businesses of Berkeley Heights and Mountainside, as well as by the Berkeley Heights and Mountainside Municipal Alliances. To watch the Governor Livingston High School “Days of Realization” Day One Review, please click on the following link: These are the Days of Realization. The full video will be posted shortly on the GLHS website.

GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL (continued) There are always so many exciting things happening “On The Hill” at Governor Livingston! Please click on the following links for a sampling of these other events:

Governor Livingston Environmental Class Awarded $2,000 Sustainability Grant

Governor Livingston Hilltop Players Present 'The Drowsy Chaperone'

Quill and Scroll Induction Ceremony

Berkeley Heights Public Schools Safety Presentation

Students Prepare and then Place Third in the Nation for Moody’s Mega Math Challenge

Lance Hosts Student Leadership Conference May 7; Event to Give Students Hands-On Lawmaker Experience

DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL SERVICES During this time of the school year, we are celebrating differences by observing Autism Awareness Month, Worldwide Autism Awareness Day, and New Jersey Special Education Week. Our students and staff members have been participating in a variety of activities which promote acceptance and understanding toward individuals with disabilities. Mrs. Megan Mansfield’s class at Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center is making an Autism Awareness ribbon out of puzzle pieces that they will be painting red, blue, green and yellow. Mrs. Cherie Verzi’s class at Mountain Park School observed Autism Awareness Month by wearing blue and donating money for a dress-down day to Autism New Jersey, where Mrs. Verzi is a registered Autism Ambassador. She raised a total of $166 this year! Mrs. Verzi also worked with classroom teachers by providing blue puzzle piece where students completed the sentence, "Acceptance means being________” and these pieces were hung outside classrooms. In addition, Mrs. Verzi provided teachers with lesson plans developed by Autism New Jersey and a "kids booklet” and Ambassador certificate to raise awareness and encourage students to become Autism Ambassadors themselves. The district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) recently held its final meeting of the 2015-2016 school year. Please keep an eye on the department website for dates of SEPAC meetings for the 2016-2017 school year.