Recognition Month is “an important way to thank current and former school board members for their dedication and service on behalf of their communities.”

“New Jersey’s local school boards are selected by their community to serve as their voice in setting goals for their schools,” he said. “School board members serve without remuneration, and dedicate extraordinary amounts of time to their communities. Additionally, board members attend training programs and many reach out to state legislators and members of Congress on behalf of local schoolchildren. We thank them for their work.”

It is an honor for me to serve on our Board of Education and I am looking forward to continuing to serve our school community as we advance the education of all our students.

In January 2018, the Board of Education held two public meetings. On January 10, the Board swore in its newly reelected Board members --Darlene Mandeville, Stephen Kalish, Susan Swietkowski-- and selected the Board President, Susan Swietkowski, and Vice President, Joseph Blundo, for 2018.

At the public meeting on January 18, the meeting featured Student of the Month and Eagle Scout recognitions as well as a presentation of our 2016-2017 District Audit by Robert Haag of Lerch, Vinci, & Higgins, LLP confirming that the district earned an unmodified audit opinion which represents the highest possible rating.

During the meeting, the District's Technology Department also provided an overview of the

In addition to the recently adopted Board Policies listed below, any policies currently under review by the Board can found here and ALL final policies and regulations can be found on the district website under the Board of Education drop down menu.

• Summer 2017 - 25 grades 6-12 teachers created 75 blended lessons called playlists for their curricula. Time to “tweak” them was provided on the October professional day.
• October 2017 - 11 grades 6-12 teachers participated in Flipped Classroom professional development with the Bergen Educational Technology Training Center (ETTC). Time to implement what was learned was provided on the October professional day
• January 2018 - grades 6-7 teachers created additional playlists during the January professional day
• K-12 ESL and grades 6-12 Spanish teachers received new blended learning resources for their curricula this year.

Geri Kropiewnicki

Washington Elemertary School Teacher

Mrs. Geri Kropiewnicki has been a valued member of the Washington Elementary School community for nineteen years. Throughout her career, Mrs. Kropiewnicki has demonstrated the highest level of professionalism and dedication to her position as an elementary school teacher.

While there are many facets of Mrs. Kropiewnicki’s exceptional teaching repertoire worth recognizing, one trait that stands out is the degree of individual attention, care and personalized instruction that she provides to each and every one of her students. Each marking period, prior to administration of report cards, Mrs. Kropiewnicki meets with each of her students to discuss his or her progress and set goals for the next quarter. While the district has only recently adopted the Balanced Literacy philosophy for language arts instruction, Mrs. Kropiewnicki has been recognized for utilizing thoughtful, differentiated instruction with her students throughout her career, and consistently demonstrates an acute awareness of what each child needs to flourish. Beyond the content curriculum, Mrs. Kropiewnicki fosters critical thinking, self-awareness, mindfulness, and character education within daily classroom activities.

Well before the inception of the “Google” craze, Mrs. Kropiewnicki was enhancing student instruction by integrating technology into her daily lessons. As a result of her enthusiasm and eagerness in this area, she pioneered as one of the first SMART Board users in the building. Over time, her interest and commitment to meaningful technology integration has continued, with her students now using individual Chromebooks

2017-2018 Upcoming Dates

February

• 19-20: District Closed
• 28: Board of Education Meeting (Budget Work Session)

March

• 15: Board of Education Meeting (Adoption of Preliminary Budget)
• 29: Board of Education Meeting
• 30: District Closed

2018-2019 School Calendar

At the January 18, 2018 meeting, the Board approved the school calendar for 2018-2019. The calendar is attached for your reference and can be found on the district website, here, along with the NJ Department of Education list of religious holidays permitting student absence from school.