As the summer comes to a close, the schools in the area are preparing to open its doors for learning and a fresh start with students.
Evesham Township School District
The summer is coming to a close, and students will soon be returning to school. Various changes have been made in the district, including the way math is being taught in the district.
“Our math program is changing this year from Everyday to Math to a program called Math in Focus. It’s still math, but it’s a little different way of teaching and presenting it. It’s used extensively in Singapore and our teachers have received some training and we’ll be applying that to grades kindergarten through seventh grade in Sept. and eighth grade the following year,” said John Scavelli, Jr., superintendent of schools.
Following a budget work in the winter, transportation solutions have helped cut down the budget for the upcoming year.
“We did a lot of our budget work over last winter and anything we had done this winter we have already gone through a lot of. One of the biggest areas is transportation. We reduced the number of routes we used which helped save us money in the budget,” Scavelli said. “As far as what the taxpayers have actually pay for, the cost has gone down the past couple of year, what the taxpayers pay for out of their taxes, and we’ve reduced what we ask for. “
Teachers and staff will be following the state-wide procedure on dealing with bullies and handling all situations that arise, ensuring children’s safety.
“We comply with the law, with the new anti-bullying in effect. When we get a complaint on harassment or bullying take place we review it to see if bullying actually happened, and follow the code of conduct appropriate for the child. It has to be motivated by actual or perceived characteristic for example, race, gender, sexual orientation, if that’s not the motivating factor it doesn’t follow the HIB content and isn’t considered bullying. Just because it doesn’t fall under the code doesn’t mean it isn’t dealt with, all the cases are looked into,” Scavelli said.
Overall, the district is prepared to take on another successful school year and start off on the right foot.
“We look forward to another successful year; we welcome back our students and parents. As always they can visit our website or call the school,” Scavelli said.
Cherokee High School
Cherokee High School received physical changes in addition to curricular changes to the school.
The bleachers were renovated, in addition to an improved school store classroom.
Other cafeteria modifications will be seen on the lunch trays. “My Plate” standards for students will continue to meet the standards.
“We comply with all federal and state standards, we are always expanding healthy food options. We are implementing the USDA “My Plate” five components for each lunch,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carol Birnbohm.
The requirements include, age-appropriate calorie minimums and maximums, larger servings of vegetables and fruits, a wider variety of vegetables, including dark green and red or orange vegetables and legumes. Fat-free or 1 percent milk, flavored milk is fat-free, at least 51 percent whole grains, protein servings at a maximum of 2.4 ounces, a maximum of 10 percent saturated fat and less sodium.
Students can look forward to the return of the One Book, One School, with the reading of The Maze Runner, by James Dashner is available online. And the program and the No Place for Hate program, an initiative created for activities to support all students and allow everyone feel appreciated; will be in effect according to Birnbohm. The fall will also kick-off with new posters highlighting student leaders as “upstanders” and not “bystanders” when witnessing inappropriate or derogatory comments in support of the LRHSD Step Up and ID HIB program.
“The bullying policy was developed to align with the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights of New Jersey. The investigation procedure is meticulously outlined on pages nine, 10, and 11 of the policy. In addition to the policy we have a number of initiatives to fulfill our school district mission encouraging an appreciation for diversity and individual differences creating a school climate conducive to all students,” Birnbohm said.
The 21st Century Learner Pilot will be implemented with iPads featured in the classroom. “Various teachers were trained over the summer on how to incorporate the iPads as they develop 21st Century learning skills,” Birnbohm said.
Additional changes to the curriculum are currently being worked on, and are ready for the upcoming school year.
“We are in year 2 of a 7-year curriculum revision cycle to develop all curriculums using the Understanding by Design model. In 2011 we wrote and received Board of Education approval for 24 different courses. This fall we will be implementing those new curriculums for algebra I, geometry, biology, U.S. history I, and first year world languages, to name a few,” Birnbohm said.
Giving back to the community is important, as well, with numerous projects being implement throughout the district.
“The school district is highly involved in volunteerism and community service. Over the past two years each high school coordinated a Senior Day of Service where senior students are dispatched to over 90 different locations across the eight communities performing some type of community service for that day,” Birnbohm said. “In addition, we collaborated with Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey conducting a clothing drive competition that accumulated over 25,000 pounds of donations and look forward to participating with Goodwill again.”
There are plans to continue focus on programs already in motion in the school.
“Defy the Issue, a drug and alcohol free campaign, continues to be the focus of student-to-student presentations both within our schools and with the middle schools in the eight townships which we serve. Life Squad at Shawnee did a big community presentation already, and will maintain the program with smaller group student presentations,” Birnbohm said.
The first day of classes for Cherokee High School students is Sept. 5. The elementary and middle schools begin Sept. 6.
