Clinton Township Newsletter

1 2 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com I N O U R S C H O O L S : 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.ctsd.k12.nj.us A L e t t e r f r o m Dr. Drucilla Clark, Superintendent of Schools Dear Parents and Community Members: Welcome back! Summer 2015 was quietly focused with progress on improving our facilities and our programs. The business office has maintained a summer schedule of maintenance and updating a variety of building projects. Projects are being completed on unseen but very important waste-water treatment plants at Round Valley and Patrick McGaheran Schools. These projects are costly, but we must maintain them in the confines of DEP regulations to meet safety and environmental standards. If these standards are not maintained, it would be necessary to close the buildings until standards are met. This work is estimated to be completed in September, with buildings ready for the opening of school. You will also notice some changes in paving and drainage at Patrick McGaheran and Round Valley, as well as brick repair and replacement starting in the fall at Round Valley. Work on the grading and slope in the Spruce Run playground and mulch replenishment at all the elementary building play areas is also in progress. Trees have been trimmed, floors scrubbed and boilers and kitchen equipment inspected. Roof repairs continue and the custodians are hard at work getting classrooms and grounds ready for the first day. The vestibule at PMG will be ready to welcome visitors. Our Teachers and Principals have been working on scheduling to give more instructional time, integrate more technology into the classroom, map out next generation science standards and further enhance reading and writing skills. Staff members attended the ExxonMobil Academy in Pittsburgh paid for by the company. Exciting things are happening in the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and teachers and administrators are bringing them to our Clinton Township students. We are very grateful to ExxonMobil for their continued support! I am hoping to work with other corporations and businesses in our community to bring them into our schools and help inform our students of the gifts our community members have to share in helping them develop into better citizens and learn about career opportunities for the future. If you own a company in Clinton Township, please contact me and we can find some ways to work together for our children. Summer has always been a time to renew and refresh, but it is also a time of planning for change and growing our programs. I sincerely hope your summer was filled with fun and family and everyone is ready for another exciting school year in Clinton Township! Sincerely, Dr. Drucilla Clark Su R Scho We are pleased to welcome the following new staff to our Spruce Run School Family! Mrs. Andria Tucker is very excited to teach first grade at Spruce Run School. Mrs. Tucker graduated from Centenary College with a BA in Elementary and Special Education. She was a student teacher and a teacher assistant at Patrick McGaheran School in the past and was the Technology Teacher at Spruce Run School last year. When she isn't in the classroom, Mrs. Tucker enjoys spending time with her family and friends and also enjoys crafting. Mrs. Tucker is looking forward to spending another year at Spruce Run School. Ms. Kaitlyn Vona is happy to be joining the faculty at Spruce Run School and Round Valley School as a Speech Language Specialist. She graduated from Seton Hall University with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary and Special Education and a Masters of Science in Speech Language Pathology. She has worked in a public school setting as a paraprofessional and special education teacher. As a graduate of Clinton Township School District herself, Ms. Vona is eager to join the community as a part of the faculty. Mrs. Meghan Doris is so enthusiastic about joining the faculty at Spruce Run School as a first grade teacher. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in Special Education from West Virginia University. Mrs. Doris continued her studies at WVU, earning her Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology. She has worked as a curriculum coordinator at a private school in Union County and also has experience teaching pre- kindergarten special education and kindergarten in West Virginia. In addition to having a passion for teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and traveling. Mrs. Doris lives in Clinton Township with her husband and cannot wait to start her new position in the district! Mrs. Kristine Voorhees is thrilled to be joining the teaching community of Spruce Run School as a first grade special education teacher. She graduated from Rowan University with a BA in Special Education, and received her certifications in Special Education, Elementary Education, and Reading. She then worked as both a resource center teacher and a middle school reading and language arts teacher before staying home with her own children. Mrs. Voorhees has also worked as a teacher in a private preschool, as well as a substitute teacher at Spruce Run and Patrick McGaheran Schools, and a teacher assistant in the Little Stars Class at Spruce Run. Mrs. Voorhees lives in Clinton Township with her husband and three children. She enjoys walking and biking on the Columbia Trail with them, and feels grateful to begin teaching in the same school district that continues to give so much to her own children. Patrick McGaheran School Miss Stacey Brands is excited to begin her first year as a teacher in the Clinton Township School District! She will be joining the faculty at Patrick McGaheran Elementary School as a Second grade teacher. Miss Brands graduated from Penn State University in May 2015, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and minors in Special Education and Deafness and Hearing Studies. During Miss Brands' undergraduate career, she had the opportunity to be apart of an international field experience in Germany, work with students from Sandy Hook Elementary School, assist professors with research in elementary school classrooms and have the opportunity to trial run various projects for pre- service teachers at Penn State. She completed a full year student teaching experience in Clearfield, PA where she student taught in a 4th grade classroom. After successfully completing her degree at Penn State University, Miss Brands was notified that she received the Outstanding Student Teacher Award for the 2015 academic year. With her vast experience, Miss Brands is excited to have the opportunity to pursue her dream career in the Clinton Township School District, where she grew up nearby.

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