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Quick Notes
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Parent University
If you've ever wondered what the state's Common Core Standards had to do with our curriculum, or how you might support your child better at home, please join us at the district's Learning Center, 354 Mount Laurel Road, on January 16. Our Curriculum Supervisors will host a free Parent University from 9:30 to 11:30. Come and learn about our Language Arts and Math curriculum and get your questions answered. If you can't make it in person, watch our website for details on how to watch from your home or office via live-streaming.
Trains and Buses ...
Our district transportation center was moving trains along with buses this holiday season. Driver Jim Errico dressed-up the office with a holiday village and working train to the delight of drivers and visitors. Help For Sandy HookMount Laurel Schools participated in two efforts supporting students and their families following the tragic shooting in the Connecticut elementary school on December 14. Many of our students made hearts with special messages for the Hearts of Hope Program that collected artwork for homes, businesses and public buildings in Newtown. Other students and staff added to the Snowflake Project, which decorated the new school attended by Sandy Hook students for the remainder of the school year with hand-made snowflake messages.
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  Upcoming Dates:
January 16
Parent University
9:30 - 11:30
The Learning Center
January 21
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
School Closed
January 29
Second Marking
Period Ends
February 8
Teacher In-service
Early Dismissal
February 18
Presidents' Day
School closed
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Springville students Juliana Goffredo, Jenna Peak, Ava Dougherty, John Fioravanti, Samantha Rosado, Rebecca Cui, Nicholas Aube, Tekie Clark, Jaedon McClendon, Eliot Day, Aidan Bregman, Dylan Siegel, Madeline Skoritoski, Nicole Renna, Anthony Celona, Allison Bierly, and Christophe Boivin assisted with the Breakfast Buddy Project. Breakfast Buddies Aid Shore Neighbors
Collecting for a good cause is nothing new for students in Mount Laurel, so when Springville students were callled upon to help gather food for the Barnegat Food Pantry, Principal Dr. Gailen Mitchell and School Counselor Michael Sansone discussed ways to make the effort more meaningful.
"We didn't want students to come in and drop a can o f food in a bin and not think about what children in areas impacted by Superstorm Sandy might be experiencing," says Dr. Mitchell.Thus was born the Breakfast Buddies Program at Springville School. Mr. Sansone visited classrooms during Morning Meeting throughout December and shared lessons on empathy. He enlisted the help of students in not only gathering breakfast foods for the Pantry, but also in creating personal notes or "hands" that would go out to families in Barnegat to offer additional support. Springville families also conducted a warm hat and mitten drive as part of the effort for delivery to shore areas prior to the holidays.
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Larchmont Serves As Pilot Test SiteBeginning on January 14, the cafeteria line will form much earlier than usual. As a matter of fact, when school opens its doors on that day, the first menu of the day will be cereal, fruit juice and milk.
Larchmont will be the test site for Mount Laurel Schools' new breakfast program. From 8:30 to 9 a.m., students will be able to purchase breakfast each school day in the cafeteria.
According to Superintendent Dr. Antoinette Rath, at some point in the future, all school districts will be mandated to provide breakfast to students. Studies show that children who eat breakfast are better prepared to take on the academic challenges of the day. "But it's a huge undertaking," said Dr. Rath. "Serving one meal a day to over four thousand students is a job our cafeteria service handles amazingly well. I have no doubt they will do the same with two meals, but we wanted to phase in the program as a pilot first to reduce disruption." The cost of breakfast is $1.25, with appropriate reductions for those eligible for free and reduced pricing. Those families using Lunchbox may deposit breakfast funds in the same manner as lunch money and it will be drawn as it is used.
A date has not yet been set for the program to expand to other schools.
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Fleetwood Helps Beach Haven SchoolIt only took several days of seashell necklace sales and school-wide Candygrams to raise $12,000 at Fleetwood School before the holidays. Students and staff worked furiously to raise the funds to benefit Beach Haven School, a Pre-K to Grade 6 school on Long Beach Island that was devastated by Superstorm Sandy. The 100-year-old building is currently being rebuit, and students are attending the Eagleswood School on Route 9 in the interim. 
Students Taylor Brown, Ciarra Reed, Kayleigh Henry, Ricky Tesoroand Jacob Denize with former teachers Trish Hirschfield and Beverly Reitenger and fund-drive advisor Carrie Siwiec.
Former Fleetwood Teacher Beverly Reitenger volunteers at the Beach Haven School and reached out to her former colleagues for help in raising money to assist
with the work and also to provide stuffed toys for the 70 Beach Haven students, most of whom also lost their homes in the flooding. |
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Harrington Team Takes Math Honors
Two teams of students from Harrington Middle School took top honors in a regional Math Competition at Holy Cross High School on December 12. Competing for the first time, Harrington's 7th-grade team came in third place in the team competition and the 8th-grade team came in second place. In the individual competition, student Megan Quimby took second-place honors and Saransh Chopra earned a third-place finish.
Overall, seven of Harrington's team members were included in the top 16 students in the Individual Final Competition, out of over 200 competitors. In Team finals, Harrington comprised two of the three teams in final competition, with more than 50 teams in the field. Harrington's seventh and eighth-grade teams were accompanied by advisers Brandi Petrunis and Beverly Fitzpatrick.
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