November 10, 2014
Hopefully, you checked out Dr. Gamble’s new Superintendent’s Corner as he updated it with all of our successes over the past sixteen months. A lot has gone on to say the least and he highlighted our endeavors, successes, and initiatives very well! We certainly are moving in the right direction and we will continue to work hard.
I just wanted to mention a few items. Our math committee is working diligently to be sure our curriculum is focused, coherent, and rigorous and aligned to the Common Core State Standards. We have begun to receive samples from a few different publishers in grades kindergarten through eight. I have developed a textbook evaluation form that our staff will use in its search. We will have new math resources to begin our 2015 – 2016 school year.
The Rutgers Science Bus was here again and students walked away with some interesting lessons learned. Below is our middle school science teacher, Mrs. Johnston’s, summary:
On Tuesday, November 4th, students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade had the opportunity to board the Rutgers Science Bus for a lesson called “Outbreak!” The students, acting as microbiologists, were able to research a cluster of symptoms in about 60 patients. In this simulation of an illness, the students learned to use various lab tools and tests to discover the source (a fictional bacterium) of the illness affecting these patients.
Students also had the opportunity to ask Dr. Izarry questions about the transmission of disease and, specifically, about the transmission of the Ebola virus. While this virus makes the headlines, students learned about transmission of any kind of germ. Knowing how disease is transmitted helps these students differentiate sensational news stories from scientific facts and information.
We will be looking to schedule some author Skypes in the future. Mr. Zimmerman is slowly integrating Google Docs in the middle school grades. You should have received permission letters regarding this if you have a 6th, 7th, or 8th grade child. Hopefully, you were able to access the “Grading” tab on the Parent Portal as that function was open for a week before it closes on Thursday, November 13th.
As stated prior, our students recently took part in Benchmark testing. In addition to the NJ ASK improved Language Arts scores from last spring, I am pleased to report that our students did very well on the math benchmark! Teachers were able to look at various data from the benchmarks at our last faculty meeting. They will be using the information to guide some of their instruction for differentiation purposes.
We are in the process of receiving feedback for our district’s shared vision. Dr. Gamble hosted four separate meetings in order to get the process rolling. You should have received an attached form with information concerning the process. Please submit your optional input form to Sue Dyer in the main office. You can submit it electronically via e-mail (preferred) or mail it or deliver it to the school. If you have any questions concerning the process, please contact Dr. Gamble at the school. This will become our guiding document moving forward.
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