MARLBORO — The incessant buzzing of an alarm clock on the morning of Sept. 4 will mark the start of a new school year for nearly 6,100 children who attend the Marlboro K-8 School District.
Students and parents can expect to see some new additions in various places throughout the district.
Superintendent of Schools David Abbott said enrollment has remained flat for a third straight year. The district is at enrollment capacity, with all classrooms being used throughout the district’s eight schools.
Marlboro’s five elementary schools had their gym floors refinished over the summer. In addition to a smooth, new surface, the PTA or PTO at each school donated money to have the school’s mascot or emblem painted in the center of the gym floor.
Students at the Marlboro Middle School, Route 520, will find new lockers lining the hallways.
At the Frank Defino Central School, Route 79, the front office will be reconfigured to enhance security. Replacements for the school’s 40-year-old classroom modules that are substandard are being looked into.
Security upgrades have been made around the district. The installation of digital closed circuit television cameras has been completed, providing views of the inside and outside all schools. The video feed is accessible by building administrators and central office administrators, and in the future it will be accessible to the Marlboro Police Department.
Abbott said this upgrade was largely funded by a federal COPS grant and also through shared funding between the municipality and the Board of Education.
The Marlboro Middle School will have a new entrance constructed to provide increased safety at what is the district’s largest school, the superintendent said. Because work on this project will be continuing as students arrive for school on Sept. 4, Abbott said a new entryway will be used to keep children safe from the construction zone. The enhanced entry is expected to be completed by the end of November.
Within the district’s classrooms will be a new math series for grades K-6. New pacing guides for math and language arts for all district students will also be present. Fifty additional whiteboards/Activboards will be in place across the district. Administrators said these boards provide a fun, interactive learning experience for the pupils.
A new Internet Web site has been designed for the school district. The site provides enhanced communication internally and externally. Interactivity between a visitor and the site will gradually be introduced, according to district officials. The Web site can be viewed at www.marlboro. k12.nj.us.
A new Web-based student information system (SIS) has also been introduced. This new system was needed when some components of the old system would no longer be supported, according to administrators.
With a new grading system that will be in place, staff have been receiving training. The new system will eventually make it possible for parents to access test and grade information in real time via the district’s Web site. Electronic report cards will also be used across the district by the end of the 2008-09 school year.