By Clare Marie Celano
Correspondent
The student population in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District will remain constant from 2015-16 at slightly more than 5,000 pupils during the 2016-17 school year. Students in the K-8 district returned to class on Sept. 6
Superintendent of Schools John J. Marciante Jr. said 2016-17 marks the third year of the district’s full-day kindergarten program. There are 15 full-day kindergarten classes at the John I. Dawes Early Learning Center (ELC).
The ELC, which is adjacent to the Clark Mills School, Gordons Corner Road, is also home to a full-day and a half-day program for preschool students who have a disability.
“We have 11 additional kindergarten classes outside the ELC; four at Clark Mills School, four at Milford Brook School and three at Taylor Mills School,” Marciante said. “We were able to expand to a full-day kindergarten program without building any additional spaces by using all of the available classroom space in our elementary buildings. When we went to full-day kindergarten, I increased my usage of space significantly to accommodate full-day kindergarten.”
An update on a change that was made seven years ago which placed all of the district’s sixth-graders in the Pine Brook School revealed the model is working well, according to the superintendent.
“Overall, the plan is working very well since we restructured it. It has been very successful,” Marciante said. “The adjustment from elementary school to Pine Brook is difficult. … (The adjustment) includes content specialists and changing classes. … Students going into (seventh grade at the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School) are doing well and are more prepared. They are used to secondary instruction, changing classes and content specialists. (One school for all of the district’s sixth-graders) has been a very successful model,” he said.
The new school year will bring technology curriculum upgrades, including a coding curriculum for pupils in grades three through five. The curriculum will expand to the sixth, seventh and eighth grades in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The curriculum involves writing programs and taking the learning to a greater depth.
The K-6 science curriculum has been upgraded to integrate new state standards.
Another “exciting” technology upgrade, according to Marciante, is a program at the middle school called Z Space.
“We are really excited about Z Space, which provides students with a virtual reality 3-D experience in the laboratory,” he said. “Using goggles, students will see things in a way they could not do before. They will see it in a real life environment. The students are going to love it. They will be learning with a format they are familiar with, similar to their video games.”
Marciante said the Z Space program could expand to the sixth grade in the future.
Another technology update is Maker Spaces, which is a creative space that allows students to learn and challenge themselves by doing coding programming, building models or using a 3-D printer.
“We are also using Lego Mindstorm now with support provided by the Foundation for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools,” he said.
This program was introduced to sixth-graders in 2015-16 and has now been expanded to grades one through five.
“This has been very successful. Representatives of other districts have come in to observe our model,” the superintendent said.
Also new this year is a guidance curriculum which includes the creation of a fourth grade portfolio.
“Students will meet with guidance counselors to develop a portfolio. They will talk about their educational goals and what they are trying to accomplish in school. The teachers will help students create the portfolio online.” Marciante said. “They will keep the portfolio for the next five years. When they graduate (from eighth grade), they will have it with them as part of their resume. I am very excited about the new program. It will give them a sense of ownership in their education.”
Capital improvements for 2016-17 include a new parking lot with 30 spaces at the Lafayette Mills School and a significant upgrade of the electrical system at the Milford Brook School.
During the summer the water in the school district was tested for lead and results determined the water is safe to drink, according to the superintendent.
“We had the entire district tested at end of June,” Marciante said. “We had 150 samplings of water fountains, sinks, etc. We had to replace five water appliances. Our water appliances were remediated and lead filters were put in place. I am confident all the water is safe for our children to drink and I feel very good about that.”
