Desmares School offers Camp Invention this summer

This summer, Francis Desmares School proudly offers the children in the Flemington-Raritan community the Camp Invention program on June 28 – July 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Remember, space is limited, so sign up today to secure your child’s spot in the Camp Invention program this summer! Register before March 31 to receive a discount!

For program details, click here:

http://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/194610722143325167/lib/194610722143325167/CampInvention.pdf

Tewksbury Elementary Pupils Raise Money for Haiti

Tewksbury Elementary School (TES) held a month-long drive — which they called the Hearts for Haiti Campaign – that raised $2,565.50 to help people in Haiti that were devastated by the January earthquake. 
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Readiness Training for Women in Flemington

FLEMINGTON… Women residing in Hunterdon, Somerset, or Mercer counties who have lost their primary source of income due to divorce, separation, or the death or disability of their spouse may be eligible for employment readiness training at no charge at NORWESCAP’s Career &
Life Transitions Center for Women at an open orientation program being held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22 at the Center in The Old Egg Auction Building, 84 Park Avenue, Suite E-103, Flemington.

The mission of the Career & Life Transitions Center for Women is to provide quality services that will assist women gain personal and economic self-sufficiency and reach their full potential through education, training, job readiness, community referrals and supportive services.  Services the Career & Life Transitions Center for Women offers include computer
training, career interest inventories, vocational counseling, job search skills, support groups and workshops geared towards the issues faced by Displaced Homemakers.
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Tobacco Dependence Lunch and Learn

RARITAN TOWNSHIP… Hunterdon Prevention Resources present a “”Lunch & Learn” Workshop entitled “”What Works for Treating Tobacco Dependence” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17 at their office at 4 Walter Foran Blvd., Suite 410, in Raritan Township.

The workshop will be presented by Chris Kotsen, Program Manager of the Tobacco Quitcenter at Somerset Medical Center. Kotsen is a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist and Licensed Psychologist. The Quitcenter has treated over 1,400 tobacco users and is one of only eight similar centers in the state.
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Hunterdon Central collects prom apparel again

Hunterdon Central is again collecting prom dresses, shoes, purses and accessories for those students who can’t afford to purchase them or those students who are wise shoppers.  We had a tremendous response last year!  Dresses may be dropped off at either reception area of the school during school hours, until March 19, 2010.  Any questions please call Cheryl Copeland at (908) 284-7174.

“FREEDOM SHRINE” UNVEILED AT CLINTON TOWNSHIP MIDDLE SCHOOL

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Catholic Schools Week to focus on quality education

The week of Jan. 31 to Feb. 6 is a time for local Catholic schools to celebrate what they have to offer, hoping to draw in new students at a time when enrollment is dwindling.

While each school's programs will differ, many Catholic Schools around the nation will host open houses next week, Catholic Schools Week, to showcase their work. Masses often bookend the week. Catholic Schools Week also serves as a time to show off accredited schools with modern facilities, said Ellen Ayoub, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Metuchen. For example, St. Ann's School in Raritan Borough remodeled four small classrooms into a science and computer lab in 2009. Many of the schools have computer-enabled white boards known as SMART Boards. St. Augustine School in Middlesex Borough is equipped with a video conferencing room. Students there are doing a joint project with a school in Finland, Ayoub said. "While the numbers are dwindling we have to worry and we have to pray. There is not a sense of gloom and doom. We are very vibrant," Ayoub said about the 15,000 students in the diocese's 34 elementary and five high schools. Ayoub said nine Diocese of Metuchen schools have closed in the past decade. One -- Immaculate Conception in the Annandale section of Clinton Township -- has opened during that period. Ayoub said it is difficult to pinpoint the reason for the decline in enrollment during the past decade, but the most recent drop is because of the economy, she said. The cost of Catholic School tuition has increased as the numbers of nuns, who taught as a form of ministry and had the church supporting their living expenses, has decreased. The salary for laypeople who serve as teachers is much more, she said. While all Diocese of Metuchen parishes now subsidize Catholic schools within the diocese, tuition has had to increase over the years to meet the costs, Ayoub said. Many parents also find it difficult to pay annual tuition, which typically ranges from $3,000 to $5,000, Ayoub said. The Diocese of Metuchen had $2.3 million worth of financial aid requests last year, and was able to support about 25 percent of the amount. Michele Blandino said Catholic school is about value and values. She believes her two children, ages 8 and 13, who have attended Immaculate Conception School in Somerville since preschool, are getting a great education and other benefits by going to Catholic school. "I love that my children can pray every day," Blandino said. "They don't have to be afraid to invoke the name of God." Immaculate Conception has 470 students, and room for 550, said Blandino, who also works in the school. St. Francis Cathedral School Principal Barbara Stevens said enrollment at her school in Metuchen is steady. There are approximately 520 students in grades K-8, with room for about 30 more. "We look at Catholic Schools Week as a way to celebrate our Catholic identity," Stevens said. "We really are showcasing what we do all the time." Holy Family Academy officials in Bound Brook reduced its tuition in hopes of attracting new students, Holy Family Academy Principal Juduth Clayton said. The most dramatic decrease was in the preschool, where annual tuition was nearly halved. It now costs $1,400 a year to send a child there two full days a week. "We are trying to build relationships so people see the value of staying here until eighth grade," Clayton said. Her school has an enrollment of 144, but has room for more than 200 students. Many people at Catholic schools in Somerset County said the dropoff in enrollment started eight years ago. "We had 300 (students) then," St. Ann's Principal Sister Gloria Caglioti said. Now, there are 167 students. The entire third-grade class has six students. The biggest drop -- a loss of 35 students -- was from 2008 to 2009, Caglioti said. Many of the parents told the school administrators they could no longer afford the tuition. "We hope to get to 300 again," Caglioti said. She hopes Catholic Schools Week will draw new interest. St. Ann's students Bridget Toolan and Tina Vaz, both 13, of Branchburg, said they attend Catholic schools for different reasons. Bridget's parents wanted her to go to Catholic School. Tina said it was her choice. Both have been enrolled at St. Ann's since prekindergarten. They are among 23 eighth-grade students set to graduate in May. Most of them will go on to Catholic high schools, the students and teachers said. Many Catholic Schools Week events will highlight the schools' commitment to service. For example, Holy Family Academy in Bound Brook will collect coats, hats and gloves for those who need them and a will host a paper airplane contest to raise money for those affected by the earthquake in Haiti, Clayton said. "They (Haitians) have been the focus of our prayers the past several days," Clayton said. "We are a Catholic school. Our beliefs are infused in everything we do every day." The week of activities at St. Francis Cathedral School will include an open house, a visit from Jimmy's Boa author Trinka Hakes Noble and will conclude Feb. 5 with a visit from Paul Bootkoski, bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen.

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Central Jersey students earn degrees from Gettysburg College

Several local residents received awards at the Gettysburg College Fall Honors Program on Oct. 23.

Andrew Maturo of Cranford, a senior, received the Baum Mathematical Prize. Christina McGahan of Bridgewater, a senior, recived the Julius Eno Physics Prize. Dawn Grashorn of Matawan, a senior, received the William F. Muhlenberg Award. Several local residents at Gettysburg College received a Presidential Scholarship. The scholarship goes to top-ranking applicants based upon their grade-point average, class rank, and ACT or SAT scores. They are: Jeanamarie Banta of Clark; Ryan Becker of Flemington; Rebecca Deffler of South Plainfield; Victoria Green of Summit; John Kovac of Warren; Casina Malinchak of the Stirling section of Long Hill; and Wing Yee Wong of Plainsboro. All are first-year students at the college, located in Gettysburg, Pa.

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Central Jersey students graduate from Culinary Institute of America

The following Central Jersey students have earned degrees from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.:

Alex Geller of Flagtown earned his associate degree in culinary arts on Aug. 14. Geller is a 2007 graduate of Hillsborough High School. Amanda Cox of Glen Gardner earned her associate degree in culinary arts on Aug. 14. Cox is a 2007 graduate of Voorhees High School. Nicole DelGuercio of Hillsborough earned her associate degree in culinary arts on May 22. DelGuercio is a 2007 graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan High School. Matt Rothlein of Stockton earned his associate degree in baking and pastry arts on Aug. 14. Rothlein is a 2007 graduate of Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor's and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. Visit www.ciachef.edu.

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Readington student inducted into scholar society

Derek Kline of Readington Township has been inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) at Northeastern University in Boston, based on his academic achievement and class standing. Kline is a graduate of Hunterdon Central Regional High School and is currently in his second year at Northeastern, majoring in economics and accounting.

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Central Jersey students receive honors from Ithaca College

Several Central Jersey students were inducted into Ithaca College's Oracle Honor Society in November. The fall ceremony at the college in Ithaca, N.Y., honors students who have completed their first semester ranked in the top five percent of their academic schools. Local residents honored include:

Jessica Anderson, a Westfield resident, daughter of Jodi Anderson, is an athletic training major. Kristen Axelsen, a North Brunswick resident, daughter of Christian and Cynthia Axelsen, is a psychology major. Andrew Cohen, a Highland Park resident, son of Ira and Cathy Cohen, is an integrated marketing communications major. Annmarie Forenza, a Whitehouse Station resident, daughter of Mary Pat Forenza, is a clinical health studies major. Simone McCarron, a Bridgewater resident, daughter of Beverly and John McCarron, is a mathematics (teaching) major. Katrina Thoene, a High Bridge resident, daughter of Lissa Ross, is a clinical health studies major.

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6th Annual ACA SUMMER CAMP FAIR

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sixth Annual ACA-NJ Camp Fairs

Noon-3 p.m.

…connecting great kids with great camps…

FREE ADMISSION…Come find a great summer camp!

Bridgewater Marriott

700 Commons Way, Bridgewater

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Cast of 60 featured in SKIT’s “Annie Jr.”

For those who want to experience live theater without the hassle of expensive prices or treks to Manhattan, the ShowKids Invitational Theatre’s production of “Annie Jr.” might just be the ticket.

The performance is scheduled for today, tomorrow and Sunday, Nov. 15.

The show features a cast of 60 children age 5 and older.

Based on the popular comic strip, “Annie Jr.” tells the tale of a Depression-era orphan determined to find her parents, who abandoned her at a New York orphanage. Annie foils the plans of orphanage director, Miss Hannigan; befriends President Franklin D. Roosevelt; and finds a new family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell and a dog named Sandy.
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A fun evening of sensory “awareness games”

Join park naturalist Laura Kroon at the Echo Hill Environmental Center, 42 Lilac Drive, Flemington, for  a fun evening of sensory awareness games, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 19.

For thousands of years people from all over the world have used games to sharpen their senses and practice skills important for survival. Most people no longer need to hunt to find food, however the same games that ancient hunters played to hone their powers of observation can help you to see animals up close.

The cost is $3 per person, for ages 8 and up and advance registration is required. All children must be accompanied by an adult. To register, call the Parks Department at 908-782-1158 or download a registration form at our Web site, www.co.hunterdon.nj.us and click on “parks and recreation.”

Birding workshop offered by Hunterdon Parks and Recreation

“Birding for Beginners” will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12 at Echo Hill Park, 42 Lilac Drive, Flemington. The cost is $3 per person. The workshop is designed for ages 8 and older and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Advance registration is required.

The workshop will focus on the use of binoculars, field guides and other birding books, led by Tom Sheppard, chief park naturalist. Tom will share some of the short cuts he has learned on how to start identifying our feathered friends. If time permits, participants may even take part in a bird identification game.

For a registration form, call 908-782-1158 or download one from the Web site at www.co.hunterdon.nj.us and click on “parks and recreation.”

Flemington students graduate from college

Meredith Ballard of Flemington graduated from LIM, New York, N.Y., from The College for the Business of Fashion with a bachelor’s degree in business administration – fashion merchandising, on May 22.

Hillary Stakem of Flemington graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from the
College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.

Bizzoco named Copper Hill Vice Principal

Brian Bizzoco takes Vice Principal role at Copper Hill School.

The Flemington-Raritan School District Board of Education has appointed Brian Bizzoco on Aug. 24 as Vice Principal at Copper Hill School for a 10-month term replacing Karen Slagle, who became the district’s Director of Special Services. Mr. Bizzoco’s first day on the job will be September 1, according to a statement from district spokeswoman Laura Bruhn.
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Yoos appointed Hunter School Vice Principal

Robert Hunter School Vice Principal Dorothy Yoos.

Dorothy Yoos has been appointed Vice Principal at Robert Hunter School by the Board of Education on June 29 for a 10-month position starting Sept. 1 replacing Art Berman, who retired.

An elementary teacher for six years, Yoos first joined the Flemington-Raritan school district in 2006 as a third-grade teacher at Robert Hunter School. She taught throughout New Jersey, Virginia and New York, serving regular education students, children with developmental disabilities and those requiring additional instruction and support.

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Copper Hill appoints Karen Slagle

Copper Hill School Vice Principal Karen Slagle

Karen Slagle, the Vice Principal of Copper Hill School, has been appointed the Director of Special Services by the Flemington-Raritan Board of Education on June 29, replacing Dr. Judy Marino, who retired.

With 30 years of professional experience, Slagle is an advocate for children requiring special services. For over two decades, she has served as a social worker in civic, medical, county and educational organizations, focusing on providing services and support for special needs children. She has spent the last 10 years working in public education, serving the students and families in our district.

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