Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification Report

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This is the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification Report of Winslow Township Middle School (Camden), a Sustainable Jersey for Schools silver certified applicant.

Winslow Township Middle School (Camden) was certified on August 04, 2020 with 370 points. Listed below is information regarding Winslow Township Middle School (Camden)’s Sustainable Jersey for Schools efforts and materials associated with the applicant’s certified actions.

Contact Information

The designated Sustainable Jersey for Schools contact for Winslow Township Middle School (Camden) is:

Name:William Shropshire
Title/Position:Principal / Administration
Address:30 Cooper Folly Road
Atco, NJ 08004
Phone:856-767-7222

Actions Implemented

Each approved action and supporting documentation for which Winslow Township Middle School (Camden) was approved for in 2020 appears below. Note: Standards for the actions below may have changed and the documentation listed may no longer satisfy requirements for that action.

  • Board Leadership & Planning

    District Sustainability Policy

    10 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority District

    Program Summary: The Winslow Township School District has completed and approved a District Sustainability Policy which is available on the District's website. This policy was approved at the September Board Meeting and has been shared with the administration at each school. As stated in the policy: The Board of Education desires to conduct its operations and make decisions with identified sustainability priorities that include at a minimum: protecting students, staff, and community from environmental harm; preparing students for the future by educating for sustainability (knowledge of concepts and practices of environmental, social, and economic responsibility and sustainability); and include an intent to preserve current and future resources. The Board believes by incorporating sustainable practices into school policies and operations it can make an immediate impact on student health, academic performance, and teacher retention while decreasing operational costs and demands on natural resources. The District's Energy Conservation policy is also included as an attachment. All District policies are available to the public via the district website at http://www.winslow-schools.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=259808&type=d. Also provided as attachments are screen captures of the District website showing where the board meeting minutes can be found, showing that this policy was presented during the regular session of two different board meetings and is also posted on the district website for all parents and community members. Relevant portions of the board meeting minutes from the two board meetings are also attached.

    Professional Development for Sustainability

    15 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority School District

    Program Summary: The Middle School Green Team, Science Department staff and STEM teachers participated in a full day professional development session, lasting from 9am until 2pm. Science and STEM staff spent the morning (9am - noon) in a professional development session with Mr. John Henry and Ms. Allison Mulch, touring the school and learning about opportunities to expand STEM learning through the school curriculum. The afternoon session was classroom based and included training related to various aspects of sustainability. Ms. Mulch is a Program Director for NJ Audubon and spoke about EcoSchools, school gardens, gardening related lessons, and biodiversity projects. Mr. Henry is a school sustainability expert and spoke about energy conservation, school gardens, eco challenges, recycling efforts, and ways to not only earn Sustainable Jersey points, but to make sure that sustainability concepts were woven throughout all activities at the Middle School. The entire Green Team participated in the training, along with other members of the Science Department for a total of 15 people completing 2+ hours of training each. The attendance record from the training day is provided as an attachment.

  • Climate Mitigation & Renewable Energy

    Buy Renewable Energy

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: During the 2018-19 school year, the Winslow Township School District entered into an agreement to purchase renewable energy through the ACES program. In combination with the solar energy generated from the solar panels installed at each school, participation in the ACES program is part of the district's efforts to increase our sustainability practices. The Winslow Board of Education signed a resolution entering into this program on Nov 28, 2018, and the ACES Renewable Energy Opt In form was signed and submitted on Dec 5, 2018. As per the agreement, the Winslow Township School District will receive a minimum of 40% of its purchased energy from renewable sources. The following documents are provided as attachments: 1) District Board of Education approval to enter into ACES, 2) Signed ACES Opt In Form, and 3) Additional information about ACES program. Winslow Township School District remains a part of this program for the 2019-20 school year. Documentation from the ACES Plus website is provided, showing Winslow Township School District on the list of participating schools.

    Onsite Renewable Generation System - Solar

    30 Points
    School

    Program Summary: In 2014, the Winslow School District installed solar panels on all of its buildings. The Winslow Middle School is operated on solar power and the panels cover a large portion of the building's roof. National Energy Partners currently owns and operates a 2.61 Megawatt project across the Winslow School District’s 8 school buildings. NEP kept an open line of communication with the principals and staff of each school to facilitate coordination of construction and to oversee site management. Working closely with the Board of education, NEP designed a system that has reduced costs for the township and provides new education opportunities for students. National Energy Partners handles the operation and maintenance of the system, consisting of preventative maintenance, emergency response, billing and SREC management. System Size: 820.54 kW System Production: 1.02 MW System Type: Roof Mount Number of Modules: 3,360 A photograph of the solar array on the Middle School building is included in the attachments. Attached are statements from Winslow Solar and Atlantic City Electric showing the amount of energy produced by the solar panels and the overall energy usage during the previous school year. One year of solar energy production and energy consumption data is provided. Over the course of one year, Winslow Township Middle School's solar energy panels offset an average of 34% of the building's energy usage per month.

  • Diversity & Equity

    Breakfast After the Bell

    20 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: During this time when schools are not physically in session the district made it a priority to make sure all students not just those who have free or reduced status have the ability to receive food daily in order to make sure students are still getting proper nutrition and are able to be successful at this time.The Winslow Township Middle School modified their bell and school breakfast schedule in recent years to help address timing issues which were causing students to not have adequate time to eat a nutritious breakfast. To deal with this issue, the school principal, Ms. Stella Nwanguma, and her staff adjusted the morning bell so that the first bell for homeroom rings at 8:10am to signal the official start of the school day. All parents are informed of this through the school handbook which is available in print and electronic format send to all families. A copy of the handbook is provided in the attachments. The school breakfast monthly menu is also available on the school website at https://winslowsd.sodexomyway.com/menus/index.html. All buses arrive in advance of that time, and all students who arrive via parent drop off are required to be in the building by that time. The length of homeroom was extended to 20 minutes, and students have the option of going to the cafeteria to get breakfast, or going to their homeroom classroom during the homeroom period. Winslow Township Middle School has about 54% of its students who qualify for free or reduced lunch so it is important to address this issue and ensure that all students have access to a healthy breakfast at the start of the school day. Scheduling breakfast for after the homeroom bell helps to ensure that students have breakfast to provide them with adequate energy to focus on their studies regardless of the availability of food at home. On page 2 of the school handbook, the school bell schedule is included, which shows that the breakfast period begins after the homeroom bell, allowing students time to get breakfast and bring it to class without missing class. Also provided is the breakfast meal counts per school per month for Nov 2019 and Dec 2019 provided by the District's Food Service provider. This information is broken down by month, and by meal type (free, reduced and full price)

  • Energy Efficiency

    Behavior-Based Energy Conservation Programs

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Winslow Township School District is committed to promoting energy conservation in its students and staff. This was further reinforced with the installation of solar panels on the school buildings in 2014. Since that time, student and staff awareness of energy consumption at all Winslow Township schools has continued to grow. At the Middle School, science, math and STEM teachers have found ways to incorporate the solar panel energy generation into classroom lessons. Motion sensor lights have been installed in many areas of the school, cutting down on the wasting of energy in unoccupied rooms and helping to remind students of the importance of conserving energy. Additional efforts to encourage energy conservation are being incorporated into the school and documentation will be provided. This year, the Middle School has just entered into the NJ EmPower Schools program. The program will be lead by the 7th and 8th grade Environmental STEM teacher, Mr. Ross Cruz. He will be incorporating the EmPowered Schools program into his classes weekly to train all 60 of his students to be Energy Ambassadors to help promote energy conservation throughout the school. Through this program, staff and students will learn about energy saving measures and will sign a pledge to conserve energy. Students have created videos that explain the program and its benefits. Students have completed an energy audit in various classrooms in the school. Audits are attached. Students created a logo that says Last out lights out that are on light switches and shut em down when not around are on computers to get students throughout the school involved. The middle school was the first school of all participants to earn over 1000 points!

  • Food & Nutrition

    Healthy Food Choices Beyond the Cafeteria

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: The Winslow Township School District has am approved policy for: LOCAL WELLNESS POLICY/NUTRIENT STANDARDS FOR MEALS AND OTHER FOODS Through this policy, the District has established goals for nutrition promotion, nutrition education, physical activity, and other school based activities that promote student wellness. This includes the following: The Principal or School Wellness Policy Coordinator will encourage food products that meet the nutrition standards of the HHFKA when used as an incentive or reward for student accomplishments, club or activity achievements, and/or success in competitions within the school. All schools within the District have eliminated birthday celebrations and any food within the school (outside of the cafeteria) should be healthy, nutritious food. In addition the policy calls for each student to receive at least one presentation per school year that promotes good nutrition and nutrition education. These presentations may be provided through classroom visits from school staff members trained in nutrition, school-wide or group assembly programs, during health/physical education classes during the school year, or any other presentation manner. This requirement may be provided as part of nutrition education provided to students as part of the district’s curriculum. As an example, Winslow Township Middle School partners with Rutgers University to provide a nutrition education program to students.

    Promote Locally Grown Foods

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: Winslow Township School District works with Sodexo to provide food service for all 8 schools in the district. Sodexo has a policy of providing local produce in the school cafeteria. Documentation includes "We Are Local" and the Sodexo website showing their policy of requiring that local distributors source their produce locally whenever seasonally possible. Sodexo has 8 local partners in the Winslow area. Winslow is located in Camden County, NJ, in an area surrounded by agriculture. One of the District's aims has been to help reconnect students to the local farming tradition and sourcing produce locally is one way to help achieve this goal. Sodexo purchases all of its produce fresh from J. Ambrogi Foods in Thorofare, NJ. J. Ambrogi Foods is an independent family owned company that strives to deliver only the finest and freshest produce with a focus on local farms right in our backyard. As an example of the local produce purchased by the district, Winslow School District invoices from J. Ambrogi Foods show the local produce purchased from Nov and Dec 2019 as an example. All produce for the entire district is delivered to the Middle School and High School, and distributed to the elementary schools from there. Sodexo purchases local produce for weekly deliveries, and aims to create menus at each school that highlight local produce when in season. Also attached is the list of the major local farm partners for Southern New Jersey, as well as some of the smaller local farm partners, along with the specific produce that they provide. Menus from February and March 2020 for the Elementary Schools, Middle School and High School are provided to show the variety of fresh local produce that is included in the daily selections, as well as the Daily Thrive Bar (Daily Thrive bar: Monday: carrot sticks, Tuesday: Chilled Corn salad, Wednesday: Romaine Salad, Thursday: Bean Salad & baby carrots, Friday: Celery sticks). J. Ambrogi Foods maintains a substantial list of local produce and local farm partners, both of which are provided as attachments. Winslow School District is committed to offering a minimum of 6 healthy sides per day, including locally grown produce when available.

    School Gardens

    20 Points
    School

    Program Summary: The Winslow Township Middle School has an incredibly active school gardening program which includes a courtyard garden, hydroponic growing systems maintained by Mr. Ross Cruz's Environmental STEM students, and vertical gardens in most science classes throughout the school.The school garden program, which began as part of the Environmental STEM course, has expanded to include a large portion of the school's students during their time at the Middle School. The school has continued to build upon the success of this program and is working on incorporating the garden efforts into other courses as well. Students from the Environmental STEM explore some of the environmental issues facing our country and the world through the study of the campus environment, and develop/test solutions to address those issues. One particular area of focus for the course is sustainable agriculture, soil and water health, and food supply. Winslow Township is surrounded by a farming community, however, many of our students coming into the school have limited knowledge about the farming industry. The courtyard garden is available for other teachers in the district to use as a way to augment their classroom lessons. The District is also in the process of constructing a large green house on the Middle School grounds to further expand the school's gardening capabilities.Our overall goal is to help create the next generation of environmental scientists, engineers,and problem solvers by teaching lesson focused on raising awareness of local and global environmental issues, and challenging students to develop real-world solutions to address these issues. School gardening has expanded beyond the Environmental STEM program, and vertical gardens are now incorporated into many science and special education classrooms in the school. An example of a garden related lesson plan is attached, and teachers are continually finding new ways to incorporate the gardening program into many courses throughout the school. Photos of the Bernzomatic Idea Garden (through a grant from the Bernzomatic Corporation), the classroom vertical garden towers, and the hydroponic gardens in the Environmental STEM classroom are attached.

  • Green Cleaning

    Green Cleaning Policy & Plan

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: The District has adopted a Green Cleaning Plan and Policy as part of the District Sustainability Polity. This Policy applies to all schools within the District. A copy of the policy has been provided. This policy will allow Winslow Township School District to ensure that all students, staff and visitors are in a cleaner and healthier environment, helping to reduce exposure to harmful cleaners and fumes. http://www.winslow-schools.com/pdf/board_policy/Policy%207461%20District%20Sustainability%20Sept%202017.pdf This policy was read during the open public session of two board meetings, on August 22 and September 13, 2017.

  • Green Purchasing

    Green Purchasing Policy

    10 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority District

    Program Summary: The District has completed and adopted a Green Purchasing Policy for all of the schools in the District as part of the District Sustainability Policy. Green purchasing, also known as Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP), is the coordinated purchasing of goods and services to minimize impacts on human health and the natural environment. Alternatives exist for many products used by schools that are less hazardous, save energy and water, and reduce waste.A copy of the completed policy has been provided. http://www.winslow-schools.com/pdf/board_policy/Policy%207461%20District%20Sustainability%20Sept%202017.pdf A copy of the board minutes for the August 22 and September 13, 2017 meetings are provided as attachments. The policy was read at these meetings and the minutes for both meetings are posted on the school's website for all staff, parents and community members.

    Recycled Paper Purchase

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: Winslow Township Middle School's Green Team was successful in switching all of the school's copy paper purchase for the 2019-20 school year to recycled paper! The middle school has significantly cut down on the use of paper in general, through a school-wide effort to move most classwork to Chromebooks and Google Drive instead of using paper copies. However, prior to this school year, the school's copy paper was non recycled. This past summer, Ms. Nwanguma, the school principal, and the Green Team, were able to order all recycled paper for the entire paper order for this school year. (All paper is purchased at the start of the school year, no additional paper orders are placed during the year.)

  • Learning Environment

    Curriculum Mapping

    15 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: Winslow Middle School conducts comprehensive curriculum mapping for each content area and grade level. Recently, curriculum was developed for the school's upcoming Greenhouse, to ensure that when the Greenhouse is fully constructed and operational, that it can be seamlessly integrated into the school's academic offerings.There is an pacing guide that provides the pacing for each of the four units per grade level. There is a curriculum for seventh and eight grade students made up of the pacing guide and four units. One unit from seventh and one unit from eight are attached. Also attached is the curriculum map for seventh and eighth grade.

    Outdoor Classroom

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Winslow Middle School has developed two outdoor classrooms, for use by teachers through the school. The first is the Bernzomatic IDEA Garden, which was funded through a grant received from the Bernzomatic Corporation. Members of the Bernzomatic Corporation, along with and HGTV host came to the schools to work with parents, students, teachers, and community members to build and install the garden's raised beds and planters. Community support from local businesses allowed the Middle School to also install pavers and walkways, making the area accessible for all students. The garden classroom is used by teachers throughout the school and is overseen by Mr. Cruz and the Environmental STEM classes as part of their curriculum. Students in the Environmental STEM class start the school year by cleaning up the garden and planting cool-season crops. They continue to maintain the space through weeding, mulching, watering, composting, and fertilizing several times a week. Food challenges based on the cooking show "Chopped" are developed for students to utilize the vegetables and herb grown in our raised beds. This was created to help educate our students on healthy alternatives to highly processed and fatty foods. Two seasonal displays, fall and winter, are created to highlight specific plants during the holidays. After being closed down for the winter, it is reopened for spring where seasonal plants are planted. Throughout the year, students utilize the garden to learn about biodiversity, seasonal plants, native plants, plant care, and sustainable practices. The second garden is a pond courtyard where students can learn about pond ecosystems, native plants, birds, and much more. The area features an elevated platform with benches at one end of the pond, and students can leave the platform area to venture into other areas of the courtyard for additional learning opportunities. Both outdoor classrooms are available and utilized by a number of classes. Below are just a few uses of the spaces. Math: coordinate grids and geometry Science: biology, and units of measure Language Arts: descriptive writing and reading novels Social Studies: living off the land during colonial times Art: Drawings, paintings, and design elements PE: physical activity through gardening and healthy foods On February 14, 2020, a representative from Rutgers Master Gardeners conducted a professional development workshop for all science teachers and Green Team members on Native plants. The focus was to educate and increase our native plant varieties in both the Bernzomatic IDEA garden and pond courtyard.

    Student Participation in the Arts

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: The Winslow Township School District continues to provide visual art, performing art, music and dance throughout the district. As per the requirements of this Action, the District can confirm that every elementary school student is taking classes in music and visual art. These classes are "Specials" which are taken once a week. Every middle and high school student participates in music and visual arts classes through their selected electives. These offerings also include band and chorus classes. And students in grades 9-12 are required to show competency in at least one arts discipline. A letter from the Superintendent documenting this has been provided as an attachment. As per the Superintendent: All schools in the Winslow Township School District offer Art Education that meets or exceeds the state requirements. Our District is committed to ensuring that all students have access to high quality arts education throughout their time in our schools. Our District is comprised of 8 schools, including four lower elementary schools (Pre K – Grade 3), two upper elementary (Grades 4-6 ), one middle school (Grades 7-8) and one high school (Grades 9-12). All students in our lower elementary and upper elementary schools are required to take art and music classes as part of their curriculum. Students participate in art and music classes each week and each elementary school has one certified art teacher and one certified music teacher. Students in Winslow Township Middle School are also required to complete weekly classes in art and music. The school has 3 certified art teachers and 4 certified music teachers. 100% of students in the Middle School participate in arts education. At the High School, approximately 36% of students participated in arts education during the 2017-18 school year (the most recent New Jersey School Performance Report results are attached. 2018-19 data is not yet online). All students are required to complete a minimum of 5 credits (1 year) of arts education to graduate, and students are offered a choice of 19 different art courses and 16 music courses. There are 3 certified art teachers and 3 certified music teachers at Winslow High School. A full listing of art and music courses available for the 2019-20 school year can be found at: https://highschool.winslow-schools.com/pdf/PROGRAM_OF_STUDIES_2019-2020_Final.pdf.

  • School Culture and Climate

    Social Emotional Learning Integrated Unit

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Winslow Middle School has instituted a Social Emotional Learning program throughout the school. Teachers were provided with SEL Professional Development at the start of the school year. On Oct 21, all 7th and 8th grade students participated in a program provided by Winceyco that used music and skits to teach about anti-bullying. Through the program students learned about why it's important to not judge people, and to always treat people the way you would want to be treated. Winslow Middle School also implemented a new Student Advising period a during the last school year, which is continuing into this school year. Students are assigned to a small group with a staff member as an adviser. These small groups meet 2 times a month to talk about SEL topics and to cover issues like coping with stress and general well being. The requested information has been attached since the first submission.

  • Student & Community Outreach

    Green Team

    15 Points
    Bronze Required Silver Required School District

    Program Summary: The Winslow Middle School Green Team has been incredibly active, holding meetings on a regular basis to discuss Sustainable Jersey for Schools efforts. The Green Team has greatly expanded its membership this year, and has established committees which meet between full Green Team meetings to focus on specific areas. Subcommittees include Marketing (showcasing Sustainable Jersey efforts to the school and community), Grants (to manage existing grants and look for new opportunities), Actions/Points (to track progress on gathering documentation toward securing more points to help achieve Silver Certification), and Gardens (to oversee the maintenance of the school's many gardens and to talk about ways to incorporate gardens throughout the school's curriculum. A full list of members, meeting dates, and accomplishments will be provided at the end of the school year. A link to how the green teams accomplishments are publicized as well as board agendas have been included in order to receive the additional 5 points for this action.Page 3 of the board agenda has the information regarding the green house. As second board agenda was uploaded and on page 5 has information regarding other green team initiatives including SEL, Wellness and School Gardens

    Community Education & Outreach

    10 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority School

    Program Summary: 1. The Middle School held a Fall Community Night where parents, students and members of the community are invited into the school for a night of fun and learning. This event was held on Oct 24, 2019, and features health and wellness exhibitors, musical and dancing, local businesses, local service organizations, police, fire and EMT representatives, and much more. 2. Winslow Middle School uses its website to communicate about topics related to sustainability. This includes pages dedicated to the school's various STEM courses, the school gardens, and Sustainable Jersey. 3. Winslow Middle School has a student-run newsletter that includes articles sharing information with students, staff, families and community members about a variety of topics, including community service projects, STEM courses, school visits to local universities, and highlights of different academic departments.

    Civic & Stewardship Volunteer Initiatives

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Throughout the year, students participate in a variety of environmental and community service projects. Some of the volunteer activities that have taken place in the 2019-20 school year are as follows: - PB&J Project - Students got together to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to be donated to a soup kitchen in Camden, NJ. - Students collected toys as part of the school's annual Toys for Tots campaign. In all, 220 toys were collected. Mr. Cruz, Winslow's Environmental STEM teacher and the school garden leader, also coordinated this toy drive. Overflowing bins of toys can be found in his classroom during the collection period, and students from his classes and throughout the school bring information home about the need to donate toys for those in need. An article from the school newspaper is provided as an attachment. Winslow Township Middle School also held a nonperishable food donation drive in November to help provide food to families in need in our community. The Student Government helped to coordinate this effort, and all students and staff in the school were encouraged to donate. Students discusses the need for food drives and how this benefits people in Winslow and the surrounding communities. To engage the entire student body, each homeroom discusses the collection and why it is so important. The homerooms are offered the chance to compete against each other to see which homeroom can bring in the most canned goods to donate to the food bank. By doing this, students not only learn about the cause they are supporting through the homeroom presentations, but the challenge is a fun way to engage middle school aged students in remembering to bring in their donations. The Winslow Middle School also sponsored a PB&J Project night through the Middle School Pride Committee to bring together students, staff, parents, families and community members to make peanut butter and jelly sandwich bags for residents in need in Winslow and other parts of Camden County.

    Enrichment Programs through Partnership

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Winslow Township Middle School offers student many opportunity to enrich their academic experience through partnerships. Some examples for the 2019-20 school year include the following: - A program with AtlantiCare Healthy Schools Healthy Children Program, where AtlantiCare visited our school on January 13 to give a presentation in the Life Skills Classroom for the students in the Self-contained Multiply Disabilities Program (Ms. Kernaghan) and the Future Leaders After-School Mentoring Program (Dr. Cooper). The program covered thinking about food choices and how to make a recipe, and students had an opportunity to taste the food that was made by the guest speaker. - On January 8, the student leaders of National Junior Honor Society and the Student Government Association attended the 94th Annual New Jersey Association of Student Councils Convention. The conference was held at The College of New Jersey and gave students the opportunity to hear a motivational keynote speaker, attend break out sessions and network with other student leaders in New Jersey. The goal was to further develop leadership skills and inspire ideas to bring back to our school. -On November 1 students participated in a College Fair at the High School, getting an opportunity to meet with representatives from colleges and trade schools from throughout New Jersey and beyond. Exposing our students to college and career options in Middle School allows them to start thinking about their possible future options. - On September 27 students participated in the Veterans Day parade to honor those who serve/served our country

  • Student Learning

    Education for Sustainability Integrated Unit

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: This sustainability unit provides students with unique hands on experiences to drive home the importance of sustainability in society. This unit really has student think of the long term and how gardening has evolved and continue to develop. Students have access to systems that allow them to extend growing seasons and garden in non traditional ways. Taking the pants from indoors to outdoors is also emphasized and allows students use of different mediums. Students take the lead and are heavily involved in this unit and this drives home the concept and allow students to critically think. Assessment both formative and summative are embedded.Accommodations are included so that higher level students are challenged even more and so at risk students can still have access to these very important topics. This interdisciplinary unit is standards aligned. Students understand that a healthy and sustainable future is possible by having these experiences and realize that together the power of what can be accomplished is great.Everyone is responsible for the future and to have these experiences at this age will only allow students to continue to think and develop ideas. By changing the way we think of planting gardens it allows for crops to be grown earlier and longer. Students also compost which allows them to rethink how items are disposed of and find alternative ways for things considered waste to be used.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Arts

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: A Middle School Art class was given the challenge of representing the effects of the plastic problem. Students learned about their use of plastic products and how their actions could cause a ripple effect for a positive change by making the change to use reusable water bottles, straws, etc. Students discussed the connection between what we consume and what we dispose on a daily basis. This project brings awareness to the problem and how it can effect ecosystems and how we can make changes in daily life that will have a lasting impact. The lesson plan, grading rubric, and student art examples are attached.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Career and Technical Education

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Students were challenged to create a logo that brought awareness to a sustainability topic of their choosing. Multiple classes partook in this challenge.The students designed and created original logos and had to explain how it would be important and make an impact. The designs were voted on by peers. The logos that had the most votes was then uploaded and printed on a cricket device and placed onto clothing so that the students could show their winning design.The clothing that was selected to print on was all gently used to promote the use of already existing materials. This allowed students, parents and community members to see the unique design and bring awareness to the topic. The students liked the use of clothing as an alternative to paper flyers and felt that this option would have more of an impact in getting their points across.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 English Language Arts

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Mrs. Maggie Jenkins English Language Arts teacher had students write essays on the plastic problem. Students had to conduct research and utilize the research in their essays. This allowed students to show the impact that everyone has on the environment and how changes can be made in daily life that has a positive impact. Students then presented infomercials in class that showed ways to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic bottles to keep plastic out of our waterways. Students are taking the lead and becoming stakeholders in making a difference and empowering other students to do the same. Some of the essays were also displayed as a way to get information out to others and impact a greater audience.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Health

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Students have completed lessons on nutrition and the importance of physical activity. As a result students were then required to log their food choices and exercise as a way to reflect and see what their impacts their habits are having on them. In this time of remote learning it is especially important for students who are not seeing their teachers to be able to make healthy choices. Two brothers decided to make this a family thing and make a you tube video of exercises and include their younger sister. There is a link to the video included. Attached is the lesson plan, examples of student work, and the grading rubric. The SFS questionnaire has been uploaded.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Math

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Winslow High School Math teacher Michael Weppler incorporates the Sustainable Jersey for Schools principle of healthy eating through a lesson he teachers about the sugar content of various popular drinks. In this lesson, students use proportions to better understand the amount of sugar in the drinks they consume, converted from grams on the nutritional label to the equivalent amount of solid sugar. This lesson is usually very eye opening to students and the hope is that this lesson will help students to make better nutritional choices in the future. To complete this project, students select a favorite drink, and are taught how to read the nutritional label to understand the various items listed on the label. Then through the use of proportions, they calculated what the nutritional label represents in actual packets of sugar, something that is much easier for them to visualize. The final step was to get that equivalent amount of solid sugar in a bowl or cup to really see what they were consuming. Student work examples and the lesson grading rubric used by Mr. Weppler for the 2019-20 school year are attached.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Science

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Eight grade Science Teachers Ms. Alicia Sixx and Ms. Rachael Fernicola completed a sustainability lesson utilizing the vertical tower garden. This lesson utilized ingredients from the tower garden to create butter. The students were required to make observations, record date, draw conclusions. Since September students have been responsible for checking growth as well as water and pH levels. Students were definitely stakeholders in the process and invested in the success of the garden. In addition to the butter students also created salads and were given the opportunity to taste their healthy creations once complete. This authentic experience gave students the opportunity to healthier food options and seeing that healthy food can also taste good.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Social Studies

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Social Studies teachers completed one of the 2020 Census lessons on apportionment. The lesson reviewed the importance of the census being accurate as this data is used to determine the number of representatives each state gets. The activity drove home the difference between the popular vote and electoral vote with the in class election. This lesson is especially relevant during this election and census year and gave students an authentic experience. This lesson was interdisciplinary as students were also required to compare data and calculate percent change. Students also had to analyze tables and maps and draw conclusions based on the data. Population change and the effects that it can have emerged in discussions in class. Examples of student work are attached.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Technology

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: This lesson is called Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Oceans. This tutorial is designed to quickly introduce students to machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence. Students will explore how training data is used to enable a machine learning model to classify new data. Students should have a positive experience during the tutorial and more importantly should be motivated to keep learning computer science. Tutorial: First students classify objects as either "fish" or "not fish" to attempt to remove trash from the ocean. Then, students will need to expand their training data set to include other sea creatures that belong in the water. In the second part of the activity, students will choose their own labels to apply to images of randomly generated fish. This training data is used for a machine learning model that should then be able to label new images on its own.

  • Student and Staff Wellness

    Policies to Promote Physical Activity

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: The Winslow Township School District has a comprehensive Health and Wellness policy to promote physical activity throughout the schools in our district. Wellness Policy Goal #3 is related to promoting Physical Activity. That policy has been attached for review and is also available on the District website. The District has also approved a comprehensive Sustainability Policy, which also includes Promoting Physical Activity in students. In addition to high-quality physical education classes in the school district taught by certified and well-supported physical education teachers, multiple opportunities exist before, during, and after school to enable young people to achieve the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recommended sixty minutes of physical activity per day. They include: recess, physical activity breaks, before and after school programs, and the use of school facilities outside school hours. The Board of Education promotes a comprehensive school-based physical activity program in accordance with Board policy that will permit students to safely walk to and from school, to ride bicycles to and from school, and some other activities and programs listed below to promote physical activities: 1. Recess: The district will provide a recess period on most school days for Kindergarten through fifth grade students; 2. Physical Activity Breaks: Teachers may periodically conduct three to five minute "physical activity breaks" or "brain energizers" and incorporate physical activity into academic lessons to help improve student performance and on-task behavior; 4. If the district offers a before and/or after school student care program for children, either directly or through a contractor, such programs shall incorporate physical activity as a component of the daily schedule; 5. Intramural sports, which are organized sports that often emphasize fun as well as competition and involve students from the school of all skill levels who may not want to participate in an interscholastic sport; 6. Physical activity clubs that allow students to pursue specific interests or explore new activities; 7. Use of School Facilities Outside School Hours: The district may, in accordance with Board Policy, allow for the joint use of school facilities by community recreation programs offered by municipal or parks and recreation commissions, outside agencies, and/or youth-serving organizations on evenings, weekends, and during breaks in the school calendar. A copy of the District Sustainability Policy is also attached for review. http://www.winslow-schools.com/pdf/board_policy/Policy%207461%20District%20Sustainability%20Sept%202017.pdf As mentioned in the policy above, our District allows for the use of school facilities after school hours to help encourage involvement and physical activity beyond the end of the school day. A copy of the form given to groups and organizations wishing to use any district facilities has been provided. Our District also support physical activity of students by offering a variety of athletics and activities, including weight training which is available at both the Middle and High School and is open to all students. Our elementary school teacher are encouraged to take "brain breaks", allowing students the chance to get up and stretch periodically throughout the day to get their bodies moving and to promote increased focus when returning to classroom lessons and activities.

    Programs to Promote Physical Activity

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Winslow Middle School offers students the opportunity to participate in sports programs including field hockey, and wrestling where cuts are not made and league does not have championships. On March 25 Atlaticare planned on coming to the middle school as part of the Kids 360 program. This program. The program is designed to be a fun and exciting way for children to participate in a non competitive exercise program, improving overall health while building confidence. At the June 10, 2020 Board meeting the board of education approved the initiation of a cross country program at the middle school. This is the first time the program is being offered and will include use of the weight room as well as proper nutrition to fuel the body. In order to be successful proper stretching needs to occur as well as working out all aspects of the body and eating properly.Cross Country is both an individual and team sport so students can set personal health goals. The school is in a league that does not have championships so the emphasis is not to win a championship but to be a healthy and fit you. This program welcomes all students from all skill levels and no cuts are made so this program is available to all students.

    Staff Wellness Program

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: The Winslow Middle School has established a school wellness council which promotes healthy habits. The school planned to have Atlaticcare :Commit to Fit" program come in on March 20th where staff would have various data points taken and received information on healthy living. The staff also completed a green mustache challenge on March 10 where teachers made green smoothies and took pictures with their green mustaches as a way to promote healthier food options. A Staff Wellness competition has been established where staff members made teams and track progress such as water intake, servings of fruits and vegetables, amount of exercise and weight loss. The staff will, be taking place in a virtual teacher appreciation week as a way to keep staff united and supportive of one another during the current pandemic.Documentation of promotion has been included.

  • Student Safety

    Safe Routes to School District Policy

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: Winslow Township School District recognizes the importance of student safety while getting to and from school. Safe Routes to School is a nationwide movement aimed at encouraging elementary and middle school students to walk or bicycle to school. The goal of New Jersey's Safe Routes to School initiative is to get children walking and bicycling to school where it is safe and to make it safe where it is not safe. In support of this initiative, the Winslow Township Board of Education adopted Policy 8505 – Local Wellness Policy/Nutrient Standards for Meals and Other Foods, Policy 8600 – Transportation, and Policy 5514 – Student Use of Vehicles. The Board of Education and the administration continue to collaborate with municipal, county and State transportation, land-use planning, law enforcement, and other agencies to plan, construct, and encourage the use of safe, accessible, and convenient pedestrian and bicycle routes to and from school. The Board recognizes the benefits of students walking or riding a bicycle to school on a safe route. Understanding there may not be a safe walking or biking route to and from school for every student, this physical activity for a student is both mentally and physically beneficial.Students walking and riding a bicycle to school will be required to comply with Board policies, all safety and school rules, and regulations. A list of conditions explaining the rules and expectations of the student and parent are provided by the Principal or designee. The Board of Education has posted these Policies on the school district website which is available at http://www.winslow-schools.com/pdf/board_policy/Policy%207461%20District%20Sustainability%20Sept%202017.pdf. School arrival and dismissal procedures are included in the student handbooks for each school. Bus safety protocols for Pre-K through 6th grade, from the Pre K - 6th grade handbook, can be found attached.

  • Waste Reduction & Recycling

    Materials Reuse

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: This year the middle school began advertising a collection of dresses and suits for students to use for the semi formal dance. The collection was so students who may not have been able to afford these times had the chance to not miss out on the big event. Unfortunately the dance was cancelled due to Covid -19 but the collection process started. There were about 40 dresses and 10 suits collected. Each school within the Winslow Township School District participates in a Uniform Recycling program. The Winslow Township School District instituted a uniform policy in recent years, and this program was established to 1) assist families who may face financial hardship to help cover the cost of uniform pieces, and 2) prevent clothing items that may not fit a child from being discarded. This program allows the school community to recycle uniforms among community members, and allows families to save money and resources, making this a financial and an environmentally beneficial program. Parents are notified through flyers sent home with all students, as well as through the District Facebook page. Attached are copies of the flyers, posts from the District Facebook page. No photos of the actual Uniform Exchange are taken for the privacy of those participating. Although the main collections happen in the summer and spring donations are accepted throughout the year to continue to support students. This school year there were over 100 families who participated in the donation of uniforms to be used for other students. These uniforms were able to be used to help over 250 students. The amount of clothing collected was over 1500 articles of clothing that are compliant with the districts uniform policy.

    Recycling Non-Mandated Materials

    15 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Winslow Middle School is now participating in the Crayola ColorCycle marker recycling program. The ColorCycle program has repurposed more than 70 tons of expended markers in the United States and Canada since 2013, and uses the most advanced plastic conversion technologies available today to make wax compounds for asphalt and roofing shingles as well as to generate electricity that can be used to heat homes, cook food, and power vehicles. All around Winslow Township Middle School, students and teachers are collecting used markers that are ready to be discarded. Students are encouraged to bring in old markers from home, and classrooms throughout the school recycle used markers as well. Through this program, any brand of marker can be recycled, and highlighters and dry erase markers can also be included. Drop-off boxes are located around the school to deposit the markers. Flyers were sent home and teachers continue to remind students to bring in their old markers for recycling. There is a posting on the website that invites parents, community and students to utilize the middle school drop off location. The middle school is also participating in the Ricon toner cartridge recycling program. This program takes the used toner cartridges and sends them back to the company for recycling. The company recommends sending back the cartridges in the boxes in which they came to prevent the need for new boxes to be made. There is a collection near the copy machines and staff were notified via email and in a staff meeting about the recycling program. The middle school is currently collecting tabs for the Ronald McDonald house. The tabs are collected and sent out to the company and are recycled. The money gained from the tabs is then used to help seriously ill children. The program is advertised with a flyer and via email and there are collections spots throughout the building. Requested report has been completed and attached for review.