October Superintendent's Spotlight

Morris-Union Jointure Commission

Superintendent’s Spotlight

October 2023

Superintendent’s Update

The spectacular fall season is upon us and the air has now turned just a bit crisper with beautiful autumn leaves starting to turn brilliant colors of orange and red. October brings many important and exciting events to our DLCs. I am delighted to share them with you so that you can talk about these events with your child as well as participate in them. Our students are amazing!

What’s Happening at the DLCs

Week of Respect

The Week of Respect is October 2 - 6. Both DLCs will be observing the Week of Respect with activities pertaining to social and emotional learning as well as character education. Stay tuned to our social media platforms to see how DLC students are actively engaging in the Week of Respect.

School Violence Awareness Week

The week of October 16 - 20 is designated as School Violence Awareness Week. There will be age appropriate instruction and activities at both DLCs about how to keep schools safe from violence. DLC - New Providence’s integrated OT and Speech sessions will focus on preventing school violence by focusing on the acceptance of others and kindness activities. DLC-Warren will have daily activities throughout the week that include “Team up against Violence,“ where students and staff are encouraged to wear their favorite sports team clothing, and “Put Violence to Bed,” where students and staff may wear pajamas to school. The daily schedule will be sent to parents shortly.

Halloween Celebrations

Both DLCs will have Halloween celebrations this year:

DLC - New Providence will enjoy a parade and dance on Tuesday, October 31. Parents are invited to join their child for the parade and the dance which will be held in the cafeteria. Flyers will follow with your child’s classroom timeslot. Students can bring in costumes in their backpacks.

DLC – Warren will participate in the Main Street Fall Harvest Bash on Tuesday, October 31. Parents are invited to attend and participate in this event which will include music and dancing on Main Street starting at 1:00 p.m. Activities will also take place in the classroom throughout the day. Students can bring a costume in if they would like. More information will be provided via Electronic Bookbag.

If you do not want your child to participate, there will be alternate activities planned in the classroom.

DLC-New Providence

Autumn Event

This year’s theme is “Haunted Farm” which will be held on Friday, October 27. The gym will be transformed into a haunted farm where students will participate in spooky activities and games. Parents are invited to join us for this fun filled event. Flyers will be sent out shortly with your child’s timeslot.

Save the Bees

During October, DLC - New Providence students will learn about the importance of bees in STEAM class. Students will learn where bees live, how they are needed to help grow fruits and vegetables, and honey. Students may even learn the “waggle dance." This "dance" shows how bees communicate about flowers, pollen, and other things that are important within their colony. This is an excellent exercise in bee education and a fun physical activity!

DLC-Warren

World Smile Day

October 6 is World Smile Day. This year’s theme is spreading joy and positivity all around. Students will participate in various activities throughout the school, such as sending smiley cards to other students and classrooms, earning good deeds awards, and a Friday dance jam to spread the joy.

National Fire Prevention Week

The week of October 9 is National Fire Prevention Week when students will participate in class activities centered around fire prevention.

Pumpkin Decorating Activity

During the week of October 15, each classroom will participate in pumpkin decorating and the pumpkins will then be placed in our school pumpkin patch. Always a favorite with the students!

“You have been Booed”

During the week of October 22 - 27, classrooms will participate in “You have been booed.” One classroom will start by giving a basket of Halloween related items to another classroom with a “you have been booed” note. That classroom will, in turn, give a basket to another classroom and this will continue until all classrooms have been “booed.” What a fun way to spread positivity at DLC - Warren!

Climate Corner

DLC - New Providence is always incorporating ways to teach students about the environment and how they can be part of taking care of it. DLC - New Providence students participate in activities such as recycling sorting games, where students sort items into recyclable and non-recyclable bins, reading books that emphasize the students' love of nature and animals, and learning songs about nature and the environment. DLC - Warren students are engaged in learning about how plants grow. There is even a hydroponics garden where plants grow in water, not soil! The water delivers the nutrients that plants need to flourish.

TECH TIPS

Guide to Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)

What is Artificial Intelligence? AI is a field of study in computer science. It deals with creating machines that are ‘intelligent’ and can perform tasks like a human. AI can be used to support students in different ways. AI uses information from various sources to provide its information. So, while a tool like ChatGPT might seem intelligent, it is simply following instructions and information given to it to respond. Informally, someone might use the term AI or artificial intelligence to refer to the tools themselves. Please click here to view a parent guide about AI published by internetmatters.org. Email your thoughts about experiences with AI to Evan Abramson at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

Transition Talk

The ARC of New Jersey Family Institute (Family Institute) was developed as a resource for families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The goal of the Family Institute is to help families find the tools and resources they need to navigate the various agencies or service providers families may need for their child or family support. One of the great resources the Family Institute creates is Go Bags. The Go Bag was created to help families and caregivers be the best advocates they can be for their loved ones with an IDD. A Go Bag is a simple collection of necessary resources about a specific topic. The topics will vary but the message is the same: Be Prepared! The Family Institute is dedicated to providing timely information and bridging the gap between service changes and families. This is accomplished by providing advocacy and education on services, transition and system issues, which may be confusing for families and individual issues. The link to access the Go Bags is https://www.thearcfamilyinstitute.org/resources/go-bags.html . There are 14 different Go Bags focused on important transition topics. If families have any questions about Go Bags, or about transition concerns, please contact the MUJC Transition Team, Matt McDougall, [email protected], or Ray Colon, [email protected].

Mark Your Calendar

October 9, 2023 DLCs closed for students. Staff training day.

October 16, 2023 Parent/Admin Chat 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our DLC students, staff, and schools!

Superintendent

Morris-Union Jointure Commission

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