Clinton Township Newsletter

1 2 a u g u s t 2 0 2 5 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 August 27: - First Day of School - Early Dismissal • August 28:Early Dismissal • August 29: School Closed (Offices open) IMPORTANT DATES TO KEEP IN MIND THIS MONTH – Please see the District website (www.ctsdnj.org) for summer office hours. 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 www.ctsdnj.org Our Clinton Township School District students begin school on August 27. The first two days are half-days, to allow for our younger students to acclimate, and to give our educators time for beginning of the year requirements. We love back-to-school time and are excited to share some of the great updates and improvements that will be in place for the 2025-2026 school year. All four of our schools have applied to be recognized as sustainable New Jersey Schools. We will find out if we are awarded this honor sometime in the Fall. We thank the hard work of our Board of Education, the Sustainable Jersey District and Building Green Teams, our volunteers and our students. At SRPS we have added two bathrooms to two more classrooms allowing us to include thirty more students. All together we can now serve over 120 three, and four year-old students. Even with this expansion we still have over thirty students who we were unable to offer a seat in our lottery. Our preschool program is a wonderful developmental learning program that will also benefit from a new outdoor playground partially funded through a community improvement grant. If you have a child enrolled in SRPS in the Fall, we encourage parents to drop off and pick up their children just as they would with a private preschool provider. At PMG we are on the second year of the new schedule. We increased the period length of our related arts which include, Library/Tech, General Music, PE/Health, Art, and Spanish for second grade. We have a new mechanism to identify students for our convergence groups in second grade. Convergence groups are based on creativity, critical thinking, and academic records and formally start in third grade. We installed a new Boiler Plant during the 2024-2025 school year. At RVS we had a ribbon cutting for our community garden in June. We are continuing with our scheduled daily intervention time, and have fun new activities like the Golden Eagle Singers Acting Club. We hope to have chickens again in the Spring, and will continue the Waste Warriors Work. Round Valley will be getting a new Boiler Room which should be completed by the start of the 2025-2026 school year. At CTMS we are adding a Speech and Debate elective class for seventh grade students. This compliments some of our other electives such as Acting, The Graphic Novel, and Rock Band. There will be an eighth grade capstone project done at the end of their time at CTMS so students can consolidate their presenting and researching skills before they go to high school. We are also tweaking the schedule so students have a shared tiered intervention time. Last year we put a new roof on our gymnasium and over the summer we worked on addressing leaks in other parts of the building. Here at CTSD we are committed to continuous improvement and thank the community for supporting our great schools. – Sincerely, Dr. Melissa Stager, Ed.D Superintendent, CTSD A MESSAGE FROM DR. STAGER, CTSD SUPERINTENDENT: I N O U R S C H O O L S : Spruce Run Preschool Welcome to Spruce Run Preschool! We're excited to welcome both our returning students and new students for another wonderful year of learning and growth together. This year brings exciting updates to our school community! We're delighted to introduce two wonderful new teachers joining our team: Mrs. Pilla and Mrs. Hoffman. Both bring passion, experience, and fresh energy to our eight beautiful classrooms. We've also completed facility improvements, including two brand-new bathrooms designed with our little learners in mind. From hands-on exploration and creative play to early literacy and social-emotional development, we're committed to providing enriching experiences that help each child grow and thrive. We look forward to partnering with you in your child's educational journey and creating wonderful memories together. Here's to a fantastic year of discovery, friendship, and fun at Spruce Run Preschool! Patrick McGaheran School Welcome back to another great year at Patrick McGaheran School! We hope our PMG families enjoyed a wonderful summer break filled with fun adventures and plenty of family time. We are excited to see our returning Bulldogs back in the hallways, and we can't wait to meet all our new kindergarteners and new families who are starting their school journey with us. We're continuing with our theme "Building a PAWsitive Foundation for the Future" this year. Over the summer, our teachers have been getting classrooms ready and planning lots of activities to keep our students engaged and learning. You'll find our hallways buzzing with energy as students dive into new books, explore math concepts, and discover the world around them throughout the upcoming school year. Partnership with families is so important to us, and we're looking forward to working together to help every Bulldog grow academically and personally. Whether it's a child's first day of kindergarten or they're moving up to second grade, our PMG staff is here to support each child every step of the way. Here's to a wonderful year ahead as we build those bright futures together! Round Valley School Welcome Back, 3rd-5th Graders! We're excited to welcome our new and returning 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders to Round Valley School for what promises to be an enriching year ahead! Our dedicated teaching staff is ready to make learning both fun and meaningful as we embark on this educational journey together. This year, we're placing special emphasis on literacy development, helping students strengthen their reading, writing, and communication skills. Our goal is to foster a genuine love of learning while building the strong foundation our students need for continued success. Beyond academics, our 3rd-5th graders will have opportunities to explore their creative sides through our robust music program. Whether students are interested in joining the band, orchestra, (4-5th grades) or chorus, they'll discover the joy of making music with their peers while developing discipline, teamwork, and artistic expression. Our Interest Clusters are returning for year two, allowing students to dive deeper into topics that spark their curiosity. From creative arts, to sports, to STEM activities, these specialized groups provide hands-on learning experiences that complement our core curriculum. Our entire Round Valley School community is committed to creating a supportive, nurturing environment where every 3rd-5th grader can thrive academically, socially, and personally. We look forward to watching these young learners grow, learn, and discover new talents throughout these important elementary years. Welcome back, and here's to a wonderful year of learning and growth!

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