001[Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Good evening everyone. Uh welcome to the uh Long Hill Township Board of Education uh meeting for June 2nd. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Excellent. Adequate notice of this meeting of the Long Hill Township Board of Education was given as required by the Open Public Meeting Act as follows. Notice was sent to the Echo Sentinel on daily record on October 14th, 2024. Notices were posted on the bulletin board in the first floor entrance hall of the school district administration building, Gillette, New Jersey. Notices were filed with the township clerk and notices were mailed to all
002persons who have requested individual notice pursuant to the open public meetings act. Roll call please. Mrs. Butler here. Mrs. Dailyaly here. Mr. Deamos here. Mr. Foster. Mr. Goff. Dr. Maher here. Mrs. McClennon here. Miss Nyquist here. Mrs. Casease here. We're going to get started with our presentations. Welcome to everybody here tonight. I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Alexis. Thank you, Mrs. case. This is a great crowd. We're excited. So, we have about four different presentations. Um, we have our youngest guests here. Um, and we are pleased to you that our kindergarteners and their teachers are here to talk about the circus yoga experience. We're equally pleased to have our softball team back again here this year. We are very happy to have our faculty and staff here to be recognized for service milestones
003and retirements. And we'll close the presentation section with our fifth grade science teacher, Mr. Nestler, who would like to share the highlights of his year with Peter, his seeing eye puppy at Millington School. We'll then take a short break for refreshments. So, first up are our kindergarteners. Welcome everyone. So nice to see you. [Applause] Good evening. I'm here to talk to you about an amazing experience we had this year in kindergarten. The cultural arts committee brought back circus yoga. Um Jack, do you have my presentation applied? Oh no. Thank you. I have a whole lot [Laughter] more. So this year was our circus yoga came back. It came back after seven long years. Seven years ago, we started at the African Savannah. So, I highlighted a few students that you may look familiar up there.
004Um, so we started seven years ago. A few things happened after 2019 that prevented us from having them back again. So, we were excited. We went from the African Savannah to the Arctic Circle. So, Miss Erin is our cultural art uh Miss Erin is our residency um director. She split the Arctic Circle into five different regions. Then each classroom was given one. We talked about the population. We talked about animals. We talked about um all of the different things that happen in the Arctic Circle. My class was given Alaska in the summer. So we talked about what we thought Alaska would look like in the summer and the pictures that she gave us were much different than we had envisioned. So we talked about the different animals, the landscape, and then she gave us 20
005animals. Each student picked an animal and they were given two weeks to make a presentation along with their families. Um, we gave them a basic presentation that could be done on paper or in a Google doc. And each of these students picked an animal and then they presented. I know I didn't do my first presentation till I was in high school. These five-year-olds and six-year-olds knocked it out of the park. I brought a few of them here to show a little snippet of their presentations. So, we're gonna start with Indiana Mahoney. [Applause] Can everyone hear me? Yes. You don't have to go that close by. Okay, you're good. My animal is the Arctic fox in the summer. My animal's habitat, the Arctic tundra. Is that better? Yeah. It is icy and cold and there is
006not many trees. The summer is very short. In the summer, the sun doesn't set making the day and the days are very long long. There are over 400 types of flowers that grow there. In the summer, the top of tundra melts, making the ground very wet like a marsh. What does my animal look like? Arctic foxes have thick fur that change color to help them camouflage. In the summer, it is brown or gray. In the winter, it is white to help them blend in with the snow. They have a small round They have small round ears, a a small black nose, and a long bushy tail. And now, Ean [Applause] Chowry. animal is the giant Pacific octopus. Giant octopuses are sea animals with soft bodies and eight arms. They have big heads and are reddish
007brown in color. They can change color and camouflage with plants and rocks. In the day they hide in ca dens, caves or holes digged into the ocean floor. In the night they leave their dance to hunt for food. They eat small fish, clams, crabs, and and snails. Sharks, seals, and sea otterters eat big and big fishes eat giant octopuses. Good job, Sophie Hall. My animal is the orca whale, also known as the killer whale. Orcas have black and white skin. Their skin feels like rubble. Orcas sleep in groups of parts. They have one eye open and one eye closed. One part of the brain awake and one part of the brain asleep. That's what I feel. And Colby Monty. [Applause] Puffin by Colobby Monte. Puffin have black and white feathers and orange feet. Puffin walk
008on land and [Applause] fly. All right. So, they presented their animals to the class and then we had to get to work on some artwork. So, their masks that they had made um were first made in kindergarten during art class with Mrs. Dunn. And then we needed some help making the scenery and also the masks kind of judging them up a little bit. So, I'd like to call up my two sixth grade Horizon Art students. Mrs. Keegan came up with a great idea that we shall use the Horizon Art students at Central School. Two of them being Paige Keegan and Leau. We the best part about sixth grade Horizon Art is they're the only other um grade level that did circus yoga. So, they were able to then kind of turn key it and help
009us out. So, Paige helped with some mask making and some of the um uh the scenery for around the stage. And I needed a 30 foot long um banner for the back and I had an amazing artist make it for us the first time around. And then, lucky for me, her daughter happened to be in Horizon Art, and she helped create a 30-foot mural with um icebergs and a reflection. So, Leah and some of her friends, they were using their guide time, their lunchtime in order to get that background done for us. And it came out absolutely amazing. It comes out better in some of the other pictures. So, thank you to the Horizon Art students. So then it was time to get to work for the presentation. So Miss Erin shows up. She looks
010at your class. She sees what your class's abilities are. And she puts together a performance. Our favorite thing about circus yoga is there is no memorization, no memorization of songs, no speaking parts, and there's no choreography. So basically the kids are asked to work together in order to create a show. A lot of it is partner work. So we talk about how being with a partner, one of the most important things is to help your partner shine. So if you are helping make them successful, you look successful as well. Um, mistakes are bound to happen in the show. And we talk about how recovering from those mistakes with grace kind of makes the show carry on. So the first show started with an animal parade. All of our masks, we came out and we presented
011them. We did um focus and balance exercises and then for our big finale, we did a flying activity. So, Miss Aaron and I were on the ground. We lifted the students into the air and they were doing different poses such as beaver poses and um flying animal poses. And our big finale were two orcas flying through the air and grabbing hands. And then we safely put them back on the floor. I'm not going to lie, that was a tough one. So, this is one of our flyers here. And I always feel like the success of something that happens in kindergarten is when they write about a favorite memory. So, Haley, will you come up and read us your favorite memory from [Applause] kindergarten? She was a moth. Yes, moths are in the Arctic. Here you
012go. My name is Haley Isacson. My favorite thing about kindergarten is yoga because my teacher flew me on her [Music] feet. So, we are so grateful to Mrs. Keegan and the cultural arts committee because we have been granted another round of circus yoga next year and we are going to get out of the Arctic and we are headed to the Amazon rainforest. So if you are able to, we'd love to have you come to the show. Thank you for having us. We appreciate [Applause] it. So Mrs. Clark, thank you. And I understand you're here in a dual role tonight. So, congratulations on the second part which we're coming up to. But thank you kindergarteners. Thank you sixth grade art Horizon Art [Applause] students and I saw the show firsthand and it was excellent. So, I
013look forward to next year and the rainforest. So, next is going to be um our softball team. And before I invite Principal Vitarelloo forward, I have to say it's a privilege to recognize all of you. Congratulations to you and to coach Hawkmier. It was a remarkable playoff run and trust me, you'll remember this season and the bonds you developed with your teammates for a long time. And I might add, there's something deeply satisfying about exceeding expectations. Keep that in mind as you continue your journeys. Mr. V. [Applause] Okay, good evening everyone. Great job kindergarteners as well. And we're here again to congratulate the softball team who who we're so proud of. Um the girls softball team, you worked so hard this season both on the field and off the field. Um it's really challenging. Many
014people don't realize if you're playing a sport or involved in many extracurricular activities, this girls softball team, they have excellent grades. They work very hard. They come to school. It that balance is very, very challenging cuz many of them do more than just softball as well, too. Many of them do a lot of other extracurricular activities either in school or outside of school. So, we're so proud of you for all of your hard work, dedication, and perseverance. And this team truly embodies a comeback spirit. They really embodied this in the championship game for coming back at the end of the game, which was so wonderful to see. So, I want to congratulate all of the players tonight and also Coach Hawkmire for all of your hard work. I also want to thank all of the
015parents for their support and raising such amazing student athletes. A special shout out to our athletic director, Jennifer Clark, for working so hard this season. Many of you, we're all familiar with what the weather has been like. So, we have she has worked so hard to try to reschedu all the games and there's so many variables involved, the other teams, our team, transportation, school schedule. So, thank you for all of your hard work to, you know, to get the games scheduled for the girls. I also want to shout out our buildings and ground staff for keeping the fields in as good condition as they can for all of the sports and also the business office for helping out with transportation and all those things because we need a bus to get there. So, every time
016something gets canled, everything needs to be rescheduled. So, it really takes a team effort. Um both the girls embodied that and all of the support staff to make everything work for the season. So, we really really appreciate it. So, shout out to all the girls. We'd like to recognize each of them. We have certificates. If someone could help me just pass these out so we can keep everything rolling. So, we'll call you up for your certificates one at a time. Paige Anthony, we'd like to take a picture. So, yeah, at the end. So, if you could just slide down. Or Butler. [Applause] Alexandra [Applause] Clark, Annabella Gmbbron. No, she's not here. Riley Hall, not here. Virginia McKenna, Alexandra [Applause] Miller, McKenzie [Applause] Miller, Addison [Applause] Peruna, Claire Sely, Angelina Ster, [Applause] Julia Thur, Ariel Vavar,
017and Bella Wiggins, and Coach [Applause] Hawkmire. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. For me, take those. All right, thank you so much. Uh, this is an amazing team. Uh, I want to first thank everyone for inviting us out. Uh, and I want to thank the board of ed and for the ceremony and for acknowledging Central School's uh, softball team. Again, Central School softball program has been very successful for many years now. This season, our team recorded a 10 uh, win season with only two losses, capturing another championship. Over the past four years, our team has been able to win four consecutive Central Jersey Athletic Association Tournament Championship games. I'd like to recognize four eighth graders on this team, Riley Hall, Lena Store, Bella Wiggins, and Orla Butler. They've played all three years at Central. Uh
018over those three years, these girls have amassed an impressive record of 37 wins with only two losses. Our success this year and over the past many years uh is directly related to their hard work and their dedication. Okay. And for the families that put up with that kind of uh time and effort. I personally want to thank each and every one of them uh and let them know that it's been a honor to be called your coach and I can't wait for another one next year. Thank you very much. [Applause] [Music] have a good picture. Is that Thank you guys. Appreciate it. Thank you. [Applause] Okay, now on to staff recognition. The foundation of any district lies in a strong faculty and staff. And here in Long Hill, we're very fortunate to have an outstanding
019group. Tonight, we honor and thank our staff who have reached service milestones and well-deserved retirements. Our principles would like to share a few words about each staff member's contributions to the district. But be before I turn this over to them, I'd like to recognize two of our service milestone recipients. First is Mrs. Mikkels. For the last 15 and a half years, Liz has been the superintendent's confidential assistant. She's an expert in personnel. No rule or requirement escapes her. She has remarkable institutional knowledge. She seems to know everything about the district. and she's a first rate detective. She can find any information we need in or out of the district, usually in under 10 minutes. But she also has the organizational and interpersonal skills to keep things running smoothly in the board office. She is professional,
020conscientious, collaborative, and fair-minded. She cares deeply about our students, staff, and families, and helps out whenever she can. We're very fortunate to have her in this role. Congratulations, Liz. We look forward to the next 15. [Applause] That's true. You can ask her and then tell me she'll find it. She finds it. Next is Dr. Jones. Lori has been serving the students, staff, and families of the district for the last 15 years. She has balanced her responsibilities as Gillette principal and director of curriculum during that time and is looking forward to becoming the full-time director of curriculum in July. Not one to shy away from challenges, Lori is regularly the first one to volunteer for new assignments. She holds the current record for the most auxiliary titles in the district, ranging from affirmative action officer to
021title 9 coordinator to attendance officer and will be operating under several more in the coming year. Her versatility and experience will be key to the success of our instructional initiatives next year. Congrats on 15 years of service and an exciting new leadership role. Dr. Jones. [Applause] [Music] Thank you, Mr. Alexis. I appreciate it. I would like to recognize three individuals this evening. One is Mr. Mantto for serving 10 years in the district. Mr. Mantto began at Central School. He came to Gillette School and now we share him with Millington as well. He brings energy, enthusiasm, and a love for fitness that inspires students and staff every day at Gillette and Millington. His dedication to creating a fun and engaging learning environment makes physical education a highlight for all of our students. Parents appreciate the care
022and encouragement Mr. Manto provides. He fosters teamwork, confidence, and a love for healthy habits. Congratulations, Mr. Manto, on 10 [Applause] years like a kid himself. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Next, Miss Richie aka my workm aka, depending on my move, other things. Right, Miss Richie? She has been the heart of Gillette School for 10 years, showing a true, genuine commitment to students, families, and all of our staff. Her care and dedication go beyond her daily tasks. She is a trusted face, a listening ear, and a steadfast support to everyone who enters our doors. Through her kindness, organization, and her hard work and ethics, she ensures our school runs smoothly. She fosters a warm and welcoming environment for all. You are not getting through that vestibule without her knowing you are in our building. Gillette school
023and myself simply would never be the same without her. Congratulations, Miss [Applause] Richie. I'm not going to cry. Okay. Mrs. Pisciotti. 20 years for Mrs. Pisciotti. She has been a steady and caring presence at Gillette School, known for her calmness, her thoughtful approach to all, and her dedication to helping both students and staff truly succeed. She is a trusted problem solver amongst her colleagues, and she is a true advocate for all of her students and their families. She always puts the students best interest first. Her commitment to creative uh to creating a positive learning environment has earned her praise from parents and families year after year. She is kind, she is professional, she is a friend and Gillette school is very lucky to have her here. Congratulations [Applause] Uh why don't we bring Principal Dawson
024up and we'll just go in chronological order here. Schools [Applause] [Music] Good evening everyone. Uh just a few remarks about a number of staff members from Millington School. Yahel Lockach uh is one of our speech therapists in the district. She's a valued member of our district working with students in the speech therapy department. Um over the years we have seen her develop relationships with students and she's always encouraging them to apply the skills they learn in speech to carry over into the general classroom. So thank you Yale for five years of [Music] service. Melanie Mure for her five years of service. Um funny story Melany's tenure with us began the week before the pandemic. Um, she was hired as a fourth grade teacher. As that teacher moved into a special education position, she had one
025week to meet with with Mrs. Fiser, learn the ropes, and inherit a classroom, and then we said, "You're going home." Uh, Miss Muer demonstrated her ability right away to adapt to all situations within a short period of time. She is one of the most positive staff members in the building. She is always smiling, which has helped her develop close connections to her students. It is evident that they enjoy being in their classroom. Congratulations, Melanie. Thank you. Miss Carrie O'Reilly is uh being recognized for five years of service. She's a member of our special education department at Millington School. Uh she teaches currently in the last couple years in many co-eing environments. Hands down, her colleagues, and this is not always easy to team people up to work together all year. Her colleagues and she works
026I think with three or four different people always talk about the team approach and the ability to connect with her and that carries over to the students. So, Miss O'Reilly, we thank you. You always have a friendly personality and you champion the success of all students. Thank you for your years of service. [Applause] Thank you, Carrie. Okay. 10 years of service. Mrs. Fiser, I believe Mrs. Fischer is here. Brianna Fiser has taught both fourth grade and special education at Millington School. She's a valued member of our staff as she has taken a leadership role in our school sunshine committee. um organizing team building activities as well as staff games to allow for a fun working environment. We try to make it as a fun learning environment for students, but it's important that our teachers feel
027that way, too. Last year, um Brianna completed her coursework towards a masters in administration with a certificate to be a principal, and I mentored her and she worked under me. and uh her ability to identify tasks and plan a way to tackle those tasks means she's going to be a successful administrator one day. So, Briana, we appreciate all you've done for your students working in the in-class support class. She's got small group pull out, but she's always looking to to benefit her students and work well with them and parents. So, thank you, Brianna Fischer. [Applause] Thank you. Mrs. Pam Fitz Simmons began her career at Millington School as a fourth grade teacher. She has moved to the fifth grade ELA position focused on writing. She has been an open contributor at grade level meetings as
028well as our ELA professional learning committee meetings. Mrs. Fitz Simmons begins most lessons with a quick do now in which students develop the writing prompt. She recognized early on that by develop having the students develop the writing prompts, the students were more engaged in using the skills they need to learn in writing because they were responding to something that they had an interest in. So we thank Mrs. Fitz Simmons for her year 10 years of service to Millington School. [Applause] Mrs. Elaine Murphy has worked at Millington School for 10 years. She's worked as a one-to-one paraprofessional primarily with the students with autism. Uh she has been observed quickly making positive connections to the students assigned to her. Her ability to implement strategies that are individualized for particular students and it changes from student to student.
029She never falters. She's always able to implement the plan to help them meet their goals. The teachers who work with her have commented on her ability to facilitate lessons as well as monitor specific behavior plans and support students emotionally and socially as well. So, thank you, Mrs. Murphy. We're getting [Applause] there. Mr. Nestler, I know he's here today with Peter. Mr. Nestler began as a fourth grade teacher at Millington School. When the fifth grade science teacher opening was identified, it was a no-brainer that Mr. Nestler was the right person for the job. It is evident that he is a p he is passionate about the subject he teaches as students are always observed in being engaged in open discussion as well as working collaborative collaboratively to make connections in science from night under the stars
030to leading the green team to um creating Earth Day lessons that were used across the district. Mr. Nestler has brought his love of science to all our students. Thank you Mr. Nestler. Congratulations on 10 years. [Applause] Thanks, Andrew. Okay, Mrs. Spanella, come on down. Come on [Music] down. When you get to 25 years, you come on [Applause] down. Mrs. Spanelo um is recognized for 25 years of service at Millington School. When I began working at Millington 22 years ago, Mrs. Spanella was teaching third grade. It was within a few short years that her family began to grow and she moved to a part-time position, uh eventually working as a part-time basic skills teacher before coming back full-time. I think some of her adult children might be here. So, they've they've grown quite a bit. um
031she is a key member of our intervention team. We always talk as teachers about having a tool bag of strategies to help and support students. If she's not doing it for own students, she's often observed helping other teachers in the in the building, support students who may have a need that she has some expertise in. Um over the years she has led staff training, professional learning communities, and mentored novice teachers to support their growth. Millington School is lucky to have Miss Michelle Spanella as a key member of our staff. She's always observed cheering on her students to give them the independent skills to utilize back in the classroom. She has helped countless students in her small group classroom, and we are so fortunate to have her as part of the Millington School staff. Congratulations, [Applause]
032Kathy Dovichevski, can you come on up, please? We have a couple retirees. [Music] Kathy Dovichefsky became a reading program specialist and worked closely with students who had identified reading needs. As a Wilson trained specialist, she was able to provide specific skill-based instruction to support her students to allow them to progress over time. She has also been observed training teachers to help them carry over programs into their classroom to support all students and we appreciate those efforts over the years. She has worked closely with members of the child study team as well as our intervention team to identify the best plan for individual students. Um I've have observed those those meetings over the years where they were trying to figure out the best plan to help each student [Applause] indep Okay. And we have one more
033retirement. Uh, Mrs. Freeman couldn't make it tonight, but I have some words for her. Hopefully, she'll listen. Mrs. Freeman has been the Millington School nurse for 25 years. I can't even think of the number of students who have gone to see Mrs. Freeman. She has made so many positive connections to not only students, but families as well. Parents use her as a resource when dealing with medical and even emotional situations. Our teachers frequent her for medical support or advice. She has been a confidant to many as they deal with personal situations. She has always she has also been a valued member of the main office team. She begins every day by being in the main office greeting students and teachers. She updates our student attendance and will reach out and check in with parents as
034needed. We count on Mrs. Freeman for just about anything in the school. Now that her daughters, by the way, who were students when I began at Millington School, are having their own children, Mrs. Freeman is called to the next task in her journey, being a grandma. We will w miss her and wish her the best in her retirement. Thank you, Mrs. [Applause] [Music] Freeman. Thanks, Mrs. Dawson. Mr. V, you're you're next. Okay. For 10 years of service, Isabella Debiosi, I don't think she was able to make it tonight, but I would like to just say a few year uh few words for her. Excuse me. for 10 years of service. She is a very resourceful and wellplanned out teacher. She's always consistently challenging her students to actively read and write at a high level. She
035organizes activities and supportive resources that always stretch our students and challenge them to be ready for high school. One of the highlights from her class that I always enjoy seeing and hearing about is when she incorporates studentled Socratic seminars in her class. And if you're not familiar with a Socratic seminar, it's a student-led discussion in which students participate and analyze text or topic through questioning and peer dialogue. The goal is for students to synthesize their thoughts regarding the text in which they've recently read. I always enjoy watching and hearing about these students experiences and she's just wonderful to have and a true value at Central Middle School. So, we thank her for her service even though she cannot be here tonight. and for 20 years of service, Dan Salszer, who's here tonight. Dan, give him
036a round of applause, [Applause] please. Dan truly has a passion for making history come alive in his classes. He is a very very resourceful teacher and routinely incorporates various maps, visual aids, primary historical sources and texts which are so important and graphics to help bring 8th grade American history come to life for his students. Dan since I've known him has also continually grown and is always pushing his students um to grow as well. Recently he has incorporated a series of writing of reflections for them based on historical events and I recently got a chance to sit down and talk to him about this at our end of the year conference. He was very passionate about it and excited that he incorporated them. He shared with me that they basically have raised the bar for students
037academically and he challenges them to develop deeper understanding of the context of the text and the people that live during the time period. and I could tell through just the conversation with him how passionate he was about it and he shared how excited his students were to participate in these activities. So, we thank you for your service and we're very grateful to have you at Central Middle School. Thank you so much. That's all. And our Central Middle School retiree, Linda Sepy. [Applause] Linda, we're truly going to miss you at Central Middle School. You are an extremely dedicated staff member that has always put your students well-being and academic success first. One of the signs and messages that I always remember hearing you echo and seeing in your room is one of encouraging students to have
038a growth mindset. That is exactly the mindset that I have always known you to embody as a teacher. Since I have known you, you've always worked diligently using data to best tailor academic instruction and ultimately prepare your students for high school readiness and future readiness in life. You have a reflective approach that has always been open-minded to continual professional development and the growth of your students. You have always been very attentive, which is always shown in your classroom. Math can be challenging subject for students at times, especially in 8th grade, but you always encourage your students to try to put their best foot forward, never give up, and give it their all. We hope you enjoy the additional time you have with your family, and I wish you all the happiness in a fulfilling retirement.
039Thank you so much for your service. We're going to miss you. [Applause] All right. Thank you, Mr. Vain. Thank you, principles. Uh, congratulations to our service award recipients and our retirees. We have one more presentation before we enjoy some mini cupcakes. Uh, and I'm going to invite Andrew Nestler to come forward with Peter. She and his [Applause] students number one. Make sure you got your audience up here and your audience over here. So, this is a tough crowd here. Mr. P is going to sit and be on his best behavior, right? And parents, feel free to go around the other side if it's easier for photos. I want to go sit. Um, all right. So, the fifth grade, you guys are stand. Uh, so the fifth grade team put a just a small presentation together
040uh to kind Oh, yeah. Good call. Thank you, Miss Dawson. Here we go. So, the fifth grade team put a quick presentation together just to share some of the things that we've done with the Seeing Eye Dogs this year and to show our appreciation to both the board and the administration for allowing us to go forward with this program. Hold it right up to the mouth. This year, our school This year, our school raised two seeing eye dogs. This is Peter and Bugsy. Peter is raised by Mr. Nester in science class. Bugsy is raised by Mr. Simo in math class. and uh Peter and Bugsy are great dogs in our school and feel it feels like they were part of the family in Millington school. We love having dogs at our school. We get to
041take them on walks, take them to the bathroom, and take them on walks to the garden. We get to do so much with them, and it's so fun showing them new stuff. We read with them, and we even taught them how to sit and shake. It was so much fun having Peter and Bugazy at Man School. This year, some students were so inspired they made pictures, stuff thefted animals, and even 3D prints of the dogs. The dogs benefit from being in large groups of kids and being exposed to new experiences that will help them be better seeing eye dogs. These dogs have learned to be um trusted and responsible for other people. Having the dogs in class makes it more enjoyable and brings joy to so many kids. Just seeing them makes some kids day.
042My best memory with them was when I was employee of the week and Peter fell asleep on my arm. It was so adorable and I hope students in the lower grades will get to enjoy what I had. And now that Peter and Bugsy got their pictures in the yearbook, we will remember them forever. We would like to thank the board and the administration for their continued support. Thank you very much. Thank you all. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Thank you, Mr. Nestler and fifth grade team. That was terrific. All right, we're going to take we're going to take a few minutes to um have some refreshments, please join us. Thank you. All right. Um well, that was very was great. Wonderful really is what I'd like to say. So good. A great meeting. Yeah. Um so we
043are moving to communications. Nothing to report. Okay. I don't have anything. Uh board committee and leison on reports. We'll start with Karen. Okay. Uh Morris County Ed Services Commission. I attended a virtual meeting on May 14th. Just two things. We did uh our CSA evaluation. And then I'm going to read this directly as it is in my my update notes because I might miss something. It deals with uh changes that are they have cooperative pricing. you know, we've joined some ed services because they get the uh conglome, you know, uh they bring together a lot of the supplies and you can order in bulk and then it's easier for the district, etc. Well, there's some changes that are being proposed and some of the ESC's have expressed concerns and put those concerns in writing. So,
044the first was a proposal to eliminate time and material bids for construction repair, roofing repairs, plumbing, and electrical repairs. The proposed code would require each district to bid each of those services on their own. Just as similar to new construction and renovation projects, the bids that they solicit save time and money. The additional accountability for time and material bid monitoring would be very troublesome because not everybody could be there or could be there monitoring each site. um propo supposedly what was proposed is is on uh a postponement which might be a good sign because they heard the concerns from the ESC. I wanted to mention it because I guess it it could affect how we order and how we do things and whatever. So it could be have an impact on us. Uh with res
045Oh, and the next meeting is going to be a week from Wednesday. Again, it'll be virtual and I'll attend. Uh with respect to governance, uh all were present. Um, first thing we talked about was uh the mission and the vision and um we're going to utilize AI and uh George is working with going to be working with the administration and some staff members to put together let's say a first view of the the mission vision. We'll get it to the committee. We'll look it over and there might be some back and forth and then it it'll definitely come to the board for back and forth. But it's it's it's beginning. the things are beginning. Um, self-evaluation is all ready to go. Okay. So, you can access it as of today. Have till the 11th. Uh,
046I I I did it. It seems very it's it's shorter. Very honestly, it's shorter than before, but you have also bigger opportunity to put in some, you know, free writing. So, it might be very beneficial to take advantage of that. Um, we already went through this. We discussed the June meeting and how tight it was going to be with all the activities. Uh, finance met this last Wednesday. Um, some several bookings. We had a uh a Google's meet call with a representative from uh Brown and Brown who does our uh evaluation and helps us uh get our health benefit plans and it was requested to do a review. So basically they they actually contacted Sigma, Amer Health, Etna, New Jersey Solutions Fund, SHIP, etc. to try to see if we could get better rates. One
047of the things that we suffer from is having a low pool and so few members that are enrolled and below a 100, if there are less than 150, excuse me, members, then individual claims are not processed. and looking at individual claims and the uh occurrence and the age groups etc etc is important in calculating the rates so to give us some sort of benefit because we're in a low pool there are other districts we're grouped together and it does limit the alternatives we have a health did come back and um provide us a lower rate because they were willing to try to estimate a rate based on demographics however to replace the plan you have to have equal to or better then and unfortunately with respect to their network they had they were they fell
048very far short of the present network that we have so it was just not we could not make move so we stayed put um according to the I'm going to need some help on this one the uh the current contract um will have a a limits employee contribution bions and will cost the district in 2526 about $130,000 in contributions. Um now there are some employees um that uh might have a possibility to move what they call the educators plan and if that option is taken, we could they would save approximately $77,000 across their their uh premiums and we would save approximately 44,000. But it's things are up in the air with respect to that. Um the health enrollment uh open enrollment period runs now May 15th to June 15th and um a letter was sent
049to the employees regarding any benefits they could acrewue by changes associated with the plan. Uh standard andors upgraded us to an AA plus which is really really good. Now they made an outlook change where we went from positive to stable and the b the big concern they said is as it was expressed to Robin was our planning horizon. They wanted more time which is not that easy for us to do. So you know we have a five-year plan for the building and we have a five-year plan on things. So I mean there's some things that we cannot change about that but the a going to a a plus was great. uh with respect to bus routes d uh the high school has canceled a route which could cost us approximately $40,000. So there is going
050to be a review of routes and stops etc and it is conceivable that things could change. There are some buses on the CMS route that might be able to be combined depending on the routing. So and especially complex when you put in athletics with it. So, it's got to be all looked at again, but that could be in the future like it's like I said, a change in the the buses and the stops. Uh, the auditors have started to work already and you're going to see agenda items that are, you know, most of them are pretty standard that you've probably seen before. There's things associated with grants. Something about RFP for our banking services is viewed that uh PNC is too is it PNC, Robin? Yes. uh their rates are getting a little too high.
051We approved the bill bills list. There was one bill for $38.14 which we're going to sign off on tonight. So otherwise we're okay. Everything is good. Um excuse me. There was something that came up associated with uh uh an employee and the cost of Cobra as it happens over the summer, etc. So, we're going to be paying the health care for that. Uh, very nice of the PTO to generate uh to donate the their I guess the remaining fund balance to the school for the purchase of a Smartboard. Uh, there are some library shelving that we're putting out to be sold online. And, excuse me, Robin has signed a new vendor for substitutes. nothing that we have to use, but at least it's another source that we have and we will meet again on July
0522nd. That's that. Thank you, Karen. Any questions for Karen? Okay, Danielle. Um, no, nothing to report. We we had to uh we had on Memorial Day a meeting for community relations and then we decided not to have one. So, we will reconvene or have the new one in June. Okay. Thank you, Crystal. Nothing to report. Okay. Yeah. Um the student achievement and curriculum committee um met on May 21st. Uh all members were in attendance. Um we reviewed uh just continued progress on the transition to the ready mathematics for next year. Again, the continued progress with the MTSS training which uh is continuing on for next year as well. Uh there's some planning um in those conversations not only in the moment for for the summer training and then into next year's uh course planning. Uh
053we reviewed summer curriculum hours uh which will be um focused on um some enhancements to ELA curriculum in Millington. Uh some enhancements for grade five uh through eight social studies and then the steam six through eight. Uh just updating with the current practice from the first year of implementing the program. Uh we talked about the seeing eye puppy presentation for today. Uh the attendance updates which are continuing to improve uh once we're through the flu season. Uh we are talking about parent webinar topics for next year. Um and with uh uh the June meeting, it was uh right around you know the end of the school year that week after the school year. So we decided to forego the June meeting. We will meet on July 2nd. So our next report won't be at the
054next meeting. It will be at the July meeting. That was it. Okay. Any questions for Ann? No. Okay. The the attendance does continue to go in the right direction. We just have we have it all on the website and we just have them had the May totals um uploaded and uh it's continuing to go upwards. It's a combination of people not being sick anymore and parents seeing that deadline being home for the whole summer. Okay. Sorry, Alex. Nothing to report. Thank you, Katie. Okay. Um the buildings and grounds committee met on May 28th. Um we uh I'm just going to give a really quick overview um as most of the stuff has been go ongoing all year. Um but Gillette, we had a sidewalk assessment um to make sure that um there was no tripping
055issues or anything like that. They're gonna actually try to um grind down some places to kind of make it flat and safer and re like where they can like kind of patch it in a way in a very professional way to make it look good and and to work really well. But um they're going to try that to see if that works better than just rivpping up the whole thing. So um you know it's really great that they're going to try this out and also it'll make sure that the grounds are safer. Um, and also, um, there's been some poison ivy at Millington, and, uh, that's been addressed. Um, and also there's a branch that is going to be, um, removed over, uh, over the ball field at Millington. So, that's kind of good news
056there. Um, we also went over how there's a lot of, um, different activities over the summer at uh, Central Middle School at Gillette. Um extended school ESY is going to be at Gillette and Central Middle School will have summer institute band camp, Lisbona camp and rec camp. So um one of the things that uh was discussed is possibly having the different um camps at Central kind of coordinate in some fashion to make sure that um that space is being utilized as um logically as possible and also um you know the most efficient use of the space. So, um I think that's a really positive um thing because one of the things we kept on saying is these are all our kids and so we want to make sure that um everyone is getting an equitable
057um ability to use everything that um is in in the facilities. Um then we had um you know our rod grants um that's all in you know everything is getting in order for that. Um there were 11 for the rod ramp. There's 11 unit ventilators on order and there are 13 RTUs for Millington. Um they we we kind of had a quick overview of the finalized library layout for Central Middle School. It looks really amazing. The the bright colors, the I think the kids are going to be really excited. I think the teachers are going to be excited. I'm really looking forward to um seeing it with people in it. So uh I'm I'm very excited for that. I think we all are. Um and then um we just kind of went over what was
058going on in in for for the summer. Um and also um there's a they're working on a security grant for the district. Um focusing on more cameras and more techn technology items. Um you know, originally wanted to try fencing and lock work, but also [Music] um I don't know how to explain it. like um you know it's like key passes and things like that to um so it's through the federal government we'll find out and um we have uh security plans already in place for the summer but if we if we um get this uh grant there'll be some more in the fall that we can be able to do. Um we are skipping our June meeting since this was so late in May and our next meeting will be July 16th. the Long Hill
059Ed Foundation. We had our color run um believe it was May 6th that was really successful and a lot of fun and we had lots of messy kids and um I'm still getting stuff out of my car. Um it was fantastic and uh we we raised a nice bit of money which will go back to the schools and more than anything the kids had a blast. I think the parents had more fun than kids. My husband got to throw dye at children and I don't want to know why he made that. He had so much fun. It was great. Uh and uh so that was great. Uh we have our next meeting um the third Tuesday, excuse me, the third Monday of the month. Um and we will uh send notifications out about that. It's
060an in-person meeting which is always fun. And also we are updating our um force classes. Um uh we kind of are trying to like level the playing field. It's we're only doing um in-house all teachers. So, we're not going to outside vendors in hopes to kind of make it more affordable for families. Um, they're they're kind of organizing so everything is similar in cost and and to make it uh more efficient for everyone and also so uh everyone's happy. So, um there'll be more information about that um coming in the fall and uh we just want to thank all the teachers and the families for um you know making our force program so successful. So, that's all we have for now. Thank you. Any questions for Katie? No. Okay. I don't have anything to report.
061So, go to superintendent's report. Okay. I just want to share a couple of items. At the end of the agenda, you'll see a resolution about the annual HIP report card which has been received from the state and is posted on our HIP web page. You may recall last fall we completed the self assessment based on the prior year's data. That's 2023 24 and presented it at the October board meeting. The official score that we got recently mirrors the self assessment and as you can tell by the score, 77 out of 78 points. And as you may recall from the presentation, we're doing very well with the program in our district. We're fortunate to have great students and teachers and strong relationships which create a positive climate and reduce the number of HIP complaints. The last
062step in the annual process is board approval of the report card. Agenda item number 50 contains the appropriate resolution. Also, I just want to mention that Robin and I uh presented next year's budget to the town council at its meeting last Wednesday night. We appreciated the support of the board members who were able to join us. The council was grateful for the presentation and all went very smoothly. On Friday, the eighth graders had a memorable educational experience at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Back home, Millington Field Day was a great success on Friday, as was the chorus concert on May 21st, which was standing room only. We look forward to the art show and band concert at Millington on Thursday evening. We also look forward to Central's commencement in two weeks. And last,
063the board retreat is Monday, June 16th at 5:30. and our next regular board meeting is July 7th. All the best to our students, staff, and families for a rejuvenating summer vacation. And I'll turn it over to Robin. Thank you. And I want to go over a few of the items that are on the agenda tonight. As part of our year-end financial process, we are required to notify the board in advance of any funds that may be designated for transfer into reserve accounts for the following school year. This includes capital reserve, maintenance reserve, and emergency reserve. While the final transfer amounts will be based on available surplus at year end, this step is necessary to remain in compliance and to ensure transparency and proper board authorization. I want to also talk just a little bit about
064um two of the grants that um other people sort of mentioned, but I just have a little bit more information for you. The district is currently applying to the school violence prevention program. The full application is due at the end of June 2025 that the grants performance period is scheduled to begin on October 1st, 2025. So award notifications are expected prior to that date so that we can implement planning. The district is currently in the process of applying for the uh grant with the full application due at the end of June. The grant uh will be used to purchase security cameras throughout the district and depending on the grant amount is how many we will get. Uh the grant's performance period is scheduled to begin on October 1st and therefore we hope to get an
065award notification sometime in late summer. We have also applied um thank you Dr. Jones uh to the optimal uh funding for the optimal comprehensive universal screeners grant which would be in the amount of $3,630 with the support from the New Jersey focus grant. The district will continue the I Ready Universal Literacy Screener for all students in grades K to3. Um the grant is just for students in K to three. That doesn't mean that that's only where the program will be used. It's just where the grant is being used. This adaptive standards align tool will be administered three times per year to provide a comprehensive picture of each student's reading development. The I Ready screener identifies specific skill gaps in key literacy areas including phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension, enabling educators to deliver timely and targeted interventions.
066So this grant has been applied for. We hope to hear from the state shortly that we received it. Also on the agenda tonight, um, in accordance with chapter 47, um, I want to report that a list has been prepared of all contracts that are expected to be renewed, awarded, or allowed to expire over the course of the upcoming school year. This requirement ensures transparency in our procedural practice and allows the board to be informed of anticipated contract contractual activity. Like I said, this is a yearly requirement. That's why you see that big long list. Um, lastly, I think Karen mentioned this, um, that we are updating the media center. You're going to love it. It's It really looks good. I saw the carpeting today. Um, but I'd also like to note that the library shelving
067that is currently there will no longer be needed following the summer updates, and therefore, we're going to list it on Gov Deals, which is a public auction site. Um, this allows us to responsibly dispose of the surplus items and potentially recoup some value for the district. Okay, that's it. Any questions? Thank you. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Uh any comments from the public on agenda items? Okay. Let's move into uh resolutions. Um the first uh four resolutions are related to retirements and the service um that we just honored. So I'm going to ask Karen, can you move those resolutions in? So moved. Second. Good pick, Robin. Mhm. Okay. Any questions? Do you want me to read the names and everything? I feel like we just went through, don't you think? Went through that. Um,
068any questions? Roll call, please. Mrs. Butler? Yes. Mrs. Dailyaly? Yes. Mr. Jamos? Yes. Mr. Dr. Maher? Yes. Mrs. McClennon? Yes. Mrs. Nyquist? Yes. Mrs. Casease? Yes. Um, Danielle, will you move in minutes number five? So moved. Second. Any questions? Roll call, please. Mrs. Butler, yes. Mrs. Bailey, yes. Mr. Dejamos, yes. Miss Dr. Maher, yes. Mrs. McClennon, yes. Mrs. Nyquis, yes. Mrs. Casease, yes. Um, Chris, we move in financials number 6 through 6 through 24. So move. Second. Any questions? Roll call, please. Mrs. Butler, yes. Mrs. Daly, yes. Mr. Dejamos, yes. Dr. Moore, yes. Mrs. um is 23 part of financials. Yes. Um I need to abstain from that. Um otherwise yes. Okay. M Nyquist. Yes. Mrs. Casease. Yes. And will you move in special services numbers 25 through 29? So moved. Second. Any questions? I
069I just want to ask uh this doesn't necessarily mean these are going to be the only schools. This is just as we know it now, right? And for the special ed schools. Yes. And then remember the list keeps going and they bold it when something new is put in put on so that when if you see it next time you'll see the same list and a bold one as we as the list grows. And and I probably should have asked this before approximately what was the percent increase from tu of tuition from year to year because they don't have a limit, right? No, they don't. Many of them were over 10%. I thought so. Okay. Yeah. Other questions. Okay. Roll. But aren't we I mean, yes, the the tuition increase is quite significant, but our
070our number of students has gone down. I think we have six students, but I think we were way above that in the past. A few years ago, I think it was over 15. Yeah. So, that's a positive. Okay. Other questions? Okay. Roll call. Mrs. Butler? Yes. Mrs. Dailyaly? Yes. Mr. Dejamos? Yes. Dr. Maher? Yes. Mr. McClennon? Yes. Mr. Nyquis? Yes. Mrs. Case? Yes. Alex, will you move in personnel numbers 30 through 43? So moved. Second. Any questions? Okay. Roll call, please. Mrs. Butler? Yes. Mrs. Dailyaly? Yes. Mr. Dejamos? Yes, Dr. Maher. Yes, Mrs. McClennon. Um, yes, but abstain from 32. Uh, Miss Nquist. Yes, Mrs. Casease. Yes. Um, okay. Where am I? Katie, will we move in curriculum number 44? So moved. Second. Any questions? Roll call. Mrs. Butler? Yes. Mrs. Dailyaly? Yes. Student Jamos?
071Yes. Dr. Maher? Yes. Mrs. McClennon? Yes. Miss Nyquist? Yes. Mrs. Case? Yes. Back to you, Karen. Will you move in policies number 45 through 49? So moved. Second. Any questions? Roll call, please. Mrs. Butler? Yes. Mrs. Dailyaly? Yes. Mr. Jamos? Yes. Dr. Maher? Yes. Mrs. McClennon? Yes. Mrs. Nyquis? Yes. Mrs. Case? Yes. And D Daniel, will you move in other number 50 to 51? So moved. Second. Any questions? Was that Crystal or Ann? Crystal. Okay. Another puppy. Very exciting. Yes. Um, roll call, please. Mrs. Butler, yes. Mrs. Daly, yes. Mr. Dejamos, yes. Dr. Maher, yes. Mrs. McClennon, yes. Mr. Nyquist, yes. Mrs. Case, yes. We have to do the portraits for the puppies every year. It just really beyond precious. Um, okay. Any items for discussion from the board members? Any unfinished business? Any new
072business? Okay. Any comments from the public? No. All right. Ann, will you move us into exe executive session? The board will enter into private executive session to discuss the evaluation of the superintendent. No action will be taken following the executive session. Second. Second. Thank you. We can do roll call. Uh, we don't need a roll call. All in favor? Any opposed? Abstensions. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you everyone. Thank you everyone. Have seven cupcakes.