Mark your calendars for the following dates:
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The Little Silver BAG BRIGADE
On November 18th, the Little Silver PTO hosted the 3rd Annual Bag Brigade in the Point Road gymnasium. The recipient organization from this year’s generous donations was the Covenant House of Asbury Park. Covenant House, founded in 1972, helps homeless youth escape the streets. They are the largest privately funded charity in the Americas, providing care and services to homeless, abandoned, abused, trafficked, and exploited youth. Last year, Covenant House Street Outreach teams and Residential and Community Service Center programs cared for over 50,000 at-risk and homeless kids in 30 cities in the United States, Canada, and Central America.
Thanks to the generosity of the Little Silver Community, the following was collected and donated:
Thanks to the generosity of the Little Silver Community, the following was collected and donated:
- Pre-K and Kindergarten: 775 bars of soap
- 1st Grade: 646 soap holders
- 2nd Grade: 1,172 toothbrushes
- 3rd Grade: 530 tubes of toothpaste
- 4th Grade: 1,461 washcloths
- 5th Grade: 739 hats
- 6th Grade: 536 shampoo/conditioners
- 7th Grade: 835 deodorants
- 8th Grade: 159 boxes of bags
Save the Date! On Thursday, January 12th the Little Silver School District plans to facilitate a family math night for students and their parents. There will be limited tickets available at a charge of $10 per family.More informationto follow! | PARCC Update In the November Spotlight, information was provided regarding the PARCC assessment requirements passed by the New Jersey State Board of Education. As noted last month, as a public school district, we are governed by Federal and State requirements regarding assessment. We have always been required to administer State assessment. Last year, 98% of our students took the PARCC, and this year we hope to achieve 100% participation. We will continue to provide our students with every opportunity to be successful passing their high school requirements by requiring that they take their designated grade level assessment. New Jersey out-performed other PARCC states on the majority of Math and English exams administered last school year (see nj.com article). |
The Future of Public School Education
President-elect Trump has nominated Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education. Ms. DeVos, American billionaire, businesswoman, philanthropist, and education activist from Michigan is known for her advocacy of school choice and voucher programs. Her nomination has elicited concern from the public school community in terms of federal funding and federal enforcement of civil rights protections for vulnerable student populations.
The New Jersey School Boards Association issued the following statement regarding this appointment: “For generations of new Americans, our system of free public schools has served as an effective vehicle for assimilation. The nation’s public schools continue to successfully prepare millions of young people to make positive contributions to the nation’s economy and our society. We urge Secretary-nominee DeVos and the incoming administration to take a balanced approach to the federal government’s role in educational policy and to support our public schools, which strengthen the nation’s culture and economy. Public education is a local function, a state responsibility and a national concern. In New Jersey, which historically has been a gateway to waves of new citizens, the critical role of public education cannot be understated. The New Jersey School Boards Association will remain resolute in its support of public education and its commitment to the advancement of learning for all of our state’s 1.4 million public school students.” (see NJSBA website)
The New Jersey School Boards Association issued the following statement regarding this appointment: “For generations of new Americans, our system of free public schools has served as an effective vehicle for assimilation. The nation’s public schools continue to successfully prepare millions of young people to make positive contributions to the nation’s economy and our society. We urge Secretary-nominee DeVos and the incoming administration to take a balanced approach to the federal government’s role in educational policy and to support our public schools, which strengthen the nation’s culture and economy. Public education is a local function, a state responsibility and a national concern. In New Jersey, which historically has been a gateway to waves of new citizens, the critical role of public education cannot be understated. The New Jersey School Boards Association will remain resolute in its support of public education and its commitment to the advancement of learning for all of our state’s 1.4 million public school students.” (see NJSBA website)
Help Wanted!
Do you know what a Makerspace is? Essentially, a makerspace is a physical location where people (or students) gather to share resources and knowledge, work on projects, network, and build. Makerspaces are primarily places for technological experimentation. Last year, the Little Silver School District, in cooperation with the PTO and EFLS, wrote an extensive grant (offered by the Ocean First Bank/Ocean First Foundation) to create a makerspace, or Innovation Center, in the Markham Place Media Center. This center would have included a TV studio and various work stations. While we were not a grant recipient, we plan to continue to look to the future to provide this opportunity for our students. We are seeking the assistance of a parent or community member that has experience with the design and implementation of makerspaces to help inform our decision-making regarding the reconfiguration of the Markham Place Media Center. If you have experience and would like to donate some time to view the space and make recommendations, please email Dr. Kossack at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in volunteerism.
DID YOU KNOW?
At times, parents have suggested that there is too much emphasis on technology in the classroom. Did you know that technology integration is not only required of school districts, but necessary for students as jobs are disappearing in America and are being replaced by technology? Given our new reality of “endangered careers”, students entering college are encouraged to explore healthcare and STEM fields.