Thursday, August 9, 2012
A local look at state immunization requirements.
Before Chatham children can grab their backpack and head out the door for the first day of school on Sept. 6, they must endure that most essential and disagreeable rite of passage, their annual immunizations. Any local pediatrician or nurse practitioner can administer the required immunizations for the 2012-13 school year, which include: Karen Leister, the lead school nurse within the School District of the Chathams, said New Jersey school districts do not set immunization requirements. "Rather," she said, the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DOHSS) "establishes immunization requirements for all children" enrolled in child care programs, preschools, pre-kindergarten programs, kindergarten or grades 1 to 12. The state …
These requirements are set by the state Department of Health and Senior Services.
Parents preparing to send children back to school may want to look at the required immunizations, available in the PDF document in the Photos section of this article. Karen Leister, the lead school nurse within the School District of the Chathams, said the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DOHSS) sets the immunization requirements for all school-aged children, from day care programs to seniors in high school. Information on the diseases below, their symptoms and possible consequences are taken from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which publishes Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) for the most common vaccines. VISs for the immunizations described below may be found in the Photos section of this article. The …
Monday, August 6, 2012
New floors, ceilings and other improvements throughout district schools will be ready for the start of school.
Parents and students are not the only ones who need to get ready for back to school. Each summer, the School District of the Chathams has routine maintenance and special facilities projects to complete before class begins. According to the district's business administrator, Peter Daquila, "summer projects are proceeding as scheduled," with several projects completed already. District-wide, each school will be fitted with a new security system, including security cameras and electronic card-access for the buildings. Installation on the system is ongoing throughout the school. At Lafayette Avenue School, Daquila said the old boiler has been removed and has started installation work for the new boiler, which has already been delivered. "We're…
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Karen Chase quickly settles into her new position in district.
Only a few weeks after celebrating her 38th birthday, Tewksbury resident Karen Chase took over as the new assistant superintendent for the School District of the Chathams. “Chatham is great, it really is,” Chase said. "I like to see the 'big picture' of an organization and see how every facet of a school system, curriculum, personnel [and] budget functions together to serve the students." Since she started her new job on July 2, Chase dove in feet-first. She attended her first Board of Education meeting on July 23, has met with all principals and supervisors, and meets regularly with Superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa. "Every district does things differently, so I have to familiarize with the school's specific procedures," she said. Chase …
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Board of Education: School District of the Chathams
58 Meyersville Rd, Chatham, NJ
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Friday, July 27, 2012
As pedestrian safety becomes an increasingly important issue in town, one mother brings her concerns to the Board of Education.
As Chatham Borough, Chatham Township and the School District of the Chathams turn their attention to pedestrian and traffic safety, one township mother faces an issue shared by many. Peter Daquila, the business administrator for the school district, said he received a letter, addressed to the school board, from a parent who lives on Avon Court with a child who will attend Chatham High School in the fall. According to Daquila, the woman wrote in her letter that her son has to walk along River Road to Southern Boulevard to reach Chatham High School each day. The route is known locally as "Snake Hill" because of the sharp turns and steep incline. It has no sidewalks. The district provides free buses for high school students who live more than…
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
New kindergarteners are being directed to Southern Boulevard School, superintendent says.
In his first Board of Education meeting as superintendent, Michael LaSusa told the board kindergarten enrollment at Washington Avenue School (WAS) has reached total capacity. "Any students who come to Washington Avenue School as kindergarteners now are being directed to Southern Boulevard, where we added that fifth section," LaSusa said. Students who register for kindergarten at WAS are now being directed to Southern Boulevard School (SBS), where the district added a fifth section of kindergarten. The district runs kindergarten as a half-day program, in either the mornings or the afternoons. "We do have half-of-a-day's worth of space at Milton Avenue School," LaSusa said, so students near Milton can still attend kindergarten there. LaSusa …
Educators from Jefferson and Long Hill will move into positions at Chatham High and Lafayette, respectively.
The Board of Education unanimously approved two new assistant principals at Chatham High School and Lafayette Avenue School in a single vote Monday. The two newcomers are Douglas Walker and Marco Freyre, who will take the positions vacated by George Alexis and Bryan Fleming, respectively. According to Superintendent Michael LaSusa, both went through "the same process [as] we have with other appointments." This includes interviews with the school principals, Personnel head Debra Becker, himself, the school board's Personnel Committee and Search Committees, which included school board members, teachers and parents from both schools and their Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTOs). Both received the unanimous endorsement of the school board's …
Optimist
10:53 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Agreed-We need to seriously prioritize our spending. Assistant Sup makes around $90,000 per year. Why not spend this money on hiring excellent teachers and coaches! more ›