2002-03 to see opening of second middle school

2002-03 to see opening
of second middle school
By karl vilacoba
Staff Writer

VERONICA YANKOWSKI Work is continuing on the Marlboro Memorial Middle School, Nolan Road. The school is expected to open for seventh- and eighth-graders in January.

MARLBORO — When the doors swing open for the new Marlboro Memorial Middle School this winter, administrators say they will be ready.

"We have been very thorough and met with everyone involved over the last two years. We have sent out mailings and the students have been notified which school they will attend," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Abbott.

On Jan. 6, about 550 seventh- and eighth-graders will be the first students to attend the new facility on Nolan Road, while another 950 seventh- and eighth-graders remain in the existing Marlboro Middle School on Route 520.

In September 2003, a group of 650 sixth grade students will enter the new school. Instructional staff members will begin settling into their new workplaces in December, Abbott said.

Plans for a memorial on the grounds of the new building to honor the events of Sept. 11, which the school was named after, are still being discussed by the Board of Education, Abbott said.

The K-8 district’s enrollment could surpass 6,000 students this year. As of Aug. 22, 5,775 students were registered for district schools, Abbott said. Administrators project actual attendance to be 5,816 pupils when school begins Sept. 4. By the school year’s end, those numbers are expected to be in the range of 5,950 to 6,000 pupils.

The Marlboro K-8 school district will see further emphasis placed in the area of foreign languages studies this year. In addition to an expansion of courses for students, night classes are being developed for district families in the area of English as a second language.

The family literacy programs will entail a series of workshops complete with take-home books, according to the program’s head, Victoria Andalucia. Administrators hope the courses can help bridge language gaps in the district between faculty and homes that speak languages other than English. A new faculty member who lived in Russia has been added, which Andalucia said is key for a district whose most prevalent second language is Russian.

French classes are being expanded to the third grade curriculum and Spanish will now be available for grades two through eight. Abbott said this will be accomplished by schedule changes without any need for new teacher hires.

Adding to the foreign flavor will be a week-long multicultural arts festival this spring. Now in its planning stages, Andal-ucia said the event will include school assemblies, art and music demonstrations, classroom programs and family nights.

The district is also making moves to improve and develop its own staff. A professional development academy will offer in-house courses and lectures to faculty members beginning in the fall. And in recent days, new faculty members underwent seven days of staff development, which Director of Curriculum Tom Nicola said was geared toward familiarizing staffers with the expectations and teaching strategies of the district.

"We’re making a lot if investments in our staff this year — anything we can do to help make them more successful in the classrooms," Abbott said.

Administrators are also excited about the potential for other classroom innovations this year.

Ever had doubts when a child told you they had no homework that night? Perhaps this year you can check for yourself on the Web. According to Abbott, teachers are now being encouraged to create class pages complete with relevant links, homework listings and classroom information.

In math, the neediest children in four elementary schools will have the opportunity for extra help with Earlybird Math. About 200 students are anticipated to attend the classes. Since classes are held before regular class hours, buses will not be supplied and it will be up to parents to provide the ride to school.

Abbott said the success of the building blocks, or four blocks, method of literacy teaching for first- and second-graders in its first few years has prompted an expansion of that program. Kindergartners and third-graders will also take part this year.

In financial matters, the long process of board program audits will come to an end in November when Abbott delivers his recommendations for cuts. The board members will then deliberate on which areas they will cut in order to check the 2003-04 school budget.

"Obviously, I’ve always told the board that the benchmark for cuts is $500,000. That’s a huge task that I and the board have been dealing with since February," Abbott said.