WEST MILFORD — “We are eagerly looking forward to the return of our students next Thursday, Sept. 5!” said West Milford Superintendent of Schools Dr. James McLaughlin at Tuesday night's board of education meeting. “All of our eight schools have been made ready for classes to begin and many, many of our teachers have been hard at work making sure that classrooms are supplied, organized and otherwise prepared for instruction to begin on that very first day.”
McLaughlin said West Milford High School students will immediately see the results of a summer locker project: the formerly multi-colored lockers are now black and gold, representative of the school colors.
“Many other projects have been completed and still more are being completed in this last week of summer” said McLaughlin, “I offer a special word of thanks to our custodial and maintenance staff for all their efforts on behalf of our students.”
New staff
Sixty-five new staff members are beginning the 2013-2014 school year in West Milford according to McLaughlin.
“This cohort of professionals is anticipated to significantly add to the positive educational experience of our students,” he said.
Among the new hires are four new kindergarten teachers for the four new sections of kindergarten added for increased enrollment at Apshawa, Paradise Knoll, Marshall Hill and Westbrook Elementary schools. “This influx of staff and students is a solid sign of good things to come in 2013-2014 in West Milford.”
New calendar project underway
The district has created a Calendar Committee which will begin planning a proposed two-year academic calendar for important school dates. Marshall Hill School Principal Michael McCormick will be chairing the committee beginning next week to formulate academic calendars for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.
“We believe that planning our calendars two years at a time will help our families and our staff to better plan and organize, knowledgeable of important school dates,” McLaughlin said.
Individuals with input for the Calendar Committee are encouraged to contact McCormick.
Have some good photos of your little ones heading off to school for that first day? Send them to us at nyoffice@strausnews.com.