Students across the Middletown Township Public School District are showing up in full color this fall, matching the bright hues of the leaves around them by participating in their schools’ annual color run activities. These community bonding events bring students, staff and family members to campus for a bit of fun and physical activity. Check out some of the best and brightest photos from recent color runs at Fairview, Lincroft and River Plaza elementary schools.

Art of the Week

Our artwork of the week comes from Lauren Dorazio, a High School North student in Mrs. Tabitha Pedone’s Fine Arts 1 class.

This pencil drawing on sketch paper blurs the lines between fall’s natural vegetation, like the growth of pumpkins, apples, gourds and mushrooms, and the cultivation of a healthy community.

With sustained attention and nurturing our MTPS community garden will continue to flourish. Thank you to Lauren for this wonderfully inspirational work.

Pup of the Week

Our MTPS Pup of the Week is Kona, the friendly and fuzz companion of Ms. Jennifer Denman, a Chemistry educator at High School South.

In this photos, Kona is sporting the crest of their favorite high school marching band, the High School South Screaming Eagles, who will showcase their full ensemble this Friday, Oct. 28 when the Eagles football program hosts Cherry Hill in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV Tournament. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. with performances by the Screaming Eagles Marching Band to follow.

This space is dedicated to the promotion of mental health resources in our schools and local community. Please refer to the district site for a comprehensive list of resources: Mental Health & Community Resources

Mental health supports for students and adults are listed below and available to the MTPS community. When classes are is in session, your student's guidance counselor is available to provide support during regular school hours. 

• Perform Care/Children’s Mobile Response (24 hours) 1-877-652 -7624
• Monmouth Medical Center-Psychiatric Emergency Screening  Services (PESS)  732-923-6999
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988   The national 3 digit call line  for Crisis and Suicide Prevention
• 2nd Floor Youth Hotline
• 888-222-2228 Talk Line
• 908-280-0235 Text Line
• Trevor Project  1-866-488-7386
• Crisis Text Line  741741

Our Lion Cub preschoolers in Ms. Ellen Tully’s classroom tied the upcoming Halloween holiday into their group reading this week by diving into the tale of Pumpkin Jack, a nonfiction story written and illustrated by children’s and science fiction author Will Hubbell. The story guides students through the life cycle of a jack-o-lantern, from growth, to being carved for Halloween, and eventually helping to cultivate new plant life in the author’s garden. To create a more authentic and engaging experience with this lesson, students are conducting an experiment in their classroom by placing their own jack-o-lantern in a controlled indoor environment, where they will observe and report on its natural developments. We can’t wait to read the findings of these Lion Cub Scientists.

Earlier this week, first grade students in Mrs. Stacy Frazee’s Navesink Elementary School class published the narrative stories they have been developing in class.

After the students completed several drafts and revisions of their work, the final pieces were ready to be bound and have their cover art work designed. Once the works were ready to be presented, these first grade authors met with their friends in Navesink’s kindergarten classroom to share what they had written.

Authentic learning and assessment experiences like this can help students create deeper meaning and make strides toward the mastery of integral skills during their MTPS learning journey. Keep up the wonderful work! 

The Middletown Township Public School District would like to extend our most sincere thank you to the Middletown Township Fire Department for visiting with our students, and sharing with them crucial information about fire safety and prevention. The Department is composed of 11 individual fire companies and serves the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey. It also boasts the distinction of being the largest all-volunteer fire department in the world. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit the MTFD's official website.

In the spring, 11th-grade students participated in the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) administration to measure the extent to which students are graduation ready in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The ELA component of the NJGPA assessed student graduation readiness based on grade 10 standards. The mathematics component of the NJGPA assessed student graduation readiness based on Algebra I and Geometry standards. There is no graduation assessment requirement for any student who is expected to graduate with the class of 2023. Students in the class of 2023 must still meet all the other State and local graduation requirements, including but not limited to credit, curriculum, and attendance requirements.

High School North and High School South guidance departments are mailing home students’ NJGPA Individual Student Reports (ISRs) this week. Whereas the results of the NJGPA will not be used as a prerequisite for graduation, the results shown on the ISR can be helpful in determining potential areas of focus for this school year. We are committed to supporting students during their high school experience, which includes providing opportunities and support to assist them with mastering the knowledge and skills necessary for success after graduation.

The fall season is in full swing on campuses across the Middletown Township Public School District. School are communities coming together to enjoy a variety of festive frights and delights while our educators work to deliver engaging themed lessons. Check out some of the best photos from our fall festivals, spook-taculars, High School North’s annual Haunted Woods event, and more.

Fashion and Home Decor students in Mrs. Meaghan Hanson’s class recently worked through the process of planning and designing an interior concept. As part of the lesson, students were prompted to develop a tangible element of their design and collaborate with High School North educators to create desk-organizer containers from recyclable materials.

The skills learned in this semester course are valuable to the career-minded individuals enrolled in the class, but the practical application of those skills is an exemplary model of authentic learning and assessment that helps establish deeper understanding and content mastery.

Learn more about the Fashion and Home Decor course and the variety of Career and Consumer Science courses offered in the district by visiting the MTPS Course Selection Website.