Clinton Township Newsletter

1 4 d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 0 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M 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 I hope you and your families are doing well this December! Here are a few updates from the CTSD. The following Interim Superintendent Goals for the 2020/2021 year were approved on 10/19/2020: • To implement and refine the current systems, structures and processes within the Clinton Township School District to result in consistent communication (internal/external), established internal operations, maintenance of facilities, the repositioning of the position of Superintendent, and financial planning and considerations. • To provide all students with a societal awareness of equity as it relates to their citizenship and the development of the students' global citizenship, professional learning will be offered to the faculty/ staff to heighten sensitivity and the modeling of equity as it relates to our school and classroom environment, the modeling of equity through class discussion, appropriate resource materials, and planned focused activities and projects. • To support our staff with the implementation of instructional designs and organization within the alternative learning schedule and the ever- evolving situation as it relates to Domain Two, Classroom Environment, with professional learning to apply the characteristics and indicators of a highly effective classroom environment to the hybrid and synchronized classroom organization. – Technology – Zoom App Pilot: Our district will be piloting the Zoom App to chromebooks at CTMS, SRS, RVS grade 5 and PMG grade 2. The district Action Plan Tech Committee will monitor the use of the app for connectivity. Surveys will be sent to participating grade level families to determine the impact of moving to the use of the app over the next several weeks. Please note: The use of an app will not fall under the monitoring of the district. This sits outside our ability to monitor using our firewall or GoGuardian system. It is imperative that all families closely monitor their children and allow this app to be used on district devices, only during designated school meeting times. S u p p o r t i n g S t u d e n t s O n l i n e : W e d o appreciate you supporting your child while they are online, but ask that you do so in a way that does not disrupt learning, including talking with the teacher during a lesson, talking with your child while not muted and recording any part of the lesson. Students are encouraged to be independent learners, so we like them to attempt new learning on their own, or with minimal support. Students will be taking assessments online throughout the year. Whether they are formative or summative, they provide us with important information to inform instruction and help us monitor student progress. As such, please do not help your child while they are working on an assessment. – The Clinton Township PTA – The PTA Executive Board hopes that our students, t h e i r f a m i l i e s a n d o u r d e d i c a t e d teachers are doing well during this unprecedented 2020/21 school year. This is definitely not our typical school year, but the Board is embracing the opportunity to think outside the box and be flexible, as we work on finding fun virtual alternatives to some of our traditional PTA activities. Watch this space! We even have a couple of new events in the works that we hope our students will love. The best way to stay informed of the latest PTA news is to ensure you are registered on our website at: www. c t s d n j . o r g / r e s o u r c e s / p a r e n t _ teacher_association. There you can find our calendar, family directory, event and fundraising flyers, PTA store, and much more! As our flyers aren't being back-packed home this year, registering is the only way to ensure you receive all of our important communications throughout the year. And of course, you can always find us on Facebook! Why register with the PTA? We hope you will consider supporting our activities throughout the year by registering with the PTA. The need to maintain flexibility in our calendar means that our print calendars weren't offered this year. Likewise, as we are currently unable to safely distribute print directories through our traditional channels, our family directory may be accessed only online, with an active PTA membership. All volunteers at PTA-sponsored events and activities must be current members of Clinton Township PTA.Good luck to everyone in 2021! Navigating this new version of school, 2020-style, whether in person in one of our buildings, or remotely from a cozy nook in your home is working well, but we have high hopes for 2021! We will continue to update everyone on any events as they unfold. Have a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season and be well. Sincerely, Johanna S. Ruberto, Ed.D., Interim Superintendent Dear Clinton Township Community Members: A L e t t e r f r o m Johanna S. Ruberto, Ed.D., Interim Superintendent of Schools "These are the things I learned in Kindgarten" 1. SHARE EVERYTHING. 2. PLAY FAIR. 3. DON'T HIT PEOPLE. 4. PUT THINGS BACK WHERE YOU FOUND THEM. 5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS. 6. DON'T TAKE THINGS THAT AREN'T YOURS. 7. SAY YOU'RE SORRY WHEN YOU HURT SOMEBODY. 8. WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU EAT. 9. FLUSH. 10. WARM COOKIES AND COLD MILK ARE GOOD FOR YOU. 11. LIVE A BALANCED LIFE - LEARN SOME AND DRAW SOME AND PAINT SOME AND SING AND DANCE AND PLAY AND WORK EVERYDAY SOME. 12. TAKE A NAP EVERY AFTERNOON. 13. WHEN YOU GO OUT INTO THE WORLD, WATCH OUT FOR TRAFFIC, HOLD HANDS AND STICK TOGETHER. 14. BE AWARE OF WONDER. REMEMBER THE LITTLE SEED IN THE STYROFOAM CUP: THE ROOTS GO DOWN AND THE PLANT GOES UP AND NOBODY REALLY KNOWS HOW OR WHY, BUT WE ARE ALL LIKE THAT. 15. GOLDFISH AND HAMSTERS AND WHITE MICE AND EVEN THE LITTLE SEED IN THE STYROFOAM CUP - THEY ALL DIE. SO DO WE. 16. AND THEN REMEMBER THE FIRST WORD YOU LEARNED - THE BIGGEST WORD OF ALL - LOOK!" -Robt Fulghum, "A I Rea y Nd to Know I Learned in Kindgarten" The Clint Township Schl Dirict wishes y and yr loved es a Happy, Healthy Hiday Seas! 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.

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