Sunday, May 19, 2013
Here's a look at who's new and who's retiring or resigning in the district
Update: At the request of the district, the salaries have been removed from the article and are available in an attachment to this article. As people leave, new faces come in. In the Morris School District, several are retiring or resigning, while others are joining the school community. Here’s a look at who’s going and coming. Incoming: Changes Leaving: The following staff are retiring: Katharyn Flynn, language arts teacher at MHS, is taking a maternity leave from Sept. 9 – 17 with pay and benefits, Sept 18 - Dec. 10 without pay but with benefits and from Dec. 11 – Feb. 3, 2014 without pay nor benefits. If you know one of these staffers, give them a goodbye shout out in the comments section below
40.825614
-74.480164
Morris Plains School District
500 Speedwell Ave, Morris Plains, NJ
/articles/morris-schools-incoming-outgoing-staff
1013027
/locations/9405375
Friday, May 17, 2013
The board also approved eight interdistrict school choice students to the Morris School District
The Morris School Board approved several items earlier this week, including the Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying report for the district and Ell Parental Outreach/Testing, which includes program information and language proficiency development. The professional development plan is in its final year and will be replaced by School Improvement Teams Attendance for 21 non-resident students was approved for the 2013-14 school year: The board also approved eight interdistrict school choice students to the Morris School District for the 2013-14 school year: The board also approved placements and instructional services for students with disabilities includeing those on home instruction, those received by the district and those attending …
40.805262
-74.475897
Lafayette Learning Center, Morris School District
31 Hazel St, Morristown, NJ
/articles/morris-schools-oks-21-non-resident-students
69570
/locations/9397931
A $500 scholarship grant application was also accepted
This past February, local students showed off their skills in the sixth annual Morristown's Got Talent competition as part of a fundraiser for the Morris Educational Foundation. This and other fundraisers make it possible for the MEF to give back to the district through cultural arts programs, scholarships and more. At Monday's school board meeting, MEF and Board of Education member Ann Rhines had good news to share. “MEF gave the children of the Morris School District $95,000 in grants, almost $100,000,” she said. “I want to personally thank … the board and the administration for their continued support. This is the biggest we had so far in contributions to children in the district. I’m very excited about this.” The district also …
40.805262
-74.475897
Lafayette Learning Center, Morris School District
31 Hazel St, Morristown, NJ
/articles/school-foundation-grants-record-amount-to-morris-district
69570
/locations/9396504
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Focus schools have areas for improvement specific to the schools, according to the state's definition.
Two elementary schools in the Morris School District have been named to the state's "Focus School" list, according to the Department of Education (DOE). Normandy Park School and Sussex Avenue School are among 183 schools named as Focus Schools in the state. These two have among the highest within-school gaps, according to the state. Schools with these gaps have a gap of 43.5 percentage points or higher between the highest-performing and lowest-performing subgroups. Focus schools have room for improvement specific to those schools. The state offers "targeted and tailored solutions to meet the school's unique needs," according to the DOE website. Other reasons why schools get named to the Focus list are:
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Annual teachers' convention will be held Nov. 7 and 8 this year.
Students are scheduled to be off for six days in April 2014 for spring break under the 2013-14 calendar approved by the Morris Board of Education last month. Under the new calendars, students will get two days, Feb. 17 and 18, off for winter break. The New Jersey Education Association’s annual convention, which was cancelled last year due to Superstorm Sandy, is scheduled for Nov. 7 and 8 this year. Students will be off for nearly two weeks in December 2014 and January 2015 for winter break. The break will begin Dec. 24 and students will not return to school until Jan. 5. Schools will be closed from April 3 through 10 in 2015 for spring break. To view the 2013-14 schedule click here. To view the 2014-15 schedule click here.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
District looks to expand preschool program by 30 children.
The Morris School District Board of Education approved its preliminary 2013-14 school budget at Monday night's meeting following a presentation from Superintendent Dr. Thomas Ficarra. "This [budget] is up 2 percent [from last year]," he said. "We're happy that we were able to provide the programming we did, that we maintained all the regular school programs without any cuts and still managed to stay at the 2 percent cap." The budget is set at $105,427,066, with $101,721,741 as general fund expenses, $2,642,995 as special revenue and $1,062,330 for debt service. There will be a general fund tax levy of $82,423,847 and a debt service tax levy of $863,548. "If you live in the town, your taxes will actually go down by $67 and if you live in …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Girls cut through yard to avoid allegedly stalking driver on Harrison Street.
Two fifth grade girls cut through a Harrison Street yard and ran to school Wednesday morning to avoid a driver police have labeled as "suspicious" and are seeking information on. The girls told police that they noticed the driver, a white man with a long beard that curls at the bottom, driving a small blue car as they were walking to the Alexander Hamilton School on Harrison Street around 8:45 a.m., according to Det. Capt. Steve Sarinelli. Sarinelli said as the girls slowed their walking, the car also slowed and when the girls began to run, the car sped up. Using the yard as a cut through, the girls were able to get to Mills Street and then safely make it to school, immediately reporting the incident when they arrived around 8:55 a.m. …
Monday, February 18, 2013
Board plans hearing to allow for more members of the public to attend.
The Morris School District Board of Education will hold a public hearing for the district’s 2013-14 budget on March 21. Multiple members noted during the board’s meeting Feb. 11 that the public hearing will occur the same night as the Morristown High School Project Graduation Dinner and Fashion Show, leading to discussion of possibly changing the date. The state Department of Education mandates that districts must have their budget hearings between March 21 and March 28. However, the district’s spring break takes place the week of March 25. Superintendent Dr. Thomas Ficarra advised against moving the presentation to that week because many families might be out of town. Board members also agreed that a Friday night meeting would not be well…
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Two students scores were perfect while 15 students were commended for PSAT achievements.
Two Morristown High School seniors received perfect scores of 2400 in their Scholastic Assessment Tests (SATs) in spring 2012, according to Interim Principal Ethel Minchello. Seniors Brett Harvey and Catherine Wong, who are two of only 360 students nationwide to achieve perfect scores, were among the many high school students honored during a commendation ceremony at Monday’s meeting of the Morris School District Board of Education. Minchello said approximately 1.6 million U.S. students took the SAT in 2012. Although the district has not received any confirmation about this, the principal said it is likely MHS could be the only school nationwide to boast two students with perfect scores. Wong was also commended for her invention of an …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Sixth annual amateur talent event to be held Feb. 27 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.
It's going to sell out. That was Board of Education member Ann Rhines' emphatic statement Monday when she told meeting attendees to buy their tickets to the sixth-annual Morristown's Got Talent talent show right away. Those not wanting to chance it will get their opportunity starting Friday morning, when tickets go on sale to the general public. The show begins at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. Sixteen performances will compete, with three winners receiving prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively. Nearly 100 acts competed in December for a place in the event. Rhines, whose Morris Educational Foundation organizes the annual fundraiser, said this year's performers get early access to tickets and that many have …
Kim Tran
1:49 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
Hi, this list was from the agenda from the last board meeting. There were probably others that were on previous board meeting agendas, which is why they're not listed here. If you'd like, please let us know who else is retiring soon within the district. Thanks more ›