NEW STUDENTS

Kindergarten Registration

• Registration for students whose last names are between A and L will be from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at Gillette School. Those with last names between M and Z should register there from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 18, 2002.
• Parents should bring a birth certificate with raised seal and immunization records.
• Incoming students do not have to be present at registration, and since the process can take up to 45 minutes, the district discourages parents from bringing younger children.
• For more information on registration, call the Gillette School office at (908) 647-2313, ext. 1124.

Kindergarten Workshop Registration

• The district holds its annual workshop for incoming kindergarten students and their families from Wednesday, April 19 to Friday, April 21, 2006.
• Parents will be able to meet administrators, teachers and other personnel, while children can experience some of the activities they will see in school. On Friday, the children will be bused to Gillette School to see their new surroundings.

A licensed nurse is available to students in each school. If a child becomes ill or is injured, the nurse will contact parents. Working parents are required to leave a number for the workplace. Additional information is also helpful and may be requested so as to ensure proper care in emergency circumstances.

The nurses are involved in vision, hearing and Scoliosis screening and assist the designated school doctor in his services to the district. They react to emergencies, provide care as needed, serve as resource people for referrals and communicate significant information to doctors, parents and agencies.

All incoming children in grades K, 3 and 7 receive physical examinations. Transfer-in students also receive a physical. Parents are contacted about results.

The school nurses have a significant record keeping responsibility for all children.

Gillette School - Mrs. Bawarshi, ext.1123
Millington School - Mrs. Freeman, ext. 2119
Central School - Mrs. Givens, ext. 4004

• Please do not send to school, a child who, upon awakening, feels ill.
• If you are notified that your child has become ill at school, please be timely in picking that child up from the building.
• If your child is likely to be absent from school for three or more days, please notify the school.
• Please provide your child with a note of explanation upon return from an absence.

State law requires immunization for all students entering district schools. This includes shots for D.P.T., polio, mumps, and rubella. The Mantoux Intradermal Test must be administered to all students entering district schools from another state or country who have not had this test in the previous six months.

There are specific procedures from each school to follow in cases where students need to have medication on a scheduled basis. Please follow all directives of the school nurse.

Any student participating in a school sport or intramural activity, must have a physical exam.

In-class support, Resource Center, self-contained classes for learning disabled children as well as a full course of related services are offered in all schools. There is also a program for Pre-School Special Needs children and Autistic children. Both are housed at Gillette.

A full Child Study Team is housed at the Millington School.

There are many questions involved in the consideration of a child’s educational program that is influenced by a learning or physical disability. Whereas some conditions are apparent at a very early age, early intervention efforts provide a resource and base for the efforts of the public school, where services usually begin at the age of three. Other conditions are not as apparent and will result in a referral which takes place when the child has already started her/his formal education.

Formal procedures govern the referral, the evaluation and the programming of a child who has a classifiable condition. Any child who is classified has a document known as an Individual Educational Plan. Parents and school representatives mutually develop this living document.

If you have concerns about a child please note the following suggestions:

• talk to your child’s teacher who is in a good position to discuss comparability and individual circumstances.
• call the Child Study Team 647-1202. You can talk to a School Psychologist, a School Social Worker or a Learning Disability Teacher Consultant. Each of these professionals have specific training which may assist you.

If your questions are of an administrative nature, and this is especially so for transfer-in students or for students with more challenging conditions, Ms. Munson or Mr. DiBenedetto should be contacted directly.

The Child Study Team has a significant amount of resource information available.

CHILD STUDY TEAM - SPECIAL EDUCATION QUESTIONS

An understanding of terms is important. The Child Study Team is a group of school employees who have earned certification that allows them to make judgments about conditions which challenge a child and the programs which are designed to assist them. A referral is a document which identifies an initial cause for concern about a child. It can be generated from a teacher observation, a parent opinion or a physician. It sets forth a pattern of action by Child Study Team personnel which include observation, compilation of input from teachers and discussion with parents. The referral may lead to evaluation of a child. This may include the following evaluations: a physical completed by a doctor, an evaluation done by the school psychologist, educational testing completed by the Learning Disability Teacher Consultant, a social case history, a speech evaluation and additional evaluations done outside of the school district if appropriate to the child’s condition. The evaluation may lead to classification. This means that a child has a disability which influences his/her educational program. It now becomes the responsibility of the Child Study Team, parent and others to develop an Individual Educational Plan. The IEP governs the educational program of the child. It includes interventions which will assist the child in overcoming those disabilities previously mentioned. The interventions may include different therapies, placement in small group or self contained classes, special assistance from aides or teachers, assistive devices, etc. The IEP must be implemented in the Least Restrictive Environment. This means that the child be placed with her/his non-handicapped peers as much as possible.

There are specific time limits attached to the completion of all of the above.

2. If a child is classified, how is his/her progress tracked?
A classified child still gets report cards from regular and special education teachers. Additionally, there is a conference known as the annual review which compiles input from all those involved in the education of the child and changes the IEP as appropriate.

3. What is the best document for a total review of information related to the above?
By law, the district distributes a constantly updated PRISE document which specifies laws, timelines and parental rights. This is available in the Child Study Team office.

Also refer to Special Services FAQs.

• Bus discipline - School Principal;
• Bus routing - District Office, 647-1200, ext.1034, Mr. Espositoor Mr. DiBenedetto, ext. 1031;
• School discipline - School Principal;
• Appeal of a Principal’s decision - Mr. DiBenedetto;
• Complaint about a teacher - Speak to the teacher before speaking to the Principal;
• Need for finance information - Business Administrator, Mr. Esposito, ext. 1034;
• Appeal of a Superintendent’s decision - Board of Education through Board President;
• Complaint about sexual harassment - Mr. Buffone, Central School, ext.4022 and School Principal;
• Incidence of Child Abuse - School Nurse or School Principal. By law, any district personnel aware of a child abuse situation must call the Division of Youth and Family Services.
• Curriculum questions - School Principal and Curriculum Coordinator.
• Board of Ed. meeting agendas - Business Administrator, Mr. Esposito, ext. 1034;

The grievant may call the Morris County Office of Education, Dr. Thomas M. Kane, Superintendent. ( 973) 285-8332.

Mr. Matthew Baharlias is the district’s Counselor and is also a School Psychologist. He has excellent experience and preparation in dealing with circumstances related to problems of self esteem, abuse, children of divorce, over weight problems, parenting skills, victims of violence, harassment etc. Mr. Salsovic can be reached at 647-1202. Much of his work derives out of special education situations, discipline difficulties and parental requests.

Mrs. Jean Molendyke is the Central School Counselor. She can be reached at 647-2311, ext. 4042. She also possesses specific training in many of the above mentioned areas. She also serves as our counselor for substance abuse.

The district has a strong and active committee for CRISIS MANAGEMENT. Hundreds of hours of preparation time have been spent in preparing for emergency circumstances and the prevention of the same. Regional resources for families in need have been prepared for response if necessary.

At this time a revised system of interventions is being developed. These are interventions which might take place before a Child Study Team referral. There will be additional information on this as the year progresses.

The PTO has agreed to set up an emergency phone chain that will call all parents of Millington and Gillette students. We will not release Millington or Gillette students unless someone is reached via phone. They will remain at school or an alternate location. Central students will be released at the time of the emergency dismissal.

If your child is in an after school program run by the YMCA, the program will be canceled for that day. However, your child will not be released to an empty home as stated above.

• by calling 626-9006 for a taped message;
• by listening to radio stations WDHA (101.5 FM)….. WBUD (1260AM)…..WMTR (1250AM)…..WKMB (1070AM);
• by visiting http://www.cancellations.com on the Internet.

Parents of Kindergarten students must consult the Gillette School newsletter for specific information. Four hour session days are listed in the calendar.

Dismissal for Central students will be at 12:55 p.m.

Millington and Gillette first graders will be dismissed at 1:25 p.m.