By Laura Waters
We’re in the home stretch of the 2012-13 school year with the spring state standardized testing behind us, as well as Advanced Placement examinations. Our next milestone: graduations! Middle school 8th graders, our rising Lawrence High School Class of 2018, will celebrate their achievements on Wednesday, June 19, at Rider University.
The Lawrence High School Class of 2013—about 300 strong—will be celebrated on June 18 during a formal graduation ceremony at the Sun National Bank Center with parents, families, teachers, administrators, friends and school board members. Board member Jo Ann Groeger will offer remarks from the board.
The end of the year also marks Lawrence Township Public Schools’ completion of the first year of our participation in the New Jersey Department of Education’s pilot program for newly-rigorous evaluations of principals and supervisors. Only 10 districts were selected for this “honor;” it has been the focus of much hard work, discussion and collaboration across the district.
A few more items: First, congratulations to the Lawrence High School boys’ lacrosse team, the new Colonial Valley Conference Patriot champions! Coaches are Anthony Ammirata and Dan Brennan. Also, LTPS has a new summer enrichment program for rising 6th-9th graders. The courses are intended to emphasize intellectual growth and skill development and include studies of literature, music, art, writing, math, science, technology, health/fitness and social studies. The deadline for enrollment is June 20 and is on a first-come first-served basis. Contact the Intermediate School or the Middle School for information.
Finally, June 4 is the deadline to apply for board candidacy in the upcoming November election. All you need is a petition with 10 signatures and adherence to the conditions of office: literacy, at least one year of Lawrence residency, American citizenship, Lawrence voter registration, no position in another elected office and no claims against the board. This year there are three 3-year seats up for election, and one one-year seat. If you are interested, go online to njsba.org/about/candidacy.
Laura Waters, Ph.D., is president of the Lawrence Township Board of Education. Her email is laurawaters6@gmail.com.
