Our Schools
Students of the Month, Safeties, and More at Cedar Mountain School
Dear Cedar Mountain Families: The beauty of fall is here and our school looks equally beautiful inside with bulletin boards and other student work in our school hallways. Please enjoy reading some school information and important news about upcoming events at Cedar Mountain. Thank you, as always, for sharing your children with us!
Congratulations to our October First Grade Students of the Month!
Each month, our first-grade teachers select a few students in their classrooms 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
Drum Roll Please…let’s clap for…
Patrick
Shane
Aris
Raegan
Bodhi
Paul
Gia
Brayden
Payton
Everett
Ayden
Evan
Caroline
Paige
Tyler
Valerie
Gabriella
Drew
Isabella
First-Grade Safeties: Each month, first-grade students are specially selected as our building “Safeties”. Here are our October Safeties reporting for duty. You will see these students greeting students as they arrive every morning and making sure students are being safe in the hallway and in the stairwells. Congratulations Jayson, Luke, Joseph, Ryan, William, and Wyatt!
Safeties reporting for duty!!
Fire Prevention Week: We thank Vernon Fire Company #1 for bringing two fire trucks to Cedar Mountain to learn about fire safety and how fire trucks work. We especially enjoyed our visit from Sparky the Fire Dog. Enjoy some pictures from this event.
Standard Based Report Card Parent Training: Learn about the Cedar Mountain standard-based report K-1 cards from our Response to Intervention Coordinators Mrs. Panfile and Mrs. Rostami on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at 6:30 pm. HERE IS THE ZOOM LINK FOR THIS ONLINE MEETING.
Scholastic Book Fair Information: Students will be looking at books at the Book Fair in the library and making wish lists to take home. Students will not be making purchases in school. Parents/guardians need to set up an e-wallet through Scholastic and send their child’s wish list back to the library by October 21st. The books you would like to purchase will be pulled from the Book Fair shelves and delivered to your child’s homeroom within a few days. If you have any questions about the Book Fair, please contact Mrs. Kellish at ckellish@vtsd.com Thank you for supporting our Book Fair.
Charlotte’s Web: The Vernon Township High School Theater Department is performing Charlotte’s Web on Thursday, October 28, and Friday, October 29, 2021, at 7:00 PM. Please see the flyer below. Tickets must be purchased online by clicking on the link.
Take the Scare Out of Hunger– students are requested to bring in a non-perishable item on Friday, October 29th, that will be donated to our local food pantries. Your generosity for those that live in Vernon is greatly appreciated!
Monster Mile: Mr. Hernandez, our Physical Education teacher, has organized a Monster Mile Fun Run that is open to all preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade students that will take place on Saturday, October 30th, at 9:00 am. You can pre-register for the race or register on the day of the race. Students should wear their Halloween costumes; prizes will be given for costume creativity. In preparation for the Monster Mile, every Tuesday and Thursday, students practice for the Fun Run. As students run the quarter-mile course, they get a “dot” on their hand to represent their laps. Students are so proud to earn more dots per week. CLICK HERE FOR THE FLYER.
Red Ribbon Week: The 2021 National Red Ribbon Week Theme, “Drug-Free Looks Like Me” is a reminder that everyday Americans across the country make significant daily contributions to their communities by being the best they can be because they live Drug-Free! We are focusing on the ways we can show our creativity this week to show our uniqueness…here’s a day-by-day calendar of the week and its corresponding dress theme:
Monday, October 25: Wear RED
Tuesday, October 26: Wear a hat or crazy hair
Wednesday, October 27: Wear PJs
Thursday, October 28: Wear Neon Colors
Friday, October 29: Wear Halloween Costume and bring in a non-perishable food item
Picture Retakes: Our Picture Re-takes will take place on Wednesday, October 27- if your child is going to have a picture retake, please have your child wear only PJ bottoms.
Stuff the Stocking: Annually, the Vernon Township School District participates in the Project Self-Sufficiency Stuff the Stocking Program. District students are requested to donate a new, un-used, unwrapped toy or gift for this program. Thank you for your generosity when considering making a donation to this noteworthy program. Here is the flyer for additional information.
A reminder about our Complimentary Breakfast Program…
Breakfast will be offered to ALL students free of charge. You do not need to qualify for free or reduced lunch for this program. You are required to order a breakfast by accessing this GOOGLE FORM. You may order by the day, week, or the whole month. Breakfast will be delivered to your child’s classroom. As a reminder, lunch is also complimentary; however, you do not need to order lunch.
SCA Cookies and Coffee Fundraiser: We thank the Cedar Mountain SCA for organizing our fall fundraiser. Proceeds will go towards Cedar Mountain Primary School SCA for future events. Please make checks payable to “Cedar Mountain SCA” for all orders and return no later October 15, 2021. Any orders received after this date will be returned to you. Once the fundraiser items have been delivered to the school there will be only ONE scheduled pickup date, approximately October 28th. We will send a reminder to you when the fundraiser items have arrived.
Any questions or concerns please contact the SCA at cm.vernonsca@gmail.com
SCA Meetings
Our October SCA meeting was held on Monday, October 4th via Zoom. If you would like to read the minutes of this meeting. Please go to the Cedar Mountain website and click on PARENT GROUPS/SCA. This will take you to the district SCA page where you can read our minutes and access other Cedar Mountain information. Our meetings are held on the first Monday of every month at 8:00 pm online via Zoom. The Zoom link can be found the Cedar Mountain SCA page. All parents are invited to attend. Our next meeting will be held on Monday, November 1st.
Some information on communication and the proper channels… As the school year moves along this fall, it is very important that we promote communication with you via this blog, emails, phone calls, our calendar, Friday School Messenger blasts, and the occasional memos that will be sent home with students. With this in mind, below are the steps to use as reference if you need to reach someone at school to discuss an educational matter. These steps support direct, open, and respectful interactions so that problems and concerns can be worked out quickly and efficiently. Any question or concern should always start with the person listed in Step 1, as that person will usually has the most information on the topic. If you have a question or concern, please follow the steps listed below for the relevant topic.
Classroom Issues Involving an Individual Child
(Classroom procedures, behavior, grades, schedule, etc.)
OR
Curriculum and Instruction
(Subject matter being taught, teaching strategies, textbooks and materials used, etc.)
STEP 1: Classroom Teacher; if not resolved…
STEP 2: School Counselor, Ms. Ingrid Green, 973-764-4509; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Principal
STEP 4: Director of Humanities, Mr. Vincent Gagliostro, or Director of Math and Science, Mr. Russ Rogers
STEP 5: Building Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 6: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Charles McKay; if not resolved…
STEP 7: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
Special Education, 504 Plans, and IEPs
STEP 1: Teacher, Specialist, or Child Study Team Member (Psychologist, School Counselor, Social Worker, Speech and Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist); if not resolved…
STEP 2: Case Manager; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Building Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 4: Supervisor of Special Services – Mrs. Suzanne MacDougall; if not resolved…
STEP 5: Director of Special Services- Mr. Russel Fay
STEP 6: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
Medical Concerns
STEP 1: School Nurse; if not resolved…
STEP 2: Building Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
School Counseling and Related Services
STEP 1: School Counselor, Social Worker, School Psychologist; if not resolved…
STEP 2: Supervisor of School Counseling- Mrs. Kristin Gudenkauf; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Building Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 4: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Charles McKay; if not resolved…
STEP 5: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
Transportation Concerns
(Behavior on school buses, etc.)
STEP 1: Building Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 2: Supervisor of Transportation, Mrs. Marisa Broesder; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Charles McKay; if not resolved…
STEP 4: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
In closing, thank you for partnering with us! Here are a few pictures of Praying Mantis that were against our school walls outside. Students enjoyed studying them during recess time! They learned about the term camouflage.
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal
VTHS Monthly Message: October 2021
October Message from GMMS Administration
Principal’s Blog October 2021
Cedar Mountain Fall News
Dear Cedar Mountain Families: This quote really summarizes the month we have had. Students are excited to be in school, they are learning and making new friends. Below is some information on upcoming events and news of the building.
In-Service Day: On Monday, October 11th, our district will be holding an in-service day for teachers. All district schools will be closed in order for our teachers to collaborate on best practice strategies for all of our students.
Virtual Parent Conferences via Zoom: Our district will have early dismissal days in order for our teachers to meet with each family in an individual, private conference which will be held via Zoom on October 12 through October 15, 2021. During this week, lunches will still be provided for your children. You will shortly be receiving an email from our teachers to sign up for a slot of time that works for you. There will be no “waiting in line”! Conferences will run as follows:
Tuesday, October 12, 2021- 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Wednesday, October 13, 2021- 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Thursday, October 14, 2021, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Friday, October 15, 2021, 2:00-4:00 pm
Our Fall Harvest Open House was a great success! Families enjoyed the events that took place at Cedar Mountain as we celebrated fall while parents and students toured the building, received math and literacy information, made crafts, played games, and met with various community agencies! A special thanks to the VTEA Pride Committee chaired by Mrs. Lesley Lombardi, for being awarded a generous NJEA Pride grant to fund this annual program.
Fundations, our word study phonics program: Below are some pictures of Mrs. Casper’s students working on letter formation and their sounds.
Johnny Appleseed Day in Kindergarten: Students learned the history of Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed was an American pioneer who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Canada. Students made applesauce to celebrate this national day. Here are students in Mrs. Zinni and Mrs. Biceskei’s class working together to make applesauce.
More scenes from our kindergarten classrooms this month:
Kira Willey is coming to Cedar Mountain on Wednesday, October 6th!! Kira Willey is an award-winning American musician best known for her song Colors. Kir6 Willey is also a certified Yoga instructor. Cedar Mountain is so fortunate to have her return to our school again this school year. Please visit Kira Willey’s site to hear her music (note that Kira Willey mentions our school on her site). Kira Willey’s concert will be part of our Week of Respect activities which focus on mindfulness. We will be surprising Kira Willey by having classes wear a different color of the rainbow in honor of her song Colors. Please see the letter from your child’s teacher with the color for your class. We are excited to hear her beautiful music!
October 4-8, 2021 is the Week of Respect– all schools in the state of New Jersey celebrate this week with activities and lessons surrounding being bully-free. It is our hope that the students of Cedar Mountain Primary School will be respectful and kind 365 days a year. However, this week the entire school community will focus on being respectful, kind, thoughtful, and using proper manners. On the back of a letter that will be sent home, you will find an Act of Kindness sheet. Your child is requested to draw and write a specific act of kindness that occurred either at school or at home. It is so important to recognize the good behavior that our children display. Please support us in the initiative by working with your child on this special assignment. All kindness sheets will be due back to your child’s teacher anytime during the week of October 4th. We will be reading many examples over our public address for many weeks. Please encourage your child’s participation in this meaningful activity. Throughout the week, Ms. Green, our School Counselor, will be teaching a respect lesson in each classroom. Below is a listing of activities taking place during this week:
Monday, October 4:
Be A Fan-Celebrate Diversity Day Wear your favorite sports team jersey.
Tuesday, October 5:
Mix it Up Day Wear mismatched clothes.
Respect and welcome everyone.
Wednesday, October 6:
Wear the a rainbow color assigned to your class for the Kira Willey concert.
Thursday, October 7:
Respect our World- Wear something with nature or animals.
Friday, October 8:
Go For The Gold….and Blue- Wear School Colors.
October 4-8, 2021, is Fire Prevention Week The Vernon Township Fire Department will be here to speak to our students about Fire Safety on Thursday, October 7, 2021. Our students will be learning about how to stay safe and how to prevent fires in their homes. This is a good time to practice fire drills in your own home! Please check your fire/smoke detectors as well as carbon monoxide detectors in your home. We thank the Vernon Township Fire Department for volunteering to keep us safe and for coming to our school to teach about fire safety.
Complimentary Breakfast Program
Breakfast will be offered to ALL students free of charge. You do not need to qualify for free or reduced lunch for this program. You are required to order a breakfast by accessing this GOOGLE FORM. You may order by the day, week, or the whole month. Breakfast will be delivered to your child’s classroom. As a reminder, lunch is also complimentary; however, you do not need to order lunch.
SCA Meetings
Our first SCA meeting was held on September 13 via Zoom. If you would like to read the minutes of this meeting. Please go to the Cedar Mountain website and click on PARENT GROUPS/SCA. This will take you to the district SCA page where you can read our minutes and access other Cedar Mountain information. Our meetings are held on the first Monday of every month at 8:00 pm online via Zoom. HERE IS THE ZOOM LINK FOR THE MEETING. All parents are invited to attend. Our next meeting will be held on Monday, October 4th.
SCA Cookies and Coffee Fundraiser: We thank the Cedar Mountain SCA for organizing our fall cookie and coffee fundraiser. Proceeds will go towards Cedar Mountain Primary School SCA for future events. Please make checks payable to “Cedar Mountain SCA” for all orders and return them no later than October 13, 2021. Once the fundraiser items have been delivered to the school there will be only ONE scheduled pickup date, on approximately October 28th. We will send a reminder to you when the fundraiser items have arrived.
Any questions or concerns please contact the SCA at cm.vernonsca@gmail.com.
Continued thanks…
…for sending your child to school with a face mask every day. We always have a fresh supply if a mask becomes broken or falls on the floor. Our students have been extraordinary with following our mask protocol. If you are visiting the school, you are required to wear a mask.
Please continue to self-screen your child before they come to school each day. If your child is not feeling well, please have your child stay home. Call the attendance line 973-764-8824 to report your child as absent. You can also indicate an absence in Genesis, our office will automatically see your note in Genesis.
We are consistently encouraging frequent handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer.
If your child is considered a close contact he/she will still need to be quarantined for 10 or 14 days, depending upon the CALI index scores for our region. Our school nurse, Mrs. Forrest, will let you know how long to quarantine.
If an adult is fully vaccinated they need not quarantine.
Thank you for sharing your children with us! We appreciate our partnership with you!
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt
Fall Harvest Open House and Other School News and Information at Cedar Mountain
A Monarch Butterfly Comes to Life at CMPS
Cedar Mountain Families,
We have had a great opening at the home of Vernon’s kindergarten and first-grade students. Under beautiful blue skies, we began the day by greeting each student as they came off their buses and lined up by teacher. Students are learning school and classroom routines. It is so nice to have a whole school full of happy students!
As a reminder, Vernon schools will be closed on Thursday, September 16, in observance of Yom Kippur.
Please join us for the…
Cedar Mountain Fall Harvest Open House -Saturday, September 18th, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Come bring your family and enjoy some refreshments, tour our building, explore our curriculum in demonstrations throughout various classrooms, experience the computer lab as your child would in computer class, learn about our music program, visit our library, and stop at stations from different community organizations. There will be crafts, food, and games. We will also have various community organizations with us such as the Vernon Police, the Vernon PAL, the Vernon Coalition, Project Self-Sufficiency, the Girls Scouts, and local Karate schools. This program has been made available through a generous NJEA Pride grant organized by Mrs. Lombardi, one of our preschool teachers at Walnut Ridge. We are very excited to collaborate with the VTEA and NJEA for this special activity.
School Picture Day
As a reminder, School Picture Day is Wednesday, September 15! Retakes will be held on October 27th.
Principal’s Forum
Please join me along with other building experts for the Cedar Mountain Principal’s Forum on Wednesday, September, 22, at 6:30 pm, held in the cafeteria. At the Principal’s Forum, you will hear about ways to stay involved in and support your child’s education as well as the academic programs at Cedar Mountain. You will be hearing from the following building experts, Mrs. Karlevich, Speech/Language Therapist, Ms. Green, Professional School Counselor, Mrs. Battista, Math Interventionist, and Mrs. Krops, Reading Specialist.
School Flag Salute
Last week, we came together as a school community to celebrate our first day of school. Below are a few pictures of our student body saluting the flag together near the flag pole. We also sang “You’re a Grand Old Flag” together. Our school was led by Mrs. Megnin’s first-grade class. At the conclusion of our school opening, Mrs. Megnin’s class rang the Cedar Mountain School bell announcing to all that school is in session! Each week a different class leads our school to say the flag salute and sing a patriotic song; this is a very special activity of Cedar Mountain. This has become a very special annual tradition!
The moving wall
Our school district was very fortunate to see the passing of The Moving Wall on September 9th. “The Moving Wall” is the half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for thirty-plus years. When John Devitt attended the 1982 dedication in Washington, he felt the positive power of “The Wall.” He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington. The Moving Wall was escorted by the Sussex Elks Lodge #2288 and the American Legion Riders of Branchville and Franklin. Here is the LINK to The Moving Wall if you would like to read more about this traveling national treasure.
First days of School
As our students are settling into school routines, enjoy some pictures of our students in their classrooms learning.
What’s Your Anti-Drug?
Annually, The Center for Prevention and Counseling sponsors the “What’s Your Anti-Drug?” campaign. Mr. Hernandez, our Physical Education teacher, will be working with students on this project. Mr. Hernandez will be having students draw pictures of some of the favorite things our students like to do and the hobbies we are developing as youngsters. Students’ pictures will be entered into this contest. Below is the information on this campaign if you would like your child to work on this at home as well; please click on the image to enlarge it. The Vernon Schools always has many winters of this contest.
Face Mask Requirements:
Thank you for sending your child to school with a face mask every day. We always have a fresh supply if a mask becomes broken or falls on the floor. Our students have been extraordinary with following our mask protocol. If you are visiting the school, you are required to wear a mask.
Please continue to self-screen your child before they come to school each day. If your child is not feeling well, please have your child stay home. Call the attendance line 973-764-8824 to report your child as absent. You can also indicate an absence in Genesis, our office will automatically see your note in Genesis.
We are consistently encouraging frequent handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer.
If your child is considered a close contact he/she will still need to be quarantined for 10 or 14 days, depending upon the CALI index scores for our region. Our school nurse, Mrs. Forrest, will let you know how long to quarantine.
Complimentary Breakfast Program
Breakfast will be offered to ALL students free of charge. You do not need to qualify for free or reduced lunch for this program. You are required to order a breakfast by accessing this GOOGLE FORM. You may order by the day, week, or the whole month. Breakfast will be delivered to your child’s classroom. As a reminder, lunch is also complimentary; however, you do not need to order lunch.
SCA Meetings
Our first SCA meeting was held on September 13 via Zoom. If you would like to read the minutes of this meeting. Please go to the Cedar Mountain website and click on PARENT GROUPS/SCA. This will take you to the district SCA page where you can read our minutes and access other Cedar Mountain information. Our meetings are held on the first Monday of every month at 8:00 pm online via Zoom. The Zoom link can be found on the Cedar Mountain SCA page. All parents are invited to attend. Our next meeting will be held on Monday, October 4th.
SCA Remind App
To keep current with all SCA activities, join their Remind App. CLICK HERE for the directions to add this app to your phone.
Student Handbook
A lot of school and district information can be found the Cedar Mountain Parent Handbook. The handbook can be found on the Digital Backpack for Cedar Mountain. HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE HANDBOOK.
Baseline Assessment System
At the end of this month, each student in first-grade is will be receiving a one-on-one reading assessment, called The Fountas and Pinnell Baseline Assessment System, to determine each student’s reading level areas of reading strength, as well as where a student may require additional reading/literacy support. The Baseline Assessment System is used in the classroom to level reading instruction and teach the student at his or her level. Our kindergarten students will receive their first Baseline Assessment System screening in January 2022. Thank you for continuing to read to and with your child on a daily basis. There will be many opportunities this year for you to learn ways that you can support literacy at home beginning with The Principal’s Forum that will be held on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at 6:30 pm, in the cafeteria.
Please see the Cedar Mountain DIGITAL BACKPACK for other important school information and the many district letters and forms that live on the Digital Backpack.
Atlantic Health Offering FREE LiveOnline Meetings for Parents
Atlantic Health Systems’ Children’s Health and Goryeb Children’s Hospital is offering the below-listed programs that are free of charge. The first virtual program will be held on Tuesday, September 21st, at 7:00 pm, entitled Keeping Our Kids Safe While in School During the Pandemic, and will be presented by Phillip Devadan, MD, Pediatric Emergency Room Director, Chilton Medical Center.
To register, click the following link:
Home – Keeping Our Kids Safe While in School During the Pandemic (cvent.com)
The next virtual program will be offered on Wednesday, October 6th, at 12:00pm, and Wednesday, October 13th, at 7:00 pm, entitled Meet the Local Sleep Experts: Children and Sleep Q&A presented by Ashish R. Shah, MD, Pediatric Pulmonology, April N. Wazeka, MD, Pediatric Pulmonology, and Ramneet K. Gill, MD, Pediatric Pulmonology,
To register, click the following link:
Wednesday, October 6, 2021, 12:00 pm
https://atlantichealth.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r5qHoCi7QzOM66hGAgn7Ww
Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 7:00 pm
https://atlantichealth.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SMjiJ01GQrK0tmEv5TUPmA
Our year is off to a great start! I hope to see you at our school events…
Mrs. Gebhardt
Principal
September Message from GMMS Administration
Principal’s Blog
Cedar Mountain Open House, Back to School Night, and Meet our New Teachers…
Dear Cedar Mountain Families:
Yes, “The Sky is the Limit” at Cedar Mountain! Thank you to Miss Corbutt for making our school look so inviting and encouraging us to dream big as we begin a new school year. As school is just around the corner, I want to keep our families updated with important dates and reminders….
Mask Wearing per Governor Murphy’s Executive Order #251 All faculty, staff, and students are required to wear a mask while indoors. Students will not have to wear a mask while eating or playing outside. Mask breaks will be provided to students. Hand sanitizer will be available to all faculty, staff, and students. Hand washing is encouraged and physical distancing, where practicable will be encouraged.
Student Arrival and Dismissal Times: At last week’s Board of Education meeting, the Board of Education voted to change all district school times back to their original times, thus not beginning 15 minutes later. You will see your child’s adjusted bus stop pick-up time reflected in Genesis in the coming days. Students should arrive at their bus stop 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time in Genesis.
Students at CMPS will enter the building at 9:20 am daily and buses will depart the school at approximately 3:55 pm. Daily parent/guardian pick-up time will be at 3:40 pm if your child does not take the bus. Please note that buses tend to run late with drop-off times during the first week of school. Below are the arrival and dismissal times for a regular day, delayed openings, and early dismissal days that can also be found on the Schedules tab of the CM site.
Cedar Mountain Open House will take place on Thursday, August 26, and Monday, August 30, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please bring your child to Cedar Mountain for a visit. Walk the hallways and help your child locate his or her classroom. Having your child find his or her classroom will ease first day of school transitions. I will also be available to say hello, meet you and your child, and take a photo with your child. Our families are always welcome at Cedar Mountain; however, we are requesting that you refrain from having your child tour the building on September 1-2 while our teachers are preparing for the opening of school.
Back to School Night will take place on Thursday, September 2nd for Kindergarten and First Grade, please note the times below…
3:30 Kindergarten Back to School Night with the following teachers (please bring your child):
Miss Buttel
Ms. Mariconda
Mrs. Czergovits/Mrs. Petti
Ms. Cummins
Mrs. Horn
Ms. Zaturoska
4:30 Kindergarten Back to School Night with the following teachers (please bring your child):
Ms. Shadruff
Mrs. Sweeney
Mrs. Schmick
Ms. Thomas (Mrs. Waller)
Mrs. Zinni/Mrs. Bicskei
First Grade Back to School Night will be held at 5:30 pm; this program is only for the parents and guardians- you are kindly requested to not bring your child to this program. Please remember you are always invited to have your first-grade child come to tour Cedar Mountain so your child can find his or her classroom.
Kindergarten Class of 2034 t-shirts: As a reminder to all kindergarten parents, please have your child wear his or her graduation year 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.
Cedar Mountain is very fortunate to have several new teachers…here is a short bio of each teacher
Introducing….
Ms. Mariconda
My name is Ms. Jessica Mariconda and I am so excited to join the Cedar Mountain Primary School family! I graduated from William Paterson University with a degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in kindergarten and now I have been a teacher for 3 and a half years in many different grade levels! I love to create fun and engaging lessons for my students. In my free time, I like to craft and make personalized gifts with my Cricut! I also like to spend time with my family and friends, especially outside or at the beach! I am so excited for the school year to start so I can help my students grow their love for learning!
Ms. Zaturoska
My Name is Ms. Kristina Zaturoska (aka Ms. Z) and I am so excited to be joining the Kindergarten team at Cedar Mountain Primary School for the 2021-2022 school year! I currently live in Lincoln Park, NJ with my family. I grew up in Lincoln Park where I attended Lincoln Park’s Elementary and Middle Schools for Kindergarten through 8th grade. I then attended Boonton High School in Boonton, NJ where I graduated in 2007. In May of 2014, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (K-6) and English from William Paterson University. I am also Level 1 Certified in the The Wilson Reading System®. I enjoy watching movies, painting, and being with my friends and family. I am so excited to meet all the wonderful students and parents at Cedar Mountain and making it the best school year yet!
Ms. Shadruff
My name is Ms. Nadine Shadruff, and I am very excited to be joining the incredible kindergarten team here at Cedar Mountain! I am looking forward to collaborating with my students and their families in order to help ensure that all of my students have a successful, safe, and memorable school year. I was born and raised here in New Jersey, and I have greatly enjoyed my experiences teaching Kindergarten, Inclusion Kindergarten, and First Grade in Northern New Jersey. I graduated magna cum laude from William Paterson University, receiving my Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education (K-6) and English Writing. I am a member of William Paterson University’s Master’s Program for Curriculum & Learning in Early Childhood Education.
Mrs. Petti
My name is Mrs. Ivory Petti. I currently live in Hamburg with my husband, Angelo, my dog, Belle, and my cat, Toby. I taught Kindergarten for four years in Newark and am excited to teach at Cedar Mountain this coming year. I received my Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education from William Paterson University and my Master’s in Special Education at New Jersey City University this past year. While this past year was challenging for all of us, I am eager to help support all my students, so that they can reach their goals, feel comfortable within our community, and succeed in all aspects of their learning.
Mrs. Dixon
My name is Angela Dixon and I am happy to say that this will be my 20th year teaching. I grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education from Penn State in 2001. After moving to New Jersey, I taught at The Academy for Children for eleven years and here in Vernon for the past eight years. I live in Vernon with my husband, Bob, and three children (Justin, Ryan, and Kelsey). My favorite season is summer when I get to camp, swim, and spend time outside with my family.
Miss Buttel
My name is Allie Buttel! I am a first-year teacher, and very excited to start this new school year with everyone. I recently graduated from William Paterson University where I got my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Working with children has been a passion of mine since I was young, and I cannot wait to learn and grow along with all of my students.
Miss Corbutt
My name is Maggie Corbutt, and I am so excited to be joining the first-grade team at Cedar Mountain! I am a graduate of Salve Regina University where I studied elementary education and theatre arts. During my time at Salve, I was involved in the music and theatre departments. My favorite show that I have been a part of is Into the Woods. I was also a member of the university chorus and acapella group! My favorite things to do when I am not on stage or teaching are beach days and exploring NYC.
I have a true passion for working at the elementary level. I strive to create a positive and fun classroom environment while challenging each student to their own ability. My goal is to instill a love of learning in each one of my students.
I can’t wait for a great year in first grade!
Mrs. Waller
My name is Paula Waller; I started my education at William Patterson University and earned a B.A. for Science of Psychology at Phoenix University in 2016. In 2017, I completed New Pathways for Education at County College of Morris. In 2011 I started working in the Vernon district as a paraprofessional and have since been substitute teaching mainly at Cedar Mountain School.
I have been a Vernon resident since 2004 and I’m a mother of three teenage children who have been educated through Vernon schools and are currently in Vernon High School. I am very excited to be teaching kindergarten this year.
Ordering a Complimentary Breakfast: All breakfast and lunch is of NO cost to all families of VTSD. If you would like your child to have a breakfast, please go to the CM page and click the Breakfast Order Form to order by the day, week, or the month. The breakfast will be delivered to your child’s classroom. Lunches DO NOT need to be ordered.
School and Community Association: The SCA is graciously hosting a luncheon for Cedar Mountain teachers on September 2nd. Thank you for considering donating a few items for our luncheon. Here is the Sign Up Genius to let us know what you’ll be contributing.
As a reminder, our first SCA meeting of the year will be held via Zoom on Monday, September 13, at 1:30 pm. Here is the Zoom link for the meeting. All are invited to join the meeting!
Water Fountains: Please send your child to school with a water bottle (label with your child’s first/last name and teacher’s name and/or room number); our fountains will not be in use. We have water filling stations in the building to replenish water bottles.
Reminder about Parking and Drop Off at Cedar Mountain School
Parents that drop off and pick up their child(ren) will be required to park in an available spot in the parking lot OR on Sammis Road and escort your child to either the ramp in the main parking lot or by the front playground. Please be aware that Cedar Mountain Primary School does not have the personnel to supervise students who are dropped off early; therefore, students will only be permitted to enter the building at 9:20 AM when students are dismissed from their bus. If you are picking up your child at the end of the school day, students will be dismissed at the front side door at 3:40 pm. As part of our required chain of custody, you must present proper ID to Mrs. Donovan who will bring your child(ren) to you. No child will be brought to a parent or a family delegate without proper identification. We appreciate your patience as we get to know all of our families that pick up children.
We are all very excited to see your children soon! Enjoy the remaining days of the summer. Please always reach out to Cedar Mountain at 973-764-2890 with any questions you may have.