SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CHATHAMS

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CHATHAMS Superintendent’s Newsletter December 2013 Dear Parent, As we enter the middle portion of the school year, we find our...
43 downloads 0 Views 1MB Size
SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CHATHAMS Superintendent’s Newsletter December 2013

Dear Parent, As we enter the middle portion of the school year, we find ourselves busy with holiday celebrations and school events. I write this brief newsletter to provide you with some information about various events or initiatives involving our school district. The district-wide enrollment as of this writing is 4,130 students, an increase of a mere ten students since last year at this time. The two largest classes in the district are those at Lafayette Avenue School right now. As a result of those 700+ pupils, the district is currently expanding the high school by another seven classrooms and making plans for some internal improvements in existing spaces so that our facilities are well positioned for the influx of students. The contractor responsible for the project is state-approved and meets all requirements for public school construction. However, the contractor employs non-union labor, and for this reason union picketers plan to show up sporadically at the high school to protest the non-union work. We have been in contact with the attorney for this labor group and we have assurances that the picketing will take place only on public property and conform to all aspects of state and local law. Construction remains ongoing; updates and photos of the work are available on our website. As you know, this is the first year we have had dedicated school security personnel in our buildings. These staff members serve different roles according to the needs and demands of each school building, but they have been a great support to our principals and have each remarked to me that they are impressed by and grateful for the friendly parents and terrific students with whom they interact. I thank you for welcoming these individuals into our school communities! Earlier this year, the Chatham Education Foundation sponsored the first of a series of presentations about future-focused educational topics and issues. The video from that presentation may be found on our website and we are planning additional events. The next event will take place on March 13 and feature Glen Hiemstra, a futurist who is an internationally renowned consultant. I would like to thank the CEF for their generosity and support in this endeavor, and invite you to future presentations. In the following pages, I touch on several other points of interest. I will follow up on this newsletter with another in the spring. For now, I wish you and your families a healthy and happy holiday season. Sincerely, Dr. Michael LaSusa, Superintendent of Schools Superintendent’s Newsletter, December 2013

PARCC In June of 2010, New Jersey adopted the Common Core standards. These standards replaced the former New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in mathematics and language arts. The Common Core initiative began with the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Its stated goals involve establishing more consistency across states with respect to learning outcomes and benchmarking the standards in the United States to those of nations whose students perform well on international standardized tests. With the standards now in place in most of the country, states are transitioning to new standardized tests to measure student learning of the standards. New Jersey is one of 19 states that comprise an assessment consortium known as The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). New Jersey will implement the new tests in the 2014-2015 school year, but has been field testing PARCC items on the NJASK the last two years. Since New Jersey’s adoption of the Common Core, we have incorporated the new learning standards into our curriculum. Simultaneously, we have invested in more technology in part because the PARCC tests will be administered via computer. In grades in which the PARCC tests will be administered, we are in the process of increasing our inventory of Samsung Chromebooks. These devices meet all specifications for testing, offer an attractive price-point compared to similar machines, and support our district-wide move toward Google Apps for Education. Aside from technology acquisition, this spring four of our schools were selected by the Department of Education to participate in field testing of the new tests. The field tests will not “count,” in that we will not receive the results, but they will provide us with first-hand experience with the new testing formats so that we can make decisions about optimal implementation for next year. Members of the DOE, including Dr. Bari Erlichson, the Assistant Commissioner and Chief Performance Officer, and Dr. Jeffrey Hauger, Director of the Office of Assessments, have advised school districts that the assessments will be developmentally appropriate and not taxing on students. They also have discouraged school districts from instituting stand-alone classes in typing to prepare for the tests. We continue to follow developments and directives from the DOE and will make adjustments to our own preparations after we gain experience with the field tests. As is the case with the NJASK, we will hope that PARCC provides us with useful and actionable data to improve student learning, but our primary focus will continue to be on meaningful instruction for our students.

Staff in the News A number of our staff members have been involved in exciting initiatives. Heather Rocco, our Supervisor of English Language Arts for grades 5-12, published an article last year in the New Jersey English Journal. In November, she served as the Program Chair for the Conference on English Leadership, which is the national conference of the Council of Teachers of English. The conference took place in Boston and focused on using technology to transform English and language arts classrooms. Helen Comba and Kathleen O’Connor, our K-4 supervisors in Humanities and Science and Mathematics, respectively, gave a joint presentation at the statewide fall conference of the New Jersey Association Superintendent’s Newsletter, December 2013

of Supervision and Curriculum Development. The title of the presentation was “Key Instructional Shifts in the Common Core: Finding the Evidence.” Finally, Missy Holzer, a teacher of Environmental Science at Chatham High School and President of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, was a featured speaker at a Fairleigh Dickinson University conference in October on the Next Generation Science Standards. Ms. Holzer’s session was entitled “Making the Move: Enabling STEM Education in ALL Science Classes.”

Heather Rocco

Kathleen O’Connor

Helen Comba

Missy Holzer

Inclement Weather The day I became a superintendent was the day my relationship with snow changed forever. With winter upon us, I would just like to mention the process I follow before making a decision to close, delay, or shorten the school day. First, the guiding priority for every decision is student safety. Some of our students walk to school, some take the bus, some are driven, and some drive themselves. Some of our students live on wide streets with sidewalks, some live on flat roads, some live in hilly sections, and some live in areas with no sidewalks. I try to take into account each of these circumstances while making any decision. Typically, if there is ominous weather in the forecast, I receive communication from Jeffrey Paul, the Morris County Director of the Office of Emergency Management. I also communicate with the local DPWs in Chatham Borough and Chatham Township, superintendents in neighboring districts, and our own Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds. In most cases, I will not make a decision until I have communicated with all of the above and possibly others, such as members of the police departments. Weather is unpredictable and it is impossible to make the right call every time. It is likewise impossible to make a call at the exact time that I would always like. On mornings during inclement weather, I will make every effort to send out a Honeywell Instant Alert notification between 5:00 am and 5:30 am. If the notification is sent later, it is a result of ongoing communication with the aforementioned officials and the uncertainty of the conditions. It is also important to realize that each school district has unique circumstances, so it is frequently the case that different districts make different decisions. In the event that we have already started school and students must be sent home early, I will notify all parents of the early dismissal as early as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Superintendent’s Newsletter, December 2013

Spirit of Service The School District of the Chathams is part of a wider community. As part of that community, our students engage in civic and service projects that positively impact a range of people and causes that extend beyond the school environment. This is a great time of year to recognize some of these initiatives.  At SBS this month, students will participate in a holiday GIVING fair. As opposed to the typical

holiday boutique, students may choose to make a donation to one of the following non-profit organizations: The Great Swamp, the Interfaith Food Pantry of Morris County, ECLC of New Jersey, or Toys for Tots.  At WAS, in November students collected food items for the Interfaith Food Pantry. In December,

the school’s Character Education Committee has been collecting school supplies for homeless and needy children in Elizabeth. Also in December, choral students from WAS were joined by their peers from MAS and SBS, as well as their teachers Tracy Roskam and Veronica Shaw, to perform at Chatham Borough’s tree-lighting ceremony.  At MAS, each grade level of students participates in a service learning project throughout the year.

Kindergarten students are collecting toys for children living at the Jersey Battered Women’s Shelter, first graders are creating holiday cards for residents at the Juniper Nursing Home, second graders are creating good wishes to be sent to sick children via the Valerie Fund, and third graders are collecting pajamas for homeless children in Morris County.  In an example of intergenerational service, Milton Avenue School was also the site of an Eagle

Scout project accomplished by CHS student Brian Goldstein. Brian created an outdoor classroom for the study of science and nature at the school.

Eagle Scout Brian Goldstein with MAS principal, Marion McCarthy, kindergarten teachers Peggy Melvin and Michelle Cervone, and MAS kindergarteners  LAF students are involved in a year-long community service project with Bridges, an organization

that helps homeless people through sustainable lunch and breakfast packages. Also at LAF, teachers Shay Coleman, Chris Grobert, and Chrissy McGookin recently won a grant through Shop Rite and Peapod to link math lessons with nutrition and in the process help a food bank in Hillside.  In another multi-school effort, LAF counselor Cindy Weiner and CHS Student Assistance Coun-

selor Lisa Lattarulo have initiated a project called Peer Advisors Leading Students (PALS). The effort will entail high schoolers helping LAF students to manage their special education needs.

Superintendent’s Newsletter, December 2013

Spirit of Service, continued . . . CMS and CHS students have engaged in too many activities to mention here, but here are a few:  The CMS Student Council and CHS Key Club raised money earlier this year for victims of the natu-

ral disaster suffered by the citizens of the Philippines; that same Student Council is also involved in the Salvation Army’s “Tag a Tree” program to help less fortunate children.  Three CMS English classes are participating in a letter-writing campaign for the Make-A-Wish

Foundation.  As part of its anti-bullying effort, CMS has adopted the “We Are Chatham” initiative begun at Chat-

ham High School two years ago. The initiative seeks to recognize the traits and differences of all students and staff in a way that is inclusive and celebratory.

CMS student Jack Brummer and CMS Assistant Principal Rob Gardella

CMS students Ally Franz and Alexis Smizaski

 The CHS Key Club, a group numbering over 200 students, launched a coat drive in November to

support Jersey Cares, a statewide service organization. The Helping Hands Club of CHS reinforced this effort with a clothing drive of its own.  The Key Club partnered with the National Honor So-

ciety to volunteer weekly in the Reading Friendzy program of the Library of the Chathams, sharing a fondness of reading with younger Chatham kids.  Key Clubbers also volunteered in Union to celebrate

the “National Day of Play,” an event intended to promote a healthy lifestyle for children.  A group of CHS students began a new club earlier this

year called Chatham Cares. The group collected frozen turkeys and delivered them to a local food bank.

Chatham Cares Students

HAPPY HOLIDAYS—WE ARE CHATHAM! Superintendent’s Newsletter, December 2013