Dear Glen Meadow Families:
As you are aware, on Monday, May 4th, NJ Governor Phil Murphy made the official announcement that New Jersey’s schools would remain closed for in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year to protect the health and safety of New Jersey’s 1.6 million school students, faculty, and staff. Instead, public schools will continue to provide remote learning for all Preschool-12th grade students to meet the state-required 180 instructional days.
It is important for students to continue completing all online work. Please check each teacher’s Schoology page every day to be logged in for attendance purposes. Work will be posted on Schoology until June 10th. Please continue to answer emails from your teachers and attend Zoom and Google Hangout meetings. Staying connected is very critical as we continue through the fourth marking period. Please also remember that your counselors, case managers, Dr. Kosek, and I are available to talk to you if you need any help.
The Vernon School District is presently working on a plan to close the 2019-2020 school year in the safest way possible while adhering to all local, state, and federal guidelines for social distancing. You will be notified as soon as school closing plans are in place. Thank you for your patience with this matter. Your child will have an opportunity to get their belongings from their hallway lockers, PE lockers, as well as to return materials and library books.
Glen Meadow is also planning all end-of-the-year activities such as the National Junior Honor Society, the 8th Grade Awards Assembly, and the 8th Grade Advancement Ceremony. However, we must continue to follow local, state, and Federal guidelines that currently prohibit us from having in-person gatherings. As per the Governor’s Executive Order for social distancing, we are organizing all of these events to be virtual celebrations. We are working very hard to make these events as close to the actual experience as possible. Please note the following important dates:
Our National Junior Honor Society Induction will take place online virtually on Monday, May 18, 2020, at 5:30 pm,
Our 8th Grade Awards Program will take place online virtually Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at 12:00 pm,
Our Advancement Ceremony will take place online virtually on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at 5:30 pm
We know these events are very important to our students and our families and we are working diligently to make these programs special for our students. We know how much our 8th graders look forward to their 8th Grade Dance. I am working with the Glen Meadow SCA to make this a reality. At this time, we do not have any information on when this will take place. When local, state, and federal experts deem it safe for schools to host large, in-person events, Glen Meadow will have a belated 8th Grade Dance for the Class of 2020.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
Thank you to the Glen Meadow SCA for creating this beautiful video of our students showing their gratitude for the teachers at Glen Meadow. Our teachers have been working very hard to create a dynamic online experience for our students and appreciate this recognition. In addition, enjoy some pictures of students who made signs and posters to say “thank you” to our Glen Meadow teachers.
School Nurse’s Day is May 6th! Thank you to Ms. Stephanie Ash, Glen Meadow’s finest School Nurse. Ms. Ash is responsible for almost 700 students and cares for each student as if he or she were her very own. Ms. Ash turns every office visit into a mini-lesson instructing students on their ailment or ache, how to treat it, and how to stay safe and healthy. We are all very grateful that Ms. Ash is Glen Meadow’s School Nurse. Not only is she our School Nurse, but Ms. Ash also works part-time at Chilton Hospital, so she is on the front lines right now taking care of those in need. We are proud of you Ms. Ash!
Student Voice Project: Our Superintendent, Ms. D’Avino, has invited students to tell their story! Ms. D’Avino is working with her colleagues at The University of Pennsylvania on “The Student Voices Project” which is a collaborative storytelling initiative that encourages students of all ages to share their experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak. Please tell us your story! Click this link and join other students in sharing your experience.
From the Vernon Coalition: Introducing their new Virtual Pen Pal Program!
This program is designed to connect students with our awesome Vernon High School Vernon Action Group mentors! Do you have a middle schooler that might like to connect with a high school mentor? Do you know a senior citizen who might like to connect with our Action Group? This program is designed for you! Everyone could use connection during this time of social distancing and quarantine, and we would love to connect with you! Check on the information in the graphic below. Contact Lisa DeRitter at Lisa@centerforprevention.org to participate. What a great way to connect to our community.
As we approach almost our second month of distance online learning, please know how we appreciate that you are partnering with us with your child’s lessons. Thank you for answering emails and calls that come from teachers, Dr. Kosek, and me. 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!
Sincerely,
Rosemary Gebhardt and Eric Kosek