On Monday night, the Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education discussed district reports, workshop reflections, and technological advancements to improve the district community.
Superintendent Sarah Bilotti announced the district’s classification as “high performing” for the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJQSAC) Score with at least 80 percent in the five qualifying categories.
Reflecting on the district’s natural successes, Billoti applauded positive qualities like leadership and individuality among staff and students.
“I think what’s unique about our approach is that this culture of innovation and individuality really allows students to personalize their academic experience while our teachers are inspired to really embrace diverse instructional styles,” she said.
To make a great district better, Bilotti discussed AI implementation in classes with Google Gemini. Additionally, there will be an AI expansion parent session on Jan. 28 at 6:30 PM.
Workshops regarding AI prompts, mindfulness, grounding exercises, and a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) were discussed for educational and professional development.
The Bart DiPaola Field was rededicated and honored at Hills. The Zack Latteri Foundation, Native Gardens Landscape Services, and Cleatus Farms Nursery beautified the Pascack Valley landscape.
BOE member Stephanie Huang led the discussion on the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) Workshop. Host of What Would You Do? John Quiñones was one of the keynote speakers and recommended the book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks to learn more about moral integrity.
During her session on promoting social and emotional learning, she learned about SEL core skills, staffing, mental health, teacher shortages, and metaphors.
“Each student is like a shaken up soda can so when they arrive at school, they could potentially explode…what do kids feel and what can we do about their challenges?” she said.
Regarding the PFA Liaison, Huang reported that this Wednesday, Nov. 20, the PFA is hosting a Hidden in Plain Sight Show, and on Thursday, Nov. 21, the 8th-grade open house will be held at the high school. The PFA parent academy show will show the video, “Screenagers,” in elementary schools on Dec. 11.
Keegan Woyurka presented as an expert on SCOIR as a college and career network. According to her presentation, 93 percent of Seniors registered for Scoir, 92 percent of seniors are “following” four or more colleges, 67 percent of the seniors applied to college, and 61 percent of seniors’ parents registered for Scoir. She established the platform’s uses, the college search process, career assessment tasks, scattergram plots, test scores, and statistics.
Tracy Leigh, Maria Hinrichsen, and Scott Jones presented on Technology and Canvas Updates. District Technology Director Leigh provided the annual technology update, including the school’s summer endeavors and new Canvas and Genesis integration. District Technology Specialist Jones further explained the program’s functionality and the synchronizing process. Pascack Valley Math Teacher Hinrichsen provided feedback for AI and the program’s implementation in her classroom.
Two company managers from Pascack Theatre addressed the Board with an in-person invitation to the fall production. They plan to email a link with a free ticket code for the members. Superintendent Bilotti followed by asking for a description of the unique production.
“All of the students in the cast got to share their stories with the directors who wrote it into a script. So our show is a collection of stories from the students about their lives and where they want to go in the future,” said one of the managers.
Student BOE representative Andrew Varian gave his monthly student report. He discussed app development in computer science classes, the Interact club, the History Club’s Veterans event, the Sock Drive, the All-State Mixed Choir 2024 performance, and the AP Language & Composition mock election.
