Clinton Township Newsletter

1 2 A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com C L I N T O N T O W N S H I P S C H O O L N E W S www.ctsdnj.org Dear Clinton Township Community Members: As you may remember, at a special meeting of the Clinton Township Board of Education held on Thursday, May 31, 2018, the Board of Education voted to reorganize the District's four school buildings into three. Therefore, in September 2018, students in preschool and prekindergarten will attend Spruce Run School, grades K-1-2 will attend Patrick McGaheran School, grades 3-4-5 will attend Round Valley School, and grades 6-7-8 will attend the Clinton Township Middle School. The approved reorganization plan is estimated to save $900,000 in the first year, and with a one-time reorganizational cost between $140,000 to $150,000. Transition Planning Newsletter As the Clinton Township School District transitions toward reorganizing the schools for the 2018-2019 school year, it is important to keep lines of communication open and to provide timely and factual information about the District's work. In response to that need, the District has been publishing a weekly newsletter called, "Moving Forward: A Weekly Update." This newsletter contains information that is updated weekly and is organized by categories as appropriate, including: Students and Transitioning Finance Personnel Curriculum Facilities Communicating Tasks Completed Questions and Answer Section: There have been many questions posed by members of the Clinton Township community and staff related to the District's reorganization. Questions that have been brought to the District's attention are answered in a "Questions and Answers" section of the newsletter. Summer Tasks and Responsibilities: Many of the tasks and responsibilities listed in the newsletter are those that school administrators undertake each and every spring and summer in planning for a new school year. This is part of the normal cycle for the school administrators. Naturally, with the reorganization, additional steps require attention, and we will continue to share these with the community in the District's weekly publication. Also, while the newsletter is a framework for sharing tasks by categories, know that for each category there are a multitude of corresponding subcategories that will be addressed. To Read Archived Editions of Moving Forward: There have been many editions of "Moving Forward" already published, and each edition contains a great deal of information regarding the reorganization. To review each "Moving Forward" newsletter, please go to the District's website at, www.ctsdnj.org, and click on the link that says, "Reorganization". All interested readers can find each and every published edition in this section. To Receive an Electronic Copy of Moving Forward: If you are interested in reading the District's weekly publication, regarding the reorganization, please go to www.ctsdnj.org, and click on the link that says, "reorganization" and click on "mailing list". All interested readers can fill out the information form to begin receiving an electronic copy of the District's weekly publication. Questions and Answers: As mentioned before, there have been many questions from members of the Clinton Township Community and District staff regarding the reorganization. Below is a list of the most common questions that have been shared with the District's administration and the corresponding answers. 1. Will there be a Move-Up Day for students going to a new school? A: The principals are hosting a Move-Up Day on June 12 for students entering kindergarten, first, third, and sixth grades (currently in prekindergarten, kindergarten, second and fifth grades). For kindergarten families new to the district, there are two opportunities to tour Patrick McGaheran School: on June 12 and June 13. 2. Will the staff have time to prepare their rooms for moving? A: At the end of this school year there are two half- days and one full day in the calendar -- and contracted with the staff. Those days are being made available for moving and planning purposes. 3. Will the staff have time to prepare for the opening of school? A: Prior to the arrival of students in September, the calendar and contract provide for two and one-half days of staff preparation. One full day will be used for teachers to prepare their classrooms. The plans maintain continuity in the classroom without losing instructional time. 4. If a staff member is moving within a building, who will do the moving? A: The same movers will be completing both the moves within buildings (internally) and between buildings (externally). 5. There are parents who want to donate time to help staff members pack. Is this permitted? A: It is generous of parents to want to help. For security, safety, confidentiality and liability reasons, the District is using a professional moving company to manage the move "soup to nuts." On balance, in the interest of coordination and safety, it is best to let the moving company complete the entire job. 6. How are teachers able to help with transition planning and implementation? A: Teachers are helping by sharing questions and suggestions with principals and supervisors and through their Clinton Township Education Association leadership, who meet weekly with the Superintendent. In addition, Google Docs are created to collect information on inventories, item storage requests and questions developing throughout the transition process. 7. Will teachers have what they need in their classrooms? A: Yes. Each year principals receive a building budget, and they allocate classroom budgets for teachers. This is being done for the new school year, and there is also a contingency fund budgeted for additional teaching supplies, materials and resources that may result from this one-time move. 8. If teachers are using two professional development days to pack and move, will those be made up? A: The district is generous in its support of professional development experiences, and the staff is very committed to continuous professional growth. Not only do staff members participate in local PD days hosted here, a multitude of workshops were attended by staff this year. With this one-time move and unique circumstances, the time will be best invested in preparing classrooms for the new school year. 9. We heard that teachers were only given a couple of hours to pack and only two boxes each, and they had to provide their own tape. Is this true? A: To begin with, each building received 125 boxes and the boxes are designed to require no tape. Staff numbers for each building are: Spruce Run School-34, Patrick McGaheran School-33, Round Valley School- 55, and Clinton Township Middle School-48. Not all staff members are moving, so there were plenty of boxes and labels to pack personal items only. If they needed more boxes, they were provided. For moving to other rooms and buildings, over 850 boxes were provided. Staff members were given the equivalent of two full days to pack, with the expectation that they only pack personal items, leaving the rest for the movers. However, some staff members chose to pack additional items from their classrooms and did not want to leave some materials for the professional movers. 10. Are the school hours for Round Valley School set for the later starting time? A: Round Valley School will have a later starting time of 8:50 a.m., as will Patrick McGaheran, at 8:55 a.m. This is for two reasons. One is a concern about third graders at the bus stops in the dark of winter, and the other is the significant difference in transportation costs to have Round Valley School start earlier. 11. How will the use of science labs at Clinton Township Middle School be decided? A: Staff members in science will be able to use the labs at any time because science class is a mixture of lab and lecture. Both types of classrooms will be available for use during the day. 12. How will the Unified Arts/Specials schedules be adapted at Clinton Township Middle School and Patrick McGaheran School to include the extra grade level? A: Unified arts classes are an important part of our curriculum. Students will continue to participate in classes in art, music, PE/health, technology and library 13. Has the playground equipment at Patrick McGaheran School been assessed for K-1? A: This is being assessed currently, as the students have just left for the summer. Updates will appear in the published Newsletter. Approval of any equipment purchase will go through the usual purchasing and approval process. 14. Will Round Valley School be more open to parents attending class parties coming in for birthdays, etc., like it was at Patrick McGaheran School? A: The district is currently evaluating the process for parties, and events, such as Pizza Night, Diversity Night, Mystery Readers, Gallery Time, Science Night, u P d a t e : C l i n t o n t o w n s H i P s C H o o l d i s t R i C t R e o R G a n i z a t i o n P l a n 2 0 1 8 - 2 0 1 9

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