Middle School students perform with the NJ Junior High. Honors Chorus on Saturday: Lauren ... global, and intellectual e
Readington Township School District Parent Newsletter May 2015 Edition Editor in Chief: Barbara Sargent, Superintendent
[email protected] MAY GREETINGS HOW I KNOW MY SON READ HIS BOOK "The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May." - Edwin Way Teale Hello, families! We are at that lovely time of year with spring concerts, warm afternoons with cool evenings, color coming back to our gardens, student sports in full swing, and – especially in my house – a respite from running the furnace or air conditioning. It’s a wonderfully busy time, all the more rejuvenating after hibernating in our homes all winter. It was my pleasure to watch seven of our Readington Middle School students perform with the NJ Junior High Honors Chorus on Saturday: Lauren Giroux, Morgan Corbett, Kaitlyn Cullinane, Danielle Serrao, Julia Friedhoff, Nitya Patlola, and Alex Ridder. The students audition for this state chorus and must work independently on the song choices with their own music teachers – in this case, our wonderful RMS teacher Christiane Darby! Our Three Bridges and Whitehouse students are showcasing their enthusiastic talents during their grade level concerts. Holland Brook students have demonstrated their dramatic and musical abilities through a wonderful performance of Treasure Island, SAMBA demonstrations, and band and choral shows.
WELLNESS WEEK The district will designate the first week of June as “Wellness Week”. During June 1 through June 5, schools will have special activities throughout the week to promote nutrition and physical activity. These special activities will be planned and coordinated by each school’s Safety/Wellness Committee. Additionally, each school cafeteria will provide special items and information during the week for students and staff. New mandated policies from the NJ Department of Education require districts to set aside a Wellness Week, and we are excited to plan for this. Your ideas and participation are welcome! Please reach out to your child’s teacher or school principal to lend your thinking to this exciting week.
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He was asking about the next book in the series before he was halfway through the first one. 2. The thickness of his book doubled while reading it, due to spilling his drink on the pages while eating and reading. 3. Creases regularly appeared on the spine of his book while reading it. 4. The book’s covers were bent because he fell asleep on top of his book one night while reading. 5. The book’s corners were frayed because my son shoved his book in his backpack every morning. 6. My son wanted to watch the movie about his book before he was finished. 7. His classmates wanted to read his book once he finished, after seeing him immersed in it. 8. My son continued to think and talk about his book, long after he finished it. 9. My son can identify a related series to his book that he might want to read next. 10. My son’s love for reading increased after reading his book. From Matt Renwick’s Reading by Example Blog March 2015
ONLINE COURSES AT RMS As part of our district goal of enhancing students’ social, global, and intellectual engagement, we have offered online course opportunities to our middle school students for the Spring 2014, Fall 2014, and Spring 2015 semesters. Enrollment is open to all RMS students. A brief application is required which asks students to identify their course(s) of interest, explain their interest in online learning, and gather signatures from two teachers who can attest to the student’s ability to work independently and submit assignments on time. Seven students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades are enrolled this semester in CAD, Computer Science Honors, Video Game Design, Economics, and Mythology. Enrollment for Fall 2015 is open and informational letters were mailed to all rising 6th, 7th, and 8th grade families last week. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions about these courses. I can provide additional information and link you with students who have experience with the course.
GIRLS ON THE RUN Our Readington Girls on the Run will participate in their culminating 5K on Sunday, May 31 in Flemington. Runners in the spring 5K are sure to enjoy far more milder temperatures than our Fall 5K runners did. Remember the below 20˚ temperatures on the morning of the November 22nd run? Brrr!
TRANSPORTATION UPDATE A letter detailing school times and transportation plans for the 2015-16 school year will be sent to families later this month. Thank you very much for your productive comments and attention!
Coaches are being sought for the Fall 2015 season. Having coached at Holland Brook School for the past two fall seasons, I can enthusiastically recommend this experience to parents, grandparents, and good-hearted adults. Visit the Coaches Corner page of the www.gotrhunterdon.org website to read up on the responsibilities, time commitment, and requirements involved, and complete your coach application today! “It is not a beauty pageant, it is a scholarship program.” ~ Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality “It is not a running program, it is a Girl Empowerment experience.” ~ Barb Sargent’s take on Girls on the Run
SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS The Readington Township Schools are participating in Sustainable Jersey for Schools, a voluntary certification program for New Jersey public schools that want to go green, conserve resources and cultivate a sustainable culture. The Sustainable Jersey for Schools was launched at the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) Workshop in October 2014, and our Readington Schools were among the first 12 schools/districts to register for the program. All of our schools have a site-based committee who will compile the very substantial application, which is due in August. The schools earn “points” for such activities as creating school gardens, tracking energy usage, providing lessons in environmental science and sustainability, having a Green Cleaning plan, and providing professional development in sustainability in schools. Because the district has established a long-term commitment to ensuring institutional and financial sustainability in the face of economic and demographic challenges, our schools have the ideology in place to address many of the items related to the Sustainable Jersey program. We’re excited to see our results!
To a Daughter Leaving Home Linda Pastan When I taught you at eight to ride a bicycle, loping along beside you as you wobbled away on two round wheels, my own mouth rounding in surprise when you pulled ahead down the curved path of the park, I kept waiting for the thud of your crash as I sprinted to catch up, while you grew smaller, more breakable with distance, pumping, pumping for your life, screaming with laughter, the hair flapping behind you like a handkerchief waving goodbye. Parents, some of you have seniors in high school and are entering that season of graduation, summer work, packing for dorm life, and transitioning a child into college. I’m in the same place with my middle son Tyler who will attend Ithaca College in the fall to study Journalism and Film. This will leave just 14year-old Quinn in the house – and he’s plotting to take over the largest bedroom. May this change in your family be a happy and exciting time for you and your graduate. And we thought saying goodbye on the first day of kindergarten was tough?
