June 26, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 21 Franklin Lakes Scribe Club installs new officers The Woman’s Club of Franklin Lakes has installed its new. Jean Revis, second vice president of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs, was on hand to administer the oath of office. Club members Marilyn Scott and June Linz were installed as co-presidents. Dana Van Voorhis and Jan Meyer will serve as co-recording secretaries, and Elaine Weg will be the corresponding secretary. Jan Pullaro will fill the office of treasurer. The club is a non-profit organization dedicated to support community, area, and national causes. Last year, the club’s beneficiaries were the Fraxa Research Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for Fragile X, the most common inherited cause of intellectual disabilities; Project Literacy of Bergen County; student scholarships; and local charities. Members of the community are welcome to attend club programs. To learn more, contact Alice Booth at (973) 6963476 or Lois Vitenson at (201) 891-5119. Audition for Frite-Nite Franklin Lakes residents in grades six and up are invited to audition for the Franklin Lakes Library’s fall Frite-Nite. Auditions will be held June 27 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the library, 470 DeKorte Drive. Frite-Nite will be held in October. For more information, call (201) 891-2224. Register for summer events The Franklin Lakes Library, located at 470 DeKorte Drive, invites children to register for this summer’s events. Registration may be completed by calling (201) 891-2224 or by visiting the library during regular hours. Children entering kindergarten through grade five are invited to attend “Dinosaurs Rock” on July 16 at 2:30 p.m. Attendees will dig for fossils. Tickets are required, and are now available. The Little Rockers Band will be bringing their brand of “Kindie Rock” to the library on July 17 and Aug. 7 at 2:30 p.m. Children and parents are invited to this high-energy, interactive concert. Registration will begin June 26. On July 18, the Tanglewood Marionettes will present “The Fairy Circus” at 7 p.m. Over 20 handcrafted marionettes will dance, play instruments, juggle, and fly through the air, all to music by favorite composers. Tickets are required for this event, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Registration will begin on June 27. Children of all ages are invited to “Travel Down Under” on July 30. “Digeridoo: Down Under” will begin at 3:30 p.m. This program features music, culture, comedy, and reading motivation in a high-energy show. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Registration begins on July 9. On July 23, the library will host a “Pajama Party with Yosi” at 6:45 p.m. Award-winning children’s recording artist Yosi will rock the house with dancing, singing, and a cozy bedtime story. Tickets for this family event will available July 2. Registration is under way for Terrific T-Shirts, set for July 10, and Game Day, which will be held July 9. Registration may be completed by phone at (201) 8912224, online at www.franklinlakeslibrary.org, or by visiting the library at 470 DeKorte Drive during regular hours. Garden now open at HMR School Students Evan Katopodis, Kaitlyn Glaner and Allison Lounsbury cut the ribbon as the fifth grade class looks on. The High Mountain Road School PTA of Franklin Lakes celebrated the Grand Opening of its Commemorative Garden on June 6. Among the attendees were HMR Principal Jaclyn Bajzath, Superintendent Dr. Frank Romano, Mayor Frank Bivona, former HMR Principal Helen Attenello, Garden Committee Co-Chairs Sarah Katopodis and Damaris Lounsbury, Project Patrons Heidi and Moe Arpacilar of Marmiro Stones, and representatives from TD Bank. “We are very proud of what we were able to achieve for our school. Our community has been so generous. After nine months of hard work, our dream has become a reality. There is nothing more rewarding than to see the happy faces of our children engaged in beautiful discussions with their peers and teachers outdoors,” Lounsbury said. Katopodis recounted, “When we observed a group of second grade students having an outdoor class at the garden, I asked them, ‘What does the garden mean to you?’ The kids all shouted, ‘It’s the Yellow Brick Road! We are in Oz!’ So, I said, ‘If THIS garden is Oz, where do we go from here?’ Mrs. Stickles, the second grade teacher quickly surmised, ‘I think what we are trying to say is that this is a journey... and while we don’t know where it will take us – it will become a place where we will make LOTS and LOTS of MEMORIES.’ Yes, our HMR Commemorative Garden is a thoughtfully designed haven for our children to be enveloped in their childhood while making memories!” Also during the event, the HMR PTA presented Katopodis with the Honorary Lifetime Membership in the New Jersey Congress of Parents and Teachers. This is the highest honor the State PTA grants to individuals for their dedication, commitment, and outstanding service for the welfare of children and youth. “Sarah served as the HMR PTA president for three years and has been a driving force behind so many wonderful initiatives at the school,” said Bajzath. Lounsbury added, “Sarah’s enthusiasm and passion are truly contagious; she inspires others.” Lee Glaner, Damaris Lounsbury, Jaclyn Bajzath and Sarah Katopodis Laptop program (continued from page 3) Students will be responsible for bringing in their fullycharged laptops every day, Chang said, and they must use the district-provided e-mail account and must return the laptops during the summer for maintenance. Chang pointed out that the laptops will have restricted access in compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, a federal law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children’s access to obscene and harmful content over the Internet. In response to questions from the public, Beverly Mackay, the interim superintendent of schools, advised that teachers will receive professional development training in the use of the computers and will be required to spend 21 hours over the summer and the coming school year after the school day. Training will be tiered to the various needs of the teachers, she said. Mackay added that she anticipates that all the professional training will be done outside the teachers’ contractual day, but they may be released from about three hours of class time. “Teachers belong in classrooms with their students,” MacKay said. “There is no benefit if they are drawn out of the classroom.” Mackay also pointed out that, besides Pascack Valley High School, the Riverdell School District is instituting the student laptop program. She believes more districts will follow suit because of the state’s new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers assessments that will be administered online. PARCC is a consortium of 22 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands that is developing a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and careers. Asked if the program would replace textbooks, Ceurvels said the budget for textbooks has not been cut, and this program is not expected to replace textbooks for several years. At previous board meetings, several members of the public voiced concern about the use of taxpayers’ money for the laptop program. The Ramapo Indian Hills Education Association, which represents the district’s teaching staff, had also indicated opposition to the program. Barbara Duhig, the president of the RIHEA, had previously advised the school board that, while the RIHEA members recognize the value of technology, they were opposed to the initiative at this time because the computers might be a distraction in the classroom and problems could arise when a student forgets his or her laptop, or when the laptop needs to be charged. They also expressed the concern that instruction time could be lost when a student has technology difficulties, and teachers could have difficulty monitoring the students’ use of the laptops in the classroom. None of those concerns were expressed at the community information meeting.