Superintendent's Corner Column

The Measure of a Year

June 5, 2026

“Not everything that counts can be counted,

and not everything that can be counted counts." William Bruce Cameron

This is the season when a school year becomes legible. The State releases its performance reports. Proficiency rates and percentiles take shape. We can finally say, with evidence, how our schools did.

We are proud of what those numbers show this year and will share them with you below. But I want to be honest about what a number is. A proficiency rate is a record of something that has already happened. It is the shadow a year casts after the fact. It does not tell you about the morning a teacher noticed a child had gone quiet, or the conversation that changed how a sixteen-year-old reads a difficult book. The most important work in any school happens in a space no report can reach between a teacher and a student.

So in these same weeks, we do the other kind of accounting. We gather in auditoriums and cafeterias to name the people the data can never fully capture. We recognize the educators who instilled in their students something no test will ever measure. Both forms of measure are true. Both matter. But anyone who has spent real time in a classroom knows which one comes first.

What follows is some of each. A clear-eyed look at what our schools accomplished this year, and credit rightfully where credit is due to all of the people who made it so. Read the numbers with pride. Then recognize the people with a little more.

Thank you, as always, for the trust you place in us.

All my best,

Dr. Rui Dionisio

Superintendent of Schools

The State of Our Schools

Last week, we delivered our annual State of Our Schools report to the Board of Education and the community to take a look at where we were, where we are, and where we are going across our three district goals: empowering pathways to excellence, cultivating belonging and community, and building sustainable foundations.

The full presentation is now available for the community to view and download. It is the most complete picture we publish each year of the academic growth, climate work, facilities planning, and long-range thinking that shape your children’s experience.

I encourage you to spend time with it. You can read the report and access the full deck here: State of Our Schools.

NJ School Performance Reports

The New Jersey Department of Education has continued its transition to a new statewide data system and a redesigned School Performance Reports platform. Families can search for any school, district, or state-level report and explore the data directly on the NJDOE website.

While the State completes its next round of redesigned reports, we want to give you a high-level view of where our schools stand, because the early results are worth celebrating.

Every single one of our elementary schools now performs at the 90th percentile or higher statewide. Warren Point maintained the top summative score and percentile in the district, holding within a single point of last year. Westmoreland posted a historic single-year jump of more than thirty-two points, with Lyncrest and Forrest both climbing into the double digits as well. At the secondary level, Fair Lawn High School reached a three-year high in its summative score, Thomas Jefferson Middle School achieved its highest proficiency levels in ELA, Math, and for our multilingual learners, and Memorial Middle School made steady gains in both score and ranking.

On the statewide assessment, Fair Lawn continues to outperform the state, the county, and similar peer districts across ELA, Math, and Science. Just as importantly, every racial and ethnic subgroup in our district outperforms the state average, and in many cases by margins we intend to widen.

A fuller breakdown of these results is included in our school performance updates, which the public can review for a deeper look at each school’s progress on the New Jersey School Performance Reports.

Celebrating Our Students and Staff

Awards and ceremonies have been underway across the district, honoring the students and staff whose contributions made this year what it was. We cannot capture all of them in a column, and the meaning of these moments was never counted. It is in the look on a student’s face when their effort is named out loud, and in the quiet pride of a colleague whose work has finally been seen.

Two recognitions speak especially well to the kind of district we are, whom we recognized at the May 28th Board of Education meeting for their dedication and contributions to Fair Lawn.

Ms. Annie Yon — Princeton Prize Finalist

This spring, Ms. Annie Yon was named one of just ten finalists in New Jersey for the Princeton Prize for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching.

In my twenty-sixth year in education, I have seen precious few teachers who consistently teach the way Ms. Yon does. I sat in her eleventh-grade English class recently and watched sixteen-year-olds wrestle with Thoreau, disagree without dismissing one another, and push each other’s thinking deeper. She never handed them an answer. She kept asking better questions. That is teaching. That is inquiry in action.

Over 13 years at Fair Lawn High School, she has built our AP Capstone program, published 7 peer-reviewed articles, and mentored new teachers. She has given her students something no test can measure.

Ms. Yon, this recognition is yours and richly earned. The most important work in any school happens in the space between a teacher and her students. Thank you for filling that space with such depth and care. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Annie Yon.

Ms. Sue Gons — Montclair State University Honoree

We also celebrate Ms. Sue Gons, our Warren Point principal, who was honored at Montclair State University with the Outstanding Professional Achievement in Administration and Supervision Award from the College for Education and Engaged Learning. Montclair State describes it as a true reflection of hard work, dedication, and promise in the field. That is Sue.

But here is what makes this story special. Sue is one of our own. She is a Fair Lawn graduate who attended Warren Point as a child, and now she leads that very same school. Her elementary class photos still hang in her office. There is something profound about a leader who came up through these hallways, who knows this community from the inside, and who has given it back so much.

Sue, your achievement reflects exactly who you are: hardworking, dedicated, and full of promise for what is still ahead. We are so proud of you. Keep shining bright. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Sue Gons.

Annual Residency Re-Verification

for Students Entering Grade 9 (2026–2027)

The Community School is responsible to the Board of Education and Fair Lawn taxpayers to ensure current residents of the Fair Lawn School District attend the Fair Lawn Public Schools. The Board of Education has approved a Residency Re-Verification Program utilizing contracted software through Thomson Reuters. This year, Fair Lawn will be re-verifying all 9th-grade students registered for the 2026–2027 school year. This program is designed to protect Fair Lawn taxpayers and ensure that all Fair Lawn students continue to receive the highest quality education.

Parents and guardians of students selected through the third-party verification program will be contacted and required to provide current documentation confirming Fair Lawn residency. The verification process will adhere to strict State guidelines and Board of Education policies and will be conducted efficiently and respectfully.

Families who provide complete and accurate documentation will qualify for continued enrollment and will have no further action required.

Families who are unable to verify residency in accordance with New Jersey law will be subject to immediate disenrollment. Any person who willfully submits false information may be subject to criminal penalties under New Jersey law, including perjury charges, as well as financial liability for back tuition. Parents and guardians will assume liability for any tuition assessed during any period in which a student attended school based on inaccurate information submitted during the registration process. The average annual tuition cost per Fair Lawn student is approximately $18,400.

● Withdrawing/transferring from the school district: complete the process at Student Transfer Verification Form

● Relocated within the district: complete the Change of Address process by following the directions at Address/ Name Changes Within District

● New Students to District: complete the process by following the directions at New Student & Re-Entry Pre-Registration

If you have any questions or need assistance, please email flcs@fairlawnschools.org.

Sincerely,

The Fair Lawn Community School

flcs@fairlawnschools.org

www.fairlawnschools.org

Reach for the Stars! Child Care Graduation Brings Old Hollywood to Fair Lawn

The first of many year-end events over the next few weeks, the FLHS Child Care Program held its graduation ceremony on a picture-perfect May day at Sasso Field.

Our tiniest and newest graduates were treated like celebrities at the Hollywood-themed event, complete with red carpet, star-studded speeches, a choreographed number, and a handful of games and activities for all to enjoy.

These stellar preschoolers, alongside their high school “supporting cast-mates,” truly deserve a spot on the Child Care Walk of Fame. Congratulations on a fun and fantastic year!

Radburn Unveils Outdoor Classroom Built by Former Student

"The best classroom and the richest classroom is roofed only by the sky."- Margaret Mc Millan

Radburn students and staff now have another space to learn, dream, and discover. Last week, the elementary school cut the ribbon on an outdoor classroom constructed by Radburn alum/FLHS sophomore Gavin Bradway.

A Scouts BSA/Eagle Scout project (and labor of love) for his neighborhood school, Gavin worked closely with Principal Ms. Jill Lindsay on plans for the nature-filled space. Once he got the thumbs up and full funding from the Radburn PTA, it was time for some old-fashioned sweat equity.

Nestled under a beautiful dogwood tree, the natural wooden benches and tables give Radburn students and staff a place where learning can extend beyond the four walls of a traditional classroom. Radburn Eagles really do fly higher. Thank you for all your hard work, Gavin!

Revolution 250:
A Historic Spring Semester in Review

Our school district/borough partnership through Fair Lawn Rev250 continues to expand with new opportunities to learn and explore our storied history. Here are some of the spring highlights:

Fair Lawn High School art and wood tech students constructed a series of colonial-era silhouettes and a stockade that were placed at several locations across town, including one at the former George Washington Schoolhouse, the current home of our Transportation Department and Community School.

Last week, students attended History Happened Here, a RevolutionNJ initiative hosted by Rutgers University. The expo featured projects from students across the state to raise awareness about preserving and sharing our history. Our displays included topics like “Revolution is an Art,” “Voices of the Revolution,” as well as historic wills from Garretson Forge & Farm.

And last but certainly not least: FLHS Assistant Principal Dr. Steffany Baptiste and senior Harrison Talman were recognized with Bergen County Historical Preservation Awards for their efforts surrounding Rev250. Our social media post has all the details!

Spring Concert Season Delivers a

Symphony of Talent & Dedication

The sweet sounds of student musicians have us toe-tapping and whistling the happiest of tunes. Spring concert season officially wrapped up Wednesday after a whirlwind two-and-a-half weeks of events across the district. We took a musical roadtrip across America, sang songs in several different languages, learned the technical term for plucking a string instrument (it’s pizzicato, by the way), and heard the incredible work students and staff put toward these performances since we last saw them in winter!

Two other moments worth celebrating:

Kudos to 7 FLHS orchestra students who recently played alongside the pros at a North Jersey Symphony Orchestra concert
Congrats to vocalists/instrumentalists at Memorial & TJ Middle Schools, earning “Superior” and “Excellent” ratings after recent adjudication in the High Note Festival. Bravo tutti!

Students Shine Across No Place for Hate Initiatives

If you tuned in to our May Board of Education meeting, you may have caught a video that played at the end of our State of the Schools presentation. Prompted by an ask from No Place for Hate, we asked student representatives to share their proudest moments as leaders this year. Click through to hear their responses.

On top of the video, No Place for Hate recognized two FLHS students for their dedication to the organization. Geffen Wolfson was selected as a 2025-2026 Cynthia Marks Student Legacy Award Winner, and Himalaya Vashistha will spend the summer interning with the ADL as part of their East Division high school summer program.

About the Fair Lawn Public School District: Fair Lawn Public Schools, where excellence in education meets the vibrant spirit of our community. With a population of over 35,000 residents, Fair Lawn is a thriving hub of diverse cultures, ideas, and talents, and our school district reflects this rich tapestry. Comprising ten schools from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, we are committed to providing a comprehensive and inclusive educational experience for approximately 5,700 students. Our dedicated team of 1,200 staff members works tirelessly to cultivate an environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

The leaders of tomorrow attend Fair Lawn schools today. We believe in nurturing the unique potential of each learner, fostering a love of learning, and preparing students to become compassionate, confident, and contributing members of society in classrooms that are dynamic spaces where personalized instruction, innovation, and collaboration flourish. Fair Lawn Public Schools is a place where students discover their passions, unlock their potential, and embark on a journey of lifelong learning.