Clinton Township Newsletter

I N O UR Spruce Run School S Spruce Run School is truly a special place to be! We had a warm Welcome Back To School on our Visitation Day before the school year began, and preschool students visited the building and met their teachers. Kindergarten students rode a school bus and met with teachers. First grade students reacquainted themselves with the building and met their teachers, as well. Faculty and staff welcomed all students on the first day, Tuesday, September 3. The children are quickly learning new routines and new faces. First grade students are sharing "Me Bags" to learn about their new friends. Kindergarten students are sharing their "Hopes and Dreams" for the year. Preschool students are learning the names of their new friends during their circle time. Our dedicated staff is working to promote a warm, welcoming and positive school environment in helping our students to learn and utilize our three school rules, "Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Others and Take Care of the Environment." Thank you to our parents and to our community for your collaborative efforts in supporting our positive school environment! Students are learning about "Planting the Seeds of Friendship" through our words of the month and the friendship theme each month. In October, our SRS children will learn about respect, and being a friend. Fall fun at SRS: October 25th is the PTA-sponsored Pumpkin Carving Night for students and families of SRS and PMG. With the help of the PTA, families will carve pumpkins, enjoy autumn snacks, and have an opportunity to enjoy spending time with friends from our community. What a great way to enjoy fall fun with your friends and neighbors! Happy carving! P at r i c k M c g a h e r a n S c h o o l Students and Teachers at Patrick McGaheran had a great school opening! Students enjoyed learning the routines and beginning their academic lessons. This year's school-wide theme is, "PMG-Where Friendships Grow,!" To support this, students and teachers participate in monthly morning meetings, classroom activities, words of the month and school spirit days. At the first school-wide meeting, students learned about the three school rules: Take care of yourself, take care of others and take care of our environment. Second Grade News Students and teachers launched science in second grade with students tracking the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly.  Fresh milkweed leaves filled   classrooms while students observed hungry caterpillars eating the plant leaves.  Next they split their skins up to five times while forming the chrysalis.  The tiny gold stripes and spots on the green chrysalis actually glittered, making it clear to students why these butterflies are called Monarchs. After days of watching, the students were excited to see the butterflies emerge. The stages of the Monarch Butterfly life cycle were easily detected by each of our own second grade scientists!  Once the butterflies emerged, students used identifying marks to figure out whether the butterflies were male or female.  It was bittersweet to release the butterflies back into the wild.  We know some of them will migrate all the way to Mexico.  Students recorded their observations in a Monarch Journal and used the website, Journey North, to follow the butterflies' migration.  Keep an eye out this Spring for Monarchs migrating back North! Building Community at PMG: Third grade students at PMG have been learning about communities as part of the social studies curriculum. In September, students explored the features of urban, suburban and rural communities.  Students then brainstormed a list of buildings and facilities that are found in each type of community. Each student created a shoebox size model of a building found in either an urban, suburban or rural community. All 7 classes displayed their buildings and students had the opportunity to walk around and view each other's work. This fun, culminating activity also helped to build community among our third grade students who thoroughly enjoyed being a part of "Kidsville." 1 4 www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com O c t o b e r SCHOOLS: Round Valley School We're all happy to be back to school at Round Valley! It was wonderful to meet our new 4th graders, students new to Clinton Township School District, and see the familiar faces of our 5th and 6th graders! All 538 students, along with teachers, enjoyed our first "All School Meeting" where we discussed academic and extra-curricular opportunities. At Round Valley we are a team and continue to build our theme of "Respect for Self, Respect for Others, and Respect for the Environment." We will be working together throughout the school year to show that the "little things we do can make a big difference." Already we've had some great September activities! On September 27, our PTA hosted a Welcome Pizza Party. The Grand Opening of our Farm to Fitness Multi-Use Trail, which was funded by the Foundation for Educational Excellence, was celebrated this same night. What fun to share both these events with the families of RVS! We look forward to a year of learning and working together to build a strong and supportive school community. Clinton Township Middle School On Tuesday, September 3, we welcomed 430 students into the Clinton Township Middle School! Students started the day off greeting old friends and meeting new ones. We met for our first "All-School" meeting which focused on the theme of Community & Teamwork Motivate Success. We discussed how to be an effective community we need to show respect. The second year-long theme of CTMS is Respect for Ourselves, Respect for Others, and Respect for the Environment. We will be continuing our monthly "All-School" meetings, and we are looking forward to building a strong school community that is supportive of all. This year we are excited to be able to offer a number of after-school activities. Tryouts for the Fall sports of Soccer and Volleyball have commenced, and the Cross Country team is already practicing running the routes. It is wonderful to see so many eager participants. We will also be offering a number of after-school clubs. Students will soon learn about yearbook, computer and movie club, art club and a variety of offerings from the music department. The Camerata Singers, Rock Band, Stage/Jazz Band and String Ensemble provide a wide array of ways to extend students' passion of music. Other students are anxiously waiting to hear from Mr. Tariff and Mr. Roberto about the news on the CTMS Drama Production that will be held on March 6, 7 & 8. There are many in-school activities offered throughout the year. In addition to academic enrichment within the content areas, CTMS also offers leadership opportunities through School Council and Peer Leaders. Students participate in Law Adventure, Debate, WordMasters and a number of other opportunities to take part in academic competitions. PTA F a l l F a m i l y P o r t r a i t F u n d r a i s e r : September 20–October 13 Book your appointment for an outdoor portrait session in beautiful Hunterdon County and get a jump start on your holiday gift giving and holiday cards. Appointments will be available on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons-early evenings, as well as some weekend mornings. Photography by Jay and Sylvia Heidbreder, Tomorrow's Memories. If schedules are fully booked or openings available do not match your needs, email Tomorrow's Memories (TMPortraits@ comcast.net) and let them know you would like to be put on a WAIT LIST as appointments become available. Full details available on the Tomorrow's Memories website, www.TMPortraits.net (SPECIALS) or in your Clinton Township PTA Virtual Backpack. 2 0 1 3

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