February Newsletter

Welcome to the month of February, the month where we celebrate Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and snowstorms!. With COVID-19 still raging, I hope that you and your families are keeping some semblance of normalcy even as many of your children still are engaging with their classes virtually. As you know, we re-opened the school building on January 19 with a little more than half of our students on-site. We are working hard to keep the building safe so that we may continue to be open. We appreciate so much your cooperation in helping us do so.

The Virtues-of-the-Month for February are Honesty and Justice. February invites us to think about the civic virtues of loyalty, love of country, and honesty as good ultimately if they are in the service of justice. Justice is the greater good and the end that is not to be compromised. If patriotism ends up become oppressive, such as in Nazi Germany, then “love of country” has become perverted. Justice always takes precedence.

Similar things can be said of honesty. Honesty and truthfulness are necessary for the flourishing of just communities but are too often compromised in politics and contemporary life. We can inspire children with “honest Abe” walking miles in the rain to return the proper change to a shopkeeper who overpaid him. To do so is noble, involving self-sacrifice and self-giving, but it also supports the virtue of justice, rendering the other his due. However, there are also times and situations in which honesty, if taken literally, can support injustice. If, for example, children inquire about the dishonesty of those who hid Jews and lied about it to Nazi soldiers, they should be reminded of the larger virtue of justice, which demands respect for the dignity and rights of all human beings.

Open House

Wednesday, January 27, was our first Open House of the year—this one in connection with National School Choice Week. Due to pandemic concerns, the event was held online as we started doing last year. Four prospective parents attended and seemed well engaged. Dr. Beebe began by giving the parents a PowerPoint presentation, overviewing the school. I wish to appreciate Mrs. Lawrence for her support by sharing her experiences with the school and answering parents’ questions. In the coming months New Hope School will be holding similar Virtual Open Houses on a monthly basis, the next being Saturday, February 27, 11:00am-12:00pm. If you know of any parents who might be interested in sending their child to New Hope, please invite them to this valuable information session where they can find out about our education program and extra-curricular activities.

Upcoming Events

We hope that sometime in February we will be able to hold the Scholastic Book Fair and Spelling Bee, which we postponed from last December. Stay tuned for further news on this.

May God be with you and your family!

                                                                                    New Hope School Staff

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”
Benjamin Franklin

January Newsletter

As we approach the new year, we would first like to say “good riddance” to 2020! Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all of our lives were disrupted in so many ways. Some of us may have lost jobs or had our hours cut back. Many have had to work from home, while at the same time taking care of at-home children, making sure they were “zooming” into their online sessions on time, with school uniforms on and books and other necessities at hand. At the school we were unable to conduct many of our usual activities, including field trips, Harvest Festival, Scholastic Book Fair, our choir caroling at City Hall for the mayor and his staff, and our Winter Concert. Fortunately, we were able to hold our annual clothing drive and the Read-a-Thon fundraiser for which we are so grateful for your support.

We know that it has not been easy to juggle all of the many changes in our lives. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our parents as well as staff for their heroic efforts to keeping things moving forward in terms of your children’s education. We appreciate so much your support and understanding. As always, parental engagement is so important to children’s educational achievement. Whatever the new year brings, let us continue to work together for the academic and character development of your children.

Speaking of the new year, as you see from our January calendar, following 14 days of precautionary quarantine after the winter break, during which many families may have traveled or been visited by relatives or friends, we intend to reopen the school building for on-site classes the day following Martin Luther King Day, i.e., Tuesday, January 19. At the same time, we will continue to offer the option for students to zoom into the classroom virtually for parents who may feel uneasy about sending their children to the school.

Our virtue-of-the month for January will be Courage. This is a major virtue—with physical, moral, intellectual, and civic dimensions. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose life we commemorate this month, showed tremendous courage in fighting for the civil rights of African-Americans in the face of physical injury, imprisonment, and eventually even giving his very life. Our teachers will be addressing different dimensions of courage in their classrooms.

Our hope is that, assuming everything proceeds smoothly with the re-opening of the building, we will soon be able to hold two of the events we have so far had to postpone: the Scholastic Book Fair and our school spelling bee for students in the 3rd grade and above. Please stay tuned for further notice about these events.

May the new year bring many blessings to you and your family!                                                         

“Having courage does not mean that we are unafraid. Having courage and showing courage mean we face our fears. We are able to say, 'I have fallen, but I will get up.'”

Maya Angelou

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.”

Lech Walesa

November Newsletter

A big thank you to all the parents who gave to our October clothing drive. The clothes will be donated next week to the Salvation Army for distribution to needy families.

This past week our students took the school’s biannual reading assessment. In addition, as you know, we are conducting a survey to understand how much reading students are doing outside of school. Please return the survey to the school if you have not yet done so. The promotion of reading is one of the core aspects of our curriculum.

In line with this, in November we will be holding our 3rd annual Read-a-Thon, a school fundraiser which also doubles as an encouragement to our students to read more. Each student will be asked to read at least 5 books during the month and we ask parents, related family, and friends to sponsor them in this task. Each child will be given a separate web page to which sponsors can indicate their pledges of support. Our overall goal for the fundraiser is $5,000 as a school. We will appreciate any support you can offer which will be counted towards the $200 we ask each family to donate to the school during the course of the school year. Look for an e-mail on this over the weekend.

This month’s virtue of the month is Stewardship. This rather old-fashioned word asks students to recall that true gratitude not only entails the thankfulness that surrounds the annual holiday of Thanksgiving, but also involves appreciation and taking good care of the gift received. One who is truly grateful for a gift from Grandma, for example, does not misuse it, but takes extra care to honor both her and the gift she gave. Let us take time to reflect on how we can best express our gratitude by acting as good stewards for the many gifts given us in life. It’s also a time to reflect on using our natural resources responsibly and, in general, to respond lovingly to the gifts of others.

Please note on the November calendar that parent-teacher meetings are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 18-19, 3:30-5:30 pm. Your child(ren)’s teacher(s) will be in touch with you to set up a virtual 15-minute call to discuss your child(ren)’s progress. We hope that all of our parents will use this opportunity to meet with their child(ren)’s teacher(s) to understand their performance so far this school year and how you may better support them in their education.

Finally, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

“The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.”
Pope John Paul II

October Newsletter

Our school year got off to a great start with about 75% of our students onsite and 25% attending virtually. I wish to thank all of you for your support during this challenging time as we seek to provide your children with the best possible educational experience despite the ongoing COVID-19 reality.

In the past two weeks we have been working with Marco Technologies to get our new audio-visual enhancement system up and running for those students who have been at home. There are still a few bugs to work out, but it seems that things are improving step-by-step. Thank you for your patience.

I also wish to thank everyone who attended our first ever Virtual Back-to-School Night. It seems that most of our families were represented. We look forward to a good collaborative relationship with you throughout this year. We invite you to be part of New Hope’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) which will have its first meeting of the school year on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7:00-87:00 pm. In addition, we hope that you will find time to volunteer to help us in some of our school’s activities which we will strive to have within the limits imposed by the pandemic.

For example, in October we plan to kick off our first service project of the year—a clothing drive. Please bring in old (but in good condition) shirts, pants, hats, gloves, coats, blankets, shoes, sweaters, sweatshirts, etc., and drop them off in a box that will be in the hallway starting Monday, Oct. 5. The clothing will be given to St. Peter’s Haven for distribution to needy families.

October’s Virtue of the Month is Perseverance. This is the virtue that calls us to push ourselves, especially in the face of adversity—and through such efforts ultimately free ourselves to realize our full potential. Please note that we will announce our Students of the Month for October this Friday.

Friday, Oct. 9, will be Picture Day when individual, class, and whole school photos will be taken of the students. Be sure your child is dressed extra nice that day.

Although this year we will not be having a schoolwide Harvest Festival, children are still welcome to come in Halloween costumes Friday, Oct. 30 (but not too scary!).

Let’s have a great autumn together!

“The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground.”

Anonymous

September Newsletter with COVID Updates

I would like to provide you with a few updates regarding the start of the school year, especially in relation to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and what we are offering in terms of our education program this fall.

First of all, I hope that all of you and your families are safe and healthy. It continues to be a stressful time for everyone. We are all having to adjust our lives to the “new normal,” as they say.

This week New Hope’s staff has been meeting to go over our plans as we approach the revised start date of Tuesday, Sept. 8.  Our goal has been to continue to offer the best education program possible while safeguarding the health of all of our staff and families.

COVID-19 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

In July we sent to you our tentative policies and procedures in dealing with COVID-19. This was compiled after close examination of CDC guidelines regarding the re-opening of schools as well as the New Jersey Department of Education’s The Road Back: Restart and Recovery Plan for Education. These policies and procedures were revised this past week and have been attached to this message with any changes in bold lettering.  

Keep in mind the main factors in preventing the spread of the coronavirus: screening, hand hygiene, social distancing, face coverings, and that symptomatic individuals remain home. In keeping with this last point, students with any signs of respiratory illness or flu-like symptoms should stay home. In general, we ask that all families observe preventative practices to the best of their ability so that everyone in our school community will remain safe and healthy.

Mrs. Karen Beebe will be our COVID Response Coordinator, the point person to deal with any questions or issues involving our COVID policies and procedures. She may be reached by email at kbeebe54@yahoo.com or cell phone at 862-400-0087. The school's pandemic response will be evaluated on a monthly basis and we will be in consultation with local public health and education officials regularly to determine the need to adjust our education program. If there is a determination to close the school, you will be notified by text and email after which our status will be reassessed on a weekly basis.

Although it is not mandated, parents may want to have themselves and/or their children tested for the coronavirus in order to assure themselves and others that they are virus-free. Parents will be expected to notify the school if any immediate family member travels out of state, especially to those areas with continued high transmission rates of COVID-19.

Finally, parents or other family members will be asked, out of concern for the safety of the entire school community, to not enter the building unless absolutely necessary. If you need to do so, please call the office ahead of time so that our office manager Ms. Josephine knows to expect you. At the end of the school day, we ask that parents wait outside to receive their children. You may notify either the office or your child’s teacher that you are waiting outside. This year, if your child is not in aftercare, you may pick him/her up anytime between 2:45-3:15 pm.

EDUCATION PROGRAM

According to the results of our survey, about two-third of students plan to be in the classroom starting September while about one-third will be at home. To accommodate the latter group, we have been in consultation with Marco Technologies to install enhanced audio-visual equipment in our classrooms so that students at home will be able to attend classes and engage in classwork as easily as those physically in the classroom. Due to the high demand across the country for such technology, this system will not be fully operational until the middle of September. We ask that parents patiently bear with us as we get this new system up and running. In the meantime, teachers will attempt to include at-home students using our current technology.

Students tuning in virtually will be expected to complete the same work as those physically in the classroom. This means that they will be expected to be present at the same classes as their classmates at the school. It will be the parents’ responsibility to be sure that their children are “in” the classroom on time and participating with the other students to be counted as “present.” The class schedule will be sent to these parents before school starts on Sept. 8. Teachers will be in touch with such parents as to where and how to connect virtually. Please address any further questions to your children’s teachers.

One-on-one virtual instruction at a cost of $20 per hour will be set up starting Monday, Sept. 21 for those parents who requested it.

COMMUNICATION

In addition to our TeacherEase platform for communication with parents by email, we will be using Remind this year in order to communicate more accessible text messages to the whole community, such as school closings due to snow conditions or COVID-related issues, or to specific parents regarding their children’s situations. In the next few days, you will be asked to opt into this system. Look for this on your cell phone.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through this. We deeply appreciate your support of the school as we work through all the challenges facing us during this time as we seek to re-open and continue offering your children quality education as the foundation of a successful and happy life.

In addition, this year at the end of our newsletter we will add a link to the monthly Parent Institute newsletter “Helping Children Learn”, which offers tips for families to use to help their children do better in school. Please go here: http://www.parent-institute.com/nl/newsletter.php?X02540489-13204-HCL1.

God bless you all! Let’s have a great year together.

Dr. Beebe

Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting, and Ventilation

Requirements: * Cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and ventilating learning spaces, surfaces, and any other areas used by students

ServPro will perform a deep cleaning of the building before the beginning of school.

Frequently touched surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected before students enter the building and then several times a day. This includes, but is not limited to: doorknobs, light switches, desks, sinks, toilets, cubbies, playground equipment, etc. The water cooler will be removed. Children should bring their own water bottles. Water bottles will be available for purchase in the office for 50 cents.

Computers will be cleaned and disinfected after each use.

The building will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected by a professional cleaning service twice a week.

Other cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and ventilation practices

Ventilation: Classroom windows and doors will remain open as much as possible. Fans or air conditioners may also be utilized in the classrooms.

Social Distancing and Other Safety Protocols

Requirements: * Classroom/ learning space occupancy that allows for 6 feet of separation among students and staff throughout the day, to the maximum extent feasible

Classroom desks will be 6 feet distant from each other and from the teacher’s desk.

* Restricting the use of lunchrooms and other congregate settings, and serving meals in alternate settings such as classrooms

All students will eat their lunches in their own classrooms.

School wide assemblies will be suspended for the foreseeable future.

* Hygiene practices for students and staff including the manner and frequency of hand-washing and other best practices

All students and staff will wash their hands immediately after entering the building. Subsequently they will wash their hands every 2 hours, especially just before eating lunch.

All classrooms will have hand sanitizers, soap, and disinfectant wipes.

* Posting signs, in highly visible locations, that promote everyday protective measures, and how to stop the spread of germs

Signs will be posted throughout the building and in the bathrooms above the sinks.

* Identifying and restricting non-essential visitors and volunteers

No one will be allowed in the building unless previously identified.

All visitors will be screened and required to wear a face covering.

Visitors will not be allowed any physical contact and must maintain social distancing requirements.

Visitors’ time in the building will be minimized as much as possible.

* Handling recess activities and physical education classes consistent with the CDC Considerations for Youth Sports

Social distancing will be maintained during physical education classes and recess.

All sports equipment used will be disinfected before and after classes and recess.

Limiting the sharing of materials among students

Students will not be allowed to share school supplies, books, food, utensils, or water with each other.

It is recommended that students’ daily materials be taken home and cleaned each day.

Staggering the use of communal spaces and hallways

There will be floor markers 6 feet apart in the hallways and well as line-up spaces outside.

Limiting the number of individuals in classrooms and other learning spaces, and interactions between groups of students

There will be a maximum of 10 students per classroom.

Interactions between students of different classrooms will be minimized.

Aftercare and after school activities will continue with social distancing being maintained.

Only one person will be allowed in a bathroom at a time.

Other social distancing and safety practices

The playground will be divided into sections.

Outdoor time will be staggered by classroom groups.

Pick up at the end of the school day will be 2:45-3:15. Students will remain in the classroom until 3:15 after which those still at the school will go outside for aftercare.

Monitoring Student and Staff Health

Requirements: * Monitoring students and staff for symptoms

There will be screening of all students and staff for temperature and symptoms before entering building in the mornings.

* Isolating or quarantining students, staff, or visitors if they become sick or start showing symptoms

In case of sickness, the student, staff person, or visitor will be brought to a dedicated isolation room for monitoring. In the case of a student, parents will be called.

Local health officials, school staff, and families will be notified immediately of any confirmed COVID cases while maintaining confidentiality.

Contact tracing procedures will be implemented in coordination with local health officials.

* Returning isolated or quarantined staff, students, or visitors to school

Symptomatic persons must complete a 14-day period of quarantine and be tested and cleared for COVID before being allowed to return to the school.

During such time, the student will continue to learn remotely.

Notifying staff, families, and the public of school closures and within-school-year changes in safety protocols

In case of infection, the school will be closed for 2 days for deep cleaning and disinfection.

Learning will continue remotely during that time.

Parents will be informed via email or text.

Public notice will be placed on the school’s website.

COVID protocols will be posted and kept updated on the school’s website

Other Considerations for Students and Staff

Requirements: * Use of face coverings (masks or face shields) by all staff

All school staff will be required to wear face coverings.

* Use of face coverings (masks or face shields) by older students (as appropriate)

Students are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings and required to do so when social distancing cannot be maintained. It is recognized that enforcing the use of face coverings among younger students may not always be practical.

Unique safety protocols for students with complex needs or other vulnerable individuals

The following alternative methods of learning will be offered:

Distance learning with direct link into the classroom.

Recorded presentations (depending on the teacher).

Take-home packets.

Strategic deployment of staff

Staff will constantly monitor student movement, hallway traffic, and maintain safety inside and outside the building.

COVID-19 Policies and Procedures

During what is a most challenging and changeable time for us all, I would like to provide our parents with all the new developments related to the COVID-19 situation and to share with you our plans and policies surrounding the pandemic as we approach the next school year.

Let me first state that the health and safety of our students, staff, and families is our number one priority. Given this, it is also our intention to reopen the school, while allowing some families the option for distance learning due to health and safety concerns.

In making this decision, we first considered that COVID-19 may be with us for still quite some time. It is also in accordance with your desire as expressed through the responses to our recent survey. The policies and procedures which we plan to implement will provide a framework to keep everyone safe when the school reopens while providing some accommodation for those who may still feel uneasy to participate on-site. The CDC and NJ Department of Education have issued thorough guidelines on reopening that we will adhere to closely as set out in the following pages.

Currently, the key recommendations from public health agencies to prevent the spread of coronavirus are screening, hand hygiene, social distancing, face coverings, and that symptomatic individuals remain home. We echo this last recommendation and ask that students with any signs of respiratory illness or flu-like symptoms stay home. We have contracted with ServPro to conduct two deep cleanings this summer, one last week and another just before the school year. Regular cleaning and disinfecting will continue daily throughout the year. All staff will undergo COVID prevention training before the start of the year. PPE and cleaning supplies will be well maintained.

We appreciate the time that many of you took to complete our survey. From your responses, we see there is a desire for different options regarding your children’s learning. We will try to accommodate that desire as best we can in terms of offering direct links into the classrooms, recorded presentations, and take-home packets for children unable to come to the school physically. One-on-one virtual instruction will be offered as well for an additional cost.

To augment our online program, we have contracted with Defined Learning, which offers online learning services, and Google’s G Suite for Education which can link into our TeacherEase platform.

Finally, I would just like to acknowledge that this time has been stressful for all of us and would like to share some words of support:

·         Take breaks to ease your mind and invest in positive, enjoyable activities

·         Seek news only from reliable sources, and only in short stints

·         Maintain safe and healthy routines as much as possible

·         If possible, take a vacation this summer! Disconnect. Unplug, Recharge. You deserve it! 

We will be in touch with you regarding updates. I look forward to seeing you in September!

Robert Beebe, Ed.D., Principal

June Newsletter

As we approach the end of this very unusual school year, we wish to thank all of you for your consistent support. As parents and teachers, we have a joint responsibility to raise and educate our children, helping them grow to become loving and responsible adults, no matter what the world throws at us. We especially appreciate your support and understanding as all of us have had to scramble to keep students engaged in their studies despite the COVID-19 outbreak.

Our Virtue-of-the-Month for June is Heroism. This is especially appropriate given the challenges we have all had to face these past several weeks and no doubt will continue to face. From the front line health care workers in hospitals and senior living facilities to our very own teachers and you yourselves as parents, we have all had to rise to the challenge of helping others while keeping our own lives going and our families safe and healthy in the face of many obstacles.

Because of these trying circumstances, we will not be able to have our usual end-of-the-year celebrations. However, our teachers will be reaching out to you to arrange a time to come to the school one last time as a class before the summer to reconnect, receive report cards, school yearbooks and awards, and even have a little fun.

As the governor is allowing summer day camps to open starting July 6, we DO plan to have an on-site summer program from July 6-August 7 while taking precautions to follow CDC and NJ Department of Health guidelines regarding social distancing and keeping our facility well-disinfected. At the same time, starting June 22 through August 7 we will also offer virtual one-on-one tutoring as well as online classes in music, art, dance, yoga, and martial arts, depending on interest. Revised documents for both on-site and virtual programs will be sent out in the next few days.

Finally, if you have not yet done so, please be sure to turn in your child’s registration form for next year as soon as possible to reserve his or her place. What the next school year will look like is still unclear at this point. We have been doing a lot of research to determine what would be the best possible design for our students both to insure their health and safety as well as to develop our educational program to be as stimulating as possible both on-site and online. In July you will receive more details as to our plans in the summer mailout.

In the meantime, have a safe and happy summer!

“Above all, don’t fear difficult moments. The best comes from them.”

Rita Levi-Montalcini

Neurobiologist & Nobel Prize winner

May Newsletter

“April showers brings May flowers” is the refrain. We certainly have seen our share of showers this past month. Let’s hope it helps to drive away COVID-19 and allow us to go out and enjoy those May flowers that, virus or not, are sure to come out in abundance.

Ironically, our Virtue of the Month for May is Joy! We know that the stay-at-home reality of the past six weeks has led to a lot of loneliness, anxiety, and even despair for many people. I know that it has been particularly trying for parents having to juggle their jobs (if they haven’t lost them!) and taking care of the needs of their at home children. With all that, we appreciate so much our parents continuing support of their children’s education during this time. Let’s work to maintain joy in our lives—in the great gift of life—and hope for the future. In the words of the Persian adage: “This too shall pass!”

Last Saturday New Hope School held its first ever Virtual Open House. We had five prospective parents, two of whom have already decided to register their children for the coming school year. I wish to give a shout out to two of our parents, Nadeen Thakur and Rene Meza, who joined in and gave wonderful testimonies in support of our school and graciously answered the many questions of our guests.

As of this moment, it is difficult to say what will happen between now and June 12, the last day of school according to the 2019-20 school calendar. We continue to hold out hope that we may be able to re-open even for a short time before then to allow us all to reconnect with each other in person and to have some sort of end-of-the-year program.

Due to the current situation, students will not be taking Terra Nova exams this year. Nor will we be having our schoolwide Science Fair at the end of May, although some teachers may have virtual fairs in their own classes. You probably noticed that we did not have our annual Race for Education.

We are still hoping to have our usual 7-week summer program from June 22-August 7. If it turns out that the stay-at-home order remains in place through the summer, we plan to offer online tutoring for interested students in math, reading, and writing in place of the on-site enrichment program we normally have. Stay tuned!

Finally, I wish to remind you that registration is open for the 2020-21 school year. If you are happy with your child’s progress during this very unusual school year, I encourage you to reserve your child’s place for next year as soon as possible.

Stay safe and healthy!

“Find ecstasy in life: the mere sense of living is joy enough.”

Emily Dickinson

April Newsletter

Normally at this time of year we are all heralding the rebirth that comes through spring as trees begin to bud and flowers bloom. Even amidst the present outbreak of coronavirus, we can be grateful for the life-sustaining environment nature provides for us. Although parks and nature preserves in some areas may be closed, we hope that you and your child(ren) are finding ways to spend time together in healthy and productive ways.

Indeed, as the current crisis has upended our lives in countless different ways, it also presents us with opportunities to connect with one another and with those with whom we may have fallen out of touch over the years. In my case, I recently received an email from an old college roommate whom I had not talked to in decades. Now we are planning a conference call next week with other mutual friends from our college days. In addition, my wife and I took advantage of the wonderful weather this past weekend to go to Bear Mountain and South Jersey to take in the countryside. We saw many other couples, young families, and senior citizens out as well spending time together. Slowing down our lives has given us a chance to value family and friends in ways we may usually not take time to do.

Even as our building remains closed at the present time, as you know, our teachers continue to engage their students in their various academic subjects as much as possible—in some cases conducting classes online and/or sending home work assignments for them to complete. You should have received your child’s report card for the 3rd marking period by now. Going forward, on an optional basis we will be offering music, art, Spanish, and martial arts classes online starting the week after spring break. Details on this will be forthcoming soon.

In addition, we plan to have a virtual Open House on Saturday, April 25, at 11:00 am for prospective parents for the 2020-21 school year. I plan to give an overview of the school in PowerPoint after which participants will have a chance to talk with some parents of our current students. The link for this will be posted soon.

By the way, don’t forget to re-register your own child for the next school year! You will receive a 50% reduction in the registration fee if you do so by April 30

Due to the unpredictable nature of our school schedule, the following events are on hold: parent-teacher conferences, Race for Education, and Terra Nova testing.

May God bless you and keep you safe and healthy!

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.

Seneca