To the Members of the Pequannock Community,

I t seems l ike only yesterday that I joined the distr ict last August and was prepar ing for the opening of school for September, 2014. Now here we are a year later prepar ing for yet another opening! We have been able to accomplish so much in the past twelve months. We have been addressing the faci l i ty concerns this summer and the summer of 2014. The replacement/r epair s of the roofs at NB, PV, HV and SJG are done or are substantial ly done. Dur ing the summer, we have enhanced our secur i ty w ith the instal lation of cameras and the instal lation of a sw ipe card system. We continue to paint the inter ior of our bui ldings and are completing or have completed major r enovation for the PTHS Media Center, the PV Cafetor ium and the Press Box. We are str iving to create a healthy and safe environment for our students that is also aesthetical ly pleasing. The custodial team, under the dir ection of our new Director of Bui ldings and Grounds, Mr. Peter Rif fel, has been ver y busy over the summer cleaning, painting, and polishing our bui ldings and prepar ing them for the f i r st day of school on September 9.

With the advent of the 2015-2016 school year, we continue to implement the state mandated Teacher Evaluation System. The Common Core Standards were ful ly implemented last year and we continue to r evise our cur r iculum to r ef lect the Standards and to provide targeted professional development to our teachers. The STEM Academy w i l l kick off in September as well as a Work Study Program at PTHS. We continue to emphasize technology and integrate i t into the cur r iculum in al l f ive of our schools. A Pi lot 1:1 ini tiative w i l l commence at PTHS in September. The 2015-2016 school w i l l also see some exci ting changes in per sonnel in the distr ict. Mr. Brett Char leston has been appointed as the new Super intendent of Schools effective Januar y 1, 2016 which w i l l necessi tate a search for a new bui lding pr incipal at the high school. Mr. Matthew Reiner has been hir ed as the new pr incipal at Stephen J. Gerace Elementar y School effective October 26. Ever yone has been working ver y hard this summer to prepare our schools for our students and staff .    New policies have been w r i tten r egarding Attendance and Promotion. These policies r ef lect the State?s sw itch in distr ibuting state aid from student enrol lment to student attendance.

As you can see, we have had a ver y busy summer and we w i l l continue to work r ight up to the opening of school on Septem ber 9th. Enjoy the r emaining days of the summer break!

Sincerely,

Maria NuccetelliMar ia Nuccetel l i , Ed.D.

Inter im Super intendent

?Tel l m e and I?l l for get ; show m e and I m ay r em em ber ; i nvolve m e and I?l l under stand.?                                   Chinese Pr over b

September 2015

Inside This Issue:

Page 2 - BOE Policy Updates

Page 3 - STEM Academy at PTHS

Page 3 - New Facilities Director

Page 4 - Distr ict Goals for 2015-2016

Page 5 - Pequannock Athletic Update

Page 6 - Transition Tips for Parents

Pequannock Panther

Press

A Message from the Super intendent

At the August 24th Board of Education meeting, Policy 2624 , which adopts a consistent grading policy from Grades 6-12 in the Pequannock Tow nship School Distr ict, was r evised. Pr ior to the r evision of this pol icy, each school throughout the distr ict had di f ferent grading scales when i t came to r epor ting student grades. Star ting in September 2015, the passing score at Pequannock Valley School and Pequannock Tow nship High School w i l l be a 63.

In previous years, the passing score at PV School had been a 60. As the educational landscape changes and the need for student master y of ski l ls and content become even more cr i tical w i th the change in the r equir ed standards at each grade level, i t was

impor tant for the distr ict to consider this change. Mr. Hayzler, Pr incipal of PV School, stated "Now more than ever, our students are expected to demonstrate that they are prepared w ith the ski l ls and know ledge necessar y to be successful. Prepar ing our students w ith consistent expectations so that they can excel at the high school level and beyond is essential."

Parents and students are encouraged to monitor grades, homework and attendance using the Realtime Parent Por tal and the Distr ict Website.

Pequannock Sets Consistent Grading Policy

In an effor t to maximize the amount of instr uctional time afforded to the students of Pequannock Tow nship, the Board of Education r evised and adopted changes to the distr ict attendance policy beginning w ith the 2015-2016 school year. These policies include 5200: Student Attendance and 5410: Promotion and Retention. The enti r e process of education r equir es r egular continui ty of instr uction, classroom par ticipation, and learning exper iences in order to r each the goal of maximum educational benefi ts for each individual student. With that phi losophy in mind, the policy caps the annual number of absences for any student at sixteen (16) which includes both excused and unexcused absences.

The state and the school distr ict r eal ize that there may be some legi timate exemptions. Although al l absences w i l l count toward the cumulative total of sixteen (16)

absences, the schools w i l l r ecognize cer tain exemptions and requir e the appropr iate documentation. A l isting of what consti tutes an excused absence can be found on each school?s website. I f a student approaches and/or exceeds the al lotted total of 16 absences, a committee w i l l r eview the student?s absences and determine whether additional instr uction w i l l be necessar y.

We encourage al l parents, guardians, and students to r eview the new policies in detai l on the distr ict websi te and student handbooks. We look for ward to working together w ith you to ensure your chi ld?s success. The education of the chi ldren of Pequannock Tow nship r emains the distr ict?s number one pr ior i ty. You are encouraged to r each out to your chi ld?s individual school i f there are any questions r egarding the distr ict attendance policy.

Student At t endance Policy Revised by BOE

Visit www.pequannock.or g for all impor tant infor mation about the

Pequannock Township School Distr ict!

Pequannock Tow nship High School welcomes i ts f i r st cohor t of 34 students to the inaugural STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer ing and Math) Academy. Students enrol led in the Academy take r igorous STEM focused classes in addition to r egular course work.

The sequence of courses includes Fundamentals of Engineer ing (9th grade), Robotics (10th grade), Ar chi tecture w ith AutoCAD and Prototypes w ith Inventor (11th) grade and four semester courses in 12th grade on 3-D Prototyping, Por tfol io Design, Electr ical Engineer ing, and Applications of Computer s in Science and

Engineer ing. Students who entered the program were r equir ed to complete an application process that included an inter view w ith administr ation.

The culminating activi ty for STEM Academy students is the Senior Exper ience where students, working w ith STEM Academy faculty, engage in r eal wor ld exper iences through job shadow ing and internships w ith local companies. High School staff and administr ation are ver y exci ted about this ini tial cohor t of students and looks for ward to the continued grow th and evolution of the STEM Academy.

STEM Academy Start s at PTHS

New Facil i t ies Director Keeps Summer Project s Going The Pequannock Tow nship School Distr ict is pleased to welcome Mr. Peter Rif fel, the new Director of Faci l i t ies. Mr. Ri f fel joined the distr ict in late June and immediately has been making a posi tive impact on the distr ict. In fact, Mr. Ri f fel 's f i r st day on the job was the day after a f i r e occur red on the roof at SJG. Since then, Mr. Ri f fel has worked ti r elessly to see that the room and the classrooms were r estored and that the school would be r eady for the star t of school.

Throughout the summer Mr. Ri f fel has been completing an assessment of al l of the faci l i t ies and has alr eady begun the process of improving the schools.

This summer he has been involved in the r evi tal ization of the PTHS Media Center and PV Cafetor ium, painting at al l of the bui ldings, overseeing updates to bui lding secur i ty, r e-str iping the PTHS parking lots, and has begun the process of improving the press box on the PTHS Football Field.

Mr. Ri f fel is a graduate of the Rutgers/NJSBGA Educational Faci l i t ies Management Program. He is also a Cer ti f ied Educational Faci l i t ies Manager (CEFM) through the NJ Depar tment of Education, Off ice of School Faci l i t ies. He previously worked for the Parsippany School Distr ict. Mr. Ri f fel is exci ted to be able to assist in continuing to improve the faci l i t ies for our students and staff !

On August 5th, the Board of Education and Administr ator s met dur ing the Board Retreat to discuss the 2014-15 goals and formulate the 2015-16 goals. The attendees reviewed the status of the distr ict and identi f ied areas upon which to focus for the 2015-2016 school year. As a r esult of those discussions, the fol low ing three goals were established for the 2015-16 school year :

Dist r i ct Goal #1: Student Achievem ent By June 30, 2016, the Pequannock Township School Dist r i ct w i l l have addr essed al l of the fol l ow ing 21st Centur y sk i l l s:          1. Pr oviding tar geted pr ofessional developm ent to addr ess i dent i f i ed staf f needs           2. In i t i ate the t r ansi t i on to the Nex t Gener at i on Science Standar ds (K-12)           3. Enhance technology i ntegr at i on and pr of i ciency i n the di st r i ct for students and staf f

This goal focuses on the 21st centur y ski l ls that al l students w i l l have to master to succeed. The goal emphasizes the integration of technology across the cur r iculum and identi f ies the professional development needed to suppor t our staff and to implement the new generation of science standards.

Dist r i ct Goal #2 : Com m unicat i on

By June 30, 2016, the di st r i ct w i l l i ncr ease com m unicat i ons w i th the com m uni ty by i ncr easing the m odal i t i es of com m unicat i on by 20% in or der

to pr om ote and celebr ate the accom pl i shm ents of the Pequannock Township School Dist r i ct .

This could be considered an extension of the communications goals which the distr ict successful ly completed 2014-15; however, the emphasis w i l l be how can involve more of our stakeholders. The Parent Univer si ty program w i l l continue as i t proved to be an effective tool to keep our community informed. Once again, the focus w i l l be technology as we look to create a Distr ict App and a Vir tual Newsletter.

Dist r i ct Goal #3: Finance By June 30, 2016, the i nter im business adm in i st r ator w i l l ef fect st r ategies of economy and ef f i ci ency to r eal i ze r esour ces to fund faci l i t y pr oject and exam ine the use of sur plus by the di st r i ct to fund the di st r i ct budget .

This goal continues the focus on eff iciency and economy as we implement the 2015-2016 budget. The administr ation w i l l continue to monitor the expenditures of the distr ict and identi fy areas where monies can be saved. These dollar s w i l l be used to fund some of the faci l i ty projects that we have as we maintain our f ive bui ldings and to r educe the distr ict?s r el iance on the use of surplus to fund future budgets.

Please check the websi te for the Power Point that was pr esented at the August 24th Boar d Meet ing for a com plete l i st i ng of the m ajor act iv i t i es under each goal statem ent .

Dist r ict Goals Adopted for 2015-2016

SJG welcomes Mrs. Mahoney and Mr. Reiner SJG w i l l be under new leadership fol low ing the depar ture of Dr. James Singagliese in August. Mrs. Diane Mahoney is cur rently ser ving as the Inter im Pr incipal at SJG, having star ted in August. Mrs. Mahoney joins the Pequannock School Distr ict w i th 38 years of exper ience in elementar y education and special education. She w i l l be assisting in the tr ansi tion to Mr. Matthew Reiner who was hir ed to ser ve as the SJG Pr incipal star ting in October.

Mr. Reiner joins the Pequannock Leadership Team w ith over 15 years of exper ience in elementar y education as both a teacher and an administr ator. He began his career teaching 2nd, 4th and 6th grades. He cur rently ser ves as the Vice Pr incipal in the Dumont Schools working w ith grades K through 8. He has worked extensively w ith the ELL program and is interested in incorporating his exper ience w ith educational technology. He is exci ted to join the Pequannock School Distr ict on or about October 26th!

The Golden Panther fal l athletic season began on August 10th, and since that time our hardworking student-athletes have been practicing 6 days a week whi le also competing in scr immages w ith other schools in the area. At PTHS, the fal l season offer s Cross- Countr y, Gir ls Soccer, Boys Soccer, Gir ls Tennis, Field Hockey, and Football . At PV, the fal l season offer s Boys and Gir ls Soccer. Regular season games w i l l begin the week of 9/7 and a ful l l isting of al l Pequannock Tow nship High School and Pequannock Valley Middle School scr immages and games can be found on the PTHS athletic page.

New members to the fal l coaching staff include the fol low ing:

Head Gir ls Tennis: Tony Clar k- Mr. Clark comes to PTHS w ith a wealth of tennis coaching exper ience, most r ecently at Pope John High School in Spar ta, NJ.

Head Boys Soccer : Michael Zum m o- Mr. Zummo was appointed as the new coach of the PTHS boys soccer program after previously ser ving 7 seasons as the JV coach. Mr. Zummo is teacher at PV School.

Assistant Boys Soccer : Joseph Gennar el l i - Mr. Gennarel l i is beginning his f i r st year of coaching and w i l l be star ting his f i r st year as a teacher at PV School.

Assistant Boys Soccer : Kyle Soden- The boys soccer program welcomes Mr. Soden to the staff after he coached the previous two years at East Hanover Middle School.

Assistant Gir ls Soccer : Er i ca Thacker - Ms. Thacker enjoyed coaching the gir ls lacrosse team in the spr ing so much that she enthusiastical ly jumped on board to the fal l staff as well . She is cur rently a teacher at PV School.           

The 2014- 15 school year produced four Nor thwest Jer sey Athletic Conference Championships at the high school level, and one Mor r is County Championship at the middle school level. Please come out and show your suppor t towards seeing what our outstanding student-athletes and their coaches can accomplish this year ! Go Panthers!

THE PANTHERS ARE READY FOR ANOTHER EXCITING FALL SEASON!

PTHS CLASS OF 2015 HEADING OFF TO COLLEGE!

As the summer draws to a close, the tr ansi tion back to school can be di f f icult for some students (and parents). Str ucture and routine are impor tant in prepar ing students for success in school. Below are some tips that can be beneficial for parents and their chi ldren to get r eady for the star t of school.

1.) Be enthusiastic about the upcoming change. I f you are exci ted and confident, your chi ld w i l l be, too.

2) Review al l school information w ith your chi ld as soon as i t ar r ives. Involve them in the conversation r egarding school procedures.

3) Mark your calendar. Make a note of impor tant dates, especial ly back-to-school nights. (See the dates to the r ight!)

4) Re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines. Plan to r e-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines (especial ly breakfast) at least 1 week before school star ts. Eight hours of sleep is r ecommended for chi ldren.

5) Designate and clear a place to do homework. Set up a dai ly schedule of when homework w i l l be completed.

6) Remove cel l phones and technology from a chi ld's room at night.

7) Discuss drop off and pick up routines and establish a means of communication for after school activi ties.

8) Review Realtime and the School Website r egular ly w ith your chi ld.

CalendarSeptem ber 16th

Septem ber 17th

Septem ber 21st

Septem ber 30thEar ly Dismissal (Staff Development)

Back to School Night at SJG, NB and HV - 7:00

Back to School Night at PTHS - 7:00

Back to School Night at PV - 7:00 MAKING THE TRANSITION BACK TO SCHOOL: TIPS FOR PARENTS

The Pequannock Tow nship School Distr ict would l ike to welcome the new teachers for the 2015-16 school year. The teachers new to the distr ict met for a three-day induction program August 24th - 26th at Stephen J. Gerace School. The goal of the Induction Program was to faci l i tate suppor t for new teachers through activi ties designed to bui ld r elationships, introduce staff to distr ict r esources, pol icies and procedures and model effective instr uction to improve student per formance. The program was f i l led w ith many outstanding activi ties to provide best practice str ategies to implement the distr ict?s cur r iculum.

Welcome New Staf f !

Pequannock Township Board of Educat ion

Kim Quigley, President

Matt Tengi, Vice-President

Sam Ciresi

James Farrel l

Dr. Doug Muzzio

Tom Salerno

Bil l Sayre

Vinnie Siracusa

Dr. Richard Thumann

Maria Nuccetel l i , Ed.D

Interim Superintendent

Rosal ie Winning, Ed.D

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruct ion

Anthony Mistret ta

Interim Business Administ rator/Board Secretary

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