SReaching for Excellence

51 WEST CLIFF STREET � SOMERVILLE, NJ 08876 � (908) 218-4101 � FAX (908) 526-9668 � www.somervillenjk12.org

VOL. 21 NO. 3 SPRING 2012

SOMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICTReview

INSIDE THIS ISSUEINSIDE THIS ISSUE

Budget Highlights . . . . . . . . . 7

Somerville Schools Wireless . . . .2

SHS Consumer Bowl Title . . . . 3

Staff Development Day (continued frompage 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

On March 12, 2012, the faculty and staff of theSomerville Public School district engaged in anall-day staff development in-service centered onintegrating technologyinto instruction andassessment. Thanks tothe good folks at ShakerShopRite, our staff wasgenerously providedwith baked goods,bagels, cream cheese,fruit, coffee, and muchmore all free of charge. The Somerville PublicSchool district would like to deeply thank SakerShopRite for helping to make the day a success!�

THANK YOU SHOPRITEOF SOMERVILLE

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY HELD TO ENCOURAGECOLLABORATION AMONG TEACHERS

omerville Public Schools were closed on March 12th so staff members could partici-pate in the district’s

Staff Development Day.This year, the new Macplatform was imple-mented to leveragetechnology applica-tions and develop com-puter-based assessmentprojects. A wide rangeof topics was offeredfor teachers in grades3-12, such as VoiceThread: DigitalStorytelling, WebQuests, OnlineCollaboration:Wikis/Blogs,PowerPoint: TalkingBooks, and DigitalPortfolio: Web Pages/Google Apps. Staff mem-

bers collaborated in cross-curricular and cross-grade groups to create interdisciplinary assess-

ments that willenhance studentperformance.

Kindergartenthrough secondgrade teachers metto focus on the newstate guidelines outlining earlychildhood educa-tion. Susan Bruderfrom the NewJersey Departmentof Education visitedVDV to assist thestaff members inunderstanding thechanges and how toimplement them in

their daily instruction.

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(continued on page 5)

SOMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT REVIEW SPRING 2012 2

he Department of Technology and 21st

Century Education has “lit-up” (turned on)WiFi for Van Derveer Elementary School andSomerville Middle School. All three districtschools are now wireless, as Somerville HighSchool was alreadywireless. Theinstallation took hundreds ofman hours of work but the bene-fit to the students will be dra-matic and immediate.

Along with the wireless proj-ect, the upgrade to our districtnetwork has been completed.

Students, faculty, andstaff can now connectto the Internet at speedsapproaching 100 mb/s. To put that intonon-techie terms, that is almost 20 times as fast

as the average home Internetconnection! The networkupgrade, combined with theWiFi installation, will allow forthe full potential of our teachersand students without the con-straints of wires and slowspeeds.�

WIFI FOR EVERYONE!

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SOMERSET COUNTY STUDENTS EXPERIENCE GOVERNMENT WORK FIRSTHANDStudents from towns across Somerset Countyparticipated in the county’s “4-H Careers &County Government Day,” an event jointly coor-dinated by the Somerset County Board ofFreeholders and the 4-H Youth DevelopmentProgram of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension.Students shadowedcounty employees asthey went about theirdaily duties in more thana dozen divisions of gov-ernment. SomervilleMiddle School students,Kayla Vuoso and SeanKelly, followed SomersetCounty assistant prose-cutors, Robert Hawkes,Merrill Mezzacappa, andAnnemarie Mueller, onscheduled tours of thecourthouse, the county’s forensic labs inHillsborough, and the police academy inBranchburg. As part of Kayla and Sean’s socialstudies project, they had to write an essay andthe information was used to assign them toshadow different types of employees. Theywere responsible for follow-up reports based onwhat they learned.

Kayla and Sean, who expressed interest inbecoming attorneys, became noticeably excitedas they stepped into the chambers of veteranSuperior County Judge Paul W. Armstrong andmore impressed as he started talking to them.Judge Armstrong stated, “You know you have to

do well in school, youhave to do well in col-lege, and you have to dowell in law school just toget a foot in the door asan attorney or prosecu-tor.” Judge Armstrongexplained to the middleschool students, “That’sseven more years ofschool after graduatinghigh school.”

Freeholder DirectorPeter S. Palmer stated,“The day gave all the stu-

dents from around the county in grades 6, 7,and 8 an opportunity to learn firsthand aboutthe many services, programs, and activitiesoffered by the county and helps them make real-istic career choices as they personally explorethe skills and education needed to work in aparticular field.”�

SOMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT REVIEW SPRING 2012 3SHS SECURES 9TH CONSECUTIVE CONSUMER BOWL TITLE

ongratulations to Mr. Schmeltz and the

Consumer Bowl Team fortheir 9th consecutive SomersetCounty Consumer BowlChampionship victory!

Somerville High School againwas named county champion forthe 9th consecutive year and rep-resent Somerset County in thecentral regional semi-finals onApril 1st in Monmouth County.

The central region includesHunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex,Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset,and Union counties. The statefinals will be held in the spring.

An announcement of theiraccomplishment was posted inThe Messenger-Gazette.�

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Pictured L-R are Brendan Davis, Shai Horowitz, ChristinaDzwonczyk, Christopher Rubin, Nicholas Nugent, and AdvisorMr. Michael Schmeltz, SHS Teacher.

SHS CHEERLEADERS PLACE 3RDIN NATIONAL COMPETITION

omerville High School’s cheerleader competition team placed 3rd at the Reach the Beach National

Championship in Ocean City, Marylandon Saturday, February 25th under thedirection of Ms. Tarvin and Ms. Moore. This was the highest placement of anySomerville team since they began tocompete in these competitions over thepast few years. Congratulations to thecheerleaders’ hard work and dedicationthroughout the entire season. Way to gocheerleaders!�

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Pictured front row L-R are Hayley Packer, Dana Stickel, EmilyMulton, Ardenn Stolz, Melissa Tavares, Mariah Madrazo, PaigeDurrant, and Mackenzie Nolan. Back row L-R are Brittany Lief,Sydney Ventolo, Zoey Russomano, Brie Sanchez, RebeccaGold, Chelsea Kaplan, Andre Lackey, Adelina LaVecchia, andFrankie-Lynn Bertelli.

SOMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT REVIEW SPRING 2012 4

March 1st marked the opening of registrationfor the 2012-2013 school year at the SomervillePreschool. Children who will cele-brate their fourth birthday beforeOctober 2012 and are residents ofSomerville are eligible to register.Our program is a research-basedlearning experience for ouryoungest scholars that provide stu-dents with the opportunity togrow through exploration. Ourprogram is aligned with the 2009New Jersey Core CurriculumContent Standards, the Preschool Standards ofQuality, and the HighScope™ curriculum.

Articulation with theVan Derveer School admin-

istration and teaching staffensures that our students are pre-pared for the experiences they willenjoy in kindergarten and beyond.This quality educational experienceis offered free of cost by experi-enced professionals in the field ofearly childhood education. Pleasevisit our website at www.somervil-lenjk12.org to learn more or call 908-218-4106. We look forward to the

partnership with parents we form at the pre-school to make learning exciting and fun!�

PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION FOR 2012-2013 HAS BEGUN

February 15th marked the launching date forthe “Put it Down” initiative that is being pro-moted by the Somerset County Prosecutor’sOffice. The initiative is aimed at promoting amessage of prevention of textingwhile driving.The entireSomerville

High Schoolstudent body viewed a

10-minute video that was providedby the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office atthe conclusion of the assembly and all juniors

and seniors signed a“Put it Down” pledgeto recognize their commit-ment to not text while driving.However, this is a message that applies to every

driver. Distracted driving hasemerged as one of

the mostfrequentcauses ofautomobileaccidentsamongteenagers. SHSfully endorsesthe message ofpreventing dis-tracted driv-ing, so whenyou arebehind thewheel pleasePUT ITDOWN! �

SHS STUDENTS PLEDGE TO “PUT IT DOWN”

SOMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT REVIEW SPRING 2012 5(continued from page 1)

Staff were given the opportunity to see first-hand as colleagues Kathy Petrill and NancyKishbaugh demonstrated some of the new tech-niques they learned as participants in a pilotprogram focusing on kindergarten guidelines.

At the preschool level, teachers were instructed in the HighScope™ curriculum bycertified trainer, Karalyn Huey. The focus was

on constructing small-group activities to sup-port literacy and address the individual needs ofall students through the application of scaffold-ed instructional strategies. This staff development day provided a greatopportunity for staff members across the dis-trict to learn from one another and allowed theteachers to pause and reflect on how to bestmeet the needs of young children.�

SOMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT REVIEW SPRING 2012 6

PRESCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

t the recent March 27, 2012 Board of Education meeting, superintendent of

schools, Dr. Timothy J. Purnell, along withschool business administrator/Board secretary,Mr. Bryan Boyce, and director of technology,Mr. Jason Solomon, presented the PreliminarySchool Budget for the 2012-2013 school year.

The presentation focused on the goals andobjectives set forth by the Board of Education’sFinance Committee and the district administra-tion. The following is a list of the goals andobjectives presented:• Provide instructional resources sufficient to

maintain support for all existing programs and services.

• Provide a level of service to meet the stan-dard established by the No Child Left Behind mandate for all the subgroup popu-lations.

• Provide funding for all the ongoing capital improvement programs to upgrade facilitiesas outlined in the Long Range Facility and Maintenance Plans.

• Provide funding to support the ongoing replacement and expansion of technology

as noted in the district’s Three Year Technology Plan.

• Maintain the structural integrity of the budgeting process by not over-relying on fund balances or other one-time revenues tosupport recurring expenses.

• Maintain taxpayer trust with a budget plan that provides for long-term property tax rate stability.

• Provide resources necessary to achieve goals included in Year 2 of the District Strategic Plan.

Additional highlights included:• Increase General and Special Education

Staff• Capital Projects: Van Derveer School

Addition and Renovation of Somerville HighSchool Boys and Girls Locker Rooms

• Continue Responsible Technology Support• Increase Professional Development• Increase General Fund Levy by 1.2%

For additional information on the specificaspects of the proposed budget, please visit Dr. Purnell’s podcast on the district website.�

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS FOR2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR

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Exploring sites thatengage and delight them,

preschool students eagerly apply their budding technology

skills to the use of their classroom iPads. Fromcolor recognition to

writing the letters of the alphabet and identifying animals, numbers, and

shapes, these new deviceshave added an exciting

activity to our preschoolers’ days.

*Branchburg Board of Education Representative

SOMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT REVIEW SPRING 2012

Van Derveer Elementary School...........................................218-4105Grades K–5 — Susan Haynes, Principal

Somerville Middle School..........................................................218-4107Grades 6–8 — Georgette Boulegeris, Principal

Somerville High School ..............................................................218-4108Grades 9–12 — Corey J. Jones, Principal

Dr. Timothy J. Purnell, Superintendent of Schools.....................218-4101

Mr. Al Kerestes, President

Ms. Linda Olsen, Vice President

Mr. James Adamec

Mr. Norman Chin

Mr. Kenneth Cornell

Mrs. Michelle Edgar

Mr. Dennis Garot

Mr. Peter Lawton

Mr. John Prudente

*Mrs. Melissa Looby

2011-2012 Board Of Education Members

Questions? Suggestions?Call the Somerville Schools HOTLINE at 908 243-1598.

Guaranteed Response Within 24 Hours.

SReaching for Excellence

51 WEST CLIFF STREET � SOMERVILLE, NJ 08876 � (908) 218-4101 � FAX (908) 526-9668 � www.somervillenjk12.org

VOL. 21 NO. 3 SPRING 2012

SOMERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICTReview

District Policies Available On Website

Parents/guardians can accessdistrict policies on

the district website atwww.somervillenjk12.org.

Amendments to the district’spolicies are subject to periodicchanges required by the State

of New Jersey and will be posted on the

district’s website.

f you have not yet visited the district website, you will be delighted to find that it

contains a wealth of information about theSomerville Public School district.

In addition to such features as the school calendar, updates from the Board of Education,and greetings from each school principal, awide range of offerings distinguish this technological tool. Access to curriculum maps,upcoming events in all schools, special

information for parents/guardians, and resourcelinks combine to keep all shareholders in thecommunity informed and up-to-date about thehappenings in our schools.

Whatever your question, the website can pro-vide you with the tools to find an answer.

Visit the website atwww.somervillenjk12.org

to be in the know! �

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Active kids aren’t just healthier; they get high-er grades. A study of 80,000 kids from theDelaware Department of Education andNemours Health & Prevention Services foundthat students who performed better on fitnesstests also scored higher academically andbehaved better in school. So “encourage kidsto be active, “says Robin Brenna, DrPH, manag-er of evaluation and research at Nemours. Even10 minutes outdoors can enhance theirhealth.”�

TAKE IT OUTSIDE

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