Personal Best Week events at Matawan-Aberdeen schools

ABERDEEN — Parents of Special People (POSP), a parent-run nonprofit serving the special needs community, and the Special Education Parent Advisory Group for the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District (MARSD) will sponsor a weeklong series of events to celebrate POSP’s sixth annual Personal Best Week.

Held in cooperation with the Matawan- Aberdeen School District, Township of Aberdeen and Borough of Matawan, the annual Personal Best Week highlights the accomplishments of students receiving special education services, educators, families and community heroes.

The week will kick off with a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser and the third annual Art Auction on May 19, 1-4 p.m., at Cliffwood VFW Post 4745, 699 Cliffwood Ave. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12 and senior citizens, and are available by emailing [email protected] or by contacting the POSP building liaison.

At 7 p.m. May 20 in the Matawan Regional High School (MRHS) cafeteria, the MARSD Board of Education, Matawan Mayor Paul Buccellato and Aberdeen Mayor Fred Tagliarini will declare May 20- 24 as Personal Best Week. Representatives of the school board, township and borough will join Parents of Special People in honoring the Husky Special Olympians, essay contest winners, peer mentor buddies and POSP’s Community Heroes, Mr. and Mrs. Schutzer of the Hobby Shop in Aberdeen. A video presentation of the Challenger League programs that are new this year at MRHS will also be shown.

The week continues with the opening of gallery walks at Matawan Borough Town Hall on May 21 at, 6 p.m. and at the Aberdeen Township Municipal Building on May 23 at 6 p.m. On display will be the academic, artistic and inclusionary pieces of students’ “Personal Best,” whether it is an achieved goal such as a second-grader getting a 100 on a spelling test or detailed reports, works of art and personal triumphs in children’s lives.

Each school within the district will participate with specific events by displaying banners; developing class projects and assemblies about inclusion and tolerance; library displays and readings about accomplished people who happen to have disabilities; the sixth annual Essay Contest; Flowers of Appreciation for each special educator, paraprofessional, aide, support staff and administrator; Pajama Day; Ribbon Awareness fundraising events benefiting the existing programs POSP supports, including the Husky Special Olympic teams, Challenger League and educational workshops for parents and educators; and the new goal of developing social-skills groups to help children become independent, employable and contributing members of the community.

For more information, visit parentsofspecialpeopleinc.com or email [email protected].