Clinton Township Newsletter

1 3 A p r i l 2 0 1 5 I N O U R S C H O O L S : Spotlight Art: t To„hip Art Exhibiʦ 2015 Art Teachers in the Clinton Township School District spent time engaging their students in all types of artistic media from watercolor to clay, in order to get ready for the many extracurricular art shows open to the public this year. March was Youth Art Month. To celebrate the talents of our young artists, PMG and RVS participated in this year's YAM festivities. Elementary, middle and high schools from all over Hunterdon County sent select works of art to be showcased in the lobby of the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Clinton. The artwork was exhibited from March 7-March 21, with a reception and awards ceremony held on Saturday, March 21. This year, Clinton Township's Mayor John Higgins and Councilwoman Amy Switlyk attended the ceremony and delivered a proclamation in support of the arts! The YAM celebration was sponsored by the Art Educators of New Jersey and coordinated by Art Educators, Kelly DiGioia of PMG and Jennifer Stafford of East Amwell School. This year, artwork by third grader Kendall Varty was chosen by a panel of Art Educators to be exhibited at the State YAM show held at the Trenton State House from February 27-March 6. Kendall's artwork was one of two pieces of art from Hunterdon County allotted to go. Congratulations Kendall! Each year the Hunterdon County Library North Branch in Clinton offers our district a special opportunity to have their work shown for an entire month! Patrick McGaheran was exhibited in February, Round Valley exhibited during the month of December, Spruce Run is on display for the month of April and the Clinton Township Middle School will be showcased in May. Divity Night Round Valley hosted their Annual Diversity Night, held in October; the school-wide event celebrated our districts varying cultures with different ethnic foods, performances, games and art. The work of a few selected Round Valley artists was chosen to be displayed at the New Jersey Performing Art Center in Newark, NJ from December 7 - January 3 with a reception on December 7. Gr‰ʦ, Gr‰ʦ, Gr‰ʦ! Thanks to the Clinton Township Foundation for Educational Excellence, both CTMS and SRS were awarded grant opportunities this year! Allison Lenig, Art teacher at CTMS, received an art materials grant for the Art Club, which they will use to make individual projects and paint a mural in the art classroom. Spruce Run School Art teacher Laura Evans was part of a group grant called S.T.E.A.M. with Bristlebots. Through this grant, the first grade students will be creating habitats for their robots in art, and kindergarten students will use the Bristlebots to create artworks by pushing and pulling materials. Habitats, artworks and Bristlebots will be exhibited during the SRS Arts Fest on June 4! CŠg Up! Our talented artists also have a fabulous opportunity hosted by The Hunterdon Art Museum called the Young Artist Showcase. Select students of the Clinton Township School District can visit their artwork hung in a real art museum from May 9 through May 17 with an opening reception on Saturday, May 9 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm. We hope to see you there! Pa•ick McGahŽ‰ Arʦ F•t All PMG students and their families will be invited to share a night in the arts at the Patrick McGaheran Arts Fest on April 29 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. There will be recorder and dance performances, along with digital slideshows and of course, tons of ART! This year, PMG and SRS will be featuring one framed work from each child at their Arts Fests. The framed work will be available for sale and monies will be donated to charity. Sixth graders at Round Valley School have a special opportunity called Art Line 1 & 2, where students get a chance to work with peers from around the county creating art and using problem solving skills. These skills are challenged when the students are posed with the task of constructing an immense plastic tube to showcase their artwork! Our students love to share their passion for the arts.Please come out and support our Clinton Township artists! R'ay f• Life On Friday, February 20, the 5th Annual Relay for Life was held at Clinton Township Middle School. The CTSD community came together and raised over $38,600 in the fight against cancer. Our total for the five years is over $155,000! THANK YOU to everyone who participated and supported this important event. A special thanks goes to the CTMS Relay Committee, the cheerleaders, the Girl Scouts and our inspirational speakers, Mrs. Kimberly Wager and Mr. John Downey. 'e•ate! April is National Autism Awareness Month! In order to highlight awareness about autism, the United States recognizes April as a special opportunity to educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community. During the month of April at Spruce Run School we will be celebrating National Autism Awareness Month. This celebration shines a bright light on autism and helps to increase and develop knowledge of autism and share information regarding the importance of early diagnosis and early intervention. Additionally, we celebrate the unique talents and skills of persons with autism! At Spruce Run School, we celebrate our teachers who are dedicated to supporting our programs for individuals with autism. Please join Spruce Run School in our effort to inspire compassion, empowerment and hope by recognizing National Autism Awareness Month.

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