Welcome
The Colts Neck community takes great pride in their commitment to providing a comprehensive instructional program for all students. Our preschool through grade 8 curricula is broad and responsive to the range of talent that exists within the children of our district. It is clear by all available measures that the students of Colts Neck continue to demonstrate exceptional progress academically, artistically, socially, and physically. This high level of achievement is the result of ongoing efforts to offer a rigorous program designed to challenge and motivate students in all areas of development. Enrichment opportunities exist that provide exposure to higher level thinking and problem solving skills. An abundance of programs are in place that are designed to instill within children the desire to become lifelong learners. Instructional practices that require active learning, mastery of essential skills, the application of knowledge to real-life problems, and creative thinking can be observed in classrooms, each and every day of the school year. Excellence in drama, the fine and performing arts, and athletics are visible signs of the manner in which the district seeks to address the principles of multiple intelligence theory, personalized learning, and student engagement.
School Configuration
The district operates three schools that are configured for our students' optimal academic, social, and emotional growth.
Conover Road Primary School, Principal Tricia Barr
Preschool
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Conover Road Elementary School, Principal James Osmond
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Cedar Drive Middle School, Principal Colin Rigby and Assistant Principal, Merri Milano
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Conover Road Primary School (Preschool - Grade 2)
Conover Road Primary School encourages children to become lifelong readers, writers and mathematical thinkers. Our students in Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades are provided with many opportunities to take risks and ask essential questions as they participate in a myriad of learning experiences. The acquisition of literacy is central to learning and the development of lifelong communication skills. Therefore, trade books are immersed into every curricular area so that students have opportunities to read authentic literature from a variety of genres. In addition, our Language Arts program exposes children to educational activities that involve all aspects of literacy: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Students at the 1st and 2nd grade levels of instruction are exposed to the practice of guided reading that allows teachers to customize literacy instruction. Our hands-on approach to mathematics allows students to discover mathematical operations and relationships before they are exposed to formal algorithms. Students learn and use a variety of techniques that include the use of manipulatives and technology to solve problems. Special emphasis is placed upon students' development of their conceptual understanding of mathematics and are asked to explain their thinking or the process they follow to determine their answers. Through activities and lessons designed to promote discovery and exploration, our young scientists are exposed to both the physical and biological aspects of their world. Using a “hands-on/minds-on” approach, students apply the scientific method as they develop into knowledgeable, thoughtful citizens equipped to participate effectively in a complex, global society. A similar instructional approach and philosophy also applies to our social studies curriculum, as students learn and explore various realms of civics, economics, geography, and history. And a CRPS student's week would not be complete without art, music, physical education / health, and Spanish. Identified students are afforded opportunities for participation in mathematics and language arts enrichment programs. And, working with our youngest learning, our teachers are well equipped with a toolbox of resources from which they pull to meet the individual needs of their students.
Conover Road Elementary School (Grades 3-5)
While enriching the intellect of young learners, Conover Road Elementary School strives to nurture creativity, foster engagement, and cultivate innovation. Our school is comprised of students enrolled in grades 3, 4 and 5. Conover Road Elementary School offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to develop lifelong skills, perseverance, and awareness. Our balanced literacy program provides the foundation for our teachers' instructional practices, whole group as well as personalized, that develops students' skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Developmentally appropriate themes combined with rich literature is the springboard for the instruction of reading comprehension and writing skills. Our teachers are well trained in the methods and implementation of Readers and Writers Workshop and receive embedded, sustained professional training all year long from our Literacy Coach. Our mathematics program is hands-on and emphasizes building of essential skills and mathematical thinking. Students are encouraged to make discoveries as well as take risks. During this segment of the day, students work to complete activities designed to promote their abilities to reason, to use appropriate manipulatives, utilize tools and instructional technology. Students are encouraged to communicate about mathematics verbally, in writing, and by using pictures, diagrams, and models. In science our students learn through discovery. Students engage in data analysis and frequently apply the scientific method as they explore and discover their world. During social studies lessons, our students are exposed to a narrative flow of history. Through this approach, we hope to develop our young historians' natural curiosity about the past and how it has shaped our modern society. Conover Road Elementary School also offers a comprehensive related arts program that includes art, music, physical education, and health. Students participate in a world language exposure program through which they study the Spanish language and culture (3-5) or Italian (optional -grade 5, only). Our mathematics and language arts targeted enrichment programs (TEP) provide a wide variety of accelerated learning opportunities for identified students, while our targeted instructional programs (TIP) are designed to provide additional academic support for identified students.
Cedar Drive Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Cedar Drive Middle School offers a wide variety of academic and related arts programs to students enrolled in grades 6-8. Our Middle School teachers develop and facilitate programs through interdisciplinary teaching, grade level teaming, and curriculum written and adapted by our staff. The language arts curriculum has been designed around grade level themes that align to New Jersey Learning Standards and the components of an integrated language arts program. Our mathematics program fosters a sense of self-confidence and excitement about mathematics through promoting the ability to reason, construct mathematical ideas, and apply problem-solving strategies. In science we offer hands-on, grade-level curricula, along with unique STEM, Project Lead the Way© modules. Students can choose their full-year world language course, Spanish or Italian. Our extensive related arts program includes art, music, innovation lab, guitar, physical education, health, civics, debate, and television production. In addition to our extensive and unique academic offerings, Cedar Drive Middle School strives to keep our students involved after school with an array of extracurricular activities. Like the elementary school, our TIP (targeted instructional program) program is in place to provide additional support to identified students. In addition to their daily language arts class, language arts enrichment is also offered on a semester basis to identified students. Mathematics enrichment is addressed through a student's advanced progression through coursework that can result in a student completing a full year of Geometry by the end of grade 8.