December 2014 Parent Newsletter (pdf)

News from the Superintendent’s Desk
December 2014
Dear Parents,
As the first half of a very busy school year comes to a close, we take a moment to celebrate the many
wonderful accomplishments of our students and staff.
Spotlight on Schools
• Edward H. Bryan – The 4th and 5th grade Student Council members have been working
very hard so far this year! They have organized theme days – Future Day and Hippie
Day – and were a major part of Red Ribbon Week for the entire school. In October, the
Student Council organized Table to Table’s Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch program. Bryan
School students raised over $2,000 to provide food to local families. In December, the
Student Council organized EHB’s third annual Adopt-A-Soldier donation drive. Personal
care items, holiday decorations, and various snacks were collected to send to the troops
stationed overseas for the holidays.
•
Merritt Memorial School - In October, the Student Council held a fundraiser for Table
to Table, a community-based food rescue program that collects food that would otherwise
be wasted, and delivers it to organizations that serve the hungry in local communities.
The Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch program asks families to donate what they would
typically spend on lunch in one day. MMS students raised over $1,500.00.
Two separate activities gave students the opportunity to collect food for the Cresskill
Food Pantry. Mr. Levine’s Physical Education classes participated in “Run for the
Needy.” Students ran the course and for each completed lap, they donated a food item.
Mrs. Hickey’s Reading and Writing classes had a unit focusing on real world issues. The
class decided on “Hunger in America” as their issue. Food was collected and the students
made a trip to the food pantry to experience what this organization does. A letter of
appreciation from the Borough was received.
For fun, the 5th grade students teamed up against the faculty on November 20, for the
annual student/teacher basketball game. The results were yet another defeat for the
teachers. There is something to be said about the stamina of the young!
•
Cresskill Middle/High School - This past Friday, December 12th, Sarah French and
Kerri Aris accompanied a group of six students from the Environmental Science Club to
St. Thomas Aquinas College to present at an Environmental Sustainability Competition.
In November, they sent the college a proposal for an idea they believed would make the
school more eco-friendly. Their idea was vermicomposting, essentially placing garbage
cans throughout the cafeteria where students can throw out organic material, things like
fruit peels and plain bread. The environmental club would then use this organic material
in a worm bin to create compost that can then be used for planting in the greenhouse. Of
the schools who submitted proposals, only five were chosen to travel to the college to
present their ideas; CMS/CHS was one of them!
Fifteen seniors are currently involved in internships working in a professional
environment twice per month. Students just passed their two-month checkpoint. Some
internship placements include working alongside a dentist, experience in a web design
firm, and on the job training in a local news network in NYC and a physical therapist’s
office. This hands-on experience provides students with valuable 21st century skills that
will support their career and college readiness.
•
The Academies – The Academies at Cresskill has exciting plans that will be
implemented in the 2015-2016 school year. We will be partnering with Englewood
Hospital to involve STEM students in a surgical course incorporating and independent
research project in the rat laboratory. We will be increasing our course offerings for
coding through a partnership with code.org. Students have had experience taking part in
a variety of field trips including the Liberty Science Center and the Shakespeare Theater
of New Jersey. Currently, enrollment is open for the Italy trip in April. Please contact
Ms. Peters ([email protected]) if interested.
School Closing Information:
• To receive communication, reminders, school closings, and other school information via
email or phone please take a moment to notify your child’s school office only if either
has changed. Consistent with the District’s confidentiality standards, your email address
(es) will remain confidential. Thank you for helping us to keep you informed about the
Cresskill Schools.
• Notice of closures due to weather or other emergencies will be communicated in the
following ways:
o Using Blackboard for a voice message – landline and/or cell phone
o Twitter - You will receive all messages I post on Twitter by clicking on Twitter
from the homepage of our website
o Using Blackboard to send an email
o Posting on the website
o We will also send text messages. We will send a test message via email and text
on Monday, January 5th at 2:00 pm.
Cresskill Education Foundation
I hope you will support the Cresskill Education Foundation in funding our outstanding
programs. Every student in the district benefits, and we hope that every family will help in
whatever way they can to ensure that there are sufficient funds for these enhancements to our
school programs. For more information on the Foundation or to make an on-line donation,
log on to www.cresskillcef.org or contact the superintendent’s office. CEF meetings are
on the second Wednesday of the month. If you are interested in becoming a member please
join us at the next meeting on Wednesday, January 14th at 7:30 PM in the Cresskill Board of
Education Office.
Upcoming Events
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January 19th: Martin Luther King Day (Teachers Only)
January 23rd: Casino Night 7-11 pm (Clinton Inn, Tenafly)
January 27th: CMS/CHS Coffee & Conversation 7:00 pm
January 29th – 30th: Kindergarten Registration for September 2015, 8:30 am – 2:30 pm
(Board of Education Office)
February 27th, 28th, March 1st: CHS Spring Musical “A Funny Thing Happened On the
Way to the Forum”
On behalf of the entire Board of Education, we look forward to a successful new year and
continue to appreciate the support of our Cresskill community and our dedicated staff. Please
visit our website for more information on what is happening in the Cresskill Schools, along with
following us on Twitter. Our address is www.cboek12.org. If you have any questions, comments
or concerns please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Thank you for your commitment to your child's education.
Mr. Michael Burke
Superintendent of Schools

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