Roseann Humphrey - Superintendent/Principal

August 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians:

It is with a great deal of pleasure and pride that Iwelcome you back to the start of an exciting new school year. Student homeroomassignments are enclosed with this letter as well as bus passes for those whoare riding the bus this year.

The staff of Rockaway Valley School has been hard at workgetting ready for a smooth opening. The maintenance crew prepared our facility by painting, cleaning andmaking repairs.  We've spruced upthe grounds, renovated the pre-school handicapped classroom, and installed anew RVS sign donated by the Class of 2009.

There have been some staffingchanges:

s Dueto a drop in enrollment, we now have two kindergarten classes. As a result, Ms.Kirsten Allen is now teaching first grade and Ms. Lauren Savage is teachingthird grade.  

s We also have a new full-time school counselor/socialworker, Cira Giarratano. Ms. Giarratano received a BA in Psychology from Mount Saint Mary’s College and her Master’s in Social Work from Rutgers. Shepreviously served as a member of the Child Study Team and as a School Counselorin several Rockaway Township Schools. 

As always, we assessed oureducational programs and made some revisions to enhance our curriculum:

s Weare implementing a comprehensive program of in-class support. This means thatin many instances our special education teachers and aides will be assistingstudents in class rather than pulling students out of class. This will benefitthe students, as no special education or at risk students will be identifiedwhen services are delivered and they will not miss classroom instruction. Inaddition, all students will benefit from having two instructors in theclassroom for more individualized assistance. You will learn more about thisprogram at our Back to School nights. 

s Wecontinue to enhance our research program by revising our controlled researchprojects for 5^th and 6^th grades. Students in fifth grade have benefited from learning the proper procedures to conduct academic researchand this program has been expanded to include sixth grade, using a moreindependent model. New topics have been selected and students will be able tocollaborate with class partners online.

s FirstClass is a safe online communication and collaboration tool that teachers andmiddle school students will be using this year. This program gives all teachersgreater flexibility in developing web pages and allows our middle schoolteachers to create collaborative online learning communities that enhancecommunication and partnerships with our students, parents, teachers, andadministrators. Students will have the ability to submit homework and projectsonline. They will also be able to share documents and work on group projects ina safe and managed online environment. You will have the opportunity to learn more about First Class and see a demonstration at the Upper Grade Back to School Night.

s Althoughthe library program was reduced due to budgetcuts, students still used it as a valuable resource. K-4 teachers will continueto bring their classes once a week to the library to select books and studentsin grades five through eight will get books individually or go to the libraryas a class on an as-needed basis. Our book collection has been vastly improved,reorganized, and made more “user friendly.”  A major gift in memory of former student Tyler Handersonenabled us to expand selections in science fiction, technology and adventure genres.

s Throughoutthe year our teachers will receive professional development for in-classsupport, First Class, technology infusion, “Handwriting without Tears”,harassment and bullying prevention, and the recently adopted federal standardsin math and language arts. These initiatives and curricular modifications willenhance our educational programs to benefit our students.

 Due tothe loss of courtesy busing, student dismissal procedures have changed(morning drop-off procedures remain the same). Our only concern is for student safety, so you must adhere to these newdismissal procedures to safeguard our children:

 · Cars will enter the campus via the Valley Roadentrance only after 2:25 PM. TheGlenbourne entrance will be blocked.

 · Parents may no longer park and exit their cars topick up students; parents will remain in their cars behind the buses.

 · Students utilizing school transportation will bedismissed first to board buses.

 · After the buses leave at 2:30 PM, remainingstudents will be dismissed to parents onlyin the front of the school.  Faculty bus monitors will ensure thesafe release of students to waiting vehicles.  Students in all grades will exit the building via the doorsthat face “the circle.”

 Much thought and planning has gone into developing theseprocedures, but we will continually evaluate them for safety andeffectiveness.  Please note thatstudents utilizing district transportation will be required to carry their buspasses at all times and may be asked to produce them if a driver is unfamiliarwith the child.  Bus riders arealso reminded that they are to be at their stop 10 minutes before the statedpick-up time.

 In regard to our website, the categories have beenstreamlined and our teachers’ web pages have a new look. Among other importantinformation, you will find a list of required supplies on the teachers’ webpages. The “virtual backpack” will continue to be utilized as a successful wayto link parents to all of the handouts and flyers formerly distributed bybackpack mail. You must type in “rvs” and “falcon” to access the link. If you havenot taken the honor roll survey on our main webpage, please do so. Many parentshave expressed both positive and negative views about the honor roll and thisis our way of getting input from all parents.

 Please remember that a change in New Jersey State law acouple of years ago required schools to adopt a nutrition policy thateliminates serving or distributing foods with minimal nutritional value.  As a result of this legislation, duringthe school day, students are no longer able to distribute foods (includingbirthday treats) that have sugar as the main ingredient. The policy addressingnutrition at our school is included in your parent handbook; you may also readit in the Policy area on the school website.  Frequently asked questions regarding the New Jersey SchoolNutrition Policy may be found on our website. 

 Our new programs and initiatives will be discussed at ourtwo Back-to-School Nights:  GradesPreK-4 on September 15 and Grade 5-8 on September 16.  Both sessions start at 7 PM in the Upper Gym.

 All of us at Rockaway Valley School are committed toproviding effective programs that enable our children to be successful, bothacademically and emotionally. Our new programs and practices have beendeveloped to ensure that our students have the best opportunities to succeed.The Rockaway Valley staff and I welcome you to share our enthusiasm andcommitment to a successful school year. With your help and support, we know we will achieve our goals.

 Very truly yours,

 Roseann Humphrey