District Information Guide - South Brunswick Public Schools

enthusiasm of the youngest members; and to build a mutual respect. We currentlypartner with the South Brunswick Offi ce of Aging, the Senior Center, and the Aging inPlace Partnership (AIPP). Programming spans the year with events running Novemberthrough June. The programs are differentiated in order to appeal to varied interests of thesenior community and to meet the needs of the schools.Experiences range from the more passive such as audience members or viewers to opportunitiesfor active participation: to give feedback, serve as judges, sample foods, providecommentary, serve as listeners and readers, provide volunteer services in the classroomsand libraries, be interviewed, attend socials, lectures and academies, and sharebackgrounds and talents. In the past year, our 6th Annual Day with the Characters drewnearly 200 residents.Additionally, staff members from all walks of curricular life have reached out to thesenior population with some targeted projects such as the Living Legacies VeteransProject which connected the two cohorts, young and old, in a prolonged exchange ofstories about serving in the armed forces. The end result, a series of monologues, wasstudent performed at the Senior Center and is now being published for use in the District’scurriculum. For further information on intergenerational partnerships, contact theOffice of Aging at www.SBTNJ.net, or AIPP at www.AgingInPlacePARTNERSHIP.org.South Brunswick ReadsAmong the District’s many collaborations with the South Brunswick Public Libraryis the community-wide reading program called South Brunswick Reads. The schoollibrarians and the public librarians began with the simple idea that a sense of“community unity” could be built as parents, students and staff together read the samebook at the same time, and then got together to talk about it. Similar “one-book, onecommunity”reading programs have been popping up in recent years all across thecountry as a novel approach to improved literacy for all generations. In 2010-2011, theDistrict read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum and in 2011-2012 the titlewas The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The theme for 2012-2013 is “South Brunswick Reads Fairy Tales: Told, Retold and Twisted.” Further detailswill be announced in Fall 2012 when once again, participants will be invited to readthe tales and participate in various events related to the reading experience. The program’swiki, a simple, interactive web page, will be open to blog entries and will alsobe the place to fi nd related events. Find it at southbrunswickreads.pbworks.com.SUDZ (Stop Underage Drinking Zone)The Stop Underage Drinking Zone (SUDZ) was initiated by parents and is a partnershipof South Brunswick Township agencies, schools and community members whose missionis to prevent alcohol use by anyone under the age of 21. SUDZ provides informationand materials on prevention strategies. Anyone who is concerned about underagedrinking is encouraged to become involved with the initiative. For information, please callSouth Brunswick Township (732) 329-4000, Ext. 7237.“Building “Success Tomorrow, is a Choice” Today”14School Safety/SecurityThe School District has security/safety procedures and protocols established to maintaina safe and caring learning environment. These procedures and protocols keep students,staff and visiting community members safe and secure. Among some of the safeguardsare the following: security cameras, visitor sign-in procedures, a District staff identificationsystem, secure building access, bus evacuation drills (twice a year), fire drills (oncea month) and security drills (once a month).All District schools maintain secure access to their buildings anytime students arepresent in the building. All schools have camera and buzzer entry systems, whichmonitors visitors’ access to the facility and helps ensure the safety of our students,staff and community. Visitors sign-in and areissued temporary ID badges to help distinguishall persons in our schools at all times.The recently enacted school security drillstatute requires schools to hold one schoolsecurity drill each month. The exercises assist topractice procedures that respond to an emergencysituation including, but not limited to, a non-fireevacuation, lockdown, or active shooter situationand that is similar in duration to a fi re drill.Standardized Testing/Student AssessmentAll New Jersey public school districts arerequired to administer achievement testsdeveloped by the New Jersey Departmentof Education. In 2012-2013, New Jerseystudents in Grades 3 to 8 and in Grade 11will be tested in Literacy and in Mathematics.Literacy and Math assessments areStudent: Swetha PolaTeacher: Gayle MihalkoCrossroads North Middle Schoolused to measure the success of our schools on the standards set by theFederal “No Child Left Behind Act.” Students in Grades 4 and 8 are also tested in Science.Success on the “High School Proficiency Assessment” (HSPA) determines whether ornot a student receives a standard New Jersey high school diploma. All New Jersey highschool students must pass the HSPA in either the junior or senior year to qualify for thatdiploma.Additionally, The New Jersey Department of Education now requires that high schoolstudents take the New Jersey Biology Competency Test.