Welcome Back to a New School Year

Welcome back to a new school year! I hope that everyone had a wonderful summer and is excited to learn!

Livingston Board of Education

The Livingston Board of Education will hold a Workshop/Voting meeting on September 12^th at 7:30 p.m. in the Livingston High School auditorium.

Important Dates

• Back-To-School Night Schedule:

Sept. 13, 2011: Mt. Pleasant Middle School

Sept. 14, 2011: Heritage Middle School

Sept. 15, 2011: Livingston High School

Sept. 20, 2011: Riker Hill and Harrison Elementary Schools

Sept. 21, 2011: Collins and Hillside Elementary Schools

Sept. 22, 2011: Burnet Hill and Mount Pleasant Elementary Schools

• Sept. 27, 2011: SEPAC meeting
• Sept. 29 and 30: Schools and offices closed, Rosh Hashanah

Construction Update

• on the middle school auditoriums, a few remaining  bathroom renovations, the new elevators at Harrison and Hillside elementary schools and an elevator lift at Riker Hill School. Phase two, work on the individual classrooms, is now under way with a completion date for all of the work on target for the Summer of 2012. The $55.9 million facility upgrade, of which $22.4 million will be funded by state aid, brings energy efficiency, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and air conditioning to all schools. The upgrade also includes new windows, electrical writing, doors and Automatic Temperature Control Systems.

District News

• Livingston Public Schools for the new school year Aug. 31. Highlights included a special presentation by Livingston Superintendent of Schools Brad Draeger who highlighted the District’s impressive test scores, presented a video of new staff introductions and a photo montage presentation documenting the summer’s construction. An encore of the presentation is scheduled for the Sept. 12, 2011 board meeting.

• The Livingston Public Schools has 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. The section on assessment feedback for students and parents was changed; please see pages 3 and 4.

• The Livingston Board of Education amended the School District’s 2011-2012 calendar in July. For the latest version, visit www.Livingston.org.

• 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 has been changed to Sept. 27, 2011.

 Community

• 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. 14-16 . Please mark your calendars and visit www.livingston.org/lef for more information. The foundation is also looking for volunteers for the weekend. If you are interested, e-mail lef@livingston.org.

• The Livingston Chinese School is accepting registration for the Fall 2011 semester with classes beginning Sept. 1¹  for children ages 4 and up. Classes are available in Mandarin, for students in pre-school through grade 9 and Cantonese, for students in preschool to grade 6. The Livingston Chinese School is a non-profit organization established in 1983 to promote and advance the diverse cultural heritage of the Chinese community in Livingston and its surrounding communities. For information, visit www.livingstonchineseschool.org or e-mail livingstonchineseschool@yahoo.com or leave a message at (973) 433-6658.

• 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.

• Livingston Cub Scout Pack 59 will have an informational presentation and accept registration for new scouts on Thursday Sept. 22  at 7 p.m. at St. Peter’s Church on Mt. Pleasant Avenue. Boys in grades first through fifth grades are invited to attend. For information, visit www.pack59livingston.org. For information, visit www.pack59livingston.org.

• The Recycling and Reclamation Committee will hold an electronics recycling day Saturday Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Senior/Community Center at 204 Hillside Ave. Items that will be accepted include TVs,, VDRs, DVDs, rechargeable batteries, stereo equipment, computers and associates cables etc. Household paper shredding will also be offered. For information, visit www.livingstonnj.org, email sfersh@juno.com or call (973) 533-1341.

• The Livingston Green Team and the Clean Communities Program in conjunction with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension will host a “Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop,” on Thursday, Sept. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Senior/Community Center at 204 Hillside Ave. Amy Rowe, the Environmental and Resource Management  Agent for Essex and Passaic counties, will lead the program on how participants can build a barrel and install it properly at their homes. The registration deadline for the workshop is Sept. 14. For information, e-mail rresky@livingstonnj.org.

• The Senior, Youth & Leisure Services (SYLS) “Shining Star” Sports League: A League for Exceptional Children,  designed for children with special needs, will accept registration for its fall soccer program through Sept. 16th  at noon. The program is open to residents and non-residents, ages 5 to 16,  and will run Saturdays from Sept. 17th to Nov. 6th at the Monmouth Court Community Center. The SYLS is also accepting registration for Shining Star Basketball, which begins Nov. 19. Other programs to be offered include floor hockey and t-ball/baseball. The fee is $75 per sport. To register, visit http://livingstonsyls.org or enroll at the SYLS office at the Livingston Senior/Community Center, 204 Hillside Avenue, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, including program qualifications, and volunteer signup (training will be provided), contact SYLS Adaptive Recreation Coordinator Mark Silance at (973) 535-7925 ext. 267 or email msilance@livingstonnj.org.

• The Livingston League of Women Voters will host a debate on “Charter Schools and Traditional Public Schools: Can They Coexist?” Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Livingston Community Center, 204 Hillside Ave. The free public program will feature speakers Dr. Julia Sass Rubin, founder of Save Our Schools, and Carlos Perez of the New Jersey Charter Schools Association.

Have a wonderful week! E-news is now back weekly with the new school year.