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Media Advisory: SOMSD to Hold Monumental Groundbreaking Ceremonies at Clinton, Jefferson, Seth Boyden and Tuscan Elementary Schools on June 24 & 28

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MEDIA ADVISORY

SOMSD to Hold Monumental Groundbreaking Ceremonies at Clinton, Jefferson, Seth Boyden, and Tuscan Elementary Schools on June 24 & 28

Date:               Friday, June 25, 2021

        • Clinton Elementary School @ 3pm
        • Jefferson Elementary School @ 4:30pm

Monday, June 28, 2021

        • Seth Boyden Elementary School @ 3pm
        • Tuscan Elementary School @ 4:30pm

What:              Elementary School Groundbreaking Ceremonies

Where:            Clinton Elementary School, 27 Berkshire Rd. Maplewood, NJ

Jefferson Elementary School, 518 Ridgewood Road Maplewood, NJ

Seth Boyden Elementary School, 274 Boyden Avenue Maplewood, NJ

Tuscan Elementary School, 25 Harvard Avenue Maplewood, NJ

Who:               The South Orange & Maplewood School District along with EPIC Construction will be hosting our groundbreaking ceremony at Clinton and Jefferson Elementary schools on Friday, June 25 and at Seth Boyden and Tuscan Elementary schools on Monday, June 28. Please note the ceremonies will begin promptly at their scheduled times. EPIC Construction is providing hard hats, shovels, and a project banner for this exciting and monumental event to invited guests which included District senior leadership, building administrators/PTA representatives, BOE members, local officials and EPIC Construction staff.  Construction work will begin over the summer as part of the District’s Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP).

Please confirm your attendance via email to Anide Eustache, aeustach@nullsomsd.k12.nj.us.

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For Immediate Release: South Orange & Maplewood School District Partners with the Kean University Scholar Academy to Offer Dual-Enrollment Program to Eleven Students

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Contact:

Anide J. Eustache

Communications Office

South Orange & Maplewood School District

Office:  (973)762-5600, ext. 1834 | Email:  aeustach@nullsomsd.k12.nj.us

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

South Orange & Maplewood School District Partners with the Kean University Scholar Academy 

Eleven SOMSD middle-school students are a part of the first group of scholars accepted into the Kean Scholar Academy dual-enrollment program to put students on track for college success

June 18, 2021 – The South Orange & Maplewood School District is proud to announce its partnership with Kean University’s Scholar Academy. The newly launched Scholar Academy is a dual-enrollment initiative that will prepare selected high school students for college by bringing them on campus to earn college credits and take part in mentorships, internships, and other college experiences starting in ninth grade.

Kean University’s innovative, new pre-college program, the Kean Scholar Academy offers qualified students the opportunity to earn college credits and participate in pre-college mentorships, internships, and other enrichment activities that support their academic journey toward college. This partnership is the District’s first time offering dual-enrollment college-based programming to students. Eleven middle-school students from SOMSD are taking part in the inaugural class, which Kean University announced in May.

Dr. Matthew Friedman, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction, says “We are so proud of the eleven SOMSD students who will be joining the inaugural Kean Scholar program.” Dr. Friedman continued “the eighth-grade students were invited to apply for the program by principals from Maplewood Middle School and South Middle School; they then had to submit an application and were chosen after a rigorous selection process from members of Kean University administration.”

Students from at least 12 school districts from multiple counties were nominated and chosen by their principals for selection in the program. Criteria for the program are based on grades, school attendance, involvement, and commitment to excel.  The inaugural class of the Kean Scholar Academy will include about 125 students. The first cohort starts in Summer 2021 when they will begin a four-week summer orientation on the University’s Union and Skylands campuses to learn about the college experience and meet members of their cohort.  Students will get a taste of college life and will begin attending classes on campus once per week starting in the Fall, and will also have twice-monthly team-building activities on Saturdays, they will attend a second session through synchronous in-person and virtual learning.

Jason Lester, Special Assistant to Kean University President and Executive Director of Kean Scholar Academy, shared, “by high school graduation, students may earn up to 12-15 college credits in their selected major and 40 – 60 college credits overall, the Academy will provide internships, mentoring, social-emotional learning activities and counseling to ensure that all students follow the path to graduation.”

Students will be enrolled in the Kean Scholar Academy for all four years of high school. In ninth and tenth grade, they will take college courses in English, math, and prerequisite subjects with other Academy students. In their last two years, they will take classes in their major alongside other Kean students. At the same time, they will take high school classes and will also have the opportunity to work with municipal and business community members to research, investigate and provide solutions to issues in their communities.  

“High-quality postsecondary educational partnerships can be very valuable to a school district. However, dual enrollment opportunities resulting in students earning transferable college credits are extremely valuable,” says Dr. Ronald Taylor, Superintendent of Schools.  He continued, “the rising cost of college today has been well documented. Besides the cost savings, the impact of an authentic opportunity for high school students to experience in-person on-campus ‘college life’ is invaluable and can positively impact their life’s trajectory. We are very thankful to bring this opportunity to the students and families of our community.”

Kean University will provide technology, some transportation and other support services to students.   Also, students in the Scholar Academy will have an individualized education plan based on their academic interests. During their tenure, students will receive a student ID for entrance to school buildings as well as be provided a stipend for a meal plan to use when on campus.    

“We are really proud of this partnership with Kean because it ties into the District’s focus on building partnerships with local and regional universities,” says Dr. Friedman.  He went on to share, “the program is so rich, we are preparing students for their future and they are going to be immersed in academic college culture, among the many great opportunities, one of the key highlights is that upon graduating high school and completing the Scholar program, students will have an opportunity to travel to the University’s campus in China, Wenzhou-Kean University.”

The following SOMSD students will be taking part of the inaugural Kean Scholar Academy:

Maplewood Middle School:

  • Sherry Chen
  • Sharon Chen
  • Josephine Brophy
  • Tessa Lipkin
  • Timothy Van de North
  • Marahbelle Dumay
  • Yael Ben-Adi

South Orange Middle School:

  • Sophia Halm
  • Jada Fowlkes
  • Kennedy Gilyard
  • Carter Weiss 

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About the South Orange & Maplewood School District

The School District of South Orange and Maplewood serves more than 7,200 students in ten schools, including one early-childhood center, six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The community and its schools are racially and economically diverse with more than 90 percent of Columbia High School graduates planning to attend college each year.   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.

About Kean University

Founded in 1855, Kean University was the first public post-secondary institution in New Jersey. With a rich history of excellence and innovation in higher education, Kean is a world-class, vibrant and diverse university offering more than 50 undergraduate majors and more than 60 options for graduate study, including six doctoral programs in a variety of disciplines.

Tools of the Mind (TOM) Pre-K Curriculum

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TOM“You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way!” – Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

View or Download Preschool Tools of the Mind Curriculum Overview

The South Orange-Maplewood School District’s commitment to offering access to a high-quality preschool experience is demonstrated by its plan to expand its pre-K program with the support of the New Jersey State Department of Education (NJDOE) and in partnership with local preschool program providers. View the District's Preschool partner sites.

We appreciate the community’s interest in the program, and we recognize our families’ eagerness to register our three- and four-year-old students (as of October 1, 2020). Information regarding registration is discussed above in the newsletter section “2020-21 Registration” and can be accessed via the district’s website click here. At this time, we are delighted to offer an insight into Tools of the Mind (TOM), the developmentally appropriate curriculum currently in place in our pre-kindergarten program [Click here to download or view the Tools of the Mind Curriculum Overview].

Aligned with the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards, TOM is a comprehensive curriculum that presents content in an integrated manner.  Its instructional strategies reflect a combination of student-initiated activities, explicit instruction, individualization through multiple levels of scaffolding (problem-solving through teacher modeling followed by increasingly independent student practice), and the ongoing use of multiple assessment data.  These varied but cohesive approaches respond to the diverse needs of our students. Student growth is monitored as part of the daily routine of the classroom. The GOLD tool, an observation-based assessment system by early childhood education resource company Teaching Strategies, supports this aspect of the implementation of TOM. Progress reports are shared with parents/guardians three times per year, and parent-teacher conferences are scheduled throughout the year.

One key characteristic that sets TOM apart from other curriculum models is the intentional focus on our students’ development of both cognitive and social-emotional self-regulation at the same time that literacy and mathematical skills are introduced.  Self-regulated learning is embedded into all activities. Teachers use strategies to help children improve the quality of their dramatic make-believe play so that it promotes self-regulation development. Research-based instructional activities are designed to teach self-regulation and reflective thinking. Classroom management techniques maximize time-productive interactions and task involvement, and most learning takes place in small groups or as partnered activities, engaging children in interaction with one another to learn, build social relationships, and create a positive sense of community.

Field trips provide students with valuable background knowledge that enhances make-believe play themes, as well as provide rich cultural experiences and a connection with the immediate community. Administrators, teachers and support staff participate in comprehensive required training, and the program’s Master Teacher supports teacher professional growth and curriculum implementation.

Parents sometimes focus on their children’s acquisition of basic letter and number recognition or pre-reading skills in isolation, but the instruction of young children optimally encompasses a lot more.  Collectively, families and schools succeed best when aligning their efforts to focus on the development of the whole child and all the skills and strengths each child has developed.

Thank you for your interest in the program, and for entrusting your children to a dedicated team of teachers, administrators, support staff and specialists.

 

SOMSD Intentional Integration Initiative (III): Informational Webinar for Local Realtors on Wed., June 2 @ 7 PM

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SOMSD III INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR FOR LOCAL REALTORS

SAVE THE DATE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2 @ 7 PM

Local area realtors are invited to join Superintendent Ronald G. Taylor to learn more about the District's Intentional Integration Initiative which will launch in September 2021 with the incoming Kindergarten class. Webinar presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. Registration is required to attend. The event will be recorded. For more information, FAQs and details on III visit the SOMSD III microsite: bit.ly/SOMSDIII

Please register to attend, click the link: bit.ly/somsdrealtor

Preschool Placement Update – May 7, 2021

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May 7, 2021

Dear SOMSD Pre-K Parents/Guardians:

The preschool team is pleased to announce that due to our preschool expansion efforts, all families who enrolled their child with the District to participate in the preschool lottery prior to the February 26th deadline, and completed the enrollment process by meeting all registration requirements for the 2021-2022 school year will receive placement into our program! All families will be notified in the next few weeks of their child's school placement.

All families who filled out an online pre-registration application after the February 26th deadline will remain on the wait list. Please be advised that we anticipate additional seats in our preschool program opening up prior to the start of the 2021-2022 school year. As such, we encourage all preschool-eligible families to pre-register their child by filling out the online pre-registration application so that their child's name can be added to the wait list. Please visit the District's Registration Page for all registration guidance.

Please be advised that adding your child to the wait list at this time does not guarantee placement. Families on the wait list will be notified if and when a seat for the 2021-2022 school year becomes available. For more information on our preschool program, please visit us HERE. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at: prekregistration@nullsomsd.k12.nj.us.

Sincerely,

 

Melody Alegria, Ed.D  & Leroy Johnson III

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