On Thanksgiving: A Thank You Note to Every Mendham Township Taxpayer

We've started our Thanksgiving weekend, and in addition to the usual reasons we give thanks (family, friends, good health), I would like to say thank you to every Mendham Township Taxpayer, whether or not you voted to pass the 2009-10 school budget, for contributing to the school programs that benefit my children, London and Maddie. Here's why:

After our November parent-teacher conferences, I sent the following letter to Mendham Township Schools Superintendent Kris Harrison, MTES Principal Cara Allen, and Director of Curriculum Sandy Cullis:

Rex and I wanted to let you know how pleased we’ve been with the new programs at MTES this school year. Whenever we’ve been in the school halls, we’ve felt a very positive vibe among the students that reflects your “discipline with love” style, making “respect,” “cooperation,” and “work ethic” mean more than just words on a bulletin board. From the Outdoor Learning Center to additional technology in every classroom, the changes have taken MTES to a higher level. London and Maddie come home from school every day with enthusiastic stories about their classes with Allison Klacik and Laura Gallagher, and they’re even more excited about Gateways and Quest with Dori Smyth. Last week during conferences, Rex and I had the opportunity to meet with all three teachers to discuss our daughters’ progress, and we are thrilled about the enrichment experiences they have received from Gateways and Quest. It’s clear there’s an extra bounce in their steps because of these programs.

As you may know, we have been focused on challenging our children through a Gifted & Talented program at MTES since London started Kindergarten in September 2006, and your team’s implementation and execution in the program’s first year is impressive. The daily opportunity for London to go out to Gateways to read and interact on a level with her academic peers has made a world of difference in advancing her reading comprehension, encouraging her to reach to get to a higher level, and inspiring/continuing her love of learning. Beyond academic success, Rex and I have emphasized the value of leadership to our children, and Allison Klacik let us know that London has taken a strong leadership role in sharing her Quest experiences with the rest of her third grade class. In the second grade, Maddie has really grabbed hold of the weekly puzzles in her Gateways class, and always accepts the extra challenges that Dori Smyth delivers. Maddie has made serious progress in reading this year, as well as discovering and excelling at logic puzzles. Nancy Fuller continues to make sure math isn’t left out of the enrichment equation, and her energy brings out the math whiz in all of us when the girls bring home her enrichment packets.

Please let us know if there’s anything more we can do to continue to support Gateways, Quest, and other enrichment programs at MTES, and do let Dori Smyth know that both kids and parents believe she’s doing a fantastic job. Keep up the solid effort!

Kris Harrison responded quickly and reminded me that "During these difficult financial times, our schools, like others, will face deep scrutiny over every budgetary line item. As we move forward this year, please feel free to share your experiences with other families and your neighbors who do not have children in our schools as every positive story should be told. If our community is informed about how well we are meeting students’ needs there should be little worry about passing the budget and sustaining programs such as G&T/Enrichment and guidance that so often can be characterized as luxury items."

So at Thanksgiving, I thought it was just the right time to thank each and every one of the Mendham Township taxpayers, particularly those of you who don't have children or whose children have grown up and no longer benefit from the programs offered at our elementary and middle schools. In addition to the Gifted and Talented programs, I never realized until Sarah Springer, the new Mendham Township Elementary School guidance counselor, came into our lives how much my daughters needed her. Without airing too much of our family's dirty laundry, I'd like to acknowledge how important a guidance counselor turned out to be: London consulted Mrs. Springer for strategies to deal with her recurring nightmares about people-stealers; Maddie has also needed a resource for issues related to stress and worries.

For parents of children who don't participate directly in the new MTES Quest and Gateways programs, I'd encourage you to consider the idea that enrichment benefits everyone. When London goes out for 3rd Grade Gateways (reading enrichment on the seventh grade level), her friends who stay behind in Ms. Klacik's class benefit from smaller reading groups and extra attention. When she participates in Quest (the top 10% of academic achievers in the 3rd Grade), the rest of her class has an enrichment period devoted to Master Enrichment... projects on each student's topic of choice.

Too Tired to Be a Second Grader at Mendham Township Elementary School

I had spent the day hard at work on a Confidential Information Memorandum for one of our investment banking clients (let's call it Project "Rocket Science"), and had just about used up my quota of brain cells for the day, maybe even the week. Not to mention feeling a bit under the weather with my first cold of the season. Add a beer to the equation... Killian's Irish Red. Then Maddie asked me for help on her second grade math and logic puzzle homework tonight. She had finished most of the assignment, leaving only the toughest problems for mom to help out on. There were words in circles and other words not in circles, and somehow you were supposed to guess what the non-circle words had in common with each other and did not have in common with the circle words. Here's a sample problem that Maddie said was easy...the circle words are teddy bear, doll, and blanket; outside the circle words are pants, scissors, and pliers. Well, not only am I NOT smart enough to be a fourth grader, I am too tired to be a second grader! Here's the trick...turns out the words outside the circle come in pairs. I think I'll put on a pair of pajamas, grab my teddy bear, and get into bed early so I can wake up tomorrow morning smart enough to be a second grader, third grader, and an investment banker.

First Day of School

Another shiny new school year has begun! After waking an hour early all excited about seeing their friends and teachers and wheeling their new rolling backpacks down the halls of Mendham Township Elementary School, London and Maddie headed off on the school bus for their first day of school.

Maddie's Incredible Kid Day

As the 2008-2009 school year comes to an end, Mrs. Brown's first grade class at Mendham Township Elementary School is planning a final celebration. On Friday, June 12th, we will celebrate "Incredible Kid Day." To prepare for "Incredible Kid Day," all of the parents were asked to take some time to reflect and think about why we feel our child is unique and truly incredible. For this special day, Rex and I will share our thoughts with Maddie by writing a special letter to her telling why we think she is "incredible." As I started writing in earnest, Maddie wanted to know why I was getting all mushy and teary-eyed. We will read our letters to Maddie in class on "Incredible Kid Day," but I've decided to post mine here as well:

Maddie,
On the day you burst out into the world, I was filled with so much joy and love that I thought you couldn’t be much more incredible…but as you’ve grown up to be an almost second grader, I’ve discovered that you grow more incredible with each passing day, week, and year. Maddie, you are INCREDIBLE!
I think you’re incredible, and love you because you’re the one and only you… the unforgettable Maddie!
Naughty but nice, with that sweet mischievous grin that tells me you’ll never be in trouble for long. Remember when you forged that note from mommy excusing you from math lab with Mrs. Fuller? I can’t wait to see how this fun-loving approach will play out when you get to middle school and high school.
Creative. I love the unique projects you come up with, pulling together your favorite photos and writing stories about them. I can’t wait to teach you how to do more on the computer, since you’re already building upon the basics that Mr. Gallo teaches in technology class. At school, you work so hard at reading, writing and spelling and you’re turning out to be a real math whiz. I’ve been so proud of you as you master double-digit addition and subtraction, learning to tell time, and counting money… at school and in “real life.”
Rock Star, dancer and choreographer, singing Hannah Montana and High School musical faves with your all girl basement band, the Butter Bites. You’re the only first grader I know who is writing her own songs and choreographing dance moves for performances for family and friends, and one day the Disney Channel and the world!
Entrepreneur at the beach…the way you and London have been painting and selling seashells down by the seashore for 25 cents each since Memorial Day 2007 is impressive. You and your sister have earned over $300 towards Kit’s American Girl tree house, way too many Webkinz and your college savings plan….not to mention the friends and “fan club” who stop by our beach house every weekend to paint with you and admire your beautiful painted shells.
Daddy’s girl and sous chef. You’ve been cooking with your dad since you were a preschooler at Westmont Montessori… Santa really knew what he was doing when he brought you a set of your very own kitchen tools and ingredients for Christmas.
Incredibly poised, a graceful ballerina, and an agile gymnast
Big smiles that you give me every day… when I wake you up in the morning and tuck you in at night, and everywhere in between.
Loving sister and loyal friend to all your friends, old and new. You and your sister, London, have been best friends ever since she greeted you on your first night home from Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC, and the love that the two of you share is just incredible. You’re also a loyal friend to many new buddies from your kindergarten and first grade classes. You’ve kept up your friendship with Izzy from Westmont Montessori, and when you get together it’s like you were just working on a project together yesterday…chat chat chat!
Even if you couldn’t do any of these things, Maddie, I’d still find you to be an incredible kid. Just by being yourself, you fill my life and our home with happiness and love…and that’s pretty darn incredible.
-- Love, Mom

London's Inkblot Cinquain

One of our favorite "centers" at Mendham Township Elementary School's Family Art & Poetry Night was the Inkblot Cinquain Project.

London brought her inkblot cinquain home, but Maddie's teacher was absent today and the substitute didn't send her artwork home.



Butterfly
A butterfly is a very
colorful insect. They fly
very gracefully.
They are great insects.

A cinquain is a five-line poem. Here's how it works, if you'd like to play along at home:

Line 1: Decide on your (one-word) title (a subject or noun).

Line 2: Think of two-word phrases (adjectives) that describe your topic.

Line 3: Think of three-word phrases (action verbs) that tell something the topic can do.

Line 4: Think of four-word phrases (or complete sentences) that describe a feeling about your topic.

Line 5: Think of one word that refers to your title (synonym of line 1 or a word that sums it up)

For Those Who Always Rock... We Salute You!

It is bedtime here in the Roxiticus Valley, but not before I dash off a quick post saluting two terrific teachers, Mrs. Bizzarro and Mrs. Picerno, who presented an amazing Art & Poetry Night at Mendham Township Elementary School.

Since Rex was flying home from Washington, DC tonight, he missed out on all the fun. There was plenty of glue and colorful paints and lots of Sharpies (fistfuls of permanent markers, I tell you, permanent!!)... London, Maddie and I had a blast with lots of our friends at MTES, who came together from 6:30pm until 8:30pm to combine art and poetry in four different projects:

• Inkblot cinquains
• Chinese brush painting and haiku ("Oh mom, pleeeeeease stop repeating the haiku about the lady with pink hair!!")
• Poetry on a colorful "bag" ("If I were blue, I would be..."); and
• Poetry spinners

Over the weekend, I'm going to try to photograph London and Maddie's projects (their inkblots are still drying) and post them here, and I'll also try to provide better descriptions of the evening's activities, as I know I have not done them justice tonight.

I also want to note that I've been corresponding privately with a mom of two boys who is considering a move to Mendham Township this summer, and I wish you could have been at MTES tonight, you'd have been completely sold on our wonderful teachers and community of friendly kids and down-to-earth parents (only a tiny fraction of whom stay up late at night posting naughty haiku on their blogs).

Get Out the Vote: School Budget Election Next Tuesday, April 21st

Now I may or may not have more to say about the school budget meeting I attended last night at Mendham Township Elementary School, but one thing is clear... no matter what my personal agenda or yours for the Mendham Township School District, we need the 2009-10 school budget to pass.

So get out and vote in favor of the new Mendham Township School budget... next Tuesday, April 21st. You can tell 'em Roxy sent you.

Mendham Township Elementary School Has A New Principal... Welcome Cara Allen

London and Maddie brought home the following Mendham Township Elementary School Principal Update in their backpack mail today, January 21, 2009:

"Dear Parents and Guardians,

In an effort to identify the very best leader for Mendham Township Elementary School, an extremely thorough process was conducted, which included interviews with administration and with a committee that was representative of the school community. Through these efforts, an outstanding educator and leader was identified whose credentials, experiences, and personality are a wonderful match for our school."

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Does Mendham Township Elementary School Have An Orange Thumb?

Does Mendham Township Elementary School have an Orange Thumb?

The Mendham Township Education Foundation is hard at work raising funds for a very important and exciting project at London and Maddie's school. With the generous support of Mendham Township parents and others, the education foundation is working to construct an outdoor learning center in the Mendham Township Elementary School library courtyard, converting an unused area to a rich learning center that will strongly benefit the students and help the community in a variety of ways. The concept of this project has been under discussion for over six years by a number of different groups, but in the past six months, the Mendham Township Education Foundation has made great strides towards getting it done.

In addition to the generous donations of local families, I'm hopeful that the Mendham Township Education Foundation Outdoor Learning Center Project will qualify for a 2009 Project Orange Thumb grant from Fiskars. The Fiskars Project Orange Thumb grant would be a great resource to provide some of the tools and funding needed to execute the plans for the Mendham Township Elementary School garden. Within the United States and Canada, twenty (20) winners will be selected to receive grants of up to $1,500 in Fiskars garden tools and up to $800 in gardening-related materials (i.e. green goods). According to the rules on the Project Orange Thumb web site, gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture and/or horticultural education are eligible. Community garden groups, as well as schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities are all encouraged to apply. The Mendham Township Education Foundation Outdoor Learning Center Project seems like a perfect fit for a Project Orange Thumb grant from Fiskars.



Marking Fiskars sixth successful year in 2008, Project Orange Thumb has provided over 100 community groups with over $300,000 to create and develop their own special community gardens. The application deadline for the 2009 Project Orange Thumb grant cycle is Febuary 17, 2009, and grant recipients will be notified on March 25, 2009, in plenty of time to meet our goal for completion of the Outdoor Learning Center over the summer.

Roxy's Report from the Mendham Township School Board Work Session Meeting Tonight -- Tuesday, November 18, 2008

At the Mendham Township Home and School Association (HSA) meeting following Elementary School Principal Michael Craver’s resignation, School Board President Mark Ford urged interested parents, “If you want to know what’s going on with the School Board, what issues we’re addressing, go to the School Board meetings. They’re open to the public.” Before tonight, I had only attended one other School Board meeting, the one in September welcoming our new Superintendent, Kristopher Harrison. While I certainly would have preferred to stay home tonight and do math facts and read stories with London and Maddie, I wanted to learn more about the recruitment process for our next Elementary School Principal. The agenda included quite a few items, none of which were clearly labeled, “How’s the Principal recruitment process going?” That was eventually covered when Mark Ford asked for questions/issues from the public, but before we got there I learned a few things that I’d like to pass along.

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Roxy's Report from the Mendham Township Home & School Association Meeting on Elementary School Principal Transition and Recruitment

Since we received the news on Halloween that our Mendham Township Elementary School Principal Michael Craver had resigned suddenly, there's been a great deal of concern and discussion among local parents, both about the reasons behind his departure, and the transition process. The leaders of our Home & School Association reacted quickly to our concerns, enlisting School Board President Mark Ford and members of the transition team to join the regularly scheduled HSA meeting this morning. The meeting was well attended by concerned parents, and I had trouble finding a parking space when I arrived at the school at 9:15am. Pushing the discussion of Fall Fundraiser ieas and Sally Foster wrapping paper profits to the end of the agenda, we got right to the subject of the transition.

School Board President Mark Ford started out by trying to calm our concerns about the transition and recruitment process, including:

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Mendham Township Elementary School Principal Update: Board President Mark Ford and Interim Superintendent Catherine Mozak at HSA Meeting Tomorrow

I just received an e-mail from the Mendham Township Home and School Association (H.S.A.) with the following important change to tomorrow's scheduled meeting:

Mark Ford, School Board President, and Catherine Mozak, Interim Superintendent, will be speaking at the Wednesday, November 5, H.S.A. meeting at 9:15 in the Elementary School staff development room. They will address, among other things, the process for finding a new Elementary School principal.

I don't ordinarily attend the monthly H.S.A. meetings and I had been planning to take the train in to work in my office in New York City, but this is a meeting I just can't miss. I'll hope the short notice doesn't prevent too many interested parents from attending, and I'll hope to see many other Mendham Township parents there.

If you're unable to make it to the meeting, I'll do my best to take notes and provide an objective update here at Roxiticus Desperate Housewives and over at my Roxy's Best Of... Mendham, New Jersey site.

Mendham Township Elementary School Mini-Marathon Rescheduled to Tuesday, November 4th

Rex and I just got phone calls and e-mails from the new Mendham Township schools Honeywell Alert system with the following important message:

The Mendham Township Elementary School mini marathon scheduled for today (Monday, November 3rd) has been canceled and rescheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday, November 4, 2008) due to inclement weather. Once again, today's mini marathon has been canceled and will take place tomorrow, November fourth. If you have further questions or concerns, please call the elementary school main office: (973) 543-7107.

London and Maddie were all dressed up in their mini-marathon outfits and ready to run... guess we'll have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Roxy's Halloween Recap: Mendham Township Elementary School Halloween Parade

After Tuesday's crazy snow storm, today was a great day for a Halloween Parade in the Roxiticus Valley, and Mendham Township Elementary School did not disappoint us. We were there to cheer on London and Maddie in their store-bought costumes as our two Sharpays from Disney's High School Musical, and came away impressed with the creativity of the students (and parents) from first through fourth grade.

While Sarah Palin apparently had another commitment, Barack Obama and John McCain turned out for the MTES parade, along with a Rubik's cube, Fancy Nancy, a very well done (homemade) robot, girls in their poodle skirts, and lots of scary monsters and Star Wars characters including a teacher as a perfect Princess Lea.

The West Morris Mendham high school marching band turned out in force, leading the crowd of costumed students in their march around the school grounds.

Continue reading (more photos)

On a separate Mendham Township Elementary School subject: Click here for news on Mendham Township Elementary School Principal Michael Craver's resignation.

Mendham Township Elementary School Principal Michael Craver Resigns

Updated Saturday, November 1st with official Board of Education letter to parents and staff.

It started with rumors whispered at the Mendham Township Elementary School Halloween Parade this afternoon, and I confirmed it with Principal Craver himself after the parade. Mendham Township Elementary School Principal Michael Craver has resigned. He intends to pursue a doctoral program that will lead to greater opportunities within education in the future.

I'm disappointed to report that I did not receive the official letter from the Mendham Township Board of Education in today's mail, and there is nothing on the MTES web site, but as soon as I get a copy of it I will post it here. I'd also like to use my Roxy's Best Of... Mendham, NJ site to create a forum for discussion. When the Mendham Township School District hired our new superintendent Kristopher Harrison away from Maplewood, I was impressed with Maplewood's active online forum where parents lamented their loss and our gain with raves about their experiences with Harrison in their schools.

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Trick or Treat: London and Maddie, Rex and Roxy Ready for Second Halloween Appearance

Happy Halloween, everyone! Here in the Roxiticus Valley, London and Maddie hopped on the schoolbus this morning with their Sharpay costumes, excited about the big Halloween Parade at Mendham Township Elementary School at 2:30pm this afternoon.

On the left, in a photo from last weekend's Bay Head Halloween Parade, London appears as Sharpay in her "end of year celebration" outfit and Maddie struts her stuff as Sharpay "golf."

In addition to the school parade, the Brookside fire department is hosting a Halloween party at the Mendham Township Elementary School at 5:30pm. We'll be out trick or treating with friends in Drakewick, and will hope to see you out there in costume!

For our loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers from out of town and around the world, I would love to see your comments here about your plans for Halloween? Are any grown-ups dressing up for Halloween parties or to go out in the neighborhood with your kids? How 'bout the kids? Do you celebrate Halloween in your part of the world, or another holiday with a similar theme?

Weird Snow in the Roxiticus Valley

Okay, it isn't even Halloween, the leaves are still colorful on the trees, and as you can see, we have about two inches of snow on the ground in the Roxiticus Valley. We got a call from Mendham Township Elementary School, letting us know that they were not sending the kids home early. Instead, the school officials were hopeful that the road crews would have time to salt and sand and clean up the roads before the school buses headed home at the regular dismissal times. Maddie's first Daisy Girl Scouts meeting was cancelled, and although Randolph Gymnastics is open for business, I decided we were better off scheduling a make-up for our classes today.

I know I promised my loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers some more photos from the Bay Head Halloween Parade, but first I want to show you this crazy snow!

Maddie’s First Grade Class Trip to Stony Hill Farm in Chester, New Jersey

Last week, I had the good fortune to chaperone Maddie's first grade class trip to Stony Hill Farm in Chester, New Jersey. The first graders, teachers, and a handful of moms and dads boarded the school buses in front of Mendham Township Elementary School at 9:00am on Tuesday, October 21^st and made the quick trip to Chester. Our group was escorted into the barn for an educational session about farming that I found fascinating. We learned a great deal about growing corn, feeding livestock and the difference between straw and hay, raising and protecting bees (honey bees and other native bees), and the importance of supporting our local farmers. As many of the first graders seemed distracted, kicking the straw and stirring up dust (aaaahchooo!), I worried that our farm guide's expertise had been lost on the kids, but I was thrilled later that night when Maddie put all of the information into her own words to share it with Rex and London at the dinner table that night.

Continue reading (pumpkin picking, VOTE '08 corn maze, phone and directions)

Great Fun at the Family Sock Hop Last Night

Just a quick note before we leave for our beach house in Bay Head, NJ, this morning...London, Maddie, Rex and I had great fun at the Family Sock Hop at Mendham Township Elementary School Last Night.  While our family didn't really go all out to find the right costumes for the occasion, plenty of moms and daughters were there in poodle skirts and sweater sets, and a few dads and sons were wearing their white t-shirts, leather jackets and jeans.  The Alley Cats even pulled one dad up on stage to sing with them.

Brittany, the SuperGoddess, was right about the Alley Cats...they are a nationally-known band that has been together and touring for almost 25 years. They really rocked! Lots of fifties and sixties favorites like At the Hop and Hand Jive (now London and Maddie are doing the hand jive all around the house)...they ended the night with Goodnight, Sweetheart.  We were there until the very end so London, Maddie, and their girlfriends could rush the stage for autographs.

I'll try to post some photos later today.

An Old-Fashioned Sock Hop with the Alley Cats at Mendham Township Elementary School -- This Friday, October 3rd from 7 to 9pm

The Mendham Township School District's Cultural Arts Committee invites families to a fun night of 50's music, dancing, and contests. So... put on your poodle skirts, roll up your jeans and join London, Maddie, Rex and Roxy at the Family Sock Hop this Friday, October 3rd from 7 to 9pm in the Mendham Township Elementary School gym.

The Alley Cats will provide the musical entertainment. $1.00 ice cream sodas and other refreshments will be served by the 8th grade fundraising team. For further information contact Nan Buchney (973) 543-3964 or Monica MacLean (908) 955-4097. RSVP to drmaclean1 at comcast dot net.

Please bring donations for the Morris County Food Bank.

We'll see you there!