S.B. school district highlights the future
BY CHRIS MURINO Staff Writer

SOUTHBRUNSWICK- The Board of Education held its 3rd annual state of the district address on Feb. 28.

"This is our education summit," said Joanne Kerekes, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. "It's our chance to climb to the top, scan what's around you and report on what you see."

Kerekes spotlighted the world language programwhich is in the third year of a fiveyear model. The world language program now begins earlier than ever, in kindergarten, and then progresses on to include more concept-based learning models in middle school and high school.

A particular point of pride for the department is their integration of iPods. There is also Family Connect, which allows middle and high school students and parents to access grades, attendance and assignments online.

Kerekes also talked about the emergency communication auto dialer system. It allows thousands of calls to go out simultaneously and is for unplanned changes to the schedule.

"We're still experiencing some growing pains with this but we know it's a good thing," Kerekes said. "We can call up to six numbers for every family."

Lynne Ann Fox, the director of professional development, talked about student achievement.

"You can't have high quality students without great educators. You have to hire well and train well," she said.

She spotlighted professional learning communities, which she said South Brunswick was far ahead of starting with regard to other districts. These include steering committees, design teams, book groups, curriculum development committees, team planning, training teams, coun- cils and research groups, among other groups.

"We put our experience together for a shared vision," Fox said. "We work and learn collectively and make decisions."

She also spotlighted PDExpress, an information management system designed for 24/7 access to professional learning opportunities.

James Warfel, director of student services, talked about safety initiatives.He said since Sept. 11, 2001, many more programs have been started to stay prepared in case of a traumatic event. He said Robert Macy has been appointed to lead the District Lead Response Team for training staff members in dealing with traumatic loss.

Nicole Pormilli, who leads curriculum and instruction projects, also gave a short talk spotlighting cyber safety.

"Just as we teach students to be safe in the world and community we live, it's just as important to teach themto be safe in the cyber world," Pormilli said.

I-Safe was started to teach kids at every age about cyber safety. There was a Parent Academy presentation made and teachers went to state training in Internet safety.

Finally, Anthony Tonzini talked about the district's facilities and finances. Eight of the 12 schools have been upgraded since 2000, and Tonzini said there are no plans for more additions at this time.

In terms of finance, Tonzini said the district would be getting a boost fromthe new state funding formula, which had remained relatively flat since 2001.

GaryMcCartney, the superintendent of schools, said that the district must look to a future not related to the past.

"The future looks very different for our youngsters. It would be a grave mistake to plan for a future that looks like our past," he said.