The Weekly Update #4
February 3rd, 2023
FEBRUARY GREETINGS, BULLDOG COMMUNITY!
Hello!
The start of February marks the start of the second half of the school year. In my visits to your children's classrooms, I am excited to see tremendous lessons and activities, and I can share that our day-to-day learning has great momentum! As we round the corner towards June, we want to share that we still have so much great work to do! We look forward to our continued partnership as we collaboratively work to support our students and help them succeed in their endeavors within our schools.
At our January Board of Education meeting, we honored the members of the Butler BOE. It was my honor to recognize our members, both past and present, for their commitment to the children of the Butler School District. These individuals devote countless hours, without remuneration, to the oversight of school district operations, including finances, policy, curriculum, and personnel. Many do not see these efforts particularly the amount of time spent within the committee meetings, reviewing weekly information, and discussing solutions to concerns within Executive Sessions. A lot of work and preparation goes into each month’s Board of Education meetings, with the members of the Butler Board of Education dedicating up to 20 hours per month in this endeavor. No other public official, elected or appointed, has a greater impact on the lives of children than the local school board member. I thank them for their efforts and commitment, and I encourage you to thank them if provided the opportunity.
I wish you all health and happiness this month!
Be Well
Dr. J.
NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK
February 6th through 12th
I am excited to recognize the school counseling staff within the Butler School District. School counselors help students in so many ways - maybe even more than you may realize. Our counselors help our students with academic achievement strategies, managing their emotions, and learning and applying interpersonal skills. They partner with parents as they encounter the challenges of raising children in today's world. They work with our teachers to create an educational environment in which students can realize their potential and set healthy, realistic, and optimistic aspirations for themselves. The combination of their training and experience makes them an integral part of the total educational program in Butler. It is my please to honor these individuals:
- Mrs. Sue Maurer, Butler High School
- Mrs. Vikki Szabo, Butler High School
- Mrs. Lisa Urbina, Butler High School
- Mr. Rob Meyers, Butler High School
- Mrs. Emma Tagariello, Richard Butler Middle School
- Ms. Emily Young, Richard Butler Middle School
- Ms. Julia Placko, Aaron Decker Elementary School
I encourage you to reach out and thank your child's counselor during National School Counseling Week to show them your support and appreciation for all they do.
Pictures are worth a thousand words...
RBS Winter Olympics - Thanks Mr. D. and Ms. Murphy!
Thank you Senior members of our Fencing Team!
Mrs. Koptyra's class studying the water cycle
Peer Leaders working with our Freshmen
The cast and crew of the RBS Spring Show - Channeling Grimm
Thank you senior members of the boy's basketball team
Thank you senior members of the wrestling team
The Bowling Team is on a roll (pun intended)
GATEways students attend Model UN at Drew University
GOVERNOR EDUCATORS AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICE PROFESSIONALS OF THE YEAR
At our January Board of Education meeting, the Butler School District celebrated our 2022-2023 Governor Educators and Educational Service Professionals of the Year. It was a great night, and we were able to celebrate these individuals in front of a full house of family, friends, and colleagues. Each year the New Jersey Department of Education celebrates educators and educational specialists throughout the state with the Governor’s Educator of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year Awards. This program highlights educational innovation, student achievement, the rewards of teaching, and important services outside the classroom environment that lead to student success.
We would like to congratulate the following educators from the Butler Public School District who were chosen as the 2022-2023 Governor’s Educator of the Year and Educational Service Professional of the Year recipients:
Aaron Decker School:
Educator of the Year: Mrs. Marie Endres, First Grade Teacher
Educational Service Professional of the Year: Mrs. Jeni Kertesz, Learning Disabled Teaching Consultant
Richard Butler School:
Educator of the Year: Mrs. Annemarie Tarr, Science Teacher
Educational Service Professional of the Year: Ms. Emma Tagariello, Student Assistance Counselor
Butler High School:
Educator of the Year: Mrs. Laura Conkling, Science Teacher
Educational Service Professional of the Year: Mrs. Sue Maurer, School Counselor
NEWS FROM OUR SCHOOLS
Aaron Decker Elementary School - Mr. J. Manco, Principal
Empathy is understanding and connecting to other people's feelings.
ADS would like to congratulate the following students for demonstrating empathy throughout the month of January:
Kindergarten: Sara Janeczko, Avery Jorda, Charlotte Kowalski, Austin Legregni, Julian Moya, Kyle Semtak
First Grade: Reuben Adoah, Larina Beano, Julia Kudron, Olivia Kochan, Estrella Lopez Colin, Owen Melos,Mia Segura,
Second Grade: Omar Cabrera, Sara Janeczko, Angelina Murano, Logan Lopez, Damon Trpeski, Peyton Adams, Anabel Silva, Alaina Stager, Grace Stager,
Third Grade: Analise Adoah, Bridges, Alex Castrillon Salcedo, Kaylee Morgan, Audrey Sanchez
Fourth Grade: Micah Lombardo, Jazlyn Hicks, Ashanty Lopez, Aliyah Hicks, Brock Rauch, Isabela Smith, Kiley Frabizzio.
We would like to congratulate Maureen Benicasa as our recipient of the February ADS Bulldog of the Month Award. Maureen is commended for her work as a paraprofessional, her help in the main office, and the work she does in many other areas of our school on a daily basis. In sports terms, she is the true utility player of our school and an integral part of the ADS school community. Thank you for everything that you do!
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten Registration for 2023-2024 school year will begin on Monday, February 6, 2023. Please click on link for more information: Kindergarten Registration/Welcome letter
100 Ways to Show We Care Project
As you may know, each year schools celebrate the 100th Day of School. On February 8th, Aaron Decker School will celebrate our 100th Day of School. This year, in partnership with “Connect for Community,” we would like to use this day to show our children what 100 cents can buy. The past two years have been challenging for everyone, and we are looking to grow and expand this program as much as possible this year! We are asking each child to bring in one item of something we use every day, with a cost of $1.00 or less. The collection will run from February 6-16. Please see the list below for which items we are collecting at each grade level.
Pre-K : Comb or Brush
Kindergarten: Toothbrush
First Grade: Deodorant or Box of Tissues
Second Grade: Bar Soap
Third Grade: Toothpaste
Fourth Grade: Shampoo or Conditioner
“Connect for Community” is a program started by a small group of volunteers to help supplement donations to our local food pantries. Our 100th Day of School donations will provide local homeless shelters and social service agencies with essentials such as toiletries and hygiene products for the members of our community who need it most. Many of these items such as soap, toothpaste and toilet paper, are not covered by food stamps yet they are all necessities in life. Since the program began in 2010, students all around New Jersey have donated nearly 100,000 items!
Thank you in advance for all of your support for people in need!
Upcoming Important Dates at ADS:
February 10, 2023 - Football Friday: Wear your favorite football team apparel in celebration of the Super Bowl
February 17-February 20, 2023 - Mid- Winter Break: Schools are closed
February 22, 2023 - ADS 2nd Grade Specials Night 6;00pm: 2nd Grade Specials Night; snow date 2/28/23
March 2, 2023 - ADS Literacy/STEAM/SEL Night 6:00 pm
We have several ways for you to stay connected to ADS. Follow us on Twitter at @ADS_Bulldogs and Instagram at @ads_bulldogs for news, announcements, and celebrations. A weekly update will be sent out for upcoming events and important information through Blackboard Communications. As always, thank you for your continued support!
Richard Butler Middle School - Mrs. M. Papa, Principal
Mykee Fowlin’s presentation “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me” really resonated with our middle schoolers as they reflected on their relationships with their peers and families. Dr. Fowlin’s vulnerability and honesty was truly inspiring. We are grateful to the Butler Municipal Alliance as they were a partial sponsor. We also want to thank JBWS for presenting about successful relationships to our 7th and 8th grade students. Students gained some skills to help navigate interpersonal relationships of all types. National School Counseling Week is February 6-10, and we’d like to offer our deepest gratitude to Ms. Tagariello, Ms. Young, Ms. Stern, and Mr. Lally for all of the support they provide our students! Scheduling for grade 8 is underway as the BHS counselors met with our 8th graders to begin preparation for their move on to the high school.
Students in grades 5-8 enjoyed Hot Chocolate Week sponsored by the RBS Student Council. Thank you to Ms. Spellman and our StuCo officers and reps for bringing back this RBS tradition. Congratulations to 7th grader Dylann Davidoff, the winner of the RBS Spelling Bee! The competition was fierce, but Dylann will be the one to represent RBS at the County Bee this spring.
We held our very first RBS Winter Olympics on January 27! Students had a blast competing in trivia contests and winter-themed events. Congratulations to our 8th graders who were victorious!
To give back for our 100th Day of School, RBS will once again be collecting for Connect for Community. Students in each grade level have been assigned items that can be purchased for 100 cents or less that will be donated to local shelters. Grade 5 - hand soap, Grade 6 - dishwashing liquid, Grade 7 - tissue boxes, Grade 8 - Individual toilet paper/paper towels. Please consider donating!
February is American Heart Month. Friday February 3rd is wear red day to show support for heart disease which is one of the leading causes of death amongst Americans. Eating a healthy balanced diet along with exercise are the two best ways to decrease your chance of heart disease. Nurse Vanderhoff and Nurse Hansen have planned some fun activities for students and staff:
Come make a healthy heart during lunch periods to be posted on the heart healthy bulletin board (participants will be entered in a raffle).
Students who wear red will be entered in a raffle to win a prize (enter/chosen during lunch).
Heart healthy coloring sheets are here for students to color during homeroom or academic assistance/recess. Colored coloring pages can be returned to the Health Office and put on display.
The PE/Health classes will also be participating in heart healthy activities/learning.
Check out the American Heart Association website for free resources.
RBS Drama Director, Mrs. Mirabella, has an update:
Play: Channeling Grimm by Tracey Wells
Length: About 1 hour
Cast Members: 25 students from 5-8 grade
Crew Members: 11 students from 5-8 grade
Performance Dates: April 21 and 22 at 7:00 pm, Butler High School Auditorium
Summary: Cameron doesn’t know what to write for an Honors English assignment on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Luckily, friend Jaime has the solution... watch TV versions of the tales! But when Cameron points the unusual looking remote at the screen expecting Netflix or Apple TV, instead they find the wackiest assortment of fairy-tale themed programming. We hope you’ll join us in April for the show!
If you haven’t already, please check out our RBS Review newsletter. Helpful documents like the RBS Student Handbook, Bell Schedules, and Student Activities schedules can be found there along with current announcements and events. We’ll also continue to celebrate our staff and students on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. We appreciate your feedback, splease feel free to contact us anytime at mpapa@butlerboe.org.
Welcome Melissa Hansen to the Butler Public School Nursing Team! Mrs. Hansen comes with many years of experience as a school nurse! We are excited to have her working throughout the district!
Please join us in congratulating Mr. Dennis Henderson on being named the Bulldog of the Month for January here at Richard Butler Middle School! He has been working in Butler for 18 years, and he is truly dedicated to our school. Mr. Henderson has stepped into the leadership role of Head Custodian and is doing a tremendous job. He is attentive, communicative, reliable, and hard-working. Our building runs well because of Mr. Henderson and his team!
Butler High School - Mr. R. Fitzgerald, Principal
It's hard to believe we are already in February of the 22-23 school year. The new year is off to a fast start with scheduling, competitive athletics, preparations for our spring musical and concerts, and of course state testing. I would like to thank our entire community for your support and encouragement as we push forward into 2023 with optimism and positivity.
Here are some highlights at BHS over the past month and some things to look forward to.
BHS 2023-2024 scheduling begins on February 3, 2023. All grades 9 -11 must enter their electives in the Genesis Parent Portal during the window of February 3 - 10, 2023. Please see the link below for directions:
BHS SCHEDULING PARENT LETTER 2023
BHS 2nd Marking Period Report Cards were posted on the Genesis Parent Portal on Friday, February 3, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Seniors who need to send mid-year grades to colleges should report to the school counseling office starting February 10, 2023 to fill out a mid-year grade request form
We were informed this fall that our dual-enrollment marketing course agreement with William Paterson University will see a rise in tuition to approximately $600 for the 2023 -2024 school year. This is a change in tuition from the current school year. ($300) Please take this into consideration when selecting this course for next year. It is still a substantial saving compared to the current cost per credit at William Paterson University. ( 3 credit courses = approx. $1200)
Math - Nicholas Okken
Science - Busra Aydin
Social Studies - Angelina Majer
World Languages - Carey Villa
ELL - Yahir Alcantra Barragan
Language Arts - Madelyn Petrochko
Art - Francesca Sas
Music - Katrina Agront
Foods - Marissa Connolly
Physical Education - Adam Echchelh
Business - Josuel Barrios
Shared Time Student - Sophia Mata
Grade 9 -Victoria Cuellar
Grade 10-Hailey Ferrier
Grade 11-Mario Bardales
Grade 12-David Crowell
113 Jason Chrostowski 2nd Place
138 Logan Sykes 4th Place
150 Wyatt Frawley 2rd Place
215 Luca Toriello 6th Place
Congratulations to Laura Tomasella for taking third place in girls' high score and third place third high series during the Morris County Tournament with a score of 186 and a series of 473! Great job Laura!
Congratulations to BHS Spanish Teacher Mauricio Penilla for receiving the January Bulldog of the Month Award. Mr. Penilla has built a climate in his classes that encourages students to embrace a second language. He has done this through a foundation of mutual respect and authentic care. He is always happy and shows how appreciative he is of the opportunity he has to teach children. Through this, he leads in a positive way through example. Mauricio is extremely helpful whenever staff needs technological assistance as well as willingly shares ideas and teaching materials to help create dynamic lessons. We are lucky to have such a caring teacher who goes out of his way for his students. Congratulations Mr. Penilla.
Congratulations to Morgan Napoli for receiving the NJSIAA National Girls and Women’s Sports Award for 2023.
Congratulations to James Russnak and Jayden Lewis for being selected as Butler High School’s 2023 Unsung Heroes
Congratulations to the following Seniors who will be earning their Seal of Biliteracy in the spring of 2023: Dafne Arrieta, Lezly Selene Gaona Hernandez, Monica Gutierrez, Wendi Lezama-Ramos, Edward Martinez, Angelica Mawyin, Ciel Mendoza Abreu, and Irving Minor!
Thank you to Prevention Is Key for hosting our Parent Education night on January 18th. This presentation taught us about the signs of teen substance use and we were able to walk through a mock teenager’s bedroom to help us identify different diversion devices.
Thank you to Claudyne Bell from Caring Contact for visiting our school during our lunch on January 24, 2023. She shared resources with us regarding the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Thank you to the nearly 200 students who stopped by the table!
We had a great day on January 20, 2023, celebrating Lisa Reda’s Child Development classes “Baby Day” Project. Staff, students, parents, and kids all had a great time.
On January 27, 2023 our BHS Unified Basketball Team hosted West Milford in a great basketball game.
Upcoming Events:
February 6 -10, 2023 is National School Counselor Week! Thank you to Mr. Meyers, Mrs. Urbina and Mrs. Maurer, and Mrs. Szabo for all you do!
All Butler Schools will be closed for President’s Weekend on February 17 and 20, 2023.
Important Dates: March 13th - 17th: All 11th graders will take the NJGPA Assessment at Butler High School. More details are to be shared by March 1, 2023.
UPCOMING EVENTS
February -BHS Counselors to WTB for Scheduling Meetings
February BHS Counselors to RBS for Scheduling Meetings
February 3 - MP 2 Grades Posted BHS
February 13- SEPAG
February 17 and 20 - Mid Winter Break - No School
February 22- ADS 2nd Grade Specials Night 6:00pm
February 23 - BOE Meeting
February 28- ADS 2nd Grade Specials Night (Snow Date)
February through March - ACCESS Testing