Goodbye, Chicks!

Every year, the PTO funds a Chick Hatching Program at LIS. The program is provided by Quiver Farm, and is a winter highlight for our students. The eggs and incubator were delivered to the library display case on January 21, and the first eggs hatched on January 27.

When the chicks are completely dry, they can be moved out of the incubator so all of our students can see them.

On January 31, the chicks were returned to Quiver Farm, where they will live and lay eggs. Goodbye, chicks! Thanks again to our PTO for funding this farm education program.

We are a NJ District of Character!

It has been said that “People of character do the right thing even if no one is looking.” We have a lot of those people within Lawrence Township Public Schools!

Take a look at a day of the character education thread joining grades PreK to 12:


The New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional and Character Development (NJASECD) has selected Lawrence Township Public Schools (LTPS) as a 2014 New Jersey District of Character. Cindy Westhead, LIS Assistant Principal, led the committee that drafted the district application.

LTPS will maintain this status for three years and the respective applications have been forwarded to the Character Education Partnership (CEP) in Washington, D.C. for consideration in the National Schools/District of Character program. This is the first time our district received the distinction. The district will be honored at a special recognition ceremony during the NJASECD Conference at Rider University on March 19.

MLK Day of Service

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'"  Each year, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities.



We will not be in school on MLK Day, but if you and your family or friends would like to do something together, you can visit MLKDay.gov for project ideas and other information.

Right now, there are charitable events going on at LIS:

• Our Student Council is collecting unwanted stuffed animals to support Glad Dogs Nation. From their website: "Our adorable handcrafted dog toys start out as unwanted children’s stuffed toys. We wash them in hot water using biodegradable detergent. We remove hard eyes and put cute appliques in their place. We replace the hard noses with colorful pompoms. And we always add at least one squeaker inside. Then we offer the toys at a price below what you’d pay in a pet store – so no one needs to shed a tear if the toy is destroyed during play." They make catnip toys, too! This collection has begun and will end on February 13.


• Hootie's Helpers (6th grade Community Service club) are collecting canned goods for the Souper Bowl of Caring. Please bring non-perishable food items to school before January 31. The collection will be donated directly to the  Lawrence Community Center to help our neighbors in need.

Upcoming Math Parent Info Session

Puzzled by your child's math program? Register now for our K-5 Parent Info Session on Wednesday, January 29. The program will be held in the Lawrence High Commons from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.

This session will outline changes in our elementary math program since implementing the Common Core State Standards and will support parent understanding.

Parents will have the opportunity to work with district educators on the “newest” methods of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and problem solving.

Mercer County Wildlife Center Assembly

A representative from the Mercer County Wildlife Center brought in an owl and educated our 4th and 5th graders about all the services the Center provides for animals in our area. Students earned this free assembly by bringing in over 300 rolls of paper towels to donate to the wildlife center.

Students learned a lot about the characteristics of the great horned owl and other animals during this presentation.

Hour of Code Snippet

LIS participated in the first ever Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15, 2013). Our Technology teacher, Mrs. Rubinstein, worked with the 6th grade Tech Squad to facilitate the Hour of Code activities. Here is a short video about how it worked.