Good Afternoon, Maple Place Families,

If you haven't done so already, please be sure to take a few minutes to check out Mr. Russo's April Newsletter. Within the newsletter you will see an introductory letter from incoming Superintendent, Dr. Karen Barry.

This was a very busy week once again! On Wednesday night we inducted the new members of the Maple Place Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. Additionally, on Thursday the PTO sponsored the LEAD U assemblies which took place for each grade level over the course of the day. The message focused on Connectivity, Resilience, Active Listening, and Smart Choices with an overall focus on KINDNESS! I encourage you to check out the Maple Place Instagram at @MaplePlaceOP for some great pictures and videos from the various grade level assemblies. Thank you to the Oceanport PTO for sponsoring this great day for our students!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Melissa Keiser

Please be advised and take note that students in Grades 5 through 8 will be taking the NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessment) during the week of May 6th with 5th and 8th grade ONLY continuing testing during the week of May 13th. New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) are statewide assessments that assess students’ progress toward the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) in ELA, Mathematics, and Science.

The sessions are as follows:

Grades 5 through 8

ELA - Two Sections at 90 minutes a piece on May 6th and May 7th

Math - Three Sections at 60 minutes a piece on May 8th, May 9th, and May 10th

Algebra 1 (for those enrolled only) - Two Sections at 90 minutes a piece on May 8th and May 9th

Additionally, Grades 5 & 8 ONLY will be tested in Science the following week (May 13th through May 16th)

Science - Four Sections at 45 minutes a piece on May 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th

STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO HAVE CELL PHONES OR TO WEAR SMART WATCHES DURING THE TESTING. These devices cannot be present in the classroom and must be left in their lockers. This procedure will be strictly enforced as this is a state requirement. Students also need to have a pair of WIRED headphones for the test as earbuds and Bluetooth headphones may not be used with the state testing platform. Please make sure your child has a pair of WIRED headphones that work properly. Also we encourage students to get plenty of rest the night before testing and to eat breakfast in the morning prior to coming to school.

As Mr. Russo mentioned in his newsletter, this coming week, May 6th through May 10th is Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. During this week, we would like to invite you to share compliments and shout-outs about our fantastic staff members. Although we know how much they are appreciated daily by our school community, this is an opportunity to share some of the great things you’ve noticed over the course of the year!

You can contact any staff member directly by email or by writing a personal note and sending it in with your child. Let’s show our appreciation for the incredible staff who help to make our school community thrive. This includes not just our teachers, but also our paraprofessionals, school and central office secretaries/assistants, security personnel, and custodians/grounds. Each one of them plays a vital role in creating a safe and nurturing environment for our students.

Thank you to our faculty & staff! We appreciate you and thank you for all you do for our children!

The Baseball and Softball regular season is in coming to an end this week. Please see the game schedule below. Girls HOME games are played at the Community Center Field, and Boys HOME Games are played at Blackberry.

Monday, May 6th:

Boys Baseball - Away vs. West Long Brach - 3:45pm

Thursday, May 9th:

Boys Baseball - Away vs. Fair Haven - 3:45pm

Girls Softball - Away vs. Shrewsbury - 3:45pm

Monday, May 6th:

Charger Band - 7:15am - On Stage in the Cafeteria

Volleyball Club - Grade 5 - 2:45-3:45 pm - Gym

Chorus - 2:45-4:00pm - Band Room

Tuesday, May 7th:

Cadet Band - 7:15am - On Stage in the Cafeteria

Jazz Band - 2:45-4:00 - Band Room

Advanced Art - Grade 8 - 3:00-4:00pm - Art Room

Volleyball Club - Grade 6 - 2:45-3:45 pm - Gym

Wednesday, May 8th:

Charger Band - 7:15am - On Stage in the Cafeteria

Student Council - 7:15am - Media Center

Creative Writing Club - 2:45-3:45pm - Room 105

Chorus - 2:45-4:00pm - Band Room

Thursday, May 9th:

Cadet Band - 7:15am - On Stage in the Cafeteria

Debate Club - 7:20am - Room 109

Volleyball Club - Grade 8 - 2:45-3:45 pm - Gym

Art Club - Grade 7th & 8th Grade - 2:45-3:45 - Art Room

Friday, May 10th:

Charger Band - 7:15am - On Stage in the Cafeteria

Monday, May 6th - Friday, May 10th - Teacher Appreciation Week

Monday & Tuesday, May 6th-7th - NJSLA ELA Grades 5-8

Tuesday, May 7th PTO Meeting - 7:00pm - Maple Place Media Center

Wednesday, May 8th - 8th Grade Parent Meeting - 6:00pm - Maple Place Cafeteria

Wednesday through Friday, May 8th-10th - NJSLA Math Grades 5-8

Monday through Thursday, May 13th-16th - NJSLA Science Grades 5 & 8

Tuesday, May 14th - Night of the Arts - 6:00-8:30pm - Maple Place Cafeteria / Media Center

Wednesday, May 15th - Board of Education Meeting - 6:00pm - Wolf Hill School

Maple Place will be hosting it's first Night of the Arts. During this amazing evening of music and art, we will be showcasing the many talents of our students. Come out to take a walk through the halls gazing at the Art Show. Stop in to see some wonderful student performances in our Media Center Coffee House. Then head into the cafeteria to check out the Maple Place Chorus, Charger, Cadet, and Jazz Bands. It is sure to be a great evening!

Join the Oceanport and Monmouth Beach Schools for a night of singing and baseball. Watch the choruses perform and then take in a game! Tickets for the Blue Claws Game on June 11th are now available. Please click on the link below to get yours!

As summer approaches, I wanted to make sure to send out information about the new procedure for working papers, as students no longer need to obtain their working papers from the school. Minors under the age of 18 are required to have working papers to be employed in the state of New Jersey, and now these papers can be obtained online. The steps to follow are listed below:

1. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR JOB OFFER! You only apply for Working Papers after you get an offer of an employment. If you're still looking for a job, check out our resources here.
   
   
2. CREATE AN ACCOUNT. Enter your name and email address at myworkingpapers.nj.gov. We’ll send you a link to confirm your email address. Remember: You only need to do this once, even if you need to submit more than one Working Papers application. (See step #5 for more information.)
   
   
3. COMPLETE THE APPLICATION. You’ll need your employer’s unique 8-digit code and your caregiver’s name and email address to submit your part of the application. Helpful hint: If you don’t have the employer’s code, you can search for the business by keyword. If your employer hasn’t registered with us yet, you can give us their email address and we’ll send them a link to create an account.
   
   
4. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS. You may need to follow up with your caregiver and employer, who need to submit their parts of the application before you can start working. If your application is rejected for any reason, you can’t work until you submit a new application that is approved.
   
   
5. GET TO WORK! Once your application is approved, you can start working at your new job. Don’t forget: If you add or change jobs, use your existing account to submit a new Working Papers application for every new employer. Use the "Apply for Working Papers" link after you log in.

Save the Date!

May 6: Wolf Hill Book Fair begins & Teacher Appreciation Week

May 10: Tri District Dance for 7th & 8th graders in WLB, OP and MB school districts

May 20: Mermaid Tea for 1st & 2nd grade girls and their special adult lady

June 9: Annual Wiffleball Tournament for Boys in Grades 1-8 and their adult baseball buddy

June 13: Pickleball Event for girls in Grades 3-8th and their adult lady pickleball partner

The PTO is sponsoring the Maple Place Field Day on Tuesday, June 11th. Each grade level has been assigned a neon color to wear that day. The students should have come home with a t-shirt order form earlier in the week, but the form is also linked below for your convenience.

A note from our PTO: We are currently accepting nominations for the 2024-2025 PTO Board. Becoming a board member is a great way to get to know other parents, volunteer in the school community, and give back to our schools. If you or someone you know might be a good addition to the PTO board, please consider submitting an online nomination form (which has been linked below). If you have any questions, please contact Danielle Wolfe at dwolfe.pto@gmail.com or Suzanne Fichter at suzannefichter@gmail.com.

There are ONLY 15 yearbooks left for purchase. If you are interested in reserving one, please do so ASAP! Once they're gone - they're gone!

Click on the attachment below for more information regarding the Shore Regional Blue Devils Basketball Camp offered to boys and girls in grades 3-8 running from June 24th to June 27th, 2024. Hard copies of flyers were sent home with the students earlier in the week.

The Monmouth County Sheriff's Office is sponsoring the 31st Annual Sheriff Youth Week from July 8th to July 12th at the Monmouth County Police Academy. This opportunity is open to students who are graduating from 8th grade and have an interest in law enforcement. Please see the attached letter and application for more information.

Be sure to follow Maple Place on our social media outlets. We can be found on Twitter at @MaplePlaceMS. You can also check us out on Instagram at @mapleplaceop.

Email: mkeiser@oceanportschools.org
Website: https://www.oceanportschools.org/Domain/8
Location: 2 Maple Place, Oceanport, NJ, USA
Phone: (732) 229-0267
Twitter: @MaplePlaceMS

Instagram: @MaplePlaceOP