Dr. George Shares Update on the Process & Timelines for Reopening Schools
|
|
On Friday, July 17, Superintendent of Schools, William O. George III, Ed. D., published a letter that offered the community an update on where we stand in the planning process for the reopening of schools in September, as well a expected timelines for that process.
In his
July 17 community letter
, Dr. George said the administrative team intends on presenting the plan to the public during the July 29 Board of Education Workshop/Voting Meeting.
"We recognize the magnitude of this situation and the impact our decisions will have on students, caregivers and staff members. I am confident in our school community’s collective ability to put forth a comprehensive educational plan that is equitable, actionable and in alignment with the safety guidelines presented by the CDC, Governor Murphy, and local and state departments of health and education, while best meeting the academic and social-emotional needs of our students," Dr. George wrote.
"I understand the uncertainty that our community feels and has experienced since we transitioned to virtual home instruction on March 15. I share in the stress, anxiety and strain harbored by our students, families and staff members. This remains an unprecedented time in our lives. During my tenure, I have witnessed the resilience of our school community and I know we will once again rise to meet this challenge. Thank you for your continued strength, collaboration and understanding," he added.
|
|
District Shares Reopening
of Schools Presentation
|
|
During the July 14 Board of Education Special Voting Meeting, the district administrative team introduced the
"Work Session" MTPS Reopening of Schools Presentation
. The presentation included a comprehensive overview of subcommittee work regarding school reentry in September, as well as the guidelines issued by the CDC and state and local departments of health and education that must be followed. Additionally, the presentation included a summary the data collected from the MTPS School Reopening Survey for parents and guardians. You can watch the presentation by reviewing the
July 14 Board of Education Special Voting Meeting video.
On Friday, July 17, Superintendent of Schools, William O. George III, Ed. D., published a letter regarding the timeline of next steps, which includes a Friday, July 24 release of a finalized school reentry plan to the community.
|
|
Watch the July 14th BOE Special Voting Meeting
|
|
The Board of Education held a Special Voting Meeting on Tuesday, July 14th. This meeting will be conducted virtually via the district's Zoom platform. The meeting video is now available for your review by selecting the video icon to the right.
NOTE:
The next public Board of Education Voting Meeting has been pushed back to Wednesday, July 29th.
|
|
|
Follow Along for District
News & Announcements
|
|
High School Classes of 2020 Walk at In-Person Graduation Ceremonies
|
|
Our High School Classes of 2020 walked at their in-person graduation ceremonies on July 8th and 9th in front of limited guests and faculty members.
If you were unable to attend the ceremonies, or would like to share the experience with others, the MTPS High School In-Person graduation ceremony videos are now available via the district website and below.
|
|
Watch the Virtual Ceremonies & Montages for the MTPS Class of 2020
|
|
In June our high school and middle school classes of 2020 celebrated their graduations and promotions with virtual ceremonies. You can rewatch those events by following the links below.
High School North and South students were also recognized with virtual graduation montage videos:
|
|
Dr. George Addresses Next Steps for Reopening Schools in the Fall
|
|
Dear School Community,
The plan includes several requirements and considerations that a district must account for and include in their reopening proposal. Our schools must operate within necessary standards to ensure the health and well-being of our students and staff.
As stated by Governor Murphy in his address, there is no “one-size fits all” approach to suit the unique challenges faced by each school district across the state.
Our district’s initial plan for the reopening of schools was addressed at the June 24 Board of Education Workshop/Voting meeting. At that time, I discussed our intention to implement a
Reopening of Schools Committee
, which is divided into eight subcommittees, including Health & Safety, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Learning - Curriculum Programs, Facilities/Operations, Transportation, Technology, Funding and Athletics, Co-curricular & Before/After School Programs.
To ensure the perspectives of all district stakeholders are considered, this committee is composed of over 150 district educators and staff members representing various disciplines and departments, Middletown Board of Education members, parents and students. These representatives will evaluate the state guidelines and requirements released today in order to provide input and make recommendations into the district’s reopening plan.
The district will also survey our school community to collect input from all stakeholders, including students, parents and staff, to inform our decision-making before a plan is implemented. Administration will provide an update at the July 22 Board of Education Meeting.
Sincerely,
William O. George III, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
|
|
MTPS Summer Learning Resources & Programs
|
|
Please follow the links below to learn more about the district's summer resources and programs.
|
|
SMART Fund Bill Calls for Additional $5oo Billion in COVID-19 Aid
|
|
A new bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate calls for the delivery of federal resources to states to assist in the fight against COVID-19.
This legislation, the State and Municipal Aid for Recovery and Transition (SMART) Fund, would develop a $500 billion reserve to aid the response by state and local municipal governments to this public health and economic crisis, while allowing them to maintain essential services.
The SMART Fund would build upon the existing $150 billion set aside in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Additionally, the bill would expand eligibility for aid to counties and municipalities with populations of 50,000 or greater. Currently that threshold is set at 500,000.
|
|
A Vision for Social Justice in our Schools
|
|
The Middletown Township Public School District is committed to providing opportunities for our students to openly discuss meaningful and relevant topics and assist them in reaching their full potential as lifelong learners and globally responsible citizens.
Members of our student body, alumni and school community stand together in solidarity for justice and equity.
On Thursday, June 18th, Superintendent of Schools, William O. George III, Ed. D., delivered an
address in response to an
open letter
published by current MTPS students and alumni to he, the Board of Education and our faculty, which called for reflection and action.
"If personalized learning, self-reflection, and the ability to grow ethically and morally are foundational concepts we endorse and use to educate future leaders, then we must ask ourselves if we can do better to inspire the change we wish to see in the world," said Dr. George.
RELATED COMMUNITY LETTERS
|
|
MTPS Arts Academy
Hosts Virtual Showcase
|
|
B The Second Annual MTPS Arts Academy Showcase went virtual in 2020. To watch our district's rising stars place their talents on full display please click the image below. Be sure to review the showcase program by
following the link.
|
|
Opinion: Racial Insensitivity Exists Everywhere, We Are Not Immune
|
|
By Luke Ferrell, High School North Senior
NOTE: This article was previously published in another publication
Middletown, it’s time that we have a conversation about race. Merriam-Webster defines a conversation as “an oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas”. Let’s “exchange” ways to make our community a better place without “exchanging” hate or negativity. I’d like to explain why even the “fifth safest city in America to raise a child” (SafeWise, 2016) cannot be excluded from hearing stories of overcoming racial adversity.
As a proud Middletown High School North senior and a Middletown resident, I would have never in a million years imagined that the community I love and cherish would ever be subjected to any sort of racial prejudice. Up until the past few days, I have confused what I now consider hurtful and insensitive comments and slurs with humor. We’ve always been taught to treat everyone equally, but have also often been taught that it’s better to “stay out of it” or “not get involved” when it doesn’t concern us. Standing up for what is right and speaking out, even when it is unpopular, has been demonized for too long. A statement made by my classmate and good friend will change the way I see the world for the rest of my life.
On Monday, June 1, Middletown High School North’s 2020 valedictorian, Jada Tulloch posted a video on Instagram, now with over 28,000 views, 7,754 likes, and 1,453 comments. Her video is in response to students organizing a protest outside of the Middletown Township Board of Education office to push for an in-person graduation. While we all desperately want a way to celebrate our accomplishments as a class, I think our greatest accomplishment can be uniting against an issue we’ve let persist for too long. Jada states, “For me graduation represents the fact that I’ve survived years of racial discrimination, oppression, and disgusting comments from the close-minded people that I surround myself with in this god-forsaken town”. This powerful statement has opened my eyes to realize that I have been quiet for too long. Whether I was walking down the sidewalk or the hallways of my high school, I have heard racially insensitive comments and made excuses for it– usually I brushed it off as humor. Meanwhile, a person of color could’ve overheard the same comment and felt threatened and worthless. Today, I realize that not only is it ignorant to allow these comments to reach my ears without hesitation or action but that my beloved hometown isn’t in a bubble secluded from the issues of the rest of the world. Every community displays instances of racial insensitivity, and worse; however not recognizing that this is a problem in a particular area just because of its location or socioeconomic class often normalizes racially inconsiderate sentiments. This ultimately allows a snowball effect of acceptance of more and more “jokes” and slurs that target minorities.
Jada has shared an important and disheartening message in an attempt to make our town a better place. It is simply impossible to dismiss her message without understanding her experience. Few of us have walked in the shoes of a person of color.
|
|
5 High School Students Nominated
for Count Basie Awards
|
|
Every year, the Count Basie Center for the Arts' Education department forms an evaluation committee who then attend and score upwards to 50 local school productions. Several weeks later, a capacity crowd typically packs the historic Count Basie Theater in Red Bank to watch selections from school performances and cheer on the nominees and winners. This year, due to the pandemic, the Basie Awards were hosted virtually on Tues. June 9th.
Middletown High School South came out with two nominations for their fall production of "U- A Play", directed by Alexis Kozak. The nominations included Danny Decrescenzo for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama and Camille Pugliese for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama. We also congratulate Seniors
Camille Pugliese and Gianna Dinardo who both won Arts Impact Scholarships!
Middletown High School North came out with three nominations for their fall production of "Our Town", directed by Amanda Faria. The nominations included
Mackenzie Kanach for Outstanding Featured Performer in a Drama, Joshua Yantin, (Sophomore Middletown School's Arts Academy student) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, and New drama teacher to High School North this year, Amanda Faria for Outstanding Direction in a Drama. Ms. Faria added "It is a very prestigious honor to be nominated against so many competitive theater arts programs, actors, and directors. Ms. Faria also added "we look forward to future productions!"
Although our nominees did not win, it is a nod to the expertise and talent that our students and arts staff possess in the Middletown School District. I am so proud of all the nominees and can't wait to see what our students will bring forth in the future!
|
|
District Poetry Contest Winners Unveiled
|
|
|
Hosted by the district's Library team members, there were an incredible 630 poems entered into our MTPS Poetry Contest!
Of those entered, four winning poets were selected and are listed above. Please note, at the middle school level there was a first place tie.
Thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations to our winners!
|
|
Interested in Learning More About the Virtual Advanced Placement Experience?
|
|
Middletown Township Public Schools advanced placement students and teachers recently engaged in a round table discussion regarding their virtual experience with Advanced Placement course work and assessments. The group came together to help prepare future advanced placement students.
|
|
During the May 27th Board of Education Workshop/Voting Meeting, a presentation was delivered to inform our school community about the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan Goals & Objectives, which were developed with public input expressed in a district survey and during seven public forums.
The Strategic Planning Committee is seeking community input on the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives Draft through Wednesday, June 10. Community members should email their comments to
strategicplanning@middletownk12.org
.
|
|
|
MTPS Recognized for Developing Equitable Virtual Learning Plan
|
|
The District was recently recognized by the Alliance for Excellent Education for the development and implementation of its virtual learning plan.
An excerpt from the article reads...
"Like many districts across the nation, Middletown Township transitioned its nearly 9,500 students to full-time remote learning in mid-March when it closed schools to slow the spread of the
novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
. In many ways, the suburban school district already had most of the necessary elements in place to support a successful transition, thanks in part to the
five-step planning process
district leaders undertook in working through the
seven gears
of the
Future Ready Framework
. The district had an existing one-to-one initiative that provides each student in third through twelfth grade with a personal device. Additionally, to implement that program successfully, the district enhanced its
infrastructure
, particularly the bandwidth available at its schools, and provided teachers and other school staff members with
personalized professional learning
to support student-centered instruction."
|
|
Interested In Employment
Opportunities with the District?
|
|
Throughout the year new employment opportunities arise for educators, paraprofessionals, and more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
