By Lois Staas
NEWS Correspondent
Interim Business Administrator Dr. Ann F. Garcia informed those in attendance at the Bellmawr Board of Education meeting that since there was no quorum, the Board would take no action, nor vote.
Those board members present at the November 27 meeting that had been rescheduled for November 20, and then rescheduled for its original date, were Jamie Casey, Maria Fasulo and Frank Filipek Jr.
They decided to interview Coleen Kibler and Mary DiMattisa, who were interested in the position vacated when Linee\’ Thomas resigned.
Both candidates are residents of Bellmawr, and both have Parent Teacher Organization experience.
Kibler said, \”For children to have good reading, writing, and math skills is number one, and parents need to get more involved.\”
DiMattisa said, \”I would like to see stronger involvement by parents, and a bigger turnout at meetings. I also would like to see a stronger relationship between teachers and parents.\”
Kibler wishes to be a Board member because she has special interest in the children, and in senior citizens.
\”I grew up in Bellmawr and attended Triton. My children are mature and responsible young people who have gone through the system. I bring to the school board what I have. Education always has to be number one.\”
DiMattisa said, \”I have not had the fortune and pleasure of going through the system. I have been a member of the PTO for 12 years, and my children are doing very well at Triton.\”
Kibler believes in teamwork, and has been in the medical field for 10 years.
She served on the Bellmawr Park Ladies Auxiliary Board and is a member of the Camden County Canteen.
DiMattisa has a financial background, is a people person, and has good organizational skills from her work on the PTO.
She also has worked in setting policy and procedures, and reformatting PTO rules and guidelines.
Both candidates assured the board and the public that they were aware of, and could fulfill, all the training and time obligations that being a board member requires.
Superintendent Annette Castiglione believes action will be taken on the appointment at the Board\’s next workshop meeting in December that is currently scheduled for mid-month.
At 7 p.m. Castiglione said, \”The Board is running a little late.\”
Then, Mrs. Cometz and Special Arts students from grades 3 and 4 at Bellmawr Park and Ethel Burke schools gave a demonstration of how they created symmetrical clay masks.
Three tables of students, each at a different stage of work, made masks as selected students read from their pre-prepared script.
Afterwards, Castiglione read from a précis of the annual Quality Assurances Report, highlighting her reading with district anecdotes and examples.
\”The report is a \’State of the District\’ presentation. Everything we do in a year is here. It is reflective of the year that has passed. Goals, objectives, and the school report card can all be accessed on the web.\”
Bellmawr Park Principal Elizabeth A. Calabria was proud of the school\’s raising $2,771 during its \”Diabetes Walk\” fundraiser for the American Diabetes As-association.
\”This activity was chosen to support a child living with Type 1 diabetes. We are very proud of our students and parents for their great generosity in support of this worthy cause.\”
Also, Calabria said, \”I would like to recognize a Bellmawr Park fourth grader, Danielle Gordon, who has begun her own fundraiser to support the children in the many Ronald McDonald houses.
\”Danielle approached me with the idea to do something to help children. She found information on the web site. With the help of our PTO, Danielle created a flier including information about a tab collection program and how our students could participate.\”
Calabria added, \”These fliers were sent home to our parents, and the tabs came pouring in. We hope to make a large contribution to this important cause, so keep those tabs coming! Danielle has set a great example for the other students in her efforts to make a difference in another child\’s life.\”
Burke School Principal Frank Jankowski Jr. said, \”I recently visited Miss Allison Coyle\’s grade four class, who happened to be doing a very exciting activity. In an effort to enhance her students\’ literacy/-writing skills, the class has been writing a story about their favorite family memory. Some students wrote about visiting a fun place, such as Disneyworld.
\”Others wrote about spending quality time with family members, such as a picnic at a favorite place.
\”After writing the story, Miss Coyle guided students in using a website that translated their writing into Spanish,\” he said. \”Students then draw a picture to illustrate their family memory.
\”In our technology lab, Ms. Eileen Barr has recently been utilizing our new Smartboard in her lessons with our Burke students. The Smartboard is an amazing piece of technology, and students have been very excited to use it in both mathematics and language arts lessons,\” he said, adding that Ms. Barr continues to do a wonderful job of providing all students with the opportunity to have fun with this new tool while also working to meet all Core Content Standards in the areas of technology, math, language, and other major subject areas.