Clinton Township Newsletter

1 2 a u g u s t 2 0 2 4 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 A MESSAGE FROM DR. STAGER, CTSD SUPERINTENDENT: Dear Clinton Township Community Members, On August 28, 2024 we welcome our students to the 2024-2025 School Year. We have lots of great changes and updates that we are excited to share! Last year at this time, CTSD had a ½ day tuition based preschool serving about 40 students. In January of 2024 we opened a full-day, state-funded preschool program for up to 75 students. This program is housed at Spruce Run. For the 2024-2025 year we opened 15 more spots and moved one of our preschool support programs to that building. For the following school year we will offer over 125 spots, free-of-cost, to parents. We will also continue to house school buses at Spruce Run Preschool for the next two years. This dual use of the facility has positively served our school community. At PMG students will have a new schedule in order to increase instructional minutes. We are also excited to share that our main classrooms will be equipped with interactive smart boards to replace current projectors. While we are mindful of the role of too much technology in the classroom, these upgrades prepare our students to work collaboratively. They also give students access to technology commonly used in high performing districts. RVS is on track to become the first school i n C T S D t o r e c e i v e a N J S u s t a i n a b l e Schools award. There has been tremendous student driven work on food waste and sustainability. At the end of the school year, we were able to partner with a state agency to test our outdoor air quality during drop- off and pick-up. Our student Waste Warrior team will use that information to plan an action for late September. CTMS is continuing with the expansion of electives and outside learning opportunities. We are adding two new electives this coming school year and will continue our great opportunities like Mocktrial, student news, trips to Gettysburg, trips to NYC, fundraising for important causes, spelling bees, and TREP$, our entrepreneurship fair. At CTMS we help students prepare for high school and will continue to help them thrive in their middle years. From a facilities standpoint this summer, we also worked on replacing roofs in need of repair, as well as adding bathrooms to aid in expansion of our preschool program. By investing in our facilities, we hope to stave off future costly emergency repairs. We are hopeful that this approach will address the sometimes neglected upgrades that districts across the state are facing. We have updated our security system and added a School Resource Officer who is dedicated to Clinton Township Schools through taxpayer voting. Many of these positive changes can be accessed through our new website which we moved to in July. As our students savor these last few weeks of their summer break, we want to thank the community for their continued support of our children and the education CTSD offers. Part of what makes this community special is the strong schools, and the investment in our future. We can see it paying off in the great school experience our district offers. Sincerely, Dr. Melissa Stager – Sincerely, Dr. Melissa Stager, Ed.D Superintendent, CTSD Spruce Run PreSchool Spruce Run is gearing up to welcome our 3 and 4 year olds to begin school on August 28! This summer, Spruce Run had two new bathrooms installed to make room for our expanding preschool program. There is also a new outdoor space that was cleared, cleaned and established using fundraiser money from the PTA Wiz-Fit Challenge. On September 29, the PTA is hosting a Welcome Back Social for our preschool families from 1:15-2:30 pm. This will be a great opportunity for families and students to get to know each other! The Spruce Run Preschool will be running ECAC (Early Childhood Advisory Council) meetings throughout the 2024-2025 year. We encourage parents and community members to join! The ECAC Committee is an advisory group of community stakeholders interested in education and welfare of children that is convened by the school district. For more information, please reach out to Stephanie Rodridues-Silva at: srodrigues-silva@ctsdnj.org. Enjoy the remaining days of summer! I N O U R S C H O O L S : www.ctsdnj.org August 28 - First Day of School - Early Dismissal • August 29 - Early Dismissal • August 30 - School Closed (Offices open) IMPORTANT DATES TO KEEP IN MIND THIS MONTH – Please see the District website (www.ctsdnj.org) for summer office hours. EVERY STUDENT INSPIRED, EVERY TEAM MEMBER SUPPORTED, AND EVERY FAMILY ENGAGED. Patrick McGaheran School Welcome Back to Patrick McGaheran School! As summer fades and the excitement of the 24-25 school year grows, all of our staff at Patrick McGaheran School can't wait to welcome back our new and returning students. We hope all our K-2 families had a fantastic summer break filled with adventures and laughter. Whether it was splashing in pools, exploring nature trails, or taking family road trips, we know our PMG Bulldogs have been busy making memories. Reading is a crucial part of building a strong educational foundation, and we hope many of you participated in summer reading activities. We are eager to hear about all the wonderful books our students have explored over the summer. For the 24-25 year, we continue our focus on "Building a PAWsitive Foundation for the Future." This theme will guide our efforts to create a nurturing environment where every student can thrive, and we will emphasize our three school rules, which help our young learners develop self-awareness, empathy, and responsibility - key skills for success both in and out of the classroom. Take care of yourself Take care of others Take care of your environment We can't wait to see all our PMG Bulldogs back in the classroom, ready to share summer stories and embark on new learning adventures!

• Cover