YMCA Offers Services to all District Students
The Community YMCA of Greater Monmouth County
is currently providing a multitude of services for district students.

Enrollment in the
YMCA Y-Kids before and after school program is serving more than 1,000 students daily at each
of the District's 12 elementary schools.

The YMCA also offers various school-based counseling programs and social services, and is currently serving more than 100 district students. As of January 2020, these
services are being offered district-wide.

For additional information about YMCA services,
please follow the links
below.


District Support Staff Receives
Nurtured Heart Approach Training
On Jan. 29th, 2020 the District's Mental Health Board provided support staff with a presentation on The Nurtured Heart Approach® (NHA).

The philosophy behind this approach is to build positive adult-child relationships while focusing on transforming the way children perceive themselves, their caregivers, and the world around them.
This approach aims to improve situations with a challenging child by channeling their energies in inspiring ways. For example, using this approach, children learn to understand that they will receive endless amounts of praise, energy, recognition and reward through the positive behavior they display. This supports children to build a positive portfolio of themselves, which NHA calls their “Inner Wealth™.” The Nurtured Heart Approach® supports our drive as educators and support staff to ensure that our students are growing socially, emotionally, and academically.

Learn more about the Nurtured Heart Approach by following the link and viewing the video above.
NJ State Elks Association College
Scholarship For Students with Disabilities
Each year the New Jersey State Elks Association's Special Children's Committee awards two scholarships, $10,000 in total, to graduating high school seniors (one male and one female), and two more $4,000 scholarships for the purpose of assisting students with disabilities in obtaining a college education.

The scholarship is awarded in the form of tuition payments in an annual amount not to exceed $2,500. For more information on the scholarship, and to review the application, please follow the link.
Fairview 4th Grader Uses MTPS SPARK Project to Tackle Big Issues
Jeff is a fourth grader at Fairview Elementary School, and earlier this week he launched the first episode of his Small Big Call YouTube channel.

This video blog allows Jeff to pursue his passion for public speaking, and an interest in address global concerns by educating members of his own community.
Jeff's Small Big Call channel is a product of the MTPS SPARK ( S tudent P athways to A utonomy R elevance and K nowledge) initiative, an effort to increase personalized learning opportunities for students.

SPARK was launched to generate greater student engagement in their studies by placing one's passions at the center of the learning process. To learn more about MTPS SPARK, please follow the link .

Check out the first episode of Jeff's Small Big Call video blog by following the link to the left.
Middletown Friends Of diverse Learners to Host Special Film Screening
Middletown Township Friends Of diverse Learners (MTFOdL) invites the community to join them on Wednesday, May 20th in the High School South auditorium for a special screening of the celebrated film My Beautiful Stutter . The Paul Rudd and George Springer-produced documentary follows five kids, ages nine to 18, who enter an experimental and interactive arts-based program provided by The Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY), a New York City organization.
Description: After a lifetime of bullying and stigmatization, some have found themselves close to suicide, others enter withdrawn and fearful, exhausted and defeated from fluency training and the pressure to not stutter or remain silent. Over the course of a year of SAY events, workshops and camp, we witness firsthand the incredible transformation that happens when these young people of wildly different backgrounds experience for the first time the revolutionary idea at the heart of SAY: it's okay to stutter.

Before attending the screening, watch the trailer by following the link to the right.
High School Sports Spot
North Announces 2020
Athletics Hall of Fame Class
Late Piscopo Goal Leads Eagles
Over Lions in Mayor's Cup Thriller
Kayla Richardson is High School South's Newest 1000-point Scorer
Middletown Historical Society
Hosts Show & Tell Night
Join the Middletown Township Historical Society on Monday, February 17th at the Middletown Public Library for the organization's first event of 2020.

The event will offer attendees an opportunity to showcase an item of historical interest and speak about it.

Those who do not have an item to
display are welcomed to attend and meet the Society volunteers and members.
Feb. 5th Public Budget Meeting Video Out Now
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Board of Education and District Administrative Team met at High School North for a public presentation of the 2020-2021 Budget Background and Process. You can review the presentation at the link below and watch the meeting to the right.

MTPS Community Calendar
Important Dates

  • Feb. 12 - Strategic Planning Public Forum #3B
  • Feb. 26 - BOE Workshop/Voting Meeting
  • March 3 - Parent Information Committee Meeting
  • March 4 - Public Budget Meeting
  • March 18 - BOE Workshop/Voting Meeting


High school athletics schedules can be viewed at www.shoreconferencenj.org

Middle school athletics schedules can be viewed at www.shoreconferencems.org
Upcoming Events at the
Middletown Township Public Library
NEW Parent Information Committee Video
The Parent Information Committee met on Wednesday, Feb. 5th and a full video of that meeting is now available for review by following the link to the right.

For more information about the Parent Information Committee, including upcoming meeting dates, minutes, and agendas please visit www.middletownk12.org/PIC
River Plaza Celebrates Passion Projects
at SPARK Tank Education Fair
On Jan. 28, River Plaza Elementary School celebrated student passion projects with an education fair known as SPARK Tank.

The student showcase serves as an opportunity for fifth graders to display their SPARK initiatives.

The MTPS SPARK program is one that encourages students to research a topic of interest to them, document their learning journey, and design a product or plan of action to share with, and better, their surrounding community.

"It allows kids to be excited about what they learn, but most importantly, it gives the kids a chance to understand that, even though they are only 10 or 11 years old, they can be the change," said River Plaza Elementary Educator, Amanda Agresti.

For a video recap of the event please follow the link .

SPARK is an acronym that stands for Student Pathways to Autonomy, Relevance, and Knowledge, and is an extension of the District's focus on expanding Global Citizenship Education. Learn more about the District's Global Citizenship Education efforts by following the link .
This is a reminder that school parking is not permitted at locations like Normandy Park and Tindall Park, and violators are subject to ticketing.

This problem has existed for some time, but the Township agreed students would not be ticketed, allowing the District time to create additional parking spaces at High School South. Earlier this year, High School South collaborated with the Board of Education and District Administrative Teams to create more than 100 new parking spaces on campus.

After February 1, 2020, students who park at either Normandy or Tindall will be ticketed.

In past weeks, our High School administrative teams have made morning announcements, coordinated community email and phone call campaigns, and placed notices on their respective electronic marquees to notify students and community members that school parking at these sites is not permissible.

This parking regulation is a statewide mandate delivered by the New Jersey Green Acres program. Though these parks are Township recreation facilities, state parking regulations apply because of state funding that assists the municipality in the purchase land for parks, as well as for park enhancements and alterations. Therefore, use of park lands must be limited to recreational uses and users. Failing to observe this mandate could negatively impact future state aid for our park system.
Township Honors Bayshore Students for Participation in Great Kindness Challenge
On Tuesday, Jan. 28th Middletown Township Mayor, Tony Perry, and Committeewoman Patricia Snell visited Bayshore Middle School to honor the community for its participation in the Great Kindness Challenge.

The Great Kindness Challenge is a week-long, nationwide initiative that promotes positive bullying prevention to improve school environments and increase student engagement in performing acts of kindness.

In celebration of the effort, Perry and Snell presented students with a special proclamation.

"Bayshore Middle School is proudly demonstrating its commitment to improve school climate and engagement by participating in the Great Kindness Challenge, so it's an honor to unite all the students of Middletown in the kindness and respect we should all show each other," said Perry. "Therefore I am designating Jan. 27-31 as Kindness Matters in Middletown Week."

Throughout the week our students participated in spirit days, focused on specific acts of kindness, and listened to motivating words through quotes and music.
Please follow the link below to see the MTPS 2019-2020 Mid-Year Review.

This digital magazine is a comprehensive overview of the educational initiatives and community partnerships developed by Middletown Township Public School students and personnel through the first half of the school year.

Head inside to learn more about efforts linked to:
  • Community Connection
  • Strategic Planning
  • Effective Communication
  • Student Growth and Achievement
  • Personalized Learning for Students & Staff
  • Social-emotional Learning
  • And much more

Lincroft Leopard Raises $17K for At-Risk Koalas Impacted by Australian Fires
Earlier this month Lincroft Elementary School fourth grade student, Finley Elias, launched a fundraising effort in support of The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital in Australia.

Due to the country's recent string of devastating bush fires, animal populations, including koalas, have been displaced by the destruction of their natural habitats.

In response to the international coverage of the bush fires, Elias designed a line of sweatshirts, t-shirts, and tote bags to raise funds for the hospital.

On Jan. 21st Elias had raised more than $3,500. By the end of the month that total has grown to an incredible $17,000.
Port Monmouth Opens Koala Cove with Support from Middletown Library & Target
Earlier in January Port Monmouth Elementary School celebrated the award of a $6,000 grant from the national retail corporation Target.

The funding was earmarked to assist with the revitalization of the school’s library. Along with the efforts of nearly 50 Target volunteers, who supplied the elbow grease for an aesthetic makeover of the reading center, the Middletown Township Public Library helped complete the project with a large collection of new reading materials.

On Jan. 30 Port Monmouth officially opened the Koala Cove with a launch party attended by students, parents, faculty, and board members.

“The reason for this project is that we never want to have one of our students tell us they don’t have a book to read,” said Port Monmouth Principal Maureen McCormack. “We have a school full of avid readers, and we want them to be reading during any spare time they have in their day. In order to do that, we need to give them the books. We want their love for reading to grow exponentially.”

For a video recap of Target's visit to Port Monmouth please follow the link .
Agenda Available for Strategic Planning Forum 3B
During its Jan. 2 reorganization meeting the Board of Education adopted Wednesday, Feb. 12 as the date of Strategic Planning Public Forum #3B.

The forum will be held in the High School South Cafeteria beginning beginning at 7 p.m.

Earlier this week, in cooperation with Schoolhouse Strategies and the Board of the Education, the District published the agenda for Forum #3B, which you can review by following the link .
The News Stand
Student Journalists at Work
On Jan. 22nd the District's 2020-2021 School Calendar was adopted. To view the calendar please visit  www.middletownk12.org/Calendar
School Meal Menus Now Available for February

In cooperation with Whitson's School Nutrition, the District strives to provide a wide selection of tasty and health-conscious meals for all students.

Please review the District's breakfast and lunch menus at www.middletownk12.org/Food
On Jan. 17 Middletown Township announced that it is using Nixle as its sole emergency communications platform to provide immediate emergency alerts regarding severe weather conditions, traffic detours, criminal activity and public safety advisories.

Nixle enables “real time” notifications via text or email to registered users.

How to Register: To register for Middletown-specific alerts, please text "MiddletownNJ" (no spaces) to the number  "888-777" from your cell phone. You may also visit  www.middletownnj.org/nixle  to register for both mobile and email notifications.
Fairview Elementary Students
Partake in Inaugural Give Back Week
Fairview Elementary School wrapped up its inaugural Give Back Week on Friday, Jan. 17.

This weeklong event provided students an opportunity to learn about a local non-profit organization that is helping others in their community. Each grade was assigned a different organization and participated in a "Give Back" activity to illustrate the positive impact they can make. 

Each session began with a representative from a non-profit organization speaking to the students about their own role, and their organization's goals.

For more information about the event and the organization's that took part please follow the link.
District Unified Sports Program Wraps Up Basketball Clinics
On Jan. 22nd the District's new Unified Sports Program wrapped up its opening round of basketball clinics with a fourth and final workout at High School North. The session was followed by a team photograph.

Unified Sports is an initiative that brings together high school-age athletes with and with disabilities, placing them on the same team, and in equal and meaningful roles on that team.

The 2019-2020 Unified Sports Program will include basketball and track and field offerings. For more information about the MTPS Unified Sports, please follow the link.
Dr. Marla Beil Discusses the Positive Power of Student-led Conferences
During the Jan. 22 Board of Education meeting at High School North, River Plaza and Nut Swamp Elementary School Education Technology Specialist, Dr. Marla Beil, presented her research dissertation on the increase of metacognition and student agency through the implementation of student-led conferences.

Beil, who recently completed the Ed.D. program at Monmouth University in Educational Leadership, found that these student-led conferences produced a positive impact on students. To review Beil's work and to learn more about student-led conferences, please follow the link.
Nut Swamp Students Pursue Passion to Support SPCA and St. Jude's
The holiday season is a time of giving, and earlier this month five Nut Swamp Elementary School students donated the fruits of a passion project to the local branch of the SPCA and St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

In December Nut Swamp student Marlowe Schorr enlisted the help of her friends, Mia Collins, Emma Merces, and Lilah Nicosia, as well as her younger brother Max, to open a holiday pop-up shop in the Schorr household.

The group sold handcrafted jewelry, key chains, candles, and wind chimes, the type of items Marlowe has been crafting for several years. There was also a table for baked goods. Friends and family attended the craft sale, but soon word began to spread on social media, and eventually neighbors near and far came to support the effort.

In total the students earned $1,948, resulting in a donation of $1,248 to the SPCA, and a $700 donation to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

The students' fundraising effort has received media attention from News 12 New Jersey , as well as the Middletown Patch .
Enrollment is now open for the 2020-2021 MTPS Preschool year.

For more information, including access to the registration application, an introductory letter to parents, and an informational powerpoint presentation, please visit www.middletownk12.org/Preschool .
NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities Resources & Programs
The state Department of Human Services - Division of Developmental Disabilities provides public funding for services that assist New Jersey adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, age 21 and older, to live as independently as possible. Services are available in the community and in five state-run developmental centers.

Learn more about the DDD and the resources offered by visiting the organization's website , and be sure to review its Timeline for Students Exiting School and Turning 21 document for additional information.
2020-21 Kindergarten Enrollment Open Until Feb. 28
Kindergarten enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year will open Jan. 6th and close Feb. 28th.

Eligible students must be five (5) years of age on or before Oct. 1st, 2020.

Upon completion of the online enrollment process, parents will be prompted to schedule an appointment to meet with the District registrar.

For more information please follow the link below.

NOTE: A Kindergarten Parent Information Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020 at 7 p.m. at High School North (Snow Date - Jan. 28, 2020). 
Interested In Employment
Opportunities with the District?

Throughout the year new employment opportunities arise for educators, paraprofessionals, and more.

Learn more about new openings by visiting www.middletownk12.org/JobPostings
District Honored at 2019 NJSBA Workshop
Educators across the District are engaging students in personalized learning opportunities that build the skills necessary to one day flourish during college studies, a trade school education or in a rapidly evolving global work environment.

The District was recognized for this forward-thinking approach on Sept. 16th during a ceremony at the 2019 New Jersey School Boards Association Workshop in Atlantic City. Read more at the District website.
Date Announced for Upcoming MCGDA Trade and Jobs Fair in Freehold
The Monmouth County Guidance Directors Association is a professional non-profit organization composed of guidance directors from public and private schools across the county.

The organization invites students to its Trade and Jobs Fair on Feb. 27th from 6-8 p.m. at the Freehold Career Center to meet more than 50 representatives from trade schools, unions, employers, and the United States Military.

For more information on the event please email jpalumbo@kpsdschools.org

For further details about the Monmouth County Guidance Directors Association please visit the organization website www.mcgda.org
A University Model in
Active Learning Classrooms
The District has adapted the university "Active Learning Classroom" model from Rutgers University, and designed and implemented five new rooms in our middle schools and high schools. Research shows that active learning, when compared to individualistic learning, improves academic achievement, the quality of interpersonal interactions between peers, and a student's self-esteem. Learn more on the
District Working to Develop
Global Citizenship Education
District Supervisor of Social Studies and Technology, Wendy Morales, is emphasizing the concept of global citizenship education during the 2019-20 school year. As technology continues to transform higher education and workplace environments the importance of global competency for our students is rapidly increasing. To learn more about the District's global citizenship education efforts please continue reading.
2020-20201 High School Course Selection Guide
Looking to get a jump on planning for next year's high school classes?

The administrative team has released the High School Course Selection Guide for the 2020-2021 school year.

To download and print the guide book, or to review a digital copy, please visit the High School & Middle School Course Offerings page on the District website .
Learn More About Substitute Teaching
If you are interested in a flexible employment option that fits your lifestyle, a substitute teaching position may fit well with your lifestyle.

If you would like to learn please connect with Middletown Township Public Schools District Manager Deanna Scanlon at dscanlon@ess.com
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