The Board of Education will hold a special action meeting followed by the regular monthly work session on Tuesday, February 14, at the Malberg Adminstration Building. Click HERE for the special action and work session agendas.  In the special action meeting, the Board will consider a resolution to move the annual school election to November. Click HERE for facts about the law. The public is invited to provide input on the issue by clicking HERE.

The February 13 regional meeting on the charter school issue, originally scheduled to be held at Voorhees Middle School, has been postponed.  Acting NJ DOE Commissioner Chris Cerf has advised us that he will be unable to attend on that date. We hope to reschedule for another date. Stay tuned for details!

Middle School Open Enrollmlent… The middle school open enrollment period is from Monday, February 13 through Friday, February 24. Click HERE for more details on the open enrollment application process.

The Cherry Hill School District has a preschool program open to resident children at an affordable rate. Selection is by lottery. To register your child for the Cherry Hill Public Schools Preschool lottery, please complete and submit an application no later than March 1, 2012.  Click HERE for more information.

Kindergarten Registration for Fall 2012...Children must be five years old on or before October 1, 2012 to be eligible for kindergarten in fall 2012.  Kindergarten registration (and registration for first graders entering public school for the first time) is conducted centrally at the Malberg Administration Building, 45 Ranoldo Terrace, throughout the month of March. Each elementary school has a specific registration date; click HERE for the schedule. Prior to registration, parents should pick up a kindergarten registration packet at their nearest neighborhood elementary school.

The Cherry Hill School District also operates a tuition-supported Extended Day Child Care program for kindergarten students. The program operates each day that school is in session. EDCC's trained professional staff provides a safe and stimulating program of kindergarten enrichment activities (playtime, arts and crafts, games, nature and science activities, music and movement activities). Click HERE and select EDCC Registration for more information.

Registration for the Cherry Hill School District's Summer Enrichment Camp Program is now being accepted.  The tuition-based program will be open 11 hours a day Monday through Friday for nine weeks, from June 19 through August 17 (closed July 4).  This fun program includes field trips, swimming, and interactive programs brought to the school site.  Guided activities in the learning environment include recreation and sports, pinelands and nature, the arts, enrichment opportunities, youth development, friendship building, positive social interaction, and character education.  The camp is open to children who are residents of Cherry Hill and will enter grades 1 through 6 in September 2012.  Click HERE for forms and information or contact 856-429-6564 ext. 2.

Congratulations to the Cherry Hill West Mock Trial Team – Camden County Champions for the third time in five years! The county competition took place over several weeks at the Camden County Hall of Justice and the Archer & Greiner law firm.  It culminated on February 6 with West, the Group A winner, facing the Cherry Hill East, the Group B winner. The match was close, but ultimately, the judges determined that West was the winner.  Congratulations to West’s Mock Trial Team members Tess Banecker, Wendy Cheng, Effy Gittler, Wilson Huang, Jeremy Rotblat, Tati Radziun, Phil Shin, Gabby Stankecivoute, Nick Sansone, and Valerie Wilson, and to their advisor, Derek Field.

Beck Middle School placed first in the 29th annual MATHCOUNTS South Jersey Regional Competition held at Rowan University on February 4.  The Beck team, coached by Michael Winter and Trish Hosgood, included Phillip Korth, Grace Shen, Angela Sun and David Yang.  Placing second in the competition was the team from Rosa International Middle School, coached by Scott Goldthorp: Kevin Chen, Madlyn Kates, Minwoo Lee, and Vimalesh Vasu.  In the individual competition, Kevin Chen (Rosa) placed first, James McFadden (Rosa) placed third, Phillip Korth (Beck) placed fourth, and Eric Lin (Rosa) placed fifth. The Beck team, along with the top four individual competitors, will advance to the State Competition in March to compete against schools and Mathletes from throughout the state and the opportunity to advance to the national competition later this year in Orlando, Florida.  Congratulations to all!

Nine Cherry Hill elementary school students have been selected to perform with the All State Elementary Chorus. They are, from Thomas Paine Elementary School, Sonia Kangaju (4th in the state), Jenna Hopkins, and Audrey Harasaki (10th in the state), and from Stockton Elementary School, Soha Aslam, Hridiya Shah, Gianna Salvato, Marinel Kimenker, Hannah Lerfeld, and Claire McFadden. The concert will be held at J.P.Case Middle School in Flemington NJ on Saturday, May 5, at 4:30 pm. Tickets are $8. Congratulations to the students and their music teacher Laura Harmon!

Sizzling Science Day at Sharp Elementary School…On Wednesday, March 7, Sharp PTA parent and scientist Tammy Habina will conduct experiments and science demonstrations for each grade level as part of Sharp’s "Sizzling Science Day."  Each student will then have the opportunity to conduct his/her own experiment using the Scientific Method. The event will precede the Sharp School Science Fair on Thursday, March 22. The objective of Sizzling Science Day is to get kids excited about science and take away the intimidation of using the Scientific Method!

The Woodcrest Carnival is here and we need YOU! The Carnival will be  Saturday, February 11, 11 am - 3 pm at Woodcrest Elementary School, 400 Cranford Road, All Purpose Room. To make our carnival a success, we need over 100 volunteers. If you are looking for a FUN volunteer opportunity, then this is for you.  Students can earn community service hours when they volunteer to help us with the winter carnival. We have two shifts, AM (10:45 am-1:00 pm) or PM (12:45 pm-3 pm) or both shifts are available.  Please contact Tiffany Mogell at tmogell@comcast.net or (609)440-8406.

The Eleventh Annual Cherry Hill Schools Jazz Showcase is scheduled for Thursday, February 16, at 7:30 pm at Rosa International Middle School. This event features all of the jazz bands from the three middle schools and two high schools in a casual setting sharing their talents in the jazz medium. Family, friends and community members are invited to attend this FREE concert performance. For further information, contact Sue Mark at Rosa International Middle School, (856)616-8787, ext. 3318, or smark@chclc.org.

Beck PTSA has canceled its February 15 meeting. The new date is Thursday, March 22; Dr. Reusche will be attending to talk about the budget.

The West Instrumental Music Department will present its annual Festival Concert on Thursday February 23 at 7:30 pm.  The Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and String Orchestra will perform a variety of works including a Bassoon solo with wind ensemble written by director Jim Mark and performed by senior Patrick Norris.  Special guests the Carusi Symphonic Band and the Carusi Orchestra will perform with the high school groups as well.  Admission is free and open to the public.

Earthwatch Expedition to Costa Rica ... Spaces are still available for students ages 15-18 to participate in a service learning/environmental research project with the Earthwatch Institute this summer.  This is self-contained group of our students who will work with conservation scientists and community members in Tarrazú, Costa Rica.  Students do not have to be studying Spanish to participate (although it does provide great language practice!).  Any student with an interest in service learning, conservation, field research, or sustainable business practices will be interested in taking part! Click HERE for a flyer and FAQ about the trip.

Save the date for the annual Earth Day Festival at Croft Farm – Saturday, April 28 from 10 am to 3 pm.  If you’re interested in participating or volunteering at the event, please email Jodi Raditz, jraditz@chclc.org.

The Cherry Hill African American Civic Association (CHAACA) and the African American Culture Clubs at Cherry Hill High School East and West proudly sponsor the annual Black History Show UNCENSORED: Black History Revealed, Raw, & Uncut - A Hip Hop Musical  on Saturday, February 11, 7:00 pm, Cherry Hill High School West New Auditorium, 2101 Chapel Avenue.

Have you signed the SaveOurSchoolsNJ petition?  Join your fellow NJ residents in the fight for charter legislation reform as the focus shifts to the NJ Senate. Click HERE to sign the petition … and share this link with your neighbors and friends. Thank you!

The school district is now on Twitter...follow us @CHPSTweets!

Aim for maximized recycling! Did you know that orange juice cartons are now recyclable? So are certain plastic containers that hadn't been before.  Click HERE for the "Residential Guide to Zero-Sort Recycling."

New to Cherry Hill? All registration is conducted centrally at the Malberg Administration Building. Click HERE for information on registering your students in our great public schools.