Nishuane News - Montclair PTA Council

SPRING
2010
Nishuane News
Nishuane PTA Newsletter
02
In this Issue:
Chatting with Principal Gail Clarke
Community News
House D Production
03
House C Production
The Making of a Nishuane Production
04
Fireball 2010
PTA Behind the Scenes
05
School Tours
Beautification by Design
06
Gentle Tiger, Happy Dragon
Kindergartners Love Aesthetics
Gym Class: Nishuane Style
07
Why Nishuane?
School Lunch
08
Kudos to Our Kids
Acknowledgements
Greetings from Tessie Thomas
PTA President
The recent weeks have been eventful for Nishuane and all the
other schools in the Montclair school district. As most of you are
aware, we are facing unprecedented budget cuts. This is a direct
result of about 60% reduction in state aid emanating from efforts
to cut the deficit in New Jersey.
These are tough times, and tough times have a way of bringing
out the best in us and the worst in us – as individuals and as
a community. Needless to say, the last few weeks did just that.
The environment created ended up pitting neighbor against
neighbor in some cases. Choice of schools for our children has
been a luxury in Montclair but sometimes it has brought out
strong feelings. Plenty of emotions were on display in the last few
weeks. At the end of the day the schools in Montclair have more
in common than commonly understood. But at times like this
the minor differences come under the spotlight and seem to get
exaggerated beyond belief.
We, at all the schools, are in it together. All our children graduate
from the same high school and we can only be as strong as the
weakest link in the school system. We all need to come to terms
with the new reality of the budget cuts and learn to do more
with less.
These tough times brought the best out of the Nishuane community. We conducted ourselves with decency and dignity. We
32 Cedar Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042
were relentless in keeping the focus on issues that impacted all the
schools – transparency, equity, and parent inputs. We managed to
get across the Nishuane point of view in the context of an integrated magnet theme and without divisiveness. Thank you.
As a PTA, we have exercised reasonable controls on costs and
consistently raised funds for the last two years. The very successful Fireball recently raised about $30k and almost doubled our
funds. We are fortunate to find ourselves in this situation and
are planning to use these funds prudently as investments into the
school infrastructure to create lasting benefits for Nishuane and
to alleviate some of the budget cuts impacts. Building a broadcast
studio is becoming a realistic goal now with these available funds. I
encourage everyone to reach out to us with other investment ideas
for the school.
In the last few weeks I have looked at my kids and wondered if they
will be as fortunate as our generation was in being able to get high
quality education at a reasonable cost. I have a feeling that volunteering and staying involved in the school is going to matter more
now than ever before. Given the wide and deep involvement of the
Nishuane families, we are well on our way to fulfill our part in sustaining quality education for our children. Let’s keep it going!
973.509.4222
www.nishuanepta.org
F r o m
t h e
M a i n
O f f i c e
Chatting with Principal Gail Clarke
Interview by Denise Ford Sawadogo
At the January
school
review
meeting Gail and
a few teachers discussed and demonstrated Nishuane’s
reading programs.
I asked why she
decided to discuss this topic, the
main points she
wants families to know about the program
and what she looks forward to this spring.
Gail: The school review committee conducted a parent survey in September.
The majority of responding families had
requested that a formal presentation of
the Houghton-Mifflin and Fundations
Phonics programs be presented.
Nishuane’s reading program follows
Community News
Staff Changes and Accomplishments
by Denise Ford Sawadogo
Ms. Jenna Fragale
is now a second
grade teacher in
room 209. Last year
she was an in-class
kindergarten support teacher. Prior
to that, she worked
at
Watchung School. This is
her fourth year in the Montclair School
District. She is a graduate of Montclair
State University, where she is currently
studying for a Master’s degree in Special
Education.
“This year has been very exciting for me;
to watch the children progress and see
their skills grow and improve are two of
the many reasons why being a teacher is
special. I look forward to a great rest of
the year and to hopefully working with
your children.”
Mrs.
Khalida
Lewis, now a kindergarten teacher
in room B-11, was
previously a STARS
instructional assistant for one year at
Nishuane. Her experiences have taken
her from 15 years in corporate America
to following her passion teaching Early
Childhood. Ms. Lewis is a Magna Cum
Laude graduate of Kean University. “The
students here at Nishuane have allowed
me to continue to follow my passion and
02
the state standards and district curriculum. All classrooms utilize the language arts program via the HoughtonMifflin resources and also integrate the
Fundations Multi-Sensory Phonics into
that model. Fundations addresses phonics, handwriting, and spelling instruction and replaces those components
found in the Houghton-Mifflin series.
By integrating the two programs I expect
increased reading proficiencies for all
students, increased appreciation for literature and increased student successes
in all areas of reading and language arts.
We continue to assess our students using
a variety of formative and summative
assessment tools that include, but are
not limited to—Houghton Mifflin unit
and skill tests, teacher observations,
Fundations inventory and unit tests, and
other similar methods.
For the future, we will continue to infuse
both approaches and we are looking to
pilot the use of the DRA (Developmental
Reading Assessment) in all K-2 classrooms. This diagnostic tool is administered one to one and will allow the classroom teacher to have a clearer understanding of a child’s specific strengths
and weaknesses in all aspects of reading.
The data will be used to guide a teacher’s
differentiated plans to better meet the
diverse needs of the students.
This spring season, I look forward to the
new CI/Aesthetics catalog which includes
detailed descriptions and exciting course
offerings and of course I can’t wait for
Mayfair!
calling to teach. It is for that very reason
I am grateful for their smiles and their
presence.”
Mrs. Valerie E. Hampton has returned
to teaching first grade in room 105. Ms.
Hampton taught reading last year and
worked as a curriculum support teacher
for nine years at Nishuane. Before that,
she taught first grade for seventeen years.
“Teaching is my passion.”
Kristy Scanlan, daughter of Nishuane’s
Drama teacher, Mrs. Doreen Cleerdin
produced a new Lego animation feature
which premiered this March at “Legoland”,
California. The movie, titled, LEGO: The
Adventures of Clutch Powers,”reinforces
the importance of “teamwork”. In
September 2009, Kristy produced the animated Lego DVD Bionicle-themed: “The
Legend Reborn”, featuring the voice of
Michael Dorn from “Star Trek: The Next
Generation.” Mrs. Cleerdin is a proud
mom!
marched, danced and twirled their way
to a flawless production. At the end of
the play, the students of House D led the
audience to a rocking rendition of some
holiday classics.
In her closing remarks, Principal Gail
Clarke thanked the tireless efforts of Mrs.
Cleerdin who wrote and directed as well
as Melanie Koebel and Donna McGowan
for the wonderful music. Peter Johnson
and Ivory Wise’s creative costumes, as
well as Eric Eder’s staging and Ginger
Reilly’s choreography, made the production come alive.
Please send your updates to Denise Ford Sawadogo:
dfords_2000@yahoo.com
House D Production
Full of Holiday Cheer
by Marika Alzadon
House D kicked off the 2009 holiday season with it’s production of “Clara’s Nutcracker” on December 17th. Based on the
“Nutcracker” classic, the packed audience
went along with Clara and her nutcracker
as they journeyed to the Magical Land of
Sweets. Students of House D, dressed as
snowflakes, gum drops and toy soldiers-
H o u s e
N e w s
House C Production Re-dressing a Classic
by Benesia Babb
The House C Production titled “The
Emperor’s New Clothes” re-dressed the
Hans Christian Andersen classic with
just the right dose of comedic creativity.
The play told the tale of an Emperor too
obsessed with his external appearance to
tend to the cares of his subjects. When
two scoundrels concoct a plan to exploit
his vanity, the play shifts into high gear
when a band of neglected musicians, solicited the audience’s participation as they
left the stage in procession and song. Cast
members flipped, danced and sang their
way through a flawless production, which
kept the audience laughing with moments
of witty comedy. In her closing remarks,
Assistant Principal Cenithia Bilal applauded the hard work and dedication of
House C teachers, parent volunteers and
production staff. Special thanks went
out to producers Ms. Koebel and Mrs.
McGowan; script-writer Mrs. Cleerdin;
set designers Mr. Johnson and Ms. Wise;
stage manager Mr. Eder; and choreographer Mrs. Reilly.
The Making of a Nishuane House Production
by Peter Wert, with contribution from Anika Taylor
Seeing our little ones blossom on stage may
feel like a brief moment to us as parents,
but to our children, the classroom teachers
and the dedicated SNAP staff, it has been
a long process spanning two months filled
with hard work and creativity. While performing their grand collaborative effort
to the Nishuane community gives the
children of each house their moment in
the sun, spending a few weeks observing
the elements of the creative process reveals
how important and vital these productions are to the growth of our children.
Let’s journey “backstage” to see how their
work is more than a brief moment showing off for friends and families.
The classroom teachers in the house
gather with our resident drama teacher,
Mrs. Cleerdin, to bounce around ideas.
Ultimately, a script source is selected and
re-worked to fit the specific needs and
size of the House. The material contains
a theme appropriate to our children and
provides a positive message of respect,
kindness or teamwork that befits the
Nishuane community. The story is outlined to allow the SNAP team to begin
their creative process; music needs to be
selected, re-arranged and lyrics written by
Mrs. McGowan and Mrs. Koebel; movement and dances need to be created by
Mrs. Reilly; and the visual artistry of the
production is sketched out by Ms. Wise
(costumes) and Mr. Johnson (sets).
Casting is no easy task and not because
Mrs. Cleerdin tries to find someone who
“looks the part.” The actors playing the
main characters in a Nishuane play change
from scene to scene. Given that each scene
is performed by a different class, there
were five Claras in the “Nutcracker” and
four Emperors in “The Emperor’s New
Clothes.” Multiple casting of main roles
works at Nishuane, not only because more
children are able to speak, but also because
one child doesn’t “carry” a show alone.
This allows each class to rehearse as a unit
during the allotted 40 minute production
period.
Although the children playing the four
Emperors looked visually different, Mrs.
Cleerdin chose children with similar personalities that fit the character. To help
establish continuity, unifying costume elements are used from scene to scene to help
the audience identify the character.
The rehearsal process begins with the
SNAP staff teaching each class individually for the first few weeks. Dances are
choreographed and taught onstage. Songs
are learned in a music room, costumes and
scenery are built in the art room, while the
dialogue segments of the scenes are directed in the dance studio. Each production’s
success is also dependent on the parent
volunteers who help paint sets and create
costumes. It’s amazing how construction
paper, paint, glue and a myriad of other
materials can be whipped together into an
impressive array of hats, aprons and capes
to give the production a cohesive image
from start to finish.
After three weeks of rehearsal, the songs,
dances and dialogue are mostly memorized and we move onstage. The first few
rehearsals are noisy and chaotic adjusting
to handheld microphones, costumes and
props, but with efficient stage management by Mr. Eder, the chaos is quickly
calmed. With several dress rehearsals, the
show is ready for the big day. Excitement
is in the air; some of the children are very
nervous, others are calm and collected.
All of the elements of the production
pull together into a well-knit performance,
including the finale that brings the entire
House back onstage for a final number,
which underlines the theme and message
of the piece. It’s over quickly, but the experience of working hard on a collaborative project, cooperating with classmates
onstage and finding the courage to speak
(or even stammer through) dialogue is a
memorable and worthwhile experience for
all of our children.
03
P T A
H a p p e n i n g s
Nishuane and Hillside Party for a Cause at Fireball 2010
by Denise Ford Sawadogo
Clinking
plastic cups,
chatter,
laughter,
smiles, hugs
and dancing filled the
Wo m e n ’s
Club of Upper Montclair on the chilly evening of
Friday, March 26th. The exuberant night
was the culmination of 8 months of planning and coordination led by Nishuane
and Hillside PTAs, with Deb Georgiou
taking up the charge as Nishuane chairperson. As I entered the parlor room I
was surrounded by beautifully decorated
tables of tempting raffle baskets filled
with goodies such as, “Game Night” a
collection of family games including a
Wii console and easels listing priceless
teacher moments up for auction, such as
“Doin’ Dishes with Ms. Ko” where the
winner and one friend would join Ms. Ko
for pottery painting.
The vibrating sounds from the Parents
Who Rock bands and the illuminating wall
dragon lured me into the grand ballroom.
Here I met new and old friends, sampled
the eclectic assortment of delicious food,
sampled the electric blue, “Fireball” signature drink and perused the class-made art
projects such as the customized Monopoly game and the Andy Warhol inspired
framed print. My attention was then drawn
to the tables displaying the generously donated auction items, such as the Boca Raton condo which went for the most money
and the Saturday Night Live tickets for the
May 8th show with Betty White, Tina Fey
and Jay-Z, which closely followed.
Everything from the raffles being closed
promptly at 9:30, auction at 10 and the
written announcement of the lucky win-
ners, to the arrival of tempting desserts
and the sweet candy bar, seemed to run
like a well-oiled machine. One mother,
remembering the first Fireball event 3
years ago amidst a blizzard told me that
she was happy all the efforts were not in
vain this time around and that the weather
cooperated. As one committee member
sums it up, “It was a fun night out with
friends while generating impressive
results, thanks to the coordination efforts
and volunteer time from the committee and many parents.” Early numbers
show that more than $60,000 was raised
and approximately 400 people attended.
The money generated will go to fund top
projects at both schools. I felt great to be
part of this community and happy to have
a night filled with celebration. Although
I wasn’t a raffle or auction winner I left
happy knowing that our children and
schools are the true winners after all.
“Tessie, stop we have more volunteers than we
need!” – A direct quote from Aman D’Mello,
co-chair for School Spirit. This came after we
reached out to the
community in a
pinch and received
an overwhelming
response for a short
notice
request.
School Spirit, under Aman and Susie Blim, achieved
sales of more than
$1,500 in the few
weeks leading up
to School Spirit
day in February.
The adult gear at
the staff sale sold
out! Keeping the
spirit alive requires long hours, so much so
that the custodians suggested to our chairpersons that they move into the basement
storage closet!
Bingo night is a special night at Nishuane for
the children and their parents. This January
22 was no different. Liz Brandt not only led
a wonderful fun evening for the community,
but also raised some money for the PTA. Ari
Brandt was the master of ceremonies and
given his performance that night, he should
feel comfortable about having a backup career.
No other event brings the Nishuane community together like the Family Dance. Jen
Adubato led this year’s event and brought
her own flavor to it with a professional DJ,
Zumba dance lessons, and a rocking night
through and through.
After each house production, families have
the option to purchase a DVD. Pam Moed
and Lauren Kaiser coordinate the whole
process, from order taking to fulfillment. At
the house production, Deb Georgiou is the
familiar face at the door selling flowers to
make our kids feel special.
The PTA website is updated almost daily. Every flyer that comes home is on our website
and we are lucky to have Elizabeth Cahill as
our webmaster. She brought in many innovative ideas that help the PTA keep moving
in the digital age!
And the list goes on…One article seems too
little to summarize the hard work of our
behind-the-scenes parent volunteers. But it
hopefully provides a flavor of the work that
goes into bringing us together as one community and inspires other parents to get
involved!
PTA Behind the Scenes
by Tessie Thomas
Creating a sense of community is a top priority for the Nishuane PTA. A sense of ownership and understanding that we are in this
together for our
children makes for
a better school. So
how do we walk
this talk? There are
countless hours
that the PTA volunteers put in to
make it happen.
Some of it is fairly
visible, but some
of it is fairly invisible.
On a frosty January morning, over
croissants and coffee, a 4 hour planning meeting kicked-off the Newsletter team
led by Denise Sawadogo and Stacey Pinilis.
The newsletter crew then diligently worked
with teachers and parents to capture and
create this newsletter you are holding with
the noteworthy happenings in and around
Nishuane.
Every month Jennifer Snyder and her Teacher
Appreciation team do something for the Nishuane staff to acknowledge their dedication
and our gratitude. As an example, around
Valentine’s Day, a table was set-up in the
teacher’s lounge with baked goods donated
by parents. Heart-shaped cookies and lots of
red brought forth the warmth and love for
our teachers.
04
P r o g r e s s
School Tours
by Stacey Pinilis
Incoming Kindergartners are registered
and placement decisions are being made.
None of this could happen without the
elementary school tours. Caren Stern, PTA
Vice President spent weeks preparing for
the tours but credits the 23 parent volunteers for their success. Volunteers attended
a training session with Stern and Gail
Clarke. During tour week, there were 2
tours in the morning and 1 evening tour.
Interested parents gathered in the library
for 15 minute Power Point presentation
followed by a Q&A period. Here parents
asked questions about Nishuane including
our math curriculum, lunch menu items,
recess schedule and aesthetics program.
Then parents were divided up into small
groups and the volunteers led them on
tours that lasted about 30-35 minutes.
According to Ms. Clarke, more parents
toured the school this year than last and the
feedback was phenomenal. One mom liked
Nishuane so much, she came back to tour
multiple times
with different
family members.
Stern said that
the
survey
results were very
positive. The top
reasons parents
said they would
select Nishuane
are: our Magnet
Theme,
K-2
setting, the variety of programs that
Nishuane offers via CI’s and Aesthetics, the
Mandarin program, and the house plays.
Another incredible feature that cannot be
overlooked is our Principal Gail Clarke.
People seemed to have loved her! She followed up via email to each tour parent and
received numerous emails
back telling her that going
into the tours Nishuane was
not one of their top choices
but after the tour, Nishuane
ranked 1st or 2nd. Actually
about 90% of the people
who filled out the survey
listed Nishuane as their first
choice.
Will Ms. Clarke win her
bet with Kathy Lindsay
(Principal of Northeast)
and will Nishuane be the most requested
school for the 2010/2011 school year? I’d
say the odds are with Nishuane!
Beautification by Design
by Dana Hawkins-Simons
Thad Hayes is a world-class interior designer, whose work has been displayed in the glossy pages of Architectural
Digest dozens of times. His latest project:
Nishuane Elementary School. “Thad’s client list includes Bruce Springsteen, Marc
Jacobs…and now Nishuane,” laughs PTA
President Tessie Thomas. “And we’re very
fortunate to have him.”
It all began back in September at the PTA
ice-cream social. Caren Stern, the cousin of
Hayes’ partner, was working at a table with
committee sign-up forms. She suggested
that Hayes, the father of a kindergartener
at Nishuane, volunteer for the PTA’s beautification committee. When he asked what
that would entail, she jokingly told him,
“They might need your advice on where
to stick some geranium pots.”
Thankfully, it has turned into much
more than that. Thomas pursued Hayes
throughout the fall with invitations to tour
the school in the hopes that he’d put his
genius to use for Nishuane. Then one day
in December, Thomas got her wish…and
as the pair walked the halls, Hayes began
to bubble over with ideas. Soon after, he
developed a paint color palette for the
school. His master plan will be realized
over time, as money becomes available.
The main entry, hallways, tech room, and a
few classrooms have already been painted.
“I approached Nishuane as I would any
project,” says Hayes. “As we walked around
the school I saw existing features that
were very nice, but were being completely
ignored with the current color palette.”
“The brick is quite beautiful: a blonde,
baked brick,” continues Hayes. “But all the
colors are warm—floors, walls, and brick.
Even the auditorium is brown, as is the
beautiful oak wood finish on the doors.
But you don’t complement that with more
warm colors,” says Hayes. “If you paint the
walls and floors in cool blues and greens-it will highlight the existing features, the
brick and wood, and really make them
standout.”
Once Hayes had done the rational work of
developing his basic color plan, he began
the more intuitive process to “let the magic
happen.” Hayes explains, “This led me to
thinking about old maps in schools, the
ones you pulled down in front of blackboards. I grew up in the 60’s, and in my
memory the oceans were a beautiful bluegreen, mixed with a little gray. So I started
looking at hundreds of these colors before
narrowing it down to three.”
The auditorium presents the biggest challenge, says Hayes. “It’s such a big room,
with no natural light. You have to amp up
the perception of the color. It could go a
19th century, blue-wedgewoody color…
something full of life and brightness, but
not garish. That would come across very
rich.”
But it’s not all about complementary colors. “I wanted to think about the effect of
color on children, and I wanted to respect
what the school is telling me. It needs
something elegant, but appropriate for the
children.”
The success of the painting project has
prompted Hayes to volunteer his services
to Nishuane again, this time to help with
the redesign of the library this summer.
Springsteen may just have to wait.
05
S N A P S
Gentle Tiger, Happy Dragon
Another Festive Chinese New Year at Nishuane
by Nicole Gray-Chan
On Friday, February 19th, 2010, kindergarten students took center stage as they
paraded through the hallways of Nishuane.
First and second graders flanked the sidelines cheering on the marchers and holding
up banners, masks, and other ornately colored symbols of the New Year. Kindergarten
teacher Susan Price, who has coordinated
the parade for over 30 years, says, “These
parades never seem to lose their spirit of
fun. Mrs. Chang loaned us the smaller dragon. We thought the second grade Mandarin
students might like to assist with the dragon
parade. They were delighted to join, many
of them remembering when they participated themselves in kindergarten.”
of holiday-specific creativity in action. As the
The group bustled down the hallway with
throng moved down the hallways, viewers
tambourines and noisemakers, smiling
caught glimpses of tiger masks with probroadly and chanting “Xïn nián kuài lè!”—
truding tongues, red-band tiger headbands,
Happy New Year in Mandarin. The percusmini-dragons, cheerleaders with lanterns, the
sive sounds of Chinese music could be heard
official red-and-yellow Nishuane Mandarin
over the loudspeaker. The parade was a vision
shirts, and lots and lots of glitter.
Gym Class: Nishuane Style
by Dana Hawkins-Simons
Today, like many days, Ginger Reilly begins her
kindergarten physical education class with a
dance. As lively Irish music plays, Reilly invites a
couple of students to the front of the class to teach
their own, made-up steps. The children, with their
fleet footwork and rigid upper bodies, are doing
their best to channel “Riverdance.” Reilly calls out
the steps in rhythm: “Do Ahmaya’s move…now
Ella’s move…march…and stretch!” Not only is
the class warmed-up, they’ve just invented a new
dance.
“Dance is my passion,” says Reilly, an upbeat
woman with shoulder-length hair the color of her
first name. Fittingly, she also choreographs the
House productions.
Welcome to gym class 2.0. Reilly and Eric Eder, the
other phys-ed teacher, mix in elements of not only
dance, but also critical thinking, math, nutrition,
and anatomy lessons. To illustrate, Eder tells the
story of a 1st grader who broke her arm this year:
“Her dad says when she saw the x-ray, she asked:
‘Is that my radius and ulna?’ She learned that
here,” he beamed.
Near the end of class, Reilly pulls out a plastic egg
and opens it. “This is ‘Silly Putty.’ If you stretch
it, it gets longer--just like your muscles. See?” she
says, stretching the sticky stuff between her hands.
“If you don’t warm up your muscles before you
kick a ball, watch what could happen.” There’s a
sharp “CRACK” as the plastic pops. “Your muscles
can snap, too.”
One final point, well made, on this day in notjust-gym class.
06
Kindergartners Love
Aesthetics
by Stacey Pinilis
The new and improved kindergarten aesthetics program is a huge hit. My kindergartner even likes saying the word aesthetics!
Eli comes home excited each time he starts
a new class and describes in detail the new
things he has learned - a song, a yoga pose, a
teacher’s name. This year each kindergarten
class goes together
as a group to an aesthetic taught by a different kindergarten
teacher. The schedule changes every
2 weeks. So every
Monday - Thursday
at 2:40 the students
are escorted to a new
room to learn something new from a new
teacher!
Assistant Principal
Cenithia Bilal explains how most learning
stems naturally from Howard Gardner’s
theory of multiple intelligence. Nishuane’s
aesthetics program for K-2 is based on this
theory which includes linguistic, logicalmathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal,
and naturalist areas of learning. Ms. Keller
who teaches Find It, Draw It, Build It, and
Observe It! says, “This year each teacher
is taking one or two of Howard Gardner’s
The parade, which lasted 45 minutes, was
as well organized as it was festive. The children were happy to return to their rooms
and continue celebrating. Mrs. Price’s class
ate Chinese noodles and fortune cookies
and, in keeping with an age-old tradition,
received their red envelopes—a gesture of
good fortune. Students at Nishuane have
grown to love Chinese New Year and look
forward to it each year. When polled, 95%
of Ms. McLaughlin’s first grade class knew
that this year is the Year of the Tiger. And
although they did not march this year, the
first graders had just as much fun cheering
the kindergarten students on. “I liked watching them,” said Genesys Thomas, “and waving my dragon flag!”
Read more about Nishuane’s Chinese New
Year Celebrations including our presence at the
Montclair Public Library at www.nishuanepta.
org.
multiple intelligences and introducing them
to each kindergarten class. I’m introducing
the spatial and naturalist intelligences. I
enjoy seeing the children create and become
excited about the world around them.”
Mrs. May adds, “The children in my homeroom really enjoy going to their aesthetics
class and always come back excited about
their new learned skills. I think it is wonderful to have a program where the children
and teachers are equally enthusiastic about
learning and teaching
the classes.”
Here are some exciting things being
learned in each class:
In Pretend With Price
taught by Ms. Price
students are encouraged to write their
own endings to stories,
become “authors”, act
out favorite characters and create stories
and poems. Mrs. May
teaches Mixed Up Math where students
learn through fun activities like “crazy for
coins” and “place value snakes.” Ms. Adams
teaches Busy Bodies where children learn
through physical experiences such as molding with playdoh, dancing and yoga. Ms.
Lewis teaches Feel the Music: Shake, Rattle
and Roll. This class introduces students to
music through instruments and singing.
Continued on page 7
P a r e n t i n g
Why Nishuane?
by Stacey Pinilis
Recently I dropped off my Kindergartner
at school. Holding his 100 Day poster, he
ran with excitement by himself through the
front doors of Nishuane. Yes the street was
snowy and crowded and there were people
in cars behind me, but I took a moment to
stare at him as he ran, and with tears in my
eyes I thought, “I love Nishuane.”
Hi, my name is Stacey and Nishuane was
my 5th choice. Years ago I fought hard to
get my daughter switched. So I can relate
to the people out there who look at me and
say with a odd, questioning tone of voice,
“Nishuane? Hillside? How do you like it?”
I have gone from a Nishuane cynic to a Nishuane salesperson. I truly believe that my
kids and my family are meant to be here.
When my quiet daughter -- then in first
grade and having an outstanding experience with Jill McLaughlin, came home
from school with a violin in one hand and
a script in the other, I literally fell on the
floor. She was Clara in the school play —
“Clara’s Nutcracker”—a speaking part!
And where did she get that violin?? From
a CI class -- offered at Nishuane -- that’s
where!
Did you know that last year Nishuane
was the second most requested elementary school? I think it’s because people are
starting to realize just how incredible we
are. There is a rumor out there that kids
who come from Nishuane and Hillside
thrive in high school. Is it because they
know half the graduating class? That they
have had a locker since kindergarten? That
they have been switching classes since first
grade? Is it because, they are exposed to a
vast selection of classes so they have cultivated many interests? Or is it that their
independence has been fostered since day
one in kindergarten?
I have come full circle. So many of the
things I was scared of initially have turned
out to be positives. Walking in and around
such a big building, lockers, switching
classes -- the things that I thought might
be inappropriate for our youngest students
have turned out to bring out their strengths
and help them grow. And of course the
warmth and the caring that these kids need
is all around them, in the classrooms and
halls. So yes, I may not have chosen Nishuane initially, however I am thrilled to be
here and will be here through 2014!
School Lunch: Healthier than You Think?
by Dana Hawkins-Simons
As my kindergartner reminds me every
Friday—“It’s PIZZA day at school, Mama!”
This from a girl who has never liked pizza,
and still usually won’t eat it elsewhere. Of
course, I’ve been curious to sample a slice
myself, and today is my lucky day. Cynthia
Capaccio, the affable Food Service Director
for the Montclair Public Schools, has agreed
to be interviewed during lunchtime in the
Nishuane cafeteria. The kids are clearly enjoying their pizza, and I have to admit: it’s
not bad. While no one would ever confuse it
with a legit pizza parlor pie--the soft, chewy,
whole-wheat crust, mild mozzarella, and
slightly sweet sauce do have their charms.
With hormone-free, low fat milk, wholewheat grains, and no foods with trans-fats
on the menu--lunchtime at Nishuane may
be healthier than you think. In addition, the
children usually have red meat (no filler)
only once a week, all fries are baked, and the
juice is 100% fruit.
The only non-whole grain served is the
tortilla for the turkey wrap. Hot dog and
hamburger buns, pasta, and rolls are wholewheat. “Three years ago we couldn’t afford
whole wheat buns,” says Capaccio. “We
wanted them, but they cost $7 a dozen.
Now they’re $2.40. As more schools request
something, the costs go down.”
The longer I chat with Cynthia, the more
respect I gain for the way she negotiates
what must be a very difficult balancing act.
She clearly cares about nutrition, but has to
balance a budget. The fact is, lunches must
be affordable, and that affects quality. The
current cost is $2.75, and 65% of Montclair
public elementary school students are in the
hot lunch program. Of those, 20% qualify
for free or reduced price meals, which the
system must provide. In addition, all lunches must meet strict nutritional standards set
by the government.
Of course, there’s room for improvement.
Some of the bagged veggies contain preservatives and chocolate milk is on the menu
daily. The fresh fruits and vegetables lack
variety (mostly carrots, celery, bananas, and
apples) and the quality isn’t the best. My
daughter, normally a huge fresh produce
proponent, usually skips the school lunch
offerings. “They feel weird on my tongue,”
she says, scrunching up her nose emphatically.
As I finish my pizza lunch, I tell Capaccio
that I’m pleasantly surprised with the quality of Nishuane’s school lunch program. I
also resolve to serve even more fresh veggies and fruits at home, and cut down further on the sweets. Then I notice that when
one boy gives his ID to the cashier, a warning pops up: “No juice.”
Great idea, I think. Note to self: I’m going
ask for “No chocolate milk.” Sorry, darling
daughter. Ok, maybe “…except on Friday’s.”
Note: School Review has been discussing ways to address healthier eating habits for snack time and classroom celebrations. If you’d like to be involved or have
questions, contact Lauren Rosen at lauren.rosen@comcast.net or Amy Gideon at amy@tagonline.com.
Aesthetics (cont.)
Ms. Foster-Clark teaches Culture Club
where students explore cultures, geography, science and history. Ms. Keller teaches
Find It, Draw It, Build It and Observe
It. Here children learn things from map
reading to famous artists to observing our
earth.
Michal Herman, mom of twins Eilat and
Liyam, says, “It is amazing for them to be
exposed to these subjects as an extracurricular activity in the middle of the school
day. How awesome is it that Liyam, who
would never choose a yoga class, got to
experience and LOVE yoga!! Eilat who
loves math, got 2 extra weeks of math
which she still talks about!”
The Kindergarten Aesthetics program is
a great way for our youngest students to
get a taste of what is to come in first and
second grades. By sampling some classes
now, they will have a better understanding
of what to choose from all those wonderful
electives!
07
Kudos to Our Kids
by Denise Ford Sawadogo
This winter we saw many reasons to give
kudos to Nishuane students. To start
things off, the first term Mandarin CI students won the 2010 American Council on
the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) podcast contest both in the judges
and popular vote categories. The podcast
submitted on behalf of Nishuane’s World
Language department was
made through a joint effort between Ms. McGowen
(assisting with the technology), Ms. Rolandelli (assisting with the Spanish part),
Madame Aurian (use of her
Eiffel Tower as prop) and
Ms. Chang (coordinating
and submitting). In addition
to each student receiving a
congratulatory
certificate
and a Discover Languages
product, Nishuane received
a $600 award check. Kudos to
the participating students: Benee’-Jolie
Barron, Madeleine Blackburn, Maxwell
Blackburn, Charlie Blim, Benjamin Cole,
Katherine Cummings, Elijah Dawson,
Sameer Deogun, Natalie Glasman, Devin
Gutiérrez, Kara Peck, Jared Topf and Syd-
ney Topf. One of the goals of the ACTFL
and its contest is to bring attention to the
important role language learning can play
in a student’s life. View the video at www.
DiscoverLanguages.org.
Nishuane Mandarin students had their
projects displayed at the Montclair Public Library in
preparation
for the Feb.
7th Chinese
New
Year
program at
the library.
At the celebration, Nishuane’s 2nd
grade Mandarin
students were
featured in
the dynamic
dragon dance, which dates back thousands
of years in Chinese culture.
Several Nishuane classes partook in the
NJEA Pride Expo Art Exhibition at the
Livingston Mall from March 6 through
March 13. Along with other Essex County
Newsletter Committee:
Denise Ford Sawadogo- Managing Editor
Stacey Pinilis- Assistant Editor
Tessie Thomas- PTA President
Marika Alzadon- Graphic Designer
Benesia Babb- Writer
Dana Hawkins-Simons- Writer
Nicole Gray-Chan- Writer
Pamela Levine- Copy Editor
Lisa Passmore- Photographer
Contributors:
Cenithia Bilal, Vicky Chang, Gail Clarke, Eric Eder, Thad Hayes, Laura Keller,
Melanie Koebel, Marissa May, Ginger Reilly, Caren Stern, Anika Taylor, and
Peter Wert
Photo Credits:
Bob Beinish, Dan D’Errico, Chanda Hall and Jessica Michaud
schools, Montclair schools had a phenomenal showing. The vast collection
of Nishuane students work included Ms.
Mussa’s 1st grade language arts class, Ms.
McLaughlin’s 1st grade writing class, Ms.
Chang’s mandarin class and Ms. Wise and
Mr. Johnson’s kindergarten through 2nd
grade art classes. To round out Nishuane’s
presence at the Expo, two of Nishuane’s CI
choruses sang a total of 12 songs on Saturday, March 7th to a riveting audience.
Nishuane’s Monday/Tuesday CI Chorus
performed on March 11th for Montclair’s
Fourth Annual “Youth Explosion” concert
which took place at Montclair High School.
Each of the eleven schools in Montclair
sent a chorus to perform during the concert. For the finale, all 330 students, including Nishuane’s 24 students sang “The
Green Anthem” together. Congratulations
to everyone for their achievements!
Do you have a child or student that has an accomplishment that should be shared with the Nishuane
community? Send the information to dfords_2000@
yahoo.com or by backpack addressed to PTA Nishuane News, for consideration for inclusion in the next
newsletter coming in June.