Dates to Know at Livingston Public Schools

Livingston Board of Education

The Livingston Board of Education will  hold a Workshop/Voting meeting on October 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Livingston High School auditorium.

Important Dates

• Sept. 27, 2011: SEPAC meeting
• Sept. 29 and 30: Schools and offices closed, Rosh Hashanah
• Oct. 6: Coffee Hour for Parents of BSI Math Students in Grades 3-5
• Oct. 19-21: Elementary School conferences, partial school day

District News

• Please be aware that when receiving calls from Livingston Public Schools, the name may not display on your phone at this time. We are working on getting this situation resolved as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience. Livingston Public Schools has also installed a new phone system. Please listen to the prompt before pressing an extension number. Callers must now hit the pound sign # before an extension number including the LPS Call For Safety Program.

• The LPS Grading and Reporting Handbook for staff, students and parents has been revised and is available here Grading and Reporting Handbook.  The section on assessment feedback for students and parents was changed; please see pages 3 and 4.

• The Livingston Public Schools 2011-2012 Code of Conduct is now available on the District website at www.Livingston.org. Please review the Code of Conduct with your child and note changes in the school procedures, weapons, harassment, intimidation and bullying and substance abuse sections.

• Keeping up-to-date records for your child or children on STARS is very important. If you have not done so already, please update your information for the 2011-12 school year immediately.

• The members of the SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Committee) would like to make sure that all parents of students with disabilities know how to contact the student’s home school SEPAC representative. If you have any questions regarding the navigation of the special education system, please contact your SEPAC representative.  A new representative list for the 2011-12 school year is now up on the website.  Please refer to the Livingston Public Schools website for a list or click here http://www.livingston.org/Page/393.

Also, please note that the date of the next SEPAC meeting is Sept. 27, 2011. Please read the first edition of the new SEPAC newsletter on the District website at http://www.livingston.org/cms/lib4/NJ01000562/Centricity/Domain/39/Newsletter%201.pdf.

• The Parents of students in the grades 3-5 Basic Skills Instruction Program for Mathematics are invited to a “Coffee Hour” Oct. 6 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the media center at Hillside Elementary School, 98 Belmont Dr.  The BSI Teachers and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Mary Oates will discuss the goals and purpose of the program. The Basic Skills Instruction program offers students supplemental instruction in either Language Arts Literacy or Mathematics. Instruction and support are provided in the basic concepts and skills that students need in order to be successful in their classroom.

• Mount Pleasant Middle School students are participating in a new character education program that is based on the four pillars : caring, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness. “We want to make Mt. Pleasant Middle School a great place to learn not only academics, but good personal character in Livingston and for the rest of your life,” said Principal Debra Ostrowski. The principal and other staff introduced the program to students at a special assembly earlier this month and then talked to students in more detail about the four pillars during advisory. For a full press release on the program, click here http://www.livingston.org/Page/11376.

 Student Achievements

• LHS senior Alan Sun, a violist, successfully auditioned and performed as a member of the National Music Educator’s National Conference High School Honors Orchestra on June 26 at the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center in Washington D.C.  This is a very prestigious accomplishment since students must compete against thousands of musicians from across the country to be selected. The musician must first audition and be selected for the North Jersey Region Orchestra, the New Jersey All State Orchestra and then the  All-Eastern Orchestra before they can audition for the National High School Honors Orchestra.

 Community Opportunities

• The Livingston PPEC will host a workshop on Basic Rights for Special Education Oct. 5  at 7 p.m. at the Livingston High School Media Center. The program will be led by Nicole Spratt of the Statewide Parents Advocacy Network (SPAN).  The workshop will help parents  identify goals for their children, learn laws and advocacy strategies and help children reach these goals. For information, contact DeeDee Pulver, PPEC president  at dee.bar@verizon.net. Registration is required. http://bressex2011-eorg.eventbrite.com/

• The Saint Barnabas Health Care System will offer free screenings for young athletes on Saturday, Oct. 1st from 8 a.m. to noon at the Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center, 200 South Orange Ave., Livingston. Athletes ages 6 to 18 can make an appointment for a free cardiac  screening while athletes ages 12 and up can make an appointment for a concussion screening. Registration is required. To register and schedule an appointment time, call (888) 724-7123, then press prompt #4.

• Rainbows, a support group for children who have suffered a significant loss in their lives, either through death, divorce or other painful transitions, will begin its 10-week fall session on Monday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. beginning Oct. 3. The peer support group is guided by caring, trained adults. For information, call the NCJW, Center for Women at (973) 994-4994. This program is free.

• The West Essex YMCA would like to welcome all seventh graders to take advantage of free membership. The Y offers this free program to help young people understand the importance of exercise and fitness during early adolescence. Come visit the West Essex YMCA and register your seventh grader for a free one-year membership. (A parent or guardian must register the child in person.) The Y is located at 321 South Livingston Ave., Livingston. For information, call (973) 992-7680 or visit www.westessexymca.org.

• The Livingston Education Foundation hopes to bring Livingston Public Schools, alumni and the community together with its Second Annual Homecoming Weekend Oct. 14-Oct. 16 which will include the Hall of Fame dinner.  The LEF will honor five LHS alumni at the dinner and also recognize five retired Livingston educators for their efforts towards the creation and success of the LHS Hall of Fame and present them with LEAD Awards. For more information and dinner invitation form, visit www.livingston.org/lef or e-mail lef@livingston.org. Proceeds from the dinner will support Technology for the 21^st Century Classroom in Livingston Public Schools.

• The U.S.-China Cultural and Art Exchange Center of Guizhou will present The Winds of Colorful Guizhou, a large song and dance performing show focused on the culture, art and daily life of Guizhou, China Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. at the State Theater, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. The center would like to donate performance tickets to the Livingston Public Schools community. For information or free tickets, contact Gary Han at garyh@sunels@yahoo.com.

• The Livingston Youth and Community Services (LYCS) program is accepting registration for LYCS Leaders for 2011-2012 school year. Registration is ongoing throughout the school year, and classes start in October through May, with end of year parties in June. New for 2012 will be LYCS Young Leaders (grade 2) which will teach age-appropriate social and leadership skills. Classes include Leaders (for grades 3-5) after-school program at the Elementary schools, and evening programs (5:30-7:00 pm) at Monmouth Court Community Center for Grade 5 Leaders, Peer Leaders (for grades 6-8), and Peer to Peer (for grades 9-12). Registration is through the Township of Livingston: Senior, Youth, and Leisure Services. For more information visit www.livingstonlycs.org or email: lycs@livingston.org.

• The JCC MetroWest Kids Club is accepting registration for its year-round after-school program open to Livingston Public Schools students in grades K-5. The JCC Metrowest offers transportation from all Livingston Elementary Schools and their location on Northfield Avenue in West Orange. For information, call (973) 530-3490, e-mail kidsclub@jccmetrowest.org  or visit http://www.jccmetrowest.org/kidsclub.

Allison Freeman is the Interim Manager, Communications and Community Outreach, for Livingston Public Schools.