On Friday, January 24, Forest Avenue School held an all-school assembly to kick-off its “One School, One Book” Program. All students, teachers and families will be reading The Lemonade War by Jaqueline Davies. Everyone will read one chapter per night. Students will participate in classroom activities which relate to the book and they will be able to blog about their reading. The program will culminate with an author visit on February 21.

Yvette McNeal, the principal of H.B. Whitehorne Middle School, sent out two emails this morning about traffic problems at school drop off and pick up.

“It is imperative for the safety of our students and teachers that you do NOT use the parking lot behind the cafeteria (off of Gould) for drop off or pick up,” McNeal wrote. “This parking lot is for staff only and is clearly marked as such. We have had collisions and some of our students have been put in harm’s way.  Additionally, when you drop off or pick up from that parking lot, you delay traffic. ”

She also cautioned drivers on where they park to wait. “Please be advised that when you pick up your children up from the front or the Terry’s lot, you may not park in areas that are not parking spots.  Do not park along the back of the school.  Do not double park.  You create a danger to the students when you do not follow parking/pickup guidelines.  I have asked the Verona Police to assist after school and issue tickets to anyone who is parked illegally.”

It was clear from the minute they took their seats that the crowd at Tuesday night’s Board of Education was not happy that Verona would be losing Superintendent Steven A. Forte to Denville. And when they finally got to the microphone for the public portion of the meeting, they made their feelings even clearer.

“This superintendent is the only one that we have had since I was in town who was proactive,” said George DePaul, an Ozone Avenue resident. “He went out and tried to get things done. He attended school events, he made himself accessible to the public. He had an open door policy. He had a great rapport with all the students.”

Forte announced his resignation, first reported by MyVeronaNJ.com, as part of his report to the Board. “I think there are a lot of great people in this town and I am very sad to leave,” said Forte. “But I think this new position will give me an opportunity to do my most important job, which is to be a dad.”

Forte opened the BOE meeting with update on the district’s strategic plan, noting that the Verona had achieved its goal of creating a $150,000 maintenance reserve, and stressing that he was continuing to seek new revenue sources for Verona. He asked for the BOE’s support in creating something called the School of Choice program, an opportunity to open up an academy-like system for tuition-paying students around existing resources, like Verona’s music department. Forte envisioned a scenario in which a non-resident student might audition for the Gold band at HBW, and then the state would pay $15,000 a year for that student to attend the middle school–and beyond.

Forte said that Springfield is bringing in $750,000 from their math-science academy, and that Morris Knolls is funding the turfing of its sports fields from an academy. “It’s just a different way of finding revenue,” Forte said, adding that the state is looking to approve an academy in Essex County. “I’m ready to go with this if you think this is something you want to do,” he told the Board.

But much of what people wanted to do last night was thank Forte for his service, which will end on June 30. “I would like to sincerely thank Mr. Forte for his efforts,” said BOE member Joseph Bellino. “He brought some very innovative things with him, and it was one of the reasons why we hired him. He brought dual enrollment classes, he certainly led the charge on putting the lower field before us, the idea of a Choice school.” Bellino also noted that, “he had the foresight to move the high school graduation before we had the problem with the field. I want to thank Mr. Forte for his effort. I wish him the very best in his new endeavor. Having been in a position where I spent time at night away from my family, I know the value of being close to home. I wish you the very best of luck. Denville’s gain is our loss.”

Dina DeVivo, a parent of middle and high school students, echoed that sentiment. “Thank you Mr. Forte, you have given us insight and direction,” she said. “You really set us up for success.”

DeVivo and others in the audience wanted to know what the BOE would do to retain Forte’s replacement. “We have a revolving door of superintendents,” she said. “What are we doing wrong? We are either not hiring the proper candidates or keeping the proper candidates.”

Lori Gautieri was along those who sought to have the BOE clarify whether a contract extension had been offered to Forte or previous superintendents. BOE President John Quattrocchi said that Earl Kim, who was superintendent until 2008, had asked for an extension, but that the Board at the time had been reluctant to do so. Quattrocchi said that Forte asked for an extension in 2013, but the Board was advised by its attorney that it could not do so, largely because the BOE election process had started.

“It sounds like the Board was not supportive,” said Gautieri, addressing Forte. “I am very sad to see you go.”

“Steve, I just want to wish you all the luck,” said Pam Priscoe, a former president of the F.N. Brown SCA and a current co-president of HBW’s SCA. “You were very visible and open. We didn’t have that much before. That was a lot for us parents, knowing our superintendent. My kids know you. We’re going to miss you here.”

Verona public schools are closed Monday because of the snow. More is on the ground now and more is headed our way.

According to the National Weather Service, a winter storm warning remains in effect until 7 p.m. tonight. It says to expect heavy snow and freezing rain all the way into Tuesday night and into Wednesday. Snow accumulation could be 5 to 8 inches today, with visibilities of a quarter mile or less.

This is the last of the 4 snow days that the BOE had built into the schedule. Anything else has to come off Spring break.

No word yet on whether the Town Council meeting that is on the calendar for tonight is on or off. The last meeting was canceled by the snow. Also no word yet on whether the boys varsity basketball game against Bloomfield Tech will be happening. Both the basketball game and the Verona-Glen Ridge hockey team match against Montclair have been scrapped for today.

The Board of Education has approved the calendar for the 2014-2015  year for Verona public schools and there’s going to be an extra-long break over Christmas and New Years.

School starts on Thursday, September 4, 2014 and there’s the usual mess of half days in November. Christmas break begins with a  half day on Tuesday, December 23 and runs all the way to Monday January 5, 2015.

We’ll have a shortened Winter break again, running from Friday, February 13, 2015, to Tuesday, February 17. Spring break will again be the next to last week in April, from 20 to 24.

The last day of school will be Friday, June 19, 2015, with graduation for the class of 2015 that evening.

You can view the full calendar here.

This morning, we posted the alert about the snow day to MyVeronaNJ.com’s Facebook page. Among the first comments we got was one from Meegan Mattheis, who grew up in Verona but now lives in New Hampshire:

“We do ‘Virtual School’ days here in nh at our school for snow days. If they know there might be a snow day the next day, they send the kids home with a packet of school work that takes about 2 hours to complete. We used to do snow make up days on Saturday for a half day. Anything so we can get out the first week of June! I like Virtual School better.”

Virtual snow days have been tested by many schools across the country, and some have even put formal plans in place, like New Hampshire. Its program is called “Blizzard Bag Days” and it runs something like this: A public school district or private school submits a plan to the state commissioner of education to show how the school could operate over the Internet for up to five days in bad weather or some other emergency. That means class assignments must be prepared in advance, teachers have to have Internet access, the academic work to be done online must be the equivalent of what would happen in the classroom and the school must know how many students don’t have Internet access at home and have a plan for them. Teachers must check on the work and at least 80% of students and teachers must participate in the “Blizzard Bag” day for it to count as a school day. If kids don’t do their work on a “Blizzard Bag” day, they are counted as absent. The district can’t declare a “Blizzard Bag” day until its program has been approved by the state.

Could it work here in New Jersey?

“That is a great question and it should work,” says Verona’s superintendent of schools, Steven A. Forte, when reached by one of our era’s key virtual communication tools, e-mail. He says that while New Jersey doesn’t have a “Blizzard Bag” equivalent in place, the state did require all districts to make a pandemic flu plan for long-term closures. “The only thing they never answered was if the virtual days would count as one of the 180 days required,” he said.

If the state did make such a decision, Verona might still come up a bit short. The district’s Internet infrastructure is 10 years old and its email system has been prone to increasingly frequent crashes. The referendum planned for March 11 would spend almost $1 million to upgrade our schools’ tech backbone and bring more new technology to more classrooms. (We’re going to have a whole bunch of stories on that soon.)

So we’d like to get your opinion. What do you think of having virtual snow days here?

The Verona High School Alumni Association (VHSAA) is proud to announce the honorees for this year’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Congratulations are in order for those alumni who have demonstrated excellence in their careers, through their athletic, academic, artistic or other notable contributions. Please join us in welcoming the following inductees:

Anthony Carsillo – class of 1970
Herbert A. Babb – former principal
Jack Wickham – class of 1958
Steve Aldiero – class of 1986
VHS Boys Soccer team: 1957 – 1958
Colonel Joseph A. Simonelli, Jr. – class of 1982

This event is open to all and we welcome your support. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony dinner will be held on Thursday, April 3 at 6:30 p.m. at The Villa at Mountain Lakes. Please join us in celebrating the lives of the inductees, as we reflect on the accomplishments that prompted their nominations. This promises to be a fun, meet-old-friends; enjoyable evening.

Ticket availability will be on a first-come/first pay basis. The cost of the evening will be $75.00 per seat; ticket and reservation information is available through the website at www.vhsalumni.net. Please download the reservation form and mail with check to Verona High School Alumni Association, PO Box 121, Verona NJ 07044. Or email VHSHOF@gmail.com for ticket information.

Verona’s public schools are out of snow days. So with snow and ice predicted for tonight and a massive snow storm on the way for Sunday, they have taken back vacation days from the February break and turned them into half days. This will give us two more snow days.

Here’s what’s happening according to the email just sent out by the schools:

In light of the string of emergency closing days and the threat of more to come we have decided to modify the 2013-14 school calendar.
The current calendar calls for February 14 and 17 to be vacation days for students and staff and February 18 to be a staff development day. The changes will be:

• Friday February 14, 2014 will now be a 4 hour session for students and professional development in the afternoon for staff. Students will follow the regular four hour session schedule.
• Monday February 17, 2014 will remain a vacation day for students and staff.
• Tuesday February 18, 2014 will now be a 4 hour session for students and professional development in the afternoon for staff. Students will follow the regular four hour session schedule.

If we blow through six snow days, the school district will start dipping into Spring break.

Judy DiNapoli

In a decision released on January 22, the court found that the commissioner had erred in finding that Judith A. DiNapoli had retained her secretarial tenure rights and could “bump” a non-tenured employee when her then position of assistant school business administrator was eliminated.

DiNapoli, who unsuccessfully ran for the BOE last year, had filed suit against the district in 2011, arguing that she should have been offered a secretarial position in the district after her position as assistant business administrator was eliminated. DiNapoli had been a district employee since 1977, largely in non-tenured positions.

An administrative law judge for the state initially ruled against the Board of Ed, and the commissioner of education confirmed that decision. The Board of Ed appealed both rulings, a decision that was often questioned by members of the public at school board meetings because of the perceived cost of the appeals. The BOE offered to work out a settlement with DiNapoli in 2012, but that offer was declined. The BOE incurred $53,497 in fees to pursue the case.

Reached by email, DiNapoli said she was “not surprised” at the decision, but she noted that she had filed a claim of tenure appeal because she was concerned that, due to the economic situation in 2011 and her age, she would not be able to find a new job. “Fortunately, I was able to gain employment as a school accountant over a year ago, so this decision does not have any significant impact on me at the present time,” DiNapoli said. “As I have always contended, my claim was not about getting a monetary award — I just wanted to be able to work and make a living.”

DiNapoli did note that the decision suggests that she had “voluntarily” accepted the position change at Verona and in so doing knowingly gave up her right to tenure. But she says that there is no official record in the BOE minutes of her official appointment to the position of assistant business administrator and that, when she got her contract in 2009, she did question how some of the contract language would affect her tenure. She adds that, “I probably should have questioned all of this to a greater extent since, I trusted that the Verona Board of Education was knowledgeable of tenure rights and their responsibility to discuss this with me prior to my ‘promotion’ and also that they would have followed proper procedure according to policy with regards to new titles or positions.”

They are masters at texting, and now they can do the triple step too. Students at H.B. Whitehorne spent last week learning about Swing dance: Its history, its music and, most of all its moves, in preparation for an ambitious entertainment night at the middle school this Saturday, February 8.

Thanks to a grant from the Verona Foundation for Educational Excellence (VFEE), the middle school pulled together a multi-discipline curriculum that helped students learn about a uniquely American dance, and not just by reading about it in books. HBW brought in New York City-based dancer Arturo Perez, who ran every single gym class  through all the complicated steps and turns. Music teachers Dan Halpern and  Brian Michalowski, meanwhile, worked with the HBW jazz band, which will provide all the sound for Swing Dance Night–and a big sound it will be. Listen to this rehearsal video with your eyes closed and you likely won’t know you’re hearing tween and teenage musicians.

Truth be told, the dance lessons weren’t always easy. Perez made his male students formally approach the young ladies to ask them for a dance, and the girls had to be just as formal in their response. In the gym, there were lots of rolled eyes and sighs as the kids had to actually hold hands to dance (note to grandparents: that’s not what happens now).  There were complaints on Facebook and Twitter pages, but in the gym there were also a lot of smiles as the kids whirled around gym, or watched Perez and his partner fly across the floor at top speed. At the end of the week, there was a lot of confidence on the gym floor, and we’ve heard that, at home, some kids actually taught their parents and siblings how to dance.

Perez, who teaches dance to adults as well as to students in New York City schools, was full of praise for the HBW crowd. “They managed to learn in one week what some of my other classes learn in eight. He’s hoping that other New Jersey schools will take up Swing so that there could be dances between schools. That would probably make some HBW teachers happy too: Science teacher Amy Heckel, who noted proudly that she was part of a Swing dance club in college, kept dragging her colleagues on the floor during the lesson.

Swing Dance Night starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. There will be a 30-minute dance lesson, followed by two sets of live Big Band music. There are only a few tickets left for sale at the door; they’re $10 per person.

Bryant University: Brianna DaRin, a freshman in Accounting was named to the fall semester Dean’s List at Bryant University.Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., is a leading private university offering an innovative and uniquely integrated business and liberal arts education. Founded in 1863, Bryant University has approximately 3,500 graduate and undergraduate students from 35 states and 85 countries. Bryant University is recognized as a leader in international education and regularly receives top rankings from U.S. News and World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes and Barron’s.

Clarkson University: Michael Patrick King, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, was named a Presidential Scholar for the fall 2013 semester at Clarkson University. Presidential Scholars must achieve a minimum 3.80 grade-point average and carry at least 14 credit hours. Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world’s pressing issues.

Georgia Institute of Technology: Phillip Vetrano made the Dean’s List for fall semester at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This designation is awarded to undergraduate students who have a 3.0 or higher academic average for the semester. Georgia Tech is one of the nation’s leading research universities, providing a focused, technologically based education to more than 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The Institute has many nationally recognized programs and is ranked in the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report.

Hofstra University: William Schenkel, a senior majoring in Global Studies, has been named to the Fall 2013 Provost’s List, which requires a 4.0 grade point average. Hofstra University is a nationally ranked private university just 25 miles from New York City and all its cultural, recreational and professional opportunities. Students can chose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering and applied science, communication, education, health sciences and human services, honors studies, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. Named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, and one of only two schools chosen to host consecutive presidential debates, Hofstra University is a dynamic community of more than 11,000 students known for civic engagement and public service.

Ithaca College: Ithaca College congratulates more than 1,400 students who made the Dean’s list in the fall 2013 semester, including Brian Hardenberg, Theresa Lau and Joel Paisner of Verona. From day one, Ithaca College prepares students for success through hands-on experience with internships, research and study abroad. Its integrative curriculum builds bridges across disciplines and uniquely blends liberal arts and professional study. Located in New York’s Finger Lakes region, the College is home to 6,100 undergraduate and 400 graduate students.

Marist College: Hannah Dayan and Rita McNeil of Verona have been named to the Marist College Dean’s List for the fall 2013 semester. Marist is an independent comprehensive liberal arts college with an enrollment of 4,700 full-time undergraduate students. Founded in 1929, the College offers 44 major fields of undergraduate study and 12 graduate degree programs. Marist is included in the Princeton Review’s 2013 guide to the top colleges and universities in the U.S., The Best 377 Colleges. Marist is also ranked 10th in the northern United States in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 “Best Colleges” guide and is listed by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as one of the best values in private colleges and universities.

Messiah College: Michael Hardenberg, a sophomore majoring in music, and Julia Temple, a junior majoring in education dual certification, were named to the dean’s list for the 2013 fall semester at Messiah College. Dean’s list is earned by receiving a 3.6 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale. Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg.

Pratt Institute: Ryan Denora was among the more than 1,000 students who made the President’s List in the Fall 2013 semester. Founded in 1887, Pratt Institute is a global leader in higher education dedicated to preparing its 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students for successful careers in art, design, architecture, information and library science, and liberal arts and sciences. Located in a cultural hub with historic campuses in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Pratt is a living lab of craft and creativity with an esteemed faculty of accomplished professionals and scholars who challenge their talented students to transform their passion into meaningful expression.

Quinnipiac University: Sarah Frawley and Alison Perna were named to the the dean’s list at Quinnipiac University for the Fall 2013 semester. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 with no grade lower than C. Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 6,400 full-time undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students in 58 undergraduate and more than 20 graduate programs of study in its School of Business and Engineering, School of Communications, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Law, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, School of Nursing and College of Arts and Sciences.

Rider University: Molly Cummings, a sophomore communication studies major, Marybeth Grund, a freshman criminal justice major, Daniel Scanlon, a sophomore secondary education major, Erin Smythe, a sophomore elementary education major and Bridget Sullivan, a senior elementary education major, have been placed on the dean’s list for the fall 2013 semester. Rider University, founded in 1865, is a comprehensive, private, coeducational university located in Lawrenceville and Princeton, N.J. With approximately 5,500 students studying at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas of business, education, liberal arts and sciences, music, and the fine and performing arts, Rider offers an academic experience with a personal approach that is celebrated for educating talented students for citizenship, life and career success.

Salve Regina University: Shannon Curran, a sophomore majoring in Marketing, and Alyssa Roshong, a senior majoring in Marketing, were named to the Dean’s List during the fall 2013 semester at Salve Regina University. To qualify for the dean’s list, full-time undergraduate students must earn a minimum grade point average of 3.6 with no grade below a “B” in that semester.

The College of New Jersey: Tyler Roeland, a junior Interactive Multimedia major, Noah Herman, a senior Finance major, and Christina Flores, a freshman Health and Exercise Science major have earned the esteemed honor of placement on the Dean’s List at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) for the fall 2013 semester. To achieve this honor, a student must carry 12 or more credits that semester and have a 3.5 grade point average or above.

University of New Hampshire: Danielle Hall earned Highest Honors and Morgan Plessner earned Honors on the Dean’s List for the fall semester of the 2013-2014 academic year. Students named to the Dean’s List at the University of New Hampshire have earned recognition through their superior scholastic performance. Highest Honors are awarded to students who earn a semester grade point average of 3.85 or better out of a possible 4.0. Students with a 3.65 to 3.84 average are awarded high honors and students whose grade point average is 3.5 through 3.64 are awarded honors.

The University of Rhode Island: John Conboy was among the more than 4,300 undergraduates who qualified for the Fall 2013 Dean’s List. To be included on the Dean’s List, students must have completed 12 or more credits during a semester for letter grades with at least a 3.30 quality point average.The University of Rhode Island’s pioneering research extends the University’s influence well beyond its coastal borders, while its unique interdisciplinary courses provide its 16,637 undergraduate and graduate students with global opportunities in an intimate environment. In May 2013, more than 3,200 undergraduate and about 770 graduate degrees were awarded. The University now has about 115,000 alumni worldwide.

University of Scranton: Nicholas Hennig, a sophomore with a exercise science major, Matthew McManus, a sophomore with a secondary education citizenship and history major, and Kristin Visentin, a freshman with a nursing major have been named to the Dean’s List for the 2013 fall semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management, the Panuska College of Professional Studies and the College of Graduate and Continuing Education. More than 1,380 students were named to the 2013 fall semester Dean’s List.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Jenna O’Connell, a freshman majoring in chemical engineering, was named to the Dean’s List for academic excellence for the fall 2013 semester. A total of 1,303 undergraduate students achieved the criteria required for WPI’s fall 2013 Dean’s List. The criteria for the WPI Dean’s List differ from that of most other universities as WPI does not compute a grade point average (GPA). Instead, WPI defines the Dean’s List by the amount of work completed at the A level in courses and projects.

Verona’s public preschool is held at Laning Avenue.

The Verona Preschool Program has been in existence for over 30 years. Located in the Laning Avenue School, 18 Lanning Road, the program is in operation five days a week and follows the Verona Public Schools calendar. Morning and afternoon classes are available. Morning classes meet from 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and afternoon classes meet from 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Under the supervision of Laning Avenue School’s principal, Mrs. Julie DiGiacamo, the preschool classes are taught by State certified teachers. The curriculum is aligned with the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards and the HighScope Preschool Curriculum.

Open Houses for parents only will be held on Wednesday, February 19, 2014, and Thursday, February 27, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Please call 973-239-9010 to notify the Preschool that you are interested in attending one of the Open Houses.

Program applications are available in each of Verona’s elementary schools and through the Verona Public Schools web site. For additional information please contact 973-239-9010 or 973-571-2029 ext. 7512. Completed applications should be returned to the Verona Preschool, 18 Lanning Road, Verona, NJ 07044.

With eight to 12 inches of snow on the way, Verona is canceling garbage and recycling pickups for Thursday, February 13. Do not put your garbage cans out tonight. The town also won’t let anybody park on the street overnight. Use the lot behind Terry’s if you need to.

The Verona public schools’ plan to deal with the snow may also be changing. Verona had only budgeted for four snow days, but we have already used five. Last week, Superintendent Steven A. Forte announced that Verona would turn February 14 and 17 into half days instead of vacation days, giving us a fifth and sixth snow day to use.

But Forte told the Board of Education meeting last night that the schools may need to change even that plan. He said that, if Verona needs to cancel school on Thursday and have a delayed open on Friday, we would need to make Friday a full day because we can’t have a delayed opening on a half day. If that happens, there would be lunch service and the YMCA would have aftercare.

“It’s not just about Spring break,” Forte said. “It’s about giving us our best possible day of school. A Thursday in Spring Break or coming in on a Saturday is not going to be as conducive to good school.” He noted that some districts have taken away the President’s Day holiday on Monday, but said that Verona can’t because of contracts.

So listen for the Global Connect call tonight, and don’t put your garbage out.

In response to the winter storm on it’s way from the south to Verona, the Verona Board of Education has issued a snow day for February 13. All Verona public schools will be closed. The National Weather Service has us expecting a mix of snow, sleet and rain from late Wednesday night through to the early hours of Friday morning.

Depending on how long the storm lasts, and whether or not a delayed opening is necessary on Friday, it is still yet to be determined whether Friday will be a half day or a full day.

All Verona Recreation programs that would have been held prior to 5 p.m. Thursday are canceled. Evening programs are yet to be determined.

A heat pipe broke at VHS a few days ago, spreading the rusty water on a floor. The referendum would replace the high school’s heating and ventilation system, which is original to the 58-year-old building.

The largest component of the project, at $5,314,431, is general repairs to all six Verona schools. The district needs to replace exterior doors, some of which are so worn that they offer little barrier against the outside world, and re-attach facades to buildings. The funds will also go for paving, fire alarms, hall and classroom, ceilings and lighting, and crumbling bleachers at VHS and Brookdale. The VHS music room will be expanded slightly to accommodate the high school’s largest single activity.

The second largest project is the complete replacement of the heating and ventilation system at VHS, for $3,852,580. The current system is original to the building, which was dedicated in 1956. The spending would install new boilers, controls, vents and piping. A heat pipe broke at VHS a few days ago, spreading the rusty water on a floor that you can see in the photo above.

The referendum earmarks a total of $1,779,600 to two things that have become critical to modern schools: technology and security. Verona has not upgraded its technology backbone in a decade, and the schools have nearly constant problems with email and phones. The $889,086 technology spend would install new wired and wireless (Wi-Fi) networks district-wide, new switches and cabling, upgrade the phone system and create backups for technology and power. The $890,514 for security would buy new vestibules and visitor control at five schools (Laning’s was done in the last referendum), an expandable security camera system, swipe-card entry system and door locks and would reinforce window glass district-wide.

A total of $1,888,250 will be spent to remediate environmental problems at VHS caused by a poorly executed expansion of the upper football field in the late 1970s. The BOE abandoned plans to compact the field with a heavy weight, which could have damaged the foundation of VHS and the surrounding houses. Instead, the referendum would provide funds to build a retaining wall and create a so-called cap on the upper field, which would then be used for practice and physical ed only. The BOE’s investigation of Thomas J. Sellitto field last year showed that inappropriate, but not toxic, landfill had also been used by the parking lot and tennis courts. To remediate that, the referendum would put a cap in that area, adding parking and a fifth tennis court. The section of the field that cannot be fixed would be landscaped and fenced, ironically returning the field to roughly the size it was before the expansion.

Because the upper field cannot be used again for sports, the referendum would spend $3,806,994 to turn the lower field into a turfed multipurpose complex that could accommodate high school baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and football games, as well as practices for the marching band, which now rehearses on the VHS parking lot. The field would have new lights, bleachers and fencing, and the existing concrete bleachers in the northeast corner of Doc Goeltz field would be repaired.

“This is what we decided to do,” said BOE member Joseph Bellino. “There’s nothing on this list that isn’t absolutely necessary, and that includes our athletic fields.”

To reduce the $16,641,855 total cost of the work, the BOE has won two important pieces of state aid. The first is a $2,796,855 grant from the Department of Education’s Regular Operating District (ROD) program. That cuts the referendum’s cost to Verona taxpayers to $13,845,000. Verona also qualified for state debt service aid of $2,402,789. Unlike the grant, which is awarded upfront and does not have to be repaid, the debt service aid is parsed out at the rate of $170,320 per year.

Superintendent Steven A. Forte will be holding four meetings to answer voters’ questions about the referendum. They will be Sunday, February 23, at 5 p.m. in the VHS auditorium; Wednesday, February 26, at 9 a.m. in the F.N. Brown auditorium; Saturday, March 1, at 10 a.m. in the Laning School Media Center; and Wednesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. in the H.B. Whitehorne auditorium. The March 1 meeting will be held at the same time as Kindergarten orientation so that new school families can be briefed on the plans, but all voters are invited to all meetings.

Forget what you were told last night: Verona’s schools are closed again today, Friday, February 14. So are the majority of schools in New Jersey, according to News12′s list.

The closing raises the prospect that Verona will need to take back a day from Spring Break. Friday was originally a vacation day, then changed to a half day (and then a full day with delayed opening) to give Verona an extra snow day after we used the four we had budgeted. Next Tuesday, February 18, is still scheduled to be a half day. If we hold onto it, we will still be short a snow day.

On March 11, Verona voters will be asked to approve a referendum to fund much-needed improvements to our public school buildings, facilities, security and technology. We’ve written a lot about the first three, but it’s important for voters to understand what the fourth is all about too. The technology infrastructure of Verona schools is 10 years old. When the Verona school computer network was built, technology was an add-on, and wireless was a novelty. Our network foundation is on the verge of crashing, and without the necessary upgrades our schools will stay in 2004.

Under the proposed $16.6 million referendum, $889,086 will be spent on technology. That sounds like a lot of money, but Verona hasn’t made a major investment in school technology in 10 years, even as residents added smartphones and WiFi to their homes. The tech spending would replace the network built in 2003, upgrade the school phone system, add a back-up generator and network back-up, and institute district-wide WiFi, among other things. Specifically, we need things like switches and cables to connect every school building to the new network and we need a back-up system to keep school materials safe during a power outage.

The bulk of the tech spending–$500,000–will go for a new technology backbone, which Cindy Costanza, district technology manager for Verona’s public schools, likened to upgrading an electrical panel when installing central air conditioning in our homes. The existing panel turns on the lights, but adding an air conditioning unit would blow the whole fuse box. Teachers have been incorporating technology in the classrooms to prepare our students for the growing future of technology, engineering and science careers, but are limited in what can be accomplished. We need a bigger backbone.

“What is being replaced works today, but is at end of life, and cannot support the projected increases in network demand,” says  Costanza. “We have reached capacity for what we can do.” In the simplest of terms, this means that we cannot add another computer, printer, projector, or move to wireless devices in the classroom without making this investment.

Although many of us grew up learning in classrooms with chalkboards, the modern classroom relies on interactive “smart” boards. These boards allow teachers to project lessons created on their computers just like you’d show a movie on a screen. This visual learning enhances text book content and encourages collaboration and group discussion among students.

A generation ago, homework was completed alone, on paper, and handed in. In the modern classroom, students work on group projects while collaborating from individual home computers. Their work is submitted via the internet using services like Google Drive, SkyDrive or Dropbox; something the techies call the “cloud.” But to save documents to the cloud, and access them from the modern classroom, a network is needed. Verona’s network cannot handle all of our students using the cloud.

Verona parents and grandparents took tests with paper and pencil. Starting next school year, all New Jersey students will have to take a standardized test called the PARCC, which can only be taken on a computer. Verona needs to have a network that can support 2,500 users, which would cover students, teachers and administrators. We don’t have that kind of network now, and without it we cannot even add the computers required for testing.

The money budgeted in the referendum will cover what is needed to make the technology backbone stronger. It will not cover additional computers, printers, computer labs, or educational software. Those expenses will eventually be required but without this improvement in the back bone, the second steps will not be possible. In a recent announcement from President Obama, there is a plan in place with the FCC to upgrade all public schools with wireless access. He continued by saying, “In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our coffee, we should definitely demand it in our schools.”

Most of us would not consider using a 10-year-old computer, and willingly upgrade to a new phone every two years if not sooner. Smart televisions, smart phones and tablets that can pick up a wireless signal from almost anywhere are part of our everyday lives. In a world of Wikipedia, Google searches and Siri, we are fairly well connected, and this is where the disconnect between school and home exists. According to Rich Wertz, a math and technology teacher at Verona High School, “technology at home is leapfrogging what’s in schools.”

Over the next few weeks, MyVeronaNJ.com will tell you more about what’s being done with the limited technology in our schools, so our readers can see what could be possible for all students to have once the referendum is approved. Superintendent Steven A. Forte will be holding four meetings to answer questions about the referendum. They will be held on Sunday, February 23 at 5 p.m. at VHS; Wednesday, February 26 at 9 a.m. at FN Brown; Saturday, March 1 at 10 a.m. at Laning; and Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at HBW.

The Chait family made productive use of their snow days.

The longer answer, if you want to read all the fine print, is to be found on the New Jersey School Boards Association’s Web site.

In its guidance on making up snow days, the NJSBA notes that not only do we have to have 180 days of school, but they all have to be done by June 30 (so much for our brief thought about classes at Verona Pool). A half day can count as one of those 180 days, which is why Verona was called back in session this week on what was to have been a Winter Break day.

But, perhaps much to the relief of Verona students, it will be difficult–if not impossible–to add classes on the weekend. We can only have school on Saturday with the approval of the Executive County Superintendent; Sunday, the NJSBA says, “will not be approved as teachers/students cannot be compelled to attend.”

The NJSBA note offers no guidance on the use of so-called virtual instruction. A former Verona resident who now lives in New Hampshire told us earlier this month that that state has approved at-home school on days when weather makes it impossible for children to get to school. Bergen County’s Pascack Valley Regional High School District is testing a virtual school day approach for New Jersey.

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Officially, there is no WiFi network at H.B. Whitehorne Middle School. There is only one computer in most classrooms outside the Media Lab and only a handful of handheld electronics. But that hasn’t stopped teachers Amy Heckel and Jessica Barnes from finding ways to use iPads and iPod Touches–and the wireless access they can get–to enhance the curriculum. What they have managed to do with limited resources shows how Verona might be able to transform education across the district if voters approve the March 11 referendum.

“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t use technology in my classroom,” says Heckel, who teaches sixth and eighth grade science. “Honestly, having the opportunity to use technology has really enriched the way I teach as well as provided my students with a plethora of learning opportunities and content they wouldn’t get just from the textbooks.”

Technology is one of the smallest spending categories in the referendum: At $889,086, it is one-quarter of what the Board of Education has earmarked to overhaul the 58-year-old heating system at Verona High School and one-fifth of what we need to spend to fix walls, ceilings and paving. But the tech infrastructure of Verona schools is 10 years old. It does not always work, and even when it does, it is not strong enough to support the district-wide use of computers that modern education requires. A few days at HBW proved that a little technology in the classroom can close the divide between students who “get it” and those who don’t.

In one class of 23 students, Heckel has the challenging job of keeping everyone’s attention and teaching at the same time. With 11 of those students classified as having attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), this is not always an easy task, even with an aide. The middle school bought a small number of iPads and iPod Touches several years ago thanks to grants from the Verona Foundation for Educational Excellence and the Verona Service League, and they have proved very popular among students. So when Heckel introduced a new unit on the solar system and told students they’d be working on it with the iPod Touches, it created a buzz and even more surprisingly, quiet and focus among the entire class.

What could possibly be so engaging to keep 23 middle school students quiet and attentive? An app called Socrative. Amidst cheers of “I love the rocket ship game!” the students were anxious to get started. Randomly assigned to one of six teams, they immediately started answering questions on individual iPod Touch screens. Cheers and words of encouragement rang through the class, even when students had no idea of who their teammates were. As the teams progressed through the questions, the rocket ships moved across a large screen (connected to Heckel’s computer through the mashed-up WiFi) at the front of the classroom. At the end of the exercise, the iPod Touches were returned to their box, where they remain for safe keeping and overnight charging.

For Heckel though, this was just the beginning. The app generated a spreadsheet for her at the end of the exercise, which told her exactly which students need to focus on what area of content as she progresses through the lessons. In the coming weeks, she would use the app again to evaluate the students’ readiness for a test and guide individual students toward areas of content they need to study–they were no longer left to “figure it out” on their own. Guided by a tech-enabled teacher, individual students could be better prepared and achieve success in science.

Barnes, meanwhile, uses iPads and an app called NearPod in a small classroom of five special education students, to create visual content that reinforces her lessons. She puts each lesson into slides that show up on the student’s iPads. While reviewing the lesson, the students circle their answers on their individual iPads. Each student’s answer comes back to Barnes where she can openly discuss with the class the correct or incorrect answers so all students benefit from the exercise. Not surprisingly, the students were attentive, respectful of the machines, and proud of all correct answers in their group setting. Barnes says she has always planned her lessons to be student centered and hands-on.

“But the iPads have taken my instruction to a new level and have enhanced the students’ knowledge utilizing a familiar tool to them,” Barnes says. “iPads allow the students to ‘teach’ themselves and deepen their understanding of the topics we are discussing in class.”

But cobbling together WiFi for two classrooms and a handful of wireless devices is not enough to move all of Verona’s students into the tech-focused future. The iPod Touches are now outdated and so are the apps. The iPads are okay, but there are only 10 of them. The reality is that even if there were more, the WiFi that connects them now in the classroom would likely crash.

The technology Verona intends to buy under the referendum would make it possible for more technology to reach more students. The bulk of the tech spending–$500,000–will go for a new technology backbone, which is something like the electrical panel we have in our homes. The existing panel turns on the lights, but adding an air conditioning unit would blow the whole fuse box. We can’t reach more general education students with what we have, and we can’t use more technology to help special needs students keep pace with them.

If you have ever struggled in school, imagine the difference it could make if there were a new and engaging way to learn. A way to truly understand a subject that just didn’t make sense. We live in a time when there are tools for these struggles beyond simple memorization and study drills, but if our schools don’t invest in the technology to bring them to the classroom, the ones who suffer the most are our students.

Nick Licitra, a tuba player and member of the TCNJ Wind Ensemble, will be performing at the College Band Directors National Association Eastern Division Conference (CBDNA) in Boston from March 6 to 8, at the New England Conservatory of Music.

The conference centers on the theme of “Crossing Over” and features many different styles of music performed in wind band repertoire; from jazz, world, and ethnic music, to techno, pop, and fusion. Over the course of three days, musicians, scholars, and educators will come together to partake in concerts, masterclasses, and lectures all related to the theme of crossover music. Performers and guest artists include jazz legend Marvin Stamm, former Boston Symphony Orchestra principal trumpeter Charlie Schleuter, and Pablo Aslan, bassist and tango musician, who performs with Yo Yo Ma. The Wind Ensemble performance will focus on the many ways in which popular music genres have influenced the work of today’s composers.

Licitra, a 2012 graduate of Verona High School, and the TCNJ Wind Ensemble will be joined by their peers from Temple University, The Hartt School, Westchester University, The University of Massachusetts, and The New England Conservatory of Music. Each institution will be performing for multiple national collegiate wind ensemble conductors in addition to other performers. Aside from the conference, the Wind Ensemble will also be stopping at John P. Stevens High School in Edison, to perform and chat with prospective students about their interests in pursing music as a career.

“This is a monumental opportunity for The College of New Jersey Wind Ensemble”, says Dr. David Vickerman, the newly appointed director of bands at The College of New Jersey. “We are humbled and honored to perform at this regional event that is now garnering national interest. This ensemble will be sharing the stage with some of the best music schools on the east coast which says a lot about our students’ commitment to artistry and professionalism. It is also thrilling to be able to perform this music that represents a small way in which we can connect to our 21st century audiences. I am proud of what the TCNJ Wind Ensemble has been able to accomplish in the short amount of time since I have been here and cannot wait to share their passion for music-making with everyone at the conference.”

Prior to his appointment at TCNJ, Vickerman was at Johns Hopkins University where he conducted the Wind Ensemble and directed the Pep Band. He has recently completed the work for the DMA in Wind Conducting program at The Peabody Institute where he assisted with the Peabody Wind Ensemble and beginning through advanced conducting courses. In addition to his duties at TCNJ, he serves as the associate conductor of Great Noise Ensemble, a contemporary music group in Washington, D.C.

For more information on Vickerman or TCNJ Wind Ensemble, please visit www.tcnj.edu/music. For more information on the CBDNA conference, please visit http://necmusic.edu/cbdna-crossing-over.