When Is Your Back-to-School Night?

I hope that the 2011-12 school year is off to a great start for everyone!

Livingston Board of Education

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

Important Dates

• Back-To-School Night Schedule:

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
• Oct. 6: Coffee Hour for Parents of BSI Math Students in Grades 3-5

District News

• 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 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 has been changed to Sept. 27, 2011. Please read the first edition of the new SEPAC newsletter on the District website here.

• 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.

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.

Staff Achievements

• Heritage Middle School science teacher Ken Zushma has been named educator of the year by the American Society for Civil Engineers, North Jersey Chapter.  He will be honored at the society’s annual dinner Sept. 21, 2011.

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