Haddonfield Public Schools looks forward to 2017

The Haddonfield school district is just about halfway through the school year, so things are not slowing down for the new year, but ramping up.

One big thing on everyone’s mind in 2017 is last year’s $35.3 million bond referendum. Haddonfield went out for referendum to update its facilities, and all parts of the referendum were approved by voters.

Superintendent Richard Perry said there have been no new updates or information, but the school district is anticipating to go out to bid around February. Major projects are anticipated to begin in the spring and the summer.

For the whole district, HPS is aiming to move to a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Arts-based approach in its educational philosophy, over STEM.

“According to experts of arts-based learning, the arts hold a great potential to foster creativity and new ways of thinking that can help unleash STEM innovation,” Perry said.

To this end, a task force will explore ways in which the arts can be utilized to remove barriers to learning, increase interest in STEM, build partnerships among school districts and maximize opportunities for students.

“In my role as superintendent, I will lead a school district task force … The task force will discuss and analyze information collected to evaluate existing programs in an effort to identify ways to expand the arts into the curriculum,” Perry said.

The work of the task force for the rest of this school year will culminate with a report summarizing recommendations, which will be presented to the Board of Education for implementation in 2017–2018. This report will also focus on an overall philosophy for implementing and expanding components and opportunities for performing arts programs within the schools. The intended roll-out will begin in grades nine through 12 and expand to other grade levels in future years.

Haddonfield Memorial High School

At Haddonfield Memorial High School, a number of curriculum changes will be made.

A new math curriculum and computer science curriculum were phased into the high school this year. The math curriculum provides the opportunity of doubling up with Algebra II and Geometry, which enables students to progress further in mathematics in high school. The computer science curriculum included AP Computer Science Principles, which is promoting computer science to a wider range of high school students.

Next year, the math curriculum will further expand in the high school by incorporating both freshmen and sophomores as the current curriculum begins to phase away. HMHS is looking to further expand computer science by revising the introduction to computer science curriculum as it attempts to make computer science a path for all students.

The biggest curricular venture the high school is involved in is the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards into the science curriculum. The CP Biology curriculum is being completely revamped and reconstructed to meet the new standards.

Other things happening at the HMHS for the rest of the school year include:

• Spanish students are traveling to Cuba this summer where they will live with Cuban residents, work on farms and receive college credits. HMHS students are the first high school students to travel to Cuba from New Jersey.

• The International Club will meet in January to plan and create a cultural week, sell cultural pins to fundraise and travel to countries to do community service and unite with UNICEF. It is hoping to create a cultural night for all of Haddonfield to enjoy.

• HMHS Model UN attended South Jersey Model UN at Eastern Regional High School in October and will attend the Moorestown and Johns Hopkins Model UN in February.

Haddonfield Middle School

Beginning this school year, Haddonfield Middle School implemented a Professional Learning Community, which operates under the assumption that a key factor in student learning and success is collaborative, continuous, job-embedded training driven by staff members. In lieu of regular monthly faculty meetings at HMS, staff members collaboratively explore new and exciting topics as part of their Professional Learning Communities.

A few of the topics include researching and implementing mental health strategies that will have a positive impact on the adolescent learner; investigating how interactive technology will impact student success; exploring the concept of Deliberate Optimism and how the middle school can implement strategies to improve the school culture; and researching and implementing best practices in cross-curricular instruction.

During the last month of the 2016–2017 school year, all PLC groups will present information to their peers and share how their experience had an impact on their practice and on student learning.

Haddonfield elementary schools

For Haddonfield elementary schools, 2017 starts with a welcome to incoming new students for the 2017–2018 school year. Parents of children entering kindergarten or new to first grade in September are encouraged to attend Kindergarten Information Night from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 at Elizabeth Haddon Elementary School, 501 Redman Ave. Administrators and teachers will be available to answer parents’ questions about the kindergarten and first-grade programs.

Parents will have the opportunity to pre-register their child and sign up for a registration appointment at one of the three elementary schools. Registration will take place at Elizabeth Haddon, Central and J.F. Tatem elementary schools on Jan. 19 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more, visit “Operation: Student Registration” on the school district homepage or go to http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.us/Registration/default.htm.

The elementary schools are also excited to start the New Year with various after-school STEM programs. Those clubs are STEM Club 1-Lego WeDo 2.0, STEM 2-Sphero Robot Hydro-Hypothesis, Robotics Club, STEM/3-D Printing Club and Destination Imagination.

At the end of the 2016–2017 school year, all fifth-grade students will have a common experience before middle school with the new YMCA Camp Ockanickon trip. The goal of the trip is to help create a cohesive group of students who are entering HMS. Activities at Camp Ockanickon will include team building and challenge activities. In addition to bonding as the Class of 2024, the camp experience will help students develop 21st century skills, including communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking.