From the Desk of the Superintendent ISSUE 7 WINTER 2017 The Anchor, Clayton School District’s student-inspired District Newsletter Friends and Families of Clayton, The I am pleased to announce that the Clayton Board of Education has appointed a new Superintendent of Clayton Public Schools. He is our own Mr. Nikolaos Koutsogiannis who is currently the Principal of Clayton High School/Middle School. Mr. “K” as he is affection- ately called by students and staff has been with our District for eight and a half years. He has a BA in Political Science from Temple University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Wilmington University. Mr. Koutsogiannis previously taught in the Camden Public Schools system and served as a Vice Principal at Eastern Regional High School. He is married with four children and lives lo- cally in Gloucester County. Mr. Koutsogiannis looks forward to taking over his new role as Superintendent on January 3, 2017. Re- Anchor placing Mr. Koutsogiannis as the Interim Principal of Clayton High School/Middle School is Mr. Joseph Sottosanti a retired Principal of Delsea Regional High School. Mr. Sottosanti will start on January 3, 2017 and serve in this position until June 30, 2017 while the Clayton School District’s student-inspired District Newsletter District conducts a search for a new High School/Middle School Principal. As we move from a successful opening in September towards the mid-year, Clayton Public Schools’ teachers, administrators, and staff are working hard to provide our students with a safe, caring, and challenging learning environment where all students acquire the knowledge, skills, and experiences that will help them to be successful in life. From our full day pre-school program to our high school seniors we now stand at 1477 students and we are still growing. Our schools have class sizes that allow our teachers to get to know their students and be able Interview by Lisa Twomey, Special Projects Director to assist them in their learning. We have a variety of after-school programs for our students at all levels including sports, drama, chorus, band, student government, and micro-society. Clayton’s own Jennifer Schoepflin was named Gloucester County Teacher of the Year for the 2016-2017 school year and selected as one of the top four It has been my pleasure to serve as your Interim Superintendent and oversee the completion finalist for New Jersey State Teacher of the Year. of the new Clayton Performing Arts Center. I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and prosperous Nikolaos Koutsogiannis, the new Superintendent of Clayton Public Schools As the Gloucester County Teacher of the Year, Ms. Schoepflin represents the new year. Clayton Public School District as she networks with educators across the state Cleve W. Bryan, Interim Superintendent of New Jersey. Ms. Schoepflin will become an active member of the NJCTY, engage in the "Hot Topics with Top Teachers" round table discussion at the NJEA Convention, and participate in multiple school leadership conferences. In addition, she will join her fellow Gloucester County “Teachers of the Year” and provide professional development to teachers of New Jersey through participation in the “PD on Wheels” initiative. When asked about her goals NON-PROFIT ORG. Clayton Board of Education as the Gloucester County Teacher of the Year, she stated, “I hope to inspire U.S. POSTAGE young adults to pursue a career in education. I also hope to utilize this opportunity to spark a discussion about how education can be more inclusive to all students.” Clayton Public School District P A I D PERMIT NO. 6 350 East Clinton Street Article written by Darby Malvey, Media Center Specialist Clayton, New Jersey 08312 On October 5th, 2016 students and staff celebrated the grand opening of the Middle School/High School’s new Media Center Phone: 856-881-8700 Makerspace. The Makerspace - funded by a Board of Education Innovation Grant and designed in partnership with the school’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program - is a STEAM initiative that approaches science, technology, engineering, art, Fax: 856-863-8196 ECRWSS and math education by offering hands-on activities that support both established curric- www.claytonps.org ulums and independent study. The Makerspace is housed in the High School/Middle POSTAL CUSTOMER School’s Media Center. Students are welcome to drop by the Makerspace [at any time during operating hours] and classroom teachers are encouraged to take advantage of the Makerspace as a hands-on learning lab. Currently, the Makerspace is home to a variety of items that allow students to explore STEAM concepts, including LEGO bricks, sewing kits, Makey Makey circuitry kits, Makerbot 3D printers, art supplies, and a but- ton maker. In the near future, students will also have access to a music technology lab, stop-motion animation apps, and special workshops for higher-level skills like solder- ing and 3D modeling. The goal of the space is to encourage students to become pro- ducers, rather than just consumers, of media, technology, and art. So far, staff and stu- dents of all grade levels have enjoyed exploring the Makerspace and have begun cre- ating inspiring projects. Questions about the Media Center Makerspace can be di- This newsletter was created in-house by Clayton Public School District staff and students. rected to Clayton’s Media Specialist, Ms. Malvey, at [email protected]. Information submitted by Olivia Gallo, Nutri-Serv Food Service Director Article submitted by Dan Antonelli, Athletic Director The school day is long– and Clayton Middle and High School students The Clayton football team jumped out to a 3-0 start after making an appearance in the Finals last year. The are active! As a result, many of our youth are hungry at the end of the team defeated Gloucester, Florence, and Gloucester Catholic before falling to Pennsville in a close day and looking for a little boost to keep them going! To support this game. Senior standouts Donovan Allen, Courey Carr, Michael Gibson, Justin Bryant, Skylar McDonald, Damir Washington, and Jamar Frazier finished the season strong with a win over Pitman on Thanksgiving need, Clayton partnered with the USDA Department of Agriculture Day. The girls’ soccer team anchored by goal scorers Jada Simon and Jayda Marshall and net keep- to offer an after-school snack program for students in grades 6-12 who er Allison Bicking with Catherine Copeland anchoring the defense finished a great season with a heart- participate in enrichment activities, athletics, and other special interest breaking loss to Gateway in the semi-finals in overtime. Boys’soccer had a young team this year starting clubs at the end of the school day. The District receives cash subsidies three freshman, including standout goalie John Dantinne, and leans on Matt Miller, Tom Cliver, and Mahir from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for each snack they serve. In return, the District must serve snacks that Yilmaz to provide experience. Field hockey has secured some big wins this fall and earned a 1-0 overtime meet Federal health requirements and portion sizes. These snacks are planned with the students' best interest in mind, playoff win against Overbrook. Francesca Shipe and Isabelle Montanus lead the team into the post season providing nutritious and substantial sustenance to power them through the afternoon. A favorite choice among middle as Rachel Valverde has been stellar in net. The cross country team is led by senior standout Ben Kellum and newcomer Eric Dickens. The team has posted wins over division rivals Gloucester Catholic, Wildwood, and school students is fresh apple slices with peanut butter and milk. And for those days when students need a little more Salem. The winter season has the teams all off to a fast start. All three teams in holiday tournaments won they can choose the 1/2 sandwich option with 100% fruit juice. them, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, and wrestling. The wrestling team also won the Bordentown Duals and is off to a 5-1 start. The boys’ basketball team has had Michael Gibson score his 1000th career point and are off to a 5-1 start. The girls’ basketball team is still undefeated at 6-0 with the core of seniors, Jada Simon, Francesca Shipe, Catherine Copeland, and Tatyanna Bell, leading the way. Information submitted by Molly Fleming, LCSW, MSW Mrs. Quigley and Mrs. Schneider’s 3rd Grade Class Research suggests that school-based yoga cultivates compe- tencies in mind-body awareness, self-regulation, and physi- cal fitness. Molly Fleming, LCSW, MSW, leads a group of students from Herma Simmons Elementary School through a “Mindfulness and Yoga” workshop using a series of stretches and positions of yoga with controlled breathing exercises. According to Ms. Fleming, the students use breathing techniques, movement, and relaxation to create a complete experience of relaxation and focus. The students’ classroom teacher, Mr. Thomas stated that he observed a positive impact in his classroom as a result of the Mindfulness and Yoga activities noting that the stu- dents were “more calm, attentive, and positive after par- ticipating in the workshop.” Clayton HIB Policy #5512 can be found under the Harass- ment/Intimidation/Bullying (HIB) link on the Guidance Department page of the District website: www.claytonps.org. .