Lawrence Township Public School News Roundup

The following news was recently reported by the Lawrence Township public school district:

School Budget Hearing

The Lawrence Township Board of Education will hold a special meeting tonight, Tuesday, March 29, at which members of the public can speak about the proposed 2011-2012 school budget before board members vote whether or not to adopt the budget. . The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the commons area of Lawrence High School. The budget discussions will be preceded by a brief celebration of the school district recently hitting the $1 million mark in the sale of Solar Renewable Energy Credits from its solar panel initiatives.

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Voter Registration

Wednesday, April 6, is the last day for township residents to register to vote in the April 27 school election, during which voters will elect three candidates to the Lawrence Township school board and decide on the 2011-2012 school budget.

Click here to download the necessary voter registration form, which after being completed must be returned in person or by mail to the Mercer County commissioner of registration in Trenton.

Click here for information about school elections and voter registration from the New Jersey School Boards Association.

It should also be noted that April 20 is the last day voters can request a mail-in ballot for the school election.

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Relay for Life Fundraiser

“Team Hootie,” the Lawrence Intermediate School PTO’s team for Lawrence Township’s 2011 Relay for Life, will hold a fundraiser event tomorrow, Wednesday, March 30, at Capt. Paul’s Firehouse Dogs at 2230 Princeton Pike. By bringing a special flyer to the restaurant between noon and 8 p.m. on March 30, 20 percent of your order will be donated to “Team Hootie” and the Relay for Life.   

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Mercer County Teen Arts Festival Deadline

Thursday, March 31, is the deadline for students from Lawrence Middle School and Lawrence High School to apply to take part in the Mercer County Teen Arts Festival, which will be held at Mercer County Community College on May 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The event is described as “a celebration of creative writing, dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts.” Click here for more information.

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New Jersey Science Olympiad

Five Lawrence High School students, under the leadership of teachers Breanna Bever and Marcus D'Amelio, recently earned medals for placing in the Top 6 in the state in three different events during the New Jersey Science Olympiad.

• Kelly Lin Kremer and Sreya Basuroy: third place, “Disease Detectives”
• Madeline Price and Krista Edwards: third place, “Ornithology”
• William Burke: fifth place, “Sounds of Music”

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Odyssey of the Mind

Teams of students from Lawrence Middle School and Lawrence Intermediate School competed in the regional Odyssey of the Mind on March 19 and advanced to the state competition that will be held at Ewing High School on April 9.

Students on the Lawrence Middle School team are: Katy Carpinelli, Cole Hindman, Mark Immordino, Ben Johnson, Ben Reitz, and Emily Tino.

Students on the Lawrence Intermediate School team are: Justin Hamilton, Ian Buchsbaum, Dave Horne, Russell Knab, Kieran Humphreys, Kyle Schuler, Luke Annand, and Zachary Morhaim.

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Poetry Out Loud

Kaitlyn Quis, a junior at Lawrence High School, recently represented Lawrence Township public schools in the 2011 New Jersey Poetry Out Loud competition. Kaitlyn was one of eight regional winners who competed in the Poetry Out Loud final held on March 17 at The College of New Jersey. Run by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the program “encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.” Kaitlyn worked her way through four levels of competition in order to reach the state final. A student from West Orange High School was selected as the winner to represent New Jersey in the national Poetry Out Loud competition to be held in Washington D.C.

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SAVE Assembly

Four students at Lawrence Intermediate School – Brennan Kocsis, Alex Covello, Zack Verga and Patrick Marsh – put together a PowerPoint presentation about the SAVE animal shelter of Princeton Township that was shown to their classmates. Through their efforts, $90 was raised to support the shelter. On March 16 Ann-Marie Krahel, the shelter’s humane education director, took part in an assembly at Lawrence Intermediate School during which she introduced 300 sixth-graders to a dog that was rescued by SAVE. The assembly, which was part of the school’s Character Education program, discussed themes of caring, responsibility and citizenship.

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St. Patrick’s Celebration

Irish dancers helped students at Lawrenceville Elementary School celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

The dancers included LES students Katherine Steinmeier (kindergarten) and Emily Steege, Sofia Weingarten and Jenna Cahill (all of the third grade), as well as LES graduate Maura Jennings.

“Wide-eyed audience members were entertained by the dancers’ fast-paced tapping and kicking feet. Dancers performed in both 'soft shoe' and 'hard shoe' numbers as they quickly moved about the gym floor. The finale had the entire school up and dancing with a lesson on how to perform the Irish jig,” the district reported in a news release.

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Guidance Events

The Lawrence High School Guidance and Counseling Department will host an informational forum entitled “Options in High School in Beyond” at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 4, in commons area of Lawrence High School.

The event – which is intended for 10th- and 11th-graders and their parents – will “provide additional insight on vocational school, participation in college courses while still in high school, two-year and four-year college options, and high school academy selection.”

Representatives from Rutgers University, Mercer County Community College and others institutions will be on-hand to pass out information and answer questions.

The following evening (Tuesday, April 5) from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. the Mercer County Professional Counselors Association will host a college fair on the grounds of Mercer County Community College in West Windsor. More than 200 colleges are expected to take part in the event, which is free to Mercer County residents. Click here for a list of participating institutions. Questions can be directed to Doreen Welsh, college fair chairperson and Lawrence High School counselor, at (609) 671-5510 extension 2624.

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Ready to Learn

Parents of students in fourth- through eighth-grade are invited to attend “Ready to Learn” on April 13 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Lawrence Middle School. The seminar – which is designed to “support and extend learning in the home environment” – will be presented by Debra Napier of Rutgers University. Topics such as reading and math support, home and school partnership, and time management will be discussed. Click here for more information or call Barbara Beers at (609) 671-5530, extension 4718.

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Bicycle Safety

St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center will host its annual Bicycle Safety Rodeo and Safe Kids Day on Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children between the ages of 3 and 12 can pre-register to participate in the rodeo and receive a free helmet and bike inspection.

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Kids Marathon

The annual Princeton Kids Marathon will be held Sunday, June 5. Children of all fitness levels and abilities from kindergarten through eighth grade can walk or run a full marathon – 26.2 miles – at their own pace over a 10-week period. Participants are encouraged to accumulate 2½ miles per week from April 1 through June 5 so that they have a total of 25 miles. The final 1.2 miles will be completed during the marathon held in the stadium at Princeton University. Participants receive a finisher’s medal and marathon blanket. The school with the most participation will also win a prize.

There is a $25 registration fee, and participants are encouraged to raise additional money through pledges. All proceeds from the race go the University Medical Center of Princeton’s Outpatient Pediatric Care Clinic. Teams from Ben Franklin and Lawrenceville elementary schools plan to take part in the event. Anyone with questions can contact Michelle Everman or call (609) 689-2399.