This week, the Middletown Township Public School District welcomed back staff and students for the 2022-23 academic year.

Following several days of professional development sessions to help prepare new educators and veteran staff members for the year ahead, students were welcomed into the classroom on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

In celebration of the new school year, students participated in subject matter ice-breaker activities to better know their peers and teachers, as well as help develop positive classroom cultures that will provide positive learning environments for all of our community members.

We wish all of our staff and students a happy, healthy and fun school year.

Accompanying the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year comes the introduction of Clever Badges, which were introduced to our youngest learners by the MTPS technology team to provide quick and easy login access to students' district issued Chromebooks.

"In the past, we noticed that the requirement of typing a lengthy and complex password delayed some students in getting to work quickly. Teachers would often have to assist many of their students with entering their passwords, which would often hold up the entire class when beginning a lesson. We've taken steps to address that concern by implementing the use Clever Badges," said Network Administrator and Manager of Information Service, David Siwiak.

This summer, the MTPS Technology staff configured and enabled Clever badging to allow those students in grades Pre-K through 2 to log in by simply using a unique QR code.

Clever Badges allow students to open the lid of their district issued Chromebook and place their unique QR code badge up to their Chromebook camera. The camera will automatically scan their QR code, match the code to the student's district account, and log them in as if they were to type their full, complex password.

The process was piloted in a handful of elementary classrooms last year with great success, and has now been expanded to all students in our Pre-K to 2 classrooms.

Earlier this summer, the High School North Baseball Team was invited to Town Hall for a special ceremony in which the club was honored by the Township Committee with an official proclamation recognizing the Lions victory over Cranford in the overall Group III State Championship.

You can watch Mayor Tony Perry's full presentation to the Lions from that Aug. 15 ceremony by following the video link to the right.

The Middletown Board of Education will recognize the team for their championship at the Sept. 20 meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the High School North Auditorium. The Spring 2022 All-Shore student-athletes will also be commended.

MTPS employs numerous mental health and counseling professionals throughout the District. If you have a concern about your child, please reach out as soon as possible. All students in middle school and high school are assigned a School Counselor (previously known as Guidance Counselors). Every student in elementary school has a Social Behavior Support Specialist (SBSS) in their building. These staff members are available to help assist students and their families. For more information on the roles of these professionals, and others, please see the linked Support Staff & Services document, which can also be found on the District’s website. 

Summer at Middletown Township Public Schools was a busy time for our dedicated learners, during which students could continue their learning in one of our schools, remotely from any location, or at our public library. During the Summer of 2022, MTPS offered a variety of summer programming, including Extended School Year for eligible K-12 students, Summer Opportunities for Academic Readiness, ESports Camp, Instrumental Music Lessons, Book Clubs, High School Mathematics “Jumpstart” courses, and AP “Jumpstart” courses. These offerings allowed students to explore their passions and build their skills for the 2022-2023 school year.

Please check out our Summer Learning webpage to become acquainted with the full range of summer programming we provide in Middletown; summer will be back before you know it!

During our planned professional development week, MTPS secondary history department teachers took time to visit the Monmouth County Historical Society’s featured exhibit Beneath the Floorboards: Whispers of the Enslaved at Marlpit House in Middletown.

This insightful, interactive exhibit told the powerful stories of enslaved people at the Marlpit site located in Middletown Village section of the community.

The exhibit shed light on the often fragmented and complex relationship the State of New Jersey had with over two centuries of forced servitude. Our educators had the opportunity for a private visit to the Marlpit House, where curators explained the experiences of enslaved African-Americans from a humanistic perspective. While on site, teachers asked questions and viewed primary-source materials that painted a historical picture of everyday life for enslaved people in New Jersey.  

Teachers were also given a tour of the Civil War-era Taylor-Butler House, which is also on the property, and participated in a primary source discussion.

"This authentic historical experience was well received by staff members and will enrich our understanding of the fascinating local history in Middletown," said Director of Social Studies and Technology, James Rasmussen.

The visit was graciously hosted by Mrs. Dana Howell and the Monmouth County Historical Society. More information on this wonderful historical resource can be found at the Monmouth County Historical Society website.

The MTPS Curriculum Department was recently awarded a grant from UWorld to empower Advanced Placement teachers and students with rich content for preparing for the Advanced Placement examinations in May 2023. On August 30, the team from UWorld trained over 25 MTPS educators on how to use this exclusive platform during the 2022-2023 school year.

UWorld currently supports the following AP courses:

AP students will be receiving their login information by September 12. The key features this platform will offer our students include hundreds of additional exam-like questions, detailed explanations of correct and incorrect responses to prompts, individual student performance tracking, and additional built-in support tools like flashcards, hints, definitions, and alternative problem-solving methods. The platform is designed to give our students a taste of what college-level hybrid learning looks like while also preparing them to earn a passing score on the AP exam. Students will be able to access the platform on their Chromebooks through our Clever integration, that the District uses with many other MTPS programs. We look forward to updating our community on our district’s progress throughout the year!