Byram Township Schools is Approved as a School Choice District

The Byram Township School District has recently been approved by the New Jersey State Department of Education as an Interdistrict Public School Choice District.  This is fantastic news, not only, for the choice students interested in enrolling in the district, but also for the current students in Byram as well.  The district has always had an outstanding academic reputation and now other students outside of Byram can share in the excellence in education that Byram Township has to offer.  The current students will have the unique opportunity to forge new friendships and assist the new students adjust to their new surroundings as they act as ambassadors of the district.  This program offers any participating choice program student all the same programs and opportunities as resident students.  

Currently the district has a half day kindergarten program, but is presently performing research on best practices on the implementation of a full day kindergarten program during the 2013-2014 school year to begin the full day program during the 2014-2015 school year.  This full day program has proven to have long term beneficial gains to its participating students.  The Readers’ Workshop approach is currently implemented at both the elementary and intermediate school levels.  Working with the understanding that all students learn at a different pace and differing abilities, this program allows each student to work with reading material, such as chapter or trade books, at his/her own level while still being able to focus on the same skill being taught/learned in class. 

The Byram Lakes Elementary School offers Art, Music, World Cultures, and Enrichment and an extracurricular activity called Fit Club to its students.  Also students in grades three and four can participate in chorus and fourth grade students are permitted to take instrumental lessons as well.  The Byram Lakes School provides a daily two hour language arts block to its students and math for one hour and fifty minutes daily.  The Byram Intermediate School students have seen an increase in dedicated math time and will continue going forward.  Currently math and language arts meet for four hundred minutes per week (80 minutes daily) to focus on the needs of the students, whether it is remediation, reinforcement, or enhanced academic rigor. 

Byram Intermediate School students participate in related arts classes such as: Art, Music, Physical Education and Health, Health and Life Management, Keyboarding, Research, and Fundamental Technology (KRAFT), Research Writing Lab, Spanish and Synergistics.  Extracurricular activities and sports at the Byram Intermediate School include: Band, Chorus, the Byram Environmental Education Club, SEEK, Cheerleading, Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball, Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer, Boys’ and Girls’ Track and Field, Drama, Rampage (school newspaper), and Yearbook.  Both schools offer a successful and well attended after school academic assistance in the areas of math and language arts.  

These are exciting times in Byram Township Schools and we are glad to share our dedicated staff and outstanding programs with interested students and their families.  Parents interested in a tour of the schools should contact the appropriate administrator.  For more information and access to student application forms for attending Byram Township Schools as a School Choice student, please visit the Byram Township Schools district website at www.byramschools.org. 

Bryan Hensz

Superintendent

Byram Township Schools