I hope you are enjoying the summer with your family…as the beginning of the new school year approaches; I am looking forward to opening the doors of Cedar Mountain Primary School to our kindergarten and first-graders on Tuesday, September 6th! Below is the information you will need for the beginning of the year. Please mark your calendar for our Open House, Back to School Night, and more! For parents and guardians of entering kindergarten students, there are still open appointments for a Meet and Greet with me. HERE IS THE LINK to the Sign Up Genius website to select a date and time. Here also is a great article for parents and guardians about summer reading that you might like to review.
Summer Academic Camp: Students had a fun month of July in our Summer Academic Camp where they practiced many math and literacy skills, helping our students to transition to kindergarten and first-grade. Thanks to the wonderful teachers Mrs. Sweeney, Mrs. Yarosz, Mrs. Giangrande, Mrs. Start, and Mrs. Nygren, who served in this program working so hard with our students…
Looking for Summer Reading? Here are a few links that you might be interested in when looking for summer reading books for your children
Summer Math Reinforcement: Here are two documents for you to reference if you would like to keep your child’s math skills up during the summer months to avoid “the summer slide”.
Cultivate Creativity in Your Child: Creativity helps students navigate the increasingly collaborative and information-rich world that awaits them. It boosts students’ academic performance, perseverance, social-emotional skills, self-confidence, and more. Click on the image below to see the ways that families can use these strategies to cultivate their child’s creativity.
2022-2023 VTSD School Calendar: For planning purposes, ClickHERE for the 2022-2023 school calendar. Please note: The VTSD calendar is subject to change by the Board of Education.
Throughout the summer, teachers, administrative assistants, custodians, and maintenance staff have been very busy preparing, cleaning, “polishing”, and preparing the building for the 2022-2023 school year. Here are a few important dates for the month of August and September to mark on your family calendar:
Friday, August 12th- Bus informationONLY will be available in Genesis. If you feel there is an error in your child’s bus stop or you need to change your child’s bus stop, please contact Mrs. Marisa Broesder at 973-764-4344
Week of August 22nd– The Genesis portal will open to see your child’s teacher’s name
Thursday, August 25th – Open House 10:00 am- 12:00 pm
Monday, August 29th- Open House 10:00 am-12:00 pm- on both of these days, Cedar Mountain Primary School will be open for a visit. Please bring your child, walk the hallways, and help your child locate his or her classroom. Having your child find his or her classroom will ease the first day of school transitions. I will also be available to say hello and meet you and your child. Please note that teachers will not be in their classrooms on this day; however, they are working very hard to prepare for the arrival of their new students!
The building will be closed for visits on September 1-2, 2022, in order for our faculty to give its undivided attention to the important work of preparing for the new school year.
Back to School Night- Thursday, September 1st as follows:
3:30 pm: Kindergarten Back to School Night- Please bring your kindergarten child with you
5:00 pm: First Grade Back to School Night- This program is only for parents and guardians- you are kindly requested to please not bring your child
First Day of School- Tuesday, September 6th
Fall Harvest Open House- Saturday, September 17th, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm- come enjoy a light refreshments, tour the building, explore our curriculum in demonstrations throughout various classrooms, experience the computer lab as your child would in computer class, visit our library, learn about our curriculum, and stop at stations from different community organizations. We thank the VTEA for receiving a Pride Grant from NJEA to fund this program!
Picture Day- Tuesday, September 20th
Principal’s Forum- Wednesday, September 21st, at 6:00 pm, in the cafeteria
Kindergarten Class of 2035 t-shirts: As a reminder to all kindergarten parents, please have your child where his or her Class of 2035 t-shirt on the first day of school. This will be a way to promote school spirit and feel welcome in a new school as a new student. Please contact the office if you did not receive a t-shirt. Your child will have opportunities to wear this shirt on many school spirit days this year. It will also serve as a nice memento for you for years to come.
Please reference the Digital Backpack for important district notices as well as information related to Cedar Mountain. You can also access our Parent Handbook for a lot of other important school information. You can also find a list of suggested school supplies for each grade. The Cedar Mountain website contains all of our school information. The links on the left side of the page have many helpful topics.
Supply Lists for 2022-2023: For planning purposes, here are our supply lists for next year, if you would like to gather these items through the summer months. Please do not purchase too many school supplies without looking at this list.
2022-2023 SCA: For our new families, the purpose of the School and Community Association (SCA) is to serve Cedar Mountain by encouraging a close relationship with parents, administrators, and faculty in order to enhance cooperation between home and the school so that parents and teachers can work together effectively to ensure a well-rounded quality education for all students. Our SCA meets once a month on the first Thursday of every month at 9:45 am, in the cafeteria. Our first meeting will be on Thursday, September 8th. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend our meetings. HERE IS THE LINK to the Cedar Mountain SCA page. If you would like to become a volunteer with the SCA please email: cm.vernonsca@gmail.com
Introducing our 2022-2023 Board:
President: Megan Kapusta
VP: Rose Ahearn
Recording Secretary: Mrs. Ericka Petrucci
Treasurer: Rachel Cawley
Corresponding Secretary: Viviana Quiros
Continue enjoying the summer, please reach out to Cedar Mountain with any questions you may have, the number to the main office is 973-764-2890
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
Summer Information for the Kindergarten Class of 2035
Happy Summer! Welcome to the summer edition of the Cedar Mountain Blog! A special welcome to all of our new families of entering kindergarten students and the new families moving to Vernon with first-graders! This edition will give information to our families that may have missed the Kindergarten Orientation or are still registering this summer. You will find many useful links that will be helpful to you this summer. So while you’re poolside or lakeside, take a few minutes to check out the Cedar Mountain website as well as the information contained here.
Kindergarten Orientation Information: CLICK HERE to view the Kindergarten Orientation slide deck for general information on what you need to know for the new school year.
Phonological Awareness Resources (from Heggerty.org)- You will be hearing a lot about phonological awareness from your child’s teacher. Using Fundations and Heggerty materials, along with other multisensory instruction, a student’s understanding of our language begins. Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of sentences and words. Examples include being able to identify words that rhyme, recognizing alliteration, segmenting a sentence into words, identifying the syllables in a word, and blending and segmenting parts of a word (like its beginning sound like the /c/ in cat). I would also like to recommend THIS LIST of books that can develop a love of words in young children.
The resources below have been compiled by our Reading Specialist, Mrs. Kristina Krops, and include activities that help students develop phonological and phonemic awareness. Click on the links to take you to the site.
Florida Center for Reading Research– Printable activities for Kindergarten and 1st grade to reinforce and practice rhyme, alliteration, phoneme isolation, blending, segmenting, and manipulating sounds in words
Más Fonoaudiología– Un sitio con actividades para practicar la conciencia fonológica y la fonética.
Nursery Rhymes: To build a child’s phonemic awareness, you can read nursery rhymes with your child. CLICK HEREfor common nursery rhymes to have fun with your child.
Summer Math Reinforcement: Here are two documents for you to reference if you would like to keep your child’s math skills up during the summer months to avoid “the summer slide”.
Make Summer Learning a Family Affair: Below are some ideas for you to do at home with your children while at home or when you are traveling to special destinations this summer. Click on the image to enlarge.
DIAL4: Parents often ask what the DIAL4 (Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning, 4th edition) tells us about an entering kindergarten student. Parents and guardians should know that the results of this screening are one of the measures used to help sort the students into appropriate classrooms and helps us know the potential needs of each student. Here are questions that are often asked by our families.
My child has a summer birthday and I am concerned that they are not ready for Kindergarten. Will this screening tell me if my child is ready for Kindergarten?
No. This is a screening, not a readiness assessment. The best person to discuss your child’s readiness for Kindergarten is your child’s pre-school teacher and your pediatrician.
What screening tool is used?
The Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning™, Fourth Edition, or DIAL-4, is the developmental screening tool used by the Vernon Township School District. It is designed to measure the most fundamental or basic concepts that are acquired by young children.
What areas does the screening examine?
The DIAL -4 examines three major areas as follows:
Motor: Catching, jumping hopping, skipping, building, thumb and finger motor skills, cutting, copying and name writing.
Concepts: Identification of body parts, colors, rapid color naming, counting, positions, concepts (big/little), and shapes
Language: Personal data, articulation, objects and actions, letters and sounds, rhyming and I spy, problem solving, and intelligibility.
Does the screening examine any other areas?
Yes. The screening operators take behavioral notes; for example, how willing the child is to separate from the parent/caregiver. These observations may be used to explain individual variations in the way children approach the tasks given in the screening. Operators also note if the child has English as a second language or if they exhibit speech patterns that may need to be examined more closely.
Sign Up Genius for Entering Kindergarten Families: CLICK HERE to sign up for a time to bring your entering kindergarten child in for a Meet and Greet this summer.
Counselor’s Corner: Our School Counselor, Ms. Ingrid Green, encourages you to READ HER S’MOREto learn about her and for information on her program at Cedar Mountain.
Looking for Summer Reading? Here are a few links that you might be interested in when looking for summer reading books for your children
Sussex County Library Summer Reading Program: This summer’s theme is “Oceans of Possibilities”. CLICK HERE to learn more how your child can participate in person at the library or online.
2022-2023 VTSD School Calendar: For planning purposes, Click HERE for the 2022-2023 school calendar. The Cedar Mountain Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 1, 2022. The first day of school is on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Please note that the school calendar is subject to change by the Board of Education.
Supply Lists for 2022-2023: For planning purposes, here are our supply lists for next year, if you would like to gather these items through the summer months. Please do not over purchase school supplies without looking at this list.
2022-2023 SCA: For our new families, the purpose of the School and Community Association (SCA) is to serve Cedar Mountain by encouraging a close relationship with parents, administrators, and faculty in order to enhance cooperation between home and the school so that parents and teachers can work together effectively to ensure a well-rounded quality education for all students. Our SCA meets once a month on the first Monday of every month at 9:45 am, in the cafeteria. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend our meetings. If you would like to become a volunteer with the SCA please email cm.vernonsca@gmail.com.
Week of August 22nd– PowerSchool Parent Portal opens. Teacher name and bus information available
Thursday, August 25th – Open House 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and SCA Social in the cafeteria
Monday, August 29th – Open House 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and SCA Social in the cafeteria
Thursday, September 1st – Back to School Night: Kindergarten at 3:30 pm (please bring your child) and First-Grade at 5:00 pm (please do not bring your child)
Tuesday, September 6th – First Day of School
Saturday, September 17th – Fall Harvest Open House 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
In case you missed our farewell video for the retiring Dr. McKay…check out the video Cedar Mountain made to wish him well in his retirement…
Please feel free to contact Cedar Mountain if you have any questions about your child entering Cedar Mountain. Please call Cedar Mountain at 973-764-2890 or email me at: rgebhardt@vtsd.com
Wishing all of you a wonderful and safe summer!
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
End-of-Year Activities at Cedar Mountain School…
Dear Cedar Mountain Families,
As we approach the end of the year, I would like to thank all of you for your support of your children and our teachers as we navigated through a challenging school year. This blog will be dedicated to all of the great students at Cedar Mountain, like our Students of the Month who have been recognized for their efforts, achievement, kindness, and just all-around being great kids! Check out the pictures of classes releasing their butterflies, the students’ faces are so sweet as they let their “class pets” free. Finally, don’t forget about the Cedar Mountain Summer Enrichment Program. If you would like to enroll your child in this program, please clickTHIS LINK that will take you to letter to sign up.
June Students of the Month: Congratulations to our First Grade June Student of the Month. These students were selected by their teachers for demonstrating the following qualities:
Acts of kindness towards others
Helping others
Using good manners and being polite
Cleaning up after ourselves
Greeting others and asking about their day
Perseverance on difficult tasks
Talking about our feelings
Using classroom and school materials appropriately
Including others in activities and play
Addy
Clayton
Gabriella
Dionysius
Kayson
Chase
Madison
Olivia
Hailey
Sambor
Mishon
John
Roan
Caeden
Jack
Hancel
Stella
Dean
Damian
Angelina
Memorial Day Parade: On June 6th, Cedar Mountain hosted a Memorial Day Parade performed by the Vernon Township High School Marching Band under the direction of Mr. Max Taylor. Active military and Veterans attended and stood next to their Cedar Mountain family member. In addition to the parade, the Vernon Township High School Marching Band played a medley of songs for each branch of the military. Cedar Mountain students proudly wore red-white-and-blue while holding American flags and patriotic drawings. Enjoy some pictures from the day…
Memories of Fun Day: Our school had two extraordinary Fun Days in late May, with the weather being just perfect to enjoy the day. Thank you to our SCA for volunteering on this day. A special thank you to Mr. Hernandez, our Physical Education teacher for making this event so much fun for our students.
Butterflies Abound: Our school has been studying the life cycle of the butterfly and all the changes it goes through from caterpillar to butterfly. Each class released their “class pets” and wished them well in their journey. Many classes used a “scientist journal” to record their daily observations. Once the caterpillars turned into butterflies, classes released the butterflies amid mixed emotions of sadness, awe, and joy. Afterwards, students wrote about their feelings in poems or sentences. Enjoy the pictures of some of our classes saying goodbye their butterflies.
Glen Meadow Students Visit Cedar Mountain: Thank you to Mrs. Studley and Mrs. Janine Brady for bringing their math and Language Arts students to our school to read and play board games with our students. Cedar Mountain students enjoyed their time with “the big kids”, listening to stories, and learning how to play some new games.
Artstanding:Artstanding 2022 is this Friday, June 10th, at Lounsberry Hollow School from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Every child of Cedar Mountain will have at least one piece of art showcased in the exhibit. This annual festival is an event that you and your family do not want to miss. The show features student artwork, student performances, interactive opportunities, a tie-dye station, a mural creation, a drum circle, and food trucks. Please park at Glen Meadow where shuttles are provided for one of our largest community activities. Food is for purchase, cash only, as well as other novelties. Student artwork is featured from pre-k through high school. Please come see the amazing creativity of our students and enjoy Artstanding!
Kalvin, the Therapy Dog: Kalvin visited Cedar Mountain during recess time to say hello. Kalvin was a hit at Cedar Mountain!
Kindergarten Patriotic Sing Along: Parents and Guardians of our kindergarten students are welcome to join us on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 10:00 am, for our Patriotic Sing Along. Please bring a lawn chair and enjoy our students singing various songs you can sing along with us. Our students will accompanied by the GMMS band.
Second-Grade Orientation: Save the date! Rolling Hills Primary School will be holding its 2nd Grade Orientation on Monday, June 6th and Monday, June 13th at 4:00 pm. CLICK HERE for the informational flyer to sign up for a session.
Cedar Mountain Summer Enrichment Program: Cedar Mountain Primary School is offering a Summer Enrichment Program for incoming kindergarten and rising first-grade students that will take place August 1st through August 12th, 2022, at Cedar Mountain from 9:00 to 11:30 am, Monday through Friday. The program will include hands-on math, Language Arts, physical and outdoor activities, art projects, and will focus on preparing your child for the 2022-2023 school year. We will also be including social and emotional components as well. Students will work in small class settings to enhance their foundational skills while working to build group skills and stamina in and out of the classroom. There is no district-provided transportation for this program; therefore, you will need to transport your child daily. Please ensure your child has a nutritious breakfast at home before attending, breakfast and lunch will not be provided. This program has a select number of spots per grade level and there will be a waiting list once the capacity is met. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON HOW TO SIGN UP.
Rolling Hills Summer Acceleration Program: For our rising 2nd graders, PLEASE CLICK HERE to read the informational flyer and to sign up for Rolling Hills program that will run from July 11-22, 2022, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
2022-2023 SCA Board: At our June 6th SCA meeting, students will be making presentations to say thank you to our outgoing SCA Board and hello to our incoming Board. Thank you for your service to our school…
President: Ashley Hinton
Vice President: Megan Kapusta
Treasurer: Rachel Cawley
Recording Secretary: Christine Blackburn-Cosh
Cooresponding Secretary: Jill Phillips
…and Welcome to the 2022-2023 Board:
President: Megan Kapusta
VP: Rose Ahearn
Recording Secretary: OPEN
Treasurer: Rachel Cawley
Corresponding Secretary: Viviana Quiros
Looking for Summer Reading? Here are a few links that you might be interested in when looking for summer reading books for your children
Sussex County Library Summer Reading Program: This summer’s theme is “Oceans of Possibilities”. CLICK HERE to learn more how your child can participate in person at the Sussex County Public Library or online.
2022-2023 VTSD School Calendar: For planning purposes, Click HERE for the 2022-2023 school calendar. The Cedar Mountain Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 1, 2022. The first day of school is on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
Sign Up Genius for Entering Kindergarten Families: CLICK HEREto sign up for a time to bring your entering kindergarten child in for a Meet and Greet this summer.
Supply Lists for 2022-2023: For planning purposes, here are our supply lists for next year, if you would like to gather these items through the summer months:
International Student Program: You may have seen THIS PODCAST about the Vernon Township High School International Student Program. Our district is proud to announce its International Exchange program for the Fall 2022, and we are currently looking for host families! Hosting an international student is an incredibly rewarding experience. Families who open their hearts and homes to international high school students develop lifelong bonds and gain a better understanding of the world around them. The opportunity to host also provides important cultural lessons for your family, neighbors, and our Vernon community. Check out our informational flyer and be sure to contact Lisa Curry, our program’s local coordinator with any questions you may have. Lisa Curry can be reached at: Lisa.Curry.educatius@gmail.com or (201) 741-3908. Click the image below to enlarge and read more about this program.
VTSD Artstanding- Friday, June 10th, at 5:00 pm at Lounsberry Hollow School
Kindergarten Patriotic Sing Along- Tuesday, June 14th, at 10:00 am
Early Dismissal Days- Friday, June 17th through Thursday, June 23rd, at 1:25 pm
Last Day of School-Thursday, June 23rd- A paper report card will be printed out for each student
2022-2023 Kindergarten Orientation- Tuesday, June 21st-Letters A-L at 2:00 pm and M-Z at 3:00 pm
Save the Date
Cedar Mountain Primary School
2022-2023
Week of August 22nd– PowerSchool Parent Portal opens. Teacher name and bus information available
Thursday, August 25th – Open House 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and SCA Social in the cafeteria
Monday, August 29th – Open House 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and SCA Social in the cafeteria
Thursday, September 1st – Back to School Night at 3:30 pm
Tuesday, September 6th – First Day of School
Saturday, September 17th – Fall Harvest Open House 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Wishing all of you a wonderful and safe summer!
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
Springtime Events at Cedar Mountain…
Dear Cedar Mountain Families,
As the month of May progresses, I would like to highlight various activities taking place at Cedar Mountain School. Thank you for your continued support of our school. We have many upcoming events for our students and families as well!
May Students of the Month: Congratulations to our First Grade May Student of the Month. These students were selected by their teachers for demonstrating the following qualities:
Acts of kindness towards others
Helping others
Using good manners and being polite
Cleaning up after ourselves
Greeting others and asking about their day
Perseverance on difficult tasks
Talking about our feelings
Using classroom and school materials appropriately
Including others in activities and play
ROLL CALL PLEASE…
Cayden
Leo
Logan
Wyatt
Hank
MC
Noah
Nicholas
Avery
Jaime
Aven
Michael
Shane
Zoey
Tommy
Mason
Austin
Owen
Logan
Graham
Luke
Caelyn
Mother’s Day Planting: Thank you to our SCA for assisting our students in our Mother’s Day Planting; students brought home a beautiful springtime memento to honor their moms.
Stone Soup: What if you only have a stone? Well, it’s a good soup starter if you’re making “Stone Soup”! In the spirit of the theme of Stone Soup, which is a story about a traveler who comes upon a town and is hungry and has a plan to make soup which feeds the whole town. The theme of Stone Soup is that “everyone benefits by contributing”; we school had the same idea…everyone benefits by contributing. Cedar Mountain students first read the story Stone Soup which has many interpretations and versions through the years from its original European folk story. Next, Stone Soup was performed by The Pushcart players of Verona, NJ. Throughout the month of May, the students of Cedar Mountain generously donated ingredients to make “Stone Soup” where an endless supply of non-perishable food items were donated.
To culminate learning about the story Stone Soup, Cedar Mountain held a Family Literacy Night organized by Mrs. Kristina Krops, Reading Specialist, and Mrs. Courtney Wilson, ESL Instructor, funded by a Pride Grant from the Vernon Township Education Association and the NJ Education Association. Families came to celebrate this story and reenact Stone Soup by putting together the ingredients needed to make “Stone Soup”. Each family gathered the ingredients to make “Stone Soup”, wrote a note to the family that will receive the package to make the soup, and then enjoyed a pizza and soup dinner. Each “Stone Soup” package has been donated to My Brother’s Place as well as the St. Francis DeSales Food Bank. Like the message of Stone Soup, students learned the value of sharing and giving to their community.
License to speed: Mrs. Sommers has a math competition in her class to encourage her students to learn their addition and subtraction facts. Students continue to win their “License to Speed in Addition”! Our next speedy mathematician is Ella, who completed all eight addition tests in a minute or less each. Each test had 30 questions on it. Way to go Ella!
Ella
Art News: Art students explored drawing with scissors inspired by Henri Matisse. They cut different shapes out of primary and secondary colors. Then they arranged and rearranged their shapes on blocks of complementary colors until their masterpiece was just right! Check out these masterpieces!
Conscious Parenting: The Power of Presence: Parents and Guardians, click this link to attend a FREE webinar from the NJ Traumatic Loss Coalition.
June SCA: Our final SCA meeting of the year will take place on Monday, June 6th, at 1:30 pm, in the cafeteria. Come say thank you to our outgoing SCA board and welcome our new 22-23 board. We will have a student presentation to formally thank our parent volunteers for all they have done for us this year. Below are the names of our new board members, you will notice that we have two open positions. If you are interested, please contact the SCA at: cm.vernonsca@gmail.com
President: Megan Kapusta
VP: Rose Ahearn
Recording Secretary: OPEN
Treasurer: Rachel Cawley
Corresponding Secretary: Viviana Quiros
Fastest Class Program: Mr. Hernandez, our PE teacher, has been working with each classroom to build their stamina. Now that the year is coming to a close, Mr. Hernandez is challenging each classes’ “mettle” and seeing which class in each grade level is the fastest. Congratulations to Ms. Shadruff’s kindergarten class and Mrs. Casper’s first-grade class who won the May Fastest Class. Below you will see each class proudly posing with the HUGE trophy! Way to go to all of our students!
Ms. Shadruff’s Class
Mrs. Casper’s Class
Preparation for Fun Day: Mr. Hernandez is preparing all Cedar Mountain students for the various calisthenics of Fun Day. Below are some pictures of how Mr. Hernandez has transformed his gym to simulate the Fun Day stations students will experience. He is always training his students to develop muscle memory much like our classroom teachers do when teaching students to develop their reading and math muscles, from practice makes growth!!
Learning Outside: Taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather, Mrs. Casper’s class, enjoyed having a class outside….or what you do when the lights go out at school in the middle of the day!
Kool Aid Kids: To say thank you for all that they do, the first-grade Kool Aid Kids treated out bus drivers to cookies and juice. The Kool Aid Kids spent time getting to know our bus drivers while they shared a snack.
Fun Day: Kindergarten: Thursday, May 26 (rain date May 31st) and First Grade: Friday, May 27 (rain date June 1st).
Please send your child to school with…
Comfortable/weather appropriate clothing (Fun Day T-shirt) & sneakers!
Sunscreen (already applied at home before school)
A water bottle with his/her name on it!
Memorial Day Parade: As our school year is in our final trimester, we continue to value promoting the connection of home, school, and community. In late May/early June, we will celebrate patriotism and would like to do so by honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country as we teach our students about Memorial Day.
While we will be honoring those who have given their lives for our country, we are inviting any relative of a Cedar Mountain student who is a veteran to come to school on Monday, June 6, 2022, at 9:45 am, to be a part of our Memorial Day Parade in the Cedar Mountain school yard. The Vernon Township High School Marching Band will be performing for us on this day. Please encourage your child to wear red, white, and blue to be in the spirit of the day. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE FORM TO LET US KNOW YOU’RE ATTENDING.
Artstanding: Please join our district at Lounsberry Hollow School on Friday, June 10th, at 5:00 pm, to experience our fine and practical arts program from preschool through high school. Come tour the building to see students’ works of art. You will experience concerts from our bands, ensembles, and orchestras, as well as our choral groups throughout the district. Learn about and experience our STEM and STEAM programs. This is a MUST SEE family event! Join us!
Kindergarten Patriotic Sing Along:The kindergarten students and teachers of Cedar Mountain Primary School invite you to be our guest as we perform patriotic songs to celebrate America, Flag Day, and congratulate our Kindergarten students for their first year in school on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 10:00 am. Please bring a lawn chair and enjoy our students singing various songs you can sing along with us. Our students will accompanied by the GMMS band.
Second-Grade Orientation: Save the date! Rolling Hills Primary School will be holding its 2nd Grade Orientation on Monday, June 6th AND June 13th, beginning at 4:00 pm. Please click HERE for the informational flyer. You must sign up for a slot of time on Sign Up Genius that you and your child will be attending.
2022-2023 VTSD School Calendar: For planning purposes, Click HEREfor the 2022-2023 school calendar. The Cedar Mountain Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 1, 2022. The first day of school is on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
Sign Up Genius for Entering Kindergarten Families: CLICK HERE to sign up for a time to bring your entering kindergarten child in for a Meet and Greet this summer.
International Student Program: You may have see THIS PODCAST about the Vernon Township High School International Student Program. Our district is proud to announce its International Exchange program for the Fall 2022, and we are currently looking for host families! Hosting an international student is an incredibly rewarding experience. Families who open their hearts and homes to international high school students develop lifelong bonds and gain a better understanding of the world around them. The opportunity to host also provides important cultural lessons for your family, neighbors, and our Vernon community. Check out our informational flyer and be sure to contact Lisa Curry, our program’s local coordinator with any questions you may have. Lisa Curry can be reached at: Lisa.Curry.educatius@gmail.com or (201) 741-3908
A Few Reminders:
Kindergarten Fun Day- Thursday, May 26th
First-Grade Fun Day- Friday, May 27th
School Closed for Memorial Day- Monday, May 30th
Memorial Day Parade performed by the VTHS Marching Band-Monday, June 6th, at 10:00 am
SCA Meeting- Monday, June 6th, at 1:30 pm, in the cafeteria- all entering K families are welcome to attend!
VTSD Artstanding- Friday, June 10th, at 5:00 pm at Lounsberry Hollow School
Kindergarten Patriotic Sing Along- Tuesday, June 14th, at 10:00 am
Early Dismissal Days- Friday, June 17th through Thursday, June 23rd
2022-2023 Kindergarten Orientation- Tuesday, June 21st-Letters A-L at 2:00 pm and M-Z at 3:00 pm
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
It’s Spring at Cedar Mountain!
Dear Cedar Mountain Families: Spring is the air, bringing some much needed sunshine and warmer temperatures! Our students have enjoyed getting outside more for recess enjoying the spring air. Everyone seems to be smiling a bit more, and steps are lighter as we round out the last two months of school together. Please enjoy reading about some of our school events and hallway highlights. As we progress in the merry-month-of-May, I want to take time out to thank all of our families for having your child arrive to school on time and well-prepared for learning each day. This both supports and optimizes facilitates our instructional goals for each child, and aids us in helping your child be as successful as he/she can. As always, if I can be of any assistance, my door is always open. You can reach me at 973-764-2890.
2021-2022 Teachers of the Year: Congratulations again to Mrs. Czergovits, kindergarten teacher, and Mrs. Karlewicz, Speech/Language Pathologist, who were recognized at the Board of Education meeting on April 28th. Here is Mrs. Czergovits and Mrs. Karlewicz with our Superintendent, Dr. D’Avino, and Assistant Superintendent, Dr. McKay, receiving their plaques.
Did you know that the month of May has been designated as Better Hearing and Speech Month? This annual event was founded in 1927, by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The aim of Better Speech and Hearing Month is to raise awareness about communication disorders and to promote treatment that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems with speaking, understanding, or hearing. Speech-language pathologists (speech and language specialists) support students with communication needs related to their articulation, phonology, language, fluency, pragmatics, and voice in the school environment. Our Speech and Language Pathologists, Mrs. Gibson, and Mrs. Karlewicz, have some suggestion for parents to support your child’s speech and language development in the home environment, such as the following:
Talk to your child often: Praise your child when they talk and show that you understand their words.
Ask your child to tell you 1 or 2 things that happen each day.
Do projects with your child like arts/crafts, baking, or washing the car. Talk about what you’re doing together and give your child directions to follow (i.e. sequencing).
Use everyday activities to learn language. Go grocery shopping together and describe each item in terms of size, shape and color.
Read a variety of books to your child — Talk about the stories together.
Help your child listen to sound patterns in words — Use rhyming books and games.
Talk about how things are the same and different.
Work on groups of items or categorization. Find the item that does not belong in the group.
Have your child follow 2-3 step directions in the context of play. Have your child give you directions as well (i.e. how to build a tower with blocks).
Expand and extend your child’s sentences by repeating what they say using more advanced language (i.e. “Daddy goes bye-bye” -> “Yes, daddy is leaving now”)
First-Grade Poetry Assembly: On April 27, 2022, first-grade students proudly recited various poems they have learned in class for their classmates and guests in a Poetry Reading Assembly. Throughout the month of April that is designated as “Poetry Month”, all first-grade students learned about poetry and practiced reading poems their teachers selected based on themes and topics they are studying including famous poets and poetry styles. In each first-grade classroom, all students participated in a “poetry slam” which mirrors the guidelines of poetryoutloud.org. While Poetry Out Loud is a high school activity which encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation, the overarching concept was adjusted for first-grader learners. Poetry Out Loud helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Each first-grade teacher rated each student’s poetry reading based on a rubric analyzing: memorization/accurate reading, expression- rhythm/tune, reading at the right rate, voice projection, and clarity of speaking. Using this rubric, a class representative was selected. At the Poetry Assembly, some students sang their poems, some used interpretive music to introduce the poem, and others wore accessories in the theme of the poem. Throughout the month of April, class representatives read poems to all students of Cedar Mountain on the public address system. Parents and family members in attendance were so proud of their child’s performance.
The following poems were recited by our students:
“Spring is Here” by author unknown, read by Celia Odeh
“Little Bird” by author unknown, read by Heidi Galway
“Bee” by anonymous author, read by Avery Molette
“I have a Little Frog” by anonymous author, read by Drew Pelak and Shane Mish
“April Showers” by author unknown, read by Paola Arguelles
“The Little Plant” by anonymous author, read by Logan Muscarnero
“Spring Rain” by Marchette Chute, read by Hadley White
“In the Spring” by L. Norris, read by Aria Burtis
Kira Willey Concert: Our students enjoyed meeting Kira Willey and singing and dancing to her music and practicing mindfulness techniques. We had four virtual author visits with Kira Willey this winter and spring. The students were so excited to get to meet Kira Willey in person! We thank the Cedar Mountain SCA for graciously providing this program to our school!
Take Your Child to Work Day: Children of teachers and aides came to Cedar Mountain to experience the work of their parents on Take Your Child to Work Day on April 27th. The children that attended, assisted with various activities in the classroom. Our guests enjoyed spending the day at Cedar Mountain School being a “teacher’s helper”.
Art Star: Congratulation to Paola Arguelles for being selected as an Art Star. Mrs. Steinbach taught students about the artistic style of Georgia O’Keeffe. Paola created a Georgia O’Keefe-inspired magnified symmetrical flower filled in with warm and cool color chalk pastels.
Kindergarten Activities: Students are practicing their early engineering skills as they build structures with blocks. Other students are learning about weather and made windsocks to celebrate Earth Day. Team work makes the dream work!
Egg Hunt: Thank you to the Cedar Mountain SCA for organizing an egg hunt in our gym as well as in our side yard. Students had an “eggciting” time selecting the just-right egg that were filled with small trinkets and toys.
Family Book Donation: Cedar Mountain received a very generous book donation from the Umansky family. The Umansky family are avid readers who LOVE books. To show their gratitude for our teachers and all of their hard work this year, the Umansky Family purchased over 100 books for the classrooms and libraries of the Vernon Township School District. Below is a picture of Collin, who is surrounded by just some of the books that her family donated to our school. Thank you again, to the Umansky Family!
License to speed: Mrs. Sommers has a math competition in her class to encourage her students to learn their addition and subtraction facts. The first winner of the “License to Speed in Addition” is Sambor! Sambor completed all eight addition tests in a minute or less each. Each test had 30 questions on it. Way to go Sambor!
Sambor
Teacher Appreciation Week: The CM SCA will be honoring the Cedar Mountain teachers for National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-6. With the theme of “Let’s Taco ‘Bout An Appreciation Fiesta”, the SCA will be having sweet treats for our teachers as well as a taco fiesta luncheon. We are very grateful to the Cedar Mountain SCA and all that they do for our school!
SCA Mom and Pop Shop: Our students recently went on a “shopping spree” for their moms and dads. Special items perfect for a mom or dad where available for our students to purchase for Mother’s and Father’s Day. Students were so proud as they selected just-right gifts for their parents, guardians, and special people in their lives. The SCA volunteers helped students with making selections.
May SCA meeting will take place on Monday, May 2nd, at 8:00 pm, via Zoom. HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE MEETING. At this meeting, we will be electing our new officers. The SCA is looking for parent volunteers for the Mother’s Day Planting assembly that will be taking place on Friday, May 6th. HERE IS THE SIGN UP GENIUS LINK to volunteer.
School Nurse’s Day is May 11th! Thank you to Mrs. Kim Forrest, Cedar Mountain’s finest School Nurse. Mrs. Forrest is responsible for 400 students and care for each student as if he or she were her very own. Mrs. Forrest turns every office visit into a mini-lesson instructing students on their ailment or ache, how to treat it, and how to stay safe and healthy. We are all very grateful that Mrs. Forrest is Cedar Mountain’s School Nurse. Mrs. Forrest is completing her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Learning with a concentration in School Nursing at William Paterson University this spring; congratulations, Mrs. Forrest, this is a wonderful accolade. Mrs. Forrest serves as the district CPR trainer. We are very thankful for you Mrs. Forrest!
Stone Soup: Cedar Mountain students will be seeing the play Stone Soup performed by The Pushcart Players on May 9th. Stone Soup is a European folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys. The moral of the story is about the value of sharing. To tie into the play and storybook our students will be seeing, Cedar Mountain will be hosting a Family Literacy Night on Tuesday, May 17th, at 6:00 pm, where families will be making “Stone Soup” for families in need that will be shared with My Brother’s Place and the food bank at St. Francis DeSales Church. HERE IS THE INFORMATIONAL FLIER to sign up for Family Literacy Night. Thank you to our Reading Spcialist, Mrs. Krops, and our ELL teacher, Mrs. Wilson, for organizing this community-building event. Thank you also to the VTEA and NJEA for providing funding for this prograrm. Even if you are not attending this program, we are requesting all Cedar Mountain students donate one non-perishable food item that will be packaged for making “Stone Soup”. Below is the list of what is requested by each classroom. We thank you for your generosity.
Vegetables
(corn, peas, green beans, etc.)
Pasta
(elbow, ditalini, small shell, orzo, etc.)
Diced Tomatoes
Beans
Broth
(vegetable, chicken, beef)
Buttel
Czergovits/Petti
Cummins
Horn
Mariconda
Corbutt
Giangrande/Brady
Hartman/Ollert
Schmick
Shadruff
Stoeckel
Sweeney
Sommers
Start/LaBar
Thomas
Casper
Waller
Zinni/Bicskei
Yarosz
Spring Book Fair: Please join us on May 16th and May 17th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, in the Cedar Mountain gym for the Scholastic Buy One Get One Free Book Fair. If you are attending Family Literacy Night, why not stop at the Book Fair before you attend the program?
Fun Day: First-Grade: Thursday, May 26 (rain date May 31st) and Kindergarten: Friday, May 27 (rain date June 1st).
We are looking for parent volunteers; please call the main office at 973-764-2890, if you are available to assist- we love our parent volunteers. If volunteering, you will assist with the opposite grade of your child so you can come to see you child participate. Here are our parent/guardian visitation times:
Kindergarten: 10-11:15 and 12-2:30
1st Grade: 10-11:30 and 12:30-2:30
Please send your child to school with…
Comfortable/weather appropriate clothing (Fun Day T-shirt) & sneakers!
Sunscreen (already applied at home before school)
A water bottle with his/her name on it!
Memorial Day Parade: As our school year is in our final trimester, we continue to value promoting the connection of home, school, and community. In late May/early June, we will celebrate patriotism and would like to do so by honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country as we teach our students about Memorial Day.
While we will be honoring those who have given their lives for our country, we are inviting any relative of a Cedar Mountain student who is a veteran to come to school on Monday, June 6, 2022, at 9:45 am, to be a part of our Memorial Day Parade in the Cedar Mountain school yard. The Vernon Township High School Marching Band will be performing for us on this day. Please encourage your child to wear red, white, and blue to be in the spirit of the day. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE FORM TO LET US KNOW YOU’RE ATTENDING.
HELP YOUR CHILD IN SCHOOL – BUILD THE HABIT OF GOOD ATTENDANCE!
Did you know?
Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just one or two days every few weeks.
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
What You Can Do
Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session. •
Keep in mind that complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home. If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
Online Safety for Your Children: It has come to the attention of our teachers that some students have developed a curiosity about a social media character called “Huggy Wuggy”. After doing some research, which you can read below, Cedar Mountain teachers are requesting that you speak to your child to reinforce to them that we will not be encouraging conversations or any activities that include “Huggy Wuggy” or “Poppy’s Playtime”. PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT LINK.Thank you for your assistance and support with this matter. Here is a helpful PARENT NEWSLETTER regarding online safety for your children.
Sign Up Genius for Entering Kindergarten Families: CLICK HERE to sign up for a time to bring your entering kindergarten child in for a Meet and Greet this summer.
Second-Grade Orientation: Save the date! Rolling Hills Primary School will be holding its 2022-2023 2nd Grade Orientation on Monday, June 6th, at 3:45 pm.
2022-2023 VTSD School Calendar: For planning purposes, Click HERE to view the 2022-2023 school calendar. The Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 1, 2022. The first day of school is on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
A Few Reminders:
SCA Meeting- Monday, May 2, at 8:00 pm, via Zoom HERE IS THE LINK
Stone Soup play- Monday, May 9
Family Literacy Night- Tuesday, May 17th, at 6:00 pm (sign up required)
Kindergarten Fun Day- Thursday, May 26th
First-Grade Fun Day- Friday, May 27th
School Closed for Memorial Day- Monday, May 30th
Memorial Day Parade performed by the VTHS Marching Band-Monday, June 6th, at 10:00 am
RHPS 22-23 2nd Grade Orientation- Monday, June 6th, at 3:45 pm
VTSD Artstanding- Friday, June 10th, at 5:00 pm at Lounsberry Hollow School
Kindergarten Patriotic Sing Along- Tuesday, June 14th, at 10:00 am
Early Dismissal Days- Friday, June 17th through Thursday, June 23rd
2022-2023 Kindergarten Orientation- Tuesday, June 21st-Letters A-L at 2:00 pm and M-Z at 3:00 pm
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
Cedar Mountain April Blog
Dear Cedar Mountain Families:
With the weather changing we really hope that April Showers WILL Bring May Flowers! Now that it’s Trimester Three, our students are diving deeper and deeper into the curriculum and building our mental muscles to do hard things. For example, our kindergarten students are deeply immersed in the genre of nonfiction, as they learn about biographies, features of nonfiction, and how to find out more information when they want to learn more about a nonfiction topic. Our first-graders are counting to 120, learning about place value, comparing and ordering numbers and adding and subtracting within 100. To understand and see all that students are learning in the final trimester of the year, please make reference to the Cedar Mountain STANDARDS-BASED REPORT CARD. If you feel your child needs support with any of the standards, there are many helpful educational links at this site. While we don’t recommend too much screen time, a few minutes a day on Happy Numbers, Sum Dog, Raz Kids, or other educational sites will provide the rote practice that can help your child with retention of concepts. Please enjoy reading some of the highlights of the building this month.
Congratulations to our April 1st Grade Students of the Month! Students enjoyed their special Student of the Month meeting where they received the great news of being selected, a special luncheon, and a Medals Ceremony where students received a certificate telling why they have been selected. Students are selected that demonstrate our school motto, “Take care of yourself, take care of each other, take care of your school” such as:
Acts of kindness towards others
Helping others
Using good manners and being polite
Cleaning up after ourselves
Greeting others and asking about their day
Perseverance on difficult tasks
Talking about our feelings
Using classroom and school materials appropriately
Including others in activities and play
Lucas
Ellie
Gabe
Macey
Chloe
Olivia
Celia
Trent
Emma
Kaiden
Skye
Collin
Jace
Kelsey
Ethan
Ryan
Olivia
Jaelyana
April is Poetry Month: To celebrate and learn about poetry, during the month of April our first-grade students are reading a poem a day in our school on the PA after we salute the flag. In addition, each class is practicing a poem that they will read or recite in their classmates. A student will be selected from each class that will read or recite the class poem at our Poetry Out Loud assembly on April 26, 2022.
April is Autism Awareness Month: Throughout the month of April, classrooms are reading books to learn about the Autism Spectrum. On Monday, April 11, 2022, we will “Wear Blue for Bucks” for Autism awareness. Students, faculty, and staff will be requested to wear royal blue and donate $1.00. Money donated will be presented to SCARC for its programs that support children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Here is a listing of some of the books that teachers are reading with their classes:
Leah’s Voice – touches on the difficulties children encounter when they meet a child with special needs such as autism. It is the story of two sisters facing these challenges. Through her kindness and devotion, one sister teaches by example the importance of including everyone and showing acceptance
I See Things Differently -is written by psychotherapist and counselor Pat Thomas. This book will help children understand what autism is, how it affects someone who has it and will help children to better understand and support autistic classmates or siblings
A Friend Like Simon -is about an autistic child who joins a mainstream school. This story encourages other children to be mindful and patient of the differences that exist and to appreciate the positive contribution that an autistic child can make to a group.
My Brother Otto– My Brother Otto is a child-friendly, endearing, and fun picture book for children about the love, acceptance, and understanding a sister, Piper, has for her little brother Otto, who is on the autism spectrum. The book provides explanations for Otto’s differences and quirkiness in an easy-to-understand language, and highlights Otto’s desires for adventure and love–just like his peers.
Wixie: Kindergartners and first grade students are learning to use Wixie, an elementary online desktop publishing program, in computer class. Wixie is a publishing and creativity platform that allows our students to create a document, add and edit images and color. Students can use premade templates with specific topics or create documents on their own. The kindergartners have begun exploring their editing/painting skills by selecting a spring picture and exploring the paint bucket tool to make their creation. First graders have been working on a Spring Flower Cluster where they have to fill each flower petal with a spring thought or word and then color/edit the picture. Below is a picture of a bulletin board that shows some of our students’ work.
Fastest class Competition: Once a month all students participate in a “fastest class” competition in Physical Education with Mr. Hernandez. Classes compete against one another by running as many laps as they can around the gym in five minutes. 1st grade classes compete against one another, while Kindergarten classes compete with each other. The winning classes are announced during morning announcements and are awarded with a trophy. This is all a part of Mr. Hernandez’s initiative to promote health and wellness of our students. Mr. Hernandez proudly announced April’s Fastest Class winners…they are…
Kindergarten: Miss Buttel
First Grade: Ms .Thomas (Mrs. Megnin replacement this spring)
Congratulations to both classes!
Miss Buttel’s Class
Ms. Thomas’ Class
Cedar Mountain Art Display at the Board Office: Congratulations to all of our K-1 artists that are featured at the Board Office located at Walnut Ridge School. Click on each picture to enlarge them. Thank you to our art teacher, Mrs. Patchell, for teaching our students the Principles of Design that guided students in creating such beautiful work!
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown: On Wednesday, March 30th, Cedar Mountain saw a preview of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”. Our students enjoyed the production! With the narration of various numbers by co-director, Ms. Sandler, students were able to conceptualize the storyline of the musical. We are very thankful to the talented students of the Glen Meadow Theatrical Department for inviting us to see the show. Below is Mrs. Yarosz’s class meeting the cast on the stage.
SCA Information: Our next SCA meeting will be on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 8:00 pm via Zoom. We thank the SCA for all the wonderful programs they bring to the students of Cedar Mountain. Thank you to the SCA for funding our Kira Willey concert that we will be having on April 29th. We appreciate your dedication to our school and students; your countless hours of volunteer time do not go unnoticed! Our SCA is busy preparing for the Father/Special Person/Daughter Dance that will be held on Friday, April 8, 2022, at 6:00 pm. HERE IS THE SIGN UP FORM.
The SCA is looking for your volunteerism for our Father/Special Person/Daughter Dance if you would like to assist with the set up for the dance, please call the main office- thank you!
To sign up for refreshments CLICK THIS LINK that will take you to a Sign Up Genius page.
Please note: nominations for officers for the 2022-2023 are due on April 11, 2022.
Here are a few pictures from our Mother/Special Person/Son Dance…
Here are a few pictures from our Father/Special Person/Daughter Dance…
SCA Egg Hunt: Our students had an “egg-citing” time collecting spring eggs filled with non-edible goodies. Students were given a bag and had hundreds of eggs to choose from. We thank our parent/guardian volunteers for making this event so memorable for our students!
SCA Pounds of Pennies: The SCA is holding a “Pounds of Pennies” competition. The coin collection will begin on Monday, April 11th and will end on Friday, April 29th. Thank you for your lose change. The winning class will select the design for the Fun Day t-shirt. The money collected will go to fund events at Cedar Mountain. HERE IS THE FLYER WITH MORE INFORMATION.
Executive SCA Ladies Night Out: The Executive Ladies Night Out will take place on Friday, April 22nd. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE EVENT. The Ladies Night Out event benefits the scholarship program for our VTHS graduating seniors. If you would like to volunteer to prepare gift baskets, please contact the Cedar Moutain main office at 973-764-2890. Our Executive SCA will be working on putting the raffle baskets during the week of April 18th at Cedar Mountain School.
Vernon Township School District Hall of Fame: Nominations for individuals who have made a significant contribution to our district are being accepted for the VTSD Hall of Fame. This special recognition program was established in 1996 and has inducted 19 people who have had an impact on our students and overall district. HERE IS THE FORM to nominate a worthy person. Nominations are due by April 28, 2022.
A Few Reminders:
School will be closed on Friday, April 15 through the week of April 18, 2022, and will reopen on Monday, April 25, 2022
First-Grade Poetry Out Loud Assembly- Tuesday, April 27th
SCA Mother’s and Father’s Day Shop- Wednesday, April 27-29th
Kira Willey Concert- Friday, April 29th
SCA Mother’s Day Planting- Friday, May 6th
Pushcart Players- “Stone Soup” Play performed live in our gym on Monday, May 9th
“Stone Soup” Family Reading Night- Tuesday, May 17th, at 6:00 pm- a flyer will follow- come for a great reading night and help put canned goods together for a family in need to a make “Stone Soup”.
In closing, I would like to bring a very sensitive topic to your attention. It has come to our teachers’ attention that the children have developed a curiosity about a social media character called “Huggy Wuggy” and “Poppy’s Playtime”. The Cedar Mountain teachers have looked into this phenomenon. HERE IS A HELPFUL LINK for parents and guardians to understand this character that is not appropriate for young children which you can read below. All teachers at Cedar Mountain are requesting that you speak to your child to reinforce to him or her that we will not be encouraging conversations or any activities that include “Huggy Wuggy” or “Poppy’s Playtime”.
Thank you to our Cedar Mountain parents and guardians for partnering with us. Please contact your child’s teacher or me if we can assist you in any way.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gebhardt
Principal
Cedar Mountain Spring News and Information
Dear Cedar Mountain Families:
We are very excited that spring is here…our students are too as they are able to spend many days playing outside for recess! The Genesis parent portal will be opening on Friday, March 25th to view Trimester Two report cards. ATTACHED HERE is a helpful handout on how to talk to your child about grades. As a reminder, please reference the Standard Based Report Card link HEREto review the rubric that corresponds to each standard. If your child needs support with any of the standards, there are many resources for each standard found on this link. Please speak with your child’s teacher to discuss his or her report card. As a reminder, please see THIS IMPORTANT LETTER from our Superintendent, Ms. D’Avino, regarding quarantining if your child travels this spring.
Recess Friends
Congratulations to our March 1st Grade Students of the Month!
First-Grade students enjoyed their special Student of the Month meeting where they received the great news of being selected, a special luncheon, and a Medals Ceremony where students received a certificate telling why they have been selected. Students are selected that demonstrate our school motto, “Take care of yourself, take care of each other, take care of your school” such as:
Acts of kindness towards others
Helping others
Using good manners and being polite
Cleaning up after ourselves
Greeting others and asking about their day
Perseverance on difficult tasks
Talking about our feelings
Using classroom and school materials appropriately
Including others in activities and play
Collin
Jacob
Julianna
Noah
Justin
Lucy
Emma
Jayson
Isabella
Aubry
Lana
Adriana
Kaiden
Abigail
Raymond
Henry
William
Lilliana
Max
Love of Reading Week: Here are some pictures of our students during our Love of Reading Week
Cinderella– Our students enjoyed seeing a preview of the VTHS musical, Cinderella. We thank Mrs. Lindsay McAloney, Theater Director, for inviting us to see the show, our students had a great time experiencing a wonderful production! Below are pictures that were drawn by Mrs. Horn’s kindergarten class thanking the high school theater department for inviting us to the show.
Glen Meadow 21 Century Learning Center: We thank the GMMS CCLC for coming to Cedar Mountain to read to our students!
Kira Willey Author Visit: We enjoyed our third of four Virtual Author Visits this month. Below are some pictures of students having their pictures taken with Kira in their classroom. We will have our final author visit on April 13 and then we will have Kira Willey visit our school to hold a concert for our student body on April 29th. We thank the CMPS SCA for funding our concert!
Kira reads her book to Cedar Mountain
Kira with Mrs. Yarosz’s class with Mr. Kelter
Mrs. Waller’s class
March is Nutrition Month: Michelle Martucci, RD, LDN, a Registered Dietitian from Sodexo is teaching our students about healthy eating. In her presentation, Michelle Martucci held a “Nutrition Fear Factor”. Students were challenged to taste test three healthy foods and rate them. This exercise reinforced the importance of sampling new, healthy foods. Students sampled nacho bean chips, dried apple chips, and edamame. Surprisingly, students really enjoyed all the food. Students learned how to read labels and how much sugar is in many of the foods we eat. Michelle Martucci made connections of exercise and movement being important to healthy living. During her presentation, students danced the Freeze Dance.
Chloe the Therapy Dog: Chloe might be a small Poodle-mix, but Chloe said hello to all the students of Cedar Mountain during recess. We look forward to having other therapy dogs visit our school this spring.
Art Class: students are learning about primary and secondary colors…students are experimenting and hypothesizing about color. Students used secondary colors to show overlapping colors. Kindergarten students are learning the colors of the rainbow. Mrs. Patchell created a multisensory project for the students to explore color and texture while honing their fine motor skills.
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown: On Wednesday, March 30th, Cedar Mountain will be going to Glen Meadow Middle School to see a preview of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”. Thank you for signing the permission slip for your child to attend. We will be walking to Glen Meadow, if there is inclement weather, we will be bused.
Next SCA Meeting: Monday, April 4, 2022, at 8:00 pm via ZOOM.Just click this link and you will be at our meeting. We thank the SCA for all the wonderful programs they bring to the students of Cedar Mountain. We appreciate your dedication to our school and students; your countless hours of volunteer time do not go unnoticed! Our SCA is busy preparing for the Mother/Special Person/Son Dance that will be held on Friday, March 25, 2022, at 6:00 pm. Our Father/Special Person/Daughter Dance will be held on Friday, April 8, 2022, at 6:00 pm. HERE IS THE FLIER TO SIGN UP.
Please note: nominations for officers for 2022-2023 will be open on March 28 and nomination names are due on April 11, 2022.
Executive SCA Ladies Night Out: The Executive Ladies Night Out will take place on Friday, April 22nd. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR AN INFORMATIONAL FLYER ON THE EVENT. The Executive SCA is looking for donations for the event, there is a link on the flyer to Amazon for your consideration; thank you for your generosity. The Ladies Night Out event benefits the scholarship program for our VTHS graduating seniors
Pass It Along Book Collection Project: VTHS Senior, Cristian Vintimilla, has been nominated by VTHS to take part in the Pass it Along Scholar Athlete Program. Within this program, Cristian Vintimilla is working with numerous students from other districts toward a common goal of making a positive impact on our community. As part of Cristian Vintimilla’s community service project, each high school student participating in this program has been asked to collect items to donate to NORWESCAP.
Cristian Vintimilla has been asked to collect books to donate to NORWESCAP, who plans on hosting a “free book fair” for a community in need. Books for all ages are accepted as long as they are in new / gently used condition. We have collection boxes in the main hallway of Cedar Mountain. Thank you for donating books for this great cause.
VTHS Green Team News: Spring is nearly here! VTHS Green Team has partnered with “Tree Plenish” to host a community tree planting event. The VTHS Green Team students have a goal of selling 100 saplings to help offset paper usage in our district. You can purchase a tree for $5.00; your choices are as follows:
Eastern Redbud
Flowering Dogwood
Pin Oak
The deadline for orders is April 1, 2022. The saplings will be available May 1, 2022, for pick-up at VTHS or planting at a place that you designate. For more information and ordering, please visit THIS WEBSITE. Cedar Mountain has purchased a Pink Dogwood for our schoolyard.
A few reminders:
Report Cards will be open for viewing on Friday, March 25th
Field Trip to GMMS to see “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”- Wednesday, March 30th
Mother/Special Person/Daughter Dance-Friday, April 8th
School will be closed for Spring Recess on Friday, April 15th through April 22nd and will reopen on April 25th
In closing, please enjoy this short story written by first-grader, Justin C.
Thank you to our Cedar Mountain parents and guardians for partnering with us as we enter our third trimester. Please contact your child’s teacher or me if we can assist you in any way.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gebhardt
Principal
March News and Information from Cedar Mountain
Dear Cedar Mountain Families:
We are approaching the end of Trimester Two, please take some time to become familiar with the standards that are taught during this trimester and how your child is progressing in the standards. Our teachers use various progress monitoring systems to track your child’s growth. As you are aware, mask-wearing will become optional beginning on Monday, March 7th. As requested in our recent School Messenger, please let your child’s classroom teacher know if you would like your child to continue wearing a mask. Your child’s teacher will monitor that your child wears a mask indoors. Please see THIS IMPORTANT LETTER regarding this topic and the latest revisions to the COVID-19 protocols from our Superintendent, Ms. D’Avino.
It’s “Read the McKay Way” time! As our “Read the McKay Way” program comes to a close on March 11th, which honors Dr. Charles McKay, who will be retiring at the end of the school year. Students and family members still have time to log their pages read HEREand may also leave a video message for Dr. McKayHERE on our district’s FlipGrid page. What a great way to celebrate reading as a family, a school, and a district! Below is the QR code that will take you to the QR code to log your pages. You will also seeA LINKon the main page of our website that will take you to all of this information. To celebrate “Read the McKay Way”, all of our students will be treated to pretzels and apple juice during Love of Reading Week.
Smile Week at Cedar Mountain: The week of March 7th is SMILE week! Students will be making smiley faces and drawing and writing what makes our students smile. We will decorate our main hallway with our smiley faces.
Love of Reading Week: Here is a schedule of activities going on the week of March 7th to celebrate the Love of Reading and “Read the McKay Way”…
Monday, March 7th: “Get Cozy with a Good Book” –Wear comfy clothes, crazy socks, & BRING IN a book to read
Tuesday, March 8th: “Books are Fun!” –Wear tie-dye & bright clothing!
Wednesday, March 9th: “Wacky Wednesday” –Wear a crazy hat or hair!
Thursday, March 10th: “Wear Words Close to Your Heart” –Wear a readable shirt
Friday, March 11th: “Favorite Book Character” -Dress as your favorite character from a book
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Cedar Mountain will be going to Vernon High School to see a preview of Cinderella on Wednesday, March 9th. Thank you for signing the permission slip that was sent home. Click on the picture above if you would like to purchase tickets to see the show.
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown: On Wednesday, March 30th, Cedar Mountain will be going to Glen Meadow Middle School to see a preview of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. You will soon be receiving a permission slip for this trip.
Kindergarten NJ Child Assault Prevention Program: The NJ CAP Program aims to prevent child assault by teaching children to recognize and deal with potentially dangerous situations and by training teachers and parents/guardians to help prevent the victimization of children; their slogan “Empowering our Children to be Safe, Strong, and Free”. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE NJ CAP WEBSITE. The classroom workshop combines guided group discussion with a series of role-plays focusing on situations children may sometimes encounter a child-to-child assault, adult stranger-to-child assault, and an assault involving an adult known to the child. Discussion helps children identify what options they have to protect themselves. The developmentally appropriate strategies focused on are self-assertion, peer support, and telling a trusted adult. Our kindergarten students will have this program in their classrooms in March. HERE IS THE LETTER THAT WAS SENT HOME FOR REFERENCE.
Cedar Mountain Art Star: Congratulations to Hunter Klepper who has been selected as a March Art Star. Hunter Klepper was chosen as this month’s art star because of his dedicated focus to painting monochromatic mountains. He created realistic mountains using natural zig-zag lines then changed the value of each to show foreground, middle ground, and background in an original watercolor painting. His sky wash is incredibly impressive with just a hint of green throughout. Hunter stayed focused on the task and demonstrated excellent stamina and craftsmanship in this project. We are very proud of you, Hunter!
March Safeties: Check out this month’s first-graders reporting for duty. Safeties welcome all students as they enter the building and encourage students to walk and be safe in the hallways.
March Safeties
March is Nutrition Month: To teach about healthy nutrition and celebrate Nutrition Month, the Sodexo Company will be bringing a Registered Dietician to our school to teach lessons about healthy eating. Cedar Mountain welcomes Michelle Martucci, RDN, LDN, from Sodexo School Services.
Trimester Two Report Cards: The Genesis parent portal for Trimester Two will be opening on Friday, March 25th.
Attached HERE is a helpful handout on how to talk to your child about grades. As a reminder, please reference the Standard Based Report Card link HERE to review the rubric that corresponds to each standard. If your child needs support with any of the standards, there are many resources for each standard found on this link. Please speak with your child’s teacher to discuss his or her report card.
Game Days at Cedar Mountain: Cedar Mountain will be having planned Game Days with all of our students beginning in March. We will start small with a designated time and day in all classrooms. Our goal is to expand our Game Day to involve blending classes and then grade levels by year’s end so that all of our students across the building get to play together and interact.
We are very excited to bring back Game Day to Cedar Mountain School! This building-based activity supports students’ social/emotional skills in a natural play environment, as we know, play is the work of childhood. We are asking parents/guardians to donate a game or puzzle that you might already have at home. We kindly request that if you are donating to this program, the game/board game/puzzle be in good condition with all its parts, and one that can be played together in a group of three or four children.
Below is a list of some suggested games we would like for our students.
Puzzles: no more than 50 pieces (floor puzzles are great)
Game examples:
Memory
Uno
Connect Four
Jenga
Trouble
Zingo
Board Game examples:
Candy Land
Chutes and Ladders
Don’t Break the Ice
Hi Ho Cherry O
Dominos
Yeti in my Spaghetti
Next SCA Meeting: Monday, March 7, 2022, at 8:00 pm via Zoom. HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE MEETING. We thank the SCA for all the wonderful programs they bring to the students of Cedar Mountain. We appreciate your dedication to our school and students; your countless hours of volunteer time do not go unnoticed! SAVE THE DATE! Our Mother/Special Person/Son Dance will be held on Friday, March 25, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The theme of the dance is Glow Night! HERE IS THE SIGN-UP FORM. As a reminder, Our Father/Special Person/Daughter Dance will be held on Friday, April 8th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
Egg My Yard: The GMMS SCA is sponsoring an “Egg My Yard” fundraiser this spring. Click here for the details of how you can have special eggs with small trinkets inside hidden in your yard for your family. CLICK HERE FOR THE INFORMATIONAL FLIER.
Pass It Along Book Collection Project: VTHS Senior, Cristian Vintimilla, has been nominated by VTHS to take part in the Pass it Along Scholar-Athlete Program. Within this program, Cristian Vintimilla is working with numerous students from other districts toward a common goal of making a positive impact on our community. As part of Cristian Vintimilla’s community service project, each high school student participating in this program has been asked to collect items to donate to NORWESCAP.
Cristian Vintimilla has been asked to collect books to donate to NORWESCAP, which plans on hosting a “free book fair” for a community in need. Books for all ages are accepted as long as they are in new / gently used condition. We have a collection box in the main hallway of Cedar Mountain. Thank you for donating books for this great cause.
Think Spring and Kindergarten Registration! Do you know of a family member, friend, or neighbor whose child will be turning five by October 1, 2022? If so, please pass on this information to those interested in enrolling their child for kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year. Registration is open online! Our in-person registration will take place at Cedar Mountain School in the gym as follows:
Monday, March 7th, 2022: 4:30-7:30 pm
Tuesday, March 8th, 2022: 9:30-11:30 am
Wednesday, March 9th, 2022: 4:30-7:30 pm
Thursday, March 10th, 2022: 9:30-11:30 am
Whether you are registering online or bring all of your information with you, here is a listing of what you will need when you register:
Your child’s Birth Certificate
Your child’s immunization records and current physical
Proof of residency
We encourage all families to start the registration process online by clicking HERE. If you do not have a computer at home to start the process, we will have computer kiosks set up for you to enter your information when you come to in-person registration. Upon registering, you will also arrange a time for the entering kindergarten student to be screened using the DIAL4. You must register online to begin the process. You can do this at home on any device or you can log on at Cedar Mountain to complete this step of the process. You can always call for assistance, or if you would like to come in for a tour! We love visitors!
Kindness really is GOLDEN! Thank you for partnering with us at Cedar Mountain. Please call or email if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
Winter News and Information from Cedar Mountain School
Dear Cedar Mountain Families:
Our students have been enjoying the month of February which is filled with learning opportunities such as Ground Hog’s Day to having fun with numbers as we celebrate 2-2-22 and look forward to celebrating the 100th day of the year, 2-22-22, as well as learning about Black History Month. Kindergarten students are learning about addition and have begun guided reading groups. Some classes made time capsules to commemorate the special activities of this month. We also celebrate our 1st-grade Students of the Month and are proud of how they serve as role models for our school.
As a Reminder…School is closed on Monday, February 21, AND Tuesday, February 22, 2022, for observance of President’s Day
Presidents Song: Introducing first-grader Gabby who has memorized all the presidents by singing their names. Gabby will sing the presidents’ names for our school on February 23rd in honor of Presidents’ Day.
It’s “Read the McKay” Way time! Our students are enjoying the district-wide reading initiative, which honors Dr. Charles McKay, who will be retiring at the end of the school year. We encourage every student and their family members to participate in this exciting endeavor. Please check out this informational flyer for the program READ THE McKAY WAY! Students and family members may log their pages read HEREand may also leave a video message for Dr. McKayHERE on our district’s FlipGrid page. What a great way to celebrate reading as a family, a school, and a district! Below is the QR code that will take you to the QR code to log your pages. You will also see A LINK on the main page of our website that will take you to all of this reading information as well.
School Spirit Week: VTSD schools are showing their school spirit during Valentine’s week…here are our scheduled dress-up days…
Monday, February 14th – Wear Red – Show Your Love and Kindness on Valentine’s Day
Tuesday, February 15th – 100th Day of the Year- your classroom teacher will give you information on this day
Wednesday, February 16th – Wear a Sweater – Warm Up with Kindness
Thursday, February 17th – Wear Team Apparel – Be a Part of Team Kindness
Friday, February 18th – Wear Pajamas – Dream of Kindness
100th Day of the Year Fun: Tuesday, February 15, 2022, is our 100th day of the year, and it’s like a holiday at Cedar Mountain. Students were involved in activities surrounding the number 100. In Mrs. Sweeney’s class, students had to think like a scientist and decide if the containers of items actually contained 100 things like keys, blocks, and math counters and tell how they knew. Many students dressed as if they are 100 years old…there were a lot of gray-haired “grandparent look-alikes” in our school!! One “grandmother” actually gave me a hard candy! In other classes, students created necklaces with 100 pieces of cereal or beads, classes learned how to tally by 5s and count to 100, and other classes made trail mix that contained 100 edible treats. Mrs. Yarosz took pictures of her students that “aged” them to be 100!
Congratulations to our February Students of the Month! Check out each student’s proud picture!
Sylvia
Ava
Kayleigh
Lorelei
Mia
Noah
Addison
Henry
Lola
Charlotte
Ella
Jack
Mason
Carter
Tucker
Ryan
Remy
Donovan
Hadley
Saluting our Vets: Cedar Mountain students have been making Valentines for Vets this month as part of a program supported by Congressman Josh Gottheimer from the 5th Congressional District. The Valentines that we are making will be sent to VA hospitals in New Jersey. We have also created a Salute to Vets showcase where some of our Valentines are on display.
SALUTE to our VETS
February is Dental Health Month: Thank you to hygienist, Miss Lisa, from Dr. Mike’s office in Sparta, who came to CMPS to make a special Dental Health presentation. Students learned about the tools the hygienist and dentist use in our mouth and on our teeth and students learned about foods they should avoid to keep their teeth healthy. Miss Lisa brought “Dudley the Dinosaur” to demonstrate how you should brush your teeth. All students received a dental goodie bag to use at home.
Celebrating 2-2-22: Many classes made time capsules and also wrote letters to themselves to be opened on 3-3-33 when our students are either a junior or senior in high school. Mrs. Yarosz’s class recognized “Two’s Day” on February 2, 2022. It was a very special day since Mrs. Yarosz’s class of first-grade students will participate in a “Three’s Day”, on March 3, 2033, when they are high school seniors!! To mark this memorable day, Mrs. Yarosz’s class created a time capsule. Students noted various things about their first-grade year: age, grade, school, teacher, president, and a goal they have for this year. Students recorded their favorites: food, subject, song, TV show, animal, and book. They also traced the size of their hands. Students then looked forward to the future (2033), they wrote how old they will be, how they hope they will be, a goal that they hope to achieve, and what their future career plans are. Mrs. Yarosz sealed up the time capsules for her students and they will be mailed to each student in 11 years!
Virtual Author Visit: Our students will continue monthly Zoom visits with author, songwriter, and yoga instructor, Kira Willey. Kira Willey will be using her books to teach us mindfulness and self-regulation skills that will complement our Social and Emotional (SEL) instruction used every day at school. Our next Virtual Author Visit will take place on Wednesday, February 16th.
Kira Willey will read and demonstrate simple, fun mindfulness exercises–specifically designed to help children calm themselves, focus their energy, and let go of stress–from her six children’s mindfulness books, including the #1 bestseller Breathe Like a Bear. She’ll also perform her original songs, and lead simple, fun rhythm games and chair-based movement. Kira’s visits will complement the training we have received from our Trauma-Informed team that focuses on The Circle of Courage. The Circle of Courage is a model of positive youth development based on the universal principle that to be emotionally healthy all youth need a sense of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity.
Kira Willey with Mrs. Giagrande’s class
VTHS Key Club Winter Wonderland: Cedar Mountain would like to thank the HS Key Club for coming to our school to hold a Winter Wonderland program. The high school students prepared multiple stations for students to create, imagine, explore, socialize, and play. Some of the stations included hand art/temporary tattoos, making snowflakes and winter scenes, creating tissues flowers, scratch art designing, paper plate designs, and creating Valentine cards. In the gym, students played corn hole, parachute games, bowled for stickers, played velcro darts, and took winter selfies with an ice castle theme. Keeping with the theme of “the winter games”, students earned medals for their efforts. This event was made possible by a generous NJ Education Association Pride Grant procured by the Vernon Township Education Association.
Game Days at Cedar Mountain: Cedar Mountain will be having planned Game Days with all of our students beginning in March. We will start small with a designated time and day in all classrooms. Our goal is to expand our Game Day to involve blending classes and then grade levels by year’s end so that all of our students across the building get to play together and interact.
We are very excited to bring back Game Day to Cedar Mountain School! This building-based activity supports students’ social/emotional skills in a natural play environment, as we know, play is the work of childhood. We are asking parents/guardians to donate a game or puzzle that you might already have at home. We kindly request that if you are donating to this program, the game/board game/puzzle be in good condition with all its parts, and one that can be played together in a group of three or four children.
Below is a list of some suggested games we would like for our students.
Puzzles: no more than 50 pieces (floor puzzles are great)
Game examples:
Memory
Uno
Connect Four
Jenga
Trouble
Zingo
Board Game examples:
Candy Land
Chutes and Ladders
Don’t Break the Ice
Hi Ho Cherry O
Dominos
Yeti in my Spaghetti
Math Night: Thank you to Mrs. Battista for organizing our Family Math Night that will take place on Tuesday, March 1, at 6:00 pm. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE LETTER ABOUT THE EVENT. Please note, you must sign up for this program as materials will be given to each family that can be used at home to continue to reinforce math concepts taught at school.
Reading Night: Later this spring, we will be holding a Family Reading Night organized by our Reading Specialist, Mrs. Krops. Please look for information to follow in the coming weeks.
Next SCA Meeting: Monday, March 7, 2022, at 8:00 pm via Zoom. We thank the SCA for all the wonderful programs they bring to the students of Cedar Mountain. We appreciate your dedication to our school and students; your countless hours of volunteer time do not go unnoticed! The Mr. Cupcake Fundraiser was a great success. Pick-up will take place on Thursday, February 17th, and Friday, February 18th, after school. Thank you also for purchasing “Smencils” for your child that they received on Valentine’s Day. SAVE THE DATE! Our Mother/Special Person/Son Dance will be held on Friday, March 25, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Information will follow with details and a sign-up. Our Father/Special Person/Daughter Dance will be held on Friday, April 8th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. We are looking for parent volunteers for both events.
Executive SCA Ladies Night Out: The Executive Ladies Night Out will take place on Friday, April 22nd. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR AN INFORMATIONAL FLYER ON THE EVENT.The Executive SCA is looking for donations for the event, there is a link on the flyer to Amazon for your consideration; thank you for your generosity. The Ladies Night Out event benefits the scholarship program for our VTHS graduating seniors
SchoolStore Spring Fundraiser: This Spring you have 160 chances to win one of the prizes in the $100,000 Family Fun Giveaway. PLEASE CLICK HERE for a flyer with all of the information you need to know!
Love of Reading Week: Here is a schedule of activities going on the week of March 7th to celebrate the Love of Reading and “Read the McKay Way”…
Monday, March 7th: “Get Cozy with a Good Book” –Wear comfy clothes, crazy socks, & BRING IN a book to read
Tuesday, March 8th: “Books are Fun!” –Wear tie-dye & bright clothing!
Wednesday, March 9th: “Wacky Wednesday” –Wear a crazy hat or hair!
Thursday, March 10th: “Wear Words Close to Your Heart” –Wear a readable shirt
Friday, March 11th: “Favorite Book Character” -Dress as your favorite character from a book
Kindergarten NJ Child Assault Prevention Program: The NJ CAP Program aims to prevent child assault by teaching children to recognize and deal with potentially dangerous situations and by training teachers and parents/guardians to help prevent the victimization of children; their slogan “Empowering our Children to be Safe, Strong, and Free”. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE NJ CAP WEBSITE. The classroom workshop combines guided group discussion with a series of role-plays focusing on situations children may sometimes encounter a child-to-child assault, adult stranger-to-child assault, and an assault involving an adult known to the child. Discussion helps children identify what options they have to protect themselves. The developmentally appropriate strategies focused on are self-assertion, peer support, and telling a trusted adult. Our kindergarten students will have this program in their classrooms in March. HERE IS THE LETTER THAT WAS SENT HOME FOR REFERENCE.
Think Spring and Kindergarten Registration! Do you know of a family member, friend, or neighbor whose child will be turning five by October 1, 2022? If so, please pass on this information to those interested in enrolling their child for kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year. Registration is open online! Our in-person registration will take place at Cedar Mountain School in the gym as follows:
Monday, March 7th, 2022: 4:30-7:30 pm
Tuesday, March 8th, 2022: 9:30-11:30 am
Wednesday, March 9th, 2022: 4:30-7:30 pm
Thursday, March 10th, 2022: 9:30-11:30 am
Whether you are registering online or bring all of your information with you, here is a listing of what you will need when you register:
Your child’s Birth Certificate
Your child’s immunization records and current physical
Proof of residency
We encourage all families to start the registration process online by clicking HERE. If you do not have a computer at home to start the process, we will have computer kiosks set up for you to enter your information when you come to in-person registration. Upon registering, you will also arrange a time for the entering kindergarten student to be screened using the DIAL4. You must register online to begin the process. You can do this at home on any device or you can log on at Cedar Mountain to complete this step of the process. You can always call for assistance, or if you would like to come in for a tour! We love visitors!
Revised 2021-2022 Calendar: Please note, our Board of Education recently added an additional day off for our students on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Our schools will now be closed on Monday, February 21 and 22, 2022. This is also going to be a Tech-Free weekend for all students! It will be a long weekend for families to spend together and not worry about homework or studying!
As a reminder, Check out the Vernon School District App…add it to your device to have VTSD information at your fingertips. The app will have stay connected to all schools in our district. You will get notification of important school and district events, including delayed openings, early dismissals, and emergency school closing right on your phone.
It is an honor to have a parent partnership with you regarding your child’s education….
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
It’s All About Reading at CMPS this Winter…
Dear Cedar Mountain Families:
Now that we are in the coldest part of the winter, what a better time to snuggle up and READ!! It really is all about reading! You will read below about our exciting district reading program, “Read the McKay Way”, as well as how guided reading works in the classroom now that every student has received a benchmark reading assessment called the Fountas and Pinnell Baseline Assessment System. Congratulations to our Mind Traveler Award recipients, as well! Happy Reading!
It’s “Read the McKay” Way time! Join us in an exciting district-wide reading initiative, which honors Dr. Charles McKay, who will be retiring at the end of the school year. The “Read the McKay Way” officially begins on February 1st and ends on March 11th. We encourage our students and their family members to participate in this exciting endeavor. Please check out this informational flyer for the programREAD THE McKAY WAY! Students and family members can log their pages readHEREand may also leave a video message for Dr. McKayHERE on our district’s FlipGrid page. What a great way to celebrate reading as a family, a school, and a district! Below is the QR code that will take you to the QR code to log your pages. You will also see A LINK on the main page of our website that will take you to all of this reading information as well. Share your favorite book or what you are reading on social media with #VernonReads.
Kids Heart Challenge: This year Cedar Mountain will be participating in the American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge in physical education class as well as in our classrooms. The classroom from each grade with the most students signed up to take one of the Kids Heart Challenges to “Move More and/or Be Kind” will receive a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!
All students need to do with the help of a grown-up is register online and list his or her teacher in the application. If half of the student body registers online, Cedar Mountain will earn $500.00 from US games to purchase physical education equipment. HERE IS THE LINK FOR STUDENTS TO REGISTER.
Check out this Cedar Mountain video to encourage students to participate in this year’s Kid Heart Challenge:
Congratulations to our Mind Traveler winners! At the January 27, 2022, Board of Education meeting, preschool through 5th-grade students were awarded the Mind Traveler Award. Each student received a book and certificate from the Board of Education. Congratulations to Cedar Mountain students……
Kindergarten: Bryn Jannace
Kindergarten: Kaeilah Davis
Frist-Grade: Jameson Osborne
Fitst-Grae: Clayton Hastie
The Great Kindness Challenge: The week of January 24-29, 2022, has been designated as the annual Great Kindness Week Challenge. At school, we have been celebrating The Great Kindness Challenge that highlights the meaning of Kindness at Cedar Mountain School each day this week.
The Great Kindness Challenge is a positive anti-bullying prevention program that improves school climate and increases student engagement. The Great Kindness Challenge is one week devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible at school! Students are writing their acts of kindness on paper hearts that are displayed in our main hallway.
Mrs. Yarosz’s students read We’re All Wonders. The class created an anchor chart on acts of kindness and during the week the students received individual kindness trackers to document their number of kind acts.
February Safeties: Each month students are selected by their teacher to be a “Safety” in our hallways to encourage students to be safe when entering the school. Congratulations to our February Safeties that will help our hallways be safe during student arrival…
Lucas Foy
Kaiden Miller
Caelyn Mackwell
Jaime Szigethy
Trent Bailey
Shane Lowell
Caeden Downs
Kayson Vandunk
VTHS Key Club Winter Wonderland: The HS Key Club will be hosting a Winter Wonderland at Cedar Mountain on Saturday, February 5 (snow date February 19) from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. There will be games and activities that will be led by the HS students. Come out for a morning of fun. Tickets are $5.00 for an “arm’s length”. We thank the Vernon Township Education Association for sponsoring this event! Click on the picture below to read the details.
Next SCA Meeting: Monday, February 7, 2022, at 8:00 pm via ZOOM. We thank the SCA for all the wonderful programs they bring to the students of Cedar Mountain. We appreciate your dedication to our school and students; your countless hours of volunteer time do not go unnoticed! There are many upcoming SCA activities this winter. Our Mr. Cupcake Fundraiser will begin on January 18 and conclude on February 1, 2022. A flyer has been sent home for you to select from dozens of delicious cupcake flavors. Pick up for the cupcakes will take place on Thursday, February 17, and Friday, February 18, 2022, after school, in the main hallway. The SCA will also be holding a “Smencils” fundraiser enabling you to purchase a “smelly pencil” of your choice for your child that they will receive for Valentine’s Day.
The SCA is selling “smencils” that you can have delivered to your child’s classroom for Valentine’s Day. Each pencil costs $2.00 and you can purchase one for each student in your child’s class for $30.00. CLICK HERE FOR THE INFORMATIONAL FLYER. All orders are due to Cedar Mountain on Wednesday, February 7th.
Executive SCA Ladies Night Out: On Friday, April 22, 2022, the Executive SCA will be hosting their annual Ladies Night Out. Proceeds from this event fund generous SCA scholarships to our VTSD graduating seniors. CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT. Thank you for considering donating to make this night special. There is a link on the flyer that will take you to the Ladies Night Out Wish List on Amazon.
Girl Scout Daisy Troop: Cedar Mountain has its own Daisy Troop #98460. The Daisies meet twice a month and are learning about being a girl scout and developing a friendship group that builds curiosity, kindness, and can-do spirit. The Daisies are learning to problem solve and take a closer look at the world around them. In a recent troop meeting, Daisy Troop #98460 taste-tested Girl Scout cookies and ranked their favorites. You’ll see from the picture that S’Mores cookies were their overall favorite cookie. They also learned how to sell Girl Scout cookies in the community. The Daisies practiced how to politely talk to potential cookie customers when selling over the next few months! Good luck to Troop #98460! We also thank our troop leaders and Cedar Mountain parents Mrs. Elmo and Mrs. MacIntosh!
Guided Reading: Now that we have assessed all students’ reading levels at Cedar Mountain, guided reading becomes a very important part of the school day. While first-graders have been having guided reading, some of the guided reading groups in this grade level have changed as students show growth in their reading or require more support with the reading process. For our kindergarten students, guided reading is underway! Guided reading is a time when the teacher focuses on the level the student is reading and will target specific areas for each student. Here are some bullets on guided reading:
Students reading teacher-selected text that are at the students’ developmental, instructional level, where the teacher provides explicit teaching prior to, during, and after reading the text.
Differentiated, small group reading instruction that supports a student’s actions for processing text.
Students are supported by the teacher in response to their individual needs during the lesson.
All students read the whole text
Encourages silent reading
Observations from the lesson are noted (ex. where a student needed frequent reminders/ extra support) which directs what to teach the group in the next lesson.
Classroom Centers: Students experience literacy and math centers during the day to enable them to apply skills they are learning, encourage collaboration, independence, cooperation, and allow the classroom teacher to work with small groups of students on targeted instruction, such as Guided Reading groups. This time is also called the WIN block, which stands for “What I Need”. Here are kindergarten students practicing letters by using Play-doh and working on letter puzzles.
Literary Story Elements: Mrs. Giangrande and Mrs. Brady’s students are learning about story elements when reading a fiction book. To practice this skill, students wrote a book report on a favorite book in their book bags. Book bags are special bags that house “just right” books that the student selects on his/her own. Here are some pictures of students holding up their snowman book reports on books they read. Students presented their book reports to the class proudly telling about the characters, setting, plot, problem, and solution of the problem. Check out the Vernon Vlog spotlighting some of the students in the class presenting their book reports.
Dental Assembly Program– February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. To teach the importance of having good dental health and how to take care of our teeth, on Thursday, February 10th all students will be treated to a dental assembly program by Newton-Sparta Dentistry. We thank Mrs. Forrest, School Nurse, for organizing this event for our school.
Think Spring and Kindergarten Registration! Do you know of a family member, friend, or neighbor whose child will be turning five by October 1, 2022? If so, please pass on this information to those interested in enrolling their child for kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year. Registration is open online! Our in-person registration will take place at Cedar Mountain School in the gym as follows:
Monday, March 7th, 2022: 4:30-7:30 pm
Tuesday, March 8th, 2022: 9:30-11:30 am
Wednesday, March 9th, 2022: 4:30-7:30 pm
Thursday, March 10th, 2022: 9:30-11:30 am
Whether you are registering online and uploading your documents or bringing all of your information with you, here is a listing of what you will need when you register:
Your child’s Birth Certificate
Your child’s immunization records and current physical
Proof of residency
We encourage all families to start the registration process online by clicking HERE. If you do not have a computer at home to start the process, we will have computer kiosks set up for you to enter your information when you come to in-person registration. Upon registering, you will also arrange a time for the entering kindergarten student to be screened using the DIAL4. You must register online to begin the process. You can do this at home on any device or you can log on at Cedar Mountain to complete this step of the process. You can always call for assistance, or if you would like to come in for a tour! We love visitors!
Revised 2021-2022 Calendar: Please note, our Board of Education just added an additional day off for our students on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Our schools will now be closed on Monday, February 21, and Tuesday, February 22, 2022. This is also going to be a Tech-Free weekend for all students! It will be a long weekend for families to spend together and not worry about homework or studying!
In closing, thank you for working with us during these challenging winter months. As a reminder, I would encourage you to ensure that your child’s health is in good condition each day before sending your child to school. If your child is not feeling well your child should stay home. As has always been our school’s policy, if your child has a fever, he or she can return to school after being fever-free for 24 hours. While this can be frustrating for families, we appreciate your understanding and cooperation. I thank you for staying in touch with our nurse, Mrs. Forrest, regarding your child’s health. Mrs. Forrest is always available to speak with you.
Thank you for partnering with all of us at Cedar Mountain to make your child’s experience positive and enriching!
