Clinton Township Newsletter

1 5 O c t O b e r 2 0 1 8 My name is Kelsie Decker and I am a new fourth grade teacher at Round Valley School. I graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey in June 2017, Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology and an Art Minor. In December of 2017 I finished my Elementary Education K-6 certification. While in school I kept myself very busy. I was a member of Kappa Delta Pi, an honor society for educators. We volunteered for events such as Special Olympics and Color Run. I interned at Alpine Learning Group where I helped teach and instruct students with autism. I was also an apprentice for one of my psychology professors, Dr. Ishak, who had a cognitive development lab. The apprenticeship was actually quite fun. There were four of us who helped out with current studies and brainstormed ideas for new ones. We worked a lot with preschool through elementary school aged children to understand how kids problem solve spatial tasks at different ages. I spent time helping out in several school districts. When I wasn't busy volunteering, writing papers and working on lesson plans, I went hiking, dancing in Zumba classes and watching dance productions. I student taught in a first grade inclusion classroom through the end of 2017. Once I finished student teaching, I immediately started substituting in different districts for many different grade levels. In the Spring of 2018, I filled a leave replacement 6th grade math position in my hometown of Roxbury, NJ. This past summer I taught summer school for an autistic program. I am grateful for the opportunity to work at Round Valley School and to be part of the Clinton Township School District! I am very excited to have my own classroom surrounded by great kids and a wonderful staff! My name is Tara Klamik and I am a third grade special education teacher at Round Valley School. I graduated from Lynchburg University in 2009 with a BS in Elementary Education. During my time there, I did a study abroad in Saint Lucia and had the opportunity to do educational screenings for preschool students. I decided to pursue a Masters degree in Special Education and graduated from Centenary University in 2013. I worked at The Gramon Family of Schools in Fairfield, New Jersey. At Gramon, I taught students with Autism for two years. I have worked for the past four years in special education in the Kenilworth School District in Kenilworth, New Jersey. I am eager and excited for the opportunity to teach third grade in this district! This month I will be getting married, which is such an exciting time! My new last name will be Hrynkiewicz. My name is Erin Porter, and I am thrilled to be teaching General and Vocal Music at Round Valley School. I am a resident of Sussex County, New Jersey, where I first began my musical career in student theater groups and choral ensembles. I graduated from Montclair State in 2018 with a Bachelors of Music in Music Education. During my career I have participated in many choral ensembles, some of which have taken me around the world! One highlight of my career was performing at Mass in the Vatican. When I am not teaching or making music, I am most likely hiking through the woods or taking photographs of wildflowers. My name is Jacob Wainwright and I am one of the Health and Physical Education teachers at Round Valley School. I am a recent graduate of Rowan University and have spent the last year in three different school districts working Clinton Township School District Mission Statement: The Clinton Township School District, in partnership with the community, achieves excellence for each child by ensuring a meaningful and challenging educational experience in a supportive environment; developing life-long learners who are responsible and productive citizens. Clinton Township Middle School We are excited to welcome a number of new staff members to our CTMS Community! We are very pleased that they chose to join the Clinton Township School District faculty. Nidia Pinzon is very excited to be joining the team at Clinton Township as a Spanish teacher. She was born in Bogota, Colombia. Nidia graduated from Piloto University with a Bachelors in Computer Engineering, then she attended Pontificia Universidad Javeriana to receive her specialization in Project Management. Nidia and her family moved to the USA 17 years ago. She started her teaching career in Connecticut, where she taught Spanish at High and Middle School. Four years ago Nidia received her Master of Arts Degree in Learning and Thinking from The Graduated Institute, and moved to New Jersey. During the last two years she was working at South Hunterdon School District, working with students from preschool to sixth grade. In her free time Nidia loves travel, read, cook and spend time with her family. Nidia is very happy to be part of the Clinton Township community! Victor Cardona is excited to be joining the Clinton Township Middle School team as an 8th grade special education teacher. His previous teaching experience includes working in the special education department in local districts such as Branchburg and Somerville, NJ. In addition, Mr. Cardona has previously taught at a local special needs school spanning multiple subjects within the middle school grades. Mr. Cardona is an alumnus of Rutgers University of New Brunswick, where he earned a degree in psychology. Mr.Cardona is looking forward to the great and exciting year ahead here in Clinton Township. My name is Jennifer Staples, and I am the Maternity Leave Replacement teacher in sixth grade for Chrissy Wendel until November 1, 2018. I have been a resident of Clinton Township since 2007. My husband and I have a daughter in Patrick McGaheran School. I have been teaching in both public and private schools for 14 years. I am a certified K-12 English teacher with part of my masters in School Counseling complete. I have served on the ACE Collaborative team which worked with the University of Notre Dame to write the middle school curriculum for the Paterson Diocese. I won a $5000 Centurylink Technology Grant in 2017. I am so excited to be part of the Clinton Township School District this year. Jordan Downs: I'm originally from Brick, NJ where I went to Brick Memorial High School. I lived there with my parents until this summer, then I moved to Flemington after I got the PE job at Clinton Middle School. I have a much older brother and sister who have children of their own, so I get the awesome job of being cool "Aunt J". I went to The College of New Jersey where I majored in Health and Exercise Science Education and played soccer for all four years. The team got better and better every year, making it to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament. I was lucky enough to be awarded All American for two of those years as well. After I graduated in 2015, I decided to further my education and go for my masters at Wilkes University in PA. I was the graduate assistant for the women's soccer team there and got the best coaching experience I could ever ask for. I finished with my degree in Education Development and Strategies and soon found my first teaching job at Lakewood High School. I coached soccer at my old HS, with the same coach that I played for, and I coached middle school track. I'm very excited to be here at Clinton Middle School and can't wait for what this year holds! The CTMS Courtyard Inspiration Garden is getting a fall makeover, thanks to a group of dedicated students, teachers and parents! The garden features flowers, pathways, artwork and bridges, and there are plans to expand it more this year. With the addition of sixth grade to our school, plans to create an additional vegetable garden in the upper courtyard are underway. Students in the 6th grade went back to Round Valley to harvest corn, tomatoes, pumpkins and squash. multiple long term substitute positions. I am from Burlington County, New Jersey and grew up on a grain farm. I have spent the past six summers teaching and coaching at the Burlington County Golf Academy's junior golf program. I l o o k f o r w a r d t o the new school year and the wonderful opportunity here in Clinton Township.

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