CGSD Newsletter
October 2018
Dear CGSD Community,
Showcased this month is the FearlesslyGIRL Summit (See website here) held at CGHS. Featured as one of our "Week of Respect" activities, this event was more than we could have hoped. Internationally recognized and dedicated to creating a "Kinder Girl World" in schools and communities across North America, FearlesslyGIRL is specifically designed to target the unique challenges girls face and provides them with the tools and confidence to become more kinder and supportive of one another. Girls participated in group discussions and activities designed to boost self esteem and create a sense of sisterhood and support. By some accounts, this half-day program was a life-changing experience; it offered our girls a safe, conversational environment to help break down barriers and share experiences.
Led by Kate Whitfield, founder of FearlesslyGIRL, topics covered included self esteem, body image and the pressure to be perfect; girl world relationships; conflict resolution tips and building healthy relationships; navigating the complicated world of girls' online relationships; self respect and self worth - helping girls discover authentic confidence and inspire others; the power of kind - inspiring girls to connect with and support each other, commit acts of kindness and build a kinder girl world.
Dr. Robyn Silverman, Child and Teen Development Specialist, was also present at this event. Dr. Robyn recently interviewed Kate on her podcast entitled, "How to talk to Girls about Overcoming Fears and Embracing Kindness." Dr. Robyn also participated in the workshop, helping facilitate group discussion. Here is the link to Dr. Robyn's page as well as the podcast Dr. Robyn Podcast with Kate
Feedback from our girls who attended the workshop has been overwhelmingly positive and strategic planning is underway to sustain the lessons learned from FearlesslyGIRL through follow up meetings on the topics mentioned above. Please see the attached video clip of when all the girls "threw away" their fears! https://tinyurl.com/yb6ou9zp
#WeAreCedarGrove
Sincerely,
Michael J. Fetherman
Superintendent
REFERENDUM PASSES! School safety, security and site improvements on the way!
The Bond Referendum held on October 2, 2018 passed by overwhelming majority! Unofficial totals have it 809 YES to 266 NO votes, with provisional ballots yet to be certified.
Our immediate next steps include conducting final walk-throughs of each building to finalize all project drawings and securing bids for the security vestibules at CGHS and MMS. Please visit the Friday Folder for additional information regarding this important project.
The CGSD Welcomes Mrs. LeighAnn Tedesco, LCSW
It is with great enthusiasm that the CGSD initiates the R.I.S.E. program for the 2018-2019 school year! R.I.S.E. (Reaching Individuals Socially and Emotionally) has been created to assist students with developing better emotional and social skills. Through assisted counseling sessions with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, students will work on basic needs identification and strategies to overcome challenging issues. The program's focus will also include other individual needs as determined by the R.I.S.E. team, which, along with Mrs. Tedesco, is comprised of administration, guidance and Child Study Team members.
Mrs. Tedesco is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private practice in Montclair, NJ. She has over 25 years' worth of experience in the mental health field in the following settings:
1. Hackensack UMC at Mountainside as an inpatient clinician and ER crisis counselor;
2. CompCare in Lyndhurst, NJ, as an outpatient clinician;
3. East Orange General Hospital where she served as both an inpatient clinician and liaison to Marlboro State Hospital and Essex County Hospital Center.
Mrs. Tedesco's expertise is in treating individuals and families with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, depression, women’s issues and life transition. She has a BA in Sociology from Wagner College in NY and a Masters in Social Work from NYU. Additionally, she has post-masters training in psychotherapy from the Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of NJ (IPPNJ).
Mrs. Tedesco (see photo below) resides in Essex County with her husband, 2 children and their dog, Cooper.
October EdCamp a Huge Success; Staff PD a District Priority
The CGSD staff participated in an October 8 EdCamp (see photo below) that featured several interesting workshops, two of which focused on mathematics and science. In “Science Literacy,” consultant Nancy Fredrick led teachers through a series of reading and writing strategies applicable to science and other non-fiction subjects. Teachers then participated in a seminar with K-12 Math/Science Supervisor Janine Barboza in which they were exposed to “3 Act Lessons” and “Low Floor- High Ceiling” problem-solving approaches. CLick here to review other topics explored during our Oct. 8 EdCamp: https://tinyurl.com/y7tj4kjp
“Moby Day” came to Cedar Grove on October 9. Over 20 teachers from all 4 buildings participated in a full-day workshop to learn about the many facets of the online assessment system, Moby Max. https://www.mobymax.com/
While the district has been using Moby Max primarily for mathematics, we are looking to take full advantage of the Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies components as well as all of the diagnostic tools and data available through the program. Teachers are working to develop presentations, informational guides, and video tutorials to successfully turnkey what they learned at this session to their grade level teams.
K - 8 teachers are continuing to take courses at Conquer Mathematics including a 3-part series in Assessment as well as Literature in Mathematics (see photos below). Several teachers from multiple grade levels will be attending workshops at PRISM in Montclair State in the coming months.
Parents can access several resources to support what our students are learning in the math classroom. Check these out:
Bedtime Math: this is a new, free app created for young children and PK - 2 students. Cedar Grove has developed a community account. http://bedtimemath.org/
Illuminations: This site, from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), features complete lesson plans, mobile games for students, interactive activities and brain teasers. https://illuminations.nctm.org/
Illustrative Math: High-quality educational resources for teachers and students. Excellent math tasks, videos, lesson plans and problem-based curriculum modules.
https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/
Khan Academy: Khan Academy is on a mission to give a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Their personalized learning resources are available for all ages. Video learning segments are followed by practice activities. https://www.khanacademy.org/
Basic Skills reinforcement and materials: www.mathplayground.com, www.splashmath.com,
www.sumdog.com, www.multiplication.com, www.funbrain.com, www.mathfactcafe.com
Staff Professional Development at Conquer Math...
NE Annual Safety Walk!
North End held their annual Safety Walk for PreK &. K students on Friday, October 12. Detective Lynch, Fire Fighter Freitas and friends taught our students about safely walking throughout town and fire safety.
Elementary Student Artwork...
The dragon is an example of the celebration of the Chinese culture during Chinese New Year. The second grade students demonstrated knowledge of warm and cool colors, as well as watercolor bleeding techniques.
...the guitar collage composition, designed by second graders, infused knowledge of Pablo Picasso and his "blue period" with mixed medium artifacts.
5th Grade ELA
Students have been hard at work learning about fiction and nonfiction genres! They sorted books based on their genres and participated in a “Book Store” walk in which they used book-selection strategies to “shop” for books. They are using their knowledge of genres in order to choose books that interest them.
5th Grade Inference Project
A (safe) 'mystery' suitcase in Ms. Staunton's classroom contained items that belonged to somebody in the building. Her students used the clues to infer that they belonged to the principal. Their correct inferencing skills paid off - smiles all around!
5th Grade Social Studies
Students are learning about Australia using our new chromebooks! They have been making their own physical maps to help with locations. Up next? A group research project on the Great Barrier Reef, Outback, the Uluru, Tasmania and the unique animals of Australia!
7th Grade Science
In science class, students practiced using observational skills in the courtyard. They gathered data using their senses, an important part of scientific inquiry!
MMS STEAM
STEAM innovation using Lego Simple Powered Machine Kits! How cool is that?!
6th Grade Science Project
8th Grade Social Studies Irrigation Project...
CGHS Talks About the Dangers of Vaping ... and the Extent of the Problem
MADISON CHESNEY named CGHS Student of the Month!
In physical education/health, students are allowed more freedom to expose their competitive nature, sportsmanship, strategic competencies, social interactions, and work ethic. Madison (see photo below) is one of those students who succeeds in all of these areas. In today’s society where instant gratification is expected, Ms. Chesney rises above the social norms and encompasses a strong foundation of necessary characteristics to stand out from the crowd. She is consistently respectful in a way that is innate and natural. Congratulations, Madison!
CGHS Drama Class
Unit on Tableaux: Creating frozen pictures of movie titles. This one is called "Trapped" featuring Jenna Tronio, Nick Splendoria and Matthew Lutchko
CGHS Concert Choir
Dr. Laura Greenwald from Caldwell University leading a Master Class in Concert Choir...
CGSD Social Media: GET CONNECTED!
Email: fetherman.michael@cgschools.org
Website: www.cgschools.org
Location: 520 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ, USA
Phone: (973) 239-1550
Facebook: facebook.com/CedarGroveSuperintendent
Twitter: @Cgssuper