A Message From The Principal:
It’s school time again, and School # 3 will be opening the new school year with a “bang”or should I say a “bong”. The school bell restoration project that began one year ago is complete. The bell tower, painted in hues of gold, bronze, and white, will once again stand out as the marquee part of the building. The tower has also been wired electrically, so in the evening the bell tower can be admired and seen from many vantage points throughout the borough. Besides refurbishing the bell tower, a primary goal of the project was to be able to ring the bell every morning and bring memories of the past to our present school environment.
School # 3 will also celebrate its 101st anniversary this coming school year. It is a true neighborhood school, comprised of 242 students enrolled in grades one through six. There is one administrator and twelve classroom teachers. Aside from our regular classroom setting various support services are available to meet the distinct needs of the children. These services include, but are not limited to ESL, Title One Math, Language Arts, Resource and Enrichment. A weekly offering of Special Subjects includes, Art, Computers, Physical Education, Library, Vocal Music, and Instrumental Music.
I am most proud of our well-educated teaching staff, that brings energy into No.Three School everyday. Our staff comes to work everyday with creative and innovative ideas that make a difference at the end of each day. They offer trust and education that you can believe in.
Schools throughout the country face countless challenges as they strive to provide the children entrusted to them with the best possible education, and School No. 3 is no exception. School # 3, like all schools, readily accepts the demands associated with the “No Child Left Behind” mandate. Teachers’ in our school are focusing most explicitly on language arts and mathematic skills. Each teacher quickly becomes familiar with their students and takes note of their strengths and weaknesses. They make necessary adjustments to their teaching techniques and the methods to give each student the best opportunity to succeed, while being cognizant of the fact that the children entering their classroom come with varied and often complex backgrounds.
Reading and writing are stressed throughout our balanced literacy curriculum. Over the last few years our teachers have stressed the importance of “Reading for Meaning”, with a goal to stimulate each and every student to enjoy books and become lifelong readers. This year, a renewed emphasis will be given to the writing component of our curriculum. Last year, our staff attended many professional writing workshops to develop purposeful and relevant instruction. Whether reading, writing or being taught “the basics,” the students benefit from an ever changing trend in education.
A recent measure of success was attained by both our third and fourth grade students in the NJ ASK Test. Our School achieved its AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) with 90% of the students receiving proficient and advanced proficient scores in Language Arts and Math. This was a solid accomplishment, and we hope to improve for the 2009 NJ ASK.
To be successful it is also necessary to exhibit respectful behavior. Here at # 3 School good manners are stressed everyday. Character traits such as honesty, respect, fairness, cooperation, trust, and responsibility are discussed throughout the year. Yes, at School No. 3 good manners matter.
The children are the schools greatest asset and we want to provide our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to compete in our complex society. Our teachers come to work everyday with relevant curriculum to stimulate pupil performance. It is our goal to create a healthy, enjoyable workplace that will give students the self-confidence to reach higher and succeed. In addition, we will continually search for new ideas and programs that will benefit the children.
Lastly, our support personnel are hardworking, dedicated, conscientious individuals who, for the most part, live in our community, and have children in the school system. All staff and personnel involved in the education of our students are keenly aware that they are members of a much larger educational community, but, that their main purpose is to service the student body of our school.
Sincerely,