Montvale Public Schools

Dear Montvale Families,

August Greetings from the Montvale Schools!! I hope your summer is going well. With less than two weeks before school starts, we are making final preparations for the 2023-24 school year. I want to thank our administrative team, teachers, support staff, teaching assistants and technology team for their work over the summer. I want to especially thank our custodial team, our custodial manager (Amir Ellili) and our facilities manager (Brian Marshall) for all of their efforts to get our buildings ready for the first day of school. This summer was particularly challenging because of the HVAC work happening at Memorial. And, I want to thank you, parents/guardians, for the time you spent this summer with your children. I encourage you to get involved this school year with our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and the Montvale Educational Foundation (MEF). Your ongoing support is critical to our ability to help the children in our schools become the best version of themselves.

Below are a few quick updates on our schools. Enjoy the rest of August and we look forward to seeing our students on the first day of school - Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Sincerely,

Darren Petersen

Superintendent of Schools

Goal #1: Student Wellness: To promote the mental health and well-being of all students by continuing to support a comprehensive and integrated approach that addresses prevention, early intervention, and support services.

Goal #2: Teaching and Learning: To effectively implement a new math program K-8 (Big Ideas Math) and provide professional development in math and ELA to address areas for growth.

Goal #3: School Facilities: To continue work on upgrading/modernizing school buildings/facilities to 1) improve school safety, 2) to increase energy efficiency and 3) to support effective and innovative learning environments.

Memorial Elementary School

HVAC System: Over the summer, the entire HVAC system at Memorial is being replaced. You might have noticed the cranes and trucks at Memorial in June and July.

Fire Alarm Systems: Last school year, significant work took place at Memorial to replace our fire alarm systems. Work is anticipated to be completed this school year. Once the new system is finalized and working, the old system will be removed.

Classroom Doors and Locksets: Work will begin in the fall to replace classroom doors and locksets. The new system will enable our classrooms to be locked down in seconds and will provide an important security enhancement.

Classroom Addition: Last spring, a bid was awarded to begin work on the building addition at Memorial. Five new classrooms will be built to accommodate the enrollment increase that is projected for Montvale. Works has begun.

Additional Parking Spots: We will be adding additional parking at Memorial to accommodate staff, parents and visitors. The current parking lot is being expanded to accommodate approximately 20 new parking spaces.

STEAM Lab: Our architect is working on plans for a state-of-the-art STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) lab at Memorial. This lab will provide students an opportunity to discover new and creative ways of problem-solving by applying concepts in science, technology, engineering, art and math through hands-on activities in real-life situations.

Fieldstone Middle School

Media Center Renovation/STEAM Lab: Work will begin this school year to transform our library into a state of the art STEAM Lab and multimedia interactive learning space. The new space will become the hub of the school. The STEAM lab will provide a place for students to learn to manufacture objects and prototypes using the principles of engineering, design thinking, coding, robotics, and technology. The lab will provide an environment where students will be able to experiment, make, and share innovative ideas and solutions—integrating several academic disciplines.

Restroom Facility for Athletic Fields at Fieldstone:

A stand-alone restroom facility adjacent to the athletic fields at FMS is going out for bid soon. This facility will be for use by the school and the community.

ADA-Compliant Ramp: In front of Fieldstone, a new ramp will be installed that will be ADA compliant. In addition, two new handicap accessible parking spaces will be constructed in front of Fieldstone.

Repurposing Space: Plans are being finalized to convert the existing industrial arts classroom into modern classrooms for our art and music programs. The current space used by those programs would be renovated for additional instructional space.

Fire Alarm Systems: Last school year, significant work took place at Fieldstone to replace our fire alarm systems. Work is anticipated to be completed this school year. Once the new system is finalized and working, the old system will be removed.

Classroom Doors and Locksets: Work will begin in the fall to replace classroom doors and locksets. The new system will enable our classrooms to be locked down in seconds and will provide an important security enhancement.

HVAC System: Next summer (2024), we are planning to have the entire HVAC system at Fieldstone replaced.

It is a little hard to believe, but the sun has now set on yet another wonderful summer learning experience.

Students, again, received targeted age-appropriate learning activities/instruction in the key areas of Math, Language Arts, and STEAM, and enjoyed doing itI Beyond the academic rewards, our summer program always leaves us with some lasting memories and great moments. While STEAM projects sparked wonder and literary journeys stretched imaginations, our students saw some friendly familiar faces and formed some new friendships.

A great big thank you to our dedicated and talented team of educators for creating such an enriching and engaging environment. Our team works hard getting to know students in a short period of time so that each student receives a personalized learning experience. Walking through the classrooms, it was also clear that by celebrating their unique strengths and abilities, teachers were able to connect with students.

We could not be more proud of our students for all of their hard work, and we truly enjoyed the positive energy and attitude they brought each and every day. All of these experiences will undoubtedly help confidence and overall readiness for the next school year.

The 2023-24 Montvale Kindergarten Camp was held at Fieldstone Middle school this summer and was one of our best summers yet. Our campers and counselors participated in daily themed activities such as superhero day and Disney day. We were fortunate to have the Montvale Police Department and Fire Department sponsor our t-shirts as well as visit camp with their special units vehicles. The Montvale Recreation Association kindly sponsored a pizza lunch for all of our campers and counselors and we could not have been more grateful for all of the amazing support from the Montvale community! Mrs. Ripston and Mrs. Bizzoco are looking forward to seeing our incoming kindergarten class in September.

The Montvale School District is pleased to be working with Mrs. Ceire Monahan, from the Staff Development Workshop firm, as our math consultant for the upcoming school year. Mrs. Monahan is a professional development specialist and mathematics education researcher. Her dissertation focused on developing innovative ways to implement creativity in mathematics classrooms. She is a former mathematics teacher interested in researching and implementing teaching practices that engage students and encourage them to see the importance of mathematics outside of the classroom. Her experience is in supporting elementary, middle, and high school teachers in understanding research-based mathematical practices to increase student achievement. We look forward to working and learning from Mrs. Monahan to support and enhance the mathematical growth of our students.

The Montvale School District is excited about the implementation of our new mathematical resource for this upcoming school year. Big Ideas is a standards-based, balanced approach, to support mathematical growth for our students. This resource has lots of activities, explorations, and real-world connections that allow students to be more involved in their learning. Big Ideas along with teacher-directed instruction will allow students to develop a better understanding of the mathematical concepts. This new resource includes classroom materials and an online website access. For Fieldstone Middle School, Big Ideas will provide resources to support the instruction for Algebra 1 and Geometry. Parents will learn more about Big Ideas during each school’s Back-To-School Night event.

* We emphasize character development & social/emotional support

* We use innovative, research-based instructional practices across all instructional areas

* We focus on student-centered instruction to meet individual student needs

* We have an exemplary special education program

* We offer a blended approach to learning that focuses on 21st century skills

* We have a dynamic administration, faculty and staff

* We have caring and involved parents

* We have a supportive Board of Education

* We have FABULOUS children who see learning as an opportunity to explore, discover and have FUN!

Custodial Manager Amir & Lead Custodian Carmen

The Montvale PTO works very hard throughout the school year on numerous fundraisers and events to support our schools. The PTO sponsors many school programs and assemblies. At the end of last school year, the PTO provided a check for a digital sign for Memorial. The digital sign will replace the existing sign on Grand Avenue and installation will most likely take place in the fall. The digital sign will be utilized to display pertinent announcements to keep students, parents and community members informed of upcoming school events and happenings. Please check the PTO website for more information.

August 22: 5th Grade Orientation

August 28: Board of Education - Public Business Meeting

August 28 & 29: New Teacher Orientation

August 29: Kindergarten Tours

August 30 & 31: Faculty & Staff Meetings

September 4: No School -Labor Day

September 5: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (Early Dismissal - 12:55 p.m.)

September 11: Board of Education - Work Session Meeting

September 13: Memorial Elementary School - Back to School Night

September 14: Fieldstone Middle School - Back to School Night

September 18: Board of Education - Public Business Meeting

September 20: PTO Meeting

September 25: No School - Religious Holiday

• Mr. Ernie DiFiore, President

• Mr. John Carvelli, Vice-President

• Mrs. Anita Bagdat, Board Member

• Mrs. Rachel Baskin, Board Member

• Mrs. Alisha Foley, Board Member

• Mr. Chris Colla, Board Member

• Mrs. Amaka Auer, Board Member

Website: montvalek8.org
Location: 47 Spring Valley Road, Montvale, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-391-1662