Montville Twp PE teacher, Len Saunders, inspires students to get moving coast to coast - Valley View Elementary School fifth-grade students arrived early on Thursday September 30, 2021. The 48 students were there to lead the nation in the 13^th Annual “Exercise US” program. The students kicked-off the continuous wave of exercise at 8:00 a.m. In fifteen-minute intervals, schools across the nation followed suit, each exercising simultaneously until the next group of students began their exercise routine. Students exercised ten hours throughout the course of the day, from 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time to 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Participation occurred in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and some US territories.

Award-Winning Author Jenny Xie Describes how Given Continues to Inspire and Inform the Writer’s Work Years Beyond the Classroom - Teacher Suezette Given received the American Writers Museum’s [AWM] OnWord 2021 Inspiration Award. The ceremony was held in Chicago in the days just before the start of the 2021-2022 school year. The OnWord Inspiration Award honors teachers who have made a difference in the lives of great writers. Given, an English teacher at Robert R. Lazar Middle School, was nominated for the Inspiration Award and $10,000 prize by author Jenny Xie. The segment of the gala event where author Xie dedicates the 2021 Inspiration Award to Given can be viewed on YouTube.

Catherine Lomauro, a Student Assistance Counselor, with the Montville Township Public Schools Counseling team, has created a 20-minute webinar to inform and equip parents and guardians with information and strategies to help understand and support their child’s transition into the new school year. - “Supporting Your Child’s Return to School in September 2021” is a webinar that explores both the practical and the social and emotional perspectives that are unique to the 2021-2022 school year. To access this valuable information please go to: www.montville.net/supportingchildsreturntoschool 

Only 10% of Lenovo's North American Service Teams Achieve This Recognition - “Congratulations to your organization and specifically to your service team for achieving Lenovo’s Outstanding Service Award status for fiscal year 2020!” Victoria Pawelkowski, Sr. Warranty Channels Manager of Lenovo North America, wrote in her letter to the Montville Township Board of Education.

Virtual Presentation of Awards Was Part of the First Inservice Day for Montville Township Public Schools’ 2021-2022 Faculty and Staff - Forty-one members of the Montville Township Public Schools’ faculty, staff, and administration were honored in a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Together the educators, who were recognized for their Years of Service, have dedicated a combined 770 years as representatives of the district’s motto to: “Educate. Inspire. Empower.” Eighteen were honored in each of the 15 and 20 Years of Service categories. Three were highlighted for 25 Years of Service, and Katherine Klein, of Cedar Hill, and Donald Heyburn, of Montville Township High School were honored for 30 and 35 years, respectively.

Administrative Team Provides Training, Guidance and Experience - Fifteen new teachers attended New Teacher Orientation 2021 on Tuesday, August 24. The in-person program was held at Montville Township High School. A total of seventeen new teachers have joined the district’s staff for the 2021 through 2022 academic year. The new faculty are assigned throughout the district’s seven schools and will address a variety of curriculum areas. There will be five new elementary teachers, three special education teachers, one speech teacher, one BSI teacher, one music teacher, two social studies teachers, one World Language teacher, one district-wide elementary Spanish teacher and two long-term substitute teachers in music and special education.

Members of the Montville Township Public Schools community are encouraged to participate - The Community Input Session will serve as an opportunity for members of the community to share the characteristics, qualifications, and experience they value and would like to see reflected in the district’s next Superintendent of Schools. The information gathered at this session, along with the on-line Superintendent Survey responses, and input from other focus groups, will be used to set necessary criteria for the superintendent search, and will shape a variety of candidate review documents and the interview questions. This information  will directly inform the Montville Township Board of Education in the superintendent selection process. NOTE: the on-line Superintendent Survey will be active until Friday, September 24.

9-Year-Old Author Submitted Original Poem to CRICKET® MEDIA for Publication - Ethan Chen's poem SPRING HATCHING appears in the Spider’s Corner section of the July/August 2021 issue. With detailed imagery, Chen depicts the excitement, beauty and joy of watching an egg hatch. The five stanza poem begins with the words:  Up high on a birch tree, inside a cozy nest/three blue eggs lay silently and at rest.