Medford Township School District prepares for remainder of the school year

From technology initiatives to kindergarten prep, Superintendent Joseph Del Rossi covers it all.

Medford Township School District Superintendent Joseph Del Rossi shared a glimpse into what parents and students can expect for the remainder of the school year.

Del Rossi discussed the district’s ongoing technology initiative, stating most devices are wireless and there are plans of replacing all access points throughout the district.

Access points have been replaced at three schools, with four schools to go. All replacements are anticipated to be completed by September.

The district will also be refreshing approximately 300 of 2,000 Chromebooks. These 300 Chromebooks are the first that were provided about 4.5 years ago, and are therefore the first in need of replacement.

The final aspect of the technology initiative is the potential addition of a technology coach. Currently, the district has a technology supervisor who assists on the instructional side with principals and teachers on implementing their technology purchases.

A technology coach would work with the supervisor to allow teachers to make the most of the technology they are provided, to assist in training and to resolve any technology issues that arise during class.

The district hopes to add a school resource officer to the elementary schools as a part of its security initiative. There is already one school resource officer at Medford Memorial Middle School, and Del Rossi said it is a priority to expand that into other schools as well.

There are also plans to upgrade their communication systems throughout the district, as well as with the police department. Del Rossi said this could be as small as handheld devices that are based out of the IT infrastructure that is already in place.

Del Rossi is working on an initiative called CART, Community Awareness Response Team. This initiative is going on its third year as a way of gaining the perspective of three groups on how to improve schools.

The first year Del Rossi worked with staff members, the second year he worked with parents and community members, and this year he is working with 27 eighth-grade students.

These students will explore their feelings on the evolution of the school district in the past five years, from the time they were in third grade to now. Del Rossi said the main goal of meeting with these groups is to take all of the feedback to prioritize concerns and come up with solutions.

“It gives our administration and students and parents an opportunity to be able to voice their opinions and identify priorities for the district, and it reinforces the consistency between those three stakeholder groups,” Del Rossi said.

There are several programs in place to aid incoming kindergarteners in their transition to a full day of school.

On Jan. 23, a parent information night will be held at Kirby’s Mill School as a way to educate parents on the language arts and mathematics goals as well as the social/emotional adjustment their child will be going through. This will provide parents with resources and materials to prepare their child for the upcoming school year.

On March 20, an event called “race into kindergarten” will be held, with real race cars present along with eight fun activities for the children to enjoy — encouraging them to associate school with fun, while meeting teachers and other incoming kindergarteners.

In addition, the district hosts “sailing into kindergarten” where a child takes short assessments to evaluate their performance level.

A “sparklers” program is available for students transitioning from kindergarten to first grade who need extra help, along with special education programs and summer enrichment activities.