Thompson Students Launch Soccer Equipment Drive |
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The Passback Program collects and redistributes new and gently used soccer equipment to children in underserved communities who love the sport but may not have the resources to play. Those who love the sport, like Beatriz and Drew, are able to recycle their gear and enrich the lives of others.
In total, this dynamic duo collected donated 593 items, including 54 soccer balls and 66 pairs of cleats.
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Service Opportunity: Connect
with Seniors During Pandemic
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A new community service opportunity is available to Middletown Township Public School Students who would like to penpal with senior citizens located at Sunrise Senior Living located in Lincroft through the Letters for Rose program.
This program aims to combat the social-emotional difficulties experienced by the senior members of our Middletown community during the COVID-19 health crisis.
By scanning the QR code you can learn more about participating in this program, which distributes letters, artwork and more to the residents of the Sunrise Senior Living facility.
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District Partners with VNACJ for
Staff COVID-19 Vaccinations
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On February 23, the district formed a partnership with the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (VNACJ) Community Health Center to expedite the inoculation of our district staff members for COVID-19.
Eligible staff members were able to begin receiving their first dose of the vaccination on February 27th, and more than 80 individuals were scheduled in the first three days of our partnership.
On March 5, the eligibility of all school staff members was accelerated, and as of March 14, 378 staff members have been scheduled and/or received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine through the partnership.
While the VNACJ continues to schedule appointments for our staff members, the district is focused on seeking additional partnerships and opportunities for staff members to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
The MTPS COVID-19 Dashboard will be updated weekly with the number of staff members who have been scheduled for a vaccine.
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Cathy Grano Named
NJSSNA Nurse of the Year
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Nurse Grano has been instrumental in maintaining the health and safety of Middletown Township Public School students and staff during the planning and implementation the District's phased reopening plan.
The District extends its sincere congratulations and thanks to Nurse Grano.
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Backpack Crew Food Pantry Now Open to Community |
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The local chapter of the Backpack Crew has launched a food pantry in nearby Red Bank to further the organization's relentless effort to address food insecurity in our community. For more information on this incredible community partner please visit The Backpack Crew on Facebook.
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North News Covers Secret Stash, Interviews Ming Chen |
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The High School North News Team was out and about in nearby Red Bank to document the reopening of Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, an institution in comic book and film memorabilia collecting for the past two decades.
Owned by renowned filmmaker, Kevin Smith, the Secret Stash is operated by a cast of actors and television personalities seen in a multitude of Smith's films and the AMC television series Comic Book Men.
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Watch as North News' award-winning host, Sophia Haber-Brock, catches up with the Secret Stash crew on opening day, as well a more extensive interview she recently conducted with television and podcast personality Ming Chen. |
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MTFOdL: Upcoming Virtual Meetings and Workshops |
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Access the March 17 BOE Workshop Meeting |
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The Board of Education is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, March 17 for a Workshop Meeting.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. The public portion of the meeting will begin at approximately 8 p.m.
Please follow the link, or the U.S. dial-in phone option, to attend.
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Thorne Esports Team Earns Championship Appearance |
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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!
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Fairview Student Makes Big Call for Climate Action at Monmouth University |
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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.
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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?
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District Students Celebrate Read Across America Week |
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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.
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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.
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Community Update: Implementation of Phase 6 |
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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.
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YMCA Schedules March Events on Child Development |
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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.
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.
JOIN THE BAYSHORE FAMILY SUCCESS CENTER FOR EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MARCH!
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Bayview Students Pay it Forward with Heroes Cafe |
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"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.
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MTPS Celebrates Its 2020-21 Educators of the Year |
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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.
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2020-21 MTPS Educators of the Year Playlist |
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Community Thank You to our MTPS Educators |
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Bayshore Students Receive Virtual Visit from Celebrated Author |
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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.
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New Monmouth Elementary Staff Presents: "Good Morning Zoom" |
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Ocean Avenue Accepts the Great Kindness Challenge |
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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.
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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."
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YMCA Y-Kids Program Accepting Students at District Schools |
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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
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YMCA Offers COVID-19 Response Resources for Parents, Guardians and Teachers |
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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.
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