Meet our Seeing Eye Dog in Training…Rusty
Rusty says goodbye to students as they leave for the day…
Rusty, the Seeing Eye Puppy in training, has had an eventful month at Cedar Mountain Primary School. Rusty started the year with a bang at grade level assemblies, teaching students all about his current “work” at Cedar Mountain and his future work as a Seeing Eye dog. Rusty visits classrooms daily to say “good morning” and teachers request that he visit to join in story time or for Mrs. Keane to answer questions about his Seeing Eye puppy life. Rusty even helped during the Bus Safety Program and showed students how he sits safely on the bus, too! Every morning students excitedly ask if Rusty is in school, they are so eager to see him every day! Our special puppy has also assisted in making some tears go away and has brought many, many smiles to the students, faculty, and staff of all at Cedar Mountain Primary School. Students are demonstrating a great deal of self-control when they see Rusty and have been the best teachers of how to keep hands to themselves, walk quietly around the building, and how to focus on the task at hand. Rusty remains calm during the school day, and is trying his best to be a model student like all the children of Cedar Mountain are teaching him to be! Rusty wants to make The Seeing Eye proud, and the initial feedback is that The Seeing Eye is impressed with how well he is doing at school at four months of age! Everyone at Cedar Mountain is so proud of Rusty and how hard he is working, and at the end of the day, he is one tired puppy. Rusty even had his picture taken on picture day so he will have an ID like everyone else!
The 21 Day Reading Challenge is underway!
Cedar Mountain will be participating in an exciting national reading challenge from ReadAloud.Org called the 21 DAY CHALLENGE. Here’s how to participate:
- Sign your family up at ReadAloud.org to take the 21 DAY CHALLENGE!
All you need to do is to read aloud for 15 minutes or more for 21 days – October 2 – October 23.
- On October 2- you begin the challenge!
– Mark the challenge paper (on the back)
– Share a picture of you and your family reading aloud to social media if you like!
– Share the challenge with friends… spread the word!
- For the next 21 days, continue to read and spread the word.
Remember to mark the challenge paper each day to keep track of your progress.
- Return your 21 DAY CHALLENGE paper to school on Tuesday, October 24, 2017,
through Friday, October 27, 2017, so that we can add your family name to the Read Aloud bulletin board here at Cedar Mountain.
We appreciate your partnership with us and in your willingness to be another voice that shares the power and importance of reading aloud to our children each and every day! Please email me pictures of you reading to your child at rgebhardt@vtsd.com. I will post your family reading pictures on the Cedar Mountain blog. Here is a mini-book coloring page for your child.
Kira Willey is coming to Cedar Mountain on Friday, October 6th to celebrate the Week of Respect!! Kira Willey is an award-winning musician best known for her song Colors. Kira Willey is also a certified Yoga instructor. Cedar Mountain is so fortunate to have her return to our school again this school year. We thank the Cedar Mountain SCA for providing the funds to bring this special concert to our school. Please visit Kira Willey’s site to hear her music (note that Kira Willey mentions our school in her site). Kira Willey’s concert will culminate our Week of Respect. We will be surprising Kira Willey by having classes wear a different color of the rainbow in honor of her song Colors; a special song that Mrs. Keane uses to teach many of her school counseling lessons. Please see the letter from your child’s teacher with the color for your class. We are excited to hear her beautiful music while practicing yoga poses.
As a reminder, all Vernon schools will be closed on Monday, October 9th, for teachers to attend in-service training
First-Grade Family Dance Nights are coming! Mr. Moschella has invited all first-grade classes to bring their families Cedar to experience all of the dances they have learned in kindergarten and are learning this year. Each Dance Night begins at 6:00 pm. Your child will bring home an informational memo stating the night his or her class is invited to attend. The schedule is as follows:
- Friday, October 6th –Mrs. Barone, Mrs. Battista, Mrs. Giangrande, and Miss White
- Friday, October 13th –Mrs. Hyche, Mrs. Novak, Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. Zicopoulos
- Friday, October 27th – Mrs. Start, Mrs. Sweeney, Mr. Dente, Mrs. Talerico/Mrs. Ollert
October 9-13, 2017, is Fire Prevention Week. The Vernon Township Fire Department will be here to speak to our students about Fire Safety on Tuesday, October 10, 2017. 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.
Fall Reading Night, sponsored by Project Self-Sufficiency will be held on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, at 6:00 pm. Please click here for a flier will be sent home soon regarding sign-ups for this special activity. Bring your lawn chairs and sleeping bags to this fun family event. Students must be pre-registered in order to participate.
Parent Conference Week: Please see the attached memo on our Parent Conference Week (October 16-18, 2017). Please note, Thursday and Friday, October 19-20, 2017, are full days of school. Cedar Mountain will have early dismissal days on Monday through Wednesday of this week, students will be dismissed to board buses at 1:20 p.m. Buses will leave school at approximately 1:25 p.m. There will be no cafeteria service on early dismissal days. Students will have snack/light lunch in their classrooms. Please remember to send a snack/light lunch to school with your child on early dismissal days or purchase a pre-ordered lunch through Sodexho. If your child receives free or reduced lunch, you must order the lunch of your child’s choice.
Teachers will be using Sign Up Genius for you to sign up for a conference slot on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you would like to order a lunch for your child, please complete the form that will be sent home. Conferences will run as follows:
Monday, October 16- 3:45-7:30 pm
Tuesday, October 17- 2:15-4:00 pm
Wednesday, October 19- 3:45-7:30 pm
Sign Up Genius Links for Cedar Mountain teachers:
Kindergarten Teachers:
First-Grade Teachers:
Mrs. Keane, K-1 School Counselor
Family Math Night will be held on Tuesday, October 25, at 6:00 pm. Come join us to learn about the Math in Focus curriculum and play games with your child that you can take home with you to continue practicing math skills. See the letter that will be sent home; sign-up is required for this activity. The format of the evening will consist of a parent information session at the beginning of the evening while students are engaged in math activities. At the end of the informational session, parents will accompany their children to a designated classroom. If you would like to join us for the family math night, please go to the vtsd.com website, click district, and under departments click math. From here you will be able to find the registration link. If you do not have computer access and would like to register, please contact Laurie Nelson and Vinny Gagliostro at 973-764-5514. Registration will be open until October 19th. If you should register and become unable to attend, please email vtsdmath-coaches@googlegroups.com.
Picture Re-Takes: Are scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, 2017, if you need to have your child’s picture retaken or taken for the first time if they were absent or not yet enrolled at Cedar Mountain during our first picture day.
We are excited to let you know that we will be having a Halloween Parade at Cedar Mountain on Tuesday, October 31st, at 10:45 am in the field between Cedar Mountain and Glen Meadow Middle School. Please see this memo that was sent home on October 6th for details.
And finally….don’t forget about our Veteran’s Day Parade that will be taking place at Cedar Mountain on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at 10:00 am. Please see the attached memo for details. All Veterans who are related to children at Cedar Mountain are invited to attend.
It is an honor to partner with you, we are looking forward to seeing you at our fall conferences…
Rosemary Gebhardt