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GOODNEWSThe Ewing Public SchoolsJune 2005
Due to budget restraintsNO Summer School Programs
will be offered by the Ewing Public Schools
during the Summer of 2005.
Safety TownJune 30 - July 11
Contact: Jean Conrad609-538-9800 x1302
for application
On April 18, 2005 Ms. Chiavuzzo, Mrs. Walker and 30 Ewing High
School freshmen joined several Mercer County high school and
college students, and politicians to hear a presentation given by
Mikhail Gorbachev at the Sovereign Bank Arena. Gorbachev was the
last communist leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. During
his term he instituted various policies including his political
policy of Glasnost and economic policy
Ewing High Students Attend Gorbachev PresentationWhitney Lewis,
EHS Freshman
Have a Happy Summer!!GoodNews will resume
with the September issue of the Observer
The recipients of the 2005 Teacher of the Year Awards were
honored at a luncheon on April 29th. Jan Fay, 2004 Mercer County
Teacher of the Year, was a guest speaker. 1st row (L to R): Joan
Zuckerman, Principal Antheil; Sharon Solomon, Lore; Jan Fay, 2004
Mercer County Teacher of the Year; Inetta Emery, Principal Parkway;
Danielle Miller, EHS; Superintendent Ray Broach. 2nd row: Darrell
Jackson, Principal FMS; Donna Andreas, Antheil; Don Barnett, FMS;
Betsy Turgeon, Parkway; Rodney Logan, Principal EHS.
Nearly sixty years since Allied forces liberated the Nazi
concentration camps, the now elderly survivors of the Holocaust are
turning to a new generation to preserve their testimony about their
wartime experiences for future generations. Holocaust survivors are
steadily dwindling in number. Many have made it their mission to
educate the world that anti-Semitism and racism easily lead to
murder, and to speak about the horrors they and their families
suffered. With the passing of time, it has become urgent to find a
new generation to continue the survivors’ mission and tell their
stories after the survivors can no longer do so. On April 12, the
Adopt-a-Survivor (AAS) program was introduced to the Trenton area
at Ewing High School. Six Holocaust survivors were adopted by
twelve Ewing High sophomores. The adopted survivors—Moshe Gimlan,
Vera Goodkin, Marion Lewin, Ruth Lubitz, Charles Rojer and Jack
Zaifman—were originally from Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland and
Belgium. The AAS program pairs a survivor with one or more
students. The students embark on a joint journey with the survivor
through discussions about life before, during and after the
Holocaust. Participating students will be able to represent the
survivor and tell the survivor’s story with accuracy and feeling in
the years to come. In addition, each student makes a commitment to
tell the survivor’s story in a public venue in the year 2045, a
hundred years after the liberation of Auschwitz. The twelve student
adopters are Dave Angebranndt, Tyler Barnes, Annie Cook, Liz
Dunham, Emily Everett, Curtis Fornarotto, Vildana Hajric, Devon
Jones, Jen Meade, Billy O’Callaghan, Nikyta Sharma and Melysa
Wilson.
Adopt-a-Survivor Program Begins at Ewing High School
Teacher of the Year Recipients are Honored
of Perestroika. His policies reopened churches, released
political prisoners, and lifted bans on previously censored books.
The 20th anniversary of Perestroika was one of the essential themes
of Gorbachev’s presentation. The policy’s main goal was to make the
Soviet economic system more efficient. Perestroika involved the
transfer of control from the government to the business owners.
This policy
continued on page A2continued on page A2
The Ewing Public SchoolsNovember 2012
When The Ewing Public Schools opened up its doors for the
2012-13 school year, it welcomed 36 new teaching staff members to
the district.
This was in stark contrast to a few years prior when only a
half-dozen new employees came on board in 2010. The number of new
hires certainly created a busy summer for administrators
through-out the district.
“Probably the most important thing we do is make sure that we
have quality, passionate people working with our students,”
Superintendent Mike Nitti stated. “So our Educational Leadership
Team spends a great deal of time interviewing and vetting
prospective candidates in a competitive environment.”
The search for strong educators is a comprehen-sive one, and the
district has many targeted skills and attributes that it looks for
in a potential new hire, but Superintendent Nitti shared that there
of-ten are certain things that distinguish one candidate from
another.
“We look for people who have a legacy of success and
achievements in their background,” Nitti stated. “Nobody does great
things by accident; it takes hard work, dedication and
perseverance. These are the same traits that characterize an
excellent educator.”
In this vein, the new hire ‘Class of 2012’ has many accomplished
academicians, scholars and artists in their ranks but, a bit more
surprising, a high number of highly skilled and very successful
athletes.
According to Su-perintendent Nitti, perhaps it shouldn’t be
considered a sur-prise. “Many of the traits that you need to be a
top level athlete translate well to teaching,” he stated, “and
quite often these athletes want to give back to young people, just
as they were positively in-fluenced by teach-ers and coaches in
their past.”
New Parkway School Psychologist, Debra Vento, had a decorated
career as a high jumper at Duke University where she was Atlantic
Coast Conference Champion and placed third in the NCAA
championships. According to Ms. Vento, her experiences as an
athlete carry over every day to her duties as an educator. “Being a
college student-athlete, you have to develop strong time-management
and organizational skills,” she stated. “That has really helped me
handle the demands of my position.”
New EHS Social Studies teacher, Martine McGrath, and Lore
special education teacher, Amanda Pone, excelled as distance
runners in track and cross country as college student-athletes. Ms.
Pone was a standout at Lebanon Valley College and Ms. McGrath
earned Di-vision 3 Academic
All-American Honors here in Ewing at The College of New
Jersey.
Legacy of achievement for new hires“The stamina and mental
toughness you develop
as a runner can certainly help you as a teacher,” Ms. Pone
stated with a smile. “As an athlete, you recognize that sometimes
things won’t go as planned, and you have to adapt and overcome
chal-lenges.” “That certainly translates well to teach-ing,” Ms.
McGrath added.
Joining Pone and McGrath in track and field exploits is new EHS
special education teacher, Ok-sana Cheeseman, who was an elite
level shot putter, representing Russia in numerous international
com-petitions and winning a bronze medal at the Euro-pean
Championships. Lore Social Worker, Casey Dashnow, EHS Business
teacher, Jeff Snyder, and
Health and PE teacher, Devon Marx, excelled in other arenas,
with Ms. Dashnow participating in volleyball at Stockton College,
Mr. Snyder playing baseball at the highest levels and Ms. Marx
playing center midfielder for the successful women’s soccer program
at Rowan University. “Both sports and education are about a variety
of different people coming together and collaborating to achieve a
common goal,” Ms. Marx commented.
“I really do believe that often excellent athletes make
outstanding educators,” Mr. Nitti concluded. “They are motivated,
determined team players. We are happy to have them and all our new
staff members and wish them success as they begin their careers in
The Ewing Public Schools.”
Amanda Pone
Oksana Cheeseman
Devon MarxDebra Vento
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The Ewing Public Schools
On October 6th, EHS Assistant Principal, Scott Sheplock,
conducted a tour of the high school facilities for the EHS Class of
1962 as part of their 50th reunion festivities.
Ewing High School would like to extend its congratulations to
James Evans, Nour Srouji, Blake Lawson and Jonathan Heutmaker for
being named Commended Students in the 2013 National Merit
Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the National
Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program,
was presented to these scholastically-talented seniors.
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being
recognized for their exceptional aca-demic promise. Commended
Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million
students who entered the 2013 competition by taking the 2011
Prelimi-nary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Antheil’s Fall Book FairOn September 19th, Antheil Elementary
School
kicked off their annual Fall Book Fair. The Book Fair at Antheil
is a great way to begin Antheil’s new initia-tive ‘Reading Across
the Olympics’, where students are recognized each month at a
reading rally for doing the right thing: reading, reading,
reading!
At Antheil, reading is a priority so the Book Fair is a
highlight each year. The theme this year is ‘Every Reader Is a
Star’ and the students were excited to have a week dedicated to
reading. Throughout the week, the students had the opportunity to
work with teachers and parent volunteers, choosing books that are
both interesting and on their reading level.
To encourage reading, Mrs. Whitner and Mrs. Con-way handed out
‘Caught Reading’ tickets to students who were caught reading
independently. These tickets were used to win prizes at the Book
Fair. The admin-istrators also tapped into their creativity and
painted book-themed pumpkins which the students had the opportunity
to win!
TD Bank Visits LoreTD Bank representative, Natalie Spatafora,
recently
visited Lore School’s third graders to read the book How Much Is
That Guinea Pig in the Window? Ms. Spatafora facilitated a
discussion about saving for short and long term goals. In addition
to donating three books to the third grade library, Ms. Spatafora
left the students with several parting gifts. The students were
most ex-cited by coupons to receive $10 if they open their own
savings accounts at TD Bank. The lesson learned was that it is
never too soon to start saving!
Fisher’s Outdoor Learning CenterThe O.L.C. [Outdoor
Learning Center] provides the opportunity for students to
experience authentic sci-ence investigations at their own pace,
with available assistance from high school students, college
students, teachers, experts in the field and scientists.
Students are encouraged to think about, research, explore and
problem solve some of the pressing issues facing their community
(i.e., energy usage and conserva-tion, food security, recycling and
waste reduction) as well as explore the concepts that tie together
the S.T.E.M. top-ics (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics). They are also encouraged to share information and
results acquired from their investigations with the community
through workshops, shows and displays.
Students of all grade levels are invited to participate and to
get involved. There is plenty of science out there for everyone to
investigate. Follow us at www.OLCFMS.org.
Commended Students in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship
Program
The Ewing Public Schools participated in the annual Ewing
Township Community Fest at TCNJ on October 6th.
Visit our website homepage for additional photos.
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“Providing A Foundation For Life”Parkway Students
Pay It Forward!The 5th grade ACE program at Parkway Elemen-
tary School has kicked off their 2012-2013 ‘Pay It Forward’
program with an installation of Alex’s Lemonade Stand during the
September 18th Back To School Night.
After seeing a lemonade stand in their neighbor-hood and finding
out that the proceeds were donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand
Foundation for Child-hood Cancer, Nathalia Davila and Isabel Van
Wagner decided to partner and create one for their ‘Pay It Forward’
project.
With information from the website, the students set out to
solicit donations in order to keep down costs. With a $25 gift card
donation from Shop Rite and a cookie donation from Cairo Cakes,
they were on their way.
At BTSN, Isabel and Nathalia addressed the general assembly at
the PTA meeting and made announce-ments in between the parent
information sessions. The students raised over $300. We are very
proud of these young ladies and their community spirit.
Are You Ready? At Parkway School, the Answer Is “YES”!
On Friday, September 28th, Parkway School held the first of
three pep rallies for the school year. Students and staff dressed
in spirit wear and school colors and filled the gym to celebrate
the beginning of a new school year. The event was rounded out with
our traditional parade where students sang the school song while
marching.
Brian Falkowski, the School Business Adminis-trator/Board
Secretary for The Ewing Public Schools, recently earned his
doc-toral degree.
Dr. Falkowski has a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics Education
from The College of New
Jersey, a Masters in Educational Administration from Kean
University, and now a Doctorate of Education from Nova Southeastern
University. He also is a certified electrical contractor and a
qualified purchasing agent.
In his role with the district, Dr. Falkowski serves as the chief
financial officer, overseeing the district facilities, Food Service
and Transportation Departments, and working with the Board and
Superintendent on governance issues.
School Business Administrator Earns Doctorate
l College courses at MCCC, Rider, TCNJ l
l Senior Experience l
l Robotics Program l
l Orchestra l
l Instrumental/Concert/Marching Band l
l Comprehensive and Inclusive Varsity Sports l
l Clubs and Activities l
l Fitness Center l
l Drama and Theater l
l 5 Advanced Placement Courses 28 Honors Classes l
l First Class Athletic Facilities l
l Innovative Science/Technology Offerings l
Ewing High SchoolOpportunities for Everyone!
Ewing High School Open HouseThursday, November 15th l 6:30pm
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?Superintendent’s Office609-538-9800 ext. 1102E-mail:
[email protected]: www.ewing.k12.nj.usFor Questions
or Information,
Please contact:
GoodNews is an official publication of The Ewing Public
Schools
©2012 GoodNews
Design and Layout by Daniella Crescente
The Ewing Public SchoolsNovember 2012 Schedule in Ewing
SchoolsNov 1 Family Math Night Gr 4 & 5 @ PES - 6:30-8:30pm Nov
3 SAT @ EHSNov 6 Schools Closed - Staff DevelopmentNov 7 TEMPO Ex
Bd @ 7:30pmNov 8-9 Schools Closed - NJEANov 12 Parkway - 5th Grade
Parent Mtg @ 6:30pmNov 13 Antheil - PTO @ 6:45pmNov 14 TEMPO Gen
Meeting @ 7:30pmNov 15 EHS - Open House @ 6:30pm FMS - FPA Mtg @
6:30pmNov 15-20 LPA - Book FairNov 15-21 FMS - Book FairNov 19-21
Parkway - Book FairNov 19 Single Session K-8 Only - Conferences FMS
Evening ConferencesNov 20 Single Session K-8 Only - Conferences
Elem Evening ConferencesNov 21 Single Session K-12 - NO PM EDPNov
22-23 Schools Closed - ThanksgivingNov 26 BOE Meeting @ PES -
8pmNov 27 Parkway - Picture MakeupsNov 28 Lore - Picture
Makeups
Please visit our website daily for up-to-the minute
information.
Board of Education Mrs. Karen A. McKeon, Dr. Ruth Palmer,
President Vice President Mr. Carl Benedetti, Jr. Ms. Maria
Benedetti Mr. Kenneth J. Bradley Mr. Kevin J. Ewell Mr. Anthony D.
Mack Mrs. Stephanie Staub
Mr. Bruce J. White
ewing twp recreation infoPlease check the Virtual Backpack link
under our website homepage headlines for important information
pertaining to Ewing Rec opportunities and events. Details and
registration forms are posted on the Virtual Backpack/Community
Information page of the website.
Emergency School ClosingsAn Instant Alert will be sent out and a
message will be posted on the district
phone system (609-538-9800), the district homepage, Comcast
Channel 19 and Verizon Channel 31.
Should there be a delayed opening, all students are to report to
school 1 hour and 30 minutes later than normal. Do not drop your
child off at school at the usual time as there may not be
sufficient staff for supervision.
Delayed Opening Hours: Early Dismissal Hours:Ewing High 9:15am
Ewing High 12:15pmFisher Middle 9:55am Fisher Middle
12:55pmElementary 10:30am Elementary 1:40pm
Superintendent Letter Regarding FundraisingDear Ewing School
Community,
We are very appreciative of the efforts of any group or
organization that works to support our students. We know that
fundraising endeavors on the part of parent and community groups
enable our students to enjoy some opportuni-ties that they may
otherwise be unable to experience.
However, please understand that the administrative team of The
Ewing Public Schools does not want to see events involving alcohol
connected to our students.
First and foremost, the Board has a policy prohibiting the
consumption of alcohol at school-sanctioned events. Furthermore, as
an organization that is dedicated to serving children and
acknowledging the societal problems of youth drinking and binge
alcohol consumption, we do not want there to be any direct
connection or undesirable entanglement between our schools and the
use of alcohol. Finally, the Board and administration always has to
be concerned about potential liability consequences emerging from
any event taking place on behalf of our students.
That being stated, some of these events and fundraisers designed
to benefit our students and programs are taking place off school
grounds without the express approval, or even knowledge, of the
administration and Board of Education. As a result, please consider
this correspondence official notification to all involved parties
that The Ewing Public Schools formally requests that there be no
connection between alcohol and any event organized to support our
students or programs.
If the administration becomes aware of such an event, we will
request that any connection to alcohol be removed. The
administration may also request the inclusion of a disclaimer on
any form or ticket stating that this event is not sanctioned or
endorsed by the Board of Education.
In closing, a note of sincere appreciation to any individual or
group that works on behalf of our students, and our thanks for
respecting and understand-ing our position.
If you have any questions, please contact my office.Michael
Nitti, Superintendent of Schools