Rutgers University has announced a new endowment called Scarlet Promise Grants. This program grew out of the Task Force on Student Aid and the Task Force on Philanthropy as commissioned by the Rutgers’ Board of Trustees. The student aid task force found that a growing number of students are unable to complete their degrees because of limited resources, while others can graduate but leave college saddled with significant debt. As a result, the board is undertaking several initiatives to address these financial challenges and to seek more significant private support for need-based grants and scholarships. Going forward, the board and Rutgers University Foundation will work to raise $3 million for the endowment within 10 years. The trustee gifts, announced at the board’s meeting on June 20, were made by Mary DiMartino DC’85, chair of the board until June 30, 2019, and her husband, Victor DiMartino CC’82; James Dougherty RC’74, GSNB’75, vice chair of the board; and philanthropy task force chair Ken Johnson ENG’66 and his wife, Jackie Johnson. 

The Merchantville Board of Education will present their 2019-20 school district budget, followed by a public hearing at the Tuesday, April 30th, meeting. NJAC 6:19-2.7(a) requires the Merchantville Board of Education adopt and submit a formal Board resolution to approve the 2019-2020 school budget as presented by the administration. The budget includes a General Fund a tax levy of $5,779,264.00 for the ensuing School Year (2019-2020) and a Debt Service tax levy of $125,914.00. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. The BOE will also recommend approval of $94,110.00 in Preschool Education Aid for the 2019-2020 school year during the meeting. Full agenda.

The Trinity United Methodist Church Child Care Center will not be reopening, after being closed since March, 2020, due to the pandemic. This decision was reached in early March by the Trinity Leadership Team after a review of the church’s finances and the status of the Center. When the Child Care Center closed last March, it was thought that the closure would be temporary. After more than year, however, it is still not clear when the Center will be able to reopen safely, while a review of Trinity’s finances shows that the church would have difficulty offering even basic financial support, such as the cost of ramping up heat or air conditioning during the week if the Center did reopen. The Center’s staff and parents of children hoping to attend the Child Care Center when it reopens have all been notified of this decision. We regret having to take this step, since the preschool has been a valued ministry of the church for more than 30 years. Trinity took over operation of the Child Care Center in 2015 when the organization that had operated the Center since it first opened decided it would stop providing childcare at the church. We are proud of the staff, their commitment to the Center, and the excellent childcare they have provided over the past five years. We are particularly grateful to the Child Care Center’s director, Ms. Juanita Wilson, for her dedication and hard work on behalf of the Center and its children. 

Merchantville School hosted the new student Pre-K and Kindergarten Round-up on Wednesday, April 10th. It was exciting to meet our new students that will be joining us in September. Enrollees and their parents had an opportunity to meet teachers, classmates and get the lay of the land! As you can see they were very engaged in building legos and playing.

On November 6, voters in Merchantville NJ will choose from among two balloted candidates for three open seats on the Borough Board of Education. NJ Pen invited them to tell voters about themselves, their priorities, and their views of the current state of the Merchantville School. Incumbent BOE member Elliot Honigfeld did not reply. Here's how candidate, Marc Carcanague responded. In addition to declared candidates, Elliot Honingfeld and Marc Carcanague, there are two (2) write-in candidates for seats on Merchantville's Board of Education: Caroline Feliciano-Waters and Daniel Licata, an Assistant Principal in Riverside, NJ since 2017.

Caroline Waters has worked for Rutgers Camden for 26 years and holds a masters degree in Public Administration. She's a consultant for the Department of Higher Education where she provides workshops to students and parents in middle school and high school concerning Financial Aid. She's an active member of Merchantville PTA and sits on the Diversity Committee at Haddon Heights high school where we address various issues concerning ethnicity and gender diversity. "The reason I want to be on the board is because I strongly believe that the board should represent the student body. There are cultural and ethnic issues that can only be addressed by individuals who understand the culture." Carolyn has attended board meetings in the past and voiced concerns that the faculty is not representative of the student body. "I am very interested in children who attend Merchantville to see themselves in the faculty and administration. Merchanrvillle has come a long way and the community has become a melting pot. This is a good thing for the town and for our children." She has spoken to many parents with similar concerns and hopes to be part of a good change on the Merchantville board. 

Daniel Licata has been an Assistant Principal in Riverside High School, NJ since 2017. "As a Merchantville resident for the last six years, it is inspiring to see our cozy town receive increased attention from local and state news outlets. My wife and I enjoy walking our dog down the “Merchantville Mile” and greeting both new and familiar neighbors. Merchantville is certainly a great place to live and grow." Professionally, Dan has spent the last ten years working in public education, the first eight of which were spent as a social studies teacher at Palmyra High School. In his role as a school administrator, he focuses on addressing chronic absenteeism, school safety, bullying prevention, and student-centered instruction. "If elected to the Merchantville Board of Education, I will work with the other board members, district staff and administration to ensure that our school district is exceeding the expectations of our community. By keeping the students as the focus of our goals and initiatives, we can continue to be proud of our charming school district." If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dan through Facebook or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Join Miss Christen from the Merchantville Branch of the Camden County Library System for an all ages family friendly story time this Saturday, June 8 at 11:00 a.m. at the Merchantville Market Off Centre. We will read stories, sing songs, and shake our sillies out. After the story time, join us at our table for a make and take craft, library card sign ups, and Summer Reading info!

Merchantville Elementary School offers a half-day Pre-Kindergarten program 5 days a week. It is a developmentally appropriate educational program for four year old children. The curriculum is based on state guidelines that have been initiated and implemented to enhance the development of the pre-school child within a structured public school setting.

Read more: Pre-K and Kindergarten Roundup

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