Clinton Township Newsletter

1 6 D e c e m b e r 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 Members of the Clinton Township School Community, October began with recognitions and "thank you's" for the efforts of our staff at the Clinton Township Schools and ended with fall celebrations in all of our schools. O n o u r O c t o b e r 8 P r o f e s s i o n a l Development day, our staff members were recognized for their years of service to the district. Their peers celebrated staff with ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five and thirty years in the Clinton Township School District. T h e C l i n t o n T o w n s h i p B o a r d o f Education recognized the tremendous e f f o r t s b y o u r " s u m m e r t e a m " o f maintenance and custodial crews in completing the task of cleaning, moving and preparing classrooms for our returning students. Their attention to every detail made the project a success. A big thank you was given to Sue High, Director of Special Projects-Transition, for her lead in the summer reorganization project. The Board also wished her well in her retirement beginning in January 2019. The Board of Education also announced the dedication of Round Valley School courtyard garden that would be named in Mrs. High's honor and outfitted with a frog bench and two frog statues. Mrs. High served as the principal of the Round Valley School and is an avid gardener who also loves frogs! October ended with students, parents, and teachers celebrating fall on October 31 with class parades and parties sponsored by the PTA. October was a month of thanks and celebrations along with learning, sharing and growing. – Acting Superintendent of Schools Michele Cone, MA I N O U R S C H O O L S : A L e t t e r f r o m Michele Cone, Acting Superintendent of Schools Thank you to our families and staff for all of your support in providing these wonderful learning opportunities for our Patrick McGaheran students. Round Valley School Round Valley School's Word of the Month: Generosity Each December the school district participates in a special project, now in its 31th year! Under the direction of 4th Grade Teacher, Barbara Marinelli, each of the grade levels in the district ask families to donate a different type of gift for children in Camden. This year, gifts will include coloring books, balls, games, toothbrushes, crayons and other small items. After students help wrap the presents, they are loaded on a school bus and delivered to students in a Camden elementary school. This is a fantastic process that helps students learn about December's Word of the Month; Generosity. Earlier in the school year, students participated in two fundraising activities. For the first, "Pink Day," students wore pink and brought in a donation. Students then were able to guess the amount of candy corn in a jar, with proceeds from both added to the Round Valley School's Relay for Life Team fundraising. Later in the school year students will participate in Pennies for Patients, benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Enrichment Happenings at RVS: This fall has been very exciting and busy, as many students have been participating in Spruce Run School Fall filled the air on October 31st with a festive parade at Spruce Run School! District administrators and staff at Spruce Run School lined the halls to greet preschool trick-or-treaters with pencils, glow sticks, stickers, play-dough and more. Students showed off their creative costumes for the fall celebration. Fairies, super-heros, witches, princesses, and at least one 3 year old veterinarian enjoyed games, food and art projects with teachers, parents and staff members. As November comes and goes, preschoolers begin to learn about giving and being thankful. Happy Thanksgiving from the Spruce Run Preschool! Patrick McGaheran School Each month at Patrick McGaheran School, students learn about our words and themes of the month and how to apply them in words and actions. For the month of December, our word is "generosity" and our theme is "I AM a friend." Students read stories and discuss ways to be generous and to help others, and demonstrate how they are a true friend to others. At PMG, we hold monthly All School Meetings. After saying the Pledge of Allegiance and singing our school song together, we talk about what these important words of the month mean. Our youngest students are so eager to learn and to demonstrate these characteristics, and we are so proud to support them in this endeavor. Students at PMG are encouraged to show generosity and are provided with opportunities to be generous and help others, not only in their daily interactions with students and teachers, but also within larger communities, as well. Service projects provide our students with opportunities to work together, learn to solve problems and make decisions that will contribute to their community. In December, students at PMG will join the other Clinton Township School District schools in participating in the Camden Collections Project once again this year to donate holiday items to children in need at a school in Camden, NJ. Families who participate in this project will donate a new item to be wrapped by our students and parent volunteers, and gifts will be delivered to the school in Camden in December. PMG students are collecting coloring books, markers and crayons. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn the value of sharing with others!

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