'State Of The District' Highlights Moorestown Month In The Moorestown School District

October has been a productive month for the Moorestown Board of Education and the school district, with the State of the District presentation and the review of an exciting facilities use agreement, among other items that were discussed.

The “State of the District” presentation is an annual presentation that summarizes student and district performance, including PARCC scores, areas of strength/weakness, athletics, and extracurricular activities.

Highlights include student performance ranking above both PARCC consortium and New Jersey averages, and that Moorestown was the only school district in Burlington County who did not need to submit student portfolios in order for a student to graduate. A full copy of the report will be available at www.mtps.com.

A presentation was given by “ESF Camps and Experiences.” The entity applied for facility usage to operate a summer camp on the middle school/high school grounds beginning in the summer of 2017.

They currently have 13 institutional partners, including Moorestown Friends School from 1998-2016. Additional information will be conveyed, and another presentation will be given.

You may have noticed 17 policies on the Board’s agenda for final approval in October. It is worth noting that many of these policies entailed only minor updates to reflect changes in state administrative code and/or statute.

However, one change to mention was to Policy 9190 – Community Organizations and Clubs, which now includes district affiliated organizations providing a summary of activities on a yearly basis.

We are excited to report the District received a grant from the Special Olympics of New Jersey for the “Play Unified School Partnership.” This program uses sports and education opportunities to promote inclusion and respect for students both with and without disabilities.

Specifically, it entails providing opportunities for special education and general education students to interact with one another, and to promote positive school climate.

The Board recently put out an official communication piece on advancements in technology and communication in the District. This includes 1,946 Dell Laptops being released for the One-to-One program for students in grades seven to twelve, and the launch of a new website and Facebook page. The complete article can be found here.

Be sure to attend the Moorestown High School’s Fall Play, which is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Remaining performances are October 28th and October 29th at 7:30 pm in the High School Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased online here.

The next regular Board of Education meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 15th at 7 p.m. in the William Allen Middle School Media Center. I encourage you to visit a Board Meeting in the future, and please do not hesitate to reach out in the meantime if you need anything.

The views and content in this column do not necessarily represent those of the Moorestown Board of Education as a whole or any other individual member.

About this column: In this column, Moorestown Board of Education Member Brandon Pugh provides monthly updates on what's going on in the school district and on the BOE.