Good afternoon.  Below please find a summary of the key highlights from our March Board of Education meeting:

• Mrs. Marianne Hans McNeilly reviewed the Genesis Parent Portal, which will be available in April for parents to access grades and report cards online
• Mr. Rutzky reviewed the PAARC pilot including the upcoming practice test on Friday, March 21st with the 4th graders
• Mr. Rutzky and Mr. Mastrangelo met with the Recreation Committee and they requested the option of placing a sign at the school as a reminder for major recreation sign up deadlines. The Board agreed to a test period and will look to evaluate success prior to continuing.
• Mr. Rutzky discussed three different requests for renting the school baseball/softball fields. He indicated that the fields are available this spring on Sundays and presented tiered pricing options similar to surrounding communities. The Board was generally favorable to the concept and will resume the discussion at the next board meeting in April.
• Dr. Occhino and Mr. Rutzky provided the preliminary budget for 2014-2015 which will result in a 0.85% increase to school taxes for next year.
• Mrs. Dacosta provided highlights of recent activities such as foreign language week, and upcoming events such as parent/teacher conferences, spring concert, and 6th grade MAP testing at WE
• Committee updates
  • Mrs. Gordon provided an HSA update regarding successful Noecker nights, Lego movie and upcoming tricky tray
• The Board approved:
  • Mandatory policies
  • Medical leave for Mrs. Cara Cunha (thru May 5)
  • Donation from Roseland Boosters of a 5 piece drum set with cymbals and hardware
• The Board extended their condolences to Steve Marx and his family for the loss of their son
• The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 25 at 7:30pm in the Noecker Media Center