Northeast News April 2, 2015 Updates from the Principal’s Desk

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi

Our School Pledge: I will be Respectful, Kind, and Safe. T = Trustworthy R = Respectful E = Encouraging E = Enthusiastic S = Students

Northeast School Mission Statement The Northeast community promotes, inspires, and instructs all students to achieve academic excellence by building a

solid foundation in the English Language Arts and Mathematics, to meet the challenges of middle school. Our mission fosters social responsibility and a lifelong love of learning, enabling all students to thrive in a global and diverse world.

April Book of the Month – The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry Theme: Celebrate Earth Day!

Dear Northeast Families:

Spring is here! Enjoy the warmer weather! J

Our students will be celebrating Earth Day in April by engaging in various activities to highlight the importance of the wonderful natural resources in our community. Mrs. Dharsi and Mrs. Damiano are planning a garden cleanup day with our students and the help of the PTA parent volunteers. The activities will take place on Saturday, April 11, 2015 at Northeast School in the rear garden area at 10:00 am.

Stay tuned! The SATP committee will be sending an exciting message very soon to share some of the activities we are planning for our students connected to the Kikoko Village partnership with our new global friends. We are ecstatic about the new partnership!

Our 5th graders will have some visitors from Denmark this month to share their culture, language, school environment, and gymnastic talents. Lisa Davies, thank you for bringing this fabulous experience to Northeast School for our fifth grade students! This will tie into their grade level study of Europe.

Congratulations to our talented students! Grade 1 presentations were recently held about the continent of South America, specifically Patagonia. The presentations performed by all of the first grade classes were magnificent! The students worked really hard, and it showed throughout each class performance. All of the second graders knew their speaking parts and spoke well with powerful expression, dressed in beautiful costumes with the help of our wonderful parent volunteers, and sang lovely songs with movement. Kudos to all of their wonderful teachers, student teachers, teaching assistants, and parent volunteers!

Thanks to Mr. Jorge Larrea, art teacher, for inspiring our students to participate in the 2015 11th Annual Essex County Art Exhibit sponsored by the Art Educators of New Jersey, which has a partnership with the Newark Office of the County Executive, Mr. Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. The student exhibit was displayed in the Hall of Records in Newark, New Jersey. On March 30, 2015 our students and their families were invited to attend an awards ceremony where they were recognized for having their artwork included in this awesome and imaginative exhibit. Congratulations to Zora Tracy in Mrs. Jacobs’ 1st grade class, Betrys Davies in Mrs. Maliszewski’s 2nd grade class, Chloe Jordan in Mrs. Greenhalgh-Checchetto’s 3rd grade class, Jayla Gray in Mrs. Couden’s 4th grade class, and Marjorie Greenberg in Ms. Maher’s 5th grade class!

PARCC Testing Grades 3-5 Students

*The April-May EOY (End of Year) Grades 3-5 PARCC testing dates are listed in the calendar at the end of the newsletter. ü 1 Day ELA & 2 Days Math Grades 3-5 ü Estimated time on task = 50 minutes/Time given = 75 minutes ü Unlimited time for students with accommodations

Completed in March 2015: Performance-based assessments (PBA) in ELA/literacy and mathematics. All students were administered this summative test in March to show what they know. PBAs in math focused on reasoning and modeling, and included questions that required both short and extended responses. In ELA/literacy, the PBAs focused on both reading comprehension and writing when analyzing texts.

Scheduled for April-May 2015: End-of-Year assessments (EOY) in ELA/literacy and mathematics. All students will take the EOY April -May. The results will be combined with the performance-based assessment (PBA) to produce a student’s summative assessment score. The ELA/literacy EOY will focus on reading comprehension. The mathematics EOY will ask students to demonstrate solid understanding of math concepts and demonstrate mathematical fluency.

*Spring  2015  NJASK  Science  Testing  –  Grade  4:    May  27-­‐28,  2015 Safety Reminders! Thank you for your cooperation regarding morning arrival and dismissal. Please continue to adhere to the safety signs and procedures each morning and afternoon. We appreciate your support!

Recess Reminder Spring is here! J Please make sure your children are still prepared with spring jackets, etc. for cooler, outdoor temperatures. Thank you!

Academic Links: Please visit our district website link to the Academic Office at www.montclair.k12.nj.us to review our updated District Curricula in Math and English Language Arts, and other content areas. Click on the “Academic Office”, and then click on “District Curricula” to peruse the various curriculum guides, which outline all of the learning goals by marking period (3 trimesters).

SATP Projects: Updates Yesenia Cruz-Troy & Itewari Bryan, Co-chairs Sabra Scott (Dean), School Liaison

*Please refer to the district website links to Northeast School and the PTA/SATP for full calendar dates, and other resources at www.montclair.k12.nj.us.

Please come to our next meeting on Tuesday evening, April 28, 2015 from 6:00-7:00 pm in the library. Hope to see you there! J

Two SATP Goals - Discussed on March 31, 2015: School Improvement Plan Goal #3: Effective Communications and Parent Engagement

• Objectives: By June 2015, 2-3 outcome-based strategies for engaging families will be developed, implemented and evaluated for effectiveness led by the SATP.

• Goal #1: “Calling all Dads” project to encourage fathers to form a dad’s group • Goals #2: Assigned grade level information liaisons K-5 (all classrooms)

*We will also focus on updating school-wide PTA, SATP, and administration communication tools.

School  Action  Team  for  Partnerships  Meeting  Schedule:  • Tuesday,  4/28/15   6:00-­‐7:00  pm  • Tuesday,  5/26/15       6:00-­‐7:00  pm  • Tuesday,  6/9/15           8:45-­‐9:45  am  

Classroom Pen Pal Project (Grade Level Continent Study): Our students are so excited to meet new friends and learn about their families and communities. Pen pals are so much fun! J

• Kindergarten (North America) - Pearl Creek Elementary, Alaska • Grade 1 (South America) – St. Nicholas School, Argentina • Grade 2 (Africa) - Montessori International School, Nigeria & International Community School of Abidjan, Ivory

Coast • Grade 3 (Australia) - Subiaco Primary School, Australia • Grade 4 (Asia) – Hongyeon Elementary School, South Korea • Grade 5 (Europe) - American Section, Lycee International, France

Current Projects: • Hit the Books: *Sunday, June 14 @ 2:05 pm- Jackals Game Day…Save the date!

Family flyer eblast: New this year, Northeast Elementary School graders will be participating in Hit the Books sponsored by the New Jersey Jackals baseball team. The program will begin on April 6, 2015 and end on June 1, 2015. Description of the program: The New Jersey Jackals' Hit the Books Reading Program is a fun and unique incentive-based program. It is designed to encourage students to achieve higher grades and make learning fun! Students who read four (4) books and complete a reading assignment slip will earn the prizes described below. All slips will be collected in their respective homeroom classes. The prizes are as follows: 1st book: Single: One free public skate pass for Floyd Hall Arena 2nd book: Double: NJ Jackals wristband 3rd book: Triple: Free hot dog & soda ticket to be used at any 2015 Jackals game 4th book: Home Run: Two free tickets for the Jackals game below… Hit the Books Jackals Game: Sunday, June 14 at 2:05 PM

• Partnership & International Assemblies (Kikoko Village School Assembly – April 2015 K-5

Mark your Calendar ü April 3: Schools Closed, Good Friday Observance ü April 6: K-5 Hit the Books Challenge Begins (Ends June 1, 2015) ü April 7: RESCHEDULED…Talent Show @ MHS Auditorium 7:00 pm ü April 7-9: Middle School Tours ü April 9: Early Dismissal, 1:10 pm Curriculum Thurs. ü April 10: World Bingo Family Night! 6:00 – 7:30 pm ü April 11: Garden Clean Up @ Northeast…10:00 am ü April 20-24: Schools Closed, Spring Break ü April 28: EOY PARCC Grade 5 ELA ü April 30: EOY PARCC Grade 4 ELA Looking Ahead ü May 2: May in Montclair…Watchung Plaza 12 noon ( Mr. Dey & Students) ü May 4: EOY PARCC Grade 3 ELA ü May 6-7: EOY PARCC Grade 5 Math ü May 11-12: EOY PARCC Grade 4 Math

ü May 13-14: EOY PARCC Grade 3 Math

ELEMENTARY MARKING PERIODS

MARKING PERIOD START DATE END DATE REPORT CARD DATE 1 Thursday

Sept. 4, 2014 Friday

Dec. 5, 2014 Monday

Dec. 15, 2014 2 Monday

Dec. 8, 2014 Friday

March 13, 2015 Friday

March 27, 2015 3 Monday

March 16, 2015 Tuesday

June 16, 2015 Monday

June 22, 2015

Reminder: Skyward Family Access is available on the district website. Please log on at https://skyward.montclair.k12.nj.us, create an account, and “opt in’’ to the program to update your family contact information throughout the school year. We are “green believers”, so you will receive Northeast School e-blast communication through your current family emails listed in Skyward.

Thank you PTA, SATP, families, and staff for your continued positive support this year!

Warm regards, Mrs. Cenithia Bilal, Principal cbilal@montclair.k12.nj.us