001Let's rise for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Like to read a quick statement if I may. The New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the rights of the public to have advanced notice of to attend the meeting of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provision of the sacite park board of ed has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date time and place there posted in the office of the board of ed and the offices of school numbers 3456 and the high school on December 10th 2025
002and notice forward to the reporters of the record December 10th 2025 this is an official meeting like to take the roll call if I may. Mrs. Zabru >> here. >> Mr. Pano >> here. >> Mrs. Fredo's not here. Mr. Garcia >> here. >> Mr. Nrew >> here. >> Dr. Pontiano is not here. Mr. Rancor here. Mr. Russo >> here. >> Mr. Turbakia >> here. >> Okay. >> All set. Mr. Rus. >> Thank you, Mr. Alfano. Um, thank you, board of education members. Thank you, Mrs. Calibar, uh, for being here this evening. Uh just a couple uh individuals I'd like to recognize for the work that they've been doing um since our last meeting. Um I think that the overall theme for uh December has really been generosity and giving back to the community which is
003um very strong in this town and um all throughout the district which was which was great to see. Um Craig Nichols um organized a pajama drive where over 300 pairs of pajamas were donated to the Head Start program in Cliffside Park. Uh with those donations, we also received 300 books from Scholastic that were donated as well. Uh Mrs. Witty and Mrs. Rego organized a toy drive for a lot of the students in need in in town. Um staff members, teachers, um anyone and everyone. um associated with the board of education was um a contributing member to this toy drive. But a big thank you to Mrs. Witty and Mrs. Rego for helping uh organize that. Um we are going to be updating our elementary school lunch program um in 2026. We are planning on having
004a lot of the elementary school students have lunch in the multi-purpose rooms, eating outside of the classroom. Uh the board of education has been working with Pmptonian, our food service provider, um and purchasing new steam tables. And these steam tables are going to be um giving students an opportunity to be eating lunch um that is um I don't want to say more appealing, but it's fresher. Um and we're hoping to um give students an opportunity to have more choices um during lunch. Before lunch was prepackaged, usually happening in the morning um kept in a hot box throughout the day and students were eating in the classroom. So now um students are going to be eating um very similar to students in grades 6 through 12, which is great to see. So we'll be starting in
005school 5 and then moving to schools 4 and three as the year progresses. Um I would like to recognize Ally Goodman for her work with the Cliffside Connections. This is a monthly newsletter that goes out to highlight all of the achievements and programs and students um associated with our special ed department. Um she is also organizing a coffee cart that is going to be in most of our schools. Staff members are going to be um given the opportunity to purchase coffee and other drinks and treats uh from some of our students associated with this program. The um uh program is also selling apparel. So, if you do see anybody wearing Cliffside Connections uh sweatshirts and t-shirts, you know that that money is going back to uh the special ed department and giving students an opportunity
006um to go on different field trips and perform um different activities um throughout the town and and the county. Today, we had a meeting for the preschool expansion act. This is a new grant that um Cliffside Park is uh was awarded last year and the whole point of this grant is to educate um as many three and fouryear-old students as we can. This is happening over at school 5. It will be expanding at school three um next month. Uh Mrs. Broco, uh Mrs. Martini, Nicole Row, uh Mrs. Netto um Angelo Alban have all been instrumental in having the students um in this program and giving them everything that they need. So our goal is to hopefully um allow more students in the future an opportunity um if they're three and four years old um to
007get educated in one of our schools uh through through our teachers. Um, so when we come back in January, the plan is to do building walkthroughs and seeing if we are able to generate enough space through this program um to educate again as many three and four year olds as we can. Um, I do want to recognize uh some of the music teachers in our elementary schools, Mr. Reggusa, Mr. Shantis, Mrs. Jules, and Mrs. and sorry, Mr. Oran. Uh we did have some holiday concerts start this week uh kicking off with school five, school six happen today and schools four and school three uh will take place tomorrow. So um big thank you to the music uh department, music teachers. Uh they did a phenomenal job and it was great seeing the kids um the
008kids tackle some of the uh some of the uh holiday songs that we've heard in the past. Um and I believe at this time like to turn it over to Mrs. Calibris. >> Um, thank you very much. And um, what I would like to uh inform the the board and thank them for is our partnership with uh, Renaissance and um, all the capable the availability that it's giving to us to dive deep into data. So, I'm very confident that this um ecosystem is working for us and it's allowing us to really um pinpoint skills and standards that our students um are doing really well in and it also helps us to drive our instruction. So, we're looking forward to working um more closely with uh our teachers and staff about a deep dive into data.
009Um, I'd also like to tell you that um I'd like to give a shout out to the elementary uh PE teachers. That's fizzed teachers. They're doing uh an amazing job in the classroom this year. We tasked them with um a regular PE class and then we tasked them with something that we call PE2. And in PE2 the the the they're working with classroom teachers to enhance um elementary skills uh as far as um you know doing some sort of a physical activity and then having some sort of a culminating activity that will help. Um if you're a kindergarten student, uh they have um maybe some sort of a a skill or a drill and at the end they do something that will enhance their kindergarten um experience uh such as like skip counting and color
010recognition and spelling out words and um using literacy and math activities to enhance physical motor um activities. So, I I really want to give the PE teachers a a shout out um and their supervisors that are working with them closely. Um, I'd also like to inform the parents that um, you know, in January, February, we're going to be having um, family literacy nights as well as um, math uh, evenings with our parents, inviting them to our schools and um, having some experience working with the children and giving them some some points on what they can do to help their children at home if they're struggling in either reading or um, English language arts. And we also are um going to be hosting adult ESL classes. Um more news to come on that, but adult ESL
011classes um for our parent population or our community um by some of our own um teachers. So, thank you very much and um I think that's my report for tonight. >> All right. Thank you. Um I know we've been busy receiving um a lot of resumes and um teachers eager to uh work a lot of these programs. So, um, thank you for the work that you're doing, um, with that. So, it's going to be exciting giving parents the opportunity to come visit some of our schools, learn from some of our teachers. So, uh, >> if I could just add in one more thing, um, uh, something that you're going to see tonight on the agenda is about the it's called the HIT program. It's a high impact tutoring program. Um so uh we had several
012applicants that have done this they have uh worked with the students in the past and this is a a program that um we have put together uh last year and the year before and it really tailors the second through I would say sixth grade students um and it's a it's a way for them to either come to school early in the morning to work on some skills and standards s that they may be needing to enhance or in the afternoon. Um, and it's our own classroom teachers that are are doing this and there will be uh some assistance for some of our ML students. So, thank you to the board of education for uh you know funding that program once again. >> Yeah, that was uh that was a big success in the past. So,
013we're lucky to lucky to be able to run that again um this upcoming year. Um, do we have any committee reports? Okay. So, I guess at this time I'll go through uh just a couple of the agenda items. Um, if you take a look at page two, we do have a few uh maternity leave positions. Um, so coming back in January, I'll be working with um some of the elementary school principles to see how we can best uh fill these positions. On page three, I I would like to um just recognize Bessie Dristas. I was lucky enough as the middle school principal to have Bessie, Miss Bessie, to to many of us in our school. Um and she came into my office a couple weeks ago and gave me her um retirement letter. Um, and
014I know she's very sad um to be leaving um Cliffside Park School District, but um very thrilled to be um taking on the responsibilities uh for her grandson or granddaughter. So, uh we wish her well um in the next chapter. If we could turn to page eight. So, resolution number 24. Um our affirmative action officer, uh Mr. John Lombardo. He is our middle school vice principal. He met with um the board of education attorney um to receive affirmative action training. So based on that training um a form was created. That form um will be placed on the website hopefully in the coming weeks. So, if there are any official affirmative action cases, that is the form that would be used um to or needed to be filled out in order to proceed with um an
015investigation. Uh resolution number 25, uh Dr. Pantiliano, even though she is not here this evening, I did want to make note that she was named the interim president of the Bergen County School Boards Association. So based off of some shuffling that was being done within the New Jersey school boards, uh she will be taking on the um position of interim president. So big congratulations to her. And the final one is on page 23, uh resolution number 57. Um this is just taking a look at the contract with Parent Square. Uh Parent Square is our host website. Um, I've been getting a lot of positive feedback um from the community and staff about uh the website. Again, thank you to uh Mr. Savastano for the work that he's been putting in on the website. Uh we
016do have a new messaging and notification system that will be used. So, please parents go in and check on your parent portal to make sure that your contact information is correct. Uh with the cold weather approaching, um we always want to try to get as much information out to parents and families as we can in terms of school delays or possible closures. Um so big thank you um to Mr. Savastano for that. And I believe that is it for the agenda. Mr. Alfano, I don't know if there's anything that you want to point out or discuss with buildings and grounds or finance. >> Just a couple of items. We're officially closing 2425. We are ending 6:3025 with our final audit which will present it to the board and we'll be approving the final resolutions tonight.
017Obviously we keep working on 2526 to understand our surplus and any challenges for this year which will piggy back on us. We are starting in earnest to work on our 2627 budget. We're engaging with some cap potential capital projects and we will keep every the board and all key players apprised of that. I'd like to take you to pages 24- 27 that piggybacks on our closing of the school year 2425. Those are resolutions number 58 to 61. Those are the audit resolutions that will be uploaded to home room for the department of education. I will do that tomorrow morning. essentially is approving and authorizing myself to accept the audit and approve the correction action plan. It's authorizing the business administrator administrator to submit the corrective action plan. It's also authorizing the business administrator to approve
018and submit the certificate of implementation. All of these documents need to be uploaded tomorrow morning. And the final approval and submission is the synopsis of order. This officially closes the 2425 school year. It's pretty much it. Mr. Ris, >> thank you, Mr. Alfano. >> Lou, we want to thank you for all your hard work with the uh audit. Uh, you know, acknowledges that also because we've spoken offline about that. You do a great job and uh, you know, just want to thank you for everything doing your countless hours in that office. >> So, I appreci appreciate that feedback. Thank you. Do we I see that we have a uh representative from the high school here this evening. How's uh how's everything going >> going across the street? >> Everything's going very well. Uh today, this
019week actually we're doing our spirit week. Tomorrow will be the battle of the hats. Um very fun, very festive for Christmas coming up. Um last week we did two fundraisers. Uh we did um a close uh clothes drive and a food drive. Um we made an incentive for the classroom that won. We did it um by English classrooms. So which whichever was the the classroom with the highest number of food collector would get a prize and we did um the prize was some lunch kits and hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts. But it was really great to see that um all the classrooms were combined to you know fundra for this great uh activity that we had. And uh so far with the oh and the lunchroom we had like a big fix. Uh now there's
020more we can get more lunch easily. We have more access to different lines, different you know ways of getting lunch which is much better than before. And we like to thank you for that. That really changed a lot. And so far, you know, been waiting for Christmas for the holidays and skipping a calm and festive. >> Nice. Good. That's uh that's great to hear. I heard there was uh there was some singing outside the building. >> There wasn't singing. There was this morning special. >> Yeah. >> So, Mr. uh Mr. Nelson um organized uh some of the vocalist uh vocal students. They were doing Christmas caroling as the uh as the students were walking in. So >> we have to wake up to hear them. They're beautiful voices. >> This question with the battle of
021the hats. What is the What is the battle? >> Whichever if you have the best hat. >> Oh, it's just individual. >> Reindeer ears. >> Okay. >> It could be an elf hat. >> Okay. >> So if you have the best hat, bring it tomorrow. >> Okay. >> This week we also did um showing up >> pajama day. >> Yeah. We'll we'll be there. We'll be there. >> Yeah. There you go. Was the pajama day and oh and movie um Monday was your favorite character? I personally myself uh was it Home Alone Kev? >> Oh Kevin. >> Kevin. >> Yeah. >> Exactly. You can see our post in the student council's website and Instagram and that's where we keep our most recent updates. >> Oh, great. >> So far. >> Nice. Go ahead. >> Thanks,
022man. >> All right, Mr. Alano. I think that wraps it up. >> Very good. Mr. Mat, >> on that note, I'll make a motion to approve the agenda. >> That's Mr. and that was Mr. Garcia. Correct. >> Okay, we'll take a vote now. Mrs. Drew, >> yes. >> Mr. Pano, >> yes. >> Mr. Garcia, >> yes. >> Mr. Nrew, >> yes. >> Uh, Mr. Russo, >> yes. >> Uh, Mr. Carabach, >> yes. >> Okay. >> I'm sorry. Make a motion to close. >> So move.