Updates Archives
An archive for previous updates from 2003 to 2008 will be published soon to this Superintendent's Page.
Superintendent's Updates 2008-2010
June 2010
Superintendent's Update, June 2010May 2010
Superintendent's Update, May 2010April 2010
Superintendent's Update, April 2010 Revised 04.06.2010March 2010
Superintendent's Update, March 2010February 2010
Superintendent's Update, February 2010January 2010
Superintendent's Update, January 2010December 2009
Superintendent's Update, December 2009November 2009
Superintendent's Update, November 2009October 2009
Superintendent's Update, October 2009September 2009
Superintendent's Update, September 2009June 2009
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume VI, Issue 9, June
2009)
Important Notices ...
- Summer Reading Lists are posted on the District Website at www.middletownk12.org.
- High school student internship opportunities within the district‘s summer programs. Applications are on the District Website.
- A limited number of job opportunities for high school students are available through the YMCA to work with the District Facilities Department. Students must meet the free and reduced lunch criteria or have an IEP. Please contact Mr.Gary Laermer, President and CEO of the Community YMCA, at (732) 671-5505, ext.21.
... Have a Wonderful and Safe Summer!
... Congratulations to the Class of 2009!
... Full Day Kindergarten Comes to All Middletown Elementary Schools ... At a widely attended public meeting on June 17, 2009, the announcement was made that full day kindergarten would be implemented in September of 2009 at all of Middletown's elementary schools. ... At the June 17th public meeting, a detailed explanation was provided as to where the funding would come from for the positions that would staff the full day kindergarten classes. ... The full day kindergarten will be one more important opportunity that will allow for appropriate inclusion of students with disabilities, just as students are appropriately included in classes throughout all the grade levels. ... The best and most advantageous part of the plan is that Middletown's kindergarten students will be able to attend full day classes in their home schools. ... The summer will be a busy time for the district, ordering furniture and materials for the new kindergarten classrooms and preparing the staff by offering training for all involved. ...
Read More>>
May 2009
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume VI, Issue 8, May
2009)
Important Dates ...
- Revisions to the YMCA Before and Aftercare Contract will be discussed at the Board of
Education Workshop Meeting on May 20, 2009 at 7:30 pm in the High School North Library
- The Parent Workshop, Substance Abuse and Teens: What Every Parent Needs to Know will be
presented on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 7:00 pm In the High School North Auditorium.
... Thank You, Middletown Community ... The school budget passed by a wide margin ... Vision Screening Program... Middletown Partners with Lions Club for Vision Screening Program .... Tentative YMCA Before and Aftercare Registration Dates for 2009-10 School Year ... Please check www.middletownk12.org for confirmed registration dates. ... Attention Parents of 8th Grade through High School Students ... We would like your children to participate in a very important survey that asks
about their opinions and behaviors related to drugs and alcohol. Reaching Out to Prevent Substance Abuse Among Middletown Teens ... We had a High School student death this year that was drug related....Since the
High School student tragedy, Assistant Superintendent David Healy and I met with all of the district’s
Substance Awareness Coordinators (SAC’s), along with other key district administrators who supervise educational programs and services related to student discipline and to Health and Driver’s Education in the high schools. As a result, we plan to hold a major parent workshop before the year ends, entitled
"Substance Abuse and Teens: What Every Parent Needs to Know". ...
Read More>>
March 2009
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume VI, Issue 7, March
2009)
Important Dates ...
Friday, March 13, 2009 Secondary Progress Reports Issued
Wednesday, March 18, 2009: Board of Education Workshop Meeting
March 19-21, 2009 High School North Spring Musical Performances of ‘Annie’
March 26-28, 2009 High School South Spring Musical Performances of ‘Back to the
80’s’
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 Board of Education Voting Meeting - Public Hearing on
the Budget
April 6 – April 13, 2009 Schools Closed for Spring Recess
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 Schools Reopen
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 Annual School Budget Vote / Board of Education
Elections
Important Notice ...
There will be a public discussion session regarding the proposed 2009-2010
District Budget at the Board of Education Workshop Meeting on March 18, 2009 at
7:30 pm in the High School North Library.
SCHOOL BUDGET VOTE ON APRIL 21, 2009 – POLLS OPEN 4-9 P.M.
... Making the Right Investments: Strategic Use of District Resources Yields
Student Success ... During tough economic times, public school
districts must invest in initiatives that provide solid evidence of their
effectiveness. Middletown has been focusing its efforts on literacy, because
the national research is clear that early intervention in reading is the best
investment a school district can make. ... Addition of Prescription Drugs to the
District Drug Testing Program... The partnership between parents and
the school district is ready to address a new threat to our students’ safety.
Prescription drug abuse is on the rise among American teens. ...
Read More>>
February
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume VI, Issue 6, February
2009)
Important Dates ...
Thursday, February 12, 2009 Elementary Report Cards Issued
Monday, February 16, 2009 District Closed in Observance of Presidents’ Day
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 Secondary Report Cards Issued
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Board of Education Workshop Meeting
(HSN Library)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Board of Education Voting Meeting
(HSN Library) - "Presentation on Adding Prescription Drugs to District Drug and
Alcohol Testing Program"
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 Annual School Budget Vote and Board of Education
Election
Important Date Change ...
Presentation on Adding Prescription Drugs to the District Drug and Alcohol
Testing Program is rescheduled for the February 25, 2009 Board of
Education Voting Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the High School North Library.
... The District Budget and Discretionary Spending ... The school
district administration is working intensely on the preparation of the Proposed
Budget for the 2009-2010 School Year. ... February 9th Staff In-Service
Day... Schools were closed for students on February 9th, but our
teachers and support staff were hard at work perfecting their craft, attending
workshops that were specially designed to meet their needs. ...
Read More>>
January 2009
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume VI, Issue 5, January
2009)
Important Dates ...
Special Education Curriculum Presentations for Parents: Fred Carrigg, Asst.
Superintendent for Accountability
Monday, January 26, 2009 7-9 pm Grades K-5 High
School North Library
Monday, February 2, 2009 7-9 pm Grades 6-8 High
School North Library
Monday, January 19, 2009: District Closed in observance of Martin Luther King’s
Birthday
Wednesday, January 28, 2009: Board of Education Voting Meeting (7:30 pm in the
High School North Library)
Friday, January 30 – Wednesday, February 4, 2009: High School Mid-Term Exams
... Focus for the New Year: High School Reform ... With the NJDOE
launching a major high school reform effort and the Middletown District having
instituted a major renovation of instruction in Kindergarten through grade 8,
there should be no doubt that high school reform would be the next area of
focus. ... Exciting Lessons from New Curriculum Units... The
fourth and fifth grades across the district have been immersed in excitement
and fun as they delve into the new novels that are part of major unit themes.
... Read
More>>
December 2008
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume VI, Issue 4, December
2008)
Important Dates ...
Monday, December 8, 2008: High School South Prom Contract Meeting (6:30 pm in
Library)
Thursday, December 11, 2008: High School North Prom Contract Meeting (7:00 pm
in Library)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008: Board of Education Voting Meeting (7:30 pm in the
High School North Library)
Monday, December 22, 2008: Secondary Progress Reports Issued
Tuesday, December 23, 2008: Early Dismissal; Winter Recess Begins (Schools
Closed through January 2, 2009)
Monday, January 5, 2009: Schools Reopen
... Alternate Bus Stop - Important Option for Working Parents ...
A new policy has been enacted that will allow Middletown parents an important
choice if they are relying upon child care providers to get their children to
and from school. ... Administrative Changes... Two of the
district’s buildings will be undergoing a change in leadership within the next
month: High School South and Nut Swamp Elementary School. ... "Chain of Command"
or How to Appropriately Communicate with School Officials. ... Parents
are often discouraged when they attempt to communicate with central office
dministrators and are sent back to building-based officials in order to resolve
a problem their child may be experiencing in school. To prevent that
frustration, parents can become informed about the Chain of Command”, or where
to begin the communication sequence regarding their child’s problem. ...
Read More>>
November 2008
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume VI, Issue 3, November
2008)
Important Dates ...
Nov. 19 - BOE Workshop Meeting, Abuse of Prescription Drugs, Drug Testing
Program
Nov. 20 - Elementary School Parent Conference
Nov. 24 - BOE Voting Meeting
Nov. 27 and 28th - District Closed for Thanksgiving Recess
... Preschool Expansion Mandate ... The NJ State Department of
Education has issued a mandate that all New Jersey Public Schools must provide
a full day preschool education for income eligible three and four-year-old
children within a five year period. ... LEADS
Public Website ... Parents now have the opportunity to
view the LEADS website that was originally available only to teachers. ... Upcoming
School Events ... "Sweeney Todd", The Pied Piper Wild West Show",
Granny's Attic Craft Fair, Variety Show, "Picasso at Lapin Agile"
(Read More for Details.) ... From Our Students ... The High
School North Environmental SEARCH Club is seeking to raise money to assist one
of our High School North alumni, Kristin Habeck, in her efforts to build a
school in Senegal, West Africa. ...
Read More>>
October 2008
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume VI, Issue 2, October
2008)
Important Dates ...
October 20, 2008: Student Services Parent Meeting on “Fostering Independence
October 20, 2008: Full day In-Service for Teachers – Schools Closed for
Students
November 13, 2008: Presentation for Parents of Students with Special Needs:
“Integrated Therapy” (6:00 p.m. at Bayshore Middle School)
November 19, 2008: Public Hearing on Adding Steroid and Oxycodone Testing BOE
Workshop Meeting (7:30 p.m. at HSN Library)
... Classroom Visitations ... Throughout the first weeks of
school, I spent much of my time visiting classrooms across the district to see
how well our initiatives were progressing. ... Integrated Therapies ...
The Student Services administration is bringing an important and beneficial
initiative to the students in our self-contained special education classrooms.
Integrated therapies, including speech, counseling, occupational and physical
therapies, will be delivered in the classroom whenever students can benefit
from that type of delivery, instead of the previous, pull-out model. ... Middletown
High School North Senior Council Presents ... "Haunted Halls",
Date: Saturday, October 18th 6-10 pm ... Prom Contracts ... When
they receive their children’s report cards in the mail after the end of the
first marking period, high school parents will also receive something else – a
document that describes the important content of the Prom Contract that will be
in effect of the Spring 2009 proms. ...
Read More>>
September 2008
Superintendent's Update
Karen L. Bilbao, Superintendent (Volume 6, Issue 1, September
2008)
Welcome Back! Evaluating Our Progress from 2007-08 ... In order to
know we are on the right track, we need to evaluate the effectiveness of the
programs and services we had in place in the 2007-2008 School Year. ... QSAC –
the Quality Single Accountability Continuum. ... LEADS (Literacy is Essential
to Adolescent evelopment and Success) ... 8th Grade NJ ASK (Assessment of
Skills and Knowledge) ... Assessment Results ... I am very
pleased to announce that significant progress was made in all three middle
schools ... Professional Development ... Over 175 teachers
participated in training in the LEADS initiative this summer during week-long
summer camps. ... The lower elementary grades participated, though their focus
was on the acquisition of early literacy, a model called IDEAL ... Summer
Reading and Math Literacy Program ... The program serviced 93
kindergarten students and 124 first grade students. ... Title One Summer Program
... This program ran for six weeks 80 students. The DRA was used
to assess the students in the area of reading. A system called Learnia was used
to assess the students in mathematics. ...Extended School Year Program ... Our
Extended School Year Program for students with disabilities was a great
success. ...New Memorandum of Agreement between School District and Law
Enforcement Officials ... New legislation has resulted in some
changes in the way the local police will be interacting with school
administrators when it comes to investigating juvenile crimes. ...New
Initiatives for 2008-2009 ... LEADS, IDEAL and our Co-Teaching
Model that were described [earlier] are the major new initiatives ... New books
as well as technology will be in place for the opening of school. ... In order
to insure that all our elementary teachers have support in the implementation
of the new literacy initiatives, the district has completed its plan to have
one reading specialist in every elementary building. ... In the area of world
language ... we will have a new methodology in place for the opening of school
that involves more communication and storytelling. ... In the area of
mathematics, the methodology that has been successfully working in the
elementary and middle schools [student investigation and problem-solving] will
be transitioning to the high schools. ...Middletown Day Celebration, September
27, 2008, 11am - 6pm. ...
Read More>>