As a kid, there were so many little things that we were taught that stick with me to this day...March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, and April showers bring May flowers. As we enter May, I look forward to those May flowers, warm weather, feeling the sun on my shoulders, and celebrating our students at the many events we have coming in the final six weeks of school.

As we head into the final stretch, just a few reminders:

- Schools will be closed on Friday, May 26th, adding to the Memorial Day Weekend

- All schools will operate on an early dismissal schedule June 12th through June 16th. Please check your child's school website(s) for those schedules. During this time, students at the high school will be working through Final Exams.

- Richard Butler Middle School Promotion Ceremony will be on June 15th at 6pm

- Butler High School Graduation will be on June 16th at 6pm

As shared in my letter this week, I am asking for your assistance as we work to maintain the Memorial Field Complex, keeping it beautiful and a showpiece of our pride in being the Blue and the Gold. Please remind people who are not working to maintain this area to care for the facility so that it remains open for all to enjoy.

I hope that you all get to enjoy the upcoming month, excited for the summer months to meet us all!

Be Well!

Dr. J.

We are excited to share the 2023 Butler Summer Enrichment Camp information. This effort was created four years ago, and we have worked to expand on it each year. This year, we are excited to offer a Forensics Camp for grades 6-12. During this camp, students will work collaboratively to solve a mystery using different scientific concepts. Please see the flyer below. All interested individuals should complete the Google Form for sign ups. Sign ups will close on June 9, 2023 to allow us to prepare for all students in each camp.

The Butler School District honors and values all within our community and beyond who have served our great Nation. From Memorial Field to Mission Honor, we demonstrate this appreciation in many different ways. While Memorial Day has become synonymous with the Official start of Summer - I ask that we also remember the meaning behind the day. Originally started by General John A. Logan to pay tribute to the 620,000 Americans who lost their lives during the Civil War. May 30th was chosen to honor these individuals, where citizens were called to strew flowers on the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country. May 30th was chosen as flowers would be in bloom in all areas of America. The first Memorial Day ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery and American Flags were placed on each grave, a practice still followed by many today. In 1968, Congress established Memorial Day to be the last Monday in May. Parades celebrate members of our armed forces who have served and who have sacrificed all so that we can enjoy the freedoms afforded to us in this great Nation. As we approach the Memorial Day holiday, I want you each to enjoy the start of the summer season, but I ask that you take a moment to remember the meaning behind the holiday and thank those within our community who have served in our Armed Forces.

Each year, we take time to recognize all of the people who make the Butler School District the special place it is. This past week, we celebrated Principal Appreciation Day. We are fortunate to have a tremendous leadership team in Butler - administrators who truly care for our students, staff, and community.

Mr. Manco has been the principal at Aaron Decker Elementary School for the past five years. Under his leadership, the school has introduced mindful practices, interactive sensory walkways, social and emotional learning, gifted and talented programming, and so much more. He is seen every morning at arrival, welcoming the children to ADS. He leads with character and conviction - always going over and above for his school.

Mrs. Papa is completing her second year as principal of Richard Butler Middle School. Under her leadership, teaming was introduced at RBS, Character Strong was brought into the District, ELL services have been increased, GATEways has been solidified, intervention programming has been implemented, and so much more. As with Mr. Manco, Mrs. Papa is extremely visible for her staff and students. She is seen at arrival and dismissal, throughout the school during the day, in the cafe at lunch, and at many night activities. She is a true asset to our District.

Mr. Fitzgerald is completing his fourth year as principal at Butler High School. He has brought about so many wonderful additions to BHS, including, but not limited to: an enhanced school schedule with built in academic assistance, Bulldog Hour tutoring, increased electives and Advanced Placement coursework, a new Robotics program, and so much more. Mr. Fitzgerald works to be a presence at all events possible, and the students have come to expect to see him, whether its a bowling match, FAFSA planning night, concert, or awards night. He leads with heart and truly cares for our community!

We are fortunate to have such great leaders in place - please take the time to thank them if you see them for all of their efforts.

Each year, we also celebrate the tremendous staff who teach and care for the children of Butler. Teaching is a demanding vocation, and it takes a special person to devote their lives to the service of children. The staff in Butler has worked to ensure that our children not only meet their academic goals, but they also work to make sure that the students know that they are cared for and are a part of a community that embraces them. Often, our teachers go over and above for our students - working long into the evening and on weekends to make sure that they have prepared lessons and activities that engage our students. But...beyond that, these individuals take home the emotional aspects of the profession - they feel it when a student is sad, has their life impacted by a tragedy, need support, and so many other things. That is why we say teaching is a vocation not a profession - because being a teacher never stops; it is what you are at all times. There is no way to turn off what comes with the position. That is why it is important to celebrate these individuals who give of themselves in so many wonderful ways. I have said it prior, and I will continue to say it - Butler has some of the best teachers that I have had the pleasure of working with over my three decade long career. As we head into next week, please take some time to reach out and and thank those teachers who have worked so hard to impact your children in so many positive ways. A note of appreciation means so very much to these talented, selfless people! I know that I truly appreciate them each and every day!

ADS Spring Concert and Art Show

On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, ADS hosted their annual 3rd and 4th grade Spring Concert and schoolwide Art Show. As always, this was a successful event. The artwork was amazing and our 3rd and 4th grade students gave an awesome performance singing songs from different decades. Thank you to Mrs. Wisneski and Mrs. Casey for their time and dedication in making this program a success! Here are some photos from the evening:

Memorial Day Collection

Aaron Decker School will be hosting a Memorial Day collection for our local veterans throughout the month of May. In honor of Poppy Day, the American Legion has asked us to distribute poppies with a request that the family receiving the flower make a donation ($1) to support the future veterans, active duty military personnel, and their families with medical and financial needs. We will have a can set up in the main office and in the cafeteria for donations. A poppy will be given when a donation is made.

All proceeds will go to the American Legion. The donation cans and poppies will be here until Thursday, May 25, 2023.

The Poppy Story

Kindergarten Registration

Please click on link for more information on Kindergarten Registration for the 2023-2024 school year; Kindergarten Registration/Welcome letter

ADS Bulldog of the Month Award

We would like to congratulate Ms. Kailey Fitzpatrick as our recipient of the May ADS Bulldog of the Month Award. Ms. Fitzpatrick continually motivates and encourages her third grade students academically, socially , and emotionally each and every day. She is a team player and valuable member of the Aaron Decker School teaching staff. Thank you for everything that you do!

Fourth Grade Picnic Information

The fourth grade picnic is right around the corner. Please click on the links below for more information.

4th Grade Picnic Permission Form

4th Grade Picnic Waiver

NJSLA Testing

The New Jersey Student Learning Assessments for English Language Arts (NJSLA-ELA) and Mathematics (NJSLA-M) measure the extent to which students are, or on track to being, college or career ready in each of the respective areas. Additionally, assessments are designed to provide critical instructional data to educators.

Aaron Decker School will be administering the NJSLA ELA and Math assessments to students in Grade 3 from May 1-5 and students in Grade 4 from May 8-12.

May is such a wonderful time here at RBS as the weather keeps improving and students and staff are getting ready for some fun end of the year activities. Our PE & Health Department has planned an outstanding Field Day for our students for the beginning of June, so we are excited to see how the competition goes. Thank you to Mr. Duchensky, Ms. Murphy, all the staff, and our custodians for all the help in preparing for this fun tradition! We’d like to thank the PTA for sponsoring fun afternoons for students in grades 5-7 and for all they are doing to support our outgoing 8th graders. We’d also like to thank the PTA for the spectacular Dialed Action Sports program that visited last month. Students were able to see some amazing tricks while hearing about making positive decisions and healthy choices. Once again, RBS will participate in the districtwide Unified Choose to Include Week. Students and staff will demonstrate inclusivity by dressing for theme days, signing an inclusion pledge, and sharing quotes during morning announcements. Be sure to come out on Tuesday, May 3 to support all of our entrepreneurs as they present their wares at TREP$. We’re excited to see everything our students will have for sale! The RBS Spring Music Concert is Tuesday, May 9, so please join us to enjoy their performances. They always impress! Also, students and staff will be participating in the Morris County Cleanup on May 10 in order to secure a grant to promote recycling in our school!

It’s field trip season at RBS! We are proud to announce that all four grades will be attending at least one trip as a class. We are especially excited for our upcoming 8th grade activities. They include trips to Medieval Times, Camp Mason, the dinner dance, and Stonybrook fun afternoon. A letter with details about promotion and other information will be sent via Blackboard to all 8th grade parents and students soon.

We’re also proud to share a GATEWays update prepared by Teacher of Gifted & Talented, Ms. Elisabeth Krauze:

• Fifth graders are now working on their last unit, a STEAM unit. The final project is making a roller coaster for our Ozobots (little programmable robots). Throughout the unit students will be learning about coding, engineering, angles, the design process, and more.

• Sixth grade students are now working on their last unit to create a 3D printed rubber band powered car. They will build on their computer aided design skills using the program TinkerCAD and use the design process to troubleshoot and improve the design.

• Seventh and eighth grade students are preparing to debate against each other with the following resolution: Be it resolved that the number of hours of instructional time in NJ schools should be increased. The top two teams will compete in the Morris County Area Debate this month.

An eighth grade group will be competing in the National History Day State Competition at William Paterson University on May 6th. Their project is titled "Report of the Transport: The Kindertransport and How it Pioneered Future Refugee Systems."

Thank you to Ms. Krauze for all of the time and dedication she puts into educating our students!

As always, please check out the RBS Review Newsletter for up to date information on all the happenings at Richard Butler Middle School, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or reach out anytime at mpapa@butlerboe.org. We wish you all the best during these final weeks of school!

Please join us in congratulating Ms. Heather Tasker on being named Bulldog of the Month at RBS for the month of April! Ms. Tasker has worked at both BHS and RBS, and she is instrumental in instilling a love of reading in our students. Ms. Tasker is a beloved member of the RBS community, so we are proud to bestow her with this honor!

As we move into the final two months of the year, it's important to recognize there are several important academic and extracurricular events that are just around the corner. May and June feature many standardized tests for our students to take and at the same time, many exciting events to attend such as concerts, NHS ceremony, BHS Prom and, of course, Graduation! Please speak with your child about the importance of finishing the year strong regardless of what grade they are in, focus on the upcoming testing and enjoying themselves at these milestone events! Here are some highlights at BHS and some important information to make note of down the stretch:

• 12th grade-Tyrus Friscoe
• 11th grade-Delaney Diaz
• 10th grade-Sean Bauer
• 9th grade-Kacie Paduch

Thank you to the Drug Enforcement Administration for coming to speak to our students on April 18th and April 19th. Their program “One Pill Can Kill” discussed the dangers of fentanyl and opioid misuse.

Congratulations to April’s Athletes of the Month Cassidy Boasso and Andrew Fierro

April 6 Letter

BHS 2023 AP, NJSLA and Final Exam Testing Letter

May 1 Letter

BHS NJSLA Parent Letter 2023 Follow up

On Monday, May 1, BHS seniors and staff celebrated commitment day with bagels and photos in the cafeteria.

• May 6- SAT @ BHS at 7:30AM

• May 8 - AP Calculus/AP Computer Principles

• May 9 - AP Language and Comp

• May 9 - BOE Committee Meetings

• May 9 - Grade 5 Field Trip

• May 9 - RBS Spring Music Concert

• May 10 - AP Biology

• May 10 - Middle School Leadership Dinner

• May 11 - BOE Meetings - Personnel

• May 11 - ADS PTA Plant Sale

• May 12 - RBS PTA Plant Sale

• May 12 - 5th & 6th PTA fun afternoon

• May 12 - AP Music Theory

• May 16 - RBS GATEWays Showcase

• May 16 - BHS Spring Concert 7 p.m.

• May 17 - RBS Grade 6 Trip - Sussex County Miners

• May 17 - Teen Arts
  

• May 18 - RBS Grade 8 Trip - Medieval Times

• May 19 - RBS Field Day

• May 22- SEPAG

• May 24 - NJHS Induction @ RBS

• May 25 - RBS Grade 8 Trip - Camp Mason

• May 25 - BHS Student Council Executive Council elections (ext. HR)

• May 26 - No School - emergency closing day give back

• May 29 - Memorial Day No School