New Monmouth Elementary School students celebrated the emergence of fall and the forthcoming Halloween holiday with a pumpkin picking session at their on-campus patch. Courtesy of the school’s PTA, pumpkins, scarecrows and other decorative fare were transported to New Monmouth playground for students to peruse and choose their favorite festive specimen. Some classes chose to decorate their pumpkins, while others, like the first grade students of Mrs. Kimberly Callas, used their pumpkins as the centerpiece of a mathematics lesson about measuring the length and width of an object.

In recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness month, High School North hosted a pink pumpkin decorating contest, which helped raise funds and awareness for the local non-profit organization Breast Intentions. All proceeds collected from the contest will aid the group’s mission to help individuals diagnosed with breast cancer navigate the day-to-day finances of cancer care. Thank you to everyone who participated in this wonderful fundraiser. For more information about the group, please visit the Breast Intentions website.

Earlier this week, River Plaza Elementary School conducted its “Walk to School Day,” an annual community-building event that promotes pedestrian safety and vigilance during school hours, as well as the positive health and environmental impacts of walking and biking to campus each morning. Thank you to the River Plaza community for continuing their important tradition!

Artwork of the Week

You may have heard of the artistic concept of “pencil drawing,” but probably not quite to this extent. High School North students in Mrs. Pedone’s Fine Art course were tasked with using the pencil as a point of inspiration.

Students designed drawings in pencil, before using colored pencils to make them pop, while incorporating into their work the yellow No. 2 pencil that has become synonymous with schooling.

This particular sunflower sketch appears to be motivated by the work of Vincent Van Gogh, who produced two expansive series of sunflower paintings between 1886-1888 in the French cities of Paris and Arles.

Pup of the Week

River Plaza students were joined on campus this week by a happy pup named Lucy.

Lucy serves as one of the Middletown Township Public School District's certified emotional-support dogs.

Lucy is just one of our furry friends throughout the district who help support students and staff members as they navigate difficult moments in their educational or personal lives.

Our therapy dogs are certified by the New Jersey non-profit organization Attitudes in Reverse (AIR).

Learn more about the AIR Dogs certification program.

Acquiring sophisticated knowledge and developing a responsive practice requires learning opportunities for teachers more powerful than simply reading and talking about new pedagogical ideas. Teachers learn best by studying, doing and reflecting; by collaborating with other teachers; by looking closely at students and their work; and by sharing what they see. 

Our MTPS English Language Arts educators in grades K-8 are partnering with the Jennifer Serravallo Consulting Group to ramp up our writing instruction. Teachers engage in concrete teaching, assessment, and observation tasks that illuminate learning and elevate deep thinking about how the hierarchy of goals and writing strategies align with student growth. This year we are focusing on strengthening our capacity as writing teachers and students as writers.

A special thank you to our MTPS Board of Education and Administrative Team for understanding the urgency and importance of this work.

Navesink Elementary School’s newly appointed Principal, Jesse Herbert, made the rounds on campus earlier this week to share with students some of his favorite short stories. Thank you to Mr. Herbert, and all of our educators across the district, for sharing their enthusiasm for reading with our students, and creating such a positive learning environment.

This space is dedicated to the promotion of mental health resources in our schools and local community. Please refer to the district site for a comprehensive list of resources: Mental Health & Community Resources

Parenting children and teens is challenging. How do you know what is a phase vs. a mental health concern? There are no easy answers, but the National Institute of Mental Health has some information that can help point parents and caregivers in the right direction. Please take a moment to read through the following document. School Counselors are available to help parents and caregivers navigate these challenges with their children. 

MTPS sophomores and juniors took the PSAT on October 12, 2022. The PSAT is a shortened version of the SAT assessment. Students completed sections in critical reading, writing, mathematics without a calculator, and mathematics with a calculator. This test offers students a great opportunity to get ready for college. Some of the advantages of taking the PSAT for students are:

1. Connection to scholarships. When students take the PSAT, they are connected to scholarship partners, who offer over $220 million annually in scholarships to qualified low-income and minority students.
2. Free, personalized SAT practice. The PSAT is good preparation for the SAT. Students' scores also unlock a personalized SAT study plan on Khan Academy. It’s completely free. Simply go to satpractice.org, create an account, and link College Board and Khan Academy accounts to get a study plan based on test results.
3. AP course recommendations. Students' score reports will suggest AP courses that could be a great match based on performance. AP can give students an edge in the admission process and allows them to earn college credit while in high school, which could save time and money in college.

Scores and PSAT test booklets will be distributed in December through the guidance offices. In the meantime, consider checking out the free SAT Preparation resources offered through the

Middletown Township Public Library in conjunction with the Princeton Review will be offering SAT prep session:

• Saturday, October 22nd @ 9AM
• Saturday, November 12th @ 9AM
• SAT Scores Back and Strategy Session will be held on Tuesday, October 25 at 6:30pm.

The link for registering can be found on the MTPL.org calendar. Please contact Danielle Sweeney at Danielle.Sweeney@review.com or call 1-800-2Review for more information.

Last week in New Jersey all public schools honored the Week of Respect, which is a part of the The Anti-Bullying Bill Of Rights. This year South’s theme for Respect Week was “Autism Awareness Month in October.” Although Autism Awareness Month is in April each year, as a school we wanted to make a commitment to Autism Awareness all year long. Why? Because the foundation of being kind to others starts with being kind to those who need it the most, to those who depend on the kindness of others to overcome the regular struggles of their day, to those who only desire a smile and a helping hand to have the best day of their life. Students from all four of our respective classes voluntarily attended a presentation by our Student Assistance Counselor, Mr. Letson. To cap off a great presentation by Mr. Letson, our students volunteered to digitally sign the "Have A Heart For Autism Campaign".

Mornings can be a little crazy…and sometimes breakfast takes backseat to catching the bus.

Thanks to Whitsons School Nutrition, breakfast is now served at school to provide your student with a healthy start to their school day. A nutritious breakfast helps students be more alert so they can learn more in class, and has plenty of vitamins and nutrients for a strong and healthy body.

Breakfast at school is affordable, too. If you qualify for free and reduced price meals, you also qualify for the breakfast program, with no additional paperwork.

Breakfast Pricing:

• High School Paid Breakfast - $2.00
• Middle School Paid Breakfast - $2.00
• Elementary Paid Breakfast - $1.75
• All Schools – Free or Reduced Breakfast $0.00

Help your child start the day right with school breakfast! For more information please visit the Food Services section of the district website.

Lincroft Elementary School students have discovered a passion for for composting thanks to new initiative organized and implemented by Mrs. Alexandra Scaff.

Following lunch and snack time, students now make it a regular practice to transport their fruit and vegetable scraps to the campus garden in an effort that not only reduces food waste, but decreases the school community’s environmental impact. 

“Regularly, students participate in the morning announcements explaining the important role that composting plays in our environment. These students encourage others to participate. Anyone who chooses to compost can join the Lincroft Compost Crew by writing their name on a whiteboard in our cafeteria, and making a promise to compost!” said Lincroft Elementary School Principal Daniel Imbimbo.

Lincroft’s composting process is a three step endeavor:

• Collecting fruit and vegetable scraps in plastic containers.
• Putting the food scraps into a plastic spinning composter outside.
• Dumping the composted material into the school garden.

Lincroft’s composting program is a true community effort that begins with teachers and/or paraprofessionals setting aside containers or plastic bins with lids for students to deposit appropriate food waste.

On Fridays, the Lincroft Compost Crew then collects and dumps all fruit and vegetables into an outside spinning composter that is set up in the school courtyard. 

After the decomposition process, those composted materials are dumped out of the spinning composter into a wheelbarrow and taken to the school garden, where it is added to the soil to provide nutrients for the plants.

MTPS is proud of Lincroft’s school-wide exercise to reduce, reuse and recycle organic food waste in a way that both engages students and educates the community about the importance of environmental health. Keep up the wonderful work!