Monday, May 20, 2013
The library milestone will have a year-long celebration starting with a June 8 'Student Starlit Showcase.'
The Kinnelon Public Library kicks off a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary as it partners with the Kinnelon Public School District to present a “Student Starlit Showcase.” This event will be held at the library Saturday, June 8, from 5-7 p.m. Students in grades 3 through 8 and their parents are invited to browse hundreds of informational books and other texts students wrote this spring. Some students will give brief presentations about their topic, their book or the writing process. High school students will lead presentations about new and popular apps and other engaging information technology. The evening will feature DJ music provided by Al Louis Music, light refreshments, a coffee bar and raffle prizes. Patrons without …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Diane DiGiuseppe 'a superb choice,' says former BOE president.
The Kinnelon Public Schools Board of Education voted 4-2 to drop the "interim" from Diane DiGiuseppe's superintendent title Thursday night. "It's very exciting," DiGiuseppe said of her new appointment. DiGiuseppe took over as the interim superintendent after James Opiekun retired from the role after 10 years in May 2012. Since June 1, 2012, she has been on what former Board of Education President Margaret Zybrick called "a year-long job interview," during which she dealt with hurricanes, snow storms and a national focus on school security following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December. "There was a huge outpouring of support from the teachers and administration," DiGiuseppe said. "There was a huge group of people there for…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Interim Superintendent Diane DiGiuseppe discusses the reasons behind the trend.
Kinnelon Public Schools Interim Superintendent Diane DiGiuseppe said district-wide incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) have gone down sharply this year compared to last year. State laws moderating HIB incidents and dictating appropriate follow-up and treatment from school administrations went into effect in time for the 2011-12 school year following the suicide of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi in September 2010. "There were a lot of confusions" during the law's first year, DiGiuseppe said. "I think across the board the state's provided additional training [this year to teach] what i the difference between normal student conflict and actual HIB incidents." Throughout all Kinnelon schools there were 96 investigations …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Other positions are available at certain schools within the district.
Kinnelon Public Schools have three district-wide positions open, with other positions at Kinnelon High School and Pearl R. Miller School. One open position is the director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, a full-time administrative position. According to the school district website, the ideal candidate for the role will have the following qualities: The position requires personnel management and coordination of district tests and state reporting. Grant writing may also be required. The ideal candidate, according to the website, will have five years of experience teaching in a classroom and other administrative and supervisor experience. Certification as a principal or school administrator is required. The deadline to apply for …
Friday, April 12, 2013
Kinnelon, Butler superintendents disagree with choices of comparative 'peer' schools in newly released New Jersey Department of Education data.
In response to new data reports released by the state Department of Education this week, superintendents from the Kinnelon and Butler school districts said they found discrepancies in the data. Kinnelon Public Schools Interim Superintendent Diane DiGiuseppe said at a board of education meeting Thursday night the report for her district was "loaded with errors." She noted the change of format, the main difference being that school districts are compared to "peer" districts and schools instead of those in their District Factor Group (DFG), from previous school report cards now included in the NJ School Performance Report. In the new report (this week's released data was based on the 2011-12 school year), a "peer" district or school is …
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Volunteer thanks Kinnelon school, and others, for donating to those in need.
Kiel School was thanked for a generous donation of books to Superstorm Sandy-ravaged Union Beach in a letter to the editor in the Atlantic Highlands Herald. Jacqui Hillmann wrote about her gratitude for various donations from across the state which were distributed to 80 families in the Bay Shore area. Among the donations were about 500 books that were donated by Scholastic to Kiel and then donated by the school to help students in South Jersey.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Kinnelon BOE adopts 2013-14 school budget.
Under the 2013-14 school budget unanimously adopted by the Kinnelon Public Schools Board of Education Thursday night, the average Kinnelon home will see taxes increase by about $180 over last year's school tax bill. The 2013-14 school budget calls for $36,702,727 in total expenditures, an increase of about .7 percent over last year's $36,458,077 budget. The amount to be levied in taxes will increase by 2.2 percent, however, the district received a waiver from the state allowing the district budget to come in over the state-mandated 2 percent increase cap. The increase figure of $180 is based on the average assessed Kinnelon home at $390,000 and, as Interim Superintendent of Schools Diane DiGiuseppe explained, Kinnelon's total assessed …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Kinnelon among 15 school communities designated.
The Kinnelon Public Schools district has been recognized among the best communities for music education by the NAMM Foundation. The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. Other nearby districts honored by the distinction are Pequannock and Parsippany-Troy Hills. NAMM has given this designation to 307 school communities in the nation. Kinnelon is among the 15 school communities in New Jersey to receive this designation. Other school districts include New Brunswick, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Nutley, Vernon Township, Union …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Middle school students will perform Disney classic on high school stage March 15.
The Pearl R. Miller Players have been practicing to perform the Disney classic "The Little Mermaid" on the Kinnelon High School stage on March 15. Performances will be held at 7 p.m. and again on March 16 at 2 p.m. "The 60-minute musical, designed by middle-school aged performers, is based on the 2008 Broadway production and the 1989 animated feature film," according to a press release about the production. About 80 students will be performing in the play, led by faculty members Annie Raczko and Jennifer Gililand. The students will be singing all of the songs from the film, as well as three new songs from the Broadway show. "The Little Mermaid" is a story about a mermaid princess and her magical world under the sea and what happen when she…
Monday, March 4, 2013
Kinnelon school singing group praised by governor.
The kids who perform in the Stonybrook School Chorus not only make their parents proud-they make their governor proud. Gov. Chris Christie wrote a letter to the chorus last month congratulating them on being invited to perform at Radio City Music Hall. "Learning of the academic and extracurricular achievments of our state's students makes me proud to be a New Jerseyan," Christie said. "This prestigious accomplishment is a testament to your outstanding musical talent as well as your commitment to the arts."
Corky
7:11 am on Saturday, May 4, 2013
If you want to think that the stats from two magazines should determine the strength or quality of a school than you need to read the fine print. These magazines define and re-define the criteria each year, It is not a standard set of criteria that is the same year over year. more ›