Smith News

April 1, 2021

Achieving Excellence One Student at a Time

A Message from Our Principal

6th grade students Jack Harrington, Charlie Taylor, and Dylan Field had their sports podcast, Talkin' Takes, featured in the April issue of Ramsey Neighbors! The 3 students came up with the idea of starting their sports podcast as they missed having their lunchtime conversations and recaps of the latest games.

In Talkin' Takes, the three sports enthusiasts debate professional athletes latest successes or failures, highlight any particularly exciting aspects of a recent game, and make predictions for teams and athletes in upcoming games.

The podcast premiered in December of 2020. It is entirely written and directed by the three students and published through a Podcasting feature on Spotify for listeners to access. Jack, Charlie, and Dylan collaborate with each other to plan out what the focus points of each episode will be. All three agree that their favorite aspect of the podcast is working with their friends, staying connected during the pandemic, debating back and forth, and getting to share their love of sports with a larger audience.

Way to go Jack, Charlie, and Dylan! Way to represent Smith School and share your passions with the world.

Check out the April issue of Ramsey Neighbors to see the full article, and check out Talkin' Takes on Spotify now.

Mrs. Christine Davis

Supervisor of K-8 Education and Student Welfare

Screen Time During the Pandemic: Finding a Healthy Balance

Screen time for most people has sharply increased over the past year. We use our devices for work, school, social interaction, and entertainment. Many of us were already concerned about the amount of time that our children spend on their devices and when the pandemic happened, we were forced to rely on our devices even more.

As much as kids’ increased screen time is a concern, there are ways to keep a balance. Strategies like device-free meals and charging your kids’ phones in your room at night are just a couple of examples of ways to start building healthy screen habits for families. Set a good example for your kids by putting your phone away for some time before you go to bed. Setting screens aside for two hours before bedtime makes it easier to fall asleep and wake up on time.

For more information on managing your child’s screen time, take a look at these articles on Common Sense Media:


Tips and Scripts for Managing Screen Time When School is Online

Screen Time in the Age of the Coronavirus

From The Desk of The Instructional Coaches

Mr. Scott Sirota, Mathematics Instructional Coach

Spring is here, and not a moment too soon. This is the time of year when we start getting our first feelings of end of school year and summer time. But as we get ready to head into the home stretch, we should take some time to reflect on the work we've done. Here are some tips to make the last part of the year as strong as it can be!

  • Check the parent portal. Keep checking in to see how your child is doing in their various classes. We don't want a small slip to end up resulting in a significant slide.

  • Check in with your child's teacher. If you have any questions about your child's progress, now would be a great time to reach out to them with any concerns.

  • Check in with your child. With everything that's gone on this year, one positive way to help your child is to talk to them about how the year has gone. Maybe set aside a few extra minutes after dinner over an ice cream sundae to talk about how their year has gone?

I hope that you all have a terrific last stretch of the school year!

Important Dates for Our Transition

April 5: Deadline to complete survey to inform the district of request to switch from All-Remote to In-Person or Hybrid to All-Remote for Phase 3. (Note: This decision will be in effect through the remainder of the year.)

April 19-23: Spring Recess

April 26: At any point up to this date, the District may opt to stay with current schedule or delay implementation of Phase 3 if it is necessary.

April 28: Virtual Wednesday

April 26-30: Last Week of Phase 2

May 3: First Day of Instruction in Phase 3

Phase Three Learning Plan

Our District Restart Committee has developed a Phase 3 plan to increase in-person learning, beginning May 3. This start date is subject to change based on a number of factors, including disruptions in the vaccine rollout, increased spread of COVID-19 in our community, or evidence gathered from surrounding districts that combining cohorts leads to increased spread in schools.

Our Phase 3 plan combines Blue and Gold cohorts so that our students have the opportunity to come to school every day. The all-remote option remains for Ramsey families, and the district will survey all families ahead of the Phase 3 start date to determine their preference for switching their child's current learning plan.

What does this mean for Smith school?

Smith Middle School and Ramsey High School students following the same daily schedule as Phase 2; by combining cohorts for five days of in-person learning a week, these students physically attend school 12.5 more hours each week.

We will still continue of many of the health and safety precautions and operate on a modified school day to eliminate lunch and recess.

Click here to access the Ramsey School District Restart Website

Click here to access the In-Depth Phase 3 Transition Presentation

BCCETF Youth Writer Contest- Winners

During the month of February, the Bergen County Engagement Task Force held a Youth Writer's contest open to middle school and high school students were asked to write an essay describing the benefits of the community working with police officers.

We are proud to announce that two of our very own Smith students placed in that contest- Lucas Prestifilippo, 7th grade, took 2nd place and Rose Dooley, 6th grade, earned an achievement as a 6th grade entrance.

Congratulations to you both, we are very proud of your accomplishment and how you have represented our school!

If you cannot access your child’s report card via the portal, please check the “Fines” tab.

You must clear all obligations before your access to grades can be restored.

Report Cards

It's that time of the year again- the third marking period ended on Thursday, April 1st. Report cards, as well as progress towards Goals and Objectives for students with IEPs, will be viewable on the Parent Portal in the weeks following. As grades are coming out, please remember the following:


  • The purpose of allowing access to your child’s grades is to enhance communication between school and home regarding your child’s academic status.

  • Access to grades allows you to have a conversation with your child about the assignment and/or grade. It is not to question the teacher about the validity of the grade. Speak with your child first, and if there are any discrepancies or confusion, ask your child to speak with their teacher.

  • Teachers will post grades in a reasonable amount of time after any given assessment. This varies from class to class, and from assignment to assignment, depending upon the nature of the assessment. Please do not expect a grade to be available immediately.

A Message From Ramsey High School-Track & Turf Protocols

Eric S. Smith School Parents:

I hope everyone is enjoying the recent warm weather! I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone about our procedures and protocols in using the Ramsey High School track and turf fields. Please pass this message along to anyone in your family or on your teams who use these facilities. The following will be strictly enforced by Ramsey District personnel.

Entry and Exit

Due to construction, there will be only ONE way to enter and exit the track and turf fields. That entry way is through the Main St. parking lot gate. This is being done for everyone’s safety. No one should be entering or exiting the fields through any other gate or moving anything around to enter or exit.

Garbage

There has been an increase with garbage left all over the bleachers, the turf fields, and the track. These fields and track are brand new and we should all take pride in doing our part to keep the grounds looking the way they should. We ask that everyone does their part in throwing away their bottles, cans or whatever other garbage your team or you individually might have.

Practices/Training

In order to practice or individually/team train a team, you must be Ramsey District approved. You must contact Facilities Coordinator, Maureen Nelson at (mnelson@ramsey.k12.nj.us) in order to start the process of field use approval. Whether or not you are approved, you will hear back from Maureen Nelson. The Ramsey HS athletic programs and band programs practice out there everyday and they have priority on the turf and track. Anyone not Ramsey District approved will be asked to leave. This is done for everyone’s safety.

Ramsey HS Games or Meets

Any time there is a RHS track meet or a game on either turf, that area will be closed off for the time being, except for spectators watching the event. This includes both turf fields. Ex. If there is a game on the Stadium, then both the track and Creamer field are closed until the game is over, unless you have a Ramsey District approved practice. This will be done for everyone’s safety as a track meet or game is in progress. Once the game or meet is over, the facilities will then be open to use.

Equipment

All equipment on the turf fields and track are property of Ramsey School District and should not be used unless authorized by Ramsey School District Administration. Please contact me if you have any questions regarding this. This includes the track mats, lacrosse goals, soccer goals, and any other pieces of equipment out there. If anything is damaged, we will review the security footage and contact the individuals involved.

Bikes

There should be absolutely NO bikes on the track or turf fields. They damage both surfaces and are also dangerous. Please leave all bikes along the fence before entering either turf field.

Turf Hours

Both turf fields and track at Ramsey High School are closed to the public Monday through Friday 7:30am-12:30pm.


Thank you for your consideration and cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you might have.

#GORAMS

Thank You,

Kevin Sabella

Director of Athletics & Supervisor of Physical Education

Smith School: Planting the Seeds so Students can Bloom!

Officer Beamon came in to speak with physical education students on a variety of health and safety topics such as protecting yourself in an online setting, the dangers of vaping, and opioid and prescription drug addictions (Above).

Rehearsals for You´re A Good Man, Charlie Brown are in full swing! Smith students and staff embrace the saying ¨The show must go on¨ and adapt rehearsals in accordance with the CDC's health and safety guidelines. Follow our musical cast on Instagram as they make their way to opening night. (Right top and Center).

The Smith Wrestling team is back in action this year! The 2021 team is captained by Smith students Raul Bravo (8th grade), Ethan Kolenut (8th grade), Matteo Gorini (8th grade), & Finn Laughton (8th grade) (Below).

During the month of March, Smith's library media center hosted a Reader Raffle where students earned entries based on the books they read for the month. Three winners were chosen to win Amazon gift cards at the end of the month, congratulations to Emma Kinch, Blake Moise, and Marguerite Wang! (Above) A huge thanks to all who participated!


6th, 7th, and 8th grade physical education students conduct some fitness tests through a series of physical challenges! Students measured their speed, reaction time, agility, balance, coordination, and power (Left, Top Left, Above).


Mr. Baeira's business class gets hands-on experience paying rent to their landlord and practicing the art of writing a check (Top Right and Right)


Mr. Herre takes a behind-the-scenes look at the construction progress on the brand new chorus and band classrooms, unveiling in September of 2021! (Left)

The Community Service Club ran a Pencil Drive to collect pencil donations on behalf of the organization Pencils for Pula. Smith students and staff came together to collect materials to benefit public school students in Botswana (Above)

Culinary arts students learn about the importance of a balanced diet as they craft their own nutritional salads for lunch that afternoon. (Top Right and Right)

Mr. Wilson's 8th grade scientists begin experimentations while following the scientific method (Below and Bottom right).

Is your child a remote-learning student who is participating in spirit days? Do you want to them to be recognized for their participation in learning activities at home?

Share your photos HERE to be featured in future newsletters!

8th grade art students work on their "egg" project inspired by 19th century art! Students began the painting and decorating process (Above, Top right)

Mr. Truppi's robotics students put finishing touches on their projects in preparation to face off in a series of challenges (Below and Right)

Health Updates From Our Nurse

Ms. Laura Spiegelman, BSN, RN, CSN/Health Ed.

Certified School Nurse, Eric S. Smith School

lspigelman@ramsey.k12.nj.us 201-785-2314

Important daily reminders to help protect yourself & others to stop the spread of COVID-19 per the CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html#:~:text=Wear%20a%20mask%20to%20protect,be%20exposed%20to%20COVID%2D19.

  • Wear a mask that covers your nose & mouth

  • Stay 6 feet away from others who don't live with you

  • Avoid crowds & poorly ventilated spaces

  • Wash your hands often

  • Clean & disinfect frequently touched surfaces

Spring Break/ Vacations

With Spring Break around the corner, please keep in mind that your child will have to quarantine if you travel beyond the immediate region (beyond NY, PA, CT, DE).

Please call or email the health office to report if your child has plans to travel: lspiegelman@ramsey.k12.nj.us 201-785-2314

The protocol for travel is as follows: Travelers and residents returning from any U.S. state or territory beyond the immediate region (NY, CT, PA, DE ) should self-quarantine for 10 days after travel. If they get a negative test 3-5 days after the trip, they can return after 7 days.

*Travel quarantine is a state mandate, if you travel outside of the immediate region or out of the country you will have to quarantine regardless of vaccination status or previous COVID-19 diagnosis.*

Seasonal Allergies

As we approach the spring season we’re kindly asking that if any of your children have seasonal spring allergies and they require any medications to be given in school for the symptoms, please complete the Medication Authorization Form. Some of you have provided this information already, but often, as spring rolls around, this doesn’t become an issue until the child is symptomatic. Please note that nebulizers cannot be administered in school this year due to the COVID virus but inhalers may still be used.

This spring will be a challenge since we are in the middle of a global pandemic trying to control the spread of a virus that has very similar and has overlapping symptoms with allergy symptoms. Windows in the classroom will be open and children will be spending time outdoors. We do not want to have to exclude children from school because they are suffering from allergy symptoms. It will be helpful to have children take necessary medication at home prior to arriving at school so their symptoms are controlled.

On days when their symptoms are severe, or worse than usual, please consider keeping them home.

RPEF Sprint for Our Schools

This year the race is virtual. Runners can participate anytime and anywhere they want between May 1 & May 16th.

Registration is now open on our race website: RPEFrun.com


Race shirts are available for purchase using this link. Orders need to be placed by 4/14 to receive the shirt by May 1. https://www.customink.com/fundraising/rpef-virtual-sprint-for-our-school?utm_campaign=desktop-campaign-page-share-v3&utm_content=rpef-virtual-sprint-for-our-school&utm_medium=social&utm_source=copy-link


We are hoping people will want to get out, get running and support our schools!

Smith School Parent Book Club 2020-2021

If you would like to request a copy of any of our books, or you have any questions regarding parent book club, please email Ms. Kelly at kkelly@ramsey.k12.nj.us

Thank you to all who participated in our March book club! We had some great discussions at the meeting. Our next theme will be Coming of Age stories. We will be holding the meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, April 28th at 3:00 PM.

We will discuss all 3 of the books at the meeting, but there is no expectation to read them all. You are welcome to read as many of the choices as you would like. The link for the meeting is below and will also be emailed out closer to the date. The titles of the books are listed below, click here for full descriptions of each of our titles.


Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, Grades 6 and Up


As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds, Grades 7 and Up


Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell, Grades 8 and Up


Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/94110574711?pwd=bnA4YkZ5a0pEVXRuQW1pdm9BeEU2QT09


Meeting ID: 941 1057 4711

Passcode: y73wa

Information on the health questionnaire, hybrid schedule, basic guidelines, information from the school nurse, and more.

Need Technology Support for School-Issued Devices? Click Here to Complete a Student Help Desk Ticket

Smith School Supply List 2020-2021

View the 2020-2021 Supply List

Supply Lists for the 2020-21 school year are now posted. Please remember that all personal belongings should be labeled, such as pencil cases, binders, and backpacks.

Chromebook Insurance

Chromebook Insurance is Due Now....Register

FamilyID is now open to parents to agree to policies and pay for insurance for the new academic year. Please click on the headline for more information, including instructions for payment and account information.

Smith Staff Directory

Upcoming Dates

End of Marking Period 3 (April 1)

Good Friday- District Closed (April 2)

Spring Break- District Closed (April 19-23)

Board of Education Meeting (April 27)

All-Virtual Instruction Day (April 28)

Click Here for Smith School Calendar of Events