JULY 2019
3rd graders move full STEAM ahead Get insight into possible careers
the event as all principals and 3rd grade teachers worked together to make it happen. The parents shared their expertise about engineering, communications, robotics, technology, math, product management, art, and music. The common theme touched on is that you need to have a passion for what you do, and to not be afraid of trying new things and making mistakes.
What technology will you invent? When you graduate from high school and college and enter the workforce, how will you prepare for a job title that doesn’t exist today?
Parents sharing their insight were Michael O’Boyle, Jason Rapport, Harsha Meda, Scott Johns, John Rannou, Krishna Srinivasan, and Marc St. Pierre. Companies represented were Princetel, Princeton University, Verizon, Comcast, Digital Atelier, IBM, and Mercer County Computer Service. Additionally, Joaquin Guterriez, 10 yr. old son (5th grade) of Marisol Guterriez, Ben Franklin 3rd grade teacher, demonstrated his DJ skills using his high technology keyboard.
These thought-provoking questions are just a couple seeds planted at our first STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) Career Event held at the end of May. District parents in STEAM fields challenged, informed, and inspired students in each 3rd grade class at all four elementary schools to pursue careers in STEAM. Linda Miller, grades K-3 technology and robotics teacher, coordinated
Boys Tennis Team serves up an historic season - Group II State Champs! Winning the CVC Valley Division title, the Group II Sectional, and overall Group II State Championships made for an historic season for the Lawrence High School Boys Tennis Team. Post Group II play, the Cardinals were one of only six teams in the state that advanced to the Tournament of Champions. Lawrence (5th seed) beat Tenafly (4th seed) 3-2 before losing to Montgomery (1st seed) in the semi-final. Coached by Alex Krajunus, the team finished the season 18-3.
Team: Harshil Bhullar, Sebastian Centeno, Ben Cohen, Paraj Goyal, Abhishek Iyer, Alejandro Jacome, Ronaldo Jacome, Aashik Jagani, Liam Keane, Nikhil Kotta, Akash Kura, Suraj Kura, Ram Laxminarayan, Vishal Madisetti, Sharath Mahadevan, Pankaj Patel, Raj Patel, Aaditya Rajagopalan, Neel Revenkar, Anirudh Tatavarthi, Alex Wolinski
The survey says. . . Answers what we are doing well and on what we should improve
A
t the beginning of March, the district issued a plea to staff, parents, students in grades 4-12, and the Lawrence community at large to give us input about our schools, to inform our ongoing efforts to improve and create excellence for all. Research gathered from the survey will advise us as we begin drafting our new strategic plan in the next school year. To get the feedback, we used a tool called “thoughtexchange.” We launched the exchange with the following question to discover different perspectives and inform our decisions on this important topic: What are some things our schools are doing well and what can we focus on in order to improve? Survey participants totaled 1,275 people who expressed 1,396 thoughts. After a person responded to the survey question, they then were prompted to “rate” others’ responses, as to whether or not, on a scale of 1-5 stars, they agreed with the others’ viewpoints or not. Participants entered 64,166 ratings. (continued page 3)
Take a stroll down Lawrence’s Broadway scene of this past year’s musical offerings. . .
New school year brings building leadership changes As students return to school in September 2019, a visitor to Lawrence Intermediate School (LIS) may find the principal greeting students as they enter the building. Or in the office meeting with a parent. At the same time.
This is possible because, at a special meeting on May 15, 2019, the Lawrence Board of Education (BOE) appointed two principals, Thomas Toohey and Alyson Fischer, to co-lead LIS. Each person will have equal, full responsibilities and final decision-making capabilities The Lawrence High School theater troupe performed of a principal’s administrative position. With a special Mamma Mia! education background, Toohey will have a focus in that area. Fischer will be closely related to general education.
and Athletics. As LHS assistant principal, Fischer led the school’s character education, wellness, and mental health initiatives. As athletic director, she started a Student Leadership Summit, taught bullying and hazing workshops, and led the design committee for the district’s two new turf fields.
With almost 900 students and 121 staff members for Thomas Toohey and Alyson Fischer grades 4-6, LIS is the second largest of seven schools within Lawrence Township Public Schools (LTPS). Fischer holds a BA from The College of Through the end of the 2018-2019 school New Jersey and an MA from Georgian Court year in June, one principal and one assistant University. She is pursuing a doctoral degree principal led the school. at Rider University. Fischer is married and Toohey and Fischer replace LIS principal Cynthia Westhead who retired, effective June 30, 2019.
Lawrence Middle School performers presented Mary Poppins Jr.
Lawrence Intermediate School entertainers performed Alice in Wonderland Jr.
Watch for next year’s productions and join us for lively performances by our talented stars.
LIS’s new administrative structure calls for Toohey to be a liaison for 4th grade, Fischer a liaison for 6th grade, and an assistant principal a liaison for 5th grade. Amy Amiet was the LIS assistant principal. She has a new administrative role within LTPS beginning in the next school year. Thus, the district will post the job opening to fill the LIS assistant principal position. “I have clearly heard from our school and the Lawrence community that more leadership is needed at LIS at such a critical time for our students,” shared Ross Kasun, Lawrence superintendent. “The new LIS administrative structure reflects our commitment to excellence. I understand that there may be concerns and challenges about adding a new administrative position to the budget. However, with a reconfiguration of our administrative structure, we are able to incorporate the changes with no budget increase.” Prior to coming to LTPS in 2011, Fischer taught social studies at Jackson Memorial High School. Until June 30th, she was an assistant principal at Lawrence High School (LHS) and has held the position of LTPS Director of Health, Physical Education,
has three children.
Toohey began his education career at Rumson-Fairhaven Regional High School as a special education and history teacher. His first administrative position began in 2012 in Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, and Henry Hudson as the Tri-District Supervisor of Special Education. Presently, Toohey is the Director of Special Services for the Hazlet Township Public School District where he coordinates instructional, paraprofessional, nursing, related services providers, and child study team services across eight buildings. Toohey holds a BA with a double major in Politics and Economics from Salve Regina University and an MA in Urban Educational Leadership from New Jersey City University. He is pursuing a Doctorate of Educational Leadership at Monmouth University and plans to defend his dissertation in July. Toohey is married and has two sons. Also at their May 15th special meeting, the BOE appointed a third principal for the coming school year. Amy Amiet takes the helm as principal of Eldridge Park School (EPS) as she replaces EPS principal Kathy Robbins who retired June 30th. Amiet’s education career spans 16 years. She has served in Lawrence since 2006 as (continued page 4)
La
rence High’s Class of 2019
What’s next for the graduates? 4 Yr. College
67%
2 Yr. College
22%
Non-U.S. College
.4%
Employment
6%
Military
1%
Other/Unknown
3%
Allegheny College Allen University American University Bates College Berklee College of Music Binghamton University Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Bucks County Community College Caldwell University University of California, Los Angeles Case Western Reserve University The Catholic University of America Clemson University Dickinson College Drew University Elizabethtown College Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus The George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Gettysburg College Goldey-Beacom College University of Hartford Hood College Immaculata University Kean University
Keiser University-West Palm Beach Lehigh University Lincoln University University of Louisville Manhattanville College University of Mary Washington University of Maryland, College Park Mercer County Community College University of Miami Mitchell College Montclair State University Morehouse College University of New Haven New Jersey City University New Jersey Institute of Technology The College of New Jersey Northeastern University Nyack College Ohio Wesleyan University Pace University, New York City Pennsylvania State University University of Pittsburgh Quinnipiac University Ramapo College of New Jersey University of Rhode Island Rhodes College Rice University University of Richmond Rider University Rochester Institute of Technology Rowan College at Gloucester County Rowan University Rutgers University - Camden Rutgers University - New Brunswick Rutgers University - Newark Saint Joseph’s University Savannah College of Art and Design
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia The University of Scranton Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania University of Southern California St. Lawrence University Stevens Institute of Technology Stockton University Susquehanna University Temple University Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico) Vassar College Villanova University University of Washington Wesley College West Virginia University Widener University William Paterson University of New Jersey Xavier University
Plunkett is 1 of 4 in state recognized as a Distinguished Secondary School Teacher (continued from page 1) Survey . . .
Princeton University president Christopher L. Eisgruber (center) congratulates four outstanding New Jersey secondary school teachers. They are (from left) Kevin Killian, Kimberly Dickstein, Petrina Plunkett and Dr. Arun Srivastava (photo by Denise Applewhite) Petrina Plunkett, Lawrence Middle School language arts teacher and literacy coach, is one of four outstanding secondary school teachers in the State of New Jersey to receive the Princeton Prize for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching. She was recognized and honored at Princeton University’s Commencement on June 4, 2019. The four recipients each received $5,000 as well as $3,000 for their school libraries. (continued page 4)
Survey responses fell into the following themes: • Leadership & Staff • Facilities • Curriculum & Extracurricular • Culture • Other (includes areas such as creating good learning environment, offering more challenging work, enforcing procedures and guidelines, providing access to technology early, and meeting needs of individual students) “Substitute coverage” is one of the critical areas noted for improvement with multiple high ratings from all stakeholders. We have already responded to this and have increased the daily pay rate to attract more substitutes and to grow our resources pool. We thank and appreciate those who participated in the exchange. View all survey responses and ratings at https://tinyurl. com/ThoughtexchangeSurveyResults.
Referendum Update Board of Education Kevin Van Hise, Esq., Pres. Dana Drake, Vice Pres. Michele Bowes Jonathan Dauber, Ed.D. Pepper Evans Jo Ann Groeger Michelle King, Ph.D. Cathy LeCompte Joyce Scott
District Mission The mission of the Lawrence Township Public Schools is to foster a community that: • values academic excellence, critical thinking skills, and lifelong learning; • challenges each student to become a responsible citizen of a global society; and • respects different learning styles and adapts instruction accordingly.
Check us out on the Web! www.ltps.org Follow us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/LTPS1/ lists/ltps Online Backpack
As part of the district’s “greening” initiatives, we continue to successfully promote the use of the Online Backpack on the district website. Information from non-profit entities is entered as it is received. Check the site often.
We could begin any day now if we chose to do so. We have not because the half of the materials that have not arrived are the doors! Modular Building Ramps: This project is underway and is anticipated to be completed in July. Some items have already been completed. (This information is an update on the referendum approved by Lawrence voters on January 23, 2018. Periodic updates may be found under Referendum Central on the district website [www.ltps.org].) As of May 31, 2019: Vestibules: Half of the materials necessary for installation are ready.
Amiet earned her BA in Music and her MA in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey. She is married and has two children.
Andrew Zuckerman, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
Thomas Eldridge Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Sean M. Fry
Director of Personnel & Administrative Services
Damian Bariexca
Director of Student Services
Editor
lmueller@ltps.org 609-671-5405 2565 Princeton Pike Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648 Phone: 609-671-5500
Door Access Controls: We will meet with a “Consortium Vendor.” This means this project has already been publicly bid. Air Conditioning: We are still on time and below budget. We
LMS Elevator: This was not supposed to be done until next summer but we’re doing it now. The project may spill into the coming school year. Questions about the referendum should be directed to Tom Eldridge, business administrator, at (609) 671-5420 or teldridge@ltps.org.
the EPS music teacher for nine years and, more recently, as the LIS assistant principal for four. Initiatives she helped lead include character education, which led to LTPS being named a National District of Character, and a grass roots social emotional learning program. Her current focus is on the restorative justice approach to disciplinary practices.
Superintendent
Lana Mueller
Modular Building Siding: We will have to rebid this project. Again.
are wrestling with logistics due to building occupancy and reoccupancy. What this means is that there will be times over the summer when we have to shut power down to buildings. There also will be times when buildings will have to be empty of all staff so that we can conduct asbestos abatement.
(continued from page 2) New leaders . . .
Ross Kasun, Ed.D.
Linda Mithaug
#BetterBuildings4Learning
At their June 12, 2019 meeting, the BOE appointed Dr. Damian Bariexca as a Lawrence High School assistant principal. Bariexca will fill the position vacated by Alyson Fischer as she moves to LIS.
Amy Amiet and Kathy Robbins Bariexca has worked in Lawrence since 2011 when he was hired as a school psychologist at LIS. In 2014 he became Supervisor of Education Technology and Related Arts, overseeing multiple academic departments across the K-12 grade span. Prior to his time in Lawrence, Bariexca served as a school psychologist at North Hunterdon High School and as an English teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, where he began his career in 2000. Over the years, Bariexca has worked as a professional development consultant for the New Jersey Education Association and taught at both the graduate and undergraduate levels at Delaware Valley University.
Bariexca earned his BA in English from The College of New Jersey, his Ed.S. in School Psychology from Rider University, and his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Wilmington University. He is married and has two children.
(continuted from page 3) Plunkett . . . Distinguished teachers are selected from a large pool of nominations from around the state. Ten potential candidates are deemed finalists. The selection process is extensive and involves a site visit to the teacher’s classroom. All finalists “demonstrate a remarkable ability to profoundly influence the lives of their students.” Learn more about this honor and Ms. Plunkett: https://tinyurl. com/PetrinaPlunkett