What’s New for the Kids and Faculty

sure signs of another school year

As students in Bergen and Passaic counties file back to class this week with a potent mix of excitement, nervousness and dread and countless parents breathe a sigh of relief schools will be offering a host of new classes and amenities.

Students will find new computers and new writing programs, new television studios and new sports fields. Some schools have expanded options for learning Chinese and others are teaching Spanish to every young student. Courses in technology and organization skills are among the new options.

There will be new faces at the top as well.

Here, in the first of two parts, is a district-by-district list of what’s new. The roundup will continue in Thursday’s paper.

ALLENDALE Middle school students will have a chance to explore careers that involve technology. The classes include structural engineering, virtual architecture, forensic science, flight technology, alternative energy, digital music and computer graphics.

A Lego robotics class will be offered in Grades 4 and 5.

The district has hired several new teachers, including music teacher Dana Holms, who previously taught in West Milford.

ALPINE Curriculum has been updated in the five major subjects. The district hired three new teachers and one teacher’s aide. A more interactive district Web site is coming, and a security system is being installed.

BERGENFIELD A new $800,000-plus education grant will pay for elementary school guidance counselors.

Students will find new opportunities at the high school, including apprenticeships and mentoring in engineering, mathematics and the sciences. A new television studio will allow students to learn production skills and air their shows on local cable channels. The district is also bringing high school students into its regional autistic program.

Less visible changes include the installation of a fiber optic network for the seven schools, the public library and borough hall a move expected to save the district more than $100,000 annually in phone bills.

BLOOMINGDALE Sharon Biggs is beginning as the new principal for the Samuel R. Donald School, replacing the retired Mary Ann Mahometa. A preschool autistic program is opening at the Martha B. Day School.

Sixty new computers will be added to the computer lab and media center at the Walter T. Bergen School, and distributed throughout the district.

BOGOTA Former Kinnelon Assistant Superintendent Jack Hynes takes over as superintendent, replacing interim Charles Smith. The district has had more than a half-dozen superintendents and interim superintendents since 2000, and the school board hopes that Hynes will bring stability.

The district will emphasize technology literacy, particularly at the elementary level, Hynes said. A newly hired media specialist will add instruction at the lower grades.

The high school language arts and mathematics programs have added honors classes. The gym at the high school has been refurbished, while the hallways and cafeteria have been given new floor tiles.

BUTLER The school board hired Mario D. Cardinale as superintendent in early August. It also will begin its inclusive general education preschool program, which includes special education students.

CARLSTADT Students in the one-school district will be greeted by a new principal, Patricia Civitello, and a new supervisor of special services, Monica Crapis. The district also has a new business administrator, Stephen J. Imperato. This month, construction is scheduled to begin on a new park just north of the school, a joint venture by the borough and school district to provide more recreational space.

CLIFTON New administrators will be walking the halls of district schools. The Board of Education appointed Richard Tardalo, Clifton High School’s former principal, as the district’s superintendent. Tardalo will replace interim superintendent Anthony Barbary, who will now serve as the district’s interim director of human resources.

Jimmie Warren, the former principal of Christopher Columbus Middle School, will replace Tardalo as the high school’s principal. Interim Assistant Superintendent Maria Nuccetelli said the district was still searching for Warren’s replacement at the middle school.

Construction of a $2 million elevated walkway at Clifton High School is scheduled to be finished by the beginning of the school year, Nuccetelli said. The walkway should ease crowding in hallways in the 3,400-student school the state’s biggest high school on a single campus.

CLOSTER The district’s PTO has raised funds to install a basketball court and running track at Tenakill Middle School. Teachers will take part in a Korean outreach and education program. Officials also hope to improve math instruction through professional development for teachers.

CRESSKILL The district heads into its first year under the leadership of newly appointed Superintendent Loretta Bellina, who took the reins from Superintendent Charles Khoury. Bellina most recently served as head of the Ho-Ho-Kus school district and previously as principal of Cresskill’s Bryan School. She joins the district as it prepares to open a newly expanded middle school wing at its high school. Also new in the district this fall is a wireless network that will let high school students tap into the Internet from laptops.

DEMAREST The Board of Education continues its search for a superintendent after Lawrence Hughes’ departure on Dec. 31. The school board will meet on Sept. 9 to review applications, said Frank Chilson, the school business administrator. Gregg Hauser continues to serve as interim superintendent.

DUMONT Officials will institute an intensive registration process aimed at weeding out illegally enrolled students. New sports fields will be unveiled at the high school and two grammar schools. The changes come as the district searches for a new superintendent to replace James Montesano, who recently accepted a job as head of the Paramus school district. School board members are expected to appoint former district official Thomas Roberts as interim superintendent.

EAST RUTHERFORD The school board will likely appoint a new superintendent this year, but board President Michael Homaychak said the position won’t be filled until February at the earliest.

Board members also continue to consider the prospect of sharing a superintendent with Harry P. Becton Regional High School, which accommodates students from the borough and Carlstadt.

East Rutherford, which educates about 700 students in grades K- 8, could reduce by half what it pays its superintendent, Homaychak has said of the proposal. A joint superintendent would also have an easier time streamlining the curriculum between the two districts, he said.

EDGEWATER The district has hired three new teachers for Grade 1, pre-kindergarten and for a pre-kindergarten handicapped program to handle an enrollment increase of more than 50 students. Teachers in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and Grade 1 are launching a new handwriting curriculum called “Handwriting Without Tears.” The district is implementing a new hands-on, problem-solving mathematics curriculum in Grade 4, and will use the Holt mathematics program in Grades 5 and 6 to make the transition to the Leonia Middle School easier.

At Eleanor Van Gelder School, new bleachers will be installed shortly. The building’s lower level has been refinished with new flooring and new walls.

ELMWOOD PARK The district has ensured that all high school and middle school students have access to the latest technology with new computer laboratories, mobile carts and an Apple laptop in each classroom, said Richard Tomko, principal of Elmwood Park Memorial High School and Middle School.

Additional staff positions for English and Math have been created to meet the needs of a larger student popula-tion. They include two new teachers at the middle school and one at the high school.

The district has also expanded its special education program at the middle school, opening an all-day resource room, Tomko said.

ENGLEWOOD A new policy will require students to have a C-minus average or better to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities. The policy is more stringent than the state standard, which requires students only to pass classes.

Officials are preparing for students to move into the new Grieco School by January, and a new wing of Cleveland School by February. In addition, William Gibney will start as Dwight Morrow High School’s new principal in the fall. Gibney was most recently the vice principal at Montclair High, and was vice principal at Dwight Morrow before that.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS Dominic Mucci is the new superintendent. He was previously in charge of the North Bellmore district in Long Island.

The district has entered into an agreement with The Dwight- Englewood School which requires the private school to repair the sports fields in return for playing on them.

FAIRVIEW A year after a major realignment of the school district, officials are shifting their attention to upgrading technology and textbooks. The district has spent roughly $30,000 to renovate the computer lab at Lincoln School, and to add a “wireless” cart packed with laptops. Overhead screens and projectors were installed in three classrooms, and the district plans additional projectors and screens next year. The district has also purchased new textbooks for sixth-grade social studies classes, as well as new language arts textbooks and workbooks for second and third grade students. Administrators will also spend the upcoming year preparing for a September 2009 expansion of the pre-kindergarten program from a half-day to a full-day session.

FORT LEE The district has hired a new superintendent, Raymond Bandlow. Bandlow, who has a master’s degree in history and a Ph.D. in school leadership, comes from the Hillside Public Schools. The district also has appointed Marie Lanfrank as interim director of special education. She is a retired special-education director from various school districts in Bergen and Passaic counties.

The high school is inaugurating a Performing Arts Academy. School 3 is joining other district elementary schools in participating in the Lesley University Literacy Collaborative, a reading development program for teachers.

FRANKLIN LAKES A new science curriculum will give students more opportunities for hands-on learning through experiments. The “problem-based learning” approach will integrate other areas of study into the science curriculum, including writing, math and social studies. The district is revising its language arts studies by placing more emphasis on grammar and spelling. Classrooms in High Mountain Road and Woodside Avenue schools have both gotten face- lifts with new cabinetry and painting. The boys and girls restrooms at the Franklin Avenue middle schools have been gutted and redone.

GARFIELD The high school begins the year with a new principal, Michael McGinley, who previously worked in Fort Lee. McGinley replaces Douglas Petrie, who retires this month after 35 years in the district, Business Administrator Dennis Frohnapfel said.

McGinley will make $136,916; Petrie retires with a salary of $140,716.

Teachers will start the year off with a new, three-year contract, after what Frohnapfel called “a tough year of negotiations, money- wise.”

GLEN ROCK The district has a thoroughly revised K-12 mathematics curriculum, said Kathy Regan, the director of curriculum and instruction. The revision follows last year’s rigorous evaluation of the former mathematics program, she said. All mathematics teachers participated in professional development in May to prepare for the new programs. On-line supplemental materials and tutorials are available for students, parents and teachers. The grades 6 to 12 program will be available online along with a hard cover text.

Teachers will receive training in the next generation of the SmartBoard technology called Interwrite Technology, which allows students to respond to the material posted on the board by the teacher, Regan said. This allows teachers to constantly and easily determine student understanding of material covered.

HACKENSACK Several administrators, notably Edward Kliszus who takes over as superintendent from Joseph Montesano, are new to the district.

The district will expand the writer’s workshop to Grades 5 through 8 after having success with the program in the lower grades. The program, which started at Teacher’s College at Columbia University, encourages children to write during class time. Classes begin with a 15- to 20-minute lesson on a style or form of writing, and students then write in the style they have just learned. At the end of the lesson, they share their work with the class. Every few weeks, the students will edit and publish their work and hold occasional “publishing parties” where parents can view the work.

HALEDON New programs aimed at boosting the science, math and reading skills are starting at the elementary and middle school.

All middle school students will now use the hands-on science program, CPO Science, to learn about physics, genetics and chemistry. Also coming to the middle school is the series Connected Mathematics 2, a concept-based curriculum centered on problem- solving techniques.

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS A special education director, a business administrator and technology coordinator are new to the district. Wayne Van Hise, a former vice principal in Paulsboro, will head special education. Augusta Rottino will serve as the interim business administrator until Dina Massery takes over on Nov. 1. Lesa Brinker will make the transition from an arts teacher to the technology coordinator.

Hitchcock Field, which had been closed due to an artificial turf scare, is expected to reopen.

HAWORTH The district is looking for a superintendent, principal and business administrator. Three officials have been working on an interim basis since July 1, said Acting Superintendent Raymond Albano.

The district is reintroducing French in Grade 7. Schedules are being revised for Grades 6, 7 and 8, to allow students to mix with a variety of classmates throughout the day.

HAWTHORNE Superintendent Richard Spirito said a new astrobiology course, which he described as “an integrated approach to science,” will be offered at the high school. There will be new math curriculum for Grades 6, 7 and 8 to better prepare students for state assessments. For the same reason the district will take part in Learnia,an online classroom assessment. Students will be tested once at the beginning of the year in math, reading, science and writing, and then again before state testing takes place.

“We hope to get a better handle on what our needs are,” said Spirito, who is retiring this year after 13 years.

Roosevelt Elementary School will have a new principal, Joseph Brislin, who previously was vice principal at the middle school. He will be replaced by Joseph Pisacane, who has been a teacher with the district for seven years. Brislin’s predecessor, Joe Ricca, is leaving to work in another district.

HILLSDALE All the computers in three of the district’s labs have been updated. The district has replaced more than 100 desktop computers and 50 laptop computers. The district renovated two bathrooms in the middle schools and upgraded the technology infrastructure in the schools, creating more wireless capability. A new assistant principal, Damon Englese, was hired for the George White Middle School. He was an assistant principal in Union City.

HO-HO-KUS SmartBoards have been installed in every classroom in Grades 3 to 8 at the Ho-Ho-Kus Middle and Elementary School, which is significant because the school had very few, said Principal Alexis Eckert. The Ho-Ho-Kus Education Foundation funded most of the project.

The school is installing a $100,000 television studio, also mostly funded by the education foundation, for Grades K to 8.

Joyce Snider becomes the interim superintendent on Sept. 16 following the departure of Loretta Bellina to the Cresskill district. Officials say the plan is to have a superintendent hired by early 2009.

KINNELON The school year is opening with a new high school wing and revamped athletic field for the football and lacrosse programs as part of $12.7-million project. The new addition to the high school will add a music room, two science labs, a library and 14 classrooms, including space for a new program for students who have multiple disabilities.

The district hired 14 new teachers.

LAKELAND REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL The district, which educates about 1,200 students from Ringwood and Wanaque, has several new administrators and a host of new courses. Joseph LaCascio, who was with the district for 39 years, retired as principal and former vice- principal. Anthony Riscica has taken over the position.

Out of 98 applicants, Richard Kelly, from Cliffside Park, was hired for the vice principal’s position and will begin at the end of September. Michael Leary is the new business administrator.

Among the new class offerings are Play and Playwright; Algebra I, Advanced; Introduction to Psychology; Robotics II; Modified Robotics; and Advanced Film Studies.

LEONIA The district has hired a new math consultant and is ramping up its curriculum for Grades 6 to 8. More help will be given to selected sixth-graders, and the district is aiming to have more students ready to take Algebra I by eighth grade.

The district will also spend $300,000 over three years to install a new lighting system that is supposed to reduce the cost of electricity. The project includes retrofitting 4,000 lights, and adding sensors that turn lights on and off automatically. An architectural study of buildings will also be conducted, to determine how more energy can be saved.

Anna C. Scott Elementary School will get a new principal, Maria Martinez, who was previously the director of curriculum in Ridgewood.

LINCOLN PARK The middle school has changed its math and language arts blocks from 75-minute periods to 60 minutes every day. “We believe this will improve instruction for the students, who will also have more opportunities for electives,” said Superintendent James Grube.

Facilities upgrades include windows and doors, heating and ventilating systems improvements and a security system with cameras and card readers. The district also has purchased 30 new computers.

LITTLE FALLS A new principal, school building renovations and upgraded technology await students. The roof has been replaced at School 2 and a computer lab installed at School 1, said Julia Perez, the school’s business administrator.

The Board of Education hired Perez last month to replace interim business administrator Anthony Mistretta. The board also hired Gary Borges, a vice principal of a Hillsdale middle school, as the principal of School 1. Borges will replace Jennifer Montesano, who resigned last spring.

LITTLE FERRY Memorial School will have a new roof funded by a $2.4 million bond approved in April by voters. Officials are also proceeding with the expansion of the school’s air conditioning system. The district has also better aligned its seventh- and eighth- grade curriculum with the regional high school in Ridgefield Park. The changes include new textbooks and instructional methods in language arts, math, sciences and social studies. In the lower grades, district teachers and administrators are reworking their math curriculum to better reflect state standards.

LODI The district has updated the curriculum with several new initiatives that accommodate students’ different learning styles, said Superintendent Frank Quatrone.

Teachers attended workshops on “differentiated instruction” and plan on incorporating it in the curriculum. The district has placed an emphasis on training teachers to identify students at risk for learning disabilities and try to meet their individual needs, Quatrone said.

“The whole curriculum is based on the premise that you’re going to have kids that all learn differently and classroom instruction should be designed to meet all those academic levels,” he said.

LYNDHURST All elementary school students will learn Spanish, and students in Grades 4 to 8 will learn organizational skills. A new business teacher and language arts teacher have been hired, allowing the high school to offer more electives. A new assistant football coach will implement a strength and conditioning program for all athletes.

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This article was reported and written by Stephanie Akin, Joseph Ax, Ed Beeson, Leslie Brody, Evonne Coutros, Jennifer Cunningham, Nick Clunn, Elaine D’Aurizio, Giovanna Fabiano, Merry Firschein, Michael Gartland, John Gavin, Heather Kays, Maya Kremen, Allison Pries, Karen Sudol, Serdar Tumgoren, Matthew Van Dusen, Deena Yellin, Barbara Williams and James Yoo.

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(c) 2008 Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.