Thorne Esports Team Earns Championship Appearance
On March 3rd, Thorne Middle School's Esports program entered the Garden State Esports Rocket League Championship with an undefeated record, but the finals match would fall in favor of Burnett Middle School.

The previously unbeaten Thorne club highlights the District's inaugural Esports campaign, in which all five of its secondary schools continue to compete in the Garden State Esports league.

Thorne coach Regina Schaffer, an education technology specialist at the school, is a founding member and Vice President of Garden State ESports, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by New Jersey teachers to promote student development and competition.

This year, Shaffer and fellow education technology specialists across the district are volunteering their time to organize team practices, informal matches known as "friendlies," and more formal competitions. These activities occur outside the school day on the students' own personal devices and/or gaming systems.

According to District Director of Social Studies and Technology, Wendy Morales, the district intends to have official Esports clubs at each of its secondary schools.

"The students were really the ones who started all this and basically demanded our schools start organizing," said Morales. "When you see the dozens of schools involved in New Jersey on the Garden State Esports website, you realize that ESports is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, offering college scholarship opportunities and career options for our students."

Congratulations to our Thorne Middle School Esports team on its run to the title match!

For additional information on Esports, please review Leagues of Learning: The Rising Tide of Esports in Education and visit the Garden State Esports website.
Fairview Student Makes Big Call for Climate Action at Monmouth University
Fairview Elementary School student Jeff Jiju was recently honored by Monmouth University for his participation in the institute's inaugural Sustainability Education Week.

Jiju earned first place in the Grade 5-8 division of a K-12 essay/video contest, after submitting a piece on Climate Action published to his Small Big Call YouTube Channel.
During Monmouth University's Student Summit portion of its Sustainability Education Week, students grades K-12 shared their views and suggestions about pressing environmental issues, including discussions on:

  • clean water and sanitation
  • affordable and clean energy
  • sustainable cities and communities
  • responsible consumption and production
  • climate action
  • life below water and on land.

The top finalists, including Jiju, shared their entry by answering the question: What can we, as a student, school, community, or global citizen of world, do to protect our planet and nature?

Congratulations to Jeff! Watch his award winning submission.
District Students Celebrate Read Across America Week
March 2 marked National Read Across America Day, and the beginning of a full week of celebrating reading across the Middletown Township Public School District.

Launched in 1998 by the National Education Association, Read Across America is the nation’s largest celebration of reading.
This year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships and reading resources that are about everyone, for everyone.

The titles and resources featured by NEA’s Read Across America include books that students can see themselves reflected in, as well as books that allow readers to see a world or a character that might be different than them.

To learn more about Read Across America, or the organization's mission to create an inclusive environment of engaged readers, please visit the Read Across America website.
Register for the MTPS Preschool Program; Lottery Drawing Set for March 10th
If you are interested in the Lion Cubs or Little Eagles Preschool program located at High School North and High School South, please visit their respective websites for more information, and to register your child.


Please be advised that the MTPS Preschool Program lottery drawing is scheduled to be live streamed on Wednesday, March 10 at 10 a.m.

Community Update: Implementation of Phase 6
Please be advised that our administrative team is currently working to fully implement phase 6 of our MTPS Restart and Recovery Plan. This is our priority at this time.

However, we are also beginning the planning process for our last step in reopening, which is extending the in-person instructional day, including lunchtime for students. In order to extend the day and provide the opportunity for students to eat lunch in school, we are working to find creative solutions to capacity constraints while maximizing social distancing during lunchtime.

For additional information about this process, please review this March 4 community update from Superintendent of Schools, Mary Ellen Walker.
YMCA Schedules March Events on Child Development
This month, the Bayshore Family Success Center will focus on child development. 

Parents who understand which stage of development their children are in have appropriate expectations for their behaviors, can plan age-appropriate activities and discipline leading to improved family harmony and parental patience.

PARENTING WORKSHOP
Learn Skills for Effective and Practical Parenting

The YMCA is offering an informative session based on the Systematic Training of Effective Parenting method for parenting children zero to six years old. A discussion on long-term parenting goals and the review of young children’s developmental stages will be held to better understand behavior and to improve the approach to parenting.

Monday, March 22 | 3 p.m.  

Learn more. For questions, please call 732.497.3811 or email familysuccess@ymcanj.org.

FINDING PEACE AND ZEN
Yoga for Adults and Kids

The YMCA offers free virtual Yoga sessions for the whole family.

Kid Sessions | Saturdays, March 6 & 20 |10 a.m.

Adult Sessions | Mondays, March 25 & 29 | 4 p.m.

Learn More. For questions, please call 732.497.3811 or email familysuccess@ymcanj.org

JOIN THE BAYSHORE FAMILY SUCCESS CENTER FOR EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MARCH!
Bayview Students Pay it Forward with Heroes Cafe
"Throughout the week the students place drink order forms in teachers' mailboxes, sort the orders, take inventory of their stock, and prepare "ready to brew" cups using safety protocols when handling food," said Bayview's Amy Jennings. "Each Friday the students deliver the orders in the morning, greeting and spreading smiles to the teachers and staff at Bayview."

Though drinks are offered to teachers at no cost, donations have been collected, and to further pay this act of kindness forward, students recently made a $500 donation to the No Limits Cafe.

Bayview's Heroes Cafe is a collaborative project, including contributions from Ms. Mary Pat Harrington and the school's speech therapists, who have helped students prepare appropriate ways of communication when delivering their orders. Bayview's team of occupational and physical therapists have also worked to generalize many of their targeted programs in an effort to help students participate in the Heroes Cafe project.
MTPS Celebrates Its 2020-21 Educators of the Year
Prior to the Feb. 23rd Board of Education Voting Meeting, the District Administrative Team and Board of Education took time to honor our educators of the year with a special virtual ceremony.

You can now watch the dedicated video for your school's honoree by following 2020-21 MTPS Educators of the Year Playlist link, in addition to a special video message and virtual thank you card to all District staff members from families of our school community.
2020-21 MTPS Educators of the Year Playlist
Community Thank You to our MTPS Educators
Nursing News: Gavin and Grano Earn Recognitions
Earlier this week, High School North Nurse, Eileen Gavin was featured in Monmouth Magazine, the official magazine of Monmouth University, for confronting public health issues in our greater county community at the state level.

As well as advocacy efforts aimed at COVID-19, Gavin has also been active in combatting the opioid epidemic, as well as mental health concerns and food scarcity.

Learn more about Gavin's involvement in the betterment of our community by reading "A Force for Change" by Molly Petrilla.

Grano Recognized by NJSSNA

New Monmouth Elementary School Nurse, Cathy Grano, was honored earlier this week by the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA) with an Excellence in School Nursing Award.

The NJ Excellence in School Nursing Award is presented annually to publicly recognize and honor a practicing certified school nurse for outstanding contributions to the specialty practice of school nursing.

To receive the honor, nurses must display evidence of excellence in school nursing practice based on Scope and Standards of Professional School Nursing Practice, as adopted by the National Association of School Nurses and American Nurses Association.
Bayshore Students Receive Virtual Visit from Celebrated Author
This week a group of Bayshore Middle School students participating in the Gifted and Talented Program received a virtual visit from New York Times Best Selling Author Nic Stone.

Stone, who landed New York Times recognition for her young adult and middle grade fiction novels Dear Martin and Clean Getaway, guided Bayshore students through a writing workshop focused on Mnemonics for the Writing Process.

Mnemonics are used as an organizational memory aid that, when applied to the writing process, can help students organize ideas, elaborate on those ideas and revise those ideas more independently.

The District thanks Ms. Stone for creating a fun and engaging learning environment for our Bayshore students.
Watch the Feb. 23rd
BOE Voting Meeting
District Students Celebrate
1ooth Day of School
Students and staff had Friday, Feb. 19th circled on their calendars to mark the annual 100th day of school milestone.

While some school community members recognized the day with themed mathematics lessons and creative thinking prompts, Ms. Jamie Clemente's second grade New Monmouth Elementary School Students dressed up for the occasion like 100-year old grandparents.
New Monmouth Elementary Staff Presents: "Good Morning Zoom"
Ocean Avenue Accepts the Great Kindness Challenge
Ocean Avenue Elementary School encourages all Middletown community members and businesses to come together and participate alongside students and staff in The Great Kindness Challenge from February 1st to February 28th.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 health crisis, being kind is something that we can control, and put into practice. Through the The Great Kindness Challenge, Ocean Avenue has adopted a positive and proactive initiative that continues to impact millions of students and families around the world each year.
 
As part of the challenge, each student at Ocean Avenue is participating in a powerful and preventative anti-bullying effort that will lead to positive change within and outside of their school community by promoting unity and respect for all.

Fifth grade students are setting the example for their younger peers by serving as Kindness Ambassadors, who will promote and encourage the notion of paying kindness forward.
To create a consistent approach to spreading positivity, Ocean Avenue students and staff are performing as many acts of kindness as possible during this challenge. Students have accepted a challenge to complete a checklist of 50 acts of kindness to prove bullying is weakness and kindness is strength. The initiative also includes kindness bulletin boards and pay it forward kindness cards. The goal is for the cards to get passed along throughout the school and community and placed in as many hands as possible. 
 
“Kindness matters here at Ocean Avenue. So far the students are really enjoying this challenge and showing some really awesome acts of kindness. In addition to random acts of kindness, students and staff are actively seeking out purposeful acts of kindness,” said Kristie Tapolow, Ocean Avenue's Social Behavior Support Specialist. “We hope their efforts have an enduring effect because all kids deserve to learn and live in a safe, supportive and caring environment."

For their efforts, Ocean Avenue Elementary School was recently honored with a mayoral proclamation by Middletown Township Mayor, Tony Perry. Mayor Perry also addressed the school community with a video message you can watch below.
District Students Celebrate Black History Month
In February, the nation celebrates Black History Month, and in recognition of the event, District students are participating in lessons and activities that honor the groundbreaking achievements and African American leaders whose actions continue to shape our global society.

At Thompson Middle School, 8th grade social studies students are designing digital posters to illustrate the impact of such icons as Shirley Chisholm, Vice President Kamala Harris, Hiram Rhodes Revels, Thurgood Marshall and many more.

YMCA Y-Kids Program Accepting Students at District Schools
Need before or after care services for your student? 

The YMCA Y-Kids Program is accepting students at District schools and providing virtual support and enrichment activities, while following all CDC health and safety guidelines.

For additional information and to request a registration packet, please send an email to afterschool@ymcanj.org 
YMCA Offers COVID-19 Response Resources for Parents, Guardians and Teachers
The Middletown Township Public School District requires that a daily health screening form must be completed each day before your student(s) enters the building. Please visit the home page of your school's website to access your school's unique screening form, or follow the links below.