The BERKELEY Times Vol. 31 - No. 22
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Learning Comes Easy When The Beach Is Your Classroom
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Page 6
Community News Pages 8-10
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Inside The Law Page 17
Photo by Chris Lundy MATES students introduced the visitors to creatures that live at the shore. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – The tourists have gone home, but the beach was filled with students learning about the unique ecosystem – and taking those lessons home with them. Every year, Clean Ocean Action meets busloads of kids at Island Beach State Park for a student summit. They learn lessons from environmentalists in the field – as well as peers who are just a little older than them.
They went to stations around the interpretive center. The Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science students were able to talk to the kids on their level about important lessons like how litter impacts wildlife. Clean Ocean Action has been leading this for 35 years, said Kristen Grazioso, Education and Volunteer Manager. “It connects them with the coastal ecosystem,” she (Learning - See Page 4)
Literary Coach Funded By Grant By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – The Central Regional School District received a $150,000 grant and will hire a full-time coach to strengthen literary achievement among students. Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder said the literacy coach will support the district’s approximately 40 English Language Arts teachers in implementing evidence-based literacy instruction by providing direct coaching, professional development, and collaborative planning opportunities. “The coach will serve as a vital resource for the district,” she said. “We expect the literacy coach to have a transformative impact on literacy outcomes for our students, improving state learning assessment proficiency and reducing the percentage
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of students requiring intensive support.” The Cultivating Ongoing Achievement through Coaching in Literacy (COACH-L) grant comes from the New Jersey Department of Education. It helps school districts hire and train literacy coaches to support educators within their schools. The term of the grant is five years. Dr. CarneyRay-Yoder said that the grant comes at a time when the district is introducing a new educational pilot program. The Multi-Tiered System of Supports is starting in the Middle School (grades 7-9). It’s a comprehensive framework for general education designed to support the individual learning needs of every student. (Grant - See Page 4)
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Possible South Seaside Park Annexation Questioned By Chris Lundy SEASIDE PARK – An informational meeting was held to determine what concerns Seaside Park residents have about whether to annex a portion of Berkeley Township. The South Seaside Park section of Berkeley is between the borough of Seaside Park and Island Beach State Park. For a just over a decade, a SSP taxpayers group have fought in meetings and in court to leave Berkeley. They say that they pay too much in taxes to a town that’s over the bridge and far away from them. They feel they have more in common with their neighbors, and are petitioning to join them. Now, Seaside Park has to make the decision whether to annex the property and those residents. The Borough Council hired Government Strategy Group to create an impact study. This group also held a meeting to elicit feedback from residents. A second meeting will be held Monday, November 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the second-floor council chambers of the building located at Sixth and Central Avenues, Seaside Park. The first meeting, held on November 10, was attended by about 130 people. Government Strategy Group led the meeting, and handed out questionnaires. Jean Cipriani is the special legal counsel retained by the borough. She explained that the state law about how a section of town can leave is very detailed. The next step, of how they join another town, is less detailed. “It is critically important that the governing (Annexation - See Page 5)
Photo by Chris Lundy A resident gives his opinion of whether South Seaside Park should be annexed.
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