What's New at Absegami High School?

Absegami High School students reported for the first day of school on Tuesday (Sept. 3). According to a letter from Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District Superintendent Steven Ciccariello, here are some of the changes and new offerings in store for the 2013-14 school year.

• Expanded dual-credit initiative with The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and Atlantic-Cape Community College: The program allows students to receive college credits for courses they take while attending classes at Absegami, Oakcrest and Cedar Creek High Schools.
• PSAT testing for all district tenth and eleventh graders: The district will use results of this October assessment to tailor instruction for college and career readiness.
• Summer improvements to buildings: They include refinishing the gym floors at Absegami, Cedar Creek, and Oakcrest High Schools complete with the inclusion of school logos on the floors. Gym curtains have been replaced in each building, and new bleacher motors have been installed at Absegami High School. 
• Teeacher training: Teachers participated in technology training, Project Lead the Way training, Advanced Placement course training, and Common Core State Standards professional development. 
• New teacher evaluations: During the 2013-2014 school year, the district will implement a new teacher evaluation system utilizing the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching meeting the NJDOE mandate to implement an evidence-based teacher evaluation system. 
• Faster Internet: In response to the continued integration of technology into the curriculum, the district has increased district Internet bandwidth to 100 MB/sec.
• Phone system upgrade: The final upgrade to the district phone system was completed this summer at Absegami. The transition to a new IP phone system in all three high schools will enhance and improve district operations.
• "Bring Your Own Device": Each high school continues to expand its “Bring Your Own Device” initiative, which allows teachers to access network resources from their own personal technology devices.
• Video surveillance: The district has upgraded its school security video surveillance system in all three buildings.
• School Messenger: A new parent notification system called School Messenger will allow the district to contact parents through email, text messages, and voice messages.
• Online report cards: In an effort to provide more immediate access to student progress and marking period grades, no hard copy of interim progress reports or report cards will be mailed. Parents and guardians will be able to access both of these through our Genesis Parent Access portal. If you have not signed up for the Genesis Parent Access portal yet, look for a link on each school’s website.
• More information: For additional information about the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District and your child’s school, visit the district web site (http://www.gehrhsd.net).