Last summer, roof work was started at two elementary schools: Littlebrook and Community Park, with the plan to continue this effort at other school buildings in the upcoming summers. As part of the roof upgrades, insulation was increased. At Community Park and Littlebrook, the upgrades resulted in average R-values between 45 and 52 for the new roofs. These upgrades are important for a conducive learning and working environment, but an early peak at the data shows signs of another benefit: energy savings.
District News
Thank you to everyone who attended the March 21 meeting on Long-Term Planning. The meeting included presentations which are under consideration. No final decisions have been made. The district administration will continue to look at options.
PMS hosted a Math Placement Night on Thursday, March 23. This informative zoom was for rising 6th-8th grade parents to learn about math placement, rubrics, and timelines for their students.
The Princeton Board of Education will meet Tuesday, March 28, at 7:30 PM at the Princeton Middle School Cafeteria. The meeting will also be live streamed on YouTube, PPS Live Events and also on Facebook Live.
Board Highlights are an unofficial summary of actions taken and topics discussed during the public session of the PPS Board of Education on March 14, 2023.
They are intended to provide timely information to our community, but they do not represent an official accounting of the meeting. Official minutes will be approved by the Board at its next meeting.
All parents with students in K to grade 5 are invited to join Ms. Sarah Moore and the PPS elementary education team on Thursday, April 13 at 6:30 PM, for a live webinar about Elementary Curriculum and Instruction.
You are invited to attend the Long-Term Planning Meeting on Tuesday, March 21, at 6 PM via Zoom.
- Public comment (about any subject) will be held from 6 to 7 PM.
- The planning discussion will begin at 7 PM and it will include a presentation about enrollment projections for the four elementary schools.
- The meeting is open to the public and all are welcome.
PMS will host a PMS Math Placement Night on Thursday, March 23 at 7 PM. This informative zoom will be for rising 6th-8th grade parents to learn about math placement, rubrics, and timelines for their students. The format for our evening will be a zoom webinar that is recorded. Please register in advance.
Staff, students, parents, and community members are all invited to the perennially popular Annual Asian Festival from 7 PM to 9 PM on Friday at Princeton High School. Culture and food stations will be open from 7 to 8 PM and student performances are from 8 to 9:30 PM.
On Tuesday, Princeton University announced that it will provide more than $14 million in support to Princeton Public Schools over the next five years. Princeton University will provide the district with an unrestricted payment of $2,250,000 in the first year, an amount that will increase by 4% in each subsequent year.
PHS Research Program students learned valuable lessons recently, while also introducing new garden beds and a shed to campus.
PPS, Wegmans, and the Princeton Health Department are sponsoring a free vaccination clinic on Tuesday, March 7 from 4 PM to 6 PM at 25 Valley Road. The Pediatric Pfizer booster for ages 5 to 11 and the Adult Pfizer Booster for ages 12 and older will both be available free of charge.
These highlights are an unofficial summary of actions taken and topics discussed during the public session of the PPS Board of Education on February 21, 2023. They are intended to provide timely information to our community, but they do not represent an official accounting of the meeting. Official minutes will be approved by the Board at its next meeting. To see the video of the February 21 meeting, please click here.
To subscribe to Board Highlights please email communications@princetonk12.org.
The Princeton Board of Education will meet Tuesday, March 14, at 7 PM in-person at 25 Valley Road. The meeting is open to the public and all are welcome.
The Paul Robeson House of Princeton will soon be distributing Paul Robeson Tomato seeds to students in schools and interested families in our community. The goal of the project is to create Freedom Gardens across our town in honor of Paul Robeson.
School Year Calendars from 2023-2025
These highlights are an unofficial summary of actions taken and topics discussed during the public session of the PPS Board of Education on January 24, 2023. They are intended to provide timely information to our community, but they do not represent an official accounting of the meeting. Official minutes will be approved by the Board at its next meeting.
Dr. Barnes-Johnson, working with PPS faculty, other NJ educators, PPS garden educators, and community members, launched the Princeton Robeson Freedom Garden campaign during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at Princeton Middle School. Robeson Freedom Gardeners will gather in September 2023 to celebrate Robeson tomato gardens planted during the year.
The Princeton Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts Department is pleased to share its winter edition of “News from the Arts,” a quarterly electronic newsletter about recent and upcoming arts events.
To learn more about the New Jersey Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) procedures, Dana Karas, Director of School Counseling, asked HIB expert Alicia D'Anella, attorney at Parker McCay. To see the session, please click here.
Si su hijo está comenzando kindergarten o primer grado en las Escuelas Públicas de Princeton, lo invitamos a asistir a una sesión informativa de inmersión bilingüe el miércoles 18 de enero a las 6:30 p. m. o el jueves 19 de enero a las 9 a. m. Las sesiones de información se llevarán a cabo en persona en Community Park School, 372 Witherspoon Street. Todos los estudiantes que ingresen a kindergarten y primer grado serán elegibles para solicitar el Programa de Inmersión Dual de Lenguas (DLI) de PPS, donde a los estudiantes se les enseña tanto en inglés como en español. Para los grados 2do a 8to, los estudiantes que demuestren un dominio adecuado del español pueden inscribirse en el programa DLI. La asistencia a una de varias sesiones informativas que se ofrecerán es un requisito previo para la inscripción en el programa DLI. Llame al 609.806.4230 si tiene preguntas.
Dr. Carol Kelley's regularly scheduled office hours on January 9 at the Princeton Public Library have Monday, January 9, have been postponed.
The CP Dual Language Immersion program is open to all PPS incoming Kindergarten and 1st grade students. Families who are registering a child for Kindergarten or 1st grade for the Spring 2023 or Fall 2023 and are interested in the DLI program should indicate their interest on the online registration “Form H, Home Language Survey” page.
Community Park will be holding two Parent Information Sessions in January 2023. Attendance at a parent information session is required for entry to the program - DLI applications will be provided to families who attend these information sessions.
Please call the Community Park Main Office (609-806-4230) if you have questions.
Princeton Public Schools has received Orton-Gillingham accreditation from the Institute for Multisensory Education. The Orton-Gillingham Approach is a multisensory, structured, sequential way to teach literacy. Fewer than a dozen districts in the country receive this accreditation.
During this school year, PPS will participate in both a Tri-States Consortium review and the NJ Department of Education's QSAC review process. In addition, PPS will also do additional program reviews, including a planned program review of the Mathematics and Science programs, which is scheduled for Spring 2023.
Princeton High School's EcoLab is being restored to allow for regeneration and to encourage native species to flourish. At the same time, PPS has created a new stormwater basin near the football field where grass will be replaced with a native meadow.
The Lunch & Learn presentation about how to use Canvas (Learning Management System) and PowerSchool (Student Information System) was a big success. Parents in middle school and high school found it very helpful. Thank you to the PTOC and to Ms. Krista Galyon, PPS Supervisor of Technology & Innovation. If you missed the Lunch & Learn session, please check the PTOC website to see the recording.
PPS has two upcoming vaccination clinics, one on Tuesday, November 29 from 4 PM to 6 PM and one on Thursday, December 8 from 4 PM to 6 PM. Both clinics will be held at Valley Road in Conference Rooms A and B. COVID vaccinations and boosters will be available free of charge.Reservations are recommended.
The Princeton Middle School swimming pool is now open some mornings and some evenings for lap swimming. You must be 18 or older to participate.
Two schools in the Princeton Public School District, Johnson Park and Littlebrook Elementary, have met the requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification, bringing the total number of certified schools across New Jersey to 352.
November Dates to Remember
Taking time off helps to keep our students and staff healthy and balanced. In this year of helping, healing and hope we are happy to post the Homework Free Weekend dates for 2022-1023. We encourage our students and staff to embrace the importance of rest, reflection, and quality time.
PPS is hiring for permanent and temporary positions at Princeton Middle School. Please join us on Friday, November 4, from 2 PM to 5 PM. If you are a certified substitute, please come to hear about leave replacement openings.
Our community partners from the Municipality of Princeton are working on a new Master Plan and would like to share this important survey.Please take a moment to participate in the Master Plan Community Visioning Survey.
As part of a presentation to the Board of Education on October 18, Princeton Public Schools administrators said that recently released standardized testing data indicated that PPS students continued to outperform state averages by substantial margins.
The Princeton Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts Department is pleased to share its fall edition of “News from the Arts,” a quarterly electronic newsletter about recent and upcoming arts events.
School Calendar Update.
There have been fantastic events district-wide during Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 - Oct. 15. But it's not over yet! At Princeton High School, the second annual Hispanic Heritage Assembly was a huge hit with students. Music, dancing and songs were just part of the fun on assembly day. After the assembly the students participated in a series of activities organized by fellow students. Activities included learning how to dance, karaoke, temporary tattoos, a photo booth, Latin-American trivia, soccer and more.
On Tuesday evening, the Princeton Board of Education had the opportunity to welcome (via Zoom) the new PPS therapy dog who will be working at all four elementary schools on a rotating basis once he is fully trained.
Alongside the related holiday of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur is part of the "High Holy Days" of Judaism. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at sunset on October 4. The day is solemn and reflective. Wishing all who observe a meaningful fast.
When a Ukrainian family fled the country to join a family member in Princeton, their young daughter, Yana, was enrolled at Littlebrook.
Littlebrook Elementary and Mrs. Gargione's third-graders have welcomed Yana to the school.
Yana's story was recently highlighted on NBC News. Correspondent Julia E.Ainsley first met the family in Europe when they fled Ukraine and were hoping to move to the US. She followed up when they moved to Princeton to see what Yana's life is like now.
Princeton Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday, October 5.
Princeton Public Schools will offer breakfast and lunch next year at the four elementary schools, at Princeton Middle School, and at Princeton High School. Many of our families qualify for reduced-price or free meals. We encourage everyone to fill out a form if there is a chance you may qualify for free or reduced meals.
Como lo hemos hecho en los últimos años, continuaremos siguiendo con los fines de semana y días festivos sin tareas. Hemos implementado esta práctica para alentar a nuestros estudiantes y a sus seres queridos a aceptar la importancia del descanso, la reflexión y la calidad de tiempo de que pasan con familiares y amigos.
Princeton Public School embraces sustainability. Here are some terrific tips from Sustainable Princeton, one of our esteemed community partners.
At Princeton Middle School, the bulletin board is up and students are ready to kick-off Hispanic Heritage Month. Morning announcements include "Did You Know" announcements relating to Latino/X and Hispanic culture. Also planned: A special themed lunch and then later in the month or in early October there will be an assembly with song, dancers and actors! At Princeton High School, faculty and students of Hispanic/ LatinX heritage of been working since August planning activities and multiple ways of honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. Please stay tuned as we share information during the next 30 days.
In the last year PPS schools have had the opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity within our community with a wide variety of events and celebrations, ranging from Hispanic/LatinX Heritage Month to Black History Month to Asian American Heritage Month.
To expand upon these celebrations, we would like to provide a platform for diverse members of our community to share their voice and perspectives for future calendar spotlights. This is an opportunity for increased awareness of cultural diversity within our community.
Click here for information about the Learn How to Become an Advocate for Your Children, a free Zoom event with Community Mental Health Advocate and Facilitator Kimme Carlos.
Las Escuelas Públicas de Princeton ofrecen desayuno y almuerzo en las cuatro escuelas primarias, en la Escuela Intermedia de Princeton y en la Escuela Secundaria de Princeton. El programa federal que proporcionó almuerzo gratis para todos los estudiantes. Para ver los menús, haga clic aquí. Para agregar dinero a su cuenta de almuerzo School Bucks, haga clic aquí. Regístrese para recibir comidas gratuitas o a precio reducido. Para obtener más información, clic aquí
We LOVE seeing your first day of school photos! Be sure to tag us on September 6th! #PPSfirstdayofschool
Like many other school districts, PPS is looking forward to providing an experience that resembles pre-pandemic schooling whenever possible for the new school year. PPS will not require masks for students or staff although in certain specific instances masks may be necessary. PPS protocols have been streamlined to best serve our students and staff. We will continue to consult with and follow the advice of the Princeton Health Department and our district physician. We will also update this protocol if/when the NJ Department of Health revises their guidelines based on the most recent CDC changes.
The Princeton Board of Education will meet Tuesday, July 26. The meeting is open to the public and all are welcome.
Our schools are now using six sustainable cleaning products from our new vendor, BioShine. Our floor cleaner, glass cleaner, degreaser, hand soap, paper towels, and toilet paper are all certified by Green SealTM, indicating that they meet the highest standard for protecting the health and the environment.
A panel of local leaders, including PPS Superintendent Carol Kelley, came together last week for a conversation about education, development, and affordable housing. The discussion was part of the week-long Joint Effort/Safe Streets series of events.
Summer has been a busy and productive time for Princeton Public Schools! Our schools served as home to our vibrant and extensive summer program. Hundreds of students and dozens of teachers, support staff, bus drivers and administrators operated summer enrichment, transition programs, accelerated learning and interdisciplinary experiences addressing the summer learning needs of all of our students. In July, the district welcomed Mercer County Educational Specialist, Ms. Rosario Casiano, who conducted a special visit to PPS in recognition of our summer instructional program.
Princeton Public Schools is hosting an in-person job fair for custodians on Monday, August 15, from 9 AM to 1 PM. We are hiring for all shifts and there are openings for substitute custodians. All are welcome to apply.
PPS is pleased to announce that in recent weeks, PPS has reorganized several of its supervisory positions in preparation the new school year and has added the new, budget-neutral position of Supervisor of Elementary Education.
This fall, PHS students will have access to new classrooms, new collaborative spaces, and a wellness studio. The new spaces were built with funds from the 2018 referendum and significantly expand the amount of collaborative classroom space at PHS. Thank you to our community for its ongoing support of facilities improvement and excellence in education.
Princeton Public Schools announced Tuesday that Dr. Joy Barnes-Johnson will be the Supervisor of Science effective July 27. Dr. Barnes-Johnson has a Ph.D. in Urban Education/Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Temple University with a primary focus on STEM education teaching. In addition, she has a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Montclair State University, and a B.S. in Chemistry from Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina. She has taught science at Princeton High School since 2007.
Princeton Public Schools was recently commended by Make Us Visible for adopting AAPI Curriculum Professional Development training for teachers.
PPS District Offices at 25 Valley Road are open from 8 AM to 3 PM during the summer. Summer hours end on Monday, August 29. Schools also have shortened hours in the summer. Please call ahead to confirm hours.
Click here to see events and activities scheduled for August 5 through 14 as part of the Witherspoon Jackson Safe Streets week.
On July 16, 2022, 988 will become the nationwide 3-digit dialing code for crisis and suicide prevention. It will replace the 1-800 number currently used by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. On this date, when someone calls 988 all phones in the U.S. (mobile and landline) will connect with the crisis/suicide prevention system. This will allow anyone in the U.S. to call 988 and get help designed specifically for someone dealing with a mental health crisis.
Princeton Public Schools offers a wide range of math courses at Princeton High School, including Calculus, AP Calculus, and Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra. More than 20 percent of PHS students take upper-level math courses. Here are course listings for the 2022-2023 school year.
Are you looking for more information about math offerings at Princeton High School? For the full description of courses, please see the PHS Program of Study. PHS also offers opportunities for qualified students to take courses at Princeton University, see page 30.
A group of more than 30 educators, including teachers, staff from student support services and the Child Study Team, worked together on Friday at the Valley Road offices to develop expanded intervention services as part of ongoing efforts to help PPS pupils who could benefit from extra attention.
Multi-disciplinary intervention teams of school personnel at each school look at the needs of students who are at risk for learning, behavior, or health problems. The teams respond to requests for assistance made by teachers. This provides the benefit of multiple lenses looking at a concern.
A huge thank you to our Princeton High School students who shared presentations based on work in their PHS Racial Literacy courses.
Princeton Public Schools will be closed on June 17, in recognition of Juneteenth. Established as a federal holiday in 2021, (the first new federal holiday since MLK Day became a holiday in 1983) Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Please join us on Tuesday, May 31 at 7 PM for a parent and community Zoom conversation regarding the PPS Strategic Plan. We hope you can join us and contribute your thoughts and perspectives in the development of the Strategic Plan.
Congratulations to all the students who took Advanced Placement Exams in May. The number of exams administered totaled 1,346.
Here are resources to help students after a school shooting, including about tips for talking ot children about violence.
Please join us in celebrating Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In addition to classroom activities planned at PPS, we hope you will have the opportunity to check out some of the programs planned at the Princeton Public Library.
Are you interested in learning about the benefits of eating a whole food diet? Here's a group (sponsored Suppers, one of PPS's community partners) that provides helpful nutritional information.
Helping Children Feel Their Best: Nutrition Based Therapeutics features Dr. Uma Pisharody, Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Advocate for Children’s Health.
Join us on Thursday May 31 at 7 PM for a parent and community Zoom conversation regarding Princeton's Strategic Planning process. Please share your thoughts and input as we move forward with the Strategic Planning Process. Please note the updated format and list of materials.
As part of our ongoing Spotlight on Special Education, meet Diane Van Driessen, Behavior Specialist for PPS and Sara Leta, social worker (Littlebrook and Riverside) and preschool Child Study Team.
School Year Calendars for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years.
More than 50 stakeholders participated in all-day sessions of the Core Planning Team on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Alignment Team met Tuesday evening and on Thursday the Instructional Planning Team had a full day session which included analysis of data provided by the recent surveys of students, parents and community members. The team also looked at PPS standardized testing scores and absenteeism data among other measures.
Please join the PTOC on Thursday, April 21 at 11:30 AM via Zoom for a special presentation on Executive Function. All PPS parents are welcome!
On the Friday before spring break, students and honored guests had the opportunity to dedicate the newly refurbished pew belonging to Paul Robeson which now sits in the PHS guidance suite. Thank you to everyone who participated in this inspiring ceremony.
We hope that all of our students and staff will have a restorative and fun spring break.
After spring break, PPS will continue to follow the NJ Dept of Health COVID travel advisory guidelines. Staff and students who are not vaccinated need to get tested 3-5 days after travel and quarantine for 5 days. This applies to travelers who go outside of the tri-state area of NY, PA and Delaware, and for international travel. If you have tested positive for COVID in the last 90 days, and are not vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine. For more details, please click here.
Unvaccinated students who must quarantine for 5 days will be provided with remote learning. If you know in advance that your student will be quarantining between April 18-22, please let your teachers know before spring break, if possible.
Click here to download the 2021-22 school calendar.
Escuelas Publicas de Princeton Calendario 2021-2022.
Estimados padres y miembros de la comunidad de las Escuelas Públicas de Princeton: Como sabrán, las Escuelas Públicas de Princeton nos estamos embarcando en un proceso de planificación estratégica a largo plazo, mismo que informará la dirección y las prioridades futuras del distrito. Cada 5 a 7 años, las Escuelas Públicas de Princeton desarrollaremos un plan que nos guíe para nuestro futuro.
PHS has the opportunity to win a $10,000 grant for the Community Choice award, so please watch our video and VOTE once a day, EVERY DAY. Please spread this message to family and friends and help our team win the Community Choice award.
As you may know, Princeton Public Schools is beginning a long-term strategic planning process. Every 5 to 7 years, PPS develops a plan that informs the district's direction and priorities.
Our district values input from our community. Students are important partners as we work toward our long-term plan. We want to hear from your students, grades 3-12. Students will have the opportunity to take a short, anonymous survey in class on starting on April 1.
Estimadas familias de PPS,
Gracias por su apoyo en esta transición del enmascaramiento obligatorio. PPS continúa alentando el uso de máscaras, sin embargo, a partir del 7 de marzo, se implementarán nuevas pautas y protocolos que reflejan la nueva orientación del Departamento de Salud de NJ.
A medida que avanzamos al relajar los protocolos de enmascaramiento de COVID, recuerde que este es solo el primer paso. Todos los demás protocolos permanecerán en su lugar. De acuerdo con las pautas de NJDOH, el rastreo de contactos ahora implicará el uso de un radio de 6 pies alrededor de la persona infectada. Anteriormente, con el enmascaramiento universal, podíamos usar un radio de 3 pies para los estudiantes que estaban debidamente enmascarados y sentados en las filas orientadas hacia el frente.
The Princeton Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts Department is pleased to share its winter edition of “News from the Arts,” a quarterly electronic newsletter about recent and upcoming arts events.
Thank you for your support as we navigate the transition away from mandated masking. PPS continues to encourage masking. New guidelines and protocols are now in place to reflect the guidance by the NJ Department of Health.
As we take one step forward by relaxing COVID masking protocols, please remember that this is just the first step. All other protocols remain in place, and in some ways, are even more important.