Middle School Principal’s Letter
February-March 2010
Welcome back. We hope everyone had a relaxing holiday break and is refreshed for the second half of the school year.
Glen Rock Middle School continues to be a busy place. In December, under the direction of Mrs. Widowski and Mrs. Slattery, more than 30 students traveled to the Westside Child Development Center in Paterson to bring holiday goodies to preschool children in the Head Start Program. In addition, 30 members of the National Junior Honor Society, under the direction of Ms. Cook and Mrs. Carullo, traveled to Head Start’s other facility. This continues to be a yearly tradition and one that is most appreciated by the youngsters. Mr. Hutchinson and I were honored to once again accompany this year’s groups of students.
On December 9, the annual Winter Concert took place. A special thanks to Mr. Kurland, Mr. Ficocelli and Mrs. Moscara for coordinating and directing this musical event. The Eighth Grade Chorus, Sixth Grade Band, Seventh and Eighth Grade Band and Show Choir all performed wonderfully.
Our National Geographic Geography Bee was held on January 11. We would like to thank the coordinator Ms. Sculfort; announcer, Mrs. Zaorski; and judges, Mrs. Widowski, Mrs. Carullo and Ms. Cicala.
A parent/guardian information meeting regarding the eighth grade trip will be held at 7:00 p.m. February 24 in the auditorium. This will be followed by the high school orientation for eighth grade
Continued ...
High School Principal’s Letter
February-March 2010
Dear parents:
As I write this letter, we are preparing the midterm exam schedule and developing the guidelines for the 2010-2011 course schedule. In the next few days, we will post our revised course manual online. I urge you and your child to review the course selections as you prepare to complete our course request document. Advanced placement courses are part of our offerings. Access to these courses result from a student application process, entrance assessments and pre-requisite requirements. In the near future, students will be informed by subject area teachers and will discuss the AP process with them.
Construction is moving at a rapid pace. The band room addition is fully enclosed and internal work will begin. The two-story building (science labs and classrooms) is ready to receive brick work. We are very pleased with the aesthetics of the building. The exterior brick matches well, and the inclusion of buttresses and architectural designs over the entrances have done much to tie the design of the 1939 and new building together.
On February 3, our students will view the film “Sticks and Stones.” This film touches on many issues that our students face daily. It discusses inappropriate cell phone usage, sexting, cyber bullying and ultimately suicide. I urge you to spend some time on the evening of February 3 talking about this presentation.
Please also know that requests not to have a specific teacher (as a result of a past experience) are due to the principal by February 15. These requests will be reviewed for their merits.
Finally, our response to the need for supplies for Haiti was quite overwhelming with more than 250 cases of bedding, food, clothes, toys, shoes and medical supplies collected. Three teachers — Mr. Varela, Mr. Voorhis and Mr. Crispino — and Mr. Foster, our custodian, volunteered to drive four donated Hertz rental trucks to Queens to deliver the items. Thank you so much for caring.
Wishing you a happy and healthy new year.
Sincerely,
James McCarthy