Caldwell-West Caldwell First Day of School: A Survival Guide

Caldwell-West Caldwell students returned to classes Wednesday to find dozens of new students, staff members and a handful of major improvements, most notably a renovated gym at . 

Enrollment for the district is 2,657, about 50 more students than last year, according to Caldwell-West Caldwell Superintendent James Heinegg, who is himself new.

Heinegg took over for longtime Superintendent Daniel Gerardi on July 1.

Another new face in the district is Business Administrator Kerry Keane.

Keane, along with Frank Ennis, the district’s Supervisor of Maintenance and Operations, oversaw and coordinated improvements to school buildings and grounds over the summer.

The JCHS parking area and entrance roads have been repaved. The high school gymnasium renovation includes new electronic bleachers. The installation of new windows at Grover Cleveland Middle School has been completed, as have painting and maintenance projects throughout the district.

“Some of these constitute the final projects of the bond referendum; others are part of the district’s long-range facilities plan,” Heinegg explained Wednesday. 

The superintendent said the first day went “very well.”

He said students and parents can expect new initiatives, particularly in the area of technology.

The district has purchased Chrome books using district funds and a grant from the Caldwell-West Caldwell Education Foundation.

“Patrick Higgins, our Supervisor of Instruction, is coordinating both the implementation of this new hardware and the expansion of the district use of Google Apps,” Heinegg said. “We believe that this is going to provide our students with faster, more reliable technology that more readily facilitates dynamic learning.” 

Here’s what else you need to know:

• The high school’s fall sports season opens Thursday. 
• Fans of the Chiefs can now get sports updates on Twitter.
• GCMS also has a new Twitter account, as well as a .
• Print the School Calendar
• Get School Lunch Information
• Register for E-Alerts
• New .

Still have questions? The next meeting of the Board of Education is Monday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m., at Harrison School on Gray Street in West Caldwell.

School Enrollment for 2012-2013

In addition, the district as 44 out-of-district placements.