Clinton Township Newsletter

1 5 a u g u s t 2 0 1 9 upon their return in September! We have missed our PMG students this summer, and look forward to having everyone back in the fall. Please be sure to look for the letter from Mrs. Goad in August to find out who your child's new Kindergarten, First or Second Grade teacher will be! We can't wait to see our students and their families at Visitation Day on August 29! Enjoy the rest of your summer and read lots of books! Round Valley School RVS Congratulates our Retiring Staff ! Barbara Marinelli: Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Barbara Marinelli, RVS 4th Grade Teacher, after 34 years in the Clinton Township School District. During her time in the district, Mrs. Marinelli was truly a professional educator, embracing the district's philosophy of "where children come first." She continued to learn and grow throughout her time in the district. She was selected to participate in the inaugural Exxon Mobil Teacher Academy and served as a mentor teacher and Model Teacher. In addition to her dedication to the school, Mrs. Marinelli developed the Camden Collection project, over 30 years ago. This project enabled Clinton Township students, parents and staff to join together by collecting and distributing holiday gifts to children in the Camden schools. Mrs. Marinelli could always be seen with a smile on her face. When asked about Mrs. Marinelli, students noted memories and observations: "The first day I met Mrs. Marinelli, I just knew she would be the best teacher." "On Thursdays, Mrs. Marinelli would tell jokes that were knee slappers!" "All of the help you gave me so that I could understand math." "You are a nice and funny teacher." "She made social studies fun and I liked how she shared little things about herself with us." "She said 'Good morning and hello' everyday, and I'm not even in her class." "She always tells cheesy jokes and makes us laugh." "She is awesome at drawing stick people." "Hearing you laugh." "You always listen to me, you laugh at my jokes and you help me when needed." We will miss Mrs. Marinelli, and wish her all the best in her retirement! Susan Straight: Mrs. Susan Straight, RVS's School Nurse, has retired. Congratulations! The RVS school community was very fortunate to have such an outstanding nurse in the school for many years. In this role, Mrs. Straight demonstrated all of the qualities one could possibly hope for in a school nurse. She is knowledgeable, compassionate, patient, understanding, funny and organized. The positive relationships she developed with students and families enabled her to provide the best level of care. Her students recognize her talents as well, and had a few things to share: "When I had a fever she was there to help me." "It might seem small, but it made me feel good to know I had her." "When I had a bloody nose and she actually took the time to wash my shirt." "She's one amazing nurse." "I was visiting for my inhaler one day and she told me that she hoped that I would have a great year and that she would help me have the great year!" "You are very caring and generous; I remember when you pulled a tick off of me." "When I got my "koncotion" she took care of me and I was so happy." Mrs. Straight will be missed. We hope that she has an amazing retirement! Preventing the "Summer Slide": We all look forward to the relaxing days of summer but it's important that families still set time aside for learning. Here are some fun ways to help children avoid summer regression. Reading is a great summer activity. Using the extra time available for reading can help to strengthen fluency and comprehension. Children should be encouraged to read for a minimum of 15-20 minutes each day. Summer reading activities could include going to the public library to check out books of interest or books for any summer reading groups a child may join. Books on cd are a great way to pass the time during long car trips and reading aloud with a child is a great bonding experience. Children should also continue to work on math facts. There are many websites that can be used or families can simply practice facts while riding in the car. Children can help with recipes or budgeting and calculating during shopping trips, both of which increase mathematical know-how. There are Clinton Township Foundation for Educational Excellence will be hosting our second annual Casino Night on Saturday, September 28 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm at the Polish American Citizens Club! CTFEE is committed to funding innovative educational programs, services and materials initiated through grant requests submitted by teachers and administrators in the Clinton Township School District. Last Fall our first casino night was a HUGE success! Enjoy a fun night out with your friends and the community, and help us make this year's event even better! Tickets are $70 per person now through August 31 ($80 per person aer 8/31). Tickets include a variety of casino games, raffle prizes, hors d'oeuvres, food stations, so drinks, and two wine/beer. Only 125 tickets available! Get your tickets before they're gone! Sponsorships are available for businesses or families. For tickets and sponsorship information, please visit: http://bit.ly/CTFEECasinoNight. If you would like to donate raffle basket items, please contact us at: ctefnj@gmail.com. Visit www.ClintonTownshipFoundation.org for more details. on September 28 to benefit CTSD! CTFEE's Casino Night many opportunities for summer writing. Children can send postcards from destinations, write letters to friends and family or keep a summer journal to memorialize their fun. They can also practice creative writing or answer prompts about their summer activities. Parents can help children with revising and editing. Working on capitalization, punctuation, and spelling is a basic way to start. When September arrives families will be thankful that they helped their child be prepared, confident and ready to start the school year in a new grade-level. Clinton Township Middle School In June, the students of CTMS took part in our Character Ed Service Project initiative. We were able to take donations of activity boxes to Morristown Memorial Hospital (Goryeb's Children's Hospital), Interfaith Hospitality Shelter, SAFE in Hunterdon and dog toys to St. Huberts. We created Kindness Rocks which have been placed around CTMS, and around the Town of Clinton and Clinton Township to spread the inspiration and love . As we relax and take time to rejuvenate over the summer it is important to recognize the importance of summer reading. Research shows that students who do not read over the summer demonstrate academic loss in the Fall. Additionally, summer reading loss is cumulative. By the end of 6th grade, children who do not read over the summer are two years behind other children Source: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/research.htm - importance All CTSD students are expected to read throughout the summer. Our purpose is to encourage students to acquire the wonderful lifetime habit of independent reading. Information on the reading requirements for incoming sixth, seventh and eighth grade students, can be found under Summer Reading Assignments on the CTMS Web Page What Parents Can Do: • Stress the importance of summer reading with your child. • Make reading exciting; don't think of it as a chore. • Create a reading list. • Create a no TV or electronic game time during part of each day. • Join a summer reading program at your local library. • Keep a supply of reading materials around the house. • Go to the library regularly. • Ask your child questions about the books she or he is reading. • Pick a favorite author or series and read all the books. • Listen to books on tape while traveling. • Model reading. Happy Reading!

• Cover