the United States of America and to the it stands one nation God indivisible liy and justice for all Mr B here Mr Chapman here Mr parella Mr gakis here Mrs Miller here Mr Pender here Mr cleberg Mr Casio here Mr P here in accordance with the terms of the Sunshine Law adequate notice of this meeting was posted in all school buildings the administration building burrow clerk's office Public Library three newspapers and tap into on January 8th 2024 please be advised there's no smoking on school grounds inside or outside at any time please silence all electronic devices and pursuant to District policy number 0167 each statement made by a participant shall be limited to three minutes duration and no participant may speak one it wants at the same time thank you uh move every on to superintendent report thank you Mr P can I ask before we begin if we just want to set up towards the uh towards the video this evening we have the honor of recognizing the wonderful faculty staff and administrators who are returning uh who are retiring from our school district over the years they have worked to make our district a great place for students they have spent their time supporting our students academically socially and emotionally they have been an asset to our school district and they will surely be missed we'd like to take a few moments to acknowledge the hard work of these amazing retirees so we put together a special video good evening my name is John folo and I'm proudly serve as principal of South planfield High School it's my distinct pleasure to introduce and honor our retirees from South Playfield High School this evening but before I do I'd like to take a quick moment to thank Dr KY Miss Melisa and our board of education for honoring our retirees this evening as well as their support throughout the school year as well as to congratulate and thank all the other retirees for their years of service to the South lingfield School System our first retiree from South Playfield High School is Miss Jackie Barton Miss Barton was a foreign language teacher at South Playfield high school for a number of years she worked both in a number of different settings working with teachers uh in in all capacities she was an advocate for for students in our elll population she worked with our heritage program as well as worked with our Spanish communication and culture program which which is great for a lot of our special education students and students first coming into this uh School District especially froma District uh Miss Barton was active in our school community in a number of different ways volunteering through clubs and activities and really just a great person to be around Mrs Barton thank you for all of your time and efforts she actually retired earlier in the year so we she hasn't been with us for the majority of the year but her her presence was fell throughout her time and thank you for all of your time and service to the community our next retiree is Miss Marine benck Miss benck has been with us for a very long time at the high school she spent a very full career over in our counseling office working with students and our and our counseling staff in a number of different capacities uh Mrs benck will remembered for her warm demeanor and welcome her students as well as her ability to work within the many confines and help run that counseling office in collaboration with a number of different people throughout her time here so like to thank Mrs Bennett for all that she's done and her contributions to this school community and she'll be severely missed our next retiree is Miss Dolly glus Miss glus has been a science teacher at the high school for over the last 15 to 20 years Miss glus is a staple in our science department she has taught everything from chemistry to Integrated Science to physics Mrs glus has been able to reach countless number of children working with them using her personality and and the different types of things she worked with in the classroom to help all of her students to succeed as a staff member she's the first person to ask a question that will benefit a kid she's one of the first persons that'll advocate for her children in any way shap or form she was just such a warm presence to have within the building we're really going to miss miss glus and uh wish her best in moving forward in our next Endeavor our next retiree is Miss elizab pakur Miss pakora taught in our English Department for the number of years I actually remember Miss pakora as a student uh we knew that she was incredibly stringent on her students she made sure that they were pulling the best out of them and from that time to this time serving as her principal that has not changed she's Mentor the teachers uh she is a is a standard in which we all want to go off we're really going to miss miss bakora I will share one tidbit about miss bakora one project she did that I know a lot of my classmates and other South Playfield lni really did appreciate is when they were a senior they wrote a letter to themselves four years later and it was a lot of fun I remember getting together with a bunch of my friends after we graduated college we all started receiving those letters from our high school cell and the things that we talked about our goals are aspirations was just a really fun project that I know countless South Playfield High School seniors have appreciated and I know even within my circle of friends we really got a a lot of really fun Smiles at it and even every now and then every four or five years we'll open them back up and take a look at them again so thank you Mr pakora for that keep sing our next retiree is Miss Terry pedi Mrs pedi served as a secretary in a variety of uh capacities over at the high school she was she was secretary to the principal for a number of years before she moved over to the counseling department and she worked directly with the the director of counseling and helped out in those capacities Mrs pled has been a force within the high school throughout her time and we can't be more thankful enough for her diligence the amount of work she put in her understanding of how the building runs and how she trained pretty much everyone into different positions to help them as this building continues to move forward Mrs pled has put countless hours towards our students and staff and this building is a better place for her having been here our next reti Miss Kathleen Riley Miss Kathleen Riley was a counselor within our school for a number of years Miss Miss Riley helped countless students get through a number of different uh situations she was a strong Advocate and worked with our our elll and ml populations she's worked specifically with with students to make sure they're achieving their their dreams and I can't tell you how many people who have had Mrs Riley as an alumni and they're still in contact with her she's still helping them out she's still counseling them she's still giving them career advice and she does it to this day I'll still get a text from Miss Riley even after she's retired mentioning a couple things talking about her former students in the moves and I really appreciate those texts please keep them coming Miss Riley we miss you here and uh thank you for all that you've done our final retiree is Miss Carol Olen Miss Olen is the longtime nurse at South Playfield High School Miss all is a staple she understands everything that goes throughout the building uh everything runs so smoothly and it's because of the years of standards and practices that's based on her expertise to help us out to make the school a better and safer Place throughout the pandemic Miss olum was a rock for us in every way shape or form uh she was someone that we were talking to constantly keeping us up to date with the with the safest uh procedures to go with and really was just a lot of help in every way shape or form and is one of the big reasons why we were able to be a successful navigating our way through the pandemic so thank you Miss Al for everything you done in Your Capacity and uh good luck as you move forward in your next Endeavor I want to thank everyone again for all of their time and and efforts that they put in towards making the high school a better place again congratulations to all the retirees this evening you have left an incredible Legacy on our school community staff and students uh you will be missed but uh don't be strangers thank you and take care everyone 20 years and she has been working in the South lanfield School District it has always been a pleasure to know that Miss Smith was working in my school as a par professional what is a power professional a power professional is a teaching assistant who provides instructional services to students under the general supervision of a certified teacher a power professional works with children individually or in small groups to provide a basic instruction of Reading Writing math or other educational related activities Miss Smith has been the example of dedication and professionalism always going above and beyond to ensure the needs of her students are met with care and compassion whether it was providing academic support lending a listening ear or simply offering a comfortable presence she has touched the lives of countless children in ways that words cannot capture her unwavering commitment to our students is a testament to her character and to the values that she embodies day in and day out she worked tirelessly to create a nurturing supportive environment where all children felt valued respective and empowered to succeed as Miss Smith has embarked on this new chapter of her life I know that she will carry with her the love gratitude and appreciation of everyone whose life she has touched while she may be retired from her role as a PR professional her Legacy will live on in countless life that she is impacted on behalf of the entire School Community I want to express my deepest gratitude to Miss Smith for her years of service dedication and unwavering commitment to our students congratulations on your retirement may this new chapter be filled with joy laughter and all the happiness that you deserve when I first came to the South planfield Middle School I learned very quickly that Miss cageo was somebody I could count on I learned that she was a hardworking and determined educator who always had the best interest of her students and the Middle School in mind when she made her decisions Miss cacho's enthusiasm and positive rapport with her students and staff at the middle school was missed when she retired in November her positive personality was contagious and motivated her students to want to do well in her classes throughout her time here miss quo closely monitored her students to be sure that she was able to identify the weaknesses of her students and work with them to improve their motivation and understanding in each of her classes I think the true value of Miss K's career was a connection that she made with her students in November right before she retired we had a student staff volleyball game at night here at the middle school gym a group of her students asked her to be on her team and she accepted the smiles on their faces and on her face that evening and the fun that they had exemplified her passion for them Miss kro as you embark on this new chapter of your life we want to acknowledge the countless lives you have touched and the inevitable Mark that you have made here at the South plan field Middle School you were deeply missed congratulations on your retirement I have had the privilege of working with and knowing Miss Holtz for the entire time that I have been working here in the South planfield School System when I started here at Grant school she was teaching math and now we are both finishing together at the middle school when I started here in South pointfield being new to the district I had a lot of names I needed to learn I do have to admit that I did not realize that her name was Miss Holtz for the first few months that we were working here for the longest time I thought her name was Miss Wilson it's not my fault whenever someone would talk about this Holtz they would say something like student needs to be in Wilson and they were talking about Miss holz's class or they would say something like we need to change student schedule so that they get Wilson I had no idea they were talking about the Wilson Reading Program and not miss Holtz who teaches the Wilson throughout her time here in South planfield Miss Holtz has made an impact on the lives of many students to demonstrate this I want to share part of a letter that I found in Miss holtz's personnel file it reads needs the South planfield School System should consider themselves extremely fortunate to have Miss Holtz on their staff our family will always remember Miss Holtz as the educator who made the difference in our child's learning experience this is just one of many examples of the dedication and the effort that Miss Holtz has put in her career here at South planfield the staff day at the middle schools ends at 2:50 each day but you'll never see Miss leaving at that time she will usually be leaving after 400 p.m. because she is preparing her lessons for her students her toio effort has not only helped to educate her students but it also has inspired them to believe in themselves Miss Holtz congratulations on your retirement we wish you all the joy fulfillment and relaxation that you so richly deserve thank you for your uning dedication determination and Devotion to the students of South planfield you will be deeply missed I met miss fler in3 when I became the assistant principal at Grant school and Miss pler was one of many teachers that moved to Grant school with the addition of the fifth grade class to the school when she first came to Grant school she was assigned to the special education department but was then moved to fifth grade general education where she used her expertise in math and science to instruct the students fast forward to 2020 I have the privilege of working with Miss blasser again at the middle school as a special education teacher Miss blaser's classroom has always been a place of warmth and acceptance where every student feels valued and supported her ability to connect with her students on a personal level has had a lasting impact on their lives helping them to overcome challenges and to reach their fullest potential in the realm of special education the role is special education teacher is exceptionally critical Miss fler has embraced this role with acceptance Grace and empathy her individual approach to each student's unique needs has fostered an environment wor learning and growth or always within reach her tireless effort has not only educated but has also inspired her students to believe in themselves Miss bler we wish you all the best in your well-deserved retirement thank you for your incredible contribution to the south poan field Community you will be deeply missed congratulations on your retirement good evening Dr tany and members of the Board of Education tonight I have the pleasure to speak about Mr Mark Tweed who's retiring after 35 years of teaching 29 of those in South pfield schools Mr Tweed has led our bands at the high school grand school and elementary schools Mr tweet is a passionate educator who has always kept a student's first mentality we would often have conversations where he would say I will put my band against any band in state and know they'll come out on top Mr Tweed has influenced many lives through his long tenure in South planfield through music his students and the staff at gr school will sincerely miss him and the music coming out of room 46 congratulations Mr Tweed on your retirement I also want to take the time to congratulate all the other retirees being honored tonight I wish you all a happy and healthy retirement thank you and have a great good evening I am Shannon kuchi principal of Franklin School here tonight to talk about our retiree Mrs an Simone as our school year comes to an end our extraordinary secretary Mrs Anne Simone is preparing to close her career and end a chapter of Franklin's history Mrs Simone has spent nearly three decades as a Franklin parent PTO member par professional and secretary her involvement at Franklin began in 1995 when her oldest son started kindergarten she helped at class parties and PTO sponsored events in 1999 and began working as a par professional supporting teachers and students in their classrooms and sharing her tremendous artistic abilities creating student gifts decorations and as a part of the Veterans Day event planning staff after 16 1 12 years as a par professional an traded in the classroom to work in the Franklin main office for 8 and 1/2 years now Ann has worked as Franklin school secretary she is The Keeper of the castle a one woman show or as they lovingly refer to her the boss of Franklin School every one of us in the school has an important role but Ann is the lifeline and heart of our building and treats everyone with care and warmth she is a pillar of support for every person who comes through those doors in terms of her role as secretary an has dissected copy machines with surgical Precision to get progress flowing again issued ice packs and Band-Aids for boo boos multitasked adequately to answer two phones the door buzzer a student at her desk and a teacher asking a question while using The copier as a beloved colleague an is counting on to overcome hidden obstacles provide our staff with levity and balance throughout the day she has encouraged us all countless times to be the very best we can an Simone is a role model for commitment and service she has impacted nearly three decades of Franklin families through her dedication and kindness retirement is not the end of the road it is the beginning of the open Highway and I know an is looking forward to hitting this open road traveling to our national parks and some International locations of interest and on behalf of the entire Franklin School Community we congratulate you on your retirement we hope that you and your family will look back on your years at Franklin with fondness may your retirement be filled with good health happiness and beautiful memories of your travels we wish you all the best in this new chapter of your life to the South cenfield 2023 24 retirees best wishes and good health to you in the future thank you hi good evening everyone my name is Mr Sam Fier I am the principal here at Roosevelt Elementary School um a fantastic school at that we have this year we have three uh staff members who have been cornerstones of this building um retiring this year and uh I would like to tell you who they are and say a little bit of of things about them the first two that we're going to talk about are both kindergarten teachers so the first kindergarten teacher is Mrs Jan Campa now Mrs Campana has been in this school as an a kindergarten teacher I believe for over 20 years and um she's taught other things other than kindergarten she was first she was second I believe she was even fourth grade for a little while so she's played uh uh a lot of different roles uh in this school and um has uh raised her family here in this town is a uh a South pfield resident and has done a fantastic job for us all all of these years as a teacher in this building we will be very sad to see her go so best of luck to you Miss campaign also retiring another across the hall um a colleague of hers in the kindergarten Wing is m Pat santillo Mrs santillo has also been in this district for well over 20 years um Mrs santillo whenever I think of her I think of the students that she's had the last couple of years who um were definitely some of the most challenging some of the most um active energetic and whereas most people would um not be able to um withstand uh those you know those kind of behaviors for long she was the most patient and loving teacher that I've seen and I I she shocked me um at at at at her patience level and she was a perfect kindergarten teacher um so and I know she has a lot of plans in her retirement and um she's got a lot of things left to do she's in great shape um even though she may not be teaching we hope to see her back here at some point uh in some capacity doing things because she's that talented um so good luck to you Mrs santillo and finally um when I talk about a Cornerstone there is no other Cornerstone or anyone who is more Roosevelt than our next retiree and that is our nurse Mrs peny Deandrea she was the nurse at Roosevelt School across the way when that was it was Roosevelt Elementary School which is now our border office so she opened this school um and has been the nurse the only school nurse that this Roosevelt building had ever known and she had a has a work ethic that is second to none when I would get here in the morning she had been here an hour when I leave here at night and I leave here night late like sometimes 7:30 8:00 she's still here and she was an an hour after me she dedicated to uh her job dedicated to her craft of being a nurse and as a principal I I just love the fact that I never had to worry a day about anything in that Health Department because she was on it um and she was just so good so so good she's a throwback you know she's she's one of a kind they don't make you know they broke the mold when they made her as for School nurses so um another um little known fact that you may not know unless you work here with her is she's probably one of the best Bakers in the United States she could enter competition so although she's healthy the things she makes are not so healthy and make the rest of us large um so since she's retired we've all lost a few pounds um congratulations to you hope you enjoy your retirement I know you could be moving out of state and being close to your children and your and your grandchildren and doing the things that you need to do now in the in the second half of your life so um going to miss you GNA miss you a great deal and we already do so thank you very much and congratulations to our three retire Sarah roselt evening everyone my name is Tim cogman and I the principal of Riley tonight I have the honor of speaking about Miss Margaret Pella March has dedicated over 27 years of her life to South play school day has both a bus Aid and a duty a here right I want to take a moment to thank Mar for her absolute dedication to our students and the kindness that she brought to her position I can tell you she had a positive impact on our students simply because of the last day year when we announced the St that she was retired and just about every single one of them had to come up and give her a hug so Marge from all riy thank you for your time here thank you for your dedication to South play field and enjoy your retirement good evening everyone my name is Alex pany and tonight I have the pleasure of H Hing Deb Schroeder for her retirement uh Deb worked here for 27 years I remember that time she probably had 27 bosses but she was constant in her office she's trly seen it all on top of being an outstanding employee Deb was one of the nicest most genuine people I have ever met she's also famous for bringing in birthday cakes uh whenever someone has a birthday uh she has continued that job in retirement and as I see it she's got that job from life uh we all miss you and please don't be a stranger I also wanted to take a moment to congratulate all the staff on their retirement this year have a good night good evening I'm Andy Brandon one of the two directors of special services it is an honor for me to talk to you tonight about Sue Alexander on behalf of myself and also Joan Ryan the other director of special services Joanne and I have both known sue for over 5 years while we have been working in the South Springfield School District we've had the honor of getting to know Sue fairly well and know that above everything else she puts her family first which is why you can now find her babysitting multiple days a week for her grandchildren every morning I would come into the office and we chitchat with Sue about family how her weekend was we always had something positive to share sometimes something not so positive to share uh it was really an honor for me to get to know Sue and to work with her for the past five years when I learned that Sue was going to retire I went into an immediate frenzy because I couldn't figure out how I would ever replace her Sue had normal regular office tasks which she did day in and day out however she also had a deal with me coming into the office more regularly than I would like to say and saying have this project we have to do stop everything else now we need to do this and Sue would without a Flinch without hesitating move from one thing to the next seamlessly she truly has been a great support to both me and Joanne uh during the time that we've worked with her we have truly missed Sue um and and what she brought to what she brought to the office and wish her the best uh in her retirement hopefully in addition to to watching her grandkids she's able to do some of the things that she imagined doing in her retirement so if you're wondering who the crazy person waving at you during your walks in town is it's me I sometimes still see Sue going on her walks through town uh and I do I wave to her every time not really sure if she knows it's me or not so again soe that's me um but seriously we wish you all the best in everything that you do during your retirement uh I know you've already stopped into building us once um feel free to come back anytime uh if you'd like to uh do some of the uh Medicaid billing you're more than welcome to happen a seat and and take care of that as well um so again we wish you the best in everything that you do good evening everyone I'm Mary Melisa assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the South lanfield schools I have the pleasure of recognizing a new Garrison for her retirement from the South lanefield School District after a 22-year tenure for those of you who don't know teaching is a second career for Mrs Garrison she graduated from rurus with a bachelor in science in computer science this is also where she met her husband of 37 years Len Mrs Garrison earned her master of science degree in mathematics at Fairley Dickinson University and worked as a computer programmer at IBM for 6 years before before taking time off to raise her three beautiful daughters Serena Stephanie and Alexa she couldn't stay away from math for too long however and worked as an Adent professor at Caldwell college and ruter university and as a math tutor while technically being a stay-at-home mom these experiences sparked a deeper interest in education leading Mrs Garrison to apply to the South cenfield School District as an alternate rout math teacher in 2002 in her time as a math teacher at the High School Mrs Garrison was the National Honor Society adviser the first teacher to utilize a Smartboard and the first to incorporate a live data Student Response instructional component through the use of ey clickers in 2016 Mrs Garrison was promoted to director of curriculum where she continued to enhance the district's use of datadriven instruction primarily by expanding the district's linkit pilot to a districtwide benchmarking and assessment tool in addition to this she has meticulously managed the title one Grant planning student and family programming to support historically underperforming groups of students an new you have been instrumental in districtwide curriculum and program development I'm going to amiss your innate ability to Crunch the numbers create correlation charts and think strategically and mathematically and systematically I hope you enjoy your retirement by spending time with your three three grandchildren Chase Cameron and Ka and enjoy long stays at your home in Bradley congratulations on a well-deserved retirement good evening everyone I'd like to take a few moments to honor and celebrate Mr Leo whan on his retirement from the South pfield School District Mr whan has been a dedicated member of our community since 2003 after a 15-year tenure in the North Brunswick School District where he began his career as a physical education teacher and later served as assistant to the principal Mr whan's Journey with us started as an assistant principal of gr school and in 2005 he was promoted to principal a role he held until 2011 he then became principal of the Riley Elementary School a position he occupied until 2019 afterwards he assumed the leadership of the South pville Middle School where he continues while unleas until August 1st of this year anyway Mr whan has consistently put students first making fair and thoughtful decisions that earned him the respect of both students and parents he was known for his transparent communication always taking the time to explain his rationale and help students understand the importance of his decisions his focus on improving classroom instruction and advocating for his faculty and staff have been unwavering ensuring they had the necessary support to help students succeed Mr whan has also contributed significantly outside of the classroom serving on various committees such as the peace committee multiple Personnel committees and the curriculum Council to name just a few he was a proud executive member of the administrators Association serving as president for 10 years he is known for his willingness to support and Mentor others providing opportunities for Future Leaders to shine during professional development sessions and plc's now Mr whan looks forward to enjoying his well-deserved retirement with his wife of 32 years Diana truth be told that they are together 40 years real high school sweethearts his three wonderful Sons Ashton Leo and Joe his just like a daughter Britney and his daughter-in-law Alyssa once retired if you need to reach Leo you might try down at his shorehouse or serving as a deputy chief at the North Brunswick fire department where he has volunteered since he was 18 years old on a personal note Leo your colleagues and I will miss you greatly you have been a Fountain of Knowledge offering valuable Insight on District history educational programs and advice on handling delicate situations we've shared many conversations about family milestones and retirement dreams Leo your retirement looks pretty nice I wish you nothing but health and happiness in the next chapter and don't be surprised if you hear from us sooner than you expect congratulations Leo and thank you for your incredible service and dedication yes um at this time just on this section any board member comments I just like to say congratulations to all of our retirees we are truly grateful and thank you for all of your years of service hard work knowledge inspiration mentorship and everything else you have done for the children of South L as you begin the next chapter of your lives I hope you all have an enjoyable fun relaxing and healthy retirement you all truly deserve it if we strangers you always have home here in South you know when you look at this Collective group of retire I think there was 21 tonight it's crazy it's like you guys have been here forever and it's just very bizarre for some for some of you to retire in my mind because my own kids who are well- grown adults have had Jackie Barton I mean you know it's crazy and Kathy Riley you know you really guided my kids and look at my daughter's a guidance counsel now because of some of the stuff that you did with her Leo W you've done a tremendous job with the middle school that is not an easy task and you have done a tremendous job there you would be missed Debbie Schroeder I mean you it was set up there you will never find a nicer person than Debbie Schroeder when I first started on this boort Debbie you you have been so kind to me and so helpful and honestly you will be so greatly missed you have been so greatly missed and I just want to say congratulations to everybody you guys have been a pillar of our school district and you know uh we can't do without you and we want to thank you for all your time and wish you nothing but the best in your retirement so thank you guys thank you very much uh yeah um congratulations and good luck to U all the retirees your years here touch the lives of hundreds of students including my own two boys and guided them to the productive and educated individuals of they became your talents and dedication will be missed and I don't want to single anybody out because I forget them but I know Kathy Riley and Debbie schroer and Mark Tweed and a few others that I have known personally either through my sons or um in this uh board bed um congratulations good luck you make our district what it is today thank you I'm looking at the list of names on here and I'm as we were watching that I I couldn't stop thinking about how blessed we are the the lives that you all have touched including my own including of all of us and I think about why you do it that that we understand teaching is much more than what happens in the classroom it encompasses that mentorship and that service and and going A Step Beyond what your regular duties are assigned and so I we want to say thank you thank you and and words can't even thank you like the words that I'm saying cannot thank you enough for what you have done and I I always think about the experiences that I've had in South Playfield and truly the experiences that that you've given me are the reason why we're here today at the end of the day the reason I'm here today I mean I I always think about Mrs Barton telling me I'm all that in a bag of chips because she would humble me in the classroom because sometimes I would just keep going so it's those experiences and so the teachers that I didn't necessarily have directly all of my friends talk about the experiences that they've had in your classroom and the lives that you have touch and truly you could have had your career anywhere and there's a reason that South Playfield is where you ended up because you are continuing to change lives and you have changed lives for decades so thank you and as always please don't be a stranger you understand that the work that you do stems out through the mentorship through the lives that you continue to touch so please come back and impart that wisdom that you've been doing for years because we need you thank you yeah I just want to thank you all I mean uh sitting here and and seeing everybody who's uh retired here tonight it must really make Po feel old so listen I mean I'm not going to name names on here but I know the lot of you have touched my children throughout the years you know and and made a difference and uh I hope you appreciate what you've done for these children in the district and I hope you enjoy your retirement um you know tomorrow's not promised do what's on your bucket list and get it done don't put things off anymore all right you deserve it so thank you I it's going to be you know just redundant and what everybody has said is you know Rings true the impact that all of you have made on our children's lives and uh all the children over the decades is you know so so greatly appreciated and like Devon said your word we just can't say the words to appropriately you know say thank you very much I just hope that each and every one of you have a long and healthy and happy retirement uh filled with uh laughter and joy and and doing what it is that you all uh worked so hard for so many years came to work when you were sick missed events whatever you had to do so that you could get to this point in your life so thank you very much congratulations and enjoy just going to say thank you you've all been role models and you set the stage for all the new staff uh who are in our schools now and you're passing the torch to those folks and because of you our schools will continue and your work will continue to endure um with that being said this is not a sad event um you remember South Playfield for all the good that you've done and all the people you've changed lives with but um now don't be sad because it's over smile because it happened and from one retiree to another good luck to you and you'll have a great time play retirement as well okay thank you Thomas for that uh comment appreciate no problem um I want to thank everybody uh everybody who's are our staff members for all their time and effort and they put in this District you know there there are like few out there that I've actually known outside you know this realm you know where our boys uh played baseball together and we grew up together um so please I I don't want to offend anybody so I want to thank everybody but there's a few Jackie and and you know Chris uh good luck to you congratulations and and um you know our boys grew up playing baseball in fact all of us I think everyone I mentioned is it has to do with baseball um and uh you know it's great good luck to you and uh uh and Carol good luck to you good off of Kurt thanks for than for thanks for for everything Carol I mean I I saw I saw you in action every summer when when you playing golf and you still be in there doing physicals or something so with the with the boys but uh again our boys played we grew up together for we together for a long time I wish you a lot of luck you know uh out you know in the future uh and same thing known each other for just as long as everybody else um and our boys grew up too uh best of luck I know they're going to miss you there because I know what you're like and I know what you do so I know she I think there were tears on there I think they were real that she had but uh and then just a couple of that I've known for a while who worked in uh an um I don't know oh there you are uh I worked for you a long time I wish you a lot of luck and happiness thanks for everything you've done um and uh Debbie um there you are that that we've known each other and and now I guess I still going to see you because was kind of almost related too but but um great job I don't know how what they're going to do with you even though maybe that'll be short lived but um congratulations and I I know you I'll be seeing you so congratulate everybody want congratulate everybody again and enjoy oh Leah I almost forgot Leah where's Leah there you are Leo yeah he has the biggest smile of all he's leaving the middle school so principal um every every hat you've worn for us you've done a terrific job um it's amazing and it's going to be hard for whoever's going to follow you and uh I know we talked already so I know even though some of them said you know might be calling you soon I I know what the answer is going to be so then won't get a phone call from me so don't worry but enjoy enjoy the years thank you at this time I'm going to ask our retirees if you would please stand up so we can uh give you a proper Round of Applause and then we'll step over to take a a photo for t I'm G ask just for a moment so we can go on over and take a picture okay you aess sure got a motion for this evening we have our student representative report our report this evening is presented by Samir Abdul this is Sam second time presenting this year Samir represents the freshman class he is the Freshman CL picture our annual Day of Service went very smooth with all students enjoying themselves with fun events through the day the school raised over $2500 that Don to many Char student coun our and our track team sections teamc Champion the baseball team with the GMC students have been cleaning out those lockers keeping the school clean and safe environment for the whole school year our senior got to C them down taking them one step Bo of graduation that we Happ on the 18th of June uh your books were handed out today and sun is still safe in our SCH and with many spectacular students who were inducted into the national AR H Society our prom happened and was a very very exciting day for many students and was talk to all stud all seniors and under class who attended graduation is coming up Tuesday the 18th at 10 a.m. at Frank Jos field right now it's predicted to be a DAT full of great weather and take for spectator that will be attending to and in email all all sent out regarding information about the graduation thank you thank you Samir Samir it's an a prime example of the amazing students that we have here like I said this was your second time presenting for us and as usual you did a great job Mr pen you had a special presentation yeah I'd like to um I I have a resolution that was DED by school boards um just just honoring recognizing all student Representatives or student Representatives that I'm AG um whereas our student representative served with distinction on the south Lal Board of Education and and whereas through their leadership the South Board of Education gain fresh insight and student concerns student priorities and what is on the mind of young people in community and whereas is further they further contribute to the community by serving as a valuable spokesperson sharing the student perspective at four meetings and whereas our student representative Exemplar commitment follow students and the school district has promoted clear communication between the Board District administration and the student body and whereas our stand Representatives maintain a professional deform at board meetings shown respective board members and to learn the proper etiquette of serving on the school board and whereas they have demonstrated commitment to advancing the education of all students without neglecting their own responsibility to strive for success in the classroom now therefore be it resolved that the South L Board of me recognize our student Representatives dedication and commitment to advancing educational opportunities and open communication between Board District administrators and the student body be further resolve that the members of the student s Board of that board of education extend a sincere appreciation to our student representatives for the their dedicated service on the south L Board of Education and be it further resolved that the members of the South L board board of education extend the best wishes now I'm going to try with the names uh to yeah I know Aina bacer GI R Katherine fiper Sophia B and Samir Abdul hakeim G the wrong we' like to to wish them all uh good luck in their future endeavors please come up so you can accept your resolution and we can take another picture thank you thank you thank you you guys want to do and thank you thank you as a reminder uh Middle School promotion is scheduled for Monday June 17th at 10:00 a.m. an email was sent to parents and Guardians detailing this information we are expecting the ceremony to take place outside of the middle School sports field each student will receive four tickets to the ceremony this Friday um they will also be a zoom link uh on the uh School website so please make sure if you're not able to attend you're able to watch on the through the zoom link we're expecting it to be very warm over 90° and you're welcome to bring water with you as you enjoy the ceremony our high school graduation is scheduled for Tuesday June 18th at 10:00 a.m. in Joe field seniors picked up their cap and gwn along with their 18 outdoor tickets earlier this week all may be used at the outdoor ceremony the ceremony will be streamed over tiger TV as well we are also expecting a very warm day for graduation predicted to be uh in around 93 94 please feel free to bring water to enjoy during the ceremony this is a very important announcement um and it will also appear on our website we are uh taking on a district re-registration the district will undergo a re-registration for uh 24 25 school year for all second graders sixth graders and 10th graders so that means anybody who's in those grades starting in September of 24 all re-registration will be completed online parents and Guardians will be required to update their student enrollment information in the Genesis Parent Portal parents and Guardians will be prompted to provide proof of residency uh if you're a homeowner you'll be required to upload a d from your house with your name or or you can uh upload a current tax bill from the burough South Playfield with you listed as the owner renters will be required to upload a current lease either the original or a notorized uh version of it you're also if your circumstances are that you are residing with a family member or a friend you'll be required to upload an Affidavit of domicile the information will be in the portal and sent out to you in addition you will be required to provide current bills such as a utility bill or a medical insurance bill with any personal information redacted your bills must be within the last 30 days we're going to open this up and start collecting the information on July 10th with the last day to upload your information on August 2nd all of the information will be verified in the school buildings and you will be required by the district to provide proof of residency here in the burough we're taking on this re-enrollment process to ensure that all students attending our schools are residents of the burough of South Playfield the district will also hire a residency officer to check on the status of any student um who is reported to the uh School District as possibly not being a resident in our school district it's important that we do this because if we do not um check on the residency of our students the cost of educating a student who is not a resident of South cenfield is the burden of the taxpayer so that's what we will be doing okay thank you okay next on is board comments on presentations I guess if you if any of uh yeah I would just like to take a uh a second and congratulate uh aenna and Giana and Sophia uh Samir and Katherine who's not here tonight right Catherine's not here uh you guys did a fantastic job this year I know we said it when you were here and you did your presentations um not only is the information that you guys provided very valuable you did it in a very succinct Manner and your your presentation was fantastic you didn't sit there there wer and Oz and you you guys did a really really good job should be proud of yourselves and um you guys are probably leadership roles going on next year as well so we'll probably see you here again uh in the next school year so uh congratulations on doing a fantastic jobar I also wanted to Echo a little bit about what Doug just said and thank all of our student representatives for the job they did this past year which was EX exceptional providing us with updates on the high school and you all did it with such Grace and finesse and you were just wonderful uh public speakers it's not easy to do that especially at your age um I wish you all an enjoyable summer and to our seniors I wish you much success in your future endeavors thank you all so very much yeah just the build on what Doug and Sharon said um for those of us who don't have kids in the district anymore and don't see the day-to-day operations of the high school it's good to have a report up to this isolated group up here to hear that some of the things that are going on in our high school and to be presented in such a uh talented responsive and intellectual way that you know you all were great uh I know it still a little bit intimidated sitting up here in that chair but you all did a wonderful job and it kept us informed as to what's happening in that sub school thank you uh thank you to Samir Sophia uh Giana aenna um and Catherine for keeping us informed giving us well detailed reports and stepping into these leadership roles because there they're definitely not always easy um I can and GI you both are graduate correct perfect so we're wishing you the best on whatever life brings your way next and as always please don't be strangers this is your home we're always here to help to to welcome uh and help you along the way in any way that we can um Samir Sophia Katherine if you're watching somewhere online uh please uh continue to step up in leadership roles whether elected by your peers or just in the classroom speaking out and doing your thing it's been incredible seeing your growth in all that you've done this past school year thank you good very good um at this time we need to go to Executive session resolve into the open public meeting Act and the board meets a closed session on at this time to discuss compreh maners matters pertaining to Personnel attorney client privilege and student matters um the further resolve that the matters discussed in Clos session shall be made public as soon as the need confidentiality no longer exist and I have a motion second all in favor iose okay we're going to be exact 30 30 minutes an hour back to order um agenda additions and deletions we do have one addition um which is the Z and'll be the curriculum l k resolved that the Board of Education affirms the finding of HIV in case number 262 466 r031 52024 and be a further resolve that the parent shall be provided with a written decision along information on their right of appeal to the commissioner of education for to the agenda you can in favos okay so that will be that'll be K under uh public comments on agenda items only see none uh approved prior board minutes move second discussion call please Mr both yes Mr Chapman yes Barella yes Mr gakis yes Mrs Miller Mr Pender yes Mr cleberg yes Mr Casio yes Mr F yes under curriculum 8 gr K motion second discussion roll call please Mr Bo yes Mr Chapman yes Mr fella yes Mr gakis yes Mr Miller yes Mr yes Mr cleberg yes Mr Casio yes Mr F yes policy a a motion move second discussion roll call please Mr Bo yes Mr Chapman yes Mr farell yes Mr gakis yes Mr Miller yes Mr Pender yes Mr cleberg yes Mr Casio yes Mr F yes under Personnel a through e move second discussion well I was going to tell you that but you were jumping personel yeah page um 18 so move 18 okay A through I come on Joe up I was trying to tell you that but I didn't I was trying to go through the right Channel and give me that evil eye little Mia there okay so it's a through I have motion so move second Mr B yes Mr jman yes Mr F yes Mr gakis yes I'm sitting on my Mrs Miller yes Mr Pender yes Mr cleberg yes Mr CIO yes staying family member m p yes is next right yes okay A through I say triple K so move Z what was the last one okay Tri I think know it keeps going oh Jesus I was told I can't say just KK what I'm sorry scr there's a lot more than that oh my God it ends on page 47 second second oh there is you're correct he is correct roll call please Mr both yes Mr Chapman yes yes Mr JIS yes Mr Miller yes Mr Pender yes Mr cleberg yes Mr CIO yes Mr F yes any board member comments Bill oh was it nice you look very nice I looked over here and I saw I want to give you a chance yeah well I wish everybody a happy summer um and uh Amy I see you know the resignation on here speak for myself and I know I speak on you know behalf of the board we're going to miss you but uh wish you all the best of uh best of luck in in your new Endeavor hello Keith's got his hand ke wow that's a shock he's going to talk I know one of the few times I do talk but this weekend was one of those special weekends uh we said 14 athletes down to TCNJ for the Special Olympics of state of New Jersey they came home with 36 medals come on now so over 2,000 athletes competed and over 3,000 volunteers were down here we actually had a couple Volunteers in the office man in in the state the seats before Manny and his family were down there representing shoppr which they've done for as long as we've been going down there we just F that out almost seven 14 15 years whatever it is so it's starting to come back to preo levels but it was nice to see our our young men and women down there competing and uh they did pretty good so that's awesome anybody El here congratulations on the new hires Amy could have missed you sorry to see you go could have missed my emails of telling me to F out forms and get them in as soon as possible yeah that's a good point that's a really good point go ahead go ahead yeah you I got to give it the gym this time um Andy we're going to miss you talk you about this already it's a it's a big loss but U uh you been a great help to all of us board members um also what was I going to say oh yeah the new hires welcome you know you have a great tradition in this town to uh learn from the uh the other teachers and administrators in town and I'm sure you you'll keep the the standards of sou Field School System up uh congrats to the High School class of 2024 as they uh start their journey in in college the military or the trades and congrats to the 8ighth grade class whose whose excited voices will fill the high school year they will begin a journey on an unknown path but will arrive at a very rewarding destination and everybody have a wonderful s good Shar um I attended the high school scholarship program it was incredible to see all the local organizations individuals and others Who provided our seniors with scholarships to assist them with their educational Pursuits thank you uh thank you to all of them a pro proximately $119,000 was given out a big thank you to Emily Rodriguez who coordinated the scholarships this year and did a fantastic job this was her first year doing it and she did a wonderful job um I also attended the 11th annual art show which was breathtaking we have extremely talented students if you didn't get a chance to attend it to see all the artwork in person you missed something really special the artwork was just stunning and I'm just going to say a few things Ming vases acrylic tints and shade paintings pencil portraits uh McGee inspired relief sculptures Amy uh star Night painting tropical flamingos paper mâché cake pieces torn paper art were all just amazing and but this year my favorite thing was the an animal totems and the Harry Potter chess set they were just absolutely spectacular um thank you to all of our South Lano students and our teachers for such an eye openening display of Art and to our own Amy C's daughter Gabby had quite a few works of art displayed all were stunning as well as and I just found out that Riley Casio is related to Tommy and her art was amazing too she had a lot that's true that's true but they were really really the talent is just unbelievable in this town um our day of service was inspirational and successful as our students and staff raised money through various fundraisers all of which were donated to various Charities of the individual school's choice and I want to thank Dr Marine tany for her excitement and imaginative idea she had two years ago to implement our day of service and all of her hard work to implement it I'd want to thank everyone involved who help make the event a success all you have helped to instill in our students what it means to help others um I want to thank our entire staff for its successful 2023 24 school year we greatly appreciate your dedication to the children's step Playfield our district wouldn't be what it is without all of you and to the eighth graders congratulations to our eighth graders on your upcoming Middle School promotion I hope you guys get involved and take advantage of all the high school has to offer in the way of academics Arts Athletics and extracurricular activities these next four years will fly by quickly so enjoy these last years as South Lano student and finally to the class of 2024 seniors my heartfelt congratulations to the upcoming South L High School 2024 graduates you all have the talents and abilities to make the world a better place believe in yourselves be proud of all you accomplished over the last four years remember to make the next chapter in your lives count I wish you much happiness and success in your future endeavors remember you always have a home here in South clanfield and to Amy I can't believe you're leaving we're really going to miss you you have been such a big help I know to myself as well I don't know what this district is going to do without you and I wish it would be consider but I understand and I wish you a very best of luck in your new position Amy we're going to miss you your successor is going to have massive troes to fill um congratulations coach coach Resort uh always um here we're always here to support you um so congratulations um to our new hires welcome to the district it's great to see some familiar faces that even I went to school with so I wonder how PO is feeling because the class of 2019 is now getting jobs in the district so so um Welcome to our to our new teachers tonight um and then to the class of 2024 uh congratulations um I know it's not officially graduation yet but a couple more days around the corner don't clock out yet um and then to those that are going on to the next grade continue to keep up the hard work uh to the graduating seniors once a tiger always a tiger sure you want to call the guy the back row first down there you don't better not start crying I don't even remember what I was going to say I just want to congratulate the middle school on their promotion to high school to the high school seniors best of luck out there in the real world it's it's um you're future so those was proud um Stephen I remember you done at the baseball club just playing baseball I love to see our own people get promoted and congratulations I know you'll do a great job in your new role as a vice pres vice principal so congratulations to that anyy thanks for all the help that you've given us I don't think I could have got through that stupid security thing without your help so thank you for that and everybody have a great safe healthy summer thank you all that was it two seconds it's pretty good yeah should have p on all right uh Stephen congratulations I think you're going to be out of here I thought you were leaving but congratulations welcome um all you know the the promotion exercise come up graduation congratulations all students and uh have a great summer and I think we're done Amy no we're not done am we going to miss you you know I had I had to make the call when I when I got that agenda and I opened it up after playing golf I looked at it and I said okay are they there is there somewhere else that she has another position here no but they're going to miss you I wish you the best um and I know that we're going to be a lot of trouble with Jimmy now with all these St he doesn't get done so I appreciate everything good I won't miss that have a motion toour so move but we didn't do that