The Transportation and Learning Center on Mount Laurel Road became the Margaret L. Haynes Center on December 16 during formal dedication ceremonies. Margaret Haynes has served as a Mount Laurel Board of Education Member for the past 34 years.
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Center Dedicated to Margaret L. Haynes
The district's Transportation and Learning Center on Mount Laurel Road was formally dedicated to long-time Board of Education Member Margaret L. Haynes on December 16. Haynes has been a member of the board consistently since 1981, and has served in nearly every capacity in terms of leadership and committee work. Dedication of the center in her honor marks the first time in district history that a board member has been so honored. The Thomas Harrington Middle School and the Hattie Britt Board Building were both named for former staff members, but no such honor has ever been bestowed upon a board member.
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PARCC Test Window Open From March 2 Through March 27
This year, students in Grade 3-8 in Mount Laurel Schools will take a new mandatory state test to assess their skills. The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Test has been adopted by the State of New Jersey to replace the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK). In development since 2010, PARCC was administered here last year under field-test conditions, but will this year establish achievement and performance levels. While the mid-year testing window is open from March 2 through March 27, individual students will test only a small portion of that time. The state estimates "time on task" as approximately 4.5 hours in third-grade and 5.5 hours for students in Grades 4-8. The end-of-year testing window for the same students will open from April 27 through May 22. Students will be tested in Language Arts and Math in both sessions. The NJ ASK Test will still be used for Science, and will be administered to fourth and eighth-graders only on April 27 and 28. Learn more about PARCC here. |
Board Reorganizes: New Officers Selected for 2015
The Mount Laurel Board of Education reorganized for the new year on January 6, making traditional annual appointments and setting meeting dates. As the first order of business, Maureen Sojka was elected by fellow board members to serve as Board President for the year, and Marc Jones was chosen as Vice President. Board Members Diane Blair, Chris Dickson and Margaret Haynes took the oath of office, having been elected to new three-year terms of office in November's election. Annual appointments such as district treasurer, auditor, board solicitor, architect, purchasing agent and board secretary were approved. The complete meeting agenda with exhibits is available here. The board will continue to hold two meetings per month, as a matter of cou rse. The agenda will be reviewed and discussed, and presentations made, at the work session. Action will follow at the regular monthly meeting. In general, the work-session will be held on the third Tuesday of each month, followed by the regular session on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Some months, that schedule will change, so please refer to our online calendar for specific dates, times and locations of all board meetings. That calendar may be found here.
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Extended Kindergarten Option Available for Next Year
The Extended Kindergarten Option (EKO) Program which began last September will continue during the 2015 school year. Students who are enrolled in Mount Laurel Schools' Kindergarten classes are eligible to register for before or after-school EKO sessions at the schools they attend. This program is administered through our Community Education Department, and is a tuition-based offering. Registration for the new program will be open on a first come, first serve basis . Registration forms are available here and must be mailed or hand-delivered to our EDC Office at 436 Masonville Road with the non-refundable registration fee of $75. Learn more about our popular EKO Program for Kindergarten students here.
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