Principal’sBlog

Dear Parents/Guardians,

 

The district will continue to follow the Blue/Gold Cohort Model through the month of March.

 

March, 2021

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1 Blue Team	2 Blue Team	3 Gold Team	4 Gold Team	5 Gold Team
8 Blue Team	9 Blue Team	10 Blue Team	11 Gold Team	12 Gold Team
15 Blue Team	16 Blue Team	17 Gold Team	18 Gold Team	19 Gold Team
22 Blue Team	23 Blue Team	24 Blue Team	25 Gold Team	26 Gold Team
29 Blue Team	30 Blue Team	31 Gold Team	April 1 Gold Team	April 2 Closed

 

 

Love of Reading Week!

During the week of March 1^st –  March 5^th Rolling Hills will be celebrating “Love of Reading Week”.  Rolling Hills students’ and staff will be able to celebrate and show their enthusiasm for reading by participating in the following activities:

Love of Reading Week: March 1^st– March 5^th

 

• Monday 3/1 and Thursday 3/4 – “Get Cozy with a Good Book” – Wear comfy clothes, crazy socks, and bring in a good book to read!
• Tuesday 3/2 and Friday 3/5 – “Books are FUN” – Wear tie-dye, your favorite hat and bright clothing!
• Wednesday 3/3 – “Wear words close to your heart” – Wear a readable shirt and crazy hair!

Although our week will not begin with an assembly this year, students will still have the opportunity to recite An Oath to Read with their fellow classmates and teachers, as well as, participate in both a virtual and in person ‘Read In’ with their classmates.

An Oath to Read

By Debra Angstead, NEA

I promise to read

each day and each night.

I know it’s the key

to growing up right.

 

I’ll read to myself.

I’ll read to a crowd.

It makes no difference

if silent or loud.

 

I’ll read at my desk,

at home and at school,

on my bean bag or bed,

by the fire or pool.

 

Each book that I read

Puts smarts in my head

‘cause brains grow more thoughts

the more they are fed.

 

Come rain or come shine,

Snow, wind, or sleet,

each day of the week,

reading’s a treat.

 

So I take this oath

to make reading my way

of feeding my brain

what it needs every day!

Thank you for your support during RHPS’ Love of Reading Week!

Glen Meadow Student Successes and School Information

 

A snowy path for squirrel and fox,
It winds between the wintry firs.
Snow-muffled are its iron rocks,
And o’er its stillness nothing stirs.

by Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts

 

Dear Glen Meadow Parents and Guardians:

Hello to mid-February the coldest point of the winter thus far…having said that, we hope that reading this mid-February Glen Meadow blog will warm your heart with news, information, and stories about the successes of so many of our students despite how hard this year has been on all of our students! First and foremost we will look forward to the return of our Blue and Gold Teams on Tuesday, February 16, 2021! We have missed seeing you in person! Click here to see the end of February- March schedule that is below; we will follow the same Blue/Gold pattern we have been following. If you click on the image below it will enlarge. 

 

Attention all 8^th Graders: The Vernon Township School District Student Life Committee is planning a Winter Carnival for students in grades 8 through 12 to be held at Vernon Township High School on Saturday, March 13, 2021.  Each grade level will have its own time slot to attend; the 8th-grade time slot being 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm. There will be a DJ, carnival-themed games, prizes, a photo booth, and a bonfire! Below is the flier about this free event (click on it to enlarge).  This is a must-attend event… you will meet the Freshman Academy teachers, administration, and coaches you will have in September!

 

Congratulations to our 6^th, 7^th, and 8th-grade students that earned an 85% or better in each class! Your teachers, school counselors, Dr. Kosek, and I are very proud of you! Students will receive their certificates shortly or will have them mailed if the student is an Exclusively Virtual student. Students will also receive a special letter from our school recognizing students’ achievements in Marking Period 2. 

 

	Grade 6		Grade 7		Grade 8
	Jean Arrazola Jayden Banghard Lia Barca Azraelle Bases Bryan Beltran Stanley Bilomasur Luca Bracchi Emma Casper Mark Catania Eliana Chmielowiec Elias Condit Madison Cook Brayden Cosenza Casey Costa Casandra Cruz Vanesa Curry Otto DeJager Daniel Decker Justin Dixon Lake Doughty Kaine Doyle Kyleigh Doyle Mary Duffy Christina Ferry Ava Florio Mackenzie Gass Andrew Geisen Danielle Getz Brooke Giessuebel Karina Grabowski Kaitlyn Hordych Sarah Horler Kara Howell Hadassah Jean Delilah Kaye Jadyn Klammer Carter Knarr Nathaniel Kouretas Alexandra Kovacs Emma Lally Noelle LoGiudice Kaylee Mahoney Quinn O’Brien Tristan O’Krinsky Brody Orr Riley Orr		Jason Amato Carly Amorosi Alina Baljak Hailey Bennett Thomas Benson Kaitlyn Bohmer Natalia Borges Samantha Bose Molly Boyle Jaelyn Braden Jayden Buckley Robert Burdzy Christopher Cairns Adrianna Carter Abigail Cawley Garnet Cheng Jayden Chornobroff Kevin Cooke Tyler Costa Madison Crum Monica Curry Karolina Czerhoniak Joseph D’Aprile TRUE DiGuiseppe Grace Doumanis Jamie Dreps Analiese Drupka Shane Dunbar Miranda Ebbighausen Bridget Esposito Julie Evanick Isabella Evicci Joseph Frassa Kaylee Free Dylan Gabriele Heath Gallant Jeremy Garcia Keydi Garcia-Mejia Brooklyn Gargano Lauren Goolsby Daniel Gosses Mason Heilmann Samantha Iannelli Michael Ivancich Caitlyn Jensen Kayla Jurewicz		Colton Bates Rick Bennett Jaclyn Benson James Bergacs Abigail Buck Kylie Burns Christina Ciannella Kayla Clarke Brooke Cordaro Luciano Damato Marissa DeVelez Abigail DeYoung Sihana Destani Alyssa Doughty Samantha Ellson Meghan Emmerich Gia Federici Austin Geisler Reese Hamilton Charles Heintz Lily Henderson Noelle Hernandez Joshua Jean Kasey Keating Kristyn Lambrinides Nicole Lehman Amaya Lopez Kenneth MacPherson Eluney Matallana Susan Mentone Abigail Mundhenk Kaymenia O’Brien Jack Paladini Julia Paton Paige Quimby Callista Rieker Gabriel Ruano Abigail Sokolewicz Samantha Vasquez Luca Vizzini Amanda Witters Olivia Wood Jolie Xi Jessica Zampino Darius Ziabakhsh
	Grade 6		Grade 7		Grade 8
	Jenna Osterhoudt Charles Paladino Kaitlyn Panicci James Papandrea Jack Paton Tessa Pelak Christopher Perrotta Trevor Pratt Edith Roman Matthew Rugel Lyla Russo Adrian Savytskyy Ashley Seeley James Staab Audrey Steinbach Zachary Stevens Brooklynn Sybesma Catherine Van Blarcom Kaitlyn Van Blarcom Robert Vazquez Sierra Wagner Crystal Wortham Matthew Young		Liam Kelter Samantha Kimkowski Erin King Juliana Lapine Stephanie Longo Maureen Lovett Sawyer Lukasik Katina Martin Matthew McCann Avene McElduff Juliette Miller Cailin Moran Alexander Morroco Ty Mountain Julia Myers Ava Pecoraro Elizabeth Peek Jessica Perry Wyatt Piekarz Ryleigh Pietrucha Ella Platt Teagan Ressler Alejandrina Roman Gabrielle Rovetto Uriah Naomi Sacdalan Olivia-Arnetta Schmick SeanPatrick Tozzi Jorge Troche Jr Michael VanBenschoten Jr Dustin Wagner Samantha Werner Angel Zapata

 

 

Congratulations to 8^th Grader Noelle Hernandez, a National Math Club Winner!

Each year, more than 500,000 students participate in The National Math Club at the middle school level. This year, Mr. Ferrara, National Math Club coach, and Lounsberry Hollow math teacher, met with several Glen Meadow “Mathletes” to train and practice for this year’s rounds of virtual competition. The first round of the competition took place on February 5-6, 2021. The competition is conducted through the Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Contest Platform, and each student competes solely as an individual (this year there are no team competitions). Noelle Hernandez has qualified for and will be moving onto the 2021 Chapter Invitational Competition, taking place online on February 25 at 7:00 pm ET.  The top 5 students from each chapter and the ten next highest scoring students in the state advance to the 2021 State Compe­tition, taking place online March 25 at 7:00 pm ET. We wish Noelle good luck as she practices for the second round competition! Congratulations to our other “Mathletes” that also qualified and competed in Round One:

Austin Geisler

Tina Ciannella

Matthew Lee

Robert Vazquez

 

 

 

8^th Grader Amanda Witters competes at the New Jersey State Solo & Ensemble Festival. Amanda Witters, a bassoon player, being trained by Band Director, Mrs. Young, has been practicing for this year’s NJ State Solo and Ensemble Festival. Amanda has been playing the bassoon during her middle school years and will be adjudicated (judged) based on her years of experience. Adjudication has just begun and we eagerly await how Amanda scored. We are most proud of Amanda for entering this highly competitive Scholastic Performing Arts Activity Presented by Arts Education NJ.

 

Girls’ Basketball News from Coaches Gonnelli and Ciani: Both coaches are so happy that they are able to have a season this year with so many schools that Glen Meadow competes with not holding their sports programs this year. Given the circumstances, the Glen Meadow Lady Vikings are playing great! The team has had one game so far against Newton. The varsity girls won 29-10. 7^th grader, Monica Curry led the team with 10 points. The girls’ JV team scored 4 points, while Newton scored 8. All 34 girls’ basketball team players are having a great season together, they’re having fun and learning a lot about the game. The smiles on the girls’ faces are making this a memorable season.

 

Virtual Art Show on Instagram: On February 25, 2021, eight Glen Meadow art students will have their work featured in the Virtual Roxbury Middle School and High School Art Show. Congratulations to…

Melody Buccieri

Susie Mentone

Alyssa Clifford

Eliana Chmielowicz

Olivia Wood

Edith Roman

Mackenzie Gass

Abigail Cawley

 

Valentine’s Dress Up Days: The Glen Meadow Student Council, with Ms. Yost, adviser, is planning Valentine’s Dress Up Days on Monday, February 22, and Friday, February 26, 2021. Wear themed-colored clothing and accessories to celebrate this fun day in school. Our Yearbook Staff will be around to take pictures throughout the day…plan your wardrobe now! Because we weren’t together for Valentine’s Day this year, we still wanted to share this fun holiday as a school!

 

 

Middle School Bowl: The Glen Meadow Academic Bowl Team has been practicing virtually to prepare for online competitions this spring.

We have joined the New Jersey Middle Academic League. This new “virtual” league will be holding tournament sessions in the months of February, March, and April with a final competition in May. Tournament games consist of 20 toss-up questions and 20 three-part bonuses.

The Academic Bowl Team members have been challenging their knowledge, learning trivia, and even sharing trivia questions with family members. We have been practicing with past tournament questions to get a closer resemblance to the competitions. We are open to recruiting new members. Interested candidates can reach out to Mr. Manis at jmanis@vtsd.com

 

Battle of the Books: Ms. Yost is busy working with her Battle of the Book Club members. Ms. Yost’s students are reading books to demonstrate their abilities and to test their knowledge of the books they have read. The student competitions are usually similar to the TV series Family Feud or Whiz Kids styles of competitions. Here are just a sampling of the books our students are reading to prepare for the year’s spring competition:

Edwards, Roberta       Who Was Neil Armstrong?

Dowell, Frances O”Roark      Phineas L. MacGuire…Erupts!: The First Experiment

Grabenstein, Chris      Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

Jones, Kelly    Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Lowry, Lois    Number the Stars

Levine, Gail Carson    Ella Enchanted

Magras, Diane The Mad Wolf’s Daughter

Paulsen, Gary  Hatchet

Ryan, Pam Munoz      Esperanza Rising

Sachar, Louis  Holes

Wiles, Deborah           Love, Ruby Lavender

Yang, Kelly     Front Desk

Bauer, Joan     Stand Tall

Craft, Jerry      New Kid

Creech, Sharon            Walk Two Moons

Curtis, Christopher Paul         Bud, Not Buddy

Giff, Patricia   Pictures of Hollis Woods

George, Jean Craighead          On the Far Side of the Mountain

Heidicker, Christian McKay   Scary Stories for Young Foxes

Holm, Jennifer            Our Only May Amelia

Hunt, Lynda Mullaly   Shouting at the Rain

Hunt, Irene      The Lottery Rose

Sloan, Holly    Counting by 7s

Soto, Gary       Baseball in April and other stories

 

 

Yearbook Information:  Attention all students – The Yearbook Club is accepting baby pictures for the 20-21 yearbook, please share your baby pics with Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Stigler via Google Drive. The Yearbook Club is also dedicating a special section to the February snowstorms! Send your snow pics to Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Stigler via your Google Drive.

 

Don’t miss out!  Order your Glen Meadow Yearbook now! Order Link is attached here. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Stigler at kstigler@vtsd.com or Mrs. Mitchell at mmitchell@vtsd.com.

 

National Junior Honor Society – Applications for membership for the National Junior Honor Society have been mailed out to 7th and 8th-grade students who qualify.  Please see this link to read more about the National Junior Honor Society. Any student who receives an invitation to apply to NJHS is welcome to attend a virtual Help Session on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at 3:30.  The current NJHS members and Mrs. Amato will be available to answer questions about the application process.  Here is the Help Session Zoom link and a list of activity examples for the NJHS application to help get you started. Good luck to all students who have been invited to apply to become a member of the National Junior Honor Society!

 

Vernon Coalition Lunch and Fun for the blue, gold, and virtual teams will be meeting this week! Below are the days/times of the lunch and fun meetings. The zoom link is attached below.

Blue Team – Tuesday 2/16 during lunches in room 108

Gold Team – Thursday 2/18 during lunches in room 108

Virtual Team – Tuesday 2/16 at 4:00 pm  via the Zoom link here

 

 

School Counseling Department Information:  Our School Counselors Mrs. Keane, Mrs. Pisco, and Ms. Regan often talk to their students on ways to stay up to date with work and how to develop good study habits and organization. Below are some tips they often discuss with their students. Now that we are in the second half of the school year, it’s important to stay the course and stay on top of your schoolwork!

Tips for staying on top of your schoolwork

1. Check your Schoology courses every day. The best way to stay on top of your assignments is to be aware of what is going on in class.
2. Use the Schoology calendar feature to help with managing assignments and due dates.
3. Check emails every day!
4. Check Genesis every few days to make sure grades are correct.
5. Stay organized: Set up a specific time of the day to get your homework completed, study for tests, check email, and Genesis.
6. Write out or color code A and B weeks on your calendar so you always know what week it is.
7. Email teachers to let them know when you submit late work.
8. Reach out to your teachers if you need help.

 

 

Gamifying Learning: This year, you may have noticed that teachers are “gamifying” learning more than ever to help students learn, stay engaged, and have fun. Miss Frazita has created several games for her students to practice and learn math skills. She created such games as Frazita’s Fantasy Forest, Connect Four, Tic, Tac, Toe, and Trashketball.

Gimkit: To continue to gamify learning, many teachers are switching to Gimkit. Gimkit is a classroom game-show platform where students compete by answering questions on their electronic devices. Instead of earning points, students earn virtual currency, which they can “invest” during the game to boost their score. Gimkit is based on “Among Us”, an online multiplayer social deduction game. While students are practicing and learning specific skills, they are playing this new and highly interactive game. It is replacing Kahoot as a much more engaging game. Ask your child if he or she has played it in class.

 

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 February 17, 2021, via Zoom. You will find the Zoom link on the Parents Group/SCA Link on the GMMS page. In addition, you will find a lot of other SCA information for Glen Meadow and all other VTSD schools. Our March meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at 9:45 am. 

In closing, thank you for supporting the education process whether your children are Exclusively Virtual or on the Blue or Gold Team. We know what a trying time this has been for everyone and we appreciate your partnership with us.

Sincerely,

Rosemary Gebhardt              Eric Kosek, Ed. D.

Principal                              Assistant Principal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principal’s Blog

As the district continues to move forward with a virtual learning platform, it has become more apparent that helping children be safe, confident explorers of the internet world can be a daunting task.

 

The Internet can be wonderful for kids. In many cases they are using it to attend school, research school reports, complete assignments, communicate with teachers and other kids, and play interactive games. But online access also comes with risks, like inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and online predators. Using apps and websites where kids interact, predators may pose as a child or teen looking to make a new friend. They might prod the child to exchange personal information, such as address and phone number, or encourage kids to call them, seeing their phone number via caller ID.

 

Parents should be aware of what their children see and hear on the Internet, who they meet, and what they share about themselves. Talk with your children, use tools to protect them, and keep an eye on their activities. (kidshealth.org).

More important than blocking objectionable material is teaching your children safe and responsible online behavior, and keeping an eye on their Internet use.

Some of the basic guidelines for children outlined by kidshealth.org to share with your kids for safe online use:

 

• Follow the family rules, and those set by the Internet service provider.
• Never post or trade personal pictures.
• Never reveal personal information, such as address, phone number, or school name or location.
• Use only a screen name and don’t share passwords (other than with parents).
• Never agree to get together in person with anyone met online without parent approval and/or supervision.
• Never respond to a threatening email, message, post, or text.
• Always tell a parent or other trusted adult about any communication or conversation that was scary or hurtful.
• Basic guidelines for parental supervision:
• Spend time online together to teach your kids appropriate online behavior.
• Keep the computer in a common area where you can watch and monitor its use, not in individual bedrooms. Monitor any time spent on smartphones or tablets.
• Bookmark kids’ favorite sites for easy access.
• Check your credit card and phone bills for unfamiliar account charges.
• Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange

To make the most of the Internet, students need to be prepared to make smart decisions. Be Internet Awesome also teaches children the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence. (click on the link for additional information about the Google program).

 

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us

 

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/families

February Message from VTHS Administration

Glen Meadow School News and Information

 

 

Dear Glen Meadow Parents and Guardians:

Thank you for continuing to support the learning process! We know how challenging this time has been for your children and your family. Please continue to communicate with your child’s teachers, counselors, case managers, Dr. Kosek, and me if we can help you in any way.

As you are aware, we will begin a two-week quarantine on Monday, February 1, 2021, and will continue the quarantine through Friday, February 12, 2021. School is closed on Monday, February 15, and students will return for in-person learning on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. While we are in quarantine, we will follow the 9:00 am to 2:00 pm schedule as listed below. This schedule is very familiar to our students because it is the schedule we used while our whole district was on virtual learning.

 

GMMS Virtual Learning/Quarantine Schedule:

9:00 am- 2:00 pm

 

Student Log In	9:00
Period 1	9:00 – 9:31
Period 2	9:33-10:04
Period 3	10:06-10:37
Period 4	10:39-11:10
Period 5	11:12-11:43
Period 6	11:45-12:16
Period 7	12:18-12:49
Period 8	12:51-1:22
Period 9	1:24-2:00

 

Blue and Gold Schedule for February 2021

 

1   Quarantine Begins  All students learning online   VTSD Snow Day #2	2	3	4	5
8	9	10	11	12   Quarantine Ends
15 Schools Closed President’s Day	16   Blue Team Week A	17   Blue Team Week A	18   Gold Team Week A	19   Gold Team Week A
22   Blue Team Week B	23   Blue Team Week B	24   Blue Team Week B	25   Gold Team Week B	26   Gold Team Week B

 

 

Here are a few reminders of what your child’s day will look like:

During our quarantine, ALL students will be learning LIVE together with their teacher.  Therefore, all students are expected to be on their Chromebook and attending the LIVE class at the designated times learning with their in-person peers. Because students will be attending school online five days a week there will be no “office hours”. When your child is attending synchronous (LIVE) lessons, you can expect the teacher to be (but not limited to):

• Teaching a 10 to 15-minute mini-lesson
• Reviewing a concept,
• Conducting a class conversation on a topic,
• Having a student explain an answer, etc.
• Providing a demonstration (science experiment, for example)
• Allowing time for the student to work on a skill and then calling the students back into the class to assist one-on-one or by whole group

 

For our students, here are some requests and reminders from your teachers:

• Student attendance is mandatory for all synchronous lessons at the designated times for each period,
• Check Schoology for correspondence and daily expectations,
• Come to class on time while participating in a LIVE Zoom or Schoology Conference and remain in one location; clock times vary, please login a few minutes prior to the class starting time.
• Please dress as you would for school,
• Participate from a quiet place in your home,
• Please keep your camera on unless instructed otherwise by your teacher,
• Be respectful,
• Anything visible in the background of your video must be school appropriate.

 

For our parents and guardians, here are some requests from Glen Meadow, please:

• Set clear expectations and routines for your child’s remote learning days.
• Partner with your child’s teacher and reach out should any challenges arise.
• Refrain from joining your child’s LIVE classes or be visible on your child’s screens during classes.
• Encourage your child to communicate with teachers when your child has questions or concerns

Please note: from time to time to help limit screen time, there will be days that teachers may elect to have a particular class period be an asynchronous lesson; however, your child’s teacher will be available during the period to assist your child. During these periods, your child will be working and learning at his or her own pace individually while in-person students will be with their teacher in the classroom. Please check each teacher’s Schoology page that will tell students on the Updates page what is expected on any given day. Asynchronous lessons may include some of the third-party computer applications your child is familiar with using.

 

Complimentary breakfast and lunch will continue to be available to ALL students on a daily basis, including our Exclusively Virtual students. Virtual students can pick up their meals at the Vernon Township High School. We will be taking all precautions in the cafeteria. Additional outdoor picnic tables have been purchased. Please remind your child to dress warmly as he or she will have the option to eat outdoors on warmer days.

If you would like to order complimentary breakfast and lunch pick up at VTHS from Sodexo when your child is learning at home, below are the links to Google Forms that you need to complete.

For the Blue Cohort

For the Gold Cohort

For Exclusively Virtual Students

 

Yearbook Sales Continue: Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Stigler are working with the GMMS Yearbook Club to create a memorable book for the 2020-2021 school year. Here is the link to the Josten’s Yearbook Company to purchase your yearbook online. The cost of this year’s yearbook is $30.00. 

The Yearbook Club is also accepting your baby pictures free of charge to be posted in the 20-21 Yearbook. Send your baby pictures to Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Stigler via your Google Drive.

Finally, Yearbook recognition ads are a great way for parents, families, and friends to commemorate student achievements and important milestones while attending Glen Meadow Middle School. To purchase an ad online for your child, follow the instructions on this form. Jostens is managing our yearbook ad sales so please do not contact or send materials to Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Stigler.

All ad orders must be placed online by February 11, 2021.

 

Free Personalized Tutoring Available- Undergraduates and graduates from the University of Pennsylvania are offering FREE online tutoring via Zoom in all subject areas in a program called Wave Learning Festival. Tutoring is designed specifically for middle and high school students.  Here is a link that takes you to the sign-up page to receive tutoring. Tutoring hours are very flexible. What a great way to get support from college students in the field that your child might need support.

 

 

Marking Period 2: The Genesis portal will open to parents and guardians on Monday, February 8, 2021. Once all grades are in for Marking Period 2, the Honor Roll will be posted. Students who are Exclusively Virtual will have his or her Honor Roll Certificate mailed home. In addition, it can be printed out in Genesis. 

 

National Junior Honor Society Information– Coming soon, if your 7^th or 8th-grade child meets the required cumulative GPA of 92 or above he or she will be receiving an application to apply to become a member of the National Junior Honor Society. Information will be coming out from our adviser, Mrs. Amato, later this month. Please see this link that can be found on the GMMS website to read more about the National Junior Honor Society and the qualifications for its student members.

 

SCA Meeting: Our next SCA meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at 9:45, via Zoom. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please email our president, Mrs. Lally for the link for the meeting.

 

In closing, as we begin the second half of the school year, please know how we appreciate that you are partnering with us with your child’s learning. We hope that you and your family continue to stay well and healthy. We know that many families have many challenges whether they are working from home or are an essential worker that must leave their home every day. We thank you for being great parents and guardians!

Sincerely,

 

Rosemary Gebhardt                              Eric Kosek, Ed. D

Principal                                                  Assistant Principal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February Message from Lounsberry Hollow

Returning to School Information from GMMS

Dear Parents and Guardians:

 

Welcome to a new year filled with positivity and good health in your lives. We have all been through a lot, let’s focus on what makes us most proud and most happy as we begin 2021. Dr. Kosek and I would like to say thank you to our students, parents, and community members for all of their support during these challenging times. As we continue to move forward, we cannot stress enough the importance of student engagement in both synchronous and asynchronous learning. Parents, please be sure to frequently check your child’s progress on Schoology and/or through Genesis. As you know we will begin the re-initiation of our hybrid learning model of bringing the Blue and Gold cohorts in on separate days for full days of school beginning on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.  We greatly appreciate the patience of our school community as we navigate this transition.  Dr. Kosek and I look forward to seeing some students back in person. Below you will find information about our daily schedule, the days the Blue and Gold team comes to school,  and what you can expect the structure of our classes to be like. Please remember, if your child is on the opposite cohort learning at home or your child is an Exclusively Virtual student, all students will follow Glen Meadow’s regular full-day schedule. Here is the Glen Meadow letter that was sent out last week with all details about students returning to school for full days. 

 

While your children have been learning from home, our building has been cleaned and sanitized from top to bottom. We believe that our schedule allows us to teach your children the safest and best way possible. As a reminder, Dr. Kosek and 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 but is up to completing his or her schoolwork, please call the office and we will mark your child as Virtually Present on that day. If your child is too sick to complete schoolwork on any given day, again, please call the office and we will mark your child as absent on that day.

 

Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures: As we did in the fall, if you are driving your child to school, please arrive at approximately 7:50 am. Your child’s temperature will be taken in the car. Students that ride the bus will have temperatures taken prior to coming into the building. If you are picking up your child, please arrive at approximately 2:50 pm, sign out your child in the front of the building, and wait for your child to come out of the building at approximately 2:55 pm.

 

Complimentary breakfast and lunches will continue to be available to ALL students on a daily basis, including our Exclusively Virtual students. Virtual students can pick up their meals at Vernon Township High School. We will be taking all precautions in the cafeteria. Additional outdoor picnic tables have been purchased. Please remind your child to dress warmly as he or she will have the option to eat outdoors on warmer days.

 

Glen Meadow Middle School

Regular Full Day Schedule

2020-2021

 

HR	8:10 AM	8:18 AM
Period 1	8:21 AM	9:02 AM
Period 2	9:05 AM	9:46 AM
Period 3	9:49 AM	10:30 AM
Period 4	10:33 AM	11:14 AM
Period 5	11:17 AM	11:58 AM
Period 6	12:01 PM	12:42 PM
Period 7	12:45 PM	1:26 PM
Period 8	1:29 PM	2:10 PM
Period 9	2:13 PM	2:54 PM
Dismissal	2:55 PM

 

Blue and Gold Schedule for January and February 2021

As a reminder, please note: Our district will remain hybrid until further notice and we may switch to all virtual learning at any time. This calendar only takes us to late February. You will always be updated when plans change in the district.

January 2021

 

Monday, 1/18   Schools Closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day	19   Blue Team Week A	20   Blue Team Week A	21   Gold Team Week A	22   Gold Team Week A
25   Blue Team Week B	26   Blue Team Week B	27   Gold Team Week B	28   Gold Team Week B	29   Gold Team Week B

February 2021

 

1   Blue Team Week A	2   Blue Team Week A	3   Blue Team Week A	4   Gold Team Week A	5   Gold Team Week A
8   Blue Team Week B	9   Blue Team Week B	10   Gold Team Week B	11   Gold Team Week B	12   Gold Team Week B
15 Schools Closed Presidents Day	16   Blue Team Week A	17   Blue Team Week A	18   Gold Team Week A	19   Gold Team Week A
22   Blue Team Week B	23   Blue Team Week B	24   Blue Team* Week B *so that Blue/Gold have same amount of live instruction days	25   Gold Team Week B	26   Gold Team Week B

 

Here are a few reminders of what your child’s day will look like:

ALL students, whether in-person or virtual, will be learning LIVE together with their teacher.  Therefore, all students who are home are expected to be on their Chromebook and attending the LIVE class at the designated times learning with their in-person peers. Because students will be attending school either in-person or online five days a week there will be no “office hours”. When your child is attending synchronous (LIVE) lessons, you can expect the teacher to be (but not limited to):

• Teaching a 10 to 15-minute mini-lesson
• Reviewing a concept,
• Conducting a class conversation on a topic,
• Having a student explain an answer, etc.
• Providing a demonstration (science experiment, for example)
• Allowing time for the student to work on a skill and then calling the students back into the class to assist one-on-one or by whole group

 

For our students, here are some requests and reminders from your teachers:

• Student attendance is mandatory for all synchronous lessons at the designated times for each period,
• Check Schoology for correspondence and daily expectations,
• Come to class on time while participating in a LIVE Zoom or Schoology Conference and remain in one location; clock times vary, please login a few minutes prior to the class starting time.
• Please dress as you would for school,
• Participate from a quiet place in your home,
• Please keep your camera on unless instructed otherwise by your teacher,
• Be respectful,
• Anything visible in the background of your video must be school appropriate.

 

For our parents and guardians, here are some requests from Glen Meadow, please:

• Set clear expectations and routines for your child’s remote learning days.
• Partner with your child’s teacher and reach out should any challenges arise.
• Refrain from joining your child’s LIVE classes or be visible on your child’s screens during classes.
• Encourage your child to communicate with teachers when your child has questions or concerns

 

Please note: from time to time to help limit screen time, there will be days that teachers may elect to have a particular class period be an asynchronous lesson; however, your child’s teacher will be available during the period to assist your child. During these periods, your child will be working and learning at his or her own pace individually while in-person students will be with their teacher in the classroom. Please check each teacher’s Schoology page that will tell students on the Updates page what is expected on any given day. Asynchronous lessons may include some of the third-party computer applications your child is familiar with using.

 

After School Activities: Our middle school clubs and activities will continue. Each activity adviser will let students know if the club is meeting in-person after school or online. If clubs meet in person, after school buses will be available. The Boys and Girls Basketball teams will meet daily after school, but busing WILL NOT be provided, parents must pick up your child at 5:30 at GM for the boys and LH for the girls.

Marking Period 2: Marking Period 2 closes on Thursday, January 28, 2021. The Genesis portal will open to parents and guardians on Friday, February 5, 2021.

SCA Meeting: Our next SCA meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at 9:45, via Zoom. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please email our president, Mrs. Lally for the link for the meeting.

It is an honor to partner with you…

Sincerely,

Rosemary Gebhardt                            Eric Kosek, Ed. D

Principal                                          Assistant Principal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January Message from the VTHS Admin Team

News from the Superintendent

Winter News from Glen Meadow

 

Happy New Year to our Parents and Guardians!

Enjoy the Builder’s Club Holiday Card the students of the club created…

 

 

 

As you are aware, our district will continue full virtual instruction when we return to school on Monday, January 4, 2020, through Friday, January 15, 2021 (school is closed for Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 18, 2021).  We will continue to follow the district-wide 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Virtual Learning Schedule listed below. Information will soon follow regarding what school will look like on January 19^th and beyond.

GMMS Virtual Learning Schedule:

9:00 am- 2:00 pm

 

Student Log In	9:00
Period 1	9:00 – 9:31
Period 2	9:33-10:04
Period 3	10:06-10:37
Period 4	10:39-11:10
Period 5	11:12-11:43
Period 6	11:45-12:16
Period 7	12:18-12:49
Period 8	12:51-1:22
Period 9	1:24-2:00

LinkIt! Benchmark B Testing Information:

In the Fall, Winter, and Spring, our students typically take Language Arts and math benchmarks. Given the current virtual schedule, as stated above, students will participate in the Language Arts and math benchmarks on January 6th (ELA) and Jan. 13 (Math).   Additional information and directions for accessing the benchmarks will be provided to your child via Schoology.

Please note: If your child has OT, PT, or Speech/Language therapy on these days, your child will not be receiving his or her service on January 6th or 13th.

The results from the benchmark assessment are for instructional purposes only and will provide important information to your child’s teacher about strengths and weaknesses for upcoming lessons. Please note, this assessment is only one of the multiple measures we use to make instructional decisions.

We appreciate your assistance in helping to create a secure and comfortable testing environment by:

• Providing a quiet, comfortable space with limited interruptions where your child can work independently for about 60 minutes (typical testing time is between 45-55 minutes). Once your child starts the benchmark, it will remain available for 90 minutes. This allows for additional time and breaks as needed, although the session cannot be paused once started.
• Reminding your child that he/she is not permitted to search the internet or use other offline resources to help answer questions. Additionally, refrain from coaching and providing assistance of any kind.
• Preventing access to a calculator for math, except on the math assessments, or as indicated in a student’s IEP/504.
• Charging the school Chromebook the evening prior to the benchmark and having the cord readily available.

Logistical information related to your child’s taking the LinkIt Benchmark Assessment:

• Students will start their day at 9 am to take the benchmark assessment. The rest of the day’s regularly scheduled activities have been suspended for January 6 and 13th so students can focus on showing their best effort during the benchmark assessments.
• Instructions and links will be posted on the language arts class pages in Schoology for 1/6 and the Math class Schoology pages for 1/13. Remember, this is simply one measure from which student growth can be celebrated, so students should simply give their best effort without worrying about achieving a specific score. The goal is for students to simply show what they know so we can help guide our instruction.

 

 

Virtual Choir and Orchestra Concerts: Our music directors had to be exceptionally creative this year to produce their winter concerts. While the band is working on a true “winter” concert that will be seen in  January 2021, the orchestra, under the direction of Mrs. Berls and Ms. Krott, and the choir, under the direction of Ms. Petrucci, are below and were produced using different online platforms to “orchestrate” their performances. We hope that you enjoy these modified concerts and can appreciate how hard the students worked under extraordinary conditions to do their very best. Click on the link below to hear the choir. There are three songs played by the orchestra below the choir link. 

GMMS CHOIR CONCERT

 

GMMS ORCHESTRA CONCERT

 

 

Wreaths Across America: Two Vernon Township Boy Scout Troops participated in Vernon’s 7th annual Wreaths Across America wreath-laying ceremony at the Glenwood Cemetery on December 20, 2020. Glen Meadow students Thomas Kimball, Adam Miraglia, Matthew McCann, and Sawyer Lukasik from Troop 283 and Phillip Pritchard from Troop 912 participated in this year’s program. These boys volunteered their time on a very cold, 10 degree day, to be a part of this annual national memorial ceremony for our veterans with the lesson being “Remember, Honor, Teach”. Each Boy Scout represented a different branch of the military. Thomas stood in for a veteran that was not able to attend, he helped represent the Air Force ceremonial wreath, Adam escorted an Army veteran, Sawyer escorted a veteran for the Merchant Marine wreath, Matthew escorted a Navy veteran, and Phillip escorted a veteran Marine.  The Glen Meadow boys helped set out 200 wreaths on every interred veteran’s grave at the end of the ceremony. We are very proud of Thomas, Adam, Matthew, Sawyer, and Phillip for their special service to our community. To learn more about Wreaths Across America, click this link that will take you to the national Wreaths Across America site.

 

Book Talks in 6^th Grade Language Arts: Mrs. Grimaldi, along with her co-teachers Mrs. Brady and Mrs. Ramirez are having their students read a book of their choice and then giving a book talk to their classmates. Students have been given different choices of how they will give their book talk. Below is James S.’s book talk on the book Jurassic Park.

 

Crystal Springs Offers School Discount on their Ice Skating Program: The Crystal Springs Ice Rink is excited to offer fun and affordable skating lessons this season as part of an Olympic-based skating program. Crystal Springs has coaches available to beginning skaters of all ages! The Crystal Springs “Learn to Skate” program is taking all precautionary measures for the Coronavirus to make it a fun and safe environment during the winter season.

If you are interested in having your child participate in this program, use the code “SKATINGLESSONS” to receive a discounted price on their skating program. This can be used when skaters purchase a 5-pack. Stakers will get a second 5-pack for half price. 

There are group lessons offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 am, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 am and 10:30 am.

Here is the informational flyer with specific details of times and pricing.

Here is the Crystal Springs link to read more about this skating program.

 

 

A few reminders:

If your 7^th or 8th-grade child received a score of “Exceeding” on the 18-19 NJ state testing (there was no testing in 19-20), you will be receiving a letter from Ms. Regan, School Counselor, to explain Johns Hopkins program. There will be an informational webinar on this program coming in January, date TBD. Students who participate in the Johns Hopkins program are also eligible to take the SATs on March 13, 2021. Glen Meadow is an SAT testing site.

 

The Vernon Board of Education will hold its Reorganization Meeting and Work Session on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at 7:00 pm, at Walnut Ridge School (snow date January 7^th).

 

School will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021

 

Glen Meadow will hold its Blood Drive at St. Francis de Sales Church on Route 517 on Thursday, January 21, 2021, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm

 

Marking Period 2 ends on Thursday, January 28, 2021, grades will open for viewing in early February

 

Sincerely,

Rosemary Gebhardt                 Eric Kosek, Ed. D

Principal                                      Assistant Principal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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