District News
Keeping our community informed about the issues that affect their families and sharing important announcements is just one more way we serve our community.
Check out many great things that makes Closter Public Schools a wonderful place to be! We have had many successes and are very proud of our achievements!
The strength of our parent and community partnerships has been evident throughout the year. From the PTO's generous support of author visits, book fairs, and their successful annual gala with a "Viva Las Vegas" theme, to the Korean Parent Group's contributions to our Veterans Day observance and Lunar New Year celebrations, to our partnership with the Shade Tree Commission to observe Arbor Day, our community consistently demonstrates its commitment to our students' success. The Closter Education Association organized the amazing RISE for Hunger event, led by Laurie Rochlin, that engaged our entire Closter community to help combat hunger internationally and food insecurity locally through the Closter Food Bank. This effort was extended by the Birthday Kit project, led by Sylvia Jost, that provided birthday cake supplies for Closter Food Bank families. Our students learned the importance of helping others who are in need.
Our commitment to professional development remained strong throughout the year. Summer 2024 professional learning sessions in Phonics First and mathematics and English Language Arts workshops prepared our educators for excellence. Our Professional Development Day in January 2025, that was held virtually due to a snow storm, featured a keynote on wellness, a special session for the child study team, and various workshops including multilingual learner support, artificial intelligence in the classroom, and behavioral strategies for teachers. We strive to continually improve!
Our students have achieved extraordinary recognition this year, bringing honor to themselves and our entire district. Three of our middle school students - Alivia Chu, Sophia Lee, and Katelyn Seo - became national finalists in the prestigious NPR podcast competition for their creation "Rice is Life," selected from over 2,000 submissions nationwide. What an incredible accomplishment!