Superintendent's Report September 2026 text only

Superintendent’s Report

Erskine R. Glover

Sept. 10, 2026

Volume 13, Issue 1

 

Excitement and Energy Fill the Air as School Returns

Students and families arrived on Wednesday, Sept. 2, with great anticipation and excitement for our first day of school. Parents gave their children extra long hugs at the bus stop or the school door, then handed them off to waiting bus drivers, administrators, and staff. Students reunited with their friends, then headed to their new classrooms, where teachers welcomed them to the 2026-27 school year. Thank you to everyone who shared photos of their children on social media using our special #FirstDayPway hashtag so the community could share in the joy and excitement.

 

Children’s Corner Opens 4th Preschool Location

We are so excited to open our fourth preschool campus with the addition of Children’s Corner-Farm. This new location adds 150 seats to our robust preschool program. Our administration and Board of Education held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the building at 1515 Stelton Road on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Students arrived the following day to fill up the 10 added classrooms. The new campus, which shares a building with our administrative offices, allows our district to fully meet the needs of its families by providing free, high-quality preschool. The expansion was made possible through NJ Department of Education Preschool Expansion Aid, and the district incurred no bonded debt.

 

Board Shines Colorful Spotlight on Critical Issues

Our Board of Education has been using its platform to bring awareness to important causes that touch our students, families, and community. Over the past several months, Board members have been wearing a different color at each meeting to recognize an important cause. In April, Board members wore blue for Autism Awareness. In May, they wore green for Mental Health Awareness. In June, the Board wore purple for Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month. In July, they wore yellow for Sarcoma Awareness Month, helping bring attention to a rare form of cancer. Although each color represents a different cause, the message behind the initiative remains the same: awareness matters.

 

Board Attorney Selected Among Best Lawyers in U.S.

Congratulations to our Board of Education attorney David B. Rubin, who has been recognized in the 2027 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Only the top 5% of all practicing lawyers in the U.S. were selected by their peers for inclusion. Mr. Rubin, of Busch Law Group in Metuchen, has been offering his expertise as Board Attorney for Piscataway Township Schools for an amazing 49 years – bringing an extraordinary level of stability to the position of assisting and offering legal counsel to our Board members and superintendents. Mr. Rubin has achieved national prominence in the field of education law through his representation of numerous public school districts and private schools throughout New Jersey, his longstanding leadership role in the National School Boards Association’s 3,000-member Council of School Attorneys, and his reputation as a frequent author on school law issues and a sought-after speaker at conferences and seminars throughout the country.

 

Board and PHS SADD Greet Public at National Night Out

Members of our Board of Education enjoyed mingling with the community at the Piscataway Township National Night Out event on Tuesday, August 4. Board members, who were joined by Superintendent Erskine R. Glover, gave out books and Frisbees to children, and collected names of community members who would like to join Board committees, which are open to public participation. Our district was also proudly represented by the Piscataway High School Students Against Destructive Decisions, who spread their message about safe driving alongside the Piscataway Township Police Department.

 

Board Members Lend Voices to Women’s Political Caucus

Members of our Board of Education were proud to attend the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey Summer Social. Board members Loretta Rivers and Dr. Gayle Nelson and Vice President Shantell Cherry were greeted by Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, who hosted the event. The Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey is a nonpartisan organization founded in 1972 whose mission is to increase women’s participation in the political process, raise the number of women in elected and appointed office, and build women’s political power to achieve equality for all women.

 

Coming Up

Back to School Nights

Sept. 16: Intermediate, 6 pm

Sept. 17: PHS, 6 pm

Sept. 22: Middle, 5:30 pm

Sept. 23: SAIL, 6 pm

Sept. 24: Elementary, 6 pm

 

Sept. 15: Culture, Climate & Community Relations Committee, 7 pm

Sept. 21: Yom Kippur, Schools Closed for Teachers and Students

Sept. 28: Curriculum Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm

Oct. 1: Policy / Legislative Committee, 6:30 pm

Oct. 8: Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Schor Middle School

 

Enrichment Programs Keep Minds and Bodies Sharp

Our Office of Community Education has kept the learning going for our students throughout their time off – with an extra dose of summer fun. A few of the many offerings in our Summer Enrichment Sessions included drones, 3D printing, and tumbling. In the hands-on, interactive drone classes, students in Grades 3-8 learned how to safely fly drone robots. Working in teams, they were able to code drones to compete in missions and team challenges. Grades 3-6 students in the 3D printing sessions created a new board game using their problem solving skills and the 3D printing skills they learned throughout the week. Using programs like TinkerCad, Autodesk, and Prusa Slice, they created the game pieces and dice needed to play let the games begin. On the physical side, students in Grades K-6 learned the fundamentals of cheerleading, including proper technique and progressions of tumbling, stunting, and dancing.

 

Middle Schoolers Stay in Tune at Orchestra Camp

Our middle school orchestra students got the chance to brush up on their skills and keep making music with two camps this summer, thanks to our Office of Community Education. Orchestra teacher Haley Schilla led a camp for incoming 6th grade orchestra members to collaborate as an ensemble and take leadership in their playing and composing. Orchestra teacher Grace Lee led a camp for rising 7th and 8th grade orchestra members where students learned, rehearsed, and performed popular music as an ensemble.

 

Middle Schoolers Create ‘A New Note’ at Arts Institute

Our district is proud to have partnered with coLAB Arts this summer for a Middle School Summer Theatre Institute. Our students created a musical titled “A New Note,” a cautionary tale about issues with artificial intelligence. Over two weeks in July, middle school students created the music, lyrics, and book for this musical and shared their process with the community. Thanks to Visual & Performing Arts Supervisor Rebekah Sterlacci for facilitating such a valuable partnership.

 

PHS Teacher Illuminated by National Physics Boot Camp

Congratulations to Piscataway High School physics and astronomy teacher Erin Bontempo, right, for being selected to take part in professional development boot camp with the Physics Teaching Resource Agents, a group of master teachers with over 40 years’ experience. Ms. Bontempo was one of just 10 participants from the across the country chosen to travel to Pasedena, CA, to collaborate with colleagues to develop leadership skills, facilitate professional development, and strengthen the physics teaching community. The PTRA boot camp, offered by the American Association of Physics Teachers, is an intensive learning experience designed for educators who want to expand their impact beyond their own classroom. It offers high-quality training in physics, STEM, and Next Generation Science Standards that has positively impacted thousands of educators and students.

 

Students and Educators Shine at Choir Directors Conference

Congratulations to 12 Piscataway High School choir students who were selected to perform with the NJ American Choral Directors Association Summer Honor Choir. They rehearsed with students from across New Jersey for two days and presented a beautiful concert at the conclusion of the NJACDA conference the week of Aug. 3 at Rutgers University. Thank you to PHS Choir Director Megan Suozzo for sponsoring the students for this incredible opportunity. Piscataway was also well-represented at the conference by our district educators. Supervisor of Visual & Performing Arts Rebekah Sterlacci and Ms. Suozzo gave a presentation about using non-traditional songs. They were joined at the conference by Knollwood Elementary School Acting Principal Kason Jackson, who is the NJ ACDA president, and music teachers Jill Corn of Knollwood, Amanda Jago of Conackamack Middle School, and Sarah Williams of Schor Middle School.

 

Staff Starts Year Strong with School Spirit & Learning

Our staff members returned from summer break on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to prepare for the return of our students. All district staff gathered at PHS to reconnect with their colleagues and be greeted by Superintendent Erskine R. Glover and his administrative team. The event started with breakfast hosted by the Piscataway Township Education Association, which was followed by a pep rally in the Anthony Gym that got everyone’s school spirit reignited. Teachers and other certificated staff then met in the PHS Performing Arts Center for a Convocation, where Mr. Glover recognized longtime staff members and reviewed goals. Staff spent the afternoon at their schools in faculty meetings and classroom preparation. For the first week of school, students had early dismissals but our staff members were engaged in afternoons of professional development to build a foundation for a successful year.

 

New Teachers Get a Warm Welcome to Piscataway

Our district greeted more than two dozen new teachers Aug. 24-25 at New Teacher Orientation. These educators will be join the staffs from Piscataway High School to Children’s Corner Preschool as the school year go under way. At orientation, the teachers were greeted by Superintendent Erskine R. Glover and the district’s administrators, principals, and supervisors. They learned about district curriculum and standards, technology, support programs, and more over two days of seminars and interactive learning at PHS, before heading to their classrooms to start getting ready for the 2026-2027 school year. Thanks to Human Resources Director Colleen Pongratz for organizing and hosting this important event for the newest members of our Pway family.

 

PHS Girls Volleyball Earns National Academic Honor

Congratulations to the PHS girls volleyball team for being honored with the 2026 Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. To receive the recognition, the team must maintain a yearlong grade-point average of 3.3 on a scale of 4. Piscataway far surpassed that threshold with a 3.74 GPA. Piscataway is one of 504 girls indoor volleyball teams nationwide to be honored, as well as one of just five in New Jersey and the only team in Middlesex County.

This is the PHS team’s second consecutive season of receiving this amazing honor for academic excellence.

 

Recent Grad Places 6th at FBLA National Conference

Congratulations to recent PHS graduate Khush Dakwala, who earned 6th place nationally in the Personal Finance competition at the Future Business Leaders of America’s National Leadership Conference. Sixteen qualifying students from the PHS FBLA chapter attended the conference in San Antonio, Texas, from June 29 to July 2. Khush became a two-time national placer after previously finishing 10th in Securities & Investments. More than 13,400 students from nearly 2,100 schools competed in 108 business-related events. Students also had the opportunity to engage in over 200 learning workshops. Students were accompanied by FBLA adviser Justin Critelli, history teacher Holly Cregar-Porch, and Assistant Principal Dr. Maria Cetta. The group also visited The Alamo and explored a historic market to make the most of their trip.

 

Arts Supervisor Works with Colleagues at Lincoln Center Forum

District Supervisor of Visual & Performing Arts Rebekah Sterlacci was invited to return to Lincoln Center Summer Forum for the 2nd year for a developmental lab in Aesthetic Education. Ms. Sterlacci worked with the second-year cohort to engage in art-making, discovery, connection, reflection, and questioning. She created collaborative sculpture, dance performance, and a digital music performance, in addition to seeing artwork and performances. “It was an incredible 5 days in NYC and an honor to be part of this international community of arts educators,” she said. “I can’t wait to bring this practice back to our teachers, students, and community!”