P U B L I C N O T I C E
VERNON TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION
PUBLIC MEETING – CHANGE IN TIME
The Thursday, February 16, 2023 Public Meeting will now start at 5:30 p.m. for Executive Session and 6:00 p.m. for Public Session. The meeting will take place at Lounsberry Hollow School Library, 30 Sammis Road, Vernon, New Jersey. Action shall be taken.
Sincerely,
Patricia Ratcliffe-Lee
Business Administrator/Board Secretary
VERNON TOWNSHIP
SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dear Vernon School Community,
This month NJ public schools celebrate Board Appreciation Month. This is a time when we pause and thank our Board of Education members for serving our schools and students. Board of Education members set the policies for our schools and make important decisions affecting curriculum, financing, and staffing. Our Board of Education is made of nine members and one Vernon Township High School Senior. Meet our Board members…
Kelly Mitchell- Board President
Justin Annunziata- Board Vice President
John Kraus
Adina Leuthner
Martin O’Donnell
Jennifer Pellet
Theresa Scura Coughlin
Joseph Sweeney
Ray Zimmerman
Colin Giesen- VTHS Student Representative
This month we also celebrate the young readers of our district that participated in the Mind Travelers Program. The Mind Travelers program encourages our students in preschool through grade five to read books, books that can take us to places that can give us clues about our world and characters to like or fear or admire and look up to. In each book, there are discoveries about the world and about ourselves. Our district celebrates the students that “got lost in books, as it’s a great place to be found”! The students listed below were recognized at the January 19, 2023, Board of Education meeting. Congratulations to all of our readers!
LH, 5thGrade – Tristan Talerico
LH, 5th Grade – Noah Ponsica
LH, 5th Grade – Caleb Ponsica
LH, 4th Grade – Jon Pandel
LH, 4th Grade – Jacob Oeters
RH, 3rd Grade – Joshua Cadou
RH, 3rd Grade – Lucas Vasilic
RH, 2nd Grade – Jayson Moore
RH, 2nd Grade – Brayden Handal
CM, 1st Grade – CaraMia Morley
CM, 1st Grade – Jasper Lukasik
CM, Kindergarten – Mason Hostler
CM, Kindergarten – Efetobo Alakpa
WR, Preschool – Patrick Murphy Flood
WR, Preschool – Panayiotis Portela
WR, Preschool – Afroditi Portela
WR, Preschool – Carter Montgomery
WR, Preschool – Harlow Kuhn
Congratulations to our Vernon Township High School students who competed at the NJ Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) competition on January 21st, at Passaic County Technical School, under the direction of Mr. Matt Bergh. HOSA prepares future health professionals for the health industry. Many of our HOSA students also serve locally in our first aid squads, so while they are learning in school, they are also receiving practical, real-life, hands-on training in our community.
Juniors Avery Crafton and Sophie Van Den Broek received FIRST PLACE in the First Aid and CPR Skills category. Avery and Sophie are both volunteers at Vernon Ambulance squad.
Seniors Marissa Ajamian and Daniel Lovett were fifth-place green medal winners for EMT Skills. Marissa is a volunteer at the Vernon Ambulance Squad, and Dan is a volunteer at the Glenwood Pochuck Ambulance Squad. In addition to learning in school, Marissa and Daniel devoted many hours to training on their own to prepare for scenarios they would encounter at this competition.
Senior Aiden Lubeck finished sixth place in Pharmacology and is the HOSA President.
Senior Jessica Lefort finished 8th place in Sports Medicine and is the HOSA treasurer.
Here are some pictures of our students receiving their awards…
Lounsberry Hollow School 5th grade art students, under the direction of art teacher Mr. Erik Villanueva, created maps based on the idea of “self”. In this art project, students practiced many art forms. Each island surrounding their face island represents something about themselves. Students learned to create and center block letters. They learned about Photoshop and using filters. They learned about transfer methods, silhouettes, and symbols. Finally, students learned about mixed media, conceptual art, and deconstruction.
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Speaking of art…SAVE THE DATE…VTSD’s annual Artstanding Program will be held on Friday, May 19th, at Lounsberry Hollow School. This program that features our fine, practical, and performing arts is under the direction of Mr. Villanueva and is partially being funded by a very generous Pride grant from the Vernon Township Education Association.
A few reminders…
This week’s Board of Education meeting was filled with celebrations. First, we had the swearing-in of our re-elected members Joe Sweeney, Kelly Mitchell, & Jen Pellet. Then we had our new Superintendent, Russ Rogers, and Assistant Superintendent, Rosemary Gebhardt, officially promoted. Last but not least, we honored our dedicated Vernon staff that retired between June and December – Congratulations to all, and thank you for your years of service to our community and children!
At the January 4th Board of Education Meeting, the Board of Ed officially voted on our new Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent. Mr. Russ Rogers will serve as our Superintendent and previously was our Assistant Superintendent, Director of Math & Science, and is a Vernon grad and native. Mrs. Rosemary Gebhardt will now serve as our Assistant Superintendent. Previously Mrs. Gebhardt has served as a principal in a number of buildings, taught in the district, and is also a Vernon grad. Congratulations to Mr. Rogers and Mrs. Gebhardt!
Dear Vernon School Community:
As we enjoy the holiday season in our six schools through the eyes of your children, we would like to wish our Vernon School community a wonderful holiday season! We hope your family has a safe and enjoyable winter break, a time to spend time with family and re-energize as we prepare for the second half of our school year.
We have much to celebrate in our district as we continue our efforts in each classroom to meet the needs of our students. Congratulations again to our teachers across the district who have been chosen to represent their school as Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year as well as other award recipients. We will be celebrating all of our teachers in a ceremony at the April Public Board of Education meeting, where we will honor the many district-wide professionals who represent the best of the best in our schools. Congratulations again to:
Teacher of the Year…
Walnut Ridge School: Miss Allison Weber, Preschool Teacher
Cedar Mountain Primary School: Ms. Mary Ollert, Special Education Teacher
Rolling Hills Primary School: Mrs. Christina Weiss, Third Grade Teacher
Lounsberry Hollow School: Mrs. Cheryl Reed, Fourth Grade Teacher
Glen Meadow Middle School: Dr. Christopher Jensen, Eighth Grade Science Teacher
Vernon Township High School: Ms. Marianne Longchamp, English Teacher
Educational Services Professionals of the Year…
Walnut Ridge School: Mr. Nik Lasso, Technology Coach
Cedar Mountain Primary School: Mrs. Sherry Polhemus, CST Social Worker
Rolling Hills Primary School: Mrs. Jennifer Gallant, School Nurse
Lounsberry Hollow School: Mrs. Debbie Lisa, School Nurse
Glen Meadow Middle School: Mrs. Carol Gonzalez, School Nurse
Vernon Township High School: Mr. Ray Loughren, School Counselor
NJ Department of Education Exemplary Elementary Educators…
Mrs. Lois Battista, Math Interventionist, and Mrs. Maureen Sweeney, kindergarten teacher, both Cedar Mountain Primary School teachers
NJEA Frederick L Hipp Foundation for Excellence in Education…
Mrs. Lisa Hirkaler, Glen Meadow Middle School art teacher
District Educational Support Professional of the Year…
Mrs. Diane Alfonso, the Administrative Assistant to the Principal at Rolling Hills Primary School
Our district saw much joy lifting holiday spirits this month as our band, choir, and orchestra music teachers put many, many hours of work into teaching their students pieces of literature and staging our winter concerts. Please give our music teachers a special round of applause for creating these special holiday memories for our students and their families. Winter performances are one of the ways we engage families, and it’s heartwarming to see our families in our schools once again.
Some health reminders…
We care deeply about everyone in our community and want to keep each other safe and healthy.
As a reminder, HERE is the letter sent to our families regarding Covid/Flu Practices and Protocols.
If your family needs free Covid test kits HERE is the link to order them.
Your Up-to-Date Contact Information:
Our schools must have up-to-date contact information for all students. We need to be able to contact you in case of an emergency and to make sure you are aware of when we have snow days and scheduled closings. If you have not been receiving messages from the district or your school, you can check with your school building office to make sure we have the correct information in Genesis for your family.
A few reminders…
We wish you a restful and enjoyable holiday with your family. Thank you for sharing your children with us! We wish you good health and the hope that 2023 is an amazing year for all that are part of the Vernon Township School District. As always, we appreciate our partnership with you!
The Public Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 15, 2022 has been changed to Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at Lounsberry Hollow School Library, 30 Sammis Road, Vernon, New Jersey and action shall be taken.
Click Here for More Information
From our acting Superintendent, Russ Rogers, please see the below letter concerning health and the flu/covid season:
We have so much to be thankful for as a school community! We have great Vernon Pride! Mr. Rogers, our Acting Superintendent, and I would like to honor and recognize some of the outstanding individuals in our district doing great things for our students, starting with our 2022-2023 NJ Governor’s Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year, NJ DoE Exemplary Educators, and the VTEA Educational Support Professional of the Year.
Congratulations to our district Teachers of the Year…
Those selected for this prestigious award have demonstrated the following qualities:
Drum Roll, Please…
Walnut Ridge School: Miss Allison Weber, Preschool Teacher
Cedar Mountain Primary School: Ms. Mary Ollert, Special Education Teacher
Rolling Hills Primary School: Mrs. Christina Weiss, Third Grade Teacher
Lounsberry Hollow School: Mrs. Cheryl Reed, Fourth Grade Teacher
Glen Meadow Middle School: Dr. Christopher Jensen, Eighth Grade Science Teacher
Vernon Township High School: Ms. Marianne Longchamp, English Teacher
Allison Weber
Mary Ollert
Christina Weiss
Cheryl Reed
Christopher Jensen
Marianne Longchamp
Congratulations to our district Educational Services Professionals of the Year…
Walnut Ridge School: Mr. Nik Lasso, Technology Coach
Cedar Mountain Primary School: Mrs. Sherry Polhemus, CST Social Worker
Rolling Hills Primary School: Mrs. Jennifer Gallant, School Nurse
Lounsberry Hollow School: Mrs. Debbie Lisa, School Nurse
Glen Meadow Middle School: Mrs. Carol Gonzalez, School Nurse
Vernon Township High School: Mr. Ray Loughren, School Counselor
Nik Lasso
Sherry Polhemus
Jennifer Gallant
Debbie Lisa
Carol Gonzalez
Ray Loughren
Congratulations to our NJ Department of Education Exemplary Elementary Educators…
Mrs. Lois Battista, Math Interventionist, and Mrs. Maureen Sweeney, kindergarten teacher, both Cedar Mountain teachers, were awarded the Exemplary Elementary Educator Award. Mrs. Battista and Mrs. Sweeney have been identified as educators who are valued by our school community and have exhibited strong knowledge and leadership skills, have an inspiring presence and have a clear vision for quality teaching. Mrs. Battista and Mrs. Sweeney have been vetted in a rigorous process to earn this prestigious NJ Department of Education recognition.
Congratulations to Ms. Lisa Hirkaler Award Recipient: Ms. Lisa Hirkaler, art teacher at Glen Meadow Middle School, has been awarded the prestigious 2022-2023 NJEA Frederick L Hipp Foundation for Excellence in Education for her project, Social Justice Art and Book Club. Ms. Hirkaler, a fierce advocate for all students, inspires her burgeoning artists through the art curriculum using the Principles of Art and Design as they express themselves in many art forms.
Congratulations to the Vernon Township School District Educational Support Professional of the Year! Mrs. Diane Alfonso, the Administrative Assistant to the Principal at Rolling Hills Primary School, was selected by her peers from the Vernon Township Education Association for this distinguished honor. Mrs. Alfonso is one of the first people they see when entering Rolling Hills; Mrs. Alfonso is a kind and helpful person who represents the building so proudly. Mrs. Alfonso is hard-working, dedicated, and the Office Manager of the Rolling Hills Main Office. Mrs. Alfonso never fails to greet everyone with a cheery smile or a “Good morning, sunshine!” She will help anyone, no matter how long her to-do list is and immediately makes newcomers feel welcome to the school.
Diane Alfonso
Speaking of the Vernon Township Education Association, this educational organization brings thousands of dollars to our district through a Pride Grant from the NJEA. Thank you to Mrs. Lesley Lombardi, Chair of the Pride Committee, for working with fellow VTEA members to write grants that secure funds for many school programs that build community support and involvement bringing families into our schools. So far this year, the following programs have been funded:
Cedar Mountain Celebrates Vets on Veteran’s Day- Thank you to the Vernon Township High School Marching Band under the direction of Mrs. Jody Young, Mr. Max Taylor, and Mr. Casey Dziuba, for bringing the award-winning VTHS Marching Band to Cedar Mountain for its annual Veteran’s Day Parade. The parade helped celebrate patriotism and honored the Veterans of the families of Cedar Mountain students. The VTHS matching band escorted the veterans through the schoolyard and played the Armed Forces Medley; each guest was recognized as his or her branch was played. The program concluded with first-grade students conducting a performance for the honored guests.
VTHS Baseball Team Cleans Up Vernon Yards: As part of the VTHS Baseball Team’s annual service learning project, the team raked… and raked… and raked… and raked leaves throughout our town to assist families who needed help with this daunting task. Thank you to all the team members that selflessly came to the need of others. The VTHS Baseball Team coaches, Stephen Myhren, Stephen Down, and Steve Fitzsimmons, were on hand to lend a hand, too.
5th Grade Mayflower STEM Challenge: Students in Mr. Wilson and Ms. Leitner’s classes were tasked with the challenge: “How can I create a boat out of foil that will hold the most “pilgrims” possible and get them to the new world the fastest?”. Students then researched different types of boat designs; students planned, sketched, and labeled their designs, and then they built their boats! Students tested their boats, and here are the results…
The AM class winner is Nickolas Willey in both capacity and speed!
The PM class winner is Gabby Musto, Kaylee Murphy, and Jenna Hopping in both capacity and speed!
Meet the Board of Education Student Representative, Colin Geisen: Colin is a senior at Vernon Township High School and was elected by his peers to serve as this year’s Board of Education representative. Colin likes to be busy and is involved throughout Vernon Township High School. Colin is the President of the Key Club, the Historian of the Student Council, the Social Media Manager of my senior class, and the Historian of HOSA. Colin is also the Secretary of the Marching Band and the Drill Section Leader of the Saxophones. Colin is in Mock Trial and Model UN. Through all of Colin’s activities, he also works at Dunkin’ Donuts! Colin thoroughly enjoys all of his classes this year, but his favorites two classes are AP Statistics and AP Government and Politics. Colin is looking at various schools to apply to, including Rutgers, University of Washington, Georgetown, University of California Los Angeles, and Columbia. Colin’s goal is to major in something Political Science oriented, possibly Political Science Statistics, or Economic Political Science. Golin’s goal is to follow a Pre-Law path, and he plans to attend law school after college. Colin is very grateful for the amazing opportunity to be the Student Representative for the Board of Education and hopes to leave a legacy for many representatives in the future
His duties include:
Walnut Ridge Students Launch Pumpkins: Thank you to Mr. Matthew Behre, Career and Technical Education Teacher (CTE) of the Construction and Facilities Management courses (CFM) at the high school, who built two Trebuchets with his students, aka “pumpkin launchers”, and demonstrated the science and physics behind using the Trebuchet using leftover Halloween pumpkins. Students cheered with glee as pumpkins were launched far and wide across the blacktop at Walnut Ridge. Check out the pictures from this fun cross-grade activity.
Congratulations to our winners of the Center for Prevention and Counseling, “What’s Your Anti-Drug?” and “What Makes You Happy” Contest: This year’s “What’s Your Anti-Drug?” contest had nearly 500 entries representing 28 schools in Sussex County. All the entries were wonderful, and the judges at the Center for Prevention and Counseling had the tough job of selecting 65 winning entries across the county. Winning entries will be featured in the Sunday, December 4, 2022, edition of the New Jersey Herald in the “What’s your anti-drug?” section. This year, for the second year, the Center for Prevention and Counseling included “What Makes You Happy?” For students in K-3rd grade. Congratulations to…
Lounsberry Hollow School:
Alana Bessette
Ellie Harmon
Jacen Dearolf
Delilah Taylor
Glen Meadow Middle School Students:
Arianna Johnson
Adriana Bonilla
Joseph Heintz
Cedar Mountain Primary School:
Emily Musco
Meet Granger and Faith, the Therapy Dogs: Granger and Faith have visited various VTSD schools to say hello. This is part of our Social Emotional Learning program; students enjoy connecting with the visiting therapy dogs while taking a short break from learning. Thank you to Mrs. Gudenkauf for organizing this program for our district.
Glen Meadow Middle School Art Students Win Poster Contest: Congratulations to 6th-Grade Glen Meadow Middle School art students Alison Getz and Carmen Olsen for winning the West Milford Lions Club’s “Lead with Compassion” Peace Poster art contest. Alison Getz received first place, and Carmen Olsen received second place. Students participating in this program are under the direction of art teacher Mrs. Hirkaler.
Thank you to all of our School and Community Associations! Each building’s SCAs do so much for our schools by volunteering and bringing in special programs to our schools to enhance our curriculum; they donate hundreds of hours to make our schools great. Check the picture of the Cedar Mountain SCA Father/Special Person-Daughter Dance. The SCA will be very busy this week at Cedar Mountain, as they will be assisting with Grandparent’s Day and the Book Fair.
Thanksgiving Came Early at VTHS: Thank you to the Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers of the Culinary Arts Program, Ms. Jennifer Ryder, Ms. June Jalbert, and Mr. Mike Rizzo, for hosting a Thanksgiving dinner with their students for the faculty and staff of the high school. Students learned how to prepare seasonal foods for a large number of people turning the event into a time for “Friendsgiving”!
Rolling Hills Students Become 1:1 with Chromebooks: As technology becomes more and more integral to all students’ learning, Rolling Hills students were recently issued their own Chromebooks to use at school and at home. It is the goal of Dr. Anderson, Principal of Rolling Hills, for students to become proficient using various online applications. One online tool that Dr. Anderson and the teachers are looking forward to having students use at home is our new reading diagnostic tool called Amira. Amira uses artificial intelligence to listen to students read and analyzes any miscues the students may have, giving teachers a reading level for the student. Students can use this tool in school and now at home to practice their reading skills. A shout-out to Mr. Anthony Vitrano, a valued member of the VTSD IT staff, who worked long hours to get the new 2nd-grade Chromebooks up and running for the students. 182 students received a new Chromebook to use at school and home. While this would normally be a summer project, the Vernon Township High School “Chromebusters” helped Mr. Vitrano get the Chromebooks set up for Rolling Hills. Check out the box truck full of Chromebooks that were processed and distributed!
Preschool through Grade 5 Mind Traveler’s Program: CLICK HERE for information on the Mind Traveler’s Reading Program that has been a tradition in Vernon for almost 20 years! Students in preschool through 5th grade are encouraged to participate. Two students per grade will be selected to win a book to recognize their reading achievement. Students will be honored at the January Public Board of Education meeting on Thursday, January 19, 2023, at 7:00 pm, at Lounsberry Hollow School.
Shout out to the GM eSports Club and Kristin Petrucci – the picture below shows students playing both Nintendo Switch Sports and Occulus Quest Virtual Reality. Every week 15-20 students participate in gaming together!
“It’s Not Pestering, It’s Parenting” Tips for Parents: Thank you to Lisa DeRitter, the Vernon Coalition Coordinator, for sharing THIS PARENT HANDOUT that gives families practical tips to stay connected to your children and ways to say no to activities that are unsafe or can lead children not to make good choices. We thank the Vernon Coalition for the activities they bring to our schools with engaging after-school and in-school programming that develop leadership skills and help students with making healthy choices in their lives.
PAL Quiet Time with Santa Program: Please click HERE to read more on the flyer below to learn how you can arrange for a child in Vernon to have a special visit from Santa that needs a quiet environment. We thank the Vernon PAL for providing this wonderful program to our families.
Mark your calendar for a few reminders to all of our VTSD families…
Rain date – 6/02/23