LION'S VIEW - October 2008

Dear Members of the North Community:

As the Principal of Middletown High School North I am pleased to report the many positive happenings that have taken place during the month of October 2008.

October Accomplishments and Best Practices

Middletown High School North Fine Arts – Business – Music – Technology – Family and Consumer Science Departments—Jim Gibson, Coordinator

Amy Skibinski - Fine Arts

Collaborated with Steve Koumoulis and had students in Art I & II create posters advertising Sweeney Todd.
Fine Arts students created projects for Violence Awareness Month based on Norman Rockwell’s work the Golden Rule.
I chaperoned a field trip to the play “Art” at the Two River Theater in Red Bank.
I arranged and chaperoned twenty-four fine arts students on a field trip to the Newark Museum on 10/29. Students toured the Asian Wing, Contemporary Wing and attended a related workshop.
I arranged an independent professional day where I was instructed on how to slip cast molds by Katie Stone for three hours on Thursday 10/09 at Thompson Park.
I completed the application for The Memory Project.
As part of my professional development, I attend ceramics class at Thompson Park on Monday evenings and continue with my painting group which also meets at Thompson Park on Tuesday nights.
Students used the Oxford Art website in the library to research art plagiarism in my AP/Art IV class.

Jill Nyland – Family and Consumer Science

Our Bread Sale will be held from Nov 20-Nov 25. Also, we have been including some new learning activities that have been very successful. Each class held a dinner party last week to practice manners and etiquette, and we have carved pumpkins and roasted the seeds this week. Also, our new job division technique for labs has been very successful for keeping the kitchens clean.

Carin Troccia - Functional Design

Completed 20 hours with graduate student who observed my classes.
Wrote 20 hours of curriculum at MHSS. Functional Design III-IV curriculum was completed on October 24, 2008.
Interviewed by former North student, Nicole Caravella who is in training at Montclair to be a teacher.
Made violence awareness posters for North and displayed them throughout school.
Made bus safety awareness posters for North and displayed them throughout school.
Field trip on October 14, 2008 to Two River Theater to see the play “ART”. 30 of my students attended.

Jim Gibson – Technology Department

Completed the design and printing of “Sunshine Committee” 8 ½ x 11 flyers. This flyer was designed for the Committee by my Print Design I students – period 1.
Completed the design and printing of “North Jewelry Sale” 8 ½ x 11 flyers. This flyer was designed for the Guidance Department for a fundraiser. It was also designed by my Print Design I students – period 1.
Students are now beginning the layout and design for “Homecoming” tickets for the end of November at HS North.

Susan Turner – Business Department

A speaker from Berkeley College gave a presentation to my classes on Oct. 27. I have trips planned for Nov. 13, 19 and Dec. 3 to go to the Superior Court in Freehold.

Gerry Corvo - Child Development

Preschool started on October 14. The high school students presented great introductory lessons.
During the month we made several visits to the gym, where the high school students lead the children in active games.
On Thursday, October 30, we had a Halloween Party in periods 2 & 11. The preschoolers went to the main office to go trick-or-treating, played some games, and had some snacks.

Maura Domashinski – Music Theory

Music Theory is building major scales by applying tetra chords to various pitches.
Rock History has completed its study of Elvis and the 2nd Generation of Classic Rockers.
Band has completed a rehearsal CD with the Music Department’s purchase of a CD Recorder and Condenser Mic. The workshop we attended this past month on using the Condenser Mic was applied. Copies of the CD were ordered by FRED Band students to help them rehearse for our concert in December.

Susan Heeter – Business

In honor of Paul Newman, actor, athlete and philanthropist, each Sports and Entertainment Management Marketing student prepared a profile of his life and accomplishments. Part of the project was the development of a racecar team, with driver and sponsors, and an actual model of their racecar. Our first annual Paul Newman Memorial Model Car Race will take place this week!
Students in CoOperative Education were treated to a presentation from a guest speaker, the manager of Applebee’s, Middletown, Rob Phillips. Mr. Phillips was able to give the students insight into the things an employer looks for when interviewing a prospective employee. Appearance, attitude, and asking questions about the position and company were some of the tips Mr. Phillips shared. He let us in on one of his secrets; he always asks the candidate, “What is the definition of integrity?” Answer: Doing the right thing when no one is looking.
Personal Finance students are learning about credit and the use of credit cards. Students are learning how important good credit is, and how to use it judiciously. After an analysis of needs vs. wants, students realized that a new pair of UGGS might not be so important after all!
Do you need to purchase something? Consumer Reports has nothing on our Marketing students. The class has been studying how to be a consumer advocate, to recognize deceptive marketing practices, and not to believe everything you read. Students analyzed popular magazine and television advertisements, searching for examples of “stretching the truth”. Can that weight loss pill really make you look like Heidi Klum?

Mike Braun – Technology

Scaled Aviation: Students successfully completed safety tests on both the band saw and drill press and were able to utilize them on their current projects to construct a model plane that can be used to reference the parts and controls on an aircraft. The planes were the individual students’ designs and were developed using the steps in the design loop.
Desktop Publishing: Students had the opportunity to redesign the Student IDs making different color schemes to distinguish between the grade levels. They also completed several tasks to promote a band and make different advertising merchandise.

Guidance Department—Tom Cusick, Coordinator

Gave presentations to Senior English classes on the College Essay.
Administered SAT on 10/4/08 & PSAT on 10/18/08.
Met with the Freshman Parents to discuss transition issues.
Presented at the PFA meeting on October 16^th on the College Search and the Application Process.
Met with Seniors to process the college applications.
Arranged for ASVAB administration.
Met with all Freshmen in small groups.
Arranged for extra help for struggling students through NHS tutorials.
Hosted 55colleges at a Mini Fair on October 21^st.
Administered HSPA to Seniors.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT—Mike Galos, Coordinator

The Ninth Grade Classes have been improving weekly in the Low Elements of the Challenge Adventure Program. While working on the elements in Tindall Park, the classes have shown an understanding of the importance of teamwork. They have learned that when everyone works together to accomplish a task and puts his or her personal feelings second, the entire group benefits. When presented with a problem, the classes have been able to come up with solutions and most times have been able to implement their plan successfully. All of the Ninth Grade students participate in the Challenge Adventure Program (CAP) in the fall and spring.
The High Elements of Challenge Adventure are located behind the Football Field. The Tenth Grade Classes participating in the High Elements have developed confidence in themselves and their classmates. This confidence is demonstrated by the increasing number of students attempting the tasks as the marking period progresses. They begin to trust the students who are their spotters, while at the same time being able to accomplish an event that they may have been fearful of early in the marking period.
It has been a busy month for the Twelfth Grade Students. On October 22nd Mr. Napoli and Mrs. McCall took a group of 70 Students to the South Street Seaport in NYC to view Bodies, the Exhibit. All of the students on the trip were well behaved and benefited greatly from the experience. On October 23rd a pair of nurses, Helene Rothman and Cathy DeFazio, volunteered their time to speak to the 12th Graders about Testicular Self-Examination for the Boys and Breast Self-Examination for the Girls. This presentation was beneficial in helping the students recognize the signs of these types of cancers. Also, some of the students who seem a little tired on Monday morning were probably those who took home a computerized, “Baby Think it Over” doll for the weekend. These babies are programmed to act up at certain times over the weekend; one time is usually in the middle of the night. Among the many responsibilities that the students accept is determining what makes the baby cry. It could be that the baby is hungry, needs to be burped, needs a diaper changed or just needs some hugs. Throughout the weekend the students are responsible for taking care of the baby as if it were a real child. For most of the students, this experience is a real deterrent to a teenage pregnancy and helps reinforce lessons about abstinence and pregnancy prevention.

Mathematics Department—Rich Piro, Coordinator

Karen Pastuzyn and Rich Decker recently attended the annual AMTNJ conference. Both said that it was an extremely worthwhile day and plan to share some of what they learned with the rest of the department.
Colleen Sisinni and Lisa Lombardi have been using the SmartBoard and integer chips to reinforce performing operations with integers.
Amy Koenigmark and Leslie Scott collaborated with Colleen Sissini and Lisa Lombardi on a joint activity called the “Penny Project”. The Integrated Algebra 1 and Integrated Algebra 2 classes collected data about pennies and generated bar graphs and line graphs.
John Kerrigan recently attended a diversity workshop at Kean University as part of his work with the Social Justice Committee. The committee hopes to take all the information from the conference and develop a social action plan for High School North. Mr. Kerrigan’s Algebra 1 classes recently completed two activities from the Discovering Algebra Series. “Let it Roll” (scatter plots from 2 variable data) and “Ship Canals” (discovery approach to direct variation). Mr. Kerrigan’s SAT prep class has been using the document camera to present how and why they eliminate answer choices on SAT questions.
In Mr. Piro’s Geometry Honors classes, his students used the College Board Spring Geometry series discovery activity called “Riddle Me This”. The two day activity focused on using inductive and deductive reasoning.
Dr. Giordano’s AP Calculus BC students collected data by measuring the temperature of water that had been boiled as it cooled off. The data was used to complete a project using Newton’s Law of Cooling. The AP Computer Science (Java) class has been very busy writing programs to create designs by manipulating looping code, calculating electric bills, simulating randomly rolled dice, and calculating the value of investments over time given various interest rates and amounts of deposit. All of Dr. Giordano’s AP classes have started working on sample AP problems to begin preparation for the AP tests in May. Dr. Giordano’s Algebra 2 Honors class collected data by timing “the wave” as performed by varying numbers of students in the class. They graphed their data and found a line of best fit. This activity was an example of direct variation.
On October 22, 2008 the first New Jersey Math League contest was administered in the cafeteria after school to more than 50 North Math students. The contest is open to all North students.
On October 27, 2008 North hosted the second Shore Math League contest of the year. Twenty-two schools competed in a 3 – part Math contest.
Colleen Sissini facilitated a workshop on SmartBoard Technology to middle school and high school teachers. The workshop was very well received.
Leslie Scott, Hank Young, Margot Giudice, Lisa Lombardi and Richard Piro “ran” for North and the North Mathematics Department in the 19^th annual Great Race of Middletown. Next year we hope to get even more of the Math Department involved.

Science Department—Heino Habeck, Coordinator

A pilot Biology curriculum is being implemented which is a significant departure from the status quo. Teachers from all levels of Biology are working together to facilitate the enormous amount of preparation necessary for the success of this process.
The results from all levels are very positive, and the process incorporated addresses the need and the success of student-centered investigation. The products of the many inquiries, i.e. posters, time lines, student presentations, are constantly being used to reinforce the material presented through the course.
The new Chemistry curriculum is in its first year of implementation stressing student inquiry. All levels are reporting improved student involvement.
All Science classes are incorporating student-centered inquiry whenever their current curricula allows. There is a paradigm shift in the department to enhance student learning by more “doing” and less listening and note taking.
Members of the Search Club gave a presentation at the October Board meeting outlining the dismal state of our recycling program in Middletown, the plans for improvement in recycling at HS North and that the club has raised over $1000.00 to help aid in the construction of a school in Senegal, West Africa. The club has also ordered some custodial carts for easier recycling and is currently collecting “single use” plastic buckets to make recycling containers for all classrooms
Future fund-raisers are being planned with the National Honor Society for the school. The club hopes to be able to raise the total $16,000 for the school in Senegal, West Africa by the Christmas break.
There is now a SEARCH web page that will include long with information pertinent to club members, information on “going green” with links to various sites. Other projects include replacing Styrofoam and not biodegradable cutlery in the cafeteria, the Inclusion of healthier choices on the student menu and the construction of a pond/nature center and green house in the North courtyards.

Social Studies Department—Ed Jones, Coordinator

Barack Obama won the North mock election. Frank Lautenberg won the Senate race. John Kennedy was the named the individual we would most want back as our president.
Rita Connor and Cheryl Laue have created student activities using the SmartBoard
Barbara Guenther’s classes took a class trip to NYC to see “A Tale of Two Cities.” She also had WNBC reporter Brian Thompson talk to her classes.
Doug Felegy, Dan Bucko and Cheryl Laue attended a two day workshop sponsored by the teaching American History Grant Committee.
Doug Felegy’s Economics classes are playing the Stock Market Game.
Ed Jones, Rita Connor and Kathy Orsetti attended a MTEA workshop on problem based learning.
Ellen Hill’s AP History classes visited Plymouth and Boston, Massachusetts.

Special Education Department—Dr. Sue Terplevich, Coordinator

Clare Isaksen, Amy Koenigsmark, Jen Basmagy, Connie Lopusznick and Sue Terplevich have attended APA workshops and have begun the initial collection of evidence for the students’ APA portfolios.

Brock Silvestri

This week Judy Fritsch and I had our Biology students doing hands on projects creating the steps of the cell cycle with arts and crafts. It was a great hands-on activity that got the students really involved with each other by explaining the phases of Mitosis. It was interesting to see the students’ creative sides on how they decided to create each model. We are also continuing to do our weekly basketball game on Fridays and giving out our Bio Bucks.

Julie Wood

Our first assignment was a decoration for the classroom. The students could bring in posters, drawings… anything that brings life to the room. This opportunity makes the students feel a connection with the room, and they really enjoyed this assignment.

Claire Scully

For Violence Awareness week I had data for Monmouth County Schools violence, vandalism, substance abuse, and weapons and had my students find the mean and draw bar graphs. I am using the document camera with my math classes.

Sue Terplevich

In Class Support Classes are using a Word Wall for vocabulary.
Manners Monday – discussed rules of behavior when faced with funerals, and death and dying. In the In Class Support Classes, it is related to the novel, The Great Gatsby and to the students’ own experiences. In the Resource Room Classes it is related to Fallen Angels and the students’ own experiences.
Differentiation – we have been using recorded books in both In Class Support Classes and in Resource Classes. In the Resource Classes, some students are reading a novel along with the recorded book and earphones, while the rest of the class works on another novel that has been read by the small group.

World Language Department—Lynn Zink, Coordinator

The World Language Department celebrated Violence Awareness Week with the Spanish classes creating posters against violence and with the Spanish level IV students discussing teen dating violence, the early warning signs, violence in relationships and how to avoid it, the effects of dating violence and safety planning for teens.
The Italian classes also discussed major topics on violence. The Level II classes discussed violence against nature and the protection of the environment and endangered species. The Level III classes discussed health issues related to violence and how to channel anger through exercise, and maintaining a healthy body and mind. The Level IV classes discussed the representation of violence in Film and Literature (post-war period of Italian Literature and film and murder mysteries.)
On the October 20^th professional day, the World Language Department learned about the use of TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) in their classrooms. The teachers were enthusiastic about this new method of language learning and are going to try it in their classes. This demonstration was excellent and presented by Diana Noonan, World Language Coordinator of the Denver Public Schools.
The Induction ceremony for the World Language Department took place on Thursday, October 30^th.