PRINCETON AREA: New programs, technology at schools this year

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   It’s that time of year again when Staples stores have been depleted, backpacks are being stocked with No. 2 pencils and kids are scrambling to finish their summer reading assignments.
   Once again summer is coming to an end, prompting kids to trade in their beach towels for textbooks in preparation for their first day back to school.But students aren’t the only ones prepping for the 2012-2013 school year.
   Teachers, staff and administrations in the Princeton, Montgomery and West Windsor-Plainsboro districts are also getting ready for the upcoming school year and they have plenty of new ideas, programs and improvements to offer their incoming students.
   ”First days are filled with excitement and promise for our families, our educators and most importantly, our students,” said Princeton Superintendent Judy Wilson. “At Princeton Public Schools, we are once again ready to capture that excitement and fulfill the promise of an excellent education for all students.”
   Princeton Public Schools has been in back-to-school mode since summer. While some may have been at the shore, the district had hundreds of students who came to participate in workshops, seminars and course work. Fall athletes are already back on the fields and the district’s 33 new faculty members have finished their orientation sessions and are ready for the incoming students.
   And when they open their doors this Thursday, they will be welcoming a record number of freshmen and pre-kindergarten classes. About 375 students will make up the class of 2016 and the additional pre-kindergartners will require two more sections to be added this year – one this September and one in January of 2013.
   Students can expect to see plenty of new course offerings, such as another level of Mandarin and a STEM robotics class in the middle school and organic chemistry in the high school. Some elementary classes will be participating in a new spelling program called “Words Their Way,” a hands-on approach that includes spelling, phonics and vocabulary instruction. Board member Bonnie Lehet said full implementation of this program is slated for the 2013-2014 school year.
   Elementary school students will also be learning to read based on the Teacher’s College Reading workshop model, which places value on words and the process of reading. Under this model, these students will have opportunities to read texts, learn reading skills and talk and write responses to what they are reading.
   Due to its success, the district will be incorporating the Student Investigative Project, a hands-on inquiry approach to science, to its entire elementary curriculum. Pupils in grades 3 to 5 will be picking a study topic, developing questions, gathering background information, developing a method of experimentation, completing their research model and reporting their results via a poster presentation.
   The district’s students and teachers will also be going into the new school year with access to hundreds of new computers and iPads, thanks to the Princeton Education Foundation and the elementary PTOs.
   Faculty and staff will be working to meet new state requirements for evaluation as well as preparing for the district’s referendum on Sept. 24, which will ask the community to vote on $10.9 million in proposed capital projects.
   Ms. Wilson encouraged residents to vote on Sept. 24 and to get more information at www.princetonk12.org, the district’s revamped website.”Please check out our new logo and redesigned website as we open for the first time in decades as Princeton Public Schools ready to serve students of a consolidated Princeton and Cranbury exceptionally well,” said Ms. Wilson.
   West Windsor-Plainsboro
   In the West Windsor-Plainsboro district, Superintendent Victoria Kniewel emphasized that they will continue to focus on student performance and achievement in a cost-effective manner. She explained they are able to foster excellent teaching and learning through the “21st Century Competencies,” a set of educational objectives that include communication, collaboration and innovative and practical problem solving.
   This year, the district is focusing on information literacy by giving every third grade classroom in the district a Smart Board, an interactive touch computer screen. Through these Smart Boards, students will be creating tutorial videos, teachers can make tutorial movies and all lessons will be captured so students can go back and have immediate access to notes and video clips.
   First graders, high schoolers and students in special education will also be using iPads, which were funded through the district budget and Education Foundation grants. These iPads will be shown on classroom projectors and feature wireless capabilities. This allows teachers to walk freely around the room with the iPad and capture all student work and lesson exercises on the projector for the whole class to see.
   But the district’s “21st Century Competencies” don’t just apply to the students.
   ”It’s for all administrators and teachers so all of us are continuing to learn and grow together in how we describe excellent teaching and learning, how we measure it and how we track student progress to make sure it’s making a difference,” said Ms. Kniewel.
   Montgomery
   The Montgomery School District is diving into the new school year with a new superintendent, Nancy Gartenberg, who headed her first board meeting on Aug. 28.
   Ms. Gartenberg has been busy getting acquainted with the district this summer and said one of her goals for her first month is to officially meet and talk with all of the district’s vice principals and supervisors.
   At the board meeting, Ms. Gartenberg added the district will be adhering to the new tenure law that goes into effect this year and that she is currently discussing what type of partnerships can be formed between the district and Sustainable Montgomery.
   Board member Annie Michaelson said Village Elementary School would be getting new camera systems and that all the classrooms would be using dry erase boards.
   The Upper Middle School relocated its office to make the building more welcoming and the new security system at the high school is still under construction.
   Whether through new programs, new technologies or a new superintendent, the Princeton, Montgomery and West Windsor-Plainsboro school districts are all jumping into the school year with a full plate, high expectations and a mission to make this year even better than the last.