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South Orange-Maplewood School District

A District That Celebrates

Marshall

February 2023: District As a Matter of Fact Newsletter – Supt. Message, Black History Month, Delia Bolden Ribbon Cutting, Marshall Centennial and more…

February 28, 2023 By Communications

February 28, 2023 Filed Under: Clinton, Columbia, District News & Announcements, Jefferson, Maplewood Middle School, Marshall, Montrose, Seth Boyden, South Mountain, South Mountain Annex, South Orange Middle School, Tuscan

October Edition “As a Matter of Fact” District Newsletter: Supt. Message, Fall Break, Principal Appreciation Month, Filipino Heritage Month, SOMS River-Friendly Certification and More…

October 31, 2022 By Communications

October 31, 2022 Filed Under: Clinton, Columbia, District News & Announcements, Jefferson, Maplewood Middle School, Marshall, Montrose, Seth Boyden, South Mountain, South Mountain Annex, South Orange Middle School

2022-23 SY Elementary School Social Work Program Offers Counseling Services for Students in Grades K-5

September 22, 2022 By Communications

For Spanish Translation:  https://bit.ly/3R25KXv |  Haitian Creole Translation: https://bit.ly/3Sjke6E

Elementary School Families,

The Elementary School Social Work Program offers counseling services for students at each of South Orange and Maplewood School District's elementary schools from grades K - 5. The program offers individual and small group counseling with a social work intern. Its aim is to remove barriers to success and to provide students with the social/ emotional support necessary for them to get the most out of their school experience.  

Areas of Focus can Include:

  • Dealing with anxiety
  • Managing your feelings (stress, worry, anger, etc.)
  • Feeling good about yourself
  • Working out friendship problems
  • Dealing with the many changes that COVID-19 has brought to schools and homes
  • Dealing with peer pressure and bullying
  • Dealing with behavioral concerns
  • Dealing with loss or family changes
  • Crisis intervention
  • Referrals

For more information or to request services please fill out the Elementary School Social Work Request Form: https://forms.gle/WCUo9iUSvxnKpTWh7

Additional information on  mental health resources and services can be found on the District website here:  https://bit.ly/SOMSDMHC

September 22, 2022 Filed Under: Clinton, District News & Announcements, Jefferson, Marshall, Seth Boyden, South Mountain, South Mountain Annex, Tuscan Tagged With: Counseling, elementary school social work programs, K-5 counseling

Jefferson Elementary School Renamed to Delia Bolden Elementary School

June 30, 2022 By Communications

Download Full Story Here

 ​​​The South Orange & Maplewood School District Board of Education (BOE) as per Resolution 4320 [bit.ly/3bD0SJq] approved the renaming of Jefferson Elementary School to the Delia Bolden Elementary School during its meeting on Wednesday, June 29. 

Delia Bolden was the first African American woman to graduate from Columbia High School in 1912. Upon her graduation, Ms. Bolden wrote a brilliant essay that was published in the 1912 yearbook and read at her commencement [Read the full essay here:  https://www.mattersmagazine.com/post/a-voice-from-the-archives].

As part of the BOE resolution, the District will take the necessary steps, including but not limited to installing new signage and updating the District website, to reflect the new name by September 8, 2022.  The District will also consider how to memorialize the building's previous name of Jefferson Elementary School and the reasons for the name change on school grounds by June 30, 2023.

SOMSD Board President, Thair Joshua shared, “The Board of Education is excited about the new name of Delia Bolden Elementary School. Choosing Delia Bolden, who was the first African American woman to graduate from Columbia High School in 1912, is a fitting way to begin the new legacy at the school.”

The Board of Education previously adopted Resolution 4190 at its August 16, 2021 meeting directing the Superintendent or a designee to work with the students of Jefferson Elementary School to seek input from the District’s student community to propose a new name for the school to the Board of Education by June 30, 2022, so that the Board may vote on the adoption of such name to take effect commencing with the 2022-2023 school year.

The  Jefferson Elementary School community recommended to the Board of Education five names for consideration, which the Board shared with the public at its June 20, 2022 meeting and discussed further during its regularly scheduled monthly public board meeting on  June 27, 2022 meeting.  The names students presented for the Board’s consideration were:

  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
  • Erna Schneider Hoover, Mathematician & Inventor, CHS Alumnus, Class of 1944
  • Delia Bolden, First Female African-American Graduate of CHS, Class of 1912
  • Amalya Lyle Kearse,  First woman and second African American person to be appointed as a justice on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, CHS Class of 1955
  • Joetta Clark Diggs, Track & Field Athlete & Four-time Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000), CHS Class of 1980; and
  • New Legacy Elementary School was also provided as part of the attribute approach, but the students ultimately chose to name the school after a notable person  (“LEGACY” acronym: L-learned, learning, lifelong learners; E-engaged, excellence, ethical citizens; G-gifted, goal-oriented, ground-breaking; A-ambitious, accepting, achievement; C-creative, confident, cooperative; Y-yearning, youth, year-round)

As part of the initial process all teachers taught lesson plans on name stories.  In this first stage, in order to help students understand the importance and power associated with names, they created “Name Stories.”  Students listened to Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez Neal and journaled about their own names. Many students shared their name stories with their classmates.

For the second part of the process, all classes selected positive attributes that they wanted to be considered in the renaming process. Students were provided with copies of the school’s mission statement, as well as copies of SOMSD’s mission statement. They were encouraged to make connections between the mission statements and the positive attributes.  Most classes selected acronyms with the common threads among the suggestions being: Diverse/Diversity, Acceptance, Perseverance/Determination and Respect/Kindness.

Students in the 5th grade subcommittee reviewed the submissions for the Attribute Approach. They then weighted the merits and creativity of each attribute and narrowed it down and voted on their favorite submissions. Based on these submissions, the student subcommittee considered the various positive traits and attributes they reviewed in session #1 and were encouraged to consider people who exemplify those traits. When researching potential candidates for the name change, students were encouraged to look closely at the person’s achievements, personal qualities and behavior.  Achievements: Did they accomplish something important during their lifetime? Did their accomplishments make history? Did they somehow make life better for others? Personal qualities: Do they possess the qualities and attributes we value? Did they have to overcome obstacles in order to succeed? Are they inspiring to others? Behavior:  Does their behavior show that they value all kinds of people? Simply put, do their actions and beliefs show that they are a good person?

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald Taylor also shared, “I am extremely proud of the efforts of Principal Hutchinson, her leadership team, teachers and students for their heartfelt work. When the Board began discussing the possibility of this renaming I recommended engaging our students. Our educators and students far exceeded my high expectations. They turned this opportunity into the ultimate teachable moment.  A thoughtful real life civics experience that will impact our community for decades to come. They indeed have educated us all on not only the new namesake but four (4) other very worthy candidates. Women of distinction whose legacy we all know more about.”

Many thanks to the Jefferson school community, administrators and staff for leading this charge, culminating in a historic moment for the now Delia Bolden Elementary School and to Jefferson families for their support!  The District acknowledges the meaningful contribution of  Jefferson’s entire student body who participated in the renaming process, members of the renaming committee and the staff who helped facilitate the process.  In addition, we’d like to acknowledge the Columbia High School Alumni Archive Committee for helping to identify Ms. Bolden and several other Columbia Alumni who were considered for this honor.

[See attachments below: Photos of Delia Bolden and 1912 Newark Evening Star published article of Ms. Bolden’s commencement speech and article]

June 30, 2022 Filed Under: Clinton, Columbia, District News & Announcements, Jefferson, Maplewood Middle School, Marshall, Montrose, Seth Boyden, South Mountain, South Mountain Annex, South Orange Middle School, Tuscan Tagged With: Delia Bolden Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary Renamed

Check Out the District’s 2022 Summer Reading List for K-12 Students

June 21, 2022 By Communications

June 21, 2022 Filed Under: Clinton, Columbia, District News & Announcements, Jefferson, Maplewood Middle School, Marshall, Montrose, Seth Boyden, South Mountain, South Mountain Annex, South Orange Middle School Tagged With: 2022 Summer Reading List

2022-23 SY Transportation Request Form Available (Submission Deadline: June 22)

June 9, 2022 By Communications

June 9, 2022 Filed Under: Clinton, Columbia, District News & Announcements, Jefferson, Maplewood Middle School, Marshall, Montrose, Seth Boyden, South Mountain, South Orange Middle School, Tuscan

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South Orange-Maplewood School District

South Orange-Maplewood School District

Address & Contact Info

525 Academy Street
Maplewood, NJ 07040

Main Office: (973) 762-5600

District Title IX Information

Dr. Kevin Gilbert
Asst., Supt., Access & Equity
District Title IX Coordinator
525 Academy Street
Maplewood, NJ 07040
e: kgilbert@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1859

Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB)

Dr. Kevin Gilbert
Asst., Supt., Access & Equity
District HIB Coordinator
e: kgilbert@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1859

Ms. Robin Curry
Confidential Secretary to the Asst. Supt., Access & Equity
e: rcurry@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1822

More HIB Information

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Our Mission

The mission of the South Orange Maplewood School District is to empower and inspire each student to explore and imagine, to pursue personal passions, and to collectively create a better future by creating a learner-centered environment through multiple pathways; re-imagined structures, systems and supports; innovative teaching; partnering with families; and maximizing community expertise and resources.

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