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AP Morris students demonstrate ScratchJr coding as pre-K registration opens
Summary
Students from AP Morris Early Childhood Center demonstrated beginner coding using ScratchJr at a Hillside Public School District board meeting; principal outlined high attendance, upcoming registration, family coding night and creative‑curriculum recognition.
Students from AP Morris Early Childhood Center demonstrated a ScratchJr coding exercise and school leaders outlined registration and family engagement events during the Hillside Public School District board meeting. Principal Victoria Palmer Gillard told the board the school is running an early childhood coding initiative and invited families to upcoming registration and coding events.
The demonstration and presentation took place during the public portion of the meeting, where Gillard said AP Morris serves pre-K 3, pre-K 4, first grade and kindergarten classes and reported a daily average attendance rate of about 92.4 percent. "Scratch Junior introduces students to coding in fun, interactive ways," Gillard said, describing how first-grade teachers are integrating coding into content areas and how kindergarten will be integrated into the coding work for the 2025–26 school year.
Gillard said pre-K registration is open and will close March 10, with an evening registration event scheduled March 5 from 4 to 6 p.m. She also announced a family coding night on March 20. The principal identified the program partnership as with Amazon (discussed in the meeting as a district technology partner) and said the school’s ScratchJr work began about a year ago with first graders and expanded due to early success.
In addition to the coding demonstration, Gillard described attendance celebrations for parents and students, a "pre-K ambassador" program she said was selected as a model for the district’s creative curriculum, and recent family math and literacy events that drew more than 100 parents. She said classroom data show growth in early literacy and math benchmarks since the start of the school year.
The presentation ended with students showing a short coding project on Chromebooks to board members and attendees. The district noted family and community involvement as key to sustaining the programs and encouraged parents to attend the scheduled registration and family coding events.
