We've noticed some incidents of careless and unsafe driving during pick ups and drop offs. With the holiday season upon us, we can feel rushed and sometimes it shows in our driving. While we do need for your to pick up your children in a timely fashion, please make every effort to slow down and stay safe and to model safe driving practices for others.

With the help of our school principals, some generous teachers and staff, and Tim Adams, our Director of Facilities, you'll notice a few changes we are making to help us all be more safe, such as the temporary cones pictured here.

*There is no PM EDC this Friday, December 23, 2022*

Pictured here is teacher and author, Mr. Lagman, leading his students through their class play, Caps for Sale. Kids practiced sight words using kinesthetic social learning. Other teachers and staff were grateful patrons.

Legislation signed by Governor Murphy in August 2019 (P.L. 2019, c.256) and amended in November 2022 (P.L. 2022, c.119) established a grant program that provides additional remuneration for public school teachers to teach STEM classes in nonpublic schools during hours mutually agreed upon by the teacher, district and nonpublic school.

Please use this link to read more...

The Climate Team of teachers, administrators, and staff meet regularly to celebrate and improve school climate. Dr. Susan Brennan and Mayreni Fermin-Cannon co-lead the Climate Team along with coaching supports from experts at Rowan University

Here are some highlights from Ashbrook:

• Small group lessons being provided for targeted supports
• Frequent/daily collaborative planning/team meetings for preschool students who need extra support
• SEL lessons are being held for our Dec. star principal - Always be Kind
• Next steps: implementing recess procedures to decrease problematic behaviors. For instance, expectation signs to review before/after recess, recess carts with activities, supervision maps for staff, whistles for recess staff, cones for play boundaries, paw basket in cafeteria
• Box Out Bullying Assembly
• Continuing to use faculty meetings for restorative/climate discussions

Here are some highlights from Bobby's Run:

• The team examined student misconduct data from September to the beginning of December. They looked for patterns and discussed current supports. #STARprinciple #StaySafe
• Bobby's Run celebrates students through their Graffiti Wall. Students contribute positive recognition of their classmates so the wall serves as a celebration of friendship and mutual respect. #STARprinciple #RespectEveryone
• They made plans to establish a mentoring program starting in January with the goal to build relationships, model expected behaviors, and build SEL tools. #STARprinciple #AlwaysBeKind

Here are some highlights from Lumberton Middle School:

• Weight of Words assembly planned for January 5th to focus on words that harm students.
• Communication with the community about the assembly to continue the conversation at home in a positive manner. Goal is raise awareness of using our words for good.

There is a school calendar change for the 2022-2023 school year - we will reopen schools after winter recess on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, instead of the previously planned January 2, 2023. To make this change, the “built in snow day” that was scheduled for Friday, May 26, 2023 will now be a full day of school. This change came about to correct an oversight regarding the observation of New Year’s Day as a legal holiday.

We have had many types of listening and many opportunities for families to engage in the shaping of our district as we move forward into the future. Here is a summary of those opportunities --

• Community events (2)
• Focus groups (2)
• Core group work sessions (2 full days)
• Staff listening meetings (7)
• 1-1 interviews (24)
• Surveys (linked below by group)

Please click a link below that best fits you to complete your survey. Do you fit in more than one sub-group below? Feel free to complete whichever surveys apply to you.

• Community
• Faculty PK-5
• Faculty 6-8

• Parents PK-5
• Parents 6-8
• Instructional support staff
• Non-instructional support staff
• Students Grade 5
• Students grades 6-8

Roughly 30 community members met to discuss their vision for the future of our district. Here is a summary of their contributions:

What is working well in LTSD?

• Sense of community
• Teachers care and value students
• SEL - long history of teachers integrating it
• Diversity
• Extracurriculars
• BOE, teachers, admins
• Communication

What is your vision for our schools?

• Professional learning
• Real world learning
• STEAM
• Aides back in classrooms
• Keep our good class sizes
• New curricular programs
• Articulation
• GT PK8
• Better homework personalization
• Projects
• LMS electives - student choice
• More structure for new teachers
• Retired teachers mentor new ones

What did we not ask that you were hoping to discuss?

• Questions about budget & outlet to discuss
• Full transparency from principals especially regarding age appropriate curriculum
• Raising taxes to keep our great programs

A core group of 26 students, building and central office administrators, union leaders, community members, and teachers and staff, will convene for two full days in mid-January to conduct the culminating work of our strategic planning work. The finished product will be clear and actionable goals to drive our work for the next several years.

• Inclusive needs-assessment
  
• Safety Plan
  

• Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
  
• Personalization of learning
  

• Inclusive, data rich, process
• Listening meetings with staff and community
• Goals formed by February
  
• Detailed plan by June 2023
  

Email: cmurray@lumberton.k12.nj.us
Website: https://www.lumberton.k12.nj.us/
Location: 33 Municipal Drive, Lumberton, NJ, USA
Phone: 609-267-1406
Twitter: @LumbertonSuper

Facebook: @lumberton.schools

Instagram: @ltsdnj