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Board visits Judd Elementary; staff highlight relationships, SOAR, autism program and arts
Summary
At a Jan. 28 conference/public meeting, Judd Elementary staff told the North Brunswick Township Board of Education that building relationships is central to instruction and described programs including the SOAR gifted model, an expanded autism program, bilingual supports and arts offerings; administrators also reviewed recent assessment gains.
The North Brunswick Township Board of Education met at Judd Elementary on Jan. 28 for a school-site conference meeting where staff presented how relationship-driven practices shape instruction and student supports.
"At Judd, we believe that building strong relationships is the foundation of our success," Principal Dr. Glover said as she opened the presentation, which the school framed under the theme "growing hearts and minds." Teachers and administrators described routines and programs they said help students feel safe, belong and learn.
Third-grade teacher Ms. Lotanski described daily personalized greetings, morning meetings and short check-ins that she said "help my students feel connection, regulate their emotions, reduce stress, and prepare their minds for an optimal learning experience." Teachers Caitlin Haley and Andrea Santana explained how co-teaching and "no I" teamwork model collaborative problem solving and consistency for students.
Cassidy Varga, SOAR coordinator, described the district'level gifted services as a three-tier model in which schoolwide enrichment lessons (tier 1) are supplemented by small-group tier 2 and 3 offerings designed to challenge and connect students who learn at a faster pace. "SOAR is our gifted and talented services and is built on the foundation that learning only thrives when students feel connected, valued, and supported," Varga said.
Catherine Havens, the special education supervisor, traced Judd's autism program from a four-student 2007 pilot to what she said are now eight classes at Judd. She described the program as "a data based program," emphasizing family training, parent academies, sibling supports and a school-run elopement safety program that includes drills and police coordination to reduce the risk of wandering.
Dominique Alderman, director of elementary instruction, reviewed recent assessment results and said Judd met or exceeded several state benchmarks: the school reported a 99.1% participation rate for statewide assessments, an ELA proficiency rate of 48.6% (above the NJDOE target of 38.6%), and a median ELA growth percentile of 74, which Alderman characterized as "exceptionally strong." She said the district uses MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) and other data to place students in tiered interventions and to monitor growth.
Arts and music staff said creative programs strengthen student engagement. "We build connections through making art," said Megan Major, the instrumental music teacher, who introduced student performers and described district arts events including an upcoming district arts festival.
Instructional dean Mrs. Green highlighted school climate work under a PBSIS framework and a new schoolwide Dojo points system to reinforce positive behavior; she reported a 10% reduction in office referrals over two years and outlined a "Strive for 95" attendance campaign aimed at 95% monthly grade-level attendance.
Board and community members responded with praise for the presentations; Superintendent Dr. Zikowski and the board commended staff for the school'based programs and family engagement. The presentation ran into discussion of next week's action agenda, but board members said seeing classroom practices in person helped them understand how data and relationships are used to support learning.
The board will review a formal action agenda at its regular public meeting on Feb. 4, when routine personnel and other consent items will be taken up formally.
