"Blending Tradition and

Innovation to Drive

Education”

It may be fair to assume that

most of us have had enough of the

cold, snowy, New Jersey winter.

This winter season we have had

more 6 inches plus snow storms

than any other point in New Jer-

sey history. Inclement weather

has certainly had its impact on the

school schedule, school budget,

and the Buildings and Grounds

Department. Please remember

that if you miss the Code Red

message, you can dial the number

back to hear the message again. In

addition, emergency closing or

delay information can be found on

the district website as well as

various TV and/or radio stations.

Besides contending with Mother

Nature, Eatontown Public Schools

remains a very busy place. In the

area of curriculum and instruction,

teachers continue to implement

the Common Core State Stand-

ards in English Language Arts and

Mathematics. In relation to the

new standards, Eatontown Public

Schools will be piloting the new

PARCC Assessment which will

replace the NJ ASK test in the

Spring of 2015. In the realm of

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 13- One-Session Day for

Students/Afternoon Parent

Teacher Conferences

March 14- One-Session Day for

Students/ PM Staff In-service Day

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 19- Memorial 6th Grade

Parent Orientation, 7:00 p.m.

April 14-18- Schools Closed for

Spring Recess

“Waiting Patiently for Spring” by Scott T. McCue

February 2014

EATONTOWN PUBLIC

SCHOOLS

Board of Education

Donna Diedrichsen,

President

Carl Lawson, Vice-President

John Bennett

Bob English

Ed Fitterer

Joe Fukushima

Mark Kramer

Sharyn Palenzuela

Peter Siino

**************************

technology, the Memorial School’s

one to one tablet pilot has proven

to be effective and the district is

currently planning on deploying

tablets to our 5-6 grade students in

the beginning of March creating a

one tablet for every two students

ratio. In addition, Memorial School

received a $12,000 grant from

ACHIEVE 3000 to implement a

new web-based science program.

The district is very proud of these

new initiatives as we continue to

prepare students for college and

career. Planning for the 2014-

2015 school year is well underway.

Mrs. Trainor, Interim School Busi-

ness Administrator/Board Secre-

tary, and I are working with the

Board of Education and Leadership

Team to craft a school budget for

2014-2015. As we work together

to ensure the resources are availa-

ble to provide a quality education-

al program for students, it must be

noted that there are many state

mandates that impact the budget

including new teacher evaluation

systems, new principal evaluation

system, new Common Core State

Standards, new PARCC assess-

ment, the technology required to

implement PARCC, the new anti-

bullying law, as well as other

educational mandates. Although

these programs will help to im-

prove student achievement, they

have a cost associated with them

as well. As spring approaches,

hopefully, the warmer weather

will allow us to return outdoors.

Please support our Spring Sports

Teams. Remember that school

attendance is very important.

Students who attend school con-

sistently achieve better results.

When students are consistently

tardy or absent, this affects stu-

dent learning and penalizes the

District in terms of state aid.

The State of New Jersey now

takes state aid away from dis-

tricts when attendance rates dip

below the state benchmark.

With warmer weather ahead, I

hope to see our students and

school community members

participating in the school activi-

ties throughout the remainder of

the year.

Thank you for your cooperation

and support.

In this edition:

The Bird is the Word 2

Heroes and Cool Kids 2

Mayor’s Book Club 2

Black History Month 3

K- Registration 4

Sports Teams 5

Teachers of the Year 6

High Performing Dist. 7

Business Office News 7

Safety Corner 7

NJ DARE Award 8

Italian Dinner 8

Parent Night 8

Leadership Team

Scott T. McCue

Superintendent of

Schools

Jay Medlin

Principal of Memorial

School

Valerie Cioffi

Principal of

Meadowbrook School

Kim Muir

Principal of

Woodmere School

Kevin Iozzi

Principal of Vetter

School

Lee Lasser

Supervisor of Special

Services

Tara Micciulla

Director of Elementary

& Secondary Education

Deborah Trainor

Interim Business Admin-

istrator/Board Secretary

Student Council

Officers

President

Daniel Smith

Vice-President

Colin Miller

Secretary

Emily Vu

Treasurer

Destiny Bland

Memorial School has a

new member of the fami-

ly. In late January, the

Student Council (under

the direction of Ms.

Krsyzckowski and Ms.

Palermo) met to brain-

storm names for our

school's new hawk mas-

cot. Creativity was

abound as they narrowed

it down to five names for

the entire student body to

vote on. After all ballots

were cast and counted,

The Mighty Hawk defeat-

ed Harry the Hawk by

roughly a 2 to 1 margin.

The Mighty Hawk made its

debut before a throng of

excited attendees at the

Valentine's Dance on Feb-

ruary 7th and will appear at

future home basketball

games and other selected

events during the school

year. Memorial School

welcomes a new member

to the community. All hail

The Mighty Hawk!

work together to achieve this

goal. Students will be reading at

home as well as during allotted

school time to fill their reading

logs. As a special treat, guest

readers will visit the 1st grade

classrooms during the next cou-

ple months as students read to-

ward their goal. We plan on

tracking our reading in the hall-

way with a love bug that will

show our progress. A large cele-

bration will be held after our

accomplishment. Go Readers!

First graders at Woodmere School

were full of excitement January

29th as they kicked off The Mayor’s

Book Club in the school library. As

part of the Mayor’s Book Club,

Woodmere School was selected as

one of the first grade classes in

Monmouth County to be challenged

to read 1,000 books. To begin this

event, Mayor Tarantolo joined both

classes to read stories and share in

the excitement of this wonderful

opportunity. Throughout the next

few months, our first graders will

THE BIRD IS THE WORD

Meadowbrook 6th Graders Welcome Heroes and Cool Kids Program

Page 2 EATONTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Heroes and Cool Kids is a

program that trains high

school students to mentor

6th grade students in mak-

ing proper lifestyle choices.

Under the direction of Andy

Chlapowski, students from

Monmouth Regional High

School visit three times a

year to promote pro-social

behavior and create a caring

and disciplined school cli-

mate. The visits focus on dispel-

ling fears about high school, bul-

lying prevention, conflict resolu-

tion and positive lifestyle choic-

es. This program has been suc-

cessful because the elementary

students look up to their high

school mentors. The Heroes and

Cool Kids program is currently

implemented in nine counties in

New Jersey.

Mayor’s Book Club at the Woodmere School

HEALTHY TIPS FROM

OUR SCHOOL NURSES

February is Children’s Den-

tal Health Month. Tooth

decay is almost entirely

preventable, but it remains

the most chronic condition

in children. More than 40

percent of children will

have a cavity in their baby

teeth (or primary teeth) and

more than two-thirds will

have a cavity in their per-

manent teeth by the age of

19. The good news is there

are safe and effective ways

to protect our teeth. Good

oral hygiene begins with

frequent and thorough

brushing and flossing as

well as sealants. Also

mouth guards are important

protection during sports and

physical activities.

February also is American

Heart Month. Living a

healthy lifestyle that in-

cludes exercise and eating

healthy can reduce the risk

of heart disease. It is diffi-

cult with everyone having

such a busy schedule, but

try to come up with family

activities that require physi-

cal activity.

Stay healthy and stay safe.

Each February, our nation cele-

brates the importance African

Americans had on our nation’s

history. It is a time to recognize

achievements, unite and cele-

brate equality and culture, and a

time for reflection on all that

was lost but especially all that

was gained. In conjunction,

schools around our nation take

advantage of this rich learning

opportunity and center a number

of lessons, events, and celebra-

tions around the month.

Eatontown Public Schools is no

different. At the end of this

month, with the help and spon-

sorship of the Vetter PTO, the

Vetter School Tigers will host

their own school wide assembly.

Kindergarten through 2nd grade

classes were asked to create or

perform a skit, play, song or

artwork that will be shared

with the rest of the school in a

school-wide assembly. Grades

3 through 6 will be participat-

ing in a school wide essay con-

test answering the following:

“How Did Martin Luther

King’s “I Have A Dream”

speech influence America and

what opportunities arose for

African Americans as a result

of the changes that Dr. King

sparked?” One winner per

classroom will be chosen and

rewarded with a luncheon with

the Principal and win the right

to read their essay to the entire

school. The idea for this as-

sembly was started with the

PTO, who expressed an interest

in getting involved with a

Black History celebration. The

offer to bring in an assembly

from an outside vendor was

offered by the PTO, however,

after discussing it further, it

was believed that it would be

more meaningful, educational,

and personal if the preparation

and presentation came from all

of the students for a school-

wide event. The notion was to

find a way to unite all students

in a common celebration of

culture, not only of the African

American background, but of

all creeds and colors, and pro-

mote tolerance and acceptance

of all. This will truly be a spe-

cial event for all.

Vetter School Celebrates Black History Month

EATONTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

First Grade students ride the bus during their class skit rehearsal about Rosa Parks.

DISTINGUISHED GUEST VISITS MEMORIAL SCHOOL

The 8th grade was privileged to have Mrs. Tova Friedman come to school on Jan-

uary 27th to tell the story of her life. Mrs. Friedman survived Auschwitz concen-

tration camp as a six year old child. She and her family were captured by the Na-

zis and taken to Auschwitz where she was able to stay with her mother and sur-

vive until the Russian Army liberated them. January 27th was an important day

for Mrs. Friedman as it was the anniversary of her liberation. The 8th grade stu-

dents were given the opportunity to ask Mrs. Friedman questions after her speech.

The students have studied the Holocaust at length in their English Language Arts

classes and were very appreciative to be able to hear the information first hand.

Page 3

Kindergarten Registration for the 2014-2015 School Year

Kindergarten Registration for children who plan to attend the Eatontown Public Schools

in September 2014 will be held as follows:

Dates: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Last name begins with A through K

Wednesday, March 12, 2014 Last name begins with L through Z

Times: 9:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Or 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Places: Meadowbrook School, 65 Wyckoff Road, Eatontown, NJ

Margaret L. Vetter School, 3 Grant Avenue, Eatontown, NJ

Woodmere School, 65 Raleigh Court, Eatontown, NJ

Early registration will help, but not guarantee securing your child a position in a kinder-

garten class in his/her neighborhood school. School site registration is based upon cur-

rent known boundary lines (subject to change). REQUIREMENTS: Children must be

five (5) years of age before October 1, 2014. There are no exceptions.

Eatontown Public Schools

www.eatontown.org

Please visit our website!

EATONTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

“The school is the last

expenditure upon which

America should be will-

ing to economize.”

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Knowledge will bring you

the opportunity to make a

difference. “

-Anonymous

Kindergarten Evening Registration

For those parents/guardians who are

unable to make the daytime Kinder-

garten Registration, the Board of

Education is offering an evening

registration. It will be held on

Wednesday, March 19, 2014, at the

Administrative Offices, 5 Grant Av-

enue, Eatontown, New Jersey be-

tween the hours of 5:30 p.m. to 8:00

p.m.

Parents/Guardians should bring their

proof of residency, i.e., lease, major

utility bill, or mortgage statement,

updated immunizations and an origi-

nal birth certificate. These items

will expedite your child’s registra-

tion.

We look forward to seeing you on

Wednesday, March 19th.

“MEMORIAL SCHOOL

SPELLING BEE”

The Memorial School Spelling Bee

took place on Tuesday, February 7th

with a total of 9 determined contest-

ants. The "queen bee", Mrs. Von-

frolio, headed the Spelling Bee with

judging taking place by Mrs. Jennifer

Wall. It was a competitive 12 rounds,

but the Champion Bee was 7th grad-

er, Amelia Jay. She will go on to

compete in Monmouth University's

Spelldown on March 17th. Way to

go! Good luck, Amelia!

Page 4

2014 BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM

Tech Talk by Michael C. Brown

It has been an exciting year for technology initiatives in the Eatontown Public Schools. The 1

to 1 initiative at the middle school has been under way for over 5 months and has seen

enormous promise. The devices have truly helped to enrich student learning and allow for

greater in depth lessons on technology usage, a skill that will be greatly desired in all careers

of the 21st century. The focus of the district remains on obtaining new devices for the hands

of our students and the target has now shifted from the middle school to our elementary

schools. The district has recently invested in new tablets that will bring 1 tablet to every 2

students for our entire grade 5 and grade 6 student population. As with the middle school

tablets, the 5th and 6th grade tablets will be running Windows 8, will contain all of the

district’s educational software, and will be supplied with an attached keyboard and mouse

allowing for a very flexible device that can be included in all types of lessons. We are very

excited about bringing this technology to our elementary schools in order to promote student

learning.

Page 5 EATONTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2014 GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TEAM

Our Eatontown Community is

very proud of all our sports

teams!

2014 Eatontown Cheerleaders

2014 TEACHERS OF THE YEAR by Bob English

Page 6 EATONTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

At the February 10th, Board of Education meeting in Eatontown, the district announced its Monmouth County

Superintendents’ Teacher Recognition Candidates from each of the districts four schools. Each schools

Teacher Of The Year was introduced by their building Principal. They are:

Ms. Janis Mottershead: Social Studies teacher at Memorial Middle School. Principal Jay Medlin spoke of

how Ms. Mottershead “has molded many young adults, many of whom come back to thank her for giving

them the tools needed to be successful.” Ms. Mottershead is currently the president of the Eatontown Educa-

tion Association, dedicating countless hours for the benefit of her colleagues.

Mrs. Kim Morgan: Preschool inclusion teacher of three and four year olds at Meadowbrook School. Princi-

pal Valerie Cioffi noted that “Mrs. Morgan has done an exemplary job ensuring her students have the skills

necessary to succeed in kindergarten. Kim is a hands-on teacher, every time I visit her room she is sitting

with a group of students, singing and dancing, or working one on one with a student reinforcing a particular

skill.”

Mrs. Nicole Citarella: Mrs. Citarella is the Art teacher at Woodmere & Meadowbrook Schools. Principal Kim Muir commented that “Mrs. Citarella has made substantial contributions in her three years at school. Mrs. Citarella spent her summer painting the library during its renovation and is working on the schools reading garden. She always welcomes students back to Art during recess time. She is a wonderful teacher.”

Mrs. Lara Neary: Mrs. Neary is a 1st grade teacher at Vetter School. Principal Kevin Iozzi spoke of how

Mrs. Neary “is the perfect example of what a team player should be, gets along well with everyone, and is

always willing to share what she has with others! She forms these beautiful relationships with her students

so that they know they can trust her and in turn feel included. In the end, the bottom line is her students learn

which is, after all, the name of the game.”

Mr. Scott McCue, Superintendent of Eatontown Public Schools, noted that “Effective teaching provides stu-

dents with hope, opportunity, as well as a chance for children to reach their full potential. Students can pre-

sent many different educational and socio-emotional challenges to our school system each day. These

teachers recognized tonight have the capacity and ability to respond appropriately and effectively to these

challenges. Their love and passion for learning and teaching is witnessed daily by colleagues, students, par-

ents, and administrators alike.” Mr. McCue also thanked the teachers for their service to the children of

Eatontown and noted that “Effective teaching requires knowledge of student performance and the evaluation

of student performance data, but effective teaching also requires a love of children, a passion for the profes-

sion, as well as intuition about youngsters that cannot be found in books, workshops, or other training oppor-

tunities. The candidates honored here tonight possess the unique ability to balance the science and the art

of education in order to benefit student learning and enhance students’ skills and abilities.”

“2014 Teachers of the Year”

Mrs. Kim Morgan, Meadowbrook School

Mrs. Nicole Citarella, Woodmere School

Mrs. Lara Neary, Vetter School

Ms. Janis Mottershead, Memorial School

The Eatontown Public Schools received a “high performing school district” evaluation from the NJ Department of Education’s monitoring and evaluating system for public schools, called the Quality Single Accountability Con-tinuum (QSAC). High per-forming school districts are those that satisfy at least 80% of the weighted performance indicators in each of the five components of school dis-trict’s effectiveness, which are instruction and program, oper-ations, fiscal management, personnel, and governance. The QSAC Review Process requires large amounts of doc-umentation to rate school dis-tricts on more than 500 indica-

tors. Many of our new dis-trict initiative have helped us to achieve this prestigious honor. This year we have instituted the Go Math pro-gram in our elementary schools to align our curricu-lum to the Common Core State Standards. In our mid-dle school, we have changed our math program so that seventh grade students are learning pre-algebra and eighth grade students are learning algebra. In the areas of English Language Arts in our elementary schools, our teachers are using the Guided Reading method for teaching reading and the Writer’s Workshop method for teach-ing writing. Currently, in our middle school every stu-dent is given a tablet to use during the school day, allow-ing technology to enhance

The Buildings and Grounds De-partment has been very busy this winter dealing with 13 named winter storms and more than double the average snowfall for the greater Eatontown vicinity. The department has spent many hours removing snow from the districts’ parking lots and side-walks.

It is important to remember that when it snows that all of us should take our time walking and remem-ber to wear the proper footwear when the weather is bad.

We continue to conduct monthly safety inspections of all of the

schools’ fire extinguishers, exit lights and emergency lights to en-sure that all of our schools are up to code and safe.

With spring right around the cor-ner, we will begin to turn our at-tention to the schools playgrounds as well as the rest of the districts grounds as well. New playground mulch will be delivered and in-stalled and safety inspections of the playgrounds will continue as well.

Last but not least remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, March 9, 2014.

Eatontown Public Schools receives “High Performing District” Evaluation

Safety News Corner by Mr. Gardner Gilsey

Once we know what our anticipat-ed revenue will be, we can finalize our spending plan for the upcom-ing school year. The proposed budget maintains all educational programs, enhances our preschool program, continues our technolo-gy initiatives and allows for addi-tional opportunities for staff devel-opment that will allow our staff to continue to use new and innova-tive ways to deliver instruction. There also are maintenance and capital projects being discussed at

the committee level as of this date.

The Business Office has been working our way through the process of compiling the 2014-2015 school year proposed budg-et. The proposed budget will be adopted by the Board of Educa-tion at the meeting of March 10, 2014 and then submitted to the State Department of Education County Office for approval. Once approved, the formal public hear-ing is scheduled to take place at the Board Meeting of April 28th. Currently, we are waiting for the release of the state aid figures.

Special Services

If you suspect your child

may have a learning

disability, please call the

Special Services Offices

at 732-935-3309. We

are here for you!

Page 7 EATONTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

our lessons. Over the next year, with the support of our Board of Education, students in grades 3-6 hope-fully will be utilizing tab-lets during their school day. With the implementation of these district initiatives, as well as the hard work of our talented administrators, fac-ulty, staff, and students, Eatontown Public Schools has truly earned the title of “high performing school district.” Congratulations to all!

Tara Micciulla

Director of Elementary

& Secondary Education

Eatontown Public

Schools Parent Portal

If you would like to re-

ceive school notices elec-

tronically, please send an

email address to parent-

mail@eatontown.org. A

form to register for this

service will be emailed to

you. Thank you for your

cooperation.

If you have already reg-

istered for this service,

you do not need to do it

again.

We currently are waiting for the arrival of a new district truck to replace one that has become dated and in disrepair. The new district truck will be used to carry supplies and the tools needed to make re-pairs at the schools. In addition, it will be available to plow sizable snow in the future.

News from the Business Office by Ms. Deborah Trainor

“ I f you th i nk

education is expen-

sive, try ignorance”.

-Andy McIntyre

& Derek Bok

On Wednesday, February 26th,

Eatontown Public Schools Superin-

tendent, Mr. Scott T McCue was

honored as New Jersey DARE

Educator of Year at the 25th Annu-

al DARE New Jersey Training

Conference held at Caesar’s At-

lantic City. Over 250 nominations

were reviewed by the DARE NJ

Officers Association, and Mr.

McCue was chosen as the first

superintendent to receive the

award. Since 2007, Mr. McCue

has formed a great partnership

with the Eatontown Police De-

partment and with the DARE

program first as principal of Marg-

ret L. Vetter Elementary School

and now as Superintendent of

Eatontown Public Schools. “At a

time when school districts are

cutting the program, Mr. McCue

has given his full support for it.

His commitment to this important

program has allowed us to reach

all of the school children in our

community”, said DARE Officer

Ryan Hennelly, who introduced

Mr. McCue at the awards dinner.

“The citizens and especially the

children of Eatontown are lucky to

have such a dedicated and caring

person in charge of their educa-

tions” exclaimed Eatontown Police

Chief Michael Goldfarb. “Our

partnership for the education,

safety, and well-being of our chil-

dren is something that has been in

place for a very long time and will

continue to be of paramount im-

portance.”

(Left to Right) Mrs. Valerie Cioffi, Mrs.

Kate McCue, Mr. Scott McCue, Officer

Ryan Hennelly, and Mrs. Tara Micciulla

families in grades Kindergarten through eighth grade began the evening by enjoying pizza and get-ting to know one another. Fami-lies moved throughout the build-ing to participate in literacy activi-ties. Teachers were located in multiple rooms to assist in the planned activities. Students were able to show their family literacy related computer programs and games in the computer lab, read together in the beautifully remod-eled library, played literacy board games together in the “game room” and explored camping themed literacy worksheets and coloring pages in the “writing room.” After rotating into each

Despite another cold February evening, over 30 families attended the literacy themed Parent In-volvement Night which took place at Woodmere Elementary School on February 5th. Eatontown Pub-lic School District is required to reserve part of their Title I alloca-tion for parent involvement pro-grams, including promoting family literacy and parenting skills. Parent/family involvement signifi-cantly contributes to improved student outcomes. Qualifying Title I students from Vetter School, Woodmere School and Memorial School participated in a fun filled evening surrounding a “Camping” theme. Students and

room students and families re-turned to the All-Purpose Room to enjoy smores around a “campfire.” Students enjoyed eating smores while listening to Ms. Rosati read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats; as the story plot appropriately reflected the winter weather we have all experienced this year! Students took home literacy worksheets and games as well as door prizes. This event was not only fun and educational but it was also our best turn out yet. We look forward to the next Parent Involvement Night which will take place on Tuesday, April

5th (location TBD).

Mr. Scott T. McCue, NJ DARE Educator of the Year

Campfire & Literacy - A Parent Involvement Night

Memorial Mangia! Italian Dinner - A Sell-Out Crowd

when almost the entire Memorial staff pitched in to transform the All Purpose Room into an Italian-themed pasta hall complete with music and a student-designed place-mats. Simultaneously, the kitchen was buzzing as our cooks baked, boiled, mixed, chopped and scrubbed their way to the dinner bell at 5 p.m. As the crowd filed in, they took their seats and were greeted and served by our attentive and cordial 8th grade student wait staff. The diners were a true cross section of our community, and judging from their empty plates, the dinner was enjoyed by all. Approx-imately $4500 was raised thanks to

the generous support of the Eatontown community. The money will be used to offset the costs of the upcoming 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. as well as the 7th grade trip to Philadelphia. And if, by chance, 400 hundred people were coming over to your house for dinner, you would need to start with about 120 pounds of pasta for your hungry guests.

It is likely that you have hosted a home-cooked dinner for 10 or 20 people. But how would you prepare for such a dinner if over 400 of your closest friends and family showed up ready to enjoy your meal? That’s exactly what happened on February 21st as Memorial School hosted the 42nd Annual Italian Dinner.

More than 24 hours before the first guests arrived, a team of ten current and retired staff mem-bers began the massive prepara-tion by rolling 800 meatballs and stirring nearly 15 gallons of to-mato sauce. The labor of love continued after-school on Friday

“Education is not

filling a pail but the

lighting of a fire.”

-William Butler Yeats

Page 8 EATONTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS