Mine Hill BOE Spring Report
May 2017
Board Members:
Bridget Mauro (President), Jill Del Rio (Vice-President), Katie Bartnick, Karen Bruseo, Peter Bruseo, Dina Mikulka, and Carolina Rodriguez, Board Secretary
From the Superintendent
Greetings Mine Hill Learning Community!
The school year has flown by, and we are so proud of the accomplishments of our students and staff. At the forefront, Mr. Zygmunt's Innovation Time has been the catalyst for the positive shift in the teaching and learning process at the Canfield Avenue School (CAS). We have had numerous visitors from other school districts come to observe our teachers that are leading the change in developing classrooms that engage students, build responsibility, and increase academic rigor. On May 7, 2017, CAS was featured on the television series, Classroom Closeup NJ for its innovative teaching methods. I want to personally thank Mr. Zygmunt, our fabulous staff, the Board of Education, and of course our students and families for their hard work and continued support of our academic initiatives.
Our second cohort is in place for training in the Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom (LATIC) workshop that will take place over the summer. This cohort will bring us to a total of 16 teachers, which represents 46% of our staff that will be trained by September. LATIC has been instrumental in helping our educators make the shift from a teacher to a student-led classroom, which is an indicator of Highly Effective teaching on the Danielson Rubric. Danielson is the district approved evaluation system as per NJ Achieve. We have witnessed some incredible lessons from our LATIC teachers this year, and look forward to future growth!
I would like to thank Mrs. Carolina Rodriguez and members of the Board of Education Finance Committee for their efforts in putting together a budget that meets the needs of our students and taxpayers. Links to the budget presentation and user-friendly budget are included in this newsletter.
Regarding 7th and 8th grade, I want to personally thank you for your patience and support while the Mine Hill Board of Education and Administration worked through a lengthy process in an attempt to keep our 7th graders housed at CAS for the 2017-18 school year. This endeavor began over a year ago and has culminated in a “Petition to Appeal” sent to the Commissioner of Education requesting to modify the send-receive agreement with the Dover School District. Unfortunately, the Dover Board of Education has filed a defense to Mine Hill’s petition, which will significantly delay any decision made by the Commissioner.
The Board and the Administration recognize that this has been a roller coaster of emotions for our learning community, particularly our 6th-grade students. With the end of the school year in our sight, we believe it is in everyone’s best interest to postpone the request to keep our 7th graders until the 2018-19 school year. This will allow time for both districts to properly plan for programs and budgeting aligned to the send-receive modification should our request be accepted. Most importantly, it is imperative that our 6th-grade students and families can begin preparing for their end-of-year activities and transitioning to middle school.
Congratulations to all of our 6th graders on their accomplishments while attending the Canfield Avenue School! We are so proud of you, and wish you the best as you continue your K-12 journey! This year’s 6th Grade Graduation will take place on Friday, June 16, 2017 at 6:30 pm. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me anytime.
Warmest Regards,
Mr. Nittel
Superintendent
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ~John Dewey
See the full Classroom Closeup Show Below
Cinderella
Student actors in grades fourth through sixth performed the classic tale of "Cinderella" in front of the entire Canfield Avenue School community, as well as their friends and families. The performances took place on Thursday, April 6 and they were a huge success. All of the student performers deserve a standing ovation for their hard work!
Rainbow of Possibilities
2015-2016 School Performance Reports
The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) presents the 2015-16 School Performance Reports. These reports are designed to inform parents, educators and communities about how well a school is performing and preparing its students for college and careers. In particular, the School Performance Reports seek to:
Focus attention on metrics that are indicative of college and career readiness.
Benchmark a school's performance against other schools that are educating similar students, against district and state-wide outcomes, and against state targets to illuminate and build upon a school's strengths and identify areas for improvement.
Improve educational outcomes for students by providing both longitudinal and growth data so that progress can be measured as part of an individual school's efforts to engage in continuous improvement.
While the New Jersey School Performance Reports seek to bring more information to educators and stakeholders about the performance of schools, they do not seek to distill the performance of schools into a single metric, a single score, or a simplified conclusion. Instead, the intention is that educators and stakeholders will engage in meaningful conversations about the full range of the data presented. While the School Performance Reports bring attention to important student outcomes, the NJDOE does not collect data about other essential elements of a school, such as the provision of opportunities to participate and excel in extracurricular activities; the development of non-cognitive skills; the pervasiveness of a positive school culture or climate; or the attainment of other employability and technical skills, as many of these data are beyond both the capacity and resources of schools to measure.
CLICK HERE for Canfield Avenue's Report
NJDOE welcomes feedback on the school performance reports: Survey
If you have any questions regarding Performance Reports, please contact njsmart@pcgus.com
Board Member Vacancy
The Mine Hill Township Board of Education (Board) has a Board Member vacancy in the 2nd year of a 3 year term. As per N.J.S.A. 18A:12-15(b) the Board seeks to fill this position until the organizational meeting following the next election. The Board is seeking letter(s) of interest from candidates to fill the vacancy and/or nominations from board members. All letters of interest and nominations are due in the board office, to the board secretary by June 1, 2017, 4:00 p.m.
Legal Requirements
To become a member of a local board of education in New Jersey,
you must:
• Be able to read and write
• Hold U.S. citizenship and one year’s residency in the school district
• Be registered to vote in the district before filing the nominating
petition
• Have no interest in any contract with, or claim against, the board
• Not hold office as mayor or member of the municipal governing
body or, in the case of county school districts, the county governing
body
• Not simultaneously hold two elective offices
• Not be disqualified from membership for the conviction of certain
crimes. (Within 30 days of election or appointment to the board,
a member must undergo a criminal history background investigation
through the state Department of Education.)
In addition Board Members must adhere to the following:
The New Jersey School Ethics Act (N.J.S.A 18A:12-21 to 18A:12-33) requires local board of education members to
• File disclosure statements
• Avoid prohibited conduct
• Adhere to the Code of Ethics
• Undergo training in the responsibilities of school board membership
Mine Hill Township Board of Education
Email: lnittel@minehillcas.org
Website: http://www.minehillcas.org/
Location: 42 Canfield Avenue, Mine Hill Township, NJ, United States
Phone: (973) 366-0590
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MineHillCAS
Twitter: @MineHillCAS