3.26.21

Letter from the Superintendent

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we step away from our schools for our much-anticipated spring break, we can all recognize that while there is progress, life remains far from normal due to the pandemic. However, we have a good return to school plan, and I am confident it will carry us through the school year's remaining months. We also know that many of our parents have committed to having their children return to school on April 19th. Staff members have repeatedly expressed their excitement about seeing more of their students in class. It is clear that even though school may look different from what we are all accustomed to, there is much to be excited about in the school year's final months. Although we are retaining the cohort model for the two weeks following spring break to better deal with quarantine situations, our goal is to avoid any large-scale quarantine actions.

We are all in this together, which means we need to help one another. One way all parents can help is by making sure to complete the daily health screening. If you are going away, we ask all parents to please follow the New Jersey Department of Health quarantine requirements, which were distributed previously from our Supervisor of Health Services, Maggie Landowski.

Best wishes to all for a restful and enjoyable spring break!

Sincerely,

Mark Toback, Ed.D

Superintendent of Schools

No Place for Hate Compliment Activity

Randall Carter Elementary School students and teachers had the opportunity to give or receive a compliment from one another. The results of this activity were fantastic! The students and teachers all participated and enjoyed the opportunity to recognize and celebrate each other for their uniqueness, talents, differences and accomplishments. One student said to her teacher, "I see how hard you work for all of us and I thank you for it. I love you so much, you are the best teacher I have ever had.” Some teachers were visibly emotional while listening to what their students said to one another. Teachers also shared how grateful they were to hear students express their appreciation for each other's uniqueness and individual accomplishments whether academically, socially or extracurricular. The smiles on the students' faces when they received compliments were so heartwarming. It was especially moving when students shared that they enjoyed giving the compliments as much as they received them.

The compliment activity created an exceptionally inclusive environment where students felt valued and appreciated for who they are, just the way they are. This activity helped to highlight diversity within the school community and our students were able to gain an understanding that rather than insulting or demeaning others, they can celebrate each other and show support for their peers. Students were empowered to affect someone’s day in a respectful and positive manner through recognizing a unique aspect of their classmates’ talents, character traits, or personality. Giving compliments to each other fostered a supportive and inclusive environment in the classroom and in the school building.

President's Volunteer Service Award

Schuyler Colfax 6th grader, Baani Kohli was awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award. Early on during the COVID Pandemic, Baani had a front-row seat to the crisis, with her mother being a healthcare worker and father a hospital administrator. She would often hear the challenges of wearing PPE all day especially wearing the masks.

When her Girl Scouts troop came up with the idea of creating ear savers for healthcare workers, Baani jumped right in to help not only her mom, but also all other heroes who were at the front line of the fight against the pandemic.

Baani also realized her father's struggles to wear a mask with his turban, which does not leave exposed ears for mask loops. She thought about making a slightly longer ear saver for her father, which could wrap around the Turban and offer him a more comfortable way of wearing the mask. Baani started making longer ear savers for her congregation in June and hasn't stopped ever since.

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GWMS Celebrates STEM Month with NJ Makers Day

George Washington Middle School celebrated STEM Month by participating in NJ Makers Day at their media center. Students were invited to the media center during their rec or study hall period to participate in STEM events like coding Sphero robots. Take and Make projects were available and over 60 gardening kits were distributed. Students also constructed greeting cards using a Cricut to craft and cut shapes. These cards will be distributed by National Junior Honor Society students during Social Emotional Learning week so students from different cohorts could send messages and feel connected. Additional activities are available on the media center’s website and everyone was invited to participate in the Livestream on NJ Makers Day events on March 19th and 20th. The recordings of the Livestream are available here: https://njmakersday.org/njmd-live/.

AP Terhune Hosts Virtual Talent Show

A.P. Terhune students had the opportunity to show off some of their amazing talents using Flipgrid, a popular student engagement tool, on March 12th. Over 65 students submitted videos of themselves performing various talents including gymnastics, martial arts, magic, art, dance, vocal performance, instrumental performance, science experiments and even a shadow puppet show! Students from all grades were able to participate from home and loved seeing older and younger students along with their classmates perform. Congratulations to all of the talented performers who helped A.P. Terhune execute this amazing show.

No Place for Hate Spotlight: One Book, One Ryerson - A Boy Called BAT

One Book, One Ryerson is modeled after the One School, One Book program designed to create a shared reading experience within an elementary school community. This school year, Ryerson students, families, and staff read the book "A Boy Called BAT" by Elana K. Arnold. The book gives readers perspective into what Bat, a boy on the autism spectrum, is thinking, and how he uniquely perceives the events and people in his life. A Boy Called BAT is noted for its broad appeal and its seamless fit into inclusive educational practices.

Wayne Hills Students Celebrate Bus Driver Appreciation Day

Wayne Hills High School Structured Learning Experience PR Committee recognized Wayne Hills Bus Drivers, for Bus Driver Appreciation Day. Students assembled little poems and quotes and gave small tokens of appreciation to the district's 50 bus drivers and bus aides. Students created, assembled, and distributed these items on February 17th and 18th.