Clinton Township Newsletter

February 2015 Issue of the Clinton Township Newsletter

Clinton Township Newsletter, Clinton New Jersey, May 2013 Issue

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1 3 F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5 Round Valley School's Governor's Outstanding Educator of the Year Recognition January 2015: We are happy to announce that Mrs. Laura Nish has been recognized as the 2014-2015 Outstanding Educator of the Year! Mrs. Nish is definitely a life long learner! She graduated from Kean University with a BA degree as an elemen- tary school teacher. She continued her education receiving a Masters Degree (MA) in Special Education and a second MA in Instruction and Curriculum. This is Mrs. Nish's seventh year teaching in the Clinton Township School District, although she has been teaching for a total of eight years. Mrs. Nish's classroom is fun! She truly believes in a hands-on approach as she realizes everyone learns differently. When Mrs. Nish plans her lessons she does so with individuals in mind; she knows students' interests and weaves them into lessons where students make connections between their school academic life and their life outside of school. When she first arrived in Clinton Township she started 'Cool Kids' Cafe', a program that enabled students to take an active role with both students and faculty. It provided an authentic experience working with money along with socialization skills. Mrs. Nish is married and lives in Hunterdon County with her husband, Brian, and her dog, Poppie. Congratulations Mrs. Nish, we are so proud you! R•d V•• Scho Katie Shea has been recognized as PMG's Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Shea is a third grade teacher. She has been a member of the CTSD staff since 2009 in a variety of teaching positions at PMG and SRS. Mrs. Shea is an active participant in school and community activities. She has participated in the PMG Talent Show and the CT Community Days Dunk Tank. Mrs. Shea develops fun, challenging learning opportunities for her students. For example, when studying economics, Mrs. Shea leads her class through an authentic experience in which the students research and purchase products to market and sell to members of the school community. They have sold PMG water bottles and car magnets. The class then researches and selects a charity to benefit from the proceeds of this project. One of her nomination letters stated that Mrs. Shea, "is a dedicated educator who exempli- fies a variety of qualities that help impact the hearts of students." Another nomination letter read, "Mrs. Shea is an excellent, wonderful and amazing teacher!" Mrs. Shea shared, "The thing I love most about teaching is spending each day with children. They have this amaz- ing way of looking at the world. I feel lucky that I get to contribute to their hearts and minds, helping them grow, not only as learn- ers, but as open minded and hopeful individu- als who believe in themselves and others." Catharine Miller has been honored with the recognition of PMG's Educational Services Professional of the Year! Mrs. Miller is currently a Literacy Support Teacher. In her role she helps stu- dents improve reading abilities in the areas of phonics and comprehension. She began her teaching career at PMG in 2006 as a Student Teacher. She was then hired as a Leave Replacement Teacher for several teaching vacancies. In 2007 she started working as a Special Edu- cator on an inclusion team. She spent the next six years in this role in both second and third grades. Mrs. Miller is now enjoying her role working with both PMG grades as they become stronger readers. She finds strategies to help students based on the students' abilities and interests. When entering her classroom one will observe smiling students participat- ing in fun, challenging individualized learning activities. Mrs. Miller states, "The thing I love the most about teach- ing is having the opportunity to get to know my students and helping them realize their potential." Mrs. Miller develops positive relationships with stu- dents and their families. She is an active member of the professional learning groups at PMG and well respected by the school community. She continuously learns new strategies to help her students by attending district and university professional development opportunities. Pa•ick McGah‚ƒ Scho We are happy to announce that Mrs. Jean Baxter & Mrs. Michele Beha have been recognized as the CTMS 2014-2015 Outstanding Educators of the Year! "I have been teaching for twenty years, eighteen of which have been in language arts here in Clinton Township. I taught sixth grade for thirteen years, at Round Valley when it was still a middle school, and then came to CTMS five years ago and joined team west teaching language arts in seventh grade. Language Arts has always been my passion, and I enjoy helping students find the language to express their thoughts and ideas, as well as introducing them to literature. Working with young people is energizing. Their exuberance is contagious. My philosophy of education is to cre- ate a collective learning environment, so as well as guiding students, I learn from them. I like to think I help build skills they need to navigate through life. Communication is paramount for success in the world, and Language Arts is all about communicating ideas. One way teaching has changed over my time, is in the area of technology. The advent of technological innova- tion, such as the Chromebooks and Google classroom, has added a new dimension to my role, allowing me to stay current, and providing new avenues of communica- tion for me and my students." Mrs. Michele Beha CTMS Educational Services Professional of the Year: "I am convinced that my life belongs to the whole community: as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it what I can, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch, which I have hold of for just a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before turning it over to future generations." –George Bernard Shaw "My philosophy as a school health nurse has al- ways been driven by giving unconditionally every day to students, staff and community, that which is needed to achieve a sense of safety, belonging, worth and 'health.' Health is the expression of physical, psychologi- cal, spiritual and social well-being. When these things are in a balanced harmony one can achieve, learn and grow. I see my role as school health nurse, in addition to knowledge based nursing interventions in times of illness and accidents, as one of being available to listen, teach, model and provide compassionate care to the students and school community. It is because I work in such a supportive caring environment, alongside the best leaders, staff and students, that I am able to achieve these goals. This calling of 21 years as a school health nurse in CTSD, have been among some of the most rewarding and fulfill- ing years of my life. Thank you"–Michele Beha „t… To†hip Midd‡ Scho Remdˆ–Clinton Township School District Kindergarten Registration! Please visit our Kindergarten Registration Website for all the information regarding the Registration process at: www.ctsd.k12.nj.us/kindergarten-registration. You'll find links to the Kindergarten Round-Up Form and the Kinder- garten Registration Packet. Please call Spruce Run School at 908.735.7916, ext. 208 or email Nancy Paul at: npaul@ ctsd.k12.nj.us if you have any questions. Join us for: Inc•g Kd‚g‹t Infmati… Night! January 22, 7:30-8:30 pm at Spruce Run School (Snow date 2/10/15) We look forward to meeting our incoming kindergarten students! "A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning." –Brad Henry Clinton Township School District to Locate and Identif y Students With Disabilities The Clinton Township School District has a responsibility to locate, identify and evaluate all resident students with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services, including students with disabilities attending non-public schools and highly mobile students with disabilities such as migrant and homeless students. The school district locates, identifies and evaluates, where appropriate, the following: preschool children age (3-5); school age children; children entering school for the first time, children enrolled in public and private schools; transfer pupils and students who may have a disability although they are advancing from grade to grade. Upon written requests, the district will conduct an initial identification meeting for a resident child to determine whether a referral for special education and related services is appropriate. Such a request may be made by contacting Alice Steinheimer, Director of Special Services, Clinton Township School District, 34 Grayrock Road, Clinton, NJ, 08809, Telephone 908.238.9141, ext. 244. Students who are found eligible for special education and related services are entitled to a free and appropriate special education program. The New Jersey Department of Education also has information on their website at: www.state.nj.us/education/specialed/childfind. For more information, please contact Mrs. Alice Steinheimer at 908.238.9141, ext. 244.

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