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News From Your Schools
April, 2014
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Antoinette Rath accepts award presented by Council Member Dr. Dolores Szymanski.
Dr. Rath Honored as Woman of Year 
Dr. Antoinette Rath was honored on March 27 as Burlington County Woman of the Year for Education. Her selection by the Burlington County Advisory Council on Women was based on her community service in the area of furthering opportunities not only for Mount Laurel students, but also for women within the educational profession.

Of particular note was Dr. Rath's development of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Program in Mount Laurel. Recognizing that a gender inequity existed in the number of female students pursuing degrees in Math and Science, Dr. Rath began the STEM Program with the help and cooperation of corporate partners.

Today, students in Grades 5-8 benefit from a robust STEM Program that has been expanded at the high school level as well.
Board Will Host Educational Summit on May 15

The board of education will host the 2014 Mount Laurel Education Summit : Understanding the Transformation on May 15 at Hartford School, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Participants will be asked to share their reflections and perceptions on public education in general and our schools in particular. The board wants to hear opinions and hopes to share some typical experiences with attendees in a community setting that is designed to move our schools forward for all Mount Laurel children.

 

The goal is to have every demographic group within Mount Laurel represented at the Educational Summit, and to have technology available for hands-on use by participants.  For that reason, participation is limited to 100 Mount Laurel key communicators, and hope to have ten representatives from each of ten different demographic groups present. More information is available on our district website.  Here's a link to RSVP to attend. 
New Lights Reduce Environmental Impact, Increase Security

The district recently hired GreenTech Energy Services to replace the metal halide and high pressure sodium exterior lights at three schools - Hillside, Countryside and Parkway - with new LED technology. These measures eliminated obsolete equipment and significantly cut energy consumption. The better quality lighting also enhances aesthetics, safety and security on school property. Savings in energy and operation costs for these three locations alone is over $3,000.

HMS Choir & Band Busy With Competition, Performances

Harrington Middle School's brand new Choir has spent part of its first year "on the road" and has wasted no time in garnering accolades. During this year's Teen Arts Festival at Burlington County College on March 18, the middle school choir earned a score of 4.5 out of five by adjudicators. Harrington's Band earned a score of four out of five in the same competition.

On April 3, both groups were once again traveling to perform at Burlington Center Mall for the Burlington County Education Association Expo.
County Boards Seek 8th-Grade Perspective
Dubbed "8th-Grade Dialogue and Dessert Reception," members of boards of education across Burlington County met at Burlington County Institute of Technology on April 1. Their speakers for the event were eighth-grade students selected from every school in the county on the basis of character, determination, school spirit and leadership.

Harrington student Sanjana Jampana represented Mount Laurel and answered eight questions put to the panel about their elementary and middle school careers, their aspirations for the future and their recommendations to improve their schools. Mount Laurel Board of Education Members, teachers and administrators were on hand to cheer Sanjana on and beam with pride at her eloquence and poise.
Harrington Student Takes Top Honors In Regional Science Fair
Samantha Sorid, an eighth-grade student at Harrington Middle School, recently won third place at the Delaware Valley Science Fair. Her experiment, dubbed "Money or Morality," collected data on passersby reactions to money left on the edge of a public fountain. The Behavioral and Social Sciences category totaled 33 student projects, and all 33 had won 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place at a previous fair. Many of her competitors were high school students.
Philadelphia Boys & Girls Choir Auditions at Springville May 19
Philadelphia Boys & Girls Choir Music Director Jeffrey Smith will hold auditions for boys and girls who have not previously auditioned for the Choir in Grades 1-5 at the Springville School on May 19 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Boys and Girls interested in joining the Choir's training program will be asked to sing a familiar song and perform a few simple singing exercises. Permission slips to audition are available on our website. 
In This Issue
Woman of The Year
Educational Summit
New Lighting
HMS Band & Choir
8th-Grade Dialogue
Science Honor
LunchTime Debuts!
EKO Still Open
Upcoming Events

April 21-25
Spring Recess
School Closed

April 30
Board of Education
Board Retreat, 6 p.m.
Public Hearing on the
2014-15 Budget, 7 p.m.
Regular Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

May 12-15
NJ ASK Testing
Grades 3, 5, 6, 7, 8

May 12-16
NJ ASK Testing
Grade 4

May 19-23
NJ ASK Make-up Testing
Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

 
May 20
Board of Education
Work Session, 7:30 p.m.

May 23
Kindergarten Orientation
  
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LunchTime Online Cafeteria Service
Debuts In Our Schools


Our new online cafeteria service has been installed and the Parent Portal is open!  Any funds left in the Lunchbox account have been transferred to the new LunchTime system and will be available for use as soon as your new account is established.
  
Extended Kindergarten Option Sign-Up
Period Still Open

The Board of Education has approved the Extended Kindergarten Option (EKO) Program for a September, 2014 start in the Mount Laurel Schools. Registration for the new program will be open on a first come, first serve basis through May 23. After that date, all registration will be on a space-available basis.  Registration forms are available here and must be mailed or hand-delivered to our EDC Office at 436 Masonville Road with the non-refundable registration fee of $75.
Contact Information


Marie Reynolds, Director of Communication Services, Mount Laurel Schools * 856-235-3387 * mreynolds@mtlaurelschools.org