Teachers Get Their Game On Against MagicMasters

Several Wayne educators did their best to defeat the Harlem MagicMasters in the Wayne Alliance's annual charity basketball game.

Principal Positions Being Advertised Online

'Common practice,' superintendent says, helps district expand job candidate database.

Education officials are soliciting applications for three principal positions, one each at a district elementary, middle, and high school. The “anticipated” positions are listed on applitrack.com. The listings do not specify what institutions the candidates would be applying to work at. In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Superintendent Ray Gonzalez said, “currently Wayne Township Public Schools does not have any open principal vacancies, but the district has posted the positions to help develop an applicant pool should the need arise.” Gonzalez said that making such postings is a “somewhat common practice, especially in a district as large as ours, and helps us expand our database of qualified candidates.” Gonzalez did not comment …

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Anti-Drug Program to Expand to Middle Schools

Eighth-graders may participate in the school district's Be Proud program beginning in January.

The school district’s Be Proud program, a drug and alcohol prevention program high school students can voluntary participate in, will be offered to eighth graders beginning in January. The change was announced at an anti-drug presentation at Wayne Hills High School recently. The 7-year-old program is designed to give students an incentive to resist the temptation to take drugs or alcohol. Students and teachers in the program staged a special presentation about the dangers of underage alcohol and drug use in October. “When everyone is doing something, it’s really hard to say no,” said Kenneth Palczewski, vice principal of Wayne Hills. “We want to give you that opportunity to say no and not have to stand alone because it’s always easier to …

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School District Website Hosts A Variety Of Important Information

Officials announce school schedules for the upcoming academic year.

The first day of school in Wayne is Thursday, Sept. 6. A variety of information is available on the district’s website, including: school forms and documents, policies, a report card schedule, and more. The redesigned site features improved navigation and a district-wide calendar of events. Improving communications with “all members of the Wayne school district” is one of the goals district officials set for the upcoming school year. Specific school hours will be: — Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

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More Student Schedules Available Online Soon

Middle and high school students' schedules will be accessible through the district's Parent Portal system beginning Aug. 29.

Parents of middle and high school students can view their children’s schedules online through the Wayne Public Schools’ Parent Portal. The Parent Portal is online system that allows parents to access students’ attendance records, schedules, and grades. Beginning Aug. 29, schedules for middle and high school students will be made available exclusively through the Parent Portal system. Paper copies of the schedules will not be mailed home. If parents do not have access to the Parent Portal they must contact their child’s school to register with the portal by Aug. 20. A list of frequently asked questions about the system can be found on the district’s Web site. — Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@…

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Meet The Principals

New Lafayette Principal Believes in Teaching 'To The Whole Child'

Toni Schito said everyday is an opportunity to help children learn and get them ready to become good citizens.

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series highlighting each of the four new principals who were recently hired or promoted. One article will run a day in the series until Saturday. Toni Schito said that the basic tenant of being an educator hasn’t changed simply because she’s accepted the mantle of leadership. “As a teacher you’re always asking ‘what’s best for the child?’ On an administrative level, it’s just on a larger scale,” Schito said. “As an administrator, you really have to have your hands in everything. There’s so many endless things you can do to service kids. You have an opportunity to reach all of the kids in that school building.” Schito is the new principal of Lafayette Elementary School. She is one of four new principals…

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BOE: We're Not Charging Students to Play—For Now

District holds off on implementing revised policy that gives officials the right to charge students a fee to participate in extra-curricular activities, such as sports or clubs.

The Board of Education revised a policy Thursday that addresses extra-curricular activity fees, including athletics. Although the revised policy gives officials the option to establish a participatory fee program that would help supplement revenue, board President Donald Pavlak Jr. said officials are not creating such a program now. “At this point we’re not going to do it,” Pavlak previously said. “We’re just looking at a lot of different options that are on the table.” According to the policy, should officials ever wish to charge fees, Superintendent Ray Gonzalez would recommend what the fees should be for each activity. The board would approve them on an annual basis prior to the start of the registration process for the activity. The …

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This Week: A Fashionista and a Gold Medal Recipient

Here's a sample of what we're working on this week at Wayne Patch.

Here is a look at some of the things we're working on this week for Wayne Patch: Jinnie Kang, a member of Wayne Valley's Class of 2012, will start attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in the fall. Wayne Patch will bring you a profile on Austin Belarian, recent recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. Check out the Summer Concert Series Line Up at the Wayne YMCA.

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Police Investigate Burglaries, School Report Cards Issued, Woman Hides Heroin In Unusual Place

Here is a recap of the top stories on Wayne Patch this week.

Crime and education stories dominated the headlines this week in Wayne.  Here is a recap of the top stories found on Wayne Patch. Wayne Police are investigating a dozen burglaries that occurred in the Valley section of town in recent weeks. The burglaries took place between April 25 and May 30, police reported. There were also a few attempted burglaries in the same time frame.  High school- and elementary-school aged Wayne students outperform their state counterparts on standardized tests, including the SAT, school report cards show. The state Board of Education released the report cards this week. A Franklin woman hid 30 bags with heroin in them in her bra. She removed the bags from her bra during a traffic stop Wayne police conducted …

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Elementary School Students Outperform State Counterparts On Tests

Larger percentage of students rank in the "proficient" and "advanced" categories than the state average.

Many students at Wayne’s nine elementary schools achieved higher scores on standardized tests than their counterparts statewide, annual school report cards show. The schools contain a greater percentage of students who achieved "proficient" and "advanced" standing on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge exam (ASK) and the National Assessment Educational Progress test (NAEP) than the state average. The data is included in the schools' report cards for the 2010-2011 academic year. The state Department of Education (DOE) released the report cards Thursday afternoon. The ASK exams measures third, fourth, and fifth graders’ proficiencies in language arts and mathematics. Fourth graders also take an ASK science exam. The NAEP tests …

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