December Newsletter
After skirting the COVID-19 pandemic in September and October, amidst rising numbers in Clifton, New Jersey, and most of the nation, New Hope School registered several cases among staff and families in November, causing us to close the building temporarily. While the building itself is closed, our teachers are continuing to instruct their students, either online, through packets, or a combination of both. We appreciate so much your support and understanding as we had to take this step in order to insure the safety of our entire school community. Our hope is to be able to reopen on January 4th after the winter break.
Our virtue for the month of December is Service. Even as children and entire families are once again homebound, there are still many opportunities to serve, whether around the house, in the yard, or elsewhere. Perhaps you could take your children to a local park and do a clean up of litter and other items. Back at home, it is always good for children to take on household responsibilities such as cleaning their room, taking out the garbage, doing the dishes, helping with the laundry, vacuuming, etc. Serving others is an important part of character development which can be learned and encouraged in a variety of situations. Be creative!
As you know, in November we launched our third annual 99Pledges fundraiser. With your support, this year New Hope School raised a total of $3,935 with 55% of families participating—both new school records! On behalf of our staff and the entire school, I wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all of you who gave so generously in support of this year’s fall fundraiser.
In line with promoting reading, we originally planned to have our annual Scholastic Book Fair this coming week. However, due to the school closure, we have had to postpone the fair until sometime in January or beyond depending on developments with the ongoing pandemic. We will keep you informed.
If your child is in 3rd grade or above, we hope you will support his/her involvement in our annual Spelling Bee, which we plan to hold once school resumes in January. We will be choosing ten finalists who will then compete for the honor of becoming this year’s spelling champion. New Hope School will not be competing in the usual regional spelling bee due to the pandemic.
Also, due to COVID, we will not have our annual Winter Concert. Instead we are looking into putting together an online celebration featuring students performing class by class. Stay tuned!
Whatever happens, we wish you Happy Holidays and pray for a Happier New Year!
“The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being.”