Mr. Mark Solimo
Superintendentís Message
On behalf of the administration, staff, and Moonachie Board of Education, I am proud to welcome you
to the 2010-2011 Robert L. Craig School website.
The Moonachie School District actively engages the community to create a shared responsibility for
student and school success. The Boardís goal for this website is to enable educators, students, parents,
and community members to share key information about the districtís activities and especially to
showcase Robert L. Craig School achievements.
The focus is about learning and teaching and to create a great school where all students achieve at high
levels. To create a school in which quality teaching occurs in every classroom and teachers and
students alike experience success, joy, and satisfaction each day.
The Moonachie School District strives to offer the best educational program possible at Robert L.
Craig in order to develop the mind and character of each student.
Robert L. Craig staff work on teams to design curriculum; plan instruction; develop authentic
assessment tasks based on specific, agreed-on standards; problem solve; counsel students; support each
other; and teach. Teachers are encouraged to develop a wide repertoire of teaching strategies and use a
variety of techniques in their classroom to enhance the curriculum delivery system and meet the
varying needs of students.
Mission Statement
It is the Mission of the Robert L. Craig School to help its students achieve the New Jersey Core
Curriculum Content Standards at all grade levels, and gain the academic skills and knowledge,
intellectual integrity, and individual courage as risk-takers, which will lead to their personal success.
We will provide an education, which enables our students to operate as active citizens in America and
in its democracy, as well as informed and concerned citizens of the world. This education will be
provided in an atmosphere, which is disciplined and fosters respect for others by a dedicated teaching
staff and administration who maintain a knowledge of contemporary teaching approaches and
strategies.
Vision Statements
1. To provide students with the necessary academic and social/moral skills that will enable them
to achieve in the future as a meaningful part of society.
2. To increase social skills i.e. respect for authority, common courtesies such as greeting someone
in the hall, picking up papers in the hall, etc.
3. To develop programs focusing on problem solving skills, social-emotional intelligence and
character building. To develop recognized programs focusing on reading and writing.
4. To become a community of active lifelong learners in partnership with students and their
families.
5. To provide students with more literature-based learning and to expect not accept what will
make our children well prepared for high school and beyond.
6. To help students grow and develop into capable, caring, and aware adults who can take their
place in their society in a positive, responsible way. They are the future and the leaders of
tomorrow. Let us give them the tools and values they will need to fulfill that role.
7. To provide knowledge and understanding regarding the importance of physical activity on
health, both now and in the future.
8. To foster student's self-esteem, respect for self/others, along with awareness of new
technologies and changing practices.
9. To provide a coordinated program in math and language from Pre-K to 8th grade in which all
teachers communicate with each other as we work towards a common goal of academic
excellence.
10. To help students gain the academic skills, knowledge, integrity and courage to become risk
takers in order to be successful in an ever changing word.
Shared Values
1. If you cannot learn the way we teach, we had better teach the way he can learn
2. Alignment of curriculum is as important as anything a district can do to improve learning and
student performance.
3. Positive expectations yield positive results.
4. Relationships are the core of successful learning communities.
5. Collaboration must have the goal of improving student achievement if it is to pay off.
6. All children can learn to high standards when there is a supportive environment, when high
expectations are held by all stakeholders, and when there is clear accountability on the part of
students, staff, families, and the community.
7. To build capacity for continuous improvement, districts must focus on four key strategies:
interpreting and using data, building teachers' knowledge and skills, aligning curriculum and
instruction, and targeting interventions for low-performing students or schools.
8. Effective teachers actively engage families in their children's schooling, make family members
aware of their important contributions, and encourage them to feel comfortable in working
closely with schools.
9. When parents are actively engaged in their children's education, those children tend to have
higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and complete homework more consistently.
10. A positive, supportive atmosphere contributes directly to a student's improvement in school
attendance, academic achievement, and attitude.
11. For the at-risk student to learn, teachers must make sure that students feel cared for, supported,
respected, and challenged.
12. Students live up to or down to the expectations of teachers. Teacher attitudes have an
enormous influence on student academic performance and behavior.
13. When students are taught through an aligned curriculum, personalized instruction, and a "can
do" attitude from caring teachers, remarkable improvement can occur.
14. Teachers need to do everything possible to help students understand and connect the relevance
and importance of classroom learning to their lives.
15. When teachers work together to establish measurable goals, monitor students' process, and
assess instructional effectiveness, remarkable gains in achievement occur.
16. Homework leads to better retention of knowledge, increased understanding, better study habits,
better self-discipline, and better time management.
The Language Arts Literacy Program at the Robert L. Craig School promotes students' capacities to
construct meaning in any arena. Students are provided with differentiated instructional strategies to
address individual learning styles and diverse student needs; Ç"active learning", in which students are
engaged in active questioning, active listening, authentic activities, and the learning process;
immersion in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing strands that leads to deeper and wider
understanding; and explicit and systematic instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness, fluency,
comprehension, and vocabulary development.
The Mathematics Curricula is designed to acquire the skills, understandings, and attitudes students will
need to be successful in their careers and daily lives. Students solve real problems, reason effectively,
and make logical connections.
Science in Moonachie is not merely a collection of facts and theories, but a way of investigating the
world in which we live. The study of science includes the diversity, complexity, and independence of
life and earth.
Through the Visual and Performing Arts Program, students develop the capacity to perceive and
respond imaginatively to works of arts. The development of sensory activity enables students to
perceive and acknowledge various viewpoints. Students observe, describe, analyze, interpret, and
evaluate artistic expression and quality in both their own artistic creations and in the work of others.
The Health and Physical Education Program promotes each studentÇ optimum physical, mental,
emotional, and social development. The program is student-centered and utilizes multiple learning
theories and models to support and promote health-enhancing behaviors. As a result, students are
empowered to develop and demonstrate increasingly sophisticated knowledge, skills, attitudes, and
practices.
The Social Studies Program fosters in all students the ability to understand their world and to have an
appreciation for the heritage of America with a high degree of literacy in civics, history, economics,
and geography. Students acquire a basic understanding and appreciation of American traditions;
develop critical thinking skills which enable them to function as lifelong learners; understand world
history as the context for United States history; and participate in activities that enhance the common
good.
The World Language Program prepares students for the demands of an independent world by teaching
world languages for communication, heightening studentsÇ linguistic and cultural awareness of their
local, state, and world community, encouraging interdisciplinary and workplace readiness connections
that may involve business and community members as mentors and models, and preparing students for
using a world language in whatever career choices they make.
The Technology Education Program in Moonachie was developed to ensure the literacy needed by all
students to succeed in a highly technological world. Computer and information literacy is integrated
and applied in all the content areas of the Core Curriculum Content Standards. Students use technology
tools and applications to conduct research, solve problems, improve learning, and produce products
and presentations in conjunction with standards in all areas. They also develop, locate, summarize,
organize, synthesize, and evaluate information for lifelong learning.
Career Education Program identifies key career development and life skills that students must
accomplish in order to achieve continuing success in various life roles related to continuing education,
career development and personal growth. Individual, Group, and Crisis Counseling is conducted
focusing on family, peer, and academic concerns. Family sessions are held by the school psychologist
and school social worker to work on improving the quality of family relationships and resolving
behaviors that prevent students from reaching their potential.
Character Education is offered to students in grades 1-8 to foster the development of values, which
function as the cornerstone of ethical behavior.
Conflict Resolution is conducted during the lunch period to help students find appropriate ways to
diffuse and handle problems between students.
Peer Mediation is offered as an extension of the conflict resolution program where seventh and eight
grade students are trained by the school psychologist to mediate disputes between students and help
them arrive at mutually beneficial compromises.
Peer Tutoring and Peer Mentoring provide additional support to struggling students in the mainstream
setting and assistance to classified students in the special education setting. Seventh and eighth grade
students volunteer their time and give up their participation in non-academic subjects, specials, and
afternoon activities to work with students on a one-to-one basis.
Common Planning time will continue for the 2010-2011 school year. During daily common planning
sessions teachers between 8:10am - 8:50am participate in staff training, curriculum development,
articulation meetings, and providing additional assistance to students. The primary goal of common
planning time is to develop techniques in order to increase student achievement.
The following are Moonachie School District goals for the 2010-2011 School Year:
1. To increase student achievement & close the achievement gap in grades Pre-K-8 using a
variety of local indicators and state assessment.
2. To maintain and enhance support services.
3. To implement/maintain a model of school, family, and community partnership that is
designed to engage, guide, energize and motivate students to produce their own academic and
behavior successes.
4. To provide a full continuance of services and programs in the home school
district for educating children with disabilities in the least restrictive
environment.
5. To enhance the School District Operations.
6. To increase Technological Literary Skills.
The Moonachie School District places student and adult learning at its center, setting high expectations
and standards for the academic and social development of all students and the performance of adults.
The Board of Education has developed a culture of continuous learning for adults tied to student
learning and other school goals. In the classroom, education in Moonachie means encouraging respect
for each student and helping students do their best, shared ideas, and taking risks as they learn and
work individually and cooperatively. The goal is to create a condition at Robert L. Craig which will
offer every student and staff member the opportunity to access and engage in learning and to fully
develop his or her talents.
The Moonachie School District is a culturally diverse school district with the primary goal of ensuring
all its students are provided the opportunity for an exemplary educational experience and are
challenged to a high level of performance. The Moonachie School District has developed a strong
school community, finely attuned to the needs, values, talents, and interests of the students. Enjoy
your visit and we encourage you to contact us with your questions and/or need for additional
information at (201) 641-5833 Ext. 100.