Mark your calendars for the following dates:
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Parent Teacher Conferences on the Horizon
Just a reminder that Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, November 17th and the evenings of Monday, November 20th and Tuesday, November 21st. There will be early dismissals on all conference days as well as on Wednesday, November 22nd.
Mark Your Calendars! | Harlem Wizards |
There are two events on the horizon. On Saturday, February 24th, the Little Silver School District will be hosting a Strategic Plan Renewal Day to identify goals for the next five school years. Also, stay tuned for a date to chat with legislators regarding the current Funding Formula and its impact on our school district. | On Thursday, November 2nd, the Harlem Wizards will be going head-to-head against our staff members. Please show your support of the PTO by attending this fun family event at 7 PM in the Red Bank Regional High School gymnasium. |
Little Silver School District Hosts its First Curriculum Café
The Curriculum Department of Little Silver Schools is pleased to announce our first Curriculum Café series for the 2017-2018 school year. If you are interested in learning more about the new and exciting changes to our district curriculum, please join us November 16th, 2017 at 6:00 PM in the Markham Place Media Center. The focus of the first Café will include an in depth look at the instructional shifts of the Next Generation Science Standards and how the Little Silver School District Curriculum Department is striving to provide a deeper understanding and application of science content to all students in exciting and engaging ways. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Parental Notification of Standardized Assessment
Featured in the October Spotlight was the Parental Notification of Standardized Assessment. Last year, new legislation was passed requiring school districts to notify parents of any State assessment or commercially-developed standardized assessment that will be administered over the course of the year. PLEASE NOTE: The New Jersey Assessment of Science (NJASK Science) was previously administered to students in grades 4 and 8. This year, the Science Assessment will be administered to 5th grade students in lieu of 4th grade students.
News from the Garden State Coalition of Schools
As noted in the past, the Garden State Coalition of Schools (GSCS) is a non-partisan, non-profit Education Advocacy Organization to which the Little Silver School Districts belongs. See http://www.gscschools.org. Members include parents, board of education members and superintendents, all of whom bring a broad perspective to GSCS initiatives. During a recent meeting, members of the Garden State Coalition had the opportunity to talk with representatives for Lieutenant Governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate, Kim Guadagno and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Phil Murphy. Several of the items on the Garden State Coalition’s Critical Issues list were discussed. A comparison of the candidates’ positions on various educational issues is available on the GSCS website at http://www.gscschools.org/gsc/Issues/Gubernatorial%20Candidate%20Positions%202017.html/_top
Do you like a good Mystery!
Have you ever wondered how nocturnal animals see at night, or if they have special lenses in their eyes? Those were just some of the questions that the students in Mrs. Zusack and Mrs. Capone's class were wondering about as they began their Mystery Science Mystery - "How can some animals see in the dark?" In this exploratory activity, students created an "Eye Model" which included a working lens, retina and pupil card to simulate the amount of light entering the human eye. Students explored the real world problem of what happens if your retina is too near or too far away from your lens using the hand held model! This activity and much more are part of the new Next Generation Science Curriculum! The NGSS standards progress from grades K - 12 and are shifting science instruction away from memorization of facts toward deeper meaning and application of science content. As you can see from class Zusack/Capone (ZUCA) the students are learning science in new, exciting and engaging ways.
Halloween Costumes Did Not Disappoint
Point Road students had a Spooktacular time at their Halloween parade while Markham Place students enjoyed the Halloween playlist at their fun-filled dance.
Little Silver Shovels program needs more volunteers!
The Little Silver Shovels program is looking for new volunteers for the upcoming winter. Currently in its 4th year, the LS Shovels program has paired Markham Place students with senior community members who need assistance shoveling in the winter months. It is a great way for kids to connect with their community as well as earn community service hours! Check out the MPS Virtual Backpack for more information and to sign up!
Markham Place Sports Teams Soar to Victory!
Several Cross Country runners placed in the top slots at the Meet of Champions! Congratulations to the following Boys’ Cross Country Runners: Alec Teter, Michael Fitzpatrick, Hayden Kelly, Collin Teter, Teddy Riddle, Kyle Arend, and Joe Caruso. In addition, congratulations to the following Girls’ Cross Country Runners: Paige Kelly, Abby Mannix, Abigail Crow, Olivia Cassidy, Fiona Kelly, Charlene Melinsky, and Natalie Hawthorn.
Did you know that when the district sends out alerts indicating that there is a letter in the Virtual Backpack, our goal is to have parents go to and utilize the district website? Parents often indicate that they are unaware of things (i.e. online curriculum, event sign-ups. PARCC scores, etc.). We make a concerted effort to place all district information on our website. While including hyperlinks to letters, etc. is convenient for parents, we try to strike a balance regarding how we disseminate information so that the community utilizes the resources available our website.