Monthly Archives: April 2015
Booker Wins State Title, Dow Earns Gold
By Billy Wright, Pennsauken High School Athletic Director
For Martin Booker, Jr., the first sign of possible greatness came in the Washington Township football game last November, when he scooted around the line of scrimmage three times for long touchdown runs. In the sloppy, muddy conditions that day, it was obvious that Martin was the fastest man on the field. When the winter track season began, Martin once again showed his speed, as he won repeatedly in his specialty, the 55 meter dash. But Martin’s latest conquest came at the expense of other NJ Group III competitors, as he raced away with the state championship. The gold medal was the first in school history for a winter track athlete. Martin’s first place finish provided 10 of the 17 points that PHS scored that day, good for fourth place in the team battle.
Waterlines – April 2015
THE MERCHANTVILLE-PENNSAUKEN WATER COMMISSION’S SPRING FLUSHING PROGRAM WILL TAKE PLACE BEGINNING APRIL 12 AND ENDING APRIL 23 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:00 AND 11:00 P.M.
Hydrant flushing is an important element in the continuing program to improve the quality of water in our system. This procedure clears the distribution system of non-harmful sediment that may build up over time. The MPWC schedules hydrant flushing during night hours to create the least impact on our customers.
Properly Disposing Of E-Waste, Community Clean-ups
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
Finally bought that sleek, space-saving flat-screen TV you’ve had your eye on? Like many of our neighbors going through this transition from tube to flat, you’re ready to ask the strongest person you know to help wrestle the awkward and monster-sized tube TV out of your home. STOP! DO NOT PUT THE TV AT THE CURB! Waste Management, your trash collector, WILL NOT take that TVs or other electronics.
Vote The Bolt For New Jersey’s Superhero
By Francis Sinatra, AAP Editor
If you haven’t guessed by now by reading some of the articles I’ve written in my three years as editor of the paper, I’m a bit of a geek. In fact, if you were to stumble into my office by accident – and to be honest, that’s how I get the most of my visitors – you’d think that Avengers Mansion threw up into a disheveled pile of papers, notes and a Doctor Fate paperweight.
Carson Celebrates “Read Across America” Week
In March, Carson School celebrated “Read Across America” with a week’s worth a fun activities designed to fuel students’ excitement for reading. The theme for Carson School’s 2015 reading celebration was, “Reading is a Treasure!”
A special kick-off event featured a pirate play. Teachers Ms. Christina Fessler and Ms. Julie Amer dressed as pirates and performed an entertaining play about two buccaneers squabbling over a lost treasure. The pirates finally opened the treasure chest to reveal a fortune worth its weight in gold: BOOKS!
The students and staff had a great time!
Franklin Celebrates With Students Of The Month
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School celebrated its Students of the Month for February. February’s theme was: “Following Classroom and School Rules.”
February’s Students of the Month were treated to a lunch with Principal Lewis, featuring pizza and juice boxes. During lunchtime, Principal Lewis read the story, “Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon.”
Congratulations to these great students!
Carson Students Show Heart!
During February, kindergarten through fourth grade students showed their support of the annual Jump Rope for Heart Marathon. Students participated in various heart-racing exercises.
Students used hula hoops, jump ropes, relay racing, etc. to show their support for children in need. All the funds raised by the event are donated to the American Heart Association.
Carson participated with enthusiasm and a lot of heart!
Phifer Celebrates Pi Day
Pi Day is an annual celebration commemorating the mathematical constant, which is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. March 14 was chosen as the day to celebrate Pi, since the numerical date, 3/14, represents the first three digits of Pi. The U.S. Representatives have even passed a resolution designating March 14 as National Pi Day.
This year, Pi Day, was extra special because when the date of 3/14/15 was combined with the time of 9:26:53 a.m. or p.m., it matched the first 10 digits of Pi! This is a phenomenon that will not happen again until the year 2115.
Phifer Principal Thomas Honeyman got “pied” in the face by student Madison McCall as part of the school’s celebration of Pi Day. This year, Pi Day fell on 3/14/15; when the time of day was 9:26:53 a.m. or p.m., it matched the first ten digits of Pi.
In honor of this remarkable date, Phifer Middle School math teachers celebrated with “Pi related” activities. The activities included finding the circumference and area of many circular objects and creating Pi bracelets.
In addition, the students at Phifer Middle School were challenged to memorize as many digits of Pi as possible. The student who could memorize the most digits would get to “pie” the principal, Mr. Thomas Honeyman. The third place winner was Kenny Lieur, who memorized 79 digits; the second place winner was Isaiah Norman, who memorized 110 digits; and the first place winner was Madison McCall, who memorized 115 digits!
To see the activities, hear Madison recite 115 digits of Pi or watch Mr. Honeyman get “pied” in the face, check the school’s web page at www.pennsauken.net/school/phifer.html.
Carson Students Enjoy Class Trip To Aquarium
In February, the first grade classes from Carson Elementary School had their class trip to Adventure Aquarium in Camden.
Students first attended a class and learned about land and water habitats; they then had the opportunity to touch horseshoe crabs, stingrays and sharks.
Walking through the aquarium, the students observed sharks swimming right above their heads! Other sea animals such as sea turtles, crabs, sea stars, fish, jellyfish, and sea horses were seen in various tanks throughout the aquarium.
It must have been a lazy day for the hippos, because they were snuggled up sleeping peacefully.
Carson staff would like to give a big thank you to all of the parents who volunteered to chaperone for the trip. The kids had a great time!
Residency For Pennsauken Students An Important Issue
As spring is finally here, the Pennsauken School District is already busy making plans for the upcoming school year. The flurry of activity relating to the preparation for the 2015-2016 school year begins with registration for students. On April 15, 2015, the school district will hold its annual registration event for the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs. Registration for students in other grade levels will continue on a rolling basis throughout the summer.
Each student attending Pennsauken Public Schools must be registered in the district prior to attending school. The purpose of registration is to ensure that each student who is receiving an education in the Pennsauken School District is eligible under district policy and state law.
Discussion of registration often brings to the forefront issues regarding the residency requirements for enrolled students. Residency issues continue to be a topic of concern for members of the Board of Education, school district administration, and the citizens of Pennsauken Township. It is our duty as Board members, in conjunction with the administration, to make certain that we are using the resources of the district to educate the students who are eligible to attend our schools, as defined by state law.
Last year, the Board of Education, in an effort to monitor registration and residency, set aside funds in the annual school budget specifically to address this need. This money is being used to create a centralized registration office, which is currently in development. The funds allocated will also be used to hire additional staff, including a second district investigator who will examine claims regarding students who may be illegally attending our schools.
In addition, after consulting with neighboring school districts and reviewing state law, the Board of Education Policy Committee wrote a new district residency policy and regulation. This mandated policy, entitled Eligibility of Resident/Non-Resident Pupils, was adopted by the Board on July 24, 2014. The residency policy clearly defines, according to state law, who is eligible to attend school in our district. The regulation outlines the procedure that must be followed in order to register children in the district.
The Policy also states that any individual who has fraudulently enrolled a student in the district can be held liable for the tuition associated with educating a student in our district, along with removal of the student from school. Other consequences, including fines, are possible. The penalties associated with fraudulent enrollment can also extend to individuals who fraudulently signed an affidavit swearing that the family lives in Pennsauken. For example, a landlord or a family member who owns a home in Pennsauken and fraudulently claims that the student lives with them, would be subject to this policy as well. All of the penalties, as well as those individuals who can be potentially affected, are clearly defined by NJ State law.
Information pertaining to the details of this policy and regulation can be requested by any Township resident or any individual with an interest in Pennsauken Schools by contacting the Pennsauken Board of Education offices. As with all of our policies currently undergoing review and revision, this policy will be available on the Pennsauken School District website in the near future.
The Pennsauken Board of Education takes residency and registration issues very seriously. While we understand that all children in NJ are entitled to a free, public education, the law is clear that the students must live in or legally be eligible to attend school in the district. We ask that anyone who has suspicion of a residency violation report it to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools. Working together, we can ensure that all children enrolled in our schools are eligible to attend.
Board Bit Of The Month
Did you know… the Pennsauken School District transports over 4,000 students per day?
