October Superintendent's Spotlight

Morris-Union Jointure Commission

Superintendent’s Spotlight

October 2022

Superintendent’s Update

Welcome, DLC students, families, and MUJC staff to the 2022 – 2023 school year! This year there will be many new DLC events and we have added highly relevant and informative parent and staff training opportunities that will be offered throughout the school year.

Teach Educators and Scholars Organization ("TESO") Consulting kicked off a year long training for the MUJC staff on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Trainings are designed to help educators and leaders best meet their students' diverse needs by providing equitable and culturally responsive learning opportunities.

Frank Picone, LCSW, Chief Training Officer at The CTARI Institute, presented a four day training to guiding teams from each of the DLCs in the Attuned School Approach. This training focuses on optimizing our ability to create well-regulated and resilient school communities. Mr. Picone will be back at DLC on October 10th for a full day inservice for training with all staff. Parent training on the Attuned School Approach occurred virtually on September 28th and will be held virtually on November 2nd from 11:30 am-1:00 pm. Notice about the Zoom meetings will be sent by the principals. You will not want to miss this great training session! Sessions are recorded and posted on Facebook.

Finally, this year our DLCs have been invited to participate in the Climate Action Schools program. Districts from all over the world are joining in a shared commitment to take global action and improve the environment through climate education and equitable learning opportunities for all students. We will be working in tandem with Take Action Global (“TAG”), a leading national educational organization committed to climate education, which will provide staff training around the principles of cooperation, collaboration, leadership, and action. We have identified two climate champions from our DLC staff: Suzanne Schneider for DLC - New Providence and Shirley Parrell for DLC - Warren. You will hear much more about TAG and Climate Action Schools this year as our students delve into partnerships with other schools throughout the world and work on collaborative learning and projects.

What’s Happening at the DLCs

Week of Respect

The Week of Respect is October 3 – 7. Both DLCs will be observing the Week of Respect with activities pertaining to social and emotional learning as well as character education. On October 3, all students and staff are encouraged to wear blue for Blue Shirt Day to represent World Day of Bullying Prevention. A sampling of events includes Surfing the Waves of Success Day, Positive Affirmations Day, and Helping Everyone Respect Others (H.E.R.O.) Day. Stay tuned for more information from the principals.

School Violence Awareness Week

The week of October 17 – 21 is designated as School Violence Awareness Week. Age appropriate instruction for keeping schools safe from violence as well as school safety and security plans and recognizing students in need of help are three of our highlights. Special events will include the “Start with Hello” Program, Team Up Against Violence Day, Learning For Justice Lessons, and “Putting Violence to Bed.” Schedules of these and other events will be shared with parents.

Digital Citizenship Week will be celebrated during the week of October 17 at which time students from both DLCs will engage in activities that include lessons on internet safety and common sense media.

Halloween Celebrations

Both DLCs will have Halloween celebrations this year.

On October 28, DLC – New Providence students will be participating in a fun event, Spook-Tacular! Parents are invited to attend and participate in this fun filled event which will be held in the gymnasium. Students will be participating in a variety of games and activities with a Halloween theme. Students are able to bring in a costume in their backpack that day. If you do not want your child to participate, there will be alternate activities planned in the classroom. A class schedule will be sent home closer to the event.

DLC – Warren will participate in the Main Street Harvest Day Bash on Friday, October 28. 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 are able to bring a costume in if they would like. More information will be provided via Electronic Bookbag (EBB) soon!

DLC – New Providence

October is a very busy month at DLC – New Providence. During the week of October 3 –7, our STEAM class will work on learning fractions, parts, and whole with apples and during the week of October 17 the STEAM class will be participating in a Lego Challenge. World Mental Health Day is on October 11 and our social worker, Dr. Kiraly, will implement mindfulness and kindness activities with the students. Hunter, our DLC comfort dog, will be participating in National Dental Hygienist Day on October 18 helping students understand the importance of brushing their teeth. In fact, students may be able to see how Hunter’s teeth are brushed!

DLC – Warren

October is packed with student activities at DLC-Warren. The week of October 10 is National Fire Prevention Week when students will participate in class activities centered around fire prevention. An annual favorite will be taking place on Wednesday, October 19, with Batman’s visit to DLC-Warren! Further details will be in EBB and sent home. DLC - Warren students will also continue to take advantage of all the new E-Sports arena offers.

From the Technology Department

E-Sports is now open at DLC - Warren!

Our official grand opening of the MUJC’s E-Sports Arena took place on August 3rd and was a huge success! Students joined MUJC Board of Education members from our member school districts as well as our MUJC staff to play Rocket League. Students were also able to play in the console area that features numerous Playstation 5s and a Nintendo Wii. The day was fantastic and our students are looking forward to continuing to play Rocket League all year long with our staff!

Transition Talk

The DLC’s transition team will be hosting a round table information sharing session at the Developmental Learning Center - Warren in the conference room across from the main office on October 13, 2022 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. for families of our 2023 graduates. This event will serve as a great opportunity for parents, caregivers, families, and the transition team to work together and discuss what steps parents and families should be taking in this process, what steps they have already taken as well as share information and network with one another. The transition team is proud to announce that two support coordination agencies and one adult day program will be in attendance to answer questions and provide useful information to all in attendance. The team hopes that this session will provide a clearer picture of how families of 2023 graduates may navigate the process and utilize the time before graduation more efficiently. We look forward to seeing our parents and families of 2023 graduates on October 13th! Invitations have been sent home to parents of 2023 graduates.

The transition team invites all of our DLC families to save the following dates:

1. Fall 2022 Transition Fair, November 17, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in the upper atrium near the main office at DLC - Warren. A variety of support coordination agencies, day programs, financial providers, and guardianship information providers will be available for parents. We hope to see you there!

2. Spring 2023 Transition Fair is tentatively scheduled for March 9, 2023 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. This fair will be held at the MUJC’s Professional Development Center at 340 Central Avenue in New Providence. Further details will be shared closer to the event.

If parents, families, or caregivers have any questions on transition or transition-related

programming for their child, they are encouraged to reach out to Ramon Colon Jr.

(rcolon@mujc.org) or Matthew MacDougall (mmacdougall@mujc.org), transition

coordinators, for any assistance or questions.

Mark Your Calendar

October 5, 2022 DLCs closed for students and DLC staff.

October 10, 2022 DLCs closed for students. Staff training day.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our DLC students, staff, and schools! It's going to be a great year!

Superintendent

Morris-Union Jointure Commission

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