Superintendent's Message


SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE

2020

Let me begin by wishing you a Happy New Year filled with many successes and continued progress! The Egg Harbor Township School District takes pride in assuring that our students are provided diverse learning experiences that contribute to a relevant and enjoyable academic learning journey.  After a well-deserved winter break, we are ready to welcome back students and families to begin our work for the second half of the year to ensure that learning continues.

When we take a look at the first few months of school, we have much to be proud of in terms of student, athletic and fine and performing arts achievement. Academically, Guided Math and the Reader's and Writer's Workshop model have been fully implemented in our elementary classrooms. A focus has been placed on the Response to Intervention (RTI) Tier 1 Instructional Program, where lessons are designed and delivered with differentiation and relevance. We find this to be our recipe for success – as our most recent data has indicated that students are showing progress in academic achievement. Our fall athletic teams provided excitement in Cape Atlantic League and South Jersey Playoff Competition. Their efforts produced all-star recognitions and many extra opportunities for fans to cheer them on. In Fine and Performing Arts, our students participated in the Artwork and Story Writing Competitions, our Middle and High School students earned All South Jersey Honors in Band and Chorus, our Marching Band placed 5th at the Atlantic Coast Championships, and the drama club performed 12 Angry Jurors. 

Recently, we have worked on elements of our Strategic Plan. The continued emphasis on meeting our district learning goals comes with the responsibility of ensuring that our instructional program remains strong and that student achievement is at the forefront. We believe that this plan will keep us focused on our mission to embrace, engage, and educate our students and prepare them to be global citizens. With that in mind, we embarked on research in the areas of Full-Day Kindergarten and District Reconfiguration. This past fall, six Town Hall meetings were held to gain stakeholder feedback. Participation was wonderful and it was so nice to hear the wants, needs, and concerns of the community. Stakeholder feedback and administrative efforts resulted in a proposal for Full Day Kindergarten ( https://www.eht.k12.nj.us/superintendent_s_corner/strategic_planning ) that will be included in the 2020-21 school district budget proposal. A plan to further explore an upper elementary model, one middle school of 7th and 8th grades or getting the 6th grade on the same schedule as the 7th and 8th grade at two middle schools, and Eagle Academy will surely be topics of conversation and research during the second half of this school year.    

Finally, in this current climate, student and staff safety continues to be a top priority for us. This is made possible with a supportive community that helps us make certain that students are safe as they travel to and from school and in our community. Families, neighbors, and community members can support that effort by looking out for students as they board school buses, stopping their vehicles when bus stop-arms are extended and red lights are flashing, and watching for student pedestrians and bicyclists as they may travel in the early morning and late evening hours. We also know that winter weather presents unique challenges with transportation for all of us; we encourage you to take extra precautions to look out for students traveling to and from school when winter weather conditions make travel difficult.

I want you to be assured that I take high value on public education and providing the children of Egg Harbor Township Schools with an excellent educational experience. My team and I are committed to making sure that ALL students are provided with all of the tools, resources, opportunities, and choices to support their individual paths to be successful. We will be continuing professional development on cultural responsiveness, resiliency, and literacy. 

Thank you for your continued support!

#EHTPride

Dr. Gruccio


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