Spring 2014 w budget - River Dell Regional School District

River Dell News
SPRING 2014
NEWS OF THE RIVER DELL SCHOOLS
A Message From The Superintendent
This newsletter highlights the achievement
of students and staff; it also provides
information about the annual school budget
for the 2014-15 school year. I hope you
are proud of these accomplishments
because without your support, the students
and staff would not be as successful.
The figures that appear on the next few
pages may be viewed as a series of cold
numbers. They may also be viewed as a
representation
of
educational
and
community values. Our programming will
not experience any reductions in this
budget. We are continuing to restore some
of the programming and staffing cuts that
we experienced four years ago. The Board
is even able to expand program offerings
for students.
There are three new
positions in the budget that will allow
smaller class size and greater flexibility in
the schedule. A supervisory position will
also permit the district to comply with ever
increasing state mandates. The Board of
Education believes that the budget
maintains the district’s core programming
as well as opportunities to continue the
academic,
athletic
and
artistic
achievements of our students.
The Board built the budget over many
months and with a great deal of vigorous
debate. The administration and the Board
of Education were spared from making the
difficult choices confronted during the last
several budget cycles because state aid
remained stable. However, we never lost
sight of the precarious condition of our
national, state and local economies and
the difficulties faced by many of our
community members. The annual school
budget is within the statutory 2% cap
imposed by the State of New Jersey as a
result of the passage of Public Law 2011,
Chapter 202.
It is important to note that curriculum
continues to be modified to comply with the
move to the state adopted Common Core
Curriculum. River Dell is also planning for
the state mandated change in the testing
system to the Partnership for Assessment
of Readiness for Colleges and Careers
(PARCC) system. We are participating in
a field test of portions of the exam during
the spring. We are also implementing a
new teacher and administrator evaluation
system that is also required by the state.
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
Page 1
Message From The
Superintendent
Cameron Diaz Visits RD
Page 2
From Our Nurses
Can You Guess
What This is?
Contest Winners
Talent Abounds
Page 3
Did You Know??
Additional information is available on the
school district’s website (www.riverdell.org)
or by contacting the district business office
at 201-599-7201.
Congratulations Athletes
Sincerely,
Pages 4 and 5
Athletes of the Week
2014/15 Annual
Budget Comparison
Patrick J. Fletcher
Superintendent of Schools
Cameron Diaz Visits River Dell
In January, actress and author Cameron Diaz, visited the High School
to speak about her book, The Body Book. Juniors and seniors
attended the presentation and had the opportunity to ask questions
about the book, which emphasizes living a healthy life style. Students
and staff who purchased the book had them autographed by Ms. Diaz
and posed with her for a photo.
Page 6
Dates to Remember
Save the Date
NEWS OF THE RIVER DELL SCHOOLS—PAGE 2
From Our Nurses ...
After our long and brutal winter, we are all
looking forward to sunnier and warmer
weather. Spring will give us more opportunities to feel better,
increase our energy and perhaps live longer. As with all
exercise programs, a visit to your physician first is advised.
The Mayo Clinic lists seven benefits of regular physical
exercise:
1. EXERCISE CONTROLS WEIGHT
Physical activity burns calories. Increased activity during our
day can help. For example, use of the stairs (instead of
elevator), taking a walk, doing jumping jacks during the TV
commercials and many more.
2. EXERCISE COMBATS HEALTH CONDITIONS
Being active can decrease the effects of chronic conditions.
For example, exercise can improve balance, bone and
muscle strength and decrease the limitations caused by
arthritis.
3. EXERCISE IMPROVES MOOD
Physical activity boosts brain chemicals that in turn boosts
positive emotions.
4. EXERCISE INCREASES ENERGY
Exercise increases the amount of oxygen to our cells,
muscles and organs. When they all work better, we feel more
energetic.
5. EXERCISE IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF SLEEP
Regular physical activity promotes a better night’s sleep. Just
don’t exercise right before bedtime; you’ll have too much
energy!
6. EXERCISE IMPROVES YOUR LIFE
Contest Winners
Senior Matt Candrilli, along with another student,
received an Honorable Mention award in the 2014
White House Film Festival. This was the first film
festival at the White House; they received over 2,000 film
entries from across the country. Their film can be seen on the
White House website, along with other winners at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/filmfestival. Their project can also
be seen on RDTV’s YouTube page.
Students from TV Media teacher Stephanie Griffin’s Media 2
class won Honorable Mention at the Montclair Film Festival.
The students are Dan Doran, Caleb Herbst, Soon Kwon and
Mike Totera with their short video titled The Montclair Project;
and Michaela Byrne and Juliette DeTitta, along with another
student, for their short video, Futuristic Education. The winning
videos can be seen at the film festival website at
http://montclairfilmfest.org/2014-kidz-shortz-results/.
Junior Joon Seok Seo from English teacher Susan Carney’s AP
English Language class won Honorable Mention for his poetry
in the Scholastic Art and Writing Contest. “This contest is very
competitive and the honorable mention is terrific,” said Mrs.
Carney.
The River Dell Middle School hosted their sixth annual Spelling
Bee in December. After an impressive eighteen rounds,
seventh graders Hannah Park came out the winner with Kirsten
Garino as runner-up. The next step was the North Jersey
Final Spelling Bee at Bergen Community College. The top two
spellers from that event moved onto the National Spelling Bee
in Washington, D.C.
Congratulations to all our winners!
See 1-5 above.
7. EXERCISE IS FUN
Physical activity is a great activity for one or many. It is a way
to connect with yourself, as well as friends and family.
Exercise and physical activity are a way to feel better and
gain health benefits. Generally aim for at least thirty minutes
daily of physical activity. If you want to lose weight, you may
need to do more. The bottom line is that regular physical
activity is good for us, so get out there and enjoy living!
Submitted by Certified School Nurses Francesca Puleo
(Middle School) and Kathryn Kreger (High School)
Can You Guess
What This Is?
Former Art 1 student Mackenzie
Drummond’s drawing was selected to
be exhibited at the NJEA Convention
last fall.
It is a beautiful wasp nest donated to
the Art Department by Chemistry
teacher Carrie Jacobus.
Talent Abounds
The High School Select Choir received a
GOLD rating at the 2014 New York Choral
Festival at Carnegie Hall. This is the highest
rating a choir can achieve. The select choir
along with the French National Honor Society
will be hosting an international Choral Exchange at the High
School on April 22, beginning at 7:00pm. They will be hosting
choirs and instrumental ensembles from Belgium and
Zimbabwe.
High school students Giesu Ahn and Aidan O’Connor were
accepted into the 2014 Bergen County Band. Aidan placed first
and Giesu placed third among hundreds of musicians from all
over the county.
High school students were accepted into the following 2014
New Jersey Region I ensembles:
CHORUS: Tiffany Haroutunian, Joann Jung, Sarah Jung, Adam
Kohane, Victoria Twardzik, Irene Yoon
BAND/ORCHESTRA/WIND:
O’Connor;
Giesu Ahn, Simon Un, Aidan
ORCHESTRA/STRINGS: Sungbin Ahn, Hannah Chung
NEWS OF THE RIVER DELL SCHOOLS—PAGE 3
Did You Know??

The high school Art and TV/Media students had their work
on exhibit at the River Edge Cultural Center in March.
Eleven photography students had their work selected for
the Professional Women’s Photography Student Photo
Exhibit in NYC at Calumet Photography on 22nd Street.
The students exhibiting self-portraits were Mackenzie
Drummond, Minji Um, Jessica Duthie, Ciara Enright,
Cassandra Felice, Samantha LoBue, Emily McGovern,
Jennifer Osterlof, Caroline Rebosio and Madeline Toohey.

Each year students from art
teacher Mercedes Faunde’s Art 1
Drawing class participate in the
Memory Project.
Through this
special project, high school art
students share their talent with
young people from around the
world. Some of the photos chosen
for delivery to Cambodia were
created by Sohyon Hwang, Buse
Ozler and Jasmine Song. Later in
the year, students will be creating
portraits for children in Nicaragua.

Mackenzie Drummond’s photograph “Innocence” and
Ciara Enright’s acrylic painting “Looking Beyond” will be
on exhibit at the Morris Museum Fresh Perspectives show
from April 10 to June 1.

Art teachers Chris VanDerVelde and Gale Sasson took
fourteen students on a trip to Hot Glass in Asbury Park,
New Jersey.The students were able to participate in the
actual process of glass-blowing. Their finished work is
now on display in the Art wing of the high school

In February a team of four students represented the River
Dell Middle School’s Math Club at the Math Counts
Chapter Competition held at Bergen Community College.
Julia Shneidman, Jennifer Kong, Hannah Shin and Emily
Kim came in an impressive fifth place out of thirty schools
that competed. The club is advised by math teacher
Kaitlin Carroll.

SUPA Forensics classes are
always busy with research,
lab work and the study of
various units.
They are
currently working on forensic
psychiatry and psychology.
Michelle Hao and Mariam
Momjian are setting blood
spatter
patterns
for
examination.

A sophomore Eagle Scout’s service project was selected
as Northern New Jersey Council’s Eagle Scout Project of
the Year. His project involved collecting school supplies
for a school in the Dominican Republic. A local Rotary
Club agreed to distribute the supplies and, to date, those
supplies were sent to additional schools in the Dominican
Republic, Virginia, Elmwood Park and Paterson, New
Jersey.
Girls Indoor Track won the Big North Conference Patriot
Division title, with the Boys Indoor Track finishing in second
place in the Patriot Division. Leading the way for the girls were
Marina Reilly and Noreen Byrne who each earned 26 points.
Maddie Bonavita won the 1600 meters. The boys team scored
109 points and had 17 different team members contribute to
the point total. Alejandro Capote, Justin Meyer, Connor
Davidson and Ryan Oellermann won the 4X400 relay and ran
a school record time in the process. Connor Davidson also set
school records in both the 55 and 200 meter race. Mike
Boucher, Justin Fernandez and Willem Glans also won their
events. Many other Hawk athletes contributed to the girls and
boys teams impressive finishes.
D.J. Tirelli and Tyler Kallensee, along with two other seniors,
finished their high school wrestling careers during the State
Championships in Atlantic City. Tyler Kallensee reached 100
wins during the tournament, while the three other wrestlers
reached the plateau earlier in the season. It is the first time in
River Dell history that more than one wrestler reached 100
wins in the same season.
This year’s second annual Hoops 4 Autism Benefit games at
River Dell was an outstanding success and raised almost
$10,000! Ten of the top girls varsity teams in North Jersey
played in the games and contributed to the cause. The
monies are divided between the national organization Autism
Speaks and a local autism program CAPS, Children with
Autism in Public Schools. Assistant Coach Jason Wejnert and
his wife Lora, parents of an autistic child, were interviewed by
Fios1 News and proclaimed this benefit a huge success in
developing awareness of autism.
Athletes of the Week
Gabrielle Denicola, an eleventh grade swimmer, was selected
as The Record Athlete of the Week for January 14. Gabrielle
helped lead the Hawks to three dual meet swimming wins over
Tenafly, Hackensack and Paramus. Gabrielle won the 200
freestyle and 100 butterfly in all three meets and was also a
part of three first place 200 freestyle relays and two first place
400 freestyle relay teams. She volunteers at Swim America,
teaching children who cannot afford lessons.
Selected as The Record athlete of the week for February 26,
12th grade wrestler D. J. Tirelli won his third district title and
the District 8 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler Award
by beating a wrestler from Pascack Hills14-7 in the final match.
The turning point in DJ’s wrestling career was when he beat a
wrestler who was 29-1. He hopes to continue his wrestling
career in college, where he plans to major in criminal justice.
Congratulations to all our athletes!
NEWS OF THE RIVER DELL SCHOOLS—PAGE 6
DATES TO
REMEMBER
5
6
APRIL
28 BOE Meeting at H/S Media Center, 8:00pm
MAY
1
3
12
15
22
26
Spanish/French Nat’l Honor Society Induction
at H/S Auditorium, 7:30pm
SAT at River Dell, 7:30am
BOE Meeting at H/S Media Center, 8:00pm
Spring Concert at M/S Auditorium, 7:00pm
Spring Concert at H/S Auditorium, 6:00pm
Schools Closed—Memorial Day
JUNE
2
Senior Awards Ceremony at H/S Auditorium,
9:am and 7:00pm
Sophomore Social at 6:30pm
6th Grade Orientation at 12noon, one session
day for Middle School students only
7 SAT at River Dell, 7:30am
9 Spring Sports Award Dinner at H/S, 6:00pm
BOE Meeting at H/S Media Center, 8:00pm
12 Senior Prom, 6:30pm
13 Final Exams
14 ACT at River Dell, 7:30am
16-18 Final Exams
18 8th Grade Picnic
19 Senior Commencement, 5:00pm
Last Day for Students
23-27 RD Jr. Police Academy at M/S Gym and
Auditorium, 7:00am-1:00pm
24 BOE Meeting at H/S Media Center, 8:00pm
SAVE THE DATE
The Friends of River Dell Golf Outing will be held on Monday, June 23, at the
Paramus Golf Club with a 12 noon shot gun start.
More information on this event will be forthcoming.
DUE TO PRIVACY RESTRICTIONS, WE ARE UNABLE TO PUBLISH ANY PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
ABOUT A STUDENT WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE STUDENT’S PARENT/GUARDIAN.
R i v e r D e l l ’s W e b S i t e : w w w. r i ve r d e l l . o r g
RIVER DELL REGIONAL
BOARD OF EDUCATION
230 WOODLAND AVENUE
RIVER EDGE, NJ 07661
Board of Education
President
Joseph P. Manzelli, Jr. (River Edge)
Vice President
Alan Feigenson (Oradell)
Patricia Almberg (River Edge)
Anthony Barbary (River Edge)
Paul Barnes (Oradell)
Patrick Gallagher(Oradell)
Stephanie Hartman (River Edge)
Barbara Kuchar (Oradell)
Claudia O’Neill (River Edge)
Patrick J. Fletcher, Superintendent of Schools
Thomas Bonfiglio, Business Administrator/Board Secretary
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PARAMUS, NJ 07652
Permit No. 325
P O S TA L PAT RO N
NEWS OF THE RIVER DELL SCHOOLS—page 4
RIVER DELL REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Annual School Budget Comparison
This budget comparison has been prepared according to generally accepted accounting principles. A complete text the
proposed budget has been published in The Record and the user-friendly budget is available on our website www.riverdell.org.
The following synopsis has been revised from prior years in order to present more clearly and completely the prior
expenditures, the revised 2013/14 budget and the proposed budget for 2014/15. Mr. Thomas Bonfiglio, the regional school
Business Administrator, is always available to answer any budget questions. He can be contacted at 201-599-7201. The
public hearing will be in the High School Media Center on Monday, April 28, at 8:00 pm.
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
Actual
Anticipated Revenues
Balance Appropriated/Capital Reserve
$
0
Local Tax Levy
26,016,756
26,920,714
27,786,252
Tuition
425,986
400,000
420,000
Miscellaneous
217,717
350,030
350,030
34,631
33,530
33,530
Special Education Aid
572,654
573,018
573,018
Other State Aid
179,072
225,645
259,605
0
169,916
0
5,354
0
$27,452,170
$29,047,912
$29,722,435
Special Revenue Funds
1,010,638
477,640
451,000
Debt Service
1,610,235
1,559,529
1,505,000
$30,073,043
$31,085,081
$31,678,435
Oradell’s Municipal Share Percentage
48.1012809
49.6222578
49.1035577
River Edge’s Municipal Share Percentage
51.8987191
50.3777422
50.8964423
Transportation Aid
Adjustment Prior Year Encumbrance
Actual Excess of Revenue
TOTAL GENERAL FUND
TOTAL REVENUE
$
375,059
$
300,000
2014-2015 ANTICIPATED REVENUE
KEY
100%
80%
TAX LEVY
60%
FEDERAL AID
1%
40%
TUITION
2%
20%
STATE AID
2%
MISC. INCOME
1%
SURPLUS
1%
0%
Tax Federal Tuition State Misc. Surplus
Levy
Aid
Aid income
93%
NEWS OF THE RIVER DELL SCHOOLS—page 5
2012-13
2013-14
Audited
Expenses
Appropriations
Revised
Appropriations
Salaries
$16,337,013
$16,917,002
$17,344,232
Benefits
4,158,094
4,549,937
4,888,000
Tuition
2,201,771
2,236,218
2,239,341
Utilities
699,733
724,037
651,000
Co-Curricular/Athletics
766,069
782,779
793,736
1,742,113
1,954,186
1,961,124
670,739
759,920
725,000
Other
1,887,276
1,601,473
1,571,002
Debt Service
1,610,235
1,559,529
1,505,000
$30,073,043
$31,085,081
$31,678,435
Appropriations
Supplies
Transportation
TOTAL
2014-15
2014-2015 ANTICIPATED APPROPRIATIONS
KEY
SALARIES
56%
50%
BENEFITS
15%
40%
TUITION
7%
UTILITIES
2%
CO-CURR/ATHLETIC
2%
SUPPLIES
6%
TRANSPORTATION
2%
OTHER
5%
DEBT SERVICE
5%
60%
30%
20%
10%
0%