By MARK VILLANUEVA, Moorestown Board of Education member
In this column, Moorestown Board of Education Members, Mark Villanueva and Maurice Weeks provide monthly updates on what’s going on in the school district and on the BOE.
Along with the hustle and bustle of gearing up for the holidays, both November and December bring two important elections for the Moorestown Board of Education. The general election will be on Nov. 5, and three seats for the Board of Education are up for grabs. On Dec. 10, a special election will be held for a proposed $26 million bond referendum for construction at the Moorestown school buildings. Please pay close attention to your voting locations, as the Dec. 10 special election may be held in locations other than your usual polling site. Also, while polls for the Nov. 5 election will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., voting for the referendum will be restricted to 2 to 8 p.m. Please get out to vote!
November also brings several school closures during the teachers’ convention on Nov. 7-8. This year, the Department of Parks and Recreation is providing a number of activities on those dates, including indoor sports, board games and cooking. So if you are looking for fun activities for your kids during those days off of school, check out the department’s “School’s Off – Rec’s On” program at www.moorestownrec.com.
At the Oct. 15 meeting of the Moorestown Board of Education, Carole Butler, director of curriculum and instruction, provided a comprehensive annual review of the state of district. In short, we have much to be proud of in our schools, thanks to the hard work of our administrators, teachers, parents and most importantly, students. And the student representatives at the meeting, Ashrit Verma, Cara Petrycki, Claire Hurren, and Lucas Megill, reported on the admirable charitable initiatives of the student body as well as their preparations for spirit week.
At the October meeting, the board also heard from elementary school teachers Mark Ambrosino, Hannah Vaksman, Christina Hargrove, and Rosemary Anderson regarding use of an iPad in an elementary educational setting. While “iPad time” is often associated with games and leisure, our teachers explored ways in which this technology may be utilized to advance learning. While parents may have reservations about additional screen time, it is clear that use of iPads or similar technology can have real educational and social benefits. Just by way of example, students were quick to engage in mathematics and interacted with each other by “liking” or commenting on the work of others. In some instances, students that were typically less vocal in the classroom became more expressive in both their electronic communications as well as their face-to-face interactions with peers. It was a wonderful presentation, and we thank all involved in the pilot program.
Please come out to our next meeting on Nov. 19 or reach out to us regarding any board-related questions you may have. And don’t forget to vote on Nov. 5 for the school board election and Dec. 10 for – or against – the $26 million bond referendum.
The views and content in this column do not necessarily represent those of the Moorestown Board of Education as a whole or any other individual member.
