Countryside Elementary School

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115 Schoolhouse Lane, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054  |  P: 856-234-2750  |  F: 856-222-9755
Mount Laurel Schools - Inspiring Potential. Enriching Futures.

Welcome to Countryside Elementary!

 
Ms. Lori Zataveski
Principal

The Countryside School is home to 320 students in Grades PK-4, and 70 staff members each school day. Here are just a few of the many opportunities our students have been given to encourage active learning:

Through our Buddy Program, each preschool child in our school is paired with a fourth-grade buddy. The buddies meet for one period a week and participate in a teacher-directed learning activity. Through our Student Announcer Program, the students in kindergarten through fourth-grade conduct the morning opening exercises, and announcements.

We have a very active and caring Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO). In addition to raising funds for technology, assemblies, field trips, and playground equipment, the PTO consistently generates ideas for school improvement.

Our School Motto

Communicate, Create, Collaborate, Celebrate...Together is Better at Countryside!

Supply List for 2014-2015 School Year

Time for Summer Reading Lists!

Mount Laurel's Summer Reading Program includes suggested books for students in Grade 1-7. Students are encouraged to create a log of books read for discussion in class in the Fall. Please recognize that your child may select a book that is not on the suggested list that fits his or her individual interests and reading level. Should you have questions about the Summer Reading Program, please contact your school office, which will be open throughout the summer. The following letters to parents detail the program by grade level. The suggested list is also linked below.

Summer Reading Response Activity for Students Currently in Grades 4, 5, 6, 7

Survey Intended to Gauge Interest In Morning EDC

Current and Incoming Hartford School Parents:
Some interest has been shown in a morning Extended Day Care (EDC) section at Hartford School next year. We have developed a survey intended to gauge whether there is sufficient interest to warrant staffing such a section. If you are interested, please take a moment to respond to a quick online survey. Here's the link.

Summer Central Registration for 2014-2015 School Year

Over the weeks of summer break, new residents and those wishing to register students for the first time in our schools may do so at a central location. Beginning on Monday, July 7, through Thursday, August 21, Central District Registration will be held at the Transportation and Learning Center at 354 Mount Laurel Road. Before July 7 and after August 21, new students should be registered at the school they will attend.

Dr. Rath Named Burlington County Superintendent of Year for 2015

 
The Burlington County Chapter of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators has named Mount Laurel Schools Superintendent Dr. Antoinette Rath as Burlington County’s Superintendent of the Year for 2015. Her selection was announced at the group’s June meeting in Westampton.
 
Dr. Michael Gorman, Superintendent of Pemberton Township Schools, chaired the selection committee. “Toni Rath’s contributions are significant,” he said, “and I believe she will represent Burlington County well on the state level.”
As the county designee, Rath’s name will be submitted for consideration as regional and state Superintendent of the Year for 2015. County selections are made on the basis of the individual’s record of service with their county affiliate as well as a distinguished record of service as an educator. Selection at the regional and state levels considers leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement, in addition.

An educator with 29 years of experience, Rath has been superintendent of Mount Laurel Schools since 2002. She has led the district’s transformation to adhere with new standards and mandates at the state level, and has enhanced educational programs each year. Through her initiative with corporate partners, Mount Laurel has created Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs in grades 5-8. Numerous technology advances, such as a $1 million laptop endeavor, have been completed under her direction and Mount Laurel students continue to exceed state and district factor group scores on standardized tests.
Rath graduated from West Chester State University with both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Art degrees. She received her Principal and Supervisor’s Certification from Rowan University and a Doctorate in Education Administration from Widener University. She has undertaken post-doctorate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, and serves as an executive board member of the New Jersey School Development Council at Rutgers University.

Summer Technology/STEM Courses Offered

Looking for a fun new skill to learn? Click here for the one-week courses offered this summer by Mount Laurel Community Education. Classes will be taught in the Hartford STEM lab to maximize student learning and enjoyment!

Free Summer Math Program Offered To Our Families

Mount Laurel Schools have joined with TenMarks, an Amazon Company, to provide a summer math program at no cost to our families. Research shows that summer learning loss in Math is an issue that impacts all students, with students losing an average of 2-3 months of math comprehension every summer. TenMarks offers families a proven,scalable, online summer math program to reverse the summer learning loss and help students build a strong foundation in core math skills. Learn more about this exciting program here.

Extended Kindergarten Option Registration

The Board of Education has approved the Extended Kindergarten Option (EKO) Program for a September, 2014 start in the Mount Laurel Schools. Registration for the new program will be open on a first come, first serve basis. Registration forms are available here as well as at each of our school offices and at our Extended Day Care (EDC) offices. Completed registration forms must be mailed or hand-delivered to our EDC Office at 436 Masonville Road with the non-refundable registration fee of $75.
 
Here are some questions that have come in so far.

2014 Education Summit Webpage Link
More than 100 community members participated in the district's 2014 Education Summit on May 15. Discussion centered on the transformation facing our schools, namely the new Common Core Standards, the new PARCC Test to be administered in 2015 and student attendance rates. The resulting group discussion led to a number of suggestions for better communication within the community.
Check out our 2014 Summit webpage here to view the presentation and check for frequent updates.

Important: Emergency Notifications

Mt. Laurel Schools Emergency Text: Emergency text from the Mt. Laurel Public Schools: Text the word subscribe to the number 68453 from your cell phone. You'll receive an immediate reply confirming your subscription to the service. You may sign-up for text messages using this method on as many cell phones as you would like.

Quick Links

 
It's HERE! YES! PowerSchool on the GO!
Our PowerSchool Mobile App portal is now open!  Click here for complete instructions on how to set-up your mobile device!

Events Calendar
July 29
Board of Education Regular Meeting
Hattie Britt/Administration Building

August 26
Board of Education Regular Meeting
Hattie Britt/Administration Building

August 28
Hartford Hello Day for incoming 5th-graders (2 sessions - 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., according to Team placement.)
September 4
First Day of Classes - Grade 1-8

September 5
First Day Kindergarten

September 25
Rosh Hashanah
School Closed


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Parents: Looking for a program to keep your children safe while surfing the Internet? The program we use here in school is now available to you at home.
Here's more information.

School Performance 2012-13

How May We Help You?

Just looking for a quick and basic guide to specific information about our schools? The links below will provide you with a basic fact sheet on the topics listed. Don't see something you wish was here? Just yell! We'll get it up right away for you.

Registering a child new to the district
Kindergarten registration
Job Opportunities - Certified
Job Opportunities - Support and Substitute
School Locations and Contact Info
Map of our schools and sending areas

Anti-Bullying

NJ DOE Self-Assessment under the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights District and School Grade Report
District Anti-Bullying Coordinator
Kelly Neiman
Mount Laurel Hartford School
397 Hartford Road
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
Telephone - 856-231-5899

Student & Parent Info

School Hours:
 Grades SLD K, 1-4: 8:30 a.m. - 2:55 p.m.
Preschool A.M.: 8:45 - 11:15 a.m.
Preschool P.M.: 12:30 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.
 Kindergarten A.M.: 8:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
 Kindergarten P.M.: 12:25 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.
Early dismissal grades SLD K, 1-4: 12:30 p.m.
 *On half days, P.M. Kindergarten begins at 10 a.m. and dismisses at 12:30 p.m. A.M. Kindergarten remains the same.
There will be no Preschool classes held on half days.

Countryside School Anti-Bullying Specialist is Claudia Horner, 115 School House Lane, 856-234-2750

Local Weather

Current Conditions:
Forecast:


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