Clinton Township Newsletter

I N O UR S S CHO O L S : C l i n t o n T o w n s h i p S c h o o l D i s t r i c t P r e s c h o o l P r o g r a m 2 0 14 -2 0 15 S c h o o l Y e a r The Clinton Township School District currently has openings for the children of Clinton Township residents, ages 3 and 4 on or before school begins, as well as 5 year olds who miss the October 1 cutoff date for kindergarten entry. This preschool program has morning or afternoon sessions available. The tuition for participating is $250.00 per month. All classes are staffed by fully-certified teachers and provide a comprehensive curriculum that is developmentally appropriate. Applications are due by February 3, 2014. For more information, please call 238-9141, ext. 244. Spruce Run School Preschool and Kindergarten Information Night: Although the weather is still cold outside, we are making plans for entrance to our preschool and kindergarten programs in the Fall of 2014! To be eligible for kindergarten during the 2014-2015 school year, a child must be 5 years of age on or before October 1, 2014. To be eligible for preschool during the 2014-2015 school year, a child must be 3 years of age on or before October 1, 2014. We would like to invite parents of incoming preschool and kindergarten students to our Information Night on January 23, 2014. The preschool session will run from 6:00-7:00 pm and the kindergarten session will run from 7:30-8:30 pm (snow date on February 4.) We hope to see you there! Child Assault Prevention Program: The Clinton Township School District has once again received a grant from the New Jersey Child Assault Prevention Program to present workshops for our parents, children and teachers in Kindergarten at Spruce Run School. The CAP Project is a comprehensive primary prevention program. CAP utilizes a three-pronged approach to community prevention education: training of staff, parents and children. CAP strategies include self assertion, peer support, effective communication and reporting skills. CAP programs are presented with a view of assault as a violation of the basic human rights to be 'Safe, Strong and Free'. During the week of February 3, 2014, kindergarten students at Spruce Run School will be participating in the Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Project. We are all concerned about the safety of our children. We hope that you, as parents, will join us in learning about and supporting this fine prevention program. ADULT CAP programs precede the children's programming and covers the prevention and empowerment strategies used in the children's workshops. Suggestions will be provided for the most effective ways to support those strategies at home, school and in the community. Kindergarten parents are invited and encouraged to attend our Parent/Guardian CAP training in January. KINDERGARTEN CAP workshops are designed for children ages 5 to 6. Classroom workshops consist of one-hour sessions, presented on two consecutive days by three CAP facilitators. Time is included for individual review of the program following the workshop each day, within the classroom. Children's rights and personal safety issues are taught through the use of pictures, dolls, songs and role plays. The classroom workshop trains children to recognize potentially dangerous situations, and to make effective use of the options available to them in these situations. P a t r i ck M cga h e r a n S c h o o l Patrick McGaheran Students and Staff Celebrate Winter, Friendships & Fun! The students and staff of PMG held a whole-school morning meeting together on December 19. Following the morning routine of attendance and lunch count, everyone joined together in the hallways. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance and shared in singing a patriotic song. Then, Mr. Straley, our Music Teacher, led everyone in the singing of classic winter tunes such as "Let It Snow", "Frosty the Snowman" and "Winter Wonderland". On December 20, parents joined us for our winter parties. Students made crafts, played winter themed games and shared snack time. PMG Students Participate in Fun, Hands-On Science Assemblies: On December 4, the Franklin Institute brought their traveling science shows to PMG. 3rd Grade students participated in The Human Body. This was a wild journey through the Human Body. Students discovered how nutrients in the food we eat are digested and converted into the energy that keeps us on the move. They learned how our muscles work, and what our blood actually accomplishes as it flows through our veins and arteries. 2nd Grade students viewed Mix and Matter. Students got to roll, slide and spin through the basic physics of motion and investigated Newton's Laws of Motion through examples of pulleys, levers and a student driven hover car. We thank Mrs. Smith and our Parent Teacher Association for bringing this assembly to our students! Generosity at PMG: The Word of the Month for December at PMG was Generosity. For 27 years some of the classes within the Clinton Township School District have sent gifts to students in need in the Camden area of New Jersey. This year students at Patrick McGaheran Schools joined in to take part in this project. Families who participated in this project donated a new coloring book, picture book, colored pencils or crayons which were wrapped by PMG students. The gifts were delivered to the school in Camden in December. A third grade student started the Loved by Looms project. She realized that so many students loved to make and wear colorful rubber band bracelets. She thought about children in hospitals and senior citizens in nursing homes and realized that bracelets might brighten their days. She organized a drive to collect bands and bracelets and delivered the goods to the happy recipients in December. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn the value of sharing with others! R o u n d V all e y S c h o o l Our School Council has been busy with Round Valley's Words of the Month. November was Compassion and December was Generosity. Both of these words fit with the actions of our students, as they collected hats, mittens, balls, games, and books for students in Camden. Delivering gifts to Camden has been an annual RVS event for the past 27 years! Round Valley students also wrote letters to our soldiers offering wishes for a Happy Holiday along with thanks for their service to our country. December started Geography month here at TEAM RVS. Each day the students received a geography question to help prepare for the National Geographic Geography Bee. The first round of the Geography Bee: Wednesday, December 18. Round II: Monday, January 6. The school-wide bee will be held on January 15, 2014. Another wonderful concert by our 5th and 6th grade students took place at the Clinton Township Middle School on December 18. It is always such a pleasure to hear our talented students perform! Clinton Township Middle School The Clinton Township Middle School Drama Club has begun rehearsals for this year's All-School musical, "High School Musical Jr." After the tremendous success, we saw from last year's production of "Willy Wonka Jr.", students are excited to get back to work singing, acting, and dancing their way to another three nights of standing ovations. This year's play will take place on March 6 and 7, at 7pm and March 8 at 4pm. We look forward to seeing everyone there! On November 21, CTMS hosted the North Hunterdon Enrichment Consortium annual debate competition. Thirty six teams from area middle schools competed through two rounds of debates, and it was an enjoyable learning experi- J a n u a r y ence for all involved. Students from Clinton Public, Hampton, Bethlehem Township, Califon and Union joined the CTMS teams to debate real world topics and practice their rhetorical skills. The CTMS students are working hard to sponsor our fourth annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life. On the evening of February 21, students and families will participate in an evening of entertainment, games, and fun while raising money for cancer research. All CTSD students, friends and community members are invited to join us! To get more information, sign up, or sponsor a walker, please visit: http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=60460. 2 0 1 4 15

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