The COnnection
MARSD Central Office Newsletter - April 2017
Memorial Day Holiday - District Closed
A Message From The Superintendent of Schools
As the 2016-2017 school year begins to wind down there are so many noteworthy things to reflect on from the past year. However, what makes me especially proud this time of year is learning where our high school seniors will continue their education in the fall. Below is a link to the various colleges that our students have committed to for the 2017-2018 academic year. I am pleased to share this information with the community, as we recognize the hard work and dedication of our students, their families, and our staff.
http://marsd.org/cms/lib7/NJ01000603/Centricity/Domain/1/College%20Acceptances%20-%20College%20Names%20Only.pdf
Please continue to check this district’s website, as we post information over the upcoming weeks regarding high school graduation and middle school promotion exercises. The date for these events is Friday, June 23, 2017 at Brookdale Community College. The link below will provide complete details and will be updated as more information becomes available.
http://marsd.org/Domain/791
In addition, 5th Grade Promotions will take place on June 16th at Lloyd Road School. There are three separate ceremonies based on your child’s homeroom, so view the link below for the specific time of your child’s ceremony, as well as other end of the year activities.
http://marsd.org/cms/lib7/NJ01000603/Centricity/Domain/526/Lloyd%20Road%20School%20End%20of%20Year%20Dates.pdf
Our Kindergarten Celebrations for Cliffwood, Ravine, and Strathmore Elementary Schools will all be held on June 19th. Please visit the individual school websites for more details, as they become available.
A Message from the C & I Department
As we leave the cold days of winter behind us, we can now begin to enjoy the warmer days of spring and the beautiful trees and flowers in bloom. This is a wonderful time for children and families to get outside after being cooped up all winter. However, it is important for children to remain focused on their academics during this final stretch of the school year. It is often easy to get off track with the many competing activities that children engage in. It is important that after flu season is behind us that “spring fever” doesn’t get our students. There are several ways that you can assist your child with study skills and staying focused during this time in the school year. Please see the January 2017 article: Spring Fever Doesn’t Have to Distract from Study Skills by Dr. Raymond Huntington http://parentsguidelv.com/index.php?id=73
We wish you all a wonderful spring season!
A Message from the Department of Special Services
Improving Awareness and Understanding During Autism Awareness Month
As autism spectrum disorders (ASD) receive more attention during Autism Awareness Month, it’s a great time to help your school staff learn more about ASD. While many classroom teachers and paraeducators may be aware of whether a particular student has been diagnosed with ASD, they may be less aware of how the student’s learning is affected or what instructional strategies are most effective. ASD manifests differently in each child, but it is beneficial for educators and our community to understand some of the characteristic differences in cognition, sensory processing, and communication styles of students with ASD. Some characteristics that affect learning for students with ASD include:
• “Single-Pointed” Attention Style – No matter the level of their intellectual ability, students with ASD naturally focus on one thing at a time. This narrow focus can make it difficult for students to multi-task, to generalize what they’ve learned, and to understand different perspectives.
• Sensory Processing – Everyday noises and social demands can easily become overwhelming. Dealing with sensory input can require a tremendous amount of energy, not leaving much for new learning in the classroom or for making sense of social interactions. The use of written or visual schedules, checklists, and other ways to organize thinking can help students prepare for and manage changes throughout the day.
• Central Coherence and Executive Functioning – Keen attention to detail and single-focus make it challenging for students with ASD to easily see the “big picture” or to understand more abstract concepts. Students may also have difficulty in the area of executive functioning, which often shows up as a lack of organizational skills. Organizational systems such as calendars and checklists are important, as well as tools that support organization of thinking, such as graphic organizers and outlines.
• Communication Style – Students with ASD rely specifically and literally on the words they hear and read. Precision, accuracy, and clarity of language are necessary. Ambiguity and implied or hidden meanings can create confusion and misunderstanding, while heightening anxiety. Written explanations paired with visual information can help.
• Social Behavior – Mainstream expected social behavior can be elusive and challenging for student with ASD. Strategies such as Social Stories can help students develop self-knowledge. It is also important to educate faculty, staff, and classmates about differences among their peers and to teach tolerance and acceptance.
These tips are from the Exceptional Child Online Courses ASD Overview, ASD: Intervention Strategies, and Asperger’s and Verbal Students with ASD.
April is also National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Keeping Your Family Strong
Every family has strengths, and every family faces challenges. When you are under stress—the car breaks down, you or your partner lose a job, a child’s behavior is difficult, or even when the family is experiencing a positive change, such as moving into a new home—sometimes it takes a little extra help to get through the day. Protective factors are the strengths and resources that families draw on when life gets difficult. Building on these strengths is a proven way to keep the family strong and enhance child well-being.
This tip sheet describes six key protective factors and some simple ways you can build these factors in your own family.
Protective Factor and What It Means
Nurturing and Attachment: Our family shows how much we love each other.
What You Can Do
• Take time at the end of each day to connect with your children with a hug, a smile, a song, or a few minutes of listening and talking.
• Find ways to engage your children while completing everyday tasks (meals, shopping, driving in the car). Talk about what you are doing, ask them questions, or play simple games (such as “I spy”).
Protective Factor and What It Means
Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development: Parenting is part natural and part learned. Parents are always learning new things about raising children and what they can do at different ages.
What You Can Do
Explore parenting questions with your family doctor, your child’s teacher, family, or friends.
• Subscribe to a magazine, website, or online newsletter about child development.
• Take a parenting class at a local community center (these often have sliding fee scales).
• Sit and observe what your child can and cannot do.
• Share what you learn with anyone who cares for your child.
Protective Factor and What It Means
Parental Resilience:
I have courage during stress and the ability to bounce back from challenges.
What You Can Do•
• Take quiet time to reenergize: Take a bath, write, sing, laugh, play, drink a cup of tea. • Do some physical exercise: Walk, stretch, do yoga, lift weights, dance.
• Share your feelings with someone you trust.
• Surround yourself with people who support you and make you feel good about yourself.
Special Services Extended School Year July 5th - August 24th
The program will run Monday thru Thursday for eligible students. Parent should have received letters of invitation and are asked to send their intent to participate by April 22nd to the Department Special Services.
A Message from the Human Resources Department
Take “Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day” is celebrated annually throughout the United States. The event began initially in 1993 as “Take Our Daughters to Work Day” and then in 2003 Sons were encouraged to attend and the day become more commonly known as “Take Your Child to Work Day”. The day is typically held on the 4th Thursday in April. On average, over 37 million employees participate throughout the United States. This year “Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day” is on April 27, 2017. The suggested age for participation is age 8 to 18, but in our school district we encourage children who are of school age to attend with their parents to better understand the importance of a career and for them to better understand what their parent does for work on a daily basis. Generally, children may know what their parent’s job or occupation is, but may not understand what that really means and what may be involved. This is a great time for students to learn about responsibility and to help mold their own ideas of what they want to do when they are older and part of the workforce. We look forward to hosting all of the children who will visit with our faculty and staff and learn about a career in education, from a different perspective than being a student in a normal day.
A Message From the Business Office
The preparation and implementation of the start of a school year for students typically involves gathering with their friends after school gets out and finding out whether they will be in the same classroom. After a brief moment of shock or excitement, the focus quickly turns (rightfully so) to summer vacation. For parents, the school year begins with looking at the calendar, circling the first day of school and figuring out when to start back to school shopping. Similarly, school districts will often look at future target dates and start working backwards. For the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District, the planning for the upcoming year starts by looking at that same first day of school as our ultimate target date and establishing deliverable dates. The common thought is that summers are the low point for school districts, but internally, the operations team made up of the non-instructional departments spends ten months preparing to implement an action plan over ten weeks, the summer months. Although every year presents challenges, this year, the district is embarking on year one of a proposed three year implementation of the construction referendum approved during the Spring of 2016. In addition to the roughly $9 million year one implementation of the referendum projects, here are some of the other highlights that are expected to take place this summer:
- Upgrading of the district’s radio communication systems
- Rollout of additional instructional technology in the form of Chromebook carts
- Initiating the installation of a new playground at Cliffwood Elementary
- Paving and concrete work
- Partial water main replacement
- Window replacements
The list above doesn’t include the routine cleaning and maintenance of over 600,000 square feet of interior spaces, the procurement and delivery of instructional supplies and materials, hiring and training of staff, coordinating over 90 transportation routes and the annual audit process. These improvements and initiatives will take place concurrently to the summer programs providing opportunities to over 500 students. Thankfully, the district has dedicated professionals that make these challenges look easy. As the district continues to prepare the upcoming 2017/18 school year, it is the hope of the Business Office that our staff and students enjoy the remainder of the current school year and utilize the upcoming summer months to recharge for the upcoming 2017/18 school year. It is the Business Office’s goal to continue to provide the support to our staff to maximize the educational opportunities to our students.