Wednesday, May 15, 2013
State delays go-ahead amid questions about legality, viability of virtual classrooms for kids.
The nation’s largest online education company, K12 Inc., is once again registering kids and offering jobs to teachers for the debut of New Jersey’s first virtual charter school – all without knowing if the school will even open. The New Jersey Virtual Academy Charter School was one of two applications given preliminary approval by the state Department of Education two years ago. But it was forced into a delay last summer, when state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf wouldn’t grant the final charter amid ongoing questions – legal and otherwise – about the school’s merits and viability. Almost a year later, answers to those questions remain hotly debated, including in the courts, and K12 Inc. is taking a wait-and-see approach to what Cerf …
Shane O'Toole and Emma Anderson Beavers also won individual "Excellence in Acting" awards.
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Wednesday, May 15
Lawrence High School’s Theater IV class received the "Best Overall Production" award for their performance of "The Audition," by Don Zolodis at the Bucks County Playhouse Theater Festival in late April. LHS competed against several other high schools, including Neshaminy and North Hunterdon Central. In addition to the top award, Shane O'Toole and Emma Anderson Beavers were singled out with individual "Excellence in Acting" awards. The cast, directed by LHS senior Mackenzie Crow, included: Emma Anderson Beavers, Jason Bembry, Bri Covington, Mackenzie Crow, Yami Deida, Julius Dix, Marol Feickert, Rachel Fury, Katrina Hicks, Sienna Jones, Jacob Martindell, Shane O'Toole, Carter Williams, and Natasha Vargas. Lorie Baldwin is the LHS Theater …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
In this video, Lawrence High School (LHS) Library Media Specialist Carina Gonzalez explains changes planned for the LHS library courtesy of a $46,000 grant from the Lawrence Township Education Foundation.
The program encourages adults and children to work together to create art with whatever materials are available.
On April 21, Jeanne Muzi, elementary enrichment/gifted and talented teacher, and her Outdoor Art Team (OAT), which includes Ben Franklin art teacher Anthony (Toj) Colavita and Slackwood art teacher Jill Lee-You, were at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton to participate in Community Connections: The Wheel Project. The OAT focuses on creating projects that bring members of a community together and encourages adults and children to work collaboratively to create art with whatever materials are available. The Wheel Project explores how the arts create community and the dialogue that the arts generate, especially about issues of sustainability. The educators collected donated materials from a variety of sources. Metal bike rims were donated …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
One of the few things educators and administrators agree on: charter schools need multiple authorizers.
By Laura Waters [Laura Waters has been president of the Lawrence Township School Board in Mercer County for eight years. She also blogs about New Jersey education policy and politics at NJLeftBehind.com. A former instructor at SUNY Binghamton in a program that served educationally disadvantaged students from New York's inner cities, she holds a Ph.D. in early American literature from Binghamton.] Here’s a rarity within New Jersey’s education reform community: consensus. The NJ Education Association, Gov. Chris Christie, Commissioner Chris Cerf, Education Law Center, and NJ Charter Association concur that the state's charter school law is broken. In response, several members of the state Legislature are working on overhauls, and last week a…
Lawrence Intermediate School students bring their talents to orchestra festival.
Eleven students from Lawrence Intermediate School (LIS) along with their director, Allison Kershner, participated in the Central Jersey Music Educators Association (CJMEA) one-day orchestra festival at John F. Kennedy High School in Iselin, NJ on April 13. Ms. Kershner nominated these students based on their performance in the LIS Orchestra. Once nominated, students were placed into one of two orchestras: the "Philharmonic Orchestra" or the "Symphony Orchestra." Selected students received acceptance letters and music a few weeks before the festival so they had time to practice. At the festival, students were placed in ensembles of 100 plus performers from around Central New Jersey. Everyone was seated next to a student from another school…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Ben Franklin School has been recognized for its efforts in conservation and recycling.
Ben Franklin recently won the prestigious Eco-School USA green flag award. This top level award was given to Ben Franklin for achievement in conserving natural resources and integrating an educational curriculum in grades K-3. They are the only public school in New Jersey to win this distinction. In order to be considered a green flag candidate, schools must submit an application detailing the actions they have taken to satisfy The National Wildlife Federation’s EcoSchool’s criteria. Ben Franklin satisfied these requirements through it’s recycling, wildlife conservation, and environmental stewardship programs. At Ben Franklin the recycling program is vast. “Trash Free Tuesdays” reduces waste during the school day. Milk carton …
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Friday, May 3, 2013
Administration shaves test score component of teacher evaluations by 5 percent.
After an extraordinary amount of public comment and some high-level meetings, the Christie administration has hedged on its plans to use test scores to evaluate teachers -- but not by much. State Education Commissioner Chris Cerf and his staff Wednesday presented revisions to the new teacher evaluation code before the State Board of Education that would slightly lessen the weight that test scores would have in a teacher’s annual evaluation. After first proposing that scores would amount to 35 percent of a performance evaluation for math and language arts teachers in grades 4-8, Cerf yesterday said that total would be trimmed to 30 percent for next year. In addition, he said only the scores of students who had been enrolled with a given …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Lawrence Township Public Schools spent a per pupil total of $18,425 last year.
The Lawrence Township Board of Education spent a total of $18,425 per pupil for the current school year, according to the NJ Department of Education (NJ DOE). The department's guide breaks down the amount by category, including classroom instruction, supplies, benefits and salaries. The Total Spending Per Pupil category provides a more detailed breakdown of district spending, including state expenditures on behalf of the districts, according to the DOE. This figure uses a larger enrollment number than is used for the budgetary cost indicators, including pension and social security payments made by the state on behalf of districts; transportation costs; all food services expenditures; and payments by the district to other private and public…
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Lawrence High School places 15th out of 26 in state finals.
Members of the Lawrence High School (LHS) Robotics Team competed in the Science Olympiad New Jersey State Finals Tournament at Middlesex County College in mid-March. The program is funded by a grant of approximately $31,000 that the school received last winter from the Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEF). Students designed, constructed, and programed a robotic arm capable of lifting and moving various objects in a designed environment. After early glitches, LHS students were able to score points and place 15th out of 26 teams. LHS students are able to test their ROBOTIC programs in a simulated environment using Virtual Worlds simulation software or in a physical environment using the testing area located in LHS Room 314. Grant …
LisaO
12:59 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Are you serious Ms. Waters? You truly believe a community refferendum is equivalent to a single authority? That's quite a stretch. more ›