South Orange Middle School is proud to present Hello Dolly! Please click here to view the show flyer!
District News & Announcements
2019 Extended School Year – Letter To Parents
Please click here for the ESY registration letter and form.
Is it hard to believe how quickly the end of the school year is approaching and we have been quite busy planning for ESY
2019. The District’s ESY Program will provide additional time for students, beyond the school year, to help sustain and
develop their academic and social skills. Students will be exposed to language arts, mathematics and social skills
instruction. Unlike previous years, social skills will be a critical component of the program for all participating students.
An extension of related services, as stipulated in the student’s IEP, will be provided.
The ESY Program will be in session from June 27, 2019 – August 8, 2019 Monday through Friday
We encourage every parent/guardian who is considering ESY for their child to register early written confirmation for us
to be able to secure staff and transportation services.
The academic portion of the program will focus on mathematics and reading skills as stipulated in students’ IEPS.
Students in the autism program will continue to follow their individually designed programs incorporating specialized
strategies. Furthermore, the District’s ESY Program will incorporate a social skills curriculum. Instruction will be
supported by the use of online resources proven to be effective in strengthening reading skill development. Progress
reports will be shared with parents at the end of the program.
Our special education teachers may not work during our ESY Program, so it is likely that your child may not have the
same teacher as his/her classroom teacher from the 2018-2019 school year.
Kindly complete the attached Extended School Year Application 2019 and return it to your child’s teacher, no later than
Friday, March 22, 2019.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to your child’s case manager.
Update on the Superintendent Search Process
At the November 2018 meeting of the Board of Education, Elizabeth Baker, President of the Board of Education, provided an update on the Superintendent Search, including an overview of the Search Criteria which have been developed, with community input, in the following areas:
- Leadership
- Management/Operations
- Curriculum & Instruction
- Human Resources
- Community Engagement
The full PowerPoint, including search criteria and timelines, is available here.
The Board anticipates beginning interviews in January. Ms. Baker will continue to keep the community informed of the progress of the Search.
* * * * *
At the October 2018 meeting of the Board of Education, Elizabeth Baker, President of the Board of Education, provided an update on the Superintendent Search. Search Consultant Dr. William Librera met with many different constituents and constituent groups, and hundreds of community members completed the survey, to identify the skills and qualities which are most important for SOMSD’s next Superintendent. Dr. Librera has compiled all this feedback into a report the the Board, which will be used to help create a leadership profile.
* * * * *
In August 2018, the SOMSD Board of Education launched the search for our District’s next Superintendent, and hired Dr. William Librera of West Hudson Associates as the Superintendent Search Consultant to assist in the search process.
The Board chose Dr. Librera based on his expertise as an educational leader, and his two decades of experience as a search consultant, both nationally and within the state of New Jersey. Dr. Librera is a former NJ Commissioner of Education and served as Principal of Columbia High School from 1980-1983, before serving as Superintendent of four different school districts, including Montclair.
Over the next several months, the Board plans to engage in the following search process to hire a Superintendent:
September-October 2018: Development of a Candidate Profile, utilizing inputs from community, parent, and staff. The Board plans to finalize the profile and search criteria by the end of October, and share with the community.
November 2018: Place Advertising for Superintendent position in key publications and outlets.
Winter 2018-2019: Candidate Screening and Interviews, including reviewing resumes, screening and narrowing candidate pool, and conducting interviews of candidates.
Spring 2019: Final Selection of a Superintendent, including reference checks, community engagement and final selection. The Board’s goal is to appoint a new superintendent in Spring 2019.
The Board invites stakeholders to share your input to help the Board define the ideal candidate profile. In order to hear from a wide range of community members, three methods of soliciting input are being utilized:
- An online survey that will remain open through October 11. You can access the survey online by clicking here or via the link on the flyer below.
- Open community meetings, facilitated by Dr. Librera. Please see the flyer below for details.
- Forums for District staff and Columbia High School students to provide input, facilitated by Dr. Librera.
Please consider providing your input, digitally and/or in person. The SOMSD Board of Education looks forward to engaging with the public as it fulfills its most important role – hiring the next Superintendent. The Board will continue to report on the search process as it proceeds.
Columbia High School Students students attend SPHINX Virtuosi Concert 2018!
On Thursday Oct. 11, students from Columbia High School traveled to Carnegie Hall for the 11th Annual Sphinx Virtuosi Concert!
The Sphinx Virtuosi, a self-conducted ensemble of top Black and Latinx soloists, annually tours nationwide to reach new audiences with diverse programming. This year’s program, Music Without Borders, illuminated works by composers from communities searching for harmony and separated by time, distance, hardship, and conflict.
The concert included works by Emmy nominated Syrian-American composer Kareem Roustom, Dmitri Shostakovich, Gaspar Cassadó, and features a newly commissioned work by Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter and composer, Terence Blanchard. Columbia High School students had the opportunity to meet Mr. Blanchard and take a photo together.
Sphinx’s first vocal ensemble, EXIGENCE, made their Carnegie Hall debut as a featured guest artist, joined by pianist and Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient Damien Sneed.
Columbia High School Band Members Play With the U.S. Army Band
On Sunday, September 2, 2018, seven members of the Columbia High School Honors Wind Ensemble had the honor of being invited to perform with the United States Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus at a summer concert presented in Maplewood Memorial Park. The students were invited to perform “America the Beautiful” with the band, and in fact took the place of players from the band who left the stage to make room for the Columbia students to play within the ensemble.
“This was a tremendous honor for our students” said Peter F. Bauer, Director of Bands. “To have the opportunity to play with a world-class ensemble is a memory that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. At this point in their careers it’s all about providing exciting and memorable experiences for all of our students.”
The concert was arranged through the efforts of Andrew Fishman and the Maplewood Office of Cultural 
Affairs, who had solicited the Army Band for several years before being awarded the concert this year.
In addition to playing with the ensemble, Columbia students had the opportunity to meet the conductor of the band, Colonel Jim R. Keene, as well as other members of the band, who graciously gave of their time and expertise to prepare the students for the experience. A large and appreciative audience that had come to enjoy the beautiful weather and wonderful performance by the band cheered with thunderous applause at the conclusion of the student’s performance, making the experience even more memorable. “We are grateful to everyone who had a hand in making this performance happen, and we look forward to hosting the next event with the Army Band in March of 2019.” The United States Army Field Band, a corollary ensemble to the Field Band, will perform at Columbia High School on Friday, March 22, 2019. For more information contact Peter F. Bauer, Director of Bands, at pbauer@nullsomsd.k12.nj.us.
*****
Pictured, above, top left: Columbia High School Honors Wind Ensemble students who participated with the United States Army Field Band: Andre Weinberger, Louise Kern-Kensler, Linsday Camara, Brian da Silva, Poe Rosenberg, Joe Lintern, and Peter Glynn.
Pictured, above right: Louise Kern-Kensler, Lindsay Camara, Poe Rosenberg, Brian da Silva, and Andre Weinberger wait to perform with the US Army Field Band.
Pictured left: Joe Lintern, Poe Rosenberg, Brian da Silva, and Andre Weinberger listened to instructions prior to their performance.
MSU Music Grant Renewed
The Montclair State University John J. Cali School of Music’s Arts Institute Partnership Grant was renewed for a second year! The grant is designed to provide music lesson services to South Orange-Maplewood School District music students.
Last year, the South Orange-Maplewood School District Fine Arts Department and Montclair State University embarked on one of the first ever partnerships of its kind in the State of New Jersey. Via a $30,000 combined grant from the Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation and the Montclair State University Foundation, the John J. Cali School of Music piloted an Arts Institute in South Orange-Maplewood. This included an African-Drumming and Ukulele program at Seth Boyden, during and after school lessons and classes at the middle and high schools, a jazz ensemble residency at Columbia High School, and more — all taught by professors (including members of the NY Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera), as well as Masters students from the school.
As in past year, the grant will provide music instruction enrichment to K-12 music programs of teachers who request support services.
Lesson will be provided during and after the school day.