Our district will be

establishing a full-day

kindergarten program,

beginning in September 2014.

This past winter, our district

made a quick and significant

push to make full-day

kindergarten a reality here at

FRSD. We are so pleased to

establish this program in the

coming fall for our youngest

learners. There’s more work to

be done; however, the most

important elements are in

place. We are committed to

structuring a program that best

meets the needs of our

students.

A Kindergarten Advisory

Team is made up of the four

elementary principals, Central

Full-Day Kindergarten to start September 2014 About News & Notes

News & Notes is all about our students and

our team here in the Flemington-Raritan

School District. Together, we are all

working hard, focusing on our tasks, meeting

our deadlines and looking ahead to what

will face us in the future. But as we embrace tomorrow’s challenges, it

is important to recognize how far we’ve come, how

much we’ve achieved and how proud we are to be a

part of this district. All of us play a significant role

here at FRSD. Each of us contributes to every

student’s educational journey through our

schools. News & Notes

celebrates achievements, highlights initiatives and

shares our progress. But, more importantly, it

showcases our students and our special teachers and staff members that

make our schools outstanding and the

reason I am so very fortunate to serve as your

Superintendent.

In this issue:

Full-Day K Program

100 Greatest Books

1

2

Wellness Committee

Read Across America

3

4

School Security 5

Student News

More Student News

6

7

News & Notes from the Superintendent’s Desk

Flemington-Raritan

SPRING 2014 Contact: gnolan@frsd.k12.nj.us

Regional School District

Office Administrators, and a

primary teacher from each

school. The team will meet

over the next two months to

further refine the

implementation and transition

to full-day kindergarten.

We are eager to continue

our work and prepare for the

start of a full-day program this

fall. We thank our staff

members, families and the

community for their support of

this endeavor and appreciate

their ongoing commitment to

providing an exceptional

education here at FRSD.

The first day of school for

all students, including our new

full-day kindergarteners, will

be September 3, 2014.

Graphics in this publication courtesy of

www.google.com/images.

You’re Invited!

Celebration

of

Learning

Tuesday

April 22

6-8 p.m.

All Schools

K-8

Bring the whole

family to visit each of our

schools and

enjoy student work on display.

Come out

and celebrate

learning with us!

As Superintendent, I had the great pleasure of reading to students at Francis A.

Desmares School during its annual Family Reading Night, held on March 6.

In celebration of Read Across America Day, I read a book from the Berenstain

Bears series, of which I am an avid fan. I have known the Berenstain family for

over 10 years and have truly enjoyed sharing their works with young readers.

2

Teachers of the Year announced!

The 100 greatest children’s books in the last 100 years...enjoy!

April 14

School Open for

Students and Staff

April 15

Staff Development Day,

School Closed for

Students only

April 21

School Open for

Students and Staff

June 19 & 20 (Last Day)

Early Dismissal Days,

School Open for

Students and Staff

Visit www.frsd.k12.nj.us to view the calendar,

including additional contingency snow days.

This year, each edition of the Superintendent’s

newsletter will list 25 of the top 100 greatest

children’s books from the last century. Here’s the

second set of 25 books from

the list, which was pub-

lished by the Star Ledger on

October 8, 2013, as the

most popular picks by

librarians. Happy reading!

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, by Mo

Willems (2003)

Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan (2000)

Freight Train, by Donald Crews (1978)

Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel

(1970)

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.

Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg (1967)

George and Martha, by James Marshall (1972)

The Giver, by Lois Lowry (1993)

Go, Dog, Go!, by P.D. Eastman (1961)

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown,

illustrated by Clement Hurd (1947)

Grandfather’s Journey, by Allen Say (1993)

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, illus-

trated by Dave McKean (2008)

Our Board of Education congratulates Mrs. Adrienne

Harley, Kindergarten and Student Support Teacher at

Francis A. Desmares School! Mrs. Harley has been selected

as this year’s Teacher of the Year in our district. Mrs.

Harley is in her seventh year of teaching in our district and

has eight years of experience in education. She earned a

bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Rider

University and received a supervisor certificate from

Rutgers University.

In addition, we are proud to announce and

acknowledge each school’s recipient of the 2014 Governor’s

Teacher Recognition Program this year. These recipients

have been named their school’s Teacher of the Year for

2014. They are:

Chris Truncale, Computer Teacher – Barley Sheaf

Marianne Szierer, Grade 1 Teacher – Copper Hill

Adrienne Harley, Kindergarten and Student Support

Teacher – Francis A. Desmares School

Colleen Ewing, Grade 1 Teacher – Robert Hunter

Sarah Brandell, Grade 5 Math/Science Teacher –

Reading-Fleming

Donna Cherkezian, Language Arts/Student Support

Teacher – J.P. Case

Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss (1960)

Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett

Johnson (1955)

Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by

J.K. Rowling (1998)

Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen (1989)

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937)

Holes, by Louis Sachar (1998)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian

Selznick (2007)

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, by Simms

Taback (1999)

Jumanji, by Chris Van Allsburg (1981)

Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and

Counting Book, by Yuyi Morales (2003)

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin

Henkes (1996)

The Lion and the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney

(2009)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by

C.S. Lewis (1950)

Pictured above from left are: Adrienne Harley, Superintendent Gregory T. Nolan, Colleen

Ewing, Chris Truncale, Board President Dr. Dennis Copeland, Sarah Brandell and Donna

Cherkezian. Marianne Szierer is not pictured.

Congratulations!

Parents/Guardians,

please be sure to download and view our

most up-to-date version of this year’s school

calendar. Please note the following dates:

CALENDAR

3

Reading-Fleming supports HMC’s Pediatric Unit

JPC and RFIS host annual senior luncheon

District reconvenes School Wellness Committee to focus on health policies and practices

Written and submitted by:

Mrs. Kathy Schilder, School Nurse

Francis A. Desmares School

In response to new federal law regulating school districts that

participate in USDA school lunch programs, our district will be

reactivating their school wellness committee. Back in 2004,

in response to alarming rates of childhood obesity nation-

wide, U.S. Congress passed the Child Nutrition Reauthoriza-

tion Act. In addition to setting guidelines for food that is

served or sold in schools, this legislation also required

schools to put in place a Wellness Policy. Our Board of

Education passed the first Wellness Policy in June 2006.

More recently, Congress enacted the Healthy Hunger Free

Kids Act of 2010. This law speaks not only to foods served in

school, but further stipulates that districts must have an

ongoing and active school wellness committee. To that end, the

Once again, J.P. Case Middle School and Reading-Fleming

Intermediate School teamed up on February 27 to host a free

luncheon for local senior citizens. Students served seniors in our

area a selection of sandwiches, salad, treats and drinks. The

luncheon was prepared by Maschio’s, our food service vendor,

and both school PTOs provided the baked goods. The luncheon

was followed by a free preview of J.P. Case’s musical production,

“Thoroughly Modern Millie.”

This year’s show was the junior version of the classic musical,

presented by Music Theater International. The show is based on

the novel by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, with new music by

Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by Dick Scanlan.

More than 50 students were involved in this year's cast and

crew to bring this story to life on J.P. Case’s stage. The musical

was directed by Karen Abrams. Music director was Rosemary

Nagy. Production manager was Colette Baills. I congratulate all of

the students, staff members, administrators and volunteers who

helped make this year’s musical and luncheon a great success.

Both the musical and the luncheon offer a wonderful

opportunity for our families, community members and senior

citizens to enjoy our students’ talents. In particular, the luncheon

offers our students the chance to connect with an older

generation from whom we can learn many important lessons. It

was my great pleasure to talk with many of the seniors that day.

FRSD school nurses coordinated a full day in-service this past

November to complete the CDC School Health Index with a

large representative group of stakeholders including teachers,

counselors, administrators, food service, parents and

community leaders. The CDC School Health Index is a

comprehensive assessment tool that enables school districts to

identify strengths and weaknesses in health

promotion policy and practices.

The results of the School Health Index have been

posted on our district website. We are currently in the

process of creating building-based teams to form a

wellness committee in each school. Representatives

from each school will then report to a central District

Wellness Council that will help to craft policy and

regulation supporting a healthy school community.

Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!

In addition, I was so proud of our students as I watched them

serve the seniors with attention and respect and with an eagerness to

ensure our guests were enjoying their afternoon with us. This is an

event I look forward to each year. It’s the sea of smiles among the

cafeteria crowd and theater audience that reminds me how truly

fortunate I am to serve as Superintendent in this district.

On December 20, RFIS held a Unity Day focusing on building character and

incorporating literacy skills into a community outreach project. Through the

students’ efforts, over $5,600 was raised for the pediatric unit at the

Hunterdon Medical Center. RFIS 5th-graders Emma Russell and Lauren

Gabruk (pictured right) shared inspiring ideas about giving money to those in

need. From there, the school’s Unity Day Committee created this one-day

fundraiser to support the hospital. The Hunterdon Medical Center’s CEO

visited RFIS to meet Emma and Lauren, to thank the students and to take a

photo that will be included in an upcoming issue of the hospital’s magazine.

Pictured above from left are senior citizens and students with J.P. Case Middle

School Vice Principal Peter Sibilia, Superintendent Gregory Nolan and Reading-

Fleming Intermediate School Vice Principal Dave Waxman.

4

Read Across America Day celebrated across the district

Preparing for the upcoming PARCC assessment and addressing the Common Core

Written and submitted by:

Mr. Daniel E. Bland, Assistant Superintendent

Along with approximately 45 other states, New Jersey has

adopted a new set of standards known as “The Common Core

State Standards (CCSS).” The CCSS provide a consistent,

clear understanding of what students are expected to learn in

English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics as they

progress through grades K-12. These new standards are more

rigorous and are more relevant on skills and knowledge neces-

sary to be career and college ready than the prior standards.

Because there are notable shifts in what, how, and when

certain topics and concepts are taught, the assessments used

are also changing. Over the past few

years, the New Jersey Assessment of

Skills and Knowledge has gradually

shifted to include more items consis-

tent with the new standards. How-

ever, next year, in the spring of 2015,

New Jersey will join 20 other states in

assessing approximately 22 million

students using a new assessment

developed by the Partnership for

Assessment of Readiness for College

and Careers.

These assessments are substantially different than the

NJASK. Key differences include the following:

Students in grades 3-8 will participate in nine days of

testing: five in March/April for the Performance Based

Assessment (PBA), and four in May for an End of Year Assessment

(EOY).

The PARCC assessment is an online assessment that will require

students to read, write, and compute using a computer.

In part because of new features available through digital testing,

test items will require students to drag and drop, highlight, indi-

cate answers with a click, and type responses. In addition a vir-

tual calculator, ruler, etc. will be used by students during testing.

Our district has been preparing for the challenges of the new

Common Core State Standards and the PARCC

assessment. Already changes have begun to

occur to better align our curriculum, instruc-

tion, assessment, and materials to the new

standards. Parents/Guardians may notice a

shift toward more non-fiction/informational

reading, more essay writing, and a focus on

reading multiple texts on the same topics. In

mathematics, one might notice more word

problems, greater use of more realistic data

and situations, and more questions requiring

extended written responses focused on concep-

tual knowledge and skills.

There is still much work to do and many uncertainties; however,

know that every effort is being made to ensure that every child is

exposed to a high quality curriculum aligned with the Common Core

State Standards and instructional practices that promote critical

thinking and technology integration.

Above: The Cat in the Hat poses with Dr. Carol Baker, our

district’s Supervisor of Language Arts and Social Studies,

during a visit to Copper Hill School to help celebrate Read

Across America Day.

On March 7, students in our district took part in Read Across America Day

activities to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday and mark the great joy of reading. The

day is sponsored annually by the National Education Association and supported by

our own Flemington-Raritan Education Association.

Throughout our schools, students enjoyed moments of reading together as well

as games, activities, assemblies, special guest readers, themed days, reading

nights and surprise visits from the Cat in the Hat!

Please take a moment to view and enjoy a few photos that help to capture and

share this special tradition enjoyed by everyone here at FRSD.

Above: Retired Teachers of Hunterdon County visited Copper Hill School to read to first-

graders. The retired teachers visit our district every year to help celebrate reading with us!

5

Board Members recognized for their service

School Security Update: Where are we now?

During the past two months, our Board of Education’s Finance

Committee and Central Office have been reviewing several propos-

als related to security. First, we have, with the assistance of our

security company, developed a plan to increase the number of

surveillance cameras in all six schools. These cameras would be

installed for both the perimeter of the building as well as inside

January marked New Jersey School Board Recognition

Month. Our district is fortunate to have a pro-active, child-

centered, and responsible school board. They help set the high

standards for achievement in our district. In addition, they

help ensure that taxpayers get the most for their tax dollars.

School board members in New Jersey are not paid for their

services. They truly are volunteers in every sense of the word.

School boards represent the community’s beliefs and values

and serve as advocates for all stakeholders. Our Board of

Education, made up of seven representatives of Raritan

Township and two representatives from Flemington Borough,

work tirelessly behind the scenes. You see them at public

Board meetings and at different events taking place in our

schools. However, what you may not see or know is that they

also attend several committee meetings a month. They

participate in training sessions and seminars, sponsored by

the New Jersey School Boards Association, many of which are

held on weekends.

On behalf of the Flemington-Raritan Regional School

District, it is my distinct honor and pleasure to thank and

recognize the individuals who currently serve on our Board of

Education. They are Dr. Dennis Copeland, President; Bruce

Davidson, Vice President; Robin Behn; Sandra Borucki; Alan

Brewer; Anna Fallon; Dr. Marianne Kenny; Eric Liszt; and

Laurie Markowski.

the schools. The program we are

considering is web-based so we can

view all of the pictures 24 hours

a day, seven days a week. Naturally,

there are a few more steps to complete but our targeted

completion timeline is September 2014.

Secondly, we have visited several schools, in other districts,

to see, first-hand, their visitor identification systems. These

programs require every visitor to the school to have their driver’s

license scanned. School staff receive immediate notification if the

individual is safe to allow access to the classroom. The system

also prints a photo ID badge, which must be displayed while in

the building and then returned to the office upon leaving the

school. In addition, the program develops an electronic visitor

log.

Finally, our administrators have been working closely with

the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office as they refine and

improve the schools’ emergency and crisis response plans. The

plans, procedures and terminology will be consistent with the

other schools in the county. Also, we will be meeting with

Flemington Borough and Raritan Township Police Departments

to review these major initiatives.

Naturally, there have been safeguards put into place that

cannot be shared with the public so as not to compromise their

effectiveness. The Board and I will continue in the summer

months to address other recommendations made by Safe

Havens, who conducted our safety audit in early September.

Student and staff safety remains the number one priority of the

district.

Pictured above are Flemington-Raritan School Board Members from left:

(standing) Anna Fallon, President Dr. Dennis Copeland, Marianne Kenny, Vice

President Bruce Davidson, Robin Behn; (seated) Sandra Borucki, Eric Liszt, Alan

Brewer and Laurie Markowski.

Big News about Our Nurses!

Congratulations to School Nurses Melanie Rosengarden, RN, BSN, M.Ed. and Ruth Ostenso, RN, for their recent attainment of the National Board Certification of School

Nurses (NBCSN) certification. This prestigious certification represents a national standard of preparation, knowledge,

and practice of school nursing. Mrs. Rosengarden and Ms. Ostenso join district nurses, Mrs. Tommie Lou Judson and

Mrs. Kathy Kolvites, in attaining this recognition.

Congratulations!

RFIS featured on “Classroom Close-Up!”

Once again, the Reading-Fleming Intermediate School Music

Department will be featured on the TV show “Classroom Close-Up” on NJTV. The segment is scheduled to air on May

11, May 17, June 8 and June 14. Filming was held on February 3 and included teacher and student interviews and

footage of students in music classes. Way to go, RFIS!

To learn more about the work of our Board of Education and to

view the Board’s meeting schedule, please visit our web site at

www.frsd.k12.nj.us.

6

Maschio’s chef visits Francis A. Desmares School; 3rd-graders gobble up kale salad

J.P. Case Odyssey of the Mind teams compete in tourney Barley Sheaf and HART

team up to tackle bike

and pedestrian safety

On February 19, 1st-graders

at Barley Sheaf School took

part in a series of pedestrian

and bicycle safety activities presented by HART. The activities were held during

physical education classes. Each student had the

opportunity to participate in three different safety

stations. They were as follows:

1. Looking left, right, left at each crosswalk;

2. Identifying traffic and pedestrian signals; and

3. Learning about dangerous distractions

to bikers and walkers.

On March 1, J.P. Case Middle School

sent four teams to compete in the

Odyssey of the Mind regional tournament

in Sayerville, N.J. One team took 2nd

place and will be moving onto the state

finals, which will be held on April 12 in Ewing, N.J.

Team members pictured (from left to right) are

Deb Reed (coach), Gabe Headley, Schuyler Reed,

Greg Bristol, Zach Primiani, Luke Grabowich, and

Barbara Primiani (coach).

Not pictured is teammate Benjamin Spearman.

Good luck, Tigers!

On December 20, Chef Steve Escobedo, the corporate chef from

Maschio’s, our food service provider, prepared a kale salad for 3rd-grade

students as part of a nutrition education program. Chef Steve is pictured

below along with 3rd-grader Jack Hill, whose salad cup is nearly empty!

You can check out the Kale Salad Recipe on our school lunch web site

along with other news and information from Maschio’s.

Robert Hunter teams up with Ronald McDonald to raise funds

Robert Hunter School kicked off a

pull-tab fundraiser for the Ronald

McDonald House in New Brunswick

on January 16. The school held an

assembly that featured special guest

Ronald McDonald.

The fundraiser will run through May 26. If the

students reach their original goal of collecting

10,000 tabs, they will earn a school-wide dance

party, which will be held in June. At print time, the

children have collected approximately 120,000 tabs

(wow!), which have been counted individually by

students in Tiffany Cinquemani’s 4th-grade class.

Be sure to check out Maschio’s monthly newsletter,

Cafeteria Connections, which is chock full of healthy tips, fun facts, games and recipes. You can find it on our web site at

www.frsd.k12.nj.us, under the Maschio’s/Lunch web page.

7

Robert Hunter School holds Family Olympic Night

Copper Hill Principal gets slimed for school fundraiser at Family Carnival

On January 24, Copper Hill School Principal Kevin McPeek, with a little help

from PTO Co-Vice President Elizabeth Mertyris (both pictured below), got slimed as

part of a fundraiser held during the school’s annual Family Fun Night. During this

carnival-type event, Mr. McPeek, along with several teachers, took a seat at the

“Pitch Burst” game.

To participate, a player paid one dollar to throw three balls at a target. If a ball

hit the spot, a balloon filled with green slime was dropped on the Copper Hill staffer.

Children and adults enjoyed the chance to slime their teacher or principal as Copper

Hill families came together to celebrate their “cougar” pride.

The 3rd annual Robert Hunter Elementary School’s Family Olympic Night was held on

February 21. Approximately 70 families competed for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies in 10

different games located throughout the building. Games varied from throwing ping pong balls

to picking up rubber cockroaches with chopsticks. Fun was had by all!

Above: First-graders Alexa Sprinitis and Logan Jensen

pose with their slimed School Principal, Kevin McPeek, at

the Copper Hill School Family Carnival.

Pictured right:

Annemarie Thompson, 2nd

grader, plays the game,

“Plunger Palooza.” Standing

inside a hula hoop, the player

tosses a balloon from one

plunger to the next without

dropping it or stepping outside

the hoop.)

Pictured above: Gabriel Klein, kindergartener, plays the game, “Red Solo

Cup Pyramid Stack.” Each player gets 10 seconds to stack the cups into a

pyramid and earns 1 point per cup that is successfully stacked.