By: Nicole Taylor
WEST AMWELL – The impending school year at West Amwell Elementary brings many changes from a renovated building to completely new grade level, according to Superintendent Tony DeCanzio.
Students and parents can look forward to a new addition to the school, teachers and new programs.
One of the first things that students will encounter when the school opens Sept. 11 is its fresh look. Construction on the building began June 17 and will culminate in an addition to the school as well as the renovation of the current building.
"We are getting a new heating system, a new electrical system and new plumbing," Mr. DeCanzio said. "The classrooms are all painted and have all new floors, new lighting and new ceilings."
Mr. DeCanzio said the bathrooms were completely gutted and redone as well.
"Renovations to the existing building will be finished by Sept. 11, and the addition will be completed by the beginning of November," he said.
The two-classroom addition is being constructed at the back of the building, Mr. DeCanzio said. It will be used for kindergarten classes.
"It has been 55 years since anything significant has been done to the building," he said. "We felt it was more than ready to be renovated."
The first day of school will be later than it was in previous years because of construction. The school will make up the lost days with a shorter spring vacation.
Children in kindergarten through the third grade will be starting the McGraw Hill Program, which is a new math program. Mr. DeCanzio described it as a necessary blend of traditional math schools with "new math."
"We chose it because we felt that it was a good combination of modern math, yet it still had its basis in children learning how to calculate," he said. "We wanted them to learn good old adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. We wanted a good balance."
Third- through sixth-graders also can look forward to continuing Spanish classes, Mr. DeCanzio said.
There also will be four new teachers.
"We have hired a new librarian, Martha Kubik; a new computer teacher, Katie Spencer; a resource room teacher, Michelle Magalio; and a new speech teacher, Leslie McKensie," Mr. DeCanzio said.
West Amwell also will offer preschool classes for children with special needs. Children ages 3 through 5 who are referred to the school by other preschools, parents or Hunterdon Medical Center may be eligible for the program.
Mr. DeCanzio said the children who are eligible are "usually children with speech, language or other obvious delays that could be addressed before they come to kindergarten."
He explained, "We saw a need for it. We wanted to bring children we have had to send out of the district back into the district. We’d get to know them a lot sooner than when they enter kindergarten."
Three children are enrolled in the program so far. The students will be taught by Loren Merring, who will work half-time with the preschool class and half-time in the resource center and newly hired speech teacher, Ms. McKensie.
Parents are supportive of the new program, Mr. DeCanzio said.
"Parents are happy that their children will no longer be getting on buses, traveling long distances at a preschool age," he said. "They are also happy that their children will get the opportunity to attend school with kids from their neighborhood."
