August 21, 2023
Dear Franklin Lakes Families,
We’re excited to welcome our children back for the 2023 - 2024 school year. As we reflect on the summer, we hope it was filled with excitement, laughter, and time well spent with family and friends. Over the summer, the Board of Education, our Administrative Team, Central Office staff, Maintenance Staff and Administrative Assistants have been working to prepare a safe learning environment for all.
Some of the highlights we’d like to share are:
- The addition of full day Kindergarten
- Robust Summer Learning opportunities
- FLEF Read-A-Thon
- Committee work, inclusive of teachers and administrators, in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science in preparation of the 2023 - 2024 school year
- New roof completion on all buildings
- Enhanced access control security initiative
- Staffing and financing to continue our morning academic support program
- Collaboration with the PTA on Back To School Packets
- Continued dedication to multi-tiered systems of support for all students through:
○ Intervention and Referral Services Manual (I&RS): A New Jersey Tiered Systems of Support (NJTSS) Approach
○ Gifted & Talented services and G&T Specialists for Elementary and Middle School
We look forward to enhanced opportunities for all to have a successful year and cannot wait to welcome you back! Please be on the lookout for schedules and teacher assignments which will be released on August 25th at the close of the work day from your school principal.
It’s always exciting to communicate with our community, therefore, I invite you to join me and members of my administrative team to a virtual Back to School Superintendent Open Forum on Wednesday, August 30th at 10:30 a.m. In order to maximize our time together please use this Thought Exchange to help share your questions and thoughts. The main question of the ThoughtExchange is “What excites you about this school year?”
As educators, parents and members of this community, we are blessed to collectively support children. A child's whole world is viewed through the eyes of wonder and excitement. Our firm goal is to continually support that view and provide an environment for all to thrive. On behalf of the Franklin Lakes Public Schools, I wish you all the best for the remainder of the summer and look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
Greg Maceri
Superintendent of Schools
2023-2024 District Goals
1. In collaboration and partnership with their families, foster safe, supportive, and positive learning conditions and school communities for students in support of academic growth and social and emotional development.
2. In pursuit of academic excellence for students, foster educator leadership within and across the district in support of expertise development, positive working conditions, and collaboration in the schools, district and in the profession.
3. Continue the multi-year implementation of New Jersey Tiered Systems of Support (NJTSS) so as to ensure access to coordinated, responsive and needs-based academic, behavioral, wellness/health, and attendance supports for students.
District Goals: 2022 - 2023
- The District is committed to support improvements to Intervention & Referral Services / Tiered Systems of Support to ensure that data informs and drives the process. Improvements will assure access to coordinated, needs-based, and responsive support from academic, mental health, enrichment, behavioral and health services, while accelerating student learning and meeting needs in other areas. This goal supports initiatives in three major areas of instruction:
- Special Education
- General Education
- Supplemental Services such as
- Academic Intervention
- Gifted & Talented
This goal provides opportunities for certified staff to participate in professional learning activities to support improvements to I&RS and Tiered Systems of Support (Tiers I, II, III) and requires the collaboration of interdepartmental staff across the entire District.
- The District is committed to providing teaching staff with monthly opportunities to work within supportive, high-functioning Professional Learning Communities to build capacity and deepen expertise. The purpose is to engage in collaborative tasks and reflective dialogue that improves their teaching and their students’ learning. Professional Learning Communities can be:
- School-based
- Departmental
- District-based
- Subject Specific
- The District is committed to support each individual community school culture by engaging in school based initiatives and by supporting the continued development of the parent/school relationship, inclusive of:
- Supportive services that promote health/wellness
- Coordinated conditions of learning that will foster social and emotional well-being of students, families and educators.
2021-2022 District Goals
Goal 1:
The District is committed to support social and emotional learning by:
- Providing conditions of learning that will foster social and emotional well-being of students, families and educators
- Providing supportive services that promote health/wellness
- Engaging students in development of the Social Emotional Learning competencies
Goal 2:
The District is committed to the establishment of data focused Professional Learning Communities to build professional capacity and deepen expertise. The purpose of which is to engage in collaborative tasks and reflective dialogue that improves teaching and learning.
Goal 3:
The District is committed to providing differentiated training to teachers/other certified staff with training and support to improve the Intervention & Referral Services/Tiered Systems of Support to ensure students gain access to a coordinated and responsive academic, behavioral, and health supports, as needed to accelerate and cope with other concerns.
2020-2021 District Goals
Goal 1:
Engage the community in more robust forms of communication inclusive of website enhancments, social media platforms and district and school-based communicatoins focused on transparency and relationship building.
Goal 2:
Goal 2:
Support staff and students in the continued implementation of 5-8 curriculum (enVision Mathematics) and initial implementation of the K-4 curriculum (enVision Mathematics).