FRANKLIN LAKES PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Colonial Road School (201) 337-0336 desk • (201) 337-1512 fax
749 Colonial Road, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417 www.franklinlakes.k12.nj.us
Christine Gagliardo
Principal
August 29, 2022
Dear CRS Proud Panda Parents,
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to welcome you and your children to a new school year. I am hopeful that in spite of the challenges we have faced, your family has had some moments of togetherness, rest and relaxation over the past few months.
As we embark on this year together, I am yet again honored to have the privilege of working alongside you and your children. We remain committed to ensuring that Colonial Road School provides a learning environment with rich experiences that enhance the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of each and every child. We will work diligently to ensure that the children enjoy many academic successes while also instilling in them a sense of motivation and purpose at our school and in the community.
I firmly believe that schools of excellence emerge as a result of the collaborative efforts of staff, students, parents and community. Perhaps one of the most important resources, and the source of most of our success here at CRS, is our dedicated and talented staff of professionals. It is my privilege to share with you our CRS staff for the upcoming school year.
Our CRS Staff Family
Kindergarten-Mrs. Raphael & Mrs. Rotella
Grade One-Mrs. Hay & Ms. Spellman
Grade Two-Mrs. Allocco & Mrs. Weber
Grade Three-Mrs. Douma & Mrs. Rightmire
Grade Four-Mrs. Balassone & Ms. Rizzi
Grade Five-Ms. Grazioso & Ms. Piccinich
CAPS-Ms. Hanley, Mrs. McGlynn, Mrs. Schrantz & Mrs. Tannucilli
Resource Room-Mrs. Dalton, Ms. Dunn, Mrs. Scherf, Ms. Verblaauw
Art-Mrs. Intriago & Mrs. LaRubbio
Library/Media Specialist-Ms. Fleming & Mrs. Luciano
Choral Music-Ms. Miller
Physical Education- Mrs. Scutti
Spanish-Ms. Garcia
Instrumental Music-Ms. Bradley & Ms. Gehrmann
Collaborative Support Intervention (CSI) Mrs. Stickles & Ms. Tracey
Discovery Room-Mrs. Hatley
ESL-Ms. Zwernemann
Curiosity Corner/G&T-Mrs. Mascharka
Instructional Coach-Mrs. Gibbons
School Counselor-Mrs. Ballas
Special Services- Mrs. Arcentales, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Jasmine, Mrs. Kallini, Ms. Kolankowski, Dr. Petty, Mrs. Rosenberg, Mrs. Savino
School Nurse-Mrs. Fisette
Office Administrative Assistants- Mrs. Gentile & Ms. Hofmann
Custodial Staff-Mr. Turano
As you may have noticed we have some new additions to our CRS family. While some of these additions are new to CRS, some are familiar to us. Please join me in welcoming all new colleagues and those returning to us.
Please see below regarding instructions for the opening of school and make careful note of our opening day drop off and dismissal procedures.
Opening Day Student Drop Off Procedures for K-5 Students
The first day of school is an exciting one for both parents and students. To ensure that our opening day drop off is smooth and safe, we are asking that families follow our regular arrival procedures. That being said, we will have special support in place for our Kindergarten students and our new families to ensure a fabulous first day.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten students will gather in front of the school with their teacher (in the outdoor courtyard by the MPR). After a parent pulls their car up in our car line in front of the school, kindergarten students should exit their vehicle independently and/or with the support of one of our staff members on morning duty and follow the yellow cones to the designated area for our Kindergarten students to meet with their teacher and friends. Our Kindergarten teachers will have a big sign that says “Kindergarteners Meet Here”. It will be the only place where students are gathered so it will be easy to find. Please review this with your child and do not plan on getting out of your vehicle to help your child. We are here to help and are well trained to do so. Each Kindergarten teacher will also be there with their class list to make sure each child goes with their assigned teacher. We will use this procedure for Tuesday (9/6) and Wednesday (9/7) and then transition to having the children walk to the door themselves with the support of our staff members on duty. You can support your child by explaining this process to them and are welcome to come drive through the parking lot to practice before school begins.
CAPS Students
CAPS students will be greeted and escorted by their paraprofessionals as they exit their vehicles outside of the school building.
New families to CRS need not worry as all of our staff members on duty have been learning your child(ren)’s names and are stationed outside with class lists to support your child in getting exactly where they need to go. You can support your child by sharing this information with them and by reminding them to introduce themselves and ask for help when they get out of their car upon arrival.
School Supplies
We also wanted to take this opportunity to remind you not to worry about all the school supplies that you might want your child to bring to school. As you send your child with supplies, pack them in a bag with handles, labeled with your child’s name and grade. If a staff member takes the bag to help your child out, we will make sure it gets delivered promptly to their classroom. We always make sure everyone has what they need and we are here to help.
Arrival: 8:45 AM
Dismissal CAPS: 2:45 PM
Dismissal: 3:15 PM
Kindergarten Dismissal (On Modified Days): 1:00 PM
Delayed Opening: 90 Minute Delay, Arrival is 10:15 AM
Minimum Day Dismissal: 1:00 PM
Please note that the first bell rings at 8:45 A.M. This is our “open for business” bell and the one around which you want to arrange your schedule. Please plan to drop your child at school between 8:40 A.M. and 8:45 A.M. This will ensure that your child is ready to enter the building when the first bell rings and is seated in his/her classroom and ready to start the day when the late bell rings. Please do not drop your child off before 8:40 A.M. as we do not have any supervision in place until that time. You are welcome to arrive early and remain with your child in your car on the car line so that they are ready to hop out once supervision is in place.
Any children that arrive after 8:50 A.M. will need to be escorted to the main entrance by a parent/ adult dropping them off at school. Please safely park your car in the lot and ring the bell at the main entrance and sign your child in our Tardy Book.
Dismissal for our CAPS students is at 2:45 and for all other families it is at 3:15 PM. If you are using the car line to pick up your children each day, please plan to arrive promptly so that our children can be dismissed safely and efficiently with proper supervision in place. Although it might be tempting to wait until our car line has eased up a bit before picking up your child, we ask that you arrive promptly with the understanding that we are working diligently to dismiss safely while being as efficient as possible.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
A thorough description of our arrival and dismissal procedures are detailed in this link:
CRS Arrival and Dismissal Procedures 2022-2023 and in our CRS Handbook
All families will receive family name signs on the first day of school. Please check your child’s backpack and call the main office if you did not receive your family name signs. If you need additional signage for other persons authorized to pick up your child(ren), please let the main office know. Be sure to update Genesis if you are authorizing someone else to pick up your child. Please complete this Daily Dismissal Form for each child that will attend Colonial Road School prior to the first day of school. This allows us to safely dismiss your child.
Class Placement
A great deal of time, effort and thought has gone into the process of student placement for the school year. Your child’s class placement will be available through Genesis for this school year on Friday, September 2nd. Careful consideration was given to input from staff and families as well as student learning styles. Classrooms have been balanced academically and socially. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Moving students is difficult without causing imbalances and inequities. Thank you so much for being positive with your child and helping him or her understand that it is impossible to place all students with a preferred best friend or teacher. Our CRS family works hard to make school a positive experience for each and every student. Thank you for understanding that it can take a few weeks for a child to acclimate to a new grade, peer group and teacher. You will receive a welcome letter from your child’s teacher prior to the first day of school.
Required School Forms in Genesis
As a reminder, parents and guardians are expected to update any contact information, including emergency contact information, and fill out the required forms online in Genesis Parent Resources. Class Placement information will be released in Genesis prior to the start of school. Parents/Guardians will not have access to this information without completing these updates and forms.
Important Reminders about Genesis:
Please log into Genesis Parent Resources at https://parents.franklinlakes.k12.nj.us
If you have any questions please email [email protected]
Communication
Please be sure to update your contact information in Genesis so that you can continue to receive important information. We regularly use email, voicemail, and text messaging through our automated system so it is critical that your contact information is up to date. If you find that you are not receiving information, please contact the main office so that we may assist you. Carefully reviewing our e-blasts is the best way to stay informed regarding our school events. If you ever have questions regarding future school events, please feel free to reach out to us for clarification. Additionally, our PTA sends out information about PTA events via eblasts. Our CRS PTA website is a wealth of information so be sure to join the PTA so that you can access this information.
Back to School Night
Please mark your calendars for our Back-To-School Night on Tuesday, September 20th at 7:00 P.M.
Last but certainly not least, an essential component of the success we will continue to share together this year is our dedicated and passionate parent community. I look forward to forging and sustaining partnerships with you as we work together to ensure success for your children. As we embark on another year together, I want to take a moment to extend a sincere heartfelt thank you to all of you.
As I am also about to send my girls off to Sixth Grade and audibly gasp as I write this, I too have feelings of excitement mixed with a bit of apprehension about the school adventure. I am hopeful that school continues to be a place of great excitement, comfort and most of all learning.
I want to assure you that our CRS family will not only accept your children for who they are, but will also provide them with a home away from home. We thank you in advance for sharing your children with us and we look forward to spending the school year with them. I look forward to seeing all of you very soon and to welcoming back our returning families and meeting our new families.
Warm Regards,
Christine Gagliardo