South opening delayed to Sept. 11

The school didn’t receive unit ventilators, which circulate the air in all classrooms, in time.

By: Mae Rhine
   While most area schools will reopen next week, South Hunterdon Regional High School students won’t be going back to classes until Sept. 11.
   The reason is the school didn’t receive what officials termed "essential classroom mechanical equipment," specifically unit ventilators, in time.
   These ventilators provide air circulation, according to new Superintendent Nancy Gartenberg, who replaced former Superintendent Lisa Brady on July 1.
   The equipment was delayed, but now has arrived, she said.
   Providing new ventilators for all classrooms is part of the $20.8 million construction project, approved by voters two years ago, that is in full swing. Major work will continue throughout the school year. Scheduled to be completed this year is a new library, middle school gymnasium, auditorium and classrooms.
   School officials knew there was a chance school could be delayed, but the decision was not made until Aug. 23.
   "Every superintendent has a Plan B," Ms. Gartenberg said.
   Because South is opening four days later than anticipated, school will remain open Jan. 21 for the Martin Luther King holiday, Feb. 15 of Presidents’ weekend — the school still will be closed Monday, Feb. 18 — and April 18, which was scheduled to be a teachers’ in-service day. The fourth day will be made up by pushing the last day of school to June 20.
   Built into the calendar are three snow days so if school isn’t closed because of the weather, South’s last day will be June 17.
   Ms. Gartenberg said students involved in sports received updated practice and game schedules for their coaches. Middle school athletics will begin the first day of school.
   "It’s a little inconvenient, but it will be worth it in the end," she said Monday.
   Also a little inconvenient to some South students will be the start of the random drug testing policy.
   Only those students involved in extracurricular activities and those who drive to school will be subject to the new policy. About five to six students per week will be randomly selected by computer for the test that will be conducted by the school nurse, then verified by an outside lab.
   Across the Delaware River, New Hope-Solebury High School also is experiencing some construction and a new superintendent.
   Raymond J. Boccuti was hired in June and started Aug. 8. and replaced Barbara Burke-Stevenson, who retired.
   Students begin classes with a half day Sept. 4.
   Because of rising enrollment and the space needs of educational programs, the district is constructing a new two-story addition at the high school that will provide seven more classrooms.
   The target date for partial use of the classrooms is March with final completion of the entire addition anticipated for the 2008-09 school year.
   In addition, repairs are under way this summer on the middle school’s air conditioning system.
   On the bright side, families received a letter from the district outlining its new parent portal. It’s designed to make communication between parents and teachers easier and keep parents informed of their children’s progress. Parents will have access 24 hours a day.
   At the lower and upper elementary levels, parents will be able to see their child’s attendance record, report cards and schedule. At the middle school and high school levels, parents will have access to all of the above information plus grades. The district’s goal is to make grades available on the portal within 10 days of an assignment’s due date.
   Lambertville Public School also has a new superintendent, but will see a familiar face when students return to school Sept. 5.
   Dr. Todd Fay, superintendent of West Amwell Elementary School, was hired in June to start work July 1.
   He will spend half his time at Lambertville, the other at West Amwell.
   The school will have two third grades this year instead of only one as it had last year in an effort to keep class sizes smaller.
   At West Amwell, when school reopens Wednesday, Sept. 4, a group of about 30 gifted and talented students will be the first to use new Apple iPods and Macbooks. Only a dozen students at a time will have access to the computers and iPods.
   The goal is to show the correlation between subjects such as science and math and history and literature.
   And students may be walking more when Stockton Public School reopens Wednesday.
   It’s part of the school’s new theme, "Going Green" in which students will work on ways to protect the environment, even if it’s as simple as walking to school rather than burning gasoline to have mom or dad drive them there.
   The school also will have new "Science to Go" kits that are hands-on. The new kits will help students "think like scientists, who are always asking questions and setting up experiments to test those hypotheses," according to Superintendent Suzanne Ivans.
   The school also is gearing up for $542,306 in renovations, approved by voters 124-51 last September.
   The renovation project will include work on the foundation, clapboard siding, ramps and stairs as well as a deteriorating chimney that needs to be removed and attic walls that need strengthening.
   Once the school is able to go out to bid and has building code approval, it hopes work can begin right after school closes next summer.