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RTNJ NEWS 1

Randolph Township Schools Newsletter January 31, 2017

Upcoming Events:

Jan. 31: Center

Grove Geography

Bee

Jan. 31-Feb. 3:

Shongum Kinder-

garten Registra-

tion

Feb. 1: RHS Jazz

Coffeehouse

Feb. 3: RHS 6th

Annual Cabaret

Night

Feb. 4: Ironia

Winterfest

Feb. 6-10: Center

Grove Kindergar-

ten Registration

Feb. 7: Board of

Education meet-

ing

Feb. 13: Early Dis-

missal for Stu-

dents/Staff De-

velopment

Feb. 15: Board of

Education meet-

ing

Feb. 17-20: Presi-

dent’s Weekend,

No School

Feb. 21-24: Ironia

Kindergarten Reg-

istration

Feb. 27-March 3:

Fernbrook Kinder-

garten Registra-

tion

Randolph Names 2017 Educators of the Year

Six Randolph teachers received surprise visits from their principals, supervisors, directors,

and Superintendent Jennifer A. Fano on January 9 when the winners of the Educators of

the Year were announced.

The 2017 recipients are: Center Grove: Erica

Rossmann (kindergarten), Fernbrook: Chris-

topher Kerr (grade 5), Ironia: Tricia Bourke

(grade 4), Shongum: Joanne Kesten (grade

5), RMS Christopher Scroggins (grade 8

mathematics) and RHS: Carmela Ferrentino

(Spanish).

Each winner may apply for Morris County ed-

ucator of the Year. The Board of Education

honors each winner with $500 to spend on

something to support their instructional prac-

tices. The Randolph Education Foundation

also honors these six teachers at its annual

Randolph Rock Stars event in November.

(For more details and photos from the other

five schools, please see page 2.)

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RHS Hosts Day of Service

More than 150 Randolph High School students and teachers spent their day off from

school on Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteering their time to help others.

Students collected food for the Interfaith Food Pantry in Randolph and the Randolph Ani-

mal Shelter and then delivered the donations. Students hosted a bingo game and refresh-

ments for Randolph senior citizens in the high school commons while Randolph’s singers

and musicians performed for the seniors. In the gymnasium, members of the high school

soccer teams played basketball, soccer, bowling, and other games with special needs stu-

dents. The RHS girls’ basketball team spent the day with senior citizens at Sunrise Assist-

ed Living in Randolph where they played games and talked with seniors. Other students

traveled by bus to the Cerebral Palsy High School of New Jersey in Livingston and Home-

less Solutions. Some helped bag groceries at

ACME supermarket.

The day was a joint venture by the PTSO and

the RHS Administration, according to Princi-

pal Debbie Iosso and PTSO President Jeanne

Stifelman. Mrs. Iosso said she hopes the day

becomes an annual tradition and plans are

already in the works to include more student

volunteers for next year. For more infor-

mation, please read Mrs. Iosso’s blog at

rhsrampride.com.

RMS Principal Dennis Copeland congratulates

RMS Educator of the Year Mr. Scroggins, who

was a distinguished officer in the military. “As

a math teacher, he continues to serve with

distinction by instilling the tenets of discipline

and precision to the children in his classes.”

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Congratulations to our 2017 Educators of

the Year!

RHS Principal Debbie Iosso, and RHS supervisors, vice princi-

pals, directors and Superintendent Jennifer A. Fano, right,

congratulated RHS Educator of the Year Carmela Ferrentino.

“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Mrs. Ferrentino

on her selection as the newest high school educator of the

year,” Mrs. Iosso said. “Mrs. Ferrentino demonstrates on a

daily basis the power of creating relationships with our stu-

dents. She cares about each and everyone of them.”

Ironia Principal David Kricheff, below left, congratulates Iro-

nia’s Educator of the Year Tricia Bourke. “Tricia Bourke is

truly an inspirational educator. Her dedication to professional

growth and her students’ success is unparalleled. She has

the perfect balance of pedagogy, personality and grit which creates a transformational educational experience for all

of her students.”

Shongum Principal Cliff Burns, below right, praised teacher Joanne Kesten. “Mrs. Kesten is a skilled, dedicated educa-

tor who frequently receives accolades from families regarding the positive influence that she contributes to her stu-

dents. Along with her co-teacher, Mrs. Kesten creates an ideal classroom environment in which all her students are

accepted, appreciated and appropriately challenged.”

Below left, Fernbrook Principal Michelle Telischak recognized Educator of the Year Chris Kerr. “Mr. Kerr is an outstand-

ing educator who believes in the importance of educating the whole child and developing high expectations in his

classroom. Mr. Kerr has established a remarkable classroom environment in which children feel comfortable working

through challenging tasks. His positive attitude and dedication to our Fernbrook students is unparalleled.”

Below right, Center Grove Principal Mario Rodas commended Erica Rossmann. “Ms. Rossmann is a lifelong learner

who has earned the respect of everyone through her dedication, professionalism, kindness and hard work. She is in-

novative and passionate about the art of teaching and working with students.”

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Randolph School District staff will be able to enjoy a healthier lifestyle with the opening of the new Ram-

Fit Wellness Center for district staff at Randolph High School. On January 10, administrators and mem-

bers of the board of the Randolph Education Foundation, which funded the center through a grant, cele-

brated the center’s opening which was the vision of teacher Colleen Suflay and librarian Steve Cullis.

Scenes from the New RamFit Wellness Center Opening

Some scenes from the RHS Day of Service included basketball team members at Sunrise Assisted Living, upper left, soccer team

members playing sports with special needs kids, above right, students performing for seniors at bingo in the commons, below

right, and students collecting for the homeless and pets, below left, and the basketball team volunteering, below center.

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RMS 8th Grade Teachers Conduct Seminars

Eighth grade teachers spent two days teaching seminars to students on every-thing from poverty to clean energy to help educate students about U.N. Sustainability Goals. RMS Principal Dennis Copeland said RMS teachers hope that teaching students these important goals will help them make informed choices on these topics. (Pictured left, Mrs. Carlucci teaches stu-dents during a seminar.)

Register for Randolph Community

School Programs

The Randolph Community School is accepting registra-

tion for its holiday fun programs scheduled for February

17 and April 10-13, when schools are closed. A holiday

fun program will not be offered on President’s Day,

February 20.

The Community School is accepting registration for its

summer camps for children entering grades K-8 in the

fall: Camp Discovery for grades 5-8; Camp Summer

Stars for grades 2-5 and Camp Summer Kids for grades K-1. Early registration discounts are

available. Registration is also open for the Spring SAT prep course on Monday and Wednesday

evenings at Randolph High School which begins March 20.

The Community School offers a new convenient online registration program. Please register at

https://register.capturepoint.com/RandolphCommunitySchool. For information, call (973) 361-

0808 ext. 8603 or visit rtnj.org and click on the Community School channel bar.

Registration will open soon for spring art classes, a new musical theater class at Fernbrook,

and new Kids’ Yoga and Kidz Kraftz classes.

RMS Science Olympiad Team to Compete in State Tournament

The Randolph Middle School Science Olympiad Team earned medals in six out of 13 events in the regional competition earlier this month, placing 5th out of 20 teams at the event at NJIT.

The team will now participate in the state competition on March 7 at Mid-dlesex County College. “Our team members showed great integrity and sportsmanship,” said team co-advisors Jessica Dingman and Cara Gilligan. “They represented RMS at its best and we are very proud of them.”

The team won a 4th place medal, two 5th place medals and three 6th place medals.

(The team is pictured left with their advisors.)

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Board of Education Observes Na-tional School Counseling Week

At the January 17 board busi-ness session, Randolph Board of Education President Al Matos, pic-tured left, and Vice President Ron Conti, pictured right, present guidance counselors LuAnn Miz-zoni and Michelle Belfiore with a proclamation for National School Counseling Week February 6-10.

Ironia Winterfest Preview

Ironia Principal David Kricheff and stu-

dents Abby Lindsay and Katie Tighe per-

formed juggling acts at a recent Whole

School Meeting. (pictured right)

The juggling act was to demonstrate this

year’s Carnival Theme for the school’s

Winterfest celebration scheduled for Feb-

ruary 4 with a snow date of February 5.

Band Car Winner

The Randolph High School Band Parents As-

sociation presented parent and Randolph

dentist Dr. Anthony Fusco with his new Toyo-

ta. Dr. Fusco was the winner of 2016 band

parent car raffle, which was made possible

by Toyota of Morristown. (Dr. Fusco is pictured above

with his new car, band parent Aaron Perlow, 6th grade band direc-

tor Tom Murphy, band parent Andria Barosi-Stampone and former

Randolph Mayor Roman Hirniak.)

Fernbrook Welcomes Telischak

The Fernbrook Elementary School staff wel-

comed new Principal Dr. Michelle Telischak

with a special sign during the January

whole school meeting. “The welcome sign

with student handprints was a wonderful

surprise,” Dr. Telischak said. “I am so for-

tunate to work with such a thoughtful

group of staff and students at Fernbrook.”

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RHS Literary Magazine Recognized

The American Scholastic Press As-

sociation has awarded the 2016 is-

sue of the RHS Literary magazine

“Writings on the Wall” with a first

place award. (Advisor Kelly Kays, center, is

pictured with the editorial board left, minus the

2016 graduates.)

North Jersey Region Band Conductor

and Musicians Take the Stage

RHS Band Director Dawn Russo (pictured below)

conducted the 2017 North Jersey Region Sym-

phonic Band at its concert on January 29. The

RHS students selected for the honors band are

pictured, left.

RHS Students Perform in

North Jersey Area Band

Thirteen Randolph High School musicians were selected and performed with the North Jersey Area Band Concert. Six stu-dents played with the Wind Ensemble and seven with the Symphonic Band at a con-cert January 15 at Mount Olive High Schoo

(Ironia staff and their donations are pictured below.)

RMS Musicians Selected

Eight Randolph Middle School students were selected to perform with the North Jersey Area Band at its concert January 15. (The students are pictured below.)

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Board of Education Swears in New Members

At its annual reorganization meeting, Randolph Board of Edu-

cation Board Secretary Gerald Eckert swore one new board

member and two incumbents in to new three-year terms on

the board.

First, Eckert swore in new board member Susan DeVito into

her first term on the board. (She is pictured left with Mr. Eck-

ert.) Then Mr. Eckert administered the oath of office to board

member Sheldon Epstein, below left. Finally, Mr. Eckert

swore Al Matos in to a new three-year term. (pictured below)

The board then re-elected Matos as its board president and

elected Board Member Ron Conti as its vice president.

RHS Singers and String Musicians Selected for North Jersey Honors Ensembles

Three RHS singers and nine RHS musicians have been selected to perform with the North Jersey honor

groups. The students were chosen through competitive auditions. The choral students performed at a con-

cert Saturday at Morris Knolls High School while the orchestra students will take the stage on February 19.

“I am looking forward to this wonderful experience to challenge myself musically and grow as a musician,”

said sophomore Paul Ward, who will play the bass in the orchestra and wind ensemble. (The choral stu-

dents are pictured below, left, and the orchestra students are pictured below, right.)

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RMS Geography Bee Winner

Randolph Middle School eighth grader

Michael Savage is the 2017 RMS Geography

Bee winner. Michael is pictured above with

his medal, teacher Mr. Calafiore, Mr.

Sackerman and RMS Principal Dennis

Copeland.

Save the Date

New for 2017! The PTSO Council Ladies Night Out

will be “ALL IN” Friday, April 21 at the Hanover

Marriott featuring the band the Nerds! Also new

are a cigar roller, a wine pull and chocolatier!

Shongum Geography Bee Winner

Shongum Principal Cliff Burns congratulates Geography

Bee winner Jaden Solotoff, a fourth grader, following the

2017 contest at the school this month.

Fernbrook Geography Winner

Fernbrook Principal Dr. Michelle Telischak and Vice

Principal Kristin Mueller congratulate Fernbrook

Geography Bee winner Brandon Lakind, a fifth

grader, who won the contest for the second year

in a row at Fernbrook.

Upcoming RHS Arts Events RHS and RMS jazz ensembles will present a Jazz Cof-

feehouse Wednesday, February 1 at 7 p.m. in the

RHS commons. There is a $5 entry fee.

The RHS choirs and RMS select choir will perform a

variety of Broadway songs at a Night at the Tonys Fri-

day, February 3 at 6 p.m. in the RHS commons. Din-

ner will be provided by area restaurants. Tickets are

$15 students; $20 adults. Email karen-

bachrach@optonline.net.

RHS AP Exam Registration

RHS students enrolled in AP courses will need

to register online for the 2017 AP exams. To

register, please click on the link below.

http://www.totalregistration.net/AP/310272

Registration is under way and will end on

February 28.

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Fernbrook Genius Hour Museum Walk

Fernbrook fourth graders in Ms. Musacchio’s and Ms. Connolly’s class created projects which

they shared with families at a special Genius Hour Museum Walk. (Pictured below left, Isabella

Carreira shares her project on U.S. gymnast Simone Biles while, below right, Hannah Bermu-

dez created a model of Yankee Stadium. )

Center Grove TREP$ Program

Center Grove fifth graders are learning to become en-

trepreneurs through the school’s new TREP$ program,

which received a grant from the Center Grove PTO.

At a recent meeting, fifth graders worked on their pro-

totypes for everything from soaps to bird houses. The

students plan to sell their creations at the school’s

TREP$ Marketplace on February 23 from 6-8 p.m. in the

Center Grove gymnasium.

Some students worked with a partner while others

planned their projects on their own. Vice Principal

Thomas Rathjen spoke to fifth grader Gregory Farruggio

about the soaps he is making to sell at the marketplace.

(Below, Claudia Tuttle and April Kusnier discuss their idea s for

pencil cases and flower-topped erasers.)

Ironia Geography Bee Winner

Ironia Principal David Kricheff congratulates

school geography bee winner Arya Mujumdar af-

ter he won first place in the school geography bee

this month. (They are pictured below.)

Below, Center Grove fifth grader Ethan Braun shows the bird

house he plans to sell at the TREP$ Marketplace.