By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – Two science pilot programs for elementary school pupils have been approved by the Freehold Borough K-8 School District.
During a recent meeting, Board of Education members approved two pilot programs: one from Knowing Science, 3-Dimensional Teaching and Learning, and one from Delta Education, FOSS Next Generation, for science classes to be taught to elementary school pupils at the Park Avenue Elementary School and at the Freehold Learning Center.
Both pilot programs were scheduled to begin this month and will take three to four weeks to complete, according to the board. Officials said both programs are in line with units outlined in the district’s science curriculum and provide materials and resources that are better aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards Science or Next Generation Science Standards.
Knowing Science’s pilot program will cost $1,080. Delta Education’s pilot program will cost $2,643 if purchased. If not, it will cost $240 to ship back the materials from Delta Education’s program, according to the board.
For Knowing Science’s pilot program, the board approved Loretta Miller to teach the program’s first grade Physical Science unit, Nicolina Harker to teach the program’s fourth grade Earth Science unit and Danielle Fekete to teach the program’s fifth grade Earth Science unit.
For Delta Education’s pilot program, the board approved Amanda Simonelli to teach the program’s third grade Water and Climate unit and Diane Dispenza to teach the program’s fifth grade Earth and Sun unit.
In other business, the board passed a resolution authorizing $2 million in temporary notes in anticipation of the issuance of bonds that were authorized by the state commissioner of education in 2016 for a $33 million construction project to expand the district’s schools in order to accommodate a growing student enrollment.