Our Schools
Glen Meadow Middle School Summer Acceleration Program
Please read the important information below regarding the AM and PM GMMS Summer Acceleration Program for registered students. The program begins on Monday, July 12, 2021.
AM PROGRAM: The AM program begins at 9:00 am and ends at 11:00 am. Students will receive breakfast upon entering the building and will leave with lunch upon exiting the building. Students must bring their Chromebook to the program every day. Students should report to the gym on the first day and to their assigned classroom the following days. Students will need to be signed out by a parent or guardian at 11:00 AM each day. Our program runs Monday through Friday the week of July 12th and the week of July 19th.
PM PROGRAM: The PM program begins at 5:00 pm and ends at 7:00 pm. Students will receive a snack upon entering the building and will leave with breakfast for the following day upon exiting the building. Students must bring their Chromebook to the program every day. Students should report to the gym on the first day and to their assigned classroom the following days. Students will need to be signed out by a parent or guardian at 7:00 PM each day. Our program runs Monday through Friday the week of July 12th and the week of July 19th.
As always, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Jacquelyn M. Van Orden and Eric W. Kosek
Happy Summer from Cedar Mountain!
Dear Cedar Mountain Parents and Guardians:
Welcome to the start of the summer! My name is Rosemary Gebhardt, the principal of Cedar Mountain Primary School. Many of you may already know me through the years as having your children in one of our school buildings. I was most recently the principal of Glen Meadow Middle School. I am very eager to get to know the students of Cedar Mountain. Our school will be very busy this summer with lots of activity in the building with our Summer Academic Camp as well as our Summer Enrichment Program. As you may know, Ms. Edwina Pisczcek has recently retired from years of service to our district…we all wish Ms. Pisczcek a wonderful retirement! I will soon be inviting you to bring your child to come for a short visit with me. Here is the link to sign up in Sign Up Genesis for a meet-and-greet.
Mrs. Rosemary Gebhardt
For our families of entering kindergarten students, please click this link to begin the process if you have not yet registered your child for kindergarten. You will first register online and then you will go to the Board of Education Office at Walnut Ridge to show your proof of residency. This link provides you with all the information you will need to get the process started. We are screening all of our entering kindergarteners now using the DIAL4 to help us carefully place your child in a class that is just right for him or her. A great deal of time, effort, and thought go into the process of student placement for the new school year. We try very hard to balance classes both academically and socially. Our class lists for both kindergarten and first grade are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Please call 973-764-2890 to schedule your DIAL4 or if you have any questions about the registration process.
The Vernon Township School District is offering free meals to all of our families. For “Free Summer Meals: How to Order” just click the link and follow the step-by-step directions to sign up for this free program. Meals can be picked up at Vernon Township High School.
Please take some time to review the Cedar Mountain website that contains helpful information about our school. There are links created by our School Counselor, Ms. Green, our School Nurse, Mrs. Forrest, our librarian, Mrs. Kellish, and much, much more. If you would like to learn more about our school and our curriculum, check out the Cedar Mountain brochure that provides you at-a-glance information on what students learn in school. As one of the first schools students enter in the Vernon Township School district, the faculty of Cedar Mountain Primary School begins the all-important process of developing the skills for lifelong learning where all students develop natural curiosity, self-regulation skills and grow cognitively and developmentally. The most precious resource and the pride of Cedar Mountain Primary School are the wonderfully talented faculty and staff working with our young children.
Summer is a great time to continue practicing and building reading skills. The Sussex County Library System has a great summer reading program taking place right now called “Tales and Tails”. This is how this summer’s program works…
This program is designed to encourage life-long reading habits. Earn points for reading (1 point per minute), attending events (100 points), writing reviews (25 points), and completing missions (50 points). Put those points toward raffle tickets (50 points per ticket) in the prize raffle! YOU choose which prizes you want to try and win this year.
The goal is 1,500 points, but you can keep earning points indefinitely until Summer Reading ends on Saturday, August 7th. Winners will be announced the week of August 9th.
Check it out and sign up!
School and Community Association Information: The SCA is made up of parent/guardian volunteers that organize and promote many activities that benefit the children of Cedar Mountain Primary School. Our meetings are held on the first Monday of every month, at 9:30 am. Our September meeting will be held on Monday, September 14, 2021. As of right now, Cedar Mountain does not have an SCA board. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the board positions, please call Cedar Mountain or email me at rgebhardt@vtsd.com. We are looking for the following positions: president, vice president, treasurer, recording secretary, and corresponding secretary. Here is a link to the SCA page.
If you want to get a head start on what report cards look like at Cedar Mountain, check out the link for our Standards-Based Report Card. Here you will see what our grading looks like and the standards we will be measuring as your child learns throughout the school year.
Here is the link to the 2021-2022 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Enjoy the summer months with your family! Soak in the sunshine and the memories that you will make with your children.
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
CMPS Summer Enrichment Program Announced
Dear Parents and Guardians of Entering Kindergarten and Entering First Grade Students:
Cedar Mountain Primary School is offering a Summer Enrichment Program for incoming kindergarten and rising first-grade students that will take place the weeks of August 2nd and August 9th, 2021, at Cedar Mountain Primary School from 9:00 to 11:00 am Monday-Friday.
The program may include hands-on math, Language Arts, physical and outdoor activities, art projects, and will focus on preparing your child for the 2021-2022 school year. We will also be including social and emotional components as well. It is our plan to assist students to help students transition from either the virtual or hybrid learning setting to help them feel more prepared when they return to school in person in September.
Your child will be provided with a complimentary breakfast and lunch daily.
There is no district-provided transportation for this program; therefore, you will need to transport your child daily.
This program has a select number of spots per grade level and there will be a waiting list once the capacity is met. If you feel your child may benefit from participating in the Cedar Mountain “Summer Enhancement Program”, please register here.
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal, Beginning on July 1, 2021
Glen Meadow Reflections Magazine, Art Show and more!
Dear GMMS Parents and Guardians:
Welcome to the end of the 2020-2021 school year; a year that will not soon be forgotten. While many activities were curtailed, I am very proud to have you see some of the great artwork our students completed as well as some projects taking place in our classrooms. I am especially very proud to share the Glen Meadow virtual literary and art magazine called “Reflections” with all of you. Thank you to our art teacher Mrs. Lisa Hirkaler and Social Studies teacher Ms. Mary Ellen Cleary for putting our students’ work together in these two online formats.
8th Grade Dance: Our dance is this Friday night, June 11th, from 6 to 9 pm. Students must have a permission slip completed to attend.
8th Grade Advancement: As you have received through our School Messenger emails, the 8th Grade Advancement Ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 17, at 5;00 pm, at Vernon Township High School, at the Macerino Stadium. Tickets will be mailed to our virtual students on Friday, June 11th. In-person students will receive their tickets on Tuesday, June 15th. 8th graders should arrive between 4:30 and 4:45 pm.
One for the Books…
Yearbook Distribution: Our theme this year really says it all… it really was “one for the books”. This year’s yearbooks are arriving shortly, just in time for the end of the year! 8th-grade students will receive their yearbooks on Thursday, June 17th. 6th and 7th graders will receive their yearbooks on Friday, June 18th. Yearbook signing will take place on Friday, June 18th for all students.
Reflections Magazine
You can view and download the PDF attached of Reflections Magazine, or click on this link to read the magazine through Flipsnack, a free online publishing tool that provides a “Kindle-like” reading experience. There is no need to sign in or join Flipsnack to view the magazine. I am so proud of the wonderful writing and beautiful artwork Glen Meadow students submitted this year. Ms. Cleary’s introduction gives a wonderful window to the works you will experience in this publication:
“It was once said, “The pain you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow. For every challenge encountered, there is opportunity for growth.” We have certainly had our fair share of challenges during the 2020-2021 school year. We began our year with a three-cohort hybrid model and early dismissal days, masks and one-way hallways, Zooming, Screencastifying, and Schoology, always Schoology. Despite these changes, students grew, learned, and adapted. We are proud of how far they have come. In this year’s edition of Reflections Magazine, our students reflect on the literature they have read in the classroom and the ever-evolving world around them. Several eighth-grade students have also contributed poetry and speeches inspired by their advancement from Glen Meadow to the high school. As you experience this digital version of the magazine, you will find beautiful art pieces, many created by the talented artists of Glen Meadow under the direction of Mrs. Lisa Hirkaler, a gifted art teacher.”
Art Show from Mrs. Hirkaler: Check out the below YouTube art show that Mrs. Hirkaler put together showing a sampling of students’ work.
Hugo, the Therapy Dog: Hugo visited Glen Meadow to say hello to students during their lunch periods. Hugo is a certified Therapy Dog. Students took turns hanging out with Hugo enjoying the shade with him. We thank retired VTSD teacher, Mrs. Norma Brand, Hugo’s mom, for bringing him to our school.
News from the Builder’s Club: 6th grader, Madigan VanBlarcom, entered and won the Builders Club’s Halloween Costume Contest. One of the prizes was that the winner could select a charity of choice. Madigan chose the Glenwood-Pochuck Volunteer Ambulance Corp. The Builder’s Club would like to thank everyone for their support for her fundraiser. Thanks to the students of Glen Meadow, we were able to raise $110 for the Glenwood-Pochuck Volunteer Ambulance Corp. Because we were able to raise this amount, we reached the “Pie-in-the-Face” incentive. Our co-leaders Mrs. Lopez and Ms. Grimaldi, along with Mr. Myhren, who got a “pie in the face” on “Pie Day” by his students, were the good sports who got “pied” by some Builder’s Club members.
Pop Tabs: Here are our Builder’s Club members standing with all the pop-tabs they collected from each grade level. The pop tabs go to the Ronald McDonald House that houses children who are being treated in specialized hospitals often very far from home. The 6th-grade class donated the most pop tabs and will be treated to ice pops later this week.
Dear 2020: Memoirs of a Middle School is streaming online- if you haven’t had a chance to see our Glen Meadow Original…Dear 2020…here’s your chance…There is a $2.59 fee to view the show; however, this money goes to the company providing the link. Glen Meadow does not receive any money from this streaming service. Here is the link you’ll need.
Passion Projects in Mrs. Schmidt’s class: Mrs. Schmidt assigned a project to her students to pick a topic they have a passion for or want to learn more about…and the students in her class did just that…they went deep!! Students created presentations on storyboards, made videos, Google sites, and hands-on materials, and more! Below are some of the projects students created. Here is a link to Connor Donnegan’s Google site on the Pine Peaks Project; check it out and click around, you will be very impressed by Connor’s work with his classmates.
Rocketry: a cross-curricular project: Mr. Galante and Mrs. Holderith worked together on a rocketry project that blended math and science skills. Mr. Galante built a water rocket launcher, and their students tested the rockets with various levels of water. The students loved this project! Next, the students created their own rockets using materials that Mr. Galante and Mrs. Holderith collected. Below you will see the creation of students’ own rockets. The students had fun as they tested each rocket. This project fostered a high level of engagement! All throughout the project, there were mini-lessons on math and science that were taught before and during the activities.
Sussex County Reading Program Announced: Registration for the Sussex County Library Summer Reading begins Monday, June 14th and ends on Saturday, August 7th.
The Sussex County Library will be offering both in-person and virtual programs. Registration and reading log activity will be online on our READsquared website: https://sussexcountylibrary.readsquared.com/. Participants can also write reviews, complete missions, and redeem codes for attending programs. All these activities lead to points which participants can then use to purchase raffle tickets – the new prize raffle feature allows students to pick the prizes students want to win!
For all the details you can visit the summer reading page on our website
Also, for those exiting 8th graders who are 14, there are volunteer opportunities! Please click this flier to learn about this volunteer program.
Pass it Along: Pass It Along is a non-profit organization committed to helping teenagers become confident, resilient, and compassionate through self-discovery, leadership, and volunteerism. Pass It Along is the only organization in Northern New Jersey that focuses on teenagers, providing service-learning as a part of each volunteer experience, enabling a one-on-one connection to those in the community while helping and delivering thought-provoking self-discovery workshops. This year the Pass it Along Sussex County Scholar Athletes created a motivational video for young children and adolescents, where the athletes discussed the importance of school, academics, and self-care. Check it out!
In closing, I want to say thank you to all of our Glen Meadow parents and guardians for your support of your children and all of us in this most unique school year; as our yearbook title says it all…”it’s one for the books”! Dr. Kosek and I are particularly appreciative of everything that you have been doing to support learning from home when our district went virtual in the late fall and winter months. We also appreciate all of our families that supported their Exclusively Virtual children at home this year. We appreciate your flexibility when we were following a hybrid/early dismissal schedule. Dr. Kosek and I have received a number of email messages of thanks from so many of you over the course of this year, and we appreciate all of you taking the time to acknowledge the hard work of our faculty and staff at Glen Meadow. Dr. Kosek and I hope that all of our students and their families have a restful, restorative summer. We wish all the best to our 8th graders as they embark on their high school years. We hope that all of our students always remember “The Glen Meadow Way”, respect yourself and others, take responsibility for your actions, and reach your 100%!
Have a wonderful summer…
Rosemary Gebhardt Eric Kosek, Ed. D
Principal Assistant Principal
Congratulations to Gia, GMMS Recipient of The 8th Grade Caring Award!
Congratulations to Gia Federici- the recipient of the Sussex County School Counselors’ Association 8th Grade Caring Award!
Gia was honored at Sussex County Community College on June 1st as the recipient of The Caring Award for Glen Meadow Middle School. This program is sponsored by the Sussex County School Counselor’s Association. Gia was honored along with 19 other deserving Sussex County middle school students. Gia was nominated by so many of her teachers. Some of the words that come to mind about Gia from our teachers and 8th grade School Counselor, Mrs. Keane are…joyful, positive, easy-going, considerate, respectful, patient, committed, and steadfast. Gia is very well-rounded and is involved in many school activities, namely being inducted into the National Junior Honor Society, being in the school musical, “Dear 2020”, and is on the Field Hockey team. Gia is very helpful to her classmates, you can often hear Gia say, “if you need me…”. So often, her friends and classmates seek her because they know she will help them. In her kindness to others, Gia tells her teachers, coaches, and theater directors how much she appreciates them; she is always ready to lend a hand to the adults in charge. Gia is a friend to all. Gia is seen volunteering for activities conducted by the National Junior Honor Society. Recently, Gia has also been selected as the Student of the Month for Social Studies and Science. Gia is an all-around wonderful role model for her peers. All of us at Glen Meadow congratulate Gia…we are so proud of Gia, her accomplishments, her dazzling smile, her big heart, and most importantly choosing kindness as a lifestyle!
Cedar Mountain Primary School Kindergarten 21-22 Orientation
Dear Parents and Guardians of Entering Kindergarten Students 2021-2022:
Please click the below letter to read about our IN-PERSON Kindergarten Orientation taking place on Monday, June 14, 2021, at 2:00 pm (Letters A-L) and 3:00 pm (Letters M-Z), at Cedar Mountain Primary School. Please bring your entering kindergartener to the program. Also please find information regarding the DIAL 4 kindergarten screening and how to sign up your child. Please remember to bring in any paperwork still needed to complete your child’s registration; i.e. birth certificate, immunization history/booster shots, and/or physical examination record. We must have all this information before your child’s name will be placed on a class list.
Also, we will begin our DIAL4 (Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning) Kindergarten Screening on Monday, June 21, 2021. The DIAL4 is required for placement in a kindergarten class. Please call Cedar Mountain Primary at (973) 764-2890 to schedule your child’s screening that will take approximately 45 to 60 minutes to administer. I will also do a one-on-one meet and greet with you and your child after the screening. This will allow us to make introductions and answer any questions you may have for the upcoming school year.
If you have not already registered your entering kindergarten student for September, please click this link to begin the registration process.
Please contact Cedar Mountain Primary School at 973-764-2890 with any questions.
We look forward to meeting you and your entering Kindergarten child!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Rosemary Gebhardt
Cedar Mountain Primary School Principal, July 1, 2021
Students of the Month and Other Achievements at Glen Meadow…
Dear Glen Meadow Parents and Guardians:
As we approach the end of the year, we would like to thank all of you for your support of your children and our teachers as we navigated a very challenging school year. While this year was like no other we still have a lot to celebrate as the year comes to a close. This blog will be dedicated to all of the great students at Glen Meadow, like our Students of the Month who have been recognized for their efforts, achievement, kindness, and just all-around being great kids! Don’t forget to check out the next edition of “Glen Meadow Musings”, a student-written, online newspaper. Check out the pictures from “Dear 2020: Memoirs of Middle School” an original musical written by our very own students! Our Track and Field students had a winning season and enjoyed getting back to a sport they love! Spirit Week will take place the week of May 24th. And finally, don’t forget about the Glen Meadow Summer Acceleration Program. If you would like to enroll your child in this program, please click this link that will take you to the Glen Meadow page to sign up. To our 8th grade parents and guardians, important letters regarding end-of-the-year events will be sent to you via School Messenger very shortly, please watch for these letters in your email. Here is the first letter we have sent out.
Here is the 8th Grade Dance letter and the permission slip.
Here is the Advancement letter that was also sent in a School Messenger email
Congratulations to our May Department-by-Department Students of the Month!
| Subject | May Students of the Month |
| LA 6 | Ian Webb |
| Math 6 | Quinn O’Brien |
| Science 6 | Matthew Young |
| Social Studies 6 | Lyla Russo |
| LA 7 | Kaitlyn Bohmer |
| Math 7 | Jamie Dreps |
| Science 7 | Robert Burdzy |
| Social Studies 7 | Uriah Sacdalan |
| LA 8 | Philip Pritchard |
| Math 8 | Caden Krzyzak |
| Science 8 | Kyle Mangone |
| Social Studies 8 | Gia Federici |
| Algebra/Geometry | Susan Mentone |
| Art | Victoria Hurban |
| Library | Zachary Stevens |
| Music | Noelle LoGuidace |
| Performing Arts | Junior Troche |
| PE | Sophia Haw |
| Spanish | Paige Quimby |
| STEM | Amaya Lopez and Abby Buck |
| Kindness | Alina Baljak |
| Kindness | Jacyln Benson |
| Kindness | Christina Ciannella |
Student Council Information: Our school leaders under their advisor, Ms. Yost, has been very busy planning school spirit day, a food collection, and Penny Wars…check it out!
- Jars will be set up for each grade.
- The grade with the most points will win a prize
- Pennies will be worth 1 point
- Nickels are -5, dimes are -10, quarters are -25, dollar bill is -100, ten dollar bill is -1,000, etc.
- Students can put money into any jar
- example:
- a 6th grader has a $1.00 bill and $1.00 in pennies.
- The student should put the pennies in the 6th grade jar,
- The student puts the money and the bill in the 8th grade jar.
- This will add 100 points to 6th grade, and take off 100 points for the 8th grade jar.
- If they put both in the 6th grade jar, it would be a wash and 6th grade wouldn’t gain any points.
“Dear 2020: Memoirs of Middle School” This originally written musical chronicled the lives of middle schoolers during the pandemic. Scenes were acted in “students’ bedrooms” from March 2020 to the present. The actor and actresses told their stories through dialogue, acting, and singing songs. You will be able to see this spectacular show beginning on June 5th on demand. This is a musical your whole family should see as everyone will be able to relate to something in the show. It is funny, heartwarming, sad, and poignant all at the same time.
Track and Field News: Coaches Davenport, Galante, and DiGuilio had an exceptional season with their athletes. At the recent meet against Kittatinny, the excitement was watching our 1600 meter run for girls. Amanda Witters ran the whole time with a Kittatinny girl four feet behind her for the entire race….until, on the last curve, the Kittatinny runner passed Amanda! We all assumed Amanda was “out of gas” and would never recover enough to catch up to the Kittatinny runner… Boy, were we wrong! Amanda put on the ‘afterburners’ and beat the Kittatinny runner in the last 100 yards. In addition, she beat her lifetime personal best by 30 seconds (in the world of track, that’s huge!). Lily Henderson and Captain Gabby Cafferata also achieved their personal best with this boost from the Kittatinny runners.
For sprinters, Captains Kylie Burns and Abbey DeYoung battled it out in both the 100 meters as well as the 400 meters. You can never tell from one race to the other which one will dominate. It’s truly magnificent to watch, knowing that they are best friends, and will continue to push each other for their entire high school careers! Yet, when they run in the 4 by 200 relays, they add their poetry in motion to fellow Captain Tina Cianella and soundly beat any competition, including the few times that they ran against a boys team!
Speaking of the boys, we have to highlight our fastest ones: newcomer, Diego Gonzalez, and Timmy Pallis. These two also trade the first place finishes back and forth with each other. Timmy’s talents go beyond sprinting, too, and Timmy usually earns first place in whatever event he enters such as long jump, shot put, and discus. Timmy has also dabbled in the mile run and 400 meters, winning at those too! Whoa…what an athlete!
This Track and Field season has also led us to a crazy mix of siblings: we have two sets of identical twins….the Holderiths and the Orrs. Then we have a brother/sister team with the Wagner family, and the two Roman sisters. The Glen Meadow Track and Field Team truly is a team that has bonded in SO many ways on and off the track this year. In addition to being an exceptional year for our students, we also want to wish Coach Davenport all the best as she begins her retirement at the end of this school year. Coach Davenport has dedicated many years as one of the Glen Meadow Track and Field Team coaches.
Builder’s Club News: The Builder’s Club actively has supported organizing in our community as well as raised money for local groups. This spring, the Builder’s Club challenged Glen Meadow to donate loose change for the Glenwood Pochuck Ambulance Corp to have a fun activity at school. The Club collected $105.00 so students will be able to give a teacher a pie in the face! Stay tuned to see who the “lucky” person is, maybe it will be Mr. Myhren again…you may remember he got a lot of pies in the face on Pie Day on March 14th!
Glen Meadow Musings: Check out the latest edition of our student online newspaper…our students are writing their final newspaper for June and it will feature students, faculty, and staff telling Glen Meadow Musings what they most look forward to this summer.
Pixton Cartoons: Pixton is an online platform where students can create comic strips. Ms. Dignan-Corbutt’s 8th-grade math students wrote comic strips to teach others about math concepts they have learned this year. What a great way to understand a concept…making sure you can explain or teach it to another. Check out the students’ comic strips.
Affiah Sangare – pixton project
Students Create Utopia: Mrs. Ramirez and Mr. Galante’s students held a movie analysis after watching “The Hunger Games” and discussed the difference between utopias and dystopias. Working independently or with a partner, students created their own utopia, a seemingly “perfect” place with elements of control. They presented to the class and everyone was given a rubric to score each utopia. Check out some of the utopias the students created, which one would you like to live in?
Acids and Bases: Mr. Sorensen’s 7th grade scientists conducted experiments to learn more about acids and bases.
Meet Buxton, the Therapy Dog: Buxton visited all Vernon Schools and he was a big hit. Buxton enjoyed spending lunch was students who were able to pet him and he lounged on the grass… and lounge he did. Buxton is a St. Bernard; his owner explained how Buxton became and therapy dog and the origin and the history of the St. Bernard. Buxton loves children and loves having his picture taken. Next month, we look forward to meeting Hugo, another therapy dog that will visit all of our schools.
Free Miners Game this summer: The Sussex County Miners will be offering our students free tickets to see a game. We will soon be receiving a code and directions to receive free tickets to see a Miners game. This code can be used in the Miners online ticketing system for up to TWO FREE Tickets per family (with the purchase of one regularly priced admission for either the 6/10 or 6/24 game). Tickets will then be virtual and sent to the purchaser directly. More information will follow, save the date!
Mindfulness for Students: The Vernon Township School District has been very fortunate to have Mindfulness trainer Mindfulness is a practice of training the mind to pay attention to whatever comes up in the present moment. In our society, children are often asked to, “pay attention”, “calm down”, “be kind”, and/or “be grateful”; yet, they’re not exactly taught how to do this. Mindfulness and Mindful Movement can change the neuropathways of our brain allowing us the space to be responsive instead of reactive when in a triggered situation. This is a way to help children and teens learn self-regulation, how to change their mindset from one of un-comfortability and disease to a place of control and being centered. Below are the next installments of Mr. Thomasberger’s training for our students with the Zoom link provided:
Link for May 27th @ 3:45 – 4:30 pm Meeting ID: 853 2730 8391 Passcode: 000754
Link for June 10th @ 3:45 – 4:30 pm Meeting ID: 863 2742 1829 Passcode: 598394
Don’t forget that our SCA meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 9:45 am. Our final meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at 9:45 am, IN PERSON. The GMMS SCA will be discussing the 8th-grade dance and more. We thank the GMMS SCA for funding our obstacle course for Field Day as well as treating each student to flavored ice after the day’s events! We appreciate our parent volunteers and all that they do for GMMS!
A few reminders about overdue books from our Librarian, Ms. Yost: All library books are due back to the library by June 1. Students are responsible for any books checked out during the 2020-2021 school year. The fines for any items that were still checked out to students from the 2019-2020 school year have been waived due to the abrupt closing of the building. If you have any library books that belong to VTSD at home, please send them in with your child and we will ensure they get to the correct library. There is also a box in the lobby of Glen Meadow where any student can drop off books they are returning after school hours.
Upcoming Events
- GATE Showcase: Tuesday, May 25, at 6:00 pm, at GMMS under the tent
- GMMS and VTHS Spring Concert on the VTHS football field: Wednesday, May 26, at 6:00 pm (rain date Thursday, May 27)
- Jazz at the Flats: Wednesday, June 2, at 6:30 pm
- Field Day will take place as follows:
- 8th Grade: Monday, June 7, periods 5 through 9
- 7th Grade: Tuesday, June 8, periods 5 through 9
- 6th Grade: Wednesday, June 9, periods 5 through 9
- Field Day rain dates: Thursday and/or Friday, June 10-11
- 8th Grade Dance: Friday, June 11, 6:00 to 9:00 pm
- Early Dismissal Days (12:30 pm): Monday, June 14-Friday, June 18
- 8th Grade Advancement Ceremony: Thursday, June 17, 5:00 pm, at VTHS- students will receive three tickets, one for a guest to sit on the field with the student, and two for guests to sit on the bleachers.
- Last Day of School: Friday, June 18
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt Eric Kosek, Ed. D
Principal Assistant Principal
VTHS Summer Acceleration Program
Good afternoon,
Please review the attached letter for further information about the VTHS Summer Acceleration Program for current Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who are in need of credit recovery.
This program is free of charge and open to all students who qualify. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Raymond Loughren, VTHS Summer Acceleration Program Coordinator, at rloughren@vtsd.com.
Sincerely,
Pauline F. Anderson, Nicholas M. Demsak, and Jacquelyn M. Van Orden
Summer RHAP
May 19, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Rolling Hills Primary School will be offering a Summer Acceleration Program, the Summer RHAP, for incoming 2nd and 3rd grade students. The program is free of charge and open to all students who are attending Rolling Hills next school year.
The goal of The RHAP (Rolling Hills Acceleration Program) is to create a structured learning program where students accelerate their academic and social skills through engaging in hands-on learning experiences centered on teamwork and collaboration to support the development of the whole-child.
The RHAP has been designed to be a fun and exciting program. Dedicated educators will provide ample opportunities to accelerate grade level academic and social skill development. Altogether, the RHAP will be a fusion of a traditional summer camp program combined with stimulating and engaging activities.
Important RHAP Information:
- Enrollment in the RHAP is open to all incoming 2nd and 3rd grade students on a first-come-first-serve basis.
- The RHAP will run for two weeks: July 12-16 and July 19-23 from 9:00am to 12:00pm.
- You may sign up your child for one week, at first. Pending interest, we may be able to offer your child the opportunity to come both weeks of the program!
- Transportation will not be provided; therefore, parents/guardians are responsible for student drop-off and pick-up.
Please click the link below in order to sign up your child for one of the weeks we are having the program. Registration is open through June 15th
Rolling Hills Acceleration Program Registration Form
We hope you will consider registering your child for this exciting and worthwhile opportunity. If you do decide to register your child, additional information will be sent home to you prior to the close of the school year. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Rolling Hills at (973) 764- 2784.
Sincerely,
Nick Demsak
Interim Principal
Spring Activities at Glen Meadow Middle School
Dear Parents and Guardians:
Here are some school highlights happening at Glen Meadow Middle School…
Dear 2020: Memoirs From Middle School
Spring Musical: Our students continue to work on a Glen Meadow Original Dear 2020: Memoirs From Middle School. This musical is unique to our school, as the Glen Meadow Middle School theater students are the creators and performers of the show. “Dear 2020” centers around the emotions and feelings of our very own students during the past year. It includes music from various genres: Broadway shows, musicians, movies, and television shows, while the stories are real and from the heart. It is a reminder that We’re All In This Together and You Will Be Found because You’ve Got A Friend. It is a reminder that Any Dream Will Do, if you Think Positive even if you can’t find your Corner Of The Sky right now! Additionally, the students share their appreciation and are using this opportunity to remind adults that they are doing a Good Job, and they share in their gratitude. Keeping in mind that positivity and kindness are what unite us as a community, our musical will explore the perspective of these difficult and uncertain times through the lens of middle school students: Friends, isolation, positivity, group chats, and quarantine: Dear 2020: Memoirs From Middle School will share all of this and more. The Glen Meadow Middle School musical will be performed live on Friday, May 14, 2021. While seating is very limited, it will also be filmed so everyone can see it after it has been edited.
Special Zoom with famous author Jodi Picoult: On Thursday, May 6, Ms. Sandler’s theater students will have a rare opportunity to talk with novelist and playwright Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald in a live Zoom, as the GM theater group prepare to perform their original musical production Dear 2020: Memoirs From Middle School. On this night, Breathe opens worldwide and releases its cast recording. These shows’ parallel themes examine the impact of the pandemic, only from two different lenses. Dear 2020, provides students’ experiences, while Breathe explores the adult realities. The GM theater group is very fortunate to be able to speak with a famous author and playwright. The students listened intently as Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald explained how they wrote the musical about the Pandemic during the Pandemic. The GM theatre group was so surprised to listen to how their musical was so similar to the Broadway musical!
Thank a Teacher: The first week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week. GMMS teachers were treated by having an ice cream truck come to the school and selecting a sweet treat to thank them for all they do. Here’s your chance to thank a teacher, too. Honor a special teacher who deserves extra appreciation by completing out the form in this link! You will have the opportunity to tell what your teacher has done to go above and beyond during such an unconventional school year, and what makes this teacher truly special. You can nominate more than one teacher.
Congratulations to our 3rd Marking Period Honor Roll Students!
Check out the Vernon Advertiser to see the list online
Grade 6:
Jean Arrazola, Jayden Banghard, Lia Barca, Azraelle Bases, Luca Bracchi, Emma Casper, Mark Catania, John Causby, Eliana Chmielowiec, Madison Cook, Brayden Cosenza, Casey Costa, Casandra Cruz, Vanesa Curry, Jordyn Dearolf, Daniel Decker, Otto DeJager, Justin Dixon, Lake Doughty, Kaine Doyle, Kyleigh Doyle, Mary Duffy, Christina Ferry, Ava Florio, Mackenzie Gass, Andrew Geisen, Lucas Geisler, Kiehra Gerri, Danielle Getz, Brooke Giessuebel, Karina Grabowski, Michael Hevi, Kaitlyn Hordych, Sarah Horler, Kara Howell, Alexis Inoa, Hadassah Jean, Delilah Kaye, Xander Kopec, Nathaniel Kouretas, Alexandra Kovacs, Emma Lally, Noelle LoGiudice, Edward Loveland, Walter Mentone, Ardi Mersimi, Jackson Moore, Quinn O’Brien, Tristan O’Krinsky, Brody Orr, Charles Paladino, Kaitlyn Panicci, James Papandrea, Jack Paton, Tessa Pelak, Trevor Pratt, Connor Pych, Edith Roman, Matthew Rugel, Nicholas Ryerson, Adrian Savytskyy, Brayden Scheyer, Ashley Seeley, Audrey Steinbach, Zachary Stevens, Brooklynn Sybesma, Kaitlyn Van Blarcom, Robert Vazquez, Lindsey Vogel, Sierra Wagner, Ian Webb, Matthew Young.
Grade 7:
Carly Amorosi, Alina Baljak, Hailey Bennett, Thomas Benson, Kaitlyn Bohmer, Samantha Bose, Hannah Buck, Robert Burdzy, Adrianna Carter, Abigail Cawley, Garnet Cheng, Kevin Cooke, Tyler Costa, Madison Crum, Monica Curry, Karolina Czerhoniak, True DiGuiseppe, Grace Doumanis, Jamie Dreps, Analiese Drupka, Shane Dunbar, Miranda Ebbighausen, Bridget Esposito, Giovanna Fabela, Kaylee Free, Dylan Gabriele, Heath Gallant, Jeremy Garcia, Keydi Garcia-Mejia, Brooklyn Gargano, Lauren Goolsby, Daniel Gosses, Mason Heilmann, Samantha Iannelli, Caitlyn Jensen, Kayla Jurewicz, Liam Kelter, Thomas Kimball, Samantha Kimkowski, Erin King, Stephanie Longo, Maureen Lovett, Sawyer Lukasik, Antonio Martin, Avene McElduff, Juliette Miller, Conner Mitchell, Desiree Modarelli, Cailin Moran, Alexander Morroco, Ty Mountain, Julia Myers, Ava Pecoraro, Elizabeth Peek, Jessica Perry, Wyatt Piekarz, Ryleigh Pietrucha, Rachel Pietrucha, Ella Platt, Jake Remington, Teagan Ressler, Alejandrina Roman, Gabrielle Rovetto, Uriah Naomi Sacdalan, Luka Savytskyy, Olivia-Arnetta Schmick, SeanPatrick Tozzi, Jorge Troche Jr, Alexis Venezia, Dustin Wagner, Samantha Werner, Liam Wynne, Angel Zapata.
Grade 8:
Alfredo Aguilar, Sophia Avila, Colton Bates, Jaclyn Benson, James Bergacs, Melody Buccieri, Abigail Buck, Michael Causby, Christina Ciannella, Kayla Clarke, Karissa Clarke, Brooke Cordaro, Marissa DeVelez, Abigail DeYoung, Alyssa Doughty, Roman Drupka, Grace Duffy, Samantha Ellson, Cassidy Ezzo, Gia Federici, Austin Geisler, Diego Gonzalez Laureano, Reese Hamilton, Lily Henderson, Noelle Hernandez, Joshua Jean, Kasey Keating, Caden Krzyzak, Kristyn Lambrinides, Nicole Lehman, Amaya Lopez, Eluney Matallana, Kiraleigh McCafferty, Susan Mentone, Abigail Mundhenk, Kaymenia O’Brien, Kaylie Orlando, Jack Paladini, Julia Paton, Callista Rieker, Gabriel Ruano, Joseph Russo, Affiah Sangare, Abigail Sokolewicz, Juda Thomas, Samantha Vasquez, Luca Vizzini, Amanda Witters, Olivia Wood, Jolie Xi, Jessica Zampino, Darius Ziabakhsh.
Frog Dissection: Mr. Sorensen’s biology students are learning about body systems. In the pictures below, you will see students learning how to dissect a frog to identify the organs of its body.
Rocket Launches in Science:
Students are learning about the Engineering Design Process in 8th-grade science. Students learned the steps of the design process by first researching different kinds of launchers such as catapults, slingshots, and cotton ball launchers. Next, students designed/drew a labeled picture of their launcher. Students were very creative as they were permitted to use items that were in or outside their house. Students used items such as toilet paper rolls, plastic cups, pieces of wood, sticks from outside, elastic bands, PVC pipe, Popsicle sticks, plastic spoons, etc. Then students built their launcher and tested it. The activity was summed up by having students reflect on their launchers and the effectiveness – what worked, what didn’t work, what you would change about your launcher. Students really enjoyed this activity!
Therapy Dog to Visit GMMS: Buxton is a certified therapy dog and will be visiting GMMS on May 18th during all lunch periods. We are looking forward to his visit. Having therapy dogs has been a very popular event at schools across the county. We are excited to meet Buxton!
Mindfulness for Students: The Vernon Township School District has been very fortunate to have Mindfulness trainer Mindfulness is a practice of training the mind to pay attention to whatever comes up in the present moment. In our society, children are often asked to, “pay attention”, “calm down”, “be kind”, and/or “be grateful”; yet, they’re not exactly taught how to do this. Mindfulness and Mindful Movement can change the neuropathways of our brain allowing us the space to be responsive instead of reactive when in a triggered situation. This is a way to help children and teens learn self-regulation, how to change their mindset from one of un-comfortability and disease to a place of control and being centered. Below are the next installments of Mr. Thomasberger’s training for our students with the Zoom link provided:
Link for May 13th @ 3:45 – 4:30 pm Meeting ID: 899 3207 2421 Passcode: 546673
Link for May 27th @ 3:45 – 4:30 pm Meeting ID: 853 2730 8391 Passcode: 000754
Link for June 10th @ 3:45 – 4:30 pm Meeting ID: 863 2742 1829 Passcode: 598394
Don’t forget that our SCA meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 9:45 am. This month we will be meeting on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at 9:45 am, IN PERSON. The GMMS SCA will begin planning the 8th-grade dance and more.
Upcoming Events
- GATE Showcase: Tuesday, May 27, at 6:00 pm, at GMMS
- GMMS and VTHS Spring Concert on the VTHS football field: Wednesday, May 26, at 6:00 pm (rain date Thursday, May 27)
- Jazz at the Flats: Wednesday, June 2, at 6:30 pm
- Field Day will take place as follows:
- 6th Grade: Monday, June 7, periods 5 through 9
- 7th Grade: Tuesday, June 8, periods 5 through 9
- 8th Grade: Wednesday, June 9, periods 5 through 9
- Field Day rain dates: Thursday and/or Friday, June 10-11
- 8th Grade Dance: Friday, June 11, 6:00 to 9:00 pm
- Early Dismissal Days (12:30 pm): Monday, June 14-Friday, June 18
- 8th Grade Advancement Ceremony: Thursday, June 17, 5:00 pm, at Macerino Stadium at VTHS
- Last Day of School: Friday, June 18
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt Eric Kosek, Ed.D
Principal Assistant Principal