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Roselle Park Public SchoolsWinter IssueDistrict NewsletterRPHS ADVANCES STEM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMSRSPHS is making great strides in technology education with newgrants, curriculum and programs.TEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teachersDanielle Romero, Raymond Bangs, and Dennis Dagounis won thePSE&G Environmental Education grant. The teachers collaborated tocreate an innovative, interdisciplinary project geared to foster studentinvolvement and interest in the STEM disciplines.The project is entitled STEMming Across the Disciplines and willallow students in various science and technology/engineeringclasses to design, plan, and construct a Learning Lean-To outdoor environmental education center in the courtyard of the high school to beused by STEM classes across the school district.Additionally, technology teachers Danielle Romero and JamesonChin were accepted into the Engineering by Design New JerseyInitiative’s Pilot Cohort. The goal of the program is to enhance thequality of STEM education in New Jersey. Roselle Park is one of 14 elitedistricts to be chosen to receive integrative STEM (iSTEM) curriculaand assessments that will raise the bar for technology and engineeringeducation.Technology Foundations will be a new class added to the high schoolas a result of the Engineering by Design curriculum. This class willbe one of many advanced offerings in the high school’s new honors program - Science and Technology Preparatory Institute. Select giftedfreshman will be accepted into this rigorous program, which focuses onSTEM education.Students will be emerged in innovative classes,preparing them for college and careers in these competitive fields. Withsmall class sizes, project based learning, and their own personalcomputers to keep, students will be prepared to take classes for creditat local universities by their senior year.MFebruary 2012A ROCKY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTMrs. Joanne Carbotti’s fifth GradeT&G students had the middle school“Science Experience” with seventh gradescience teacher Mrs. Eileen Carroll.The students enjoyed their experienceby visiting and participating in a labactivity with Mrs. Carroll. The elementarystudents really enjoyed being in a middleschool science classroom with lab tablesand equipment. It also gave them anopportunity to experience the sciencecurriculum at the middle school. Thestudents experimented with stream tablesand used the scientific method toobserve and experiment with differentvariables to see how erosion takes placeover time based on such variables aswater run-off, the amount of water anduse of a slope. Students also examinedrocks and identified them based on theirweight, color, and other variables. It wasan insightful lesson on stream tables androcks and also gave the students a glanceinto life as a middle schooler. See photobelow.T & G TEACHER RECEIVES GREEN GRANTrs. Joanne Carbotti, T & G teacher for grades five through eightreceived a Green Enforcer grant from Office Depot in the amountof 500.00. She has used the grant money to purchase supplies forCreative Kids Day in June. Every June, her eighth grade T & G studentsare leaders for an afternoon of fun filled learning activities and alwayswith a specific theme in mind. This school year Mrs. Carbotti’s studentswill be working on the “Green” theme teaching younger T & G studentsin grades two through seven about ways to conserve energy, recycle andrenew natural resources. This activity brings Mrs. Arlene Terpenning’sand Mrs. Carbotti’s students together to share an engaging afternoonwith hands-on activities and a culminating craft that brings the themehome. Thanks to Office Depot this year’s activities will be plentiful .Pictured above: Mrs. Eileen Carroll, ieRamonoff.Students are from EJF-Aldene and RobertGordon Schools.1

HIGH SCHOOL HAPPENINGSINDUCTION INTO NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETIESThe World Language Department of RPHS held their 14th annual Induction Ceremony in the highschool auditorium on November 7, 2011. Seventeen students were inducted into the FrenchNational Honor Society and twenty-eight students were inducted into the Spanish National HonorSociety. The ceremony included candle lighting while students received their certificates and pinsand recited their oaths. Guest speaker was Joanna Ollinick, former Spanish Honor Society Inducteeand current teacher at RP Middle School. Family and friends attended and were invited to areception after the inductions.To qualify for induction into the honor societies, a student must be enrolled in a level, 3, 4, or APlanguage class, have completed two years of high school level language with a grade of A for twoconsecutive years, and demonstrate an appreciation for other cultures. Listed below are the names ofthe inductees. The asterisk denotes that the student is a second year member.SPANISH HONOR SOCIETYKelly BulgerKevin George*Natalie Macari*Deanna Picciano*Millie SavailleMelissa Carle*Samantha GrahamJoseph MagalettaMelissa PichardoSamantha Tunnell*Jessica ChowdhuryEricka Gutierrez*Bridgette Maiorelli*Danielle PickettKayla WhiteJuan Camilo EscobarJennifer GutierrezAlissa MoritzJoshua Rodriguez*Sergio EscobarBianca Ignacio*Nicole Peres*Ashley RubertoneArianna KalkandisRichard Perez*Ludmia SavailleJason GarciaFRENCH HONOR SOCIETYDanielle Antonucci*Halisa GjokajRoma PatelJandelle SerapioKatherine CanasLisa Marie PalacioFabiana PerugorriaMichelle TocoraRaquel CasoHeer Patel*Joyce Pesantes*Santiago Clavijo*Karn Patel*Matthew Prado*Mirna GironParth PatelKeon Quittley*2

TALENTED & GIFTED EXPERIENCEBEYOND THE CURRICULUMIn January, students in secondthrough fourth grades participatedin the Union County Gifted & TalentedAssociation Convocations at UnionCounty College. T&G students fromRoselle Park, Linden, Springfield,Clark, Scotch Plains, Fanwood,Cranford, Mountainside, Kenilworth,Roselle and Westfield joined togetherfor fun filled days of brainstormingand problem solving. Teams ofstudents experienced hands-onactivities, participated in groupdecision making, and exercisedleadership skills as they attempted to solve a problem given tothem at each convocation.TA LESSON IN FORENSIC SCIENCEAs part of the T & G program, Mrs.Joanne Carbotti’s sixth gradersenjoyed the benefits of a convocation on“Forensic Science” at Union County College,along with other T & G students fromdistricts in Union County. The theme ofthe sixth grade convocation was aforensic lab called “The Mystery of Felix”.Students first observed a crime sceneand recorded evidence in their CSIhandbooks. With notes in hand, and thebackground information provided in theirpackets along with the informationprovided by the guest speaker theyproceed to a series of ten stations inclassrooms at UCC where they put theirobservations through testing to find outwhat happened to Felix. The guest speaker,Ms. Kristen Vogel is the eighth gradescience teacher at RPMS, and holds adegree in Forensic Science and previouslyworked in a forensic lab.Students are amazed at what theylearn from small details left behind ata crime scene. The culminating activitywas provided for students to discusstheir findings and then either identifythe guilty party or call for further testingto clearly define who is the guilty party.Ahe second grade studentsparticipated in "Things Aren'tAlways What They Seem",a convocation that focused onvisual perception, persistence ofvision, spatial intelligence, andattention to details. Many of theactivities used geometric shapes,various textures and obscure designsto help the students develop theircritical thinking and problemsolving skills.Third grade students enteredthe challenging world of athink tank. In the Think Tankconvocation, the students workedwith others that are "the tops" intheir field. They were to create acompany, develop a product, andproduce a commercial.The fourth grade students traveledthe many regions of the UnitedS t a t e s i n T ra ve l Am e r ic a , aconvocation where students hadthe challenge of finding solutionsto geography questions. As theyanswered the questions correctly,they traveled and learned aboutthe many national parks and pointsof interest in the country. Picturedin the photos above, the RP studentspose with their T&G teacher, ArleneTerpenning and Sherman Schoolnurse Barbara Goss. (top left)MIKI VISITS T & G CLASSTricia Baker and her three year oldPomeranian canine companion,Miki, visited Mrs. Joanne Carbotti’sseventh grade T & G class as part ofa training and informative program.The training helps the seventhgraders prepare for lessons thatthey will share with the secondgraders from Robert Gordon Schoollater in the school year. Miki hasreceived a prestigious award fromAmerican Kennel Club called the“Award of Canine ExcellenceAward” for his work as a therapydog and was recently viewed on theABC network. Miki works in highschools in the area to help getstudents to talk about their state ofmind and how mental health affectsall other aspects of the body.Miki also works in South BrunswickLibrary’s Tail Waggin’ Tutor programwhich gets children to read; especiallythose who have disabilities thatwould make this task very difficult.Miki also visits nursing homes,boosting the spirits of many patients who get either little or novisitors. Tricia, Miki’s owner, is a dogtrainer who works with dogs forboth obedience and training. Shehas four other dogs in her home. Thestudents enjoyed this informativepresentation on canine care and canineoccupations, and were entertained bythe many tricks Miki showed off,like waving, bowing, and even talking. See the photo below.ll of the T & G students in attendancelearned a valuable lesson in ForensicScience, and in general how to makeobservations that lead to experimentationto find fact filled conclusions that can beused in a court of law to find a personguilty of a crime.Could there be afuture Forensic Scientist among theRP students who attended? See thephoto at right.3

PREPRE-SCHOOL HOUSES ARE GINGERLICIOUS!Above from l to r: Gabriel Freire, Suhani Patel, andSteven Gassama. Below from l to r: Kylie McCall,Isaiah Permison, Mariah Ortega, and Jaden Gray.AAbove from l to r: Joseph Longo, Gianna Qiu,and Christopher Tango. Below from l to r:Ryan Wintermute and Aidan Ponzios part of their Gingerbread theme, Ms. Megan’s pre-school class helped to make gingerbread houses.Each group is pictured above with the house they made.ALDENE’S AWESOME ACTIVITIES!Pictured at left: Third gradersin EJF-Aldene School wroteacrostic poems to honor ourveterans. Shown from l to rare A.J. Landi, Brian Farooqi,DanielleCrown,ZaniaAvendano, Lizzie Almeida, andGiselle Villota.Pictured below: LedMusic Teacher JeffAldene fifth gradeduring the annualShopping Spree.by InstrumentalManno, the EJFstudents performSenior Citizen’sPictured above: EJF-Aldene fifth & secondgrade buddies worked together to create thankyou cards to honor our service men and women.Shown from l to r are: Angela Gonzalve and herbuddy Hannah Lance, Devarshi Soni withPriyankaDhingra,SherifElashriwithJonathan Gonzalve, Renee Garcia with LeannaDaSilva, Dylan Chhatwal with Alex Morales,and Neel Shah with Vallari Shah.4

THE GORDON GAZETTEKINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS DAYFriday, January 6, was Robert Gordon's Kindness isContagious Day, which is part of their anti-bullyingprogram for the 2012 calendar year. Robert Gordon believes itis important not only to react to instances of Harassment,Intimidation, or Bullying, but also to develop, foster, andmaintain a positive school climate in hopes of preventingfuture HIB incidents. During Kindness is Contagious Day,students participated in an assembly where they performedsongs, dances, and skits with a positive message. RobertGordon is committed to making every school day positive andfull of kindness. See the six photos.5