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