BERKELEY – It was a crisp, sunny morning, as kids throughout Berkeley made their way into classrooms to start their new year.
The Berkeley Times visited Clara B. Worth Elementary School on the first day of classes, where parents posed their kids for pictures before sending them off.
Buses lined up. First, the kindergartners departed from the buses and were guided to their classrooms. They were given a chance to find their classrooms on their first day before the older kids, Superintendent James Roselli explained.
Some little ones wore backpacks that looked like they weighed the same as the kids wearing them. A few older kids guided the younger kids. School aides seemed to know the children’s names and where they needed to go.
“The staff really care,” Roselli said. “You can see it.”
The district has about 2,400 students, of which 400 are preschool, he said. The district is growing, as construction continues in Bayville.
The students this year will be learning new Language Arts curriculum, i-Ready, for grades K through 5. Teachers received training during the In-Service Day which was September 3, he said.
He noted that H & M Potter School is one of 52 schools in the state selected to participate in the Promising Practices Project, a partnership between the New Jersey State Policy Lab and the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University. This is because Potter students “demonstrated exceptional growth in student performance when comparing pre- and post-pandemic performance” in English language arts and math.
The students learn about their world outside their classroom as well, and part of that involves compassion and doing good for others. To that end, the schools will hold a lemonade fundraiser in September during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Funds from the sale will go to Emiliana’s Hope Foundation, a local organization that raises money for childhood cancer research.
Back to School Nights will take place on September 17 at Bayville School, Clara B. Worth School and H & M Potter School; and on September 18th at Berkeley Township Elementary School.
