Welcome Back To School

The mission of the Lawnside School District is to educate our students, through mastery of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards(NJSLS), to become independent thinkers and problem solvers so they will be empowered to meet the challenges of and achieve success in tomorrow's emerging world community. The educational community will provide a safe, nurturing environment in which individual and civic responsibility is fostered and diversity is respected.

September 3rd- First Day of School for Students 8:00 am /12:45 pm Dismissal

September 3rd- Open House (6:00 pm PTA/Club Sign Up/ 6:30 Title I Parent Meeting)

September 4th- 1/2 Day 12:45 pm Dismissal

September 7th- SCHOOL CLOSED (Labor Day)

Parents/Guardians, please review the New Attendance Policy posted below. There are several notable changes including Saturday School for students with 5 unexcused absences within a marking period. Additionally, an accumulation of excessive absences throughout the school year will result in a referral to the local municipal court. Students must be in school daily by 8:30 am.

Please see the morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pick Up procedures along with a map of the dismissal doors below.

To create an account in Class Dojo please click this link!

https://home.classdojo.com/#/schoolInvite?s=4eece7f8f64aa62934eddb0b

Dear Lawnside Families,

On behalf of the entire Lawnside School District staff, we look forward to welcoming our students back! I hope you and your children had a restful and enjoyable Summer. As we prepare to open our doors for the 2026–2027 school year, I want to share my excitement for the year ahead and a few important reminders to help our students start the year off strong.

The first day of school for students is Thursday, September 3, 2026. Doors of the school open at 8:00 am. Breakfast will be served. Students will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m.

Our dedicated teachers and staff have spent the Summer preparing engaging classrooms and thoughtful lesson plans, and we cannot wait to welcome your children back to the Lawnside Public School. This year, we remain committed to our mission of providing a safe, supportive, and academically rich environment where every child can grow, achieve, and thrive.

A few reminders as we begin the year:

• School hours are 8:10 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. Please plan to have students arrive no earlier than 8:00a.m. Daily Attendance is important as chronic absenteeism has an impact on student achievement!
• Immunization records and updated emergency contact forms are due to the Main Office and Nurse by September 11, 2026.
• Our Back-to-School Open House will be held on Thursday, September 3, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. — we hope to see you there!
• Students are no longer permitted to have access to their cellphones during the school day. (Please see the New Cell Phone Policy)

Communication between home and school is one of the most important ingredients in a child's success. Please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher, or our administrative team with any questions or concerns throughout the year. You can also stay up to date by visiting Class Dojo or our district website at www.lawnside.k12.nj.us for the latest news and announcements.

Thank you for entrusting us with your child's education. Together, I know we will make the 2026–2027 school year a wonderful one for every student in our Lawnside community.

The Business Office extends warm greetings as the new school year approaches. Once the school year commences, your child will be bringing home a Free and Reduced Lunch Application. We kindly request your cooperation in completing and returning this form to the school.

We kindly urge every family to participate in this process, irrespective of their perception of eligibility. It's important to note that your school's funding is directly influenced by the number of applications submitted to the district. Put simply, a higher number of applications translates to increased funding for crucial programs. Thus, we strongly encourage you to take a moment to complete the application and have it returned to your child's teacher.

Thank you for your support in ensuring the success and enrichment of our school's programming. Your proactive involvement is greatly appreciated. Here's to a fantastic start to the upcoming school year!

Welcome Back Lawnside Familes

Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome back to what promises to be an exceptional year of learning and growth for our students! As we begin this new academic journey together. This year, our dedicated team of educators continues to focus on providing rigorous, engaging, and meaningful learning experiences for every student. We have been working diligently over the summer to enhance our curriculum offerings and implement innovative teaching strategies that will challenge and inspire your children to reach their full potential.Your partnership is essential to your child's success. Throughout the year, we will provide regular communication about what students are learning and how you can support their growth at home.

We encourage you to:

• Maintain open communication with your child's teachers
• Attend curriculum information sessions and parent conferences
• Ask questions about your child's academic progress
• Support homework and study routines at home

As we embark on this school year, we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. We are committed to continuous improvement and will regularly evaluate our programs to ensure we are meeting the evolving needs of our students and community.

Thank you for entrusting us with your child's education. We look forward to working together to make this a successful and enriching year for all our students.

September 3, 2026 at 6:00pm in the all purpose room the district will host the Title I Parent Engagement Meeting. The topics for discussion will be the following:

-What is Title I?

-Academic Information

-Parents Right to Know

-Parent Engagement

-School-Parent Compact

All are welcome, and we encourage all families to attend. We need your continuous input if we want to have a successful school year.

Greetings Lawnside Families,

Regular school attendance is one of the strongest predictors of student success. To help us understand and remove the barriers that keep students from attending school every day, we ask that you take 5–7 minutes to complete this survey. Your answers are confidential and will be used only to improve attendance support across our schools. Thank you for partnering with us.

Family Attendance Needs Survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCoPZLHq6Bt3KHPhDpUjEZrpTF2Sf15iElr2_SqmkjQ1I3tw/viewform?usp=header

Dear Families,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well as we savor these final days of summer. On behalf of the Special Services Department, I want to welcome your children back to the Lawnside School District for the 2026–2027 school year. We are thrilled to see them return to our classrooms and corridors, bringing with them the energy and enthusiasm that make this such a rewarding place to learn.

Reminders

• If you need to make a referral to the Child Study Team please use this referral form.

• If you need to make a referral for a 504 Plan meeting please use this referral form.

• If you do not want your child to participate in social emotional lessons please complete this form.

Get Involved

We always welcome parent involvement! Here are a few ways you can participate:

• Join our Special Education Parent Advisory Group

• Become a Parent Lead for our Special Education Parent Advisory Group

We're looking forward to a productive and enjoyable school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact Dr. Henderson at chenderson@lawnside.k12.nj.us.

Best regards,

Dr. Henderson

Director of Special Services

The Lawnside School District would like to welcome the following staff members to our school family:

Amanda Hagen: Science Teacher

Steve Horsley Jr.: Instructional Assistant

Dr. Jocelyn Klein: Spanish Teacher

Relesha Liddell: Special Education Teacher

Amy Mouharir: Pre-K 3/4 Teacher

Janet Muse: Special Education Teacher

Ms. Darlene Still, Board President- dstill@lawnside.k12.nj.us

Dr. Ronn Johnson, Superintendent- ronnjohnson@lawnside.k12.nj.us

Mr. Mark Gordon, Assistant School Business Administrator- mgordon@lawnside.k12.nj.us

Mrs. Alyssa Miller, Director of Curriculum & Instruction- amiller@lawnside.k12.nj.us

Dr. Carmen Henderson, Director of Special Services- chenderson@lawnside.k12.nj.us

Ms. Niphon Kirk, Assistant Principal- nkirk@lawnside.k12.nj.us

Ms. ShaNell Wilson, Technology Coordinator- swilson@lawnside.k12.nj.us