Days of Appreciation - One of the key foundations to America’s greatness is its public schools.  Allowing students access to a free and public education sets America apart from many other countries and gives all children the opportunity to succeed. The success of this education system is seen during the months of May and June.  The schools recognize student achievements of the past year, inductions into the honor societies are conducted with reverence, concerts showcase the results of many hours of practice, playoffs highlight the best teams on the athletic fields, and promotion and graduation ceremonies indicate the children completed the requirements asked of them and are ready to move on to the next level of life. 

Dr. Karen Cortellino was elected as president of the New Jersey School Boards Association - Cortellino has been a member of the Montville Township Board of Education since 2006, serving as its president from 2010 – 2016. She has also served on every standing board committee, as well as various ad hoc committees. Cortellino served as the vice president for legislation/resolutions for NJSBA for four years, 2019 – 2023. She also served as an NJSBA board of directors member, as president of the Morris County School Boards Association, and was a member of the MCSBA Legislative Committee. She has earned the designations of Certified Board Member, Master Board Member and Certified Board Leader through the NJSBA Board Member Academy and is the first recipient of the Irene LeFebvre Excellence in Boardsmanship Award, as presented by the Morris County School Boards Association, in June 2022.

Sounds of Silence - When driving down the road the other day, I saw a mother and daughter in a car approaching in the oncoming traffic lane.  I saw the teenage daughter smiling ear to ear as she was waving her hands and animatedly telling a story she was so excited to share.  The mother, who was driving the car, had a smirk on her face as she kept her eyes on the road and listened intently.  While I can only guess that there was music on in the car, I could see that neither was on their cell phone and they were conducting an age-old ritual called verbal communication. I could not hear what was being exchanged between the two of them, but I could tell it was one of those pleasant moments shared between a mother and a daughter...

Quillan is the 26^th Service Dog Trained in the Montville Township Public Schools District - Just in time for National Puppy Day, Quillan, a 7-week old Seeing Eye^©, Inc., puppy, arrived at the Montville Township Public Schools district offices. Quillan, a male, black lab and golden retriever mix, is one of several puppies born in the past two months at the Morristown-based The Seeing Eye^©, Inc. facility. Quillan was born to a litter of “Q” puppies. Coincidentally, March 23, 2023, was National Puppy Day. It was on this important national day of recognition that Quillan was delivered to Lauri Schmitt at the Montville Township Public Schools district offices.

If No Further Emergency School Days are Used, the District Will Be Closed on Friday, April 21 and Tuesday, May 30, 2023 - For 2022-2023 the District has five emergency school closing days built into the school calendar. When three or fewer of the days are not used, they are returned to the community. Therefore, if no further emergency school days are used, the District will be closed on Friday, April 21 and Tuesday, May 30, 2023. If, for any reason, the District needs to close prior to the use of these days, then the schools will be open on the above mentioned day(s) as necessary. Enjoy the “giveback days.”

A Letter to the community from Superintendent Dr. Thomas A. Gorman, March 24, 2023

Elementary Enrollment Reflects Community Growth - Montville Township Public Schools are highly desirable due to outstanding results including high test scores, a near-perfect high school graduation rate, 94% of students attending college, and consistently impressive ratings and rankings by various agencies. While much of this enrollment is attributed to increased birth rates, the recent demographic study also outlines additional growth from more people moving into town with families. Overall, growth will continue to challenge class sizes at the elementary level. At the May 9, 2023, Montville Township Board of Education Meeting, the Board viewed a Referendum Proposal Presentation, which was followed by a Financial Presentation. As mentioned in earlier letters this year, district enrollment currently exceeds capacity at the elementary school level. Elementary enrollment for fall 2023 is projected to exceed capacity by 149 students and will continue to grow.

Artificial Intelligence - Superintendent's Column March 2023 - Once again, education finds itself on the edge of a new frontier with the announcement of ChatGPT artificial intelligence and similar type products just a few months ago. This new technology can compose music, detect cancer images, and write student essays. While still in its infancy, artificial intelligence will only improve in its accuracy and ability to assist mankind. It is not perfect but it is becoming unexpectedly human...