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NEWS & EVENTS - EARLY EDITION
Week of April 10,
2020
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In Roxbury Township Public Schools, our students and schools are involved with more than just academics. They are active members of the community who give their time and efforts to important causes. Check out all the upcoming events happening throughout Roxbury in the coming weeks.
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ROXBURY SCHOOLS IN THE NEWS
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Roxbury we want to hear from you! We're always looking for great stories of things happening in the Roxbury Schools and around town that involve our students, staff, and families! And now we've made it even easier to submit your content! Stories, high quality pictures, and even videos can be submitted
here or by emailing
goodnews@roxbury.org.
Please remember to include first and last names of individuals pictured!
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Share your Home Instruction Stories
We know our students, staff, and families are hard at work during their Flexible Instruction Days.
We'd love to see pictures and videos of your home instruction both from our students and educators and hear your stories!
Put in the Subject Line:
#RoxburyFID
and you might just see them on our website, on our Social Media pages, or in the news!
Superintendent Communications on COVID-19 - Apr 7
Dear Roxbury Community,
Welcome to week 4! At last evening's Board of Education meeting, the Board of Education members unanimously passed the resolution to modify the school calendar. Therefore, rather than a long spring break, we will have a shorter one with this Friday, April 10th and Monday, April 13th off. I hope you are able to enjoy those days and the modified weeks that follow.
There are a few items to clarify in regards to the calendar modification. First, voters were comprised of parents, students, teachers and community members. Secondly, over 80% voted for the modified calendar. Thirdly, the purpose of the modification is to support the schedules that parents have established for their children as well as create an opportunity to catch up on work and take a break from being online. IF we are able to return to school, we will not be able to conduct business as usual. There will need to be a transition time for the continued health of all. A calendar that includes 4-day weeks will serve to support a transition to "on-site" school days IF it becomes a possibility.
A philosophy that the administration and I share is that we must be prepared for all possibilities. And we have done just that. By announcing our school closing on the morning of Friday, March 13th, our teachers were able to prepare our students. By planning at the onset of the virus, our Flexible Instruction Day plan has been a model for others to follow. By being a one-to-one district with professional development in place for six years, we moved to an online system of education without much ado. By being leaders who truly care about our students, we have worked to provide resources for students, staff, and families. We will continue to serve and lead with the welfare of our children always at the forefront.
This week's theme is
creativity. Roxbury will have 4-day weeks, and we should use the long weekend for new hobbies, outdoor fun, and virtual travel. Last week I shared the
Roxbury Scavenger Hunt, this week I offer you a list compiled by our administrative team as well as others. Click
HERE for some creative ideas.
Parents, we've heard from our teachers and our students. Now it is your turn. Please click
HERE to take a brief survey. Thank you for sharing your perspectives! Last week's survey has helped us continue to enhance our online delivery of education. As a result, all teachers are asked to provide one weekly "live" session and invite student participation. According to the survey, many of our teachers are already embracing "live" sessions which demonstrates their level of commitment and compassion to our students.
We've been ahead of every curve and our success is to the combined efforts of our staff, students, families, administration, and Board of Education. We are
#RoxburyProud and
#RoxburyStrong!
Wishing you health and contentment during these uncertain times.
Sincerely,
Loretta L. Radulic Superintendent of Schools
Click here to stay up-to-date on the latest correspondence from Superintendent Radulic.
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Revised School Calendar for the Remainder of the School Year
Below is the revised school calendar for the remainder of the 2019/2020 school year that was board approved on April 6th. Just a reminder, there is no Flexible Instruction Days tomorrow, Friday, April 10th and Monday, April 13th for the revised spring break.
"Meals on Wheels" Continues to Roll in Roxbury
The continued COVID-19 school closures in Roxbury Township hasn't stopped some of our essential employees from making sure our students are safe and fed.
As we close out week 4 of Flexible Instruction, our Buildings & Grounds staff, our Transportation Crew, and Maschio's Food Services continues to provide "Meals on Wheels" to deliver
breakfast and lunch to district families on free and reduced lunch.
This past Monday the deliveries expanded. Meals are now being delivered to the students of Mt. Arlington Public Schools on free and reduced lunch.
More than 400 meals continue to be served daily to our students.
We can't thank our staff enough for their continued hard work and dedication in making sure our students are taken care of!
#RoxStrong #EssentialEmployees
Nixon's Early Act Sends Messages of Connection to Merry Heart
Our Nixon community and Early Act Club are going strong during these closures. They are making cards, letters, and posters for patients at Merry Heart Nursing Home who can't have visitors.
Nixon's Early Act Club Advisor Kerry Hamberger explained, "We had to come up with something we could do. The club came up with the idea to write letters to the Merry Heart Nursing Home since they can't have visitors."
Students and families are making these items to send to Merry Heart.
Help them contribute messages of hope and connection with Merry Heart patients! Mail them to Irma, the Activity Director at Merry Heart Nursing Home at 200 Route 10 West in Succasunna, NJ 07876. Click here to view more of these messages and pictures on our district's Facebook page.
#NixonHuskies #RoxStrong #ApartButNotAlone
Roxbury Schools Donates to Roxbury First Responders
With schools being closed, the Roxbury district was still able to contribute to the safety of its first responders with a donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) to
Roxbury Emergency Management. Robert Hackett, the Emergency Management Coordinator came for the equipment and supplies which will go to first responders in Roxbury Township: Police, Fire, and First Aid through Emergency Management.
Donated supplies included 40 gowns, 350 pairs of gloves, 75 masks with face shields, 50 N95 masks, 100 booties, and 1 bottle of disinfectant tablets which makes 25 gallons of cleaning solution.
Erica Iuvone, the Early Act Advisor expanded Tuesday morning on what the Jefferson community could do to help. "There are a few things Early Act is doing, so we wanted to open it up to all of Jefferson. The first thing that we have is a donation for the front liners. We're collecting high energy protein bars for medical professionals. Bars like granola bars, Cliff bars, KIND bars, Belvita, Nature's Valley, etc. We're having the donations on Friday, April 10th between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to drop off in front of Jefferson Elementary. I'll be there to greet you from my car, so it'll be great to see your smiling faces as you drop off a donation for the front liners."
Ms. Iuvone and Principal Cosgrove also encouraged students and families to work together and be creative to make handmade cards, posters, and letters for the nurses and doctors.
Click here to read more about how you can donate tomorrow from our website under "In the News".
Mindfulness, Stress Relief, and Family Activities
We know how stressful times are right now. The district has a compiled a website of videos and resources for you and your family. We've also teamed up with Roxbury's Mindfulness Instructor, Amy Rubin to provide some well needed mindfulness, stress relief, and family activities.
Click here
to check out Amy's new video's
along with other helpful links and applications.
Flexible Instruction Days - Tech Help
If you're having Internet Trouble or Technological difficulties during these Flexible Instruction Days, don't forget the Technology Department is here to help!
Contact Roxbury Public Schools' Tech Dept at 973-584-8121 or
click here
to complete our Help Desk Request Form.
We are also working on providing appointments for technology training for parents and students. Look for more information to follow in the coming days.
Get Your Roxbury Library Card Now!
Roxbury Public Library is having children and adults sign up for library cards. This is wonderful as there are e-books and audio books available at their finger tips. What a great way to escape your quarantine by escaping into a good book!
Nearly 1,000,000 free titles for your mobile device to alleviate the boredom (and you know, maybe learn a thing or two). eBooks, Audiobooks, Comics, Magazines, Movies, TV, Music! If you're a Roxbury resident, get a card NOW at
roxburylibrary.org/apply
#ShapeYourFuture and #BeCounted - US Census 2020
Stuck at home because of the Stay at Home Order? Thank you if you are! Have an open schedule without the kids sports and activities? Just bored of it all? Here's a small task for everyone to eat up a few minutes of your day! Complete your 2020 Census!
It's happening now!
Correct data can help in future situations like the one we are in!
You can respond online, by phone, or by mail. Invitations to respond from the US Census Bureau were mailed out between March 12-20. Homes will receive official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond.
Didn't receive one? Not a problem! Just go online and fill in the requested information to be counted!
Check out the SIS take-home flyer - This flyer is available in 13 languages. It explains to adults the importance of the 2020 Census and how to count every child in their home.
Not sure who counts? Before completing the 2020 Census, you need to know where to count yourself and who to count with you in your home.
Click here for some FAQ's from the Census Bureau to help!
This is our one chance until 2030 to ensure that every New Jersey child gets the resources they need for a quality education. Additional Information is available at
census.nj.gov.
Discounted Hershey Park Tickets for Summer 2020 - Extended to Apr 24
The Roxbury High School Band Parents Association is once again selling its annual discounted Hersey Park and Dorney Park Wildwater Kingdom tickets. Tickets are available for purchase has been extended now through April 24th.
Click here to view the Hersey Park ticket form.
Kindergarten Registration for Next Year - Franklin/Jefferson Postponed
Roxbury Township Public Schools offers a full-day kindergarten program designed to develop knowledge and skills in the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive areas. Our goal is to help children develop skills and strategies that will help them learn and establish a foundation for lifelong success in education. The program allows more time for students to address curriculum in depth and allows teachers to provide additional activities in learning.
Franklin and Jefferson's Kindergarten Registration dates have been postponed due to the school closures. Revised dates will be posted once determined.
To access more details, visit
www.roxbury.org/KindergartenRegistration
.
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Gaels Going Green - Did you know...
Since 2016, the Roxbury Township Public Schools has been striving to become more sustainable and green in its policies and practices. The Board of Education and administration made the decision to pursue district sustainability and green initiatives by creating and approving a half of dozen different policies outlining its position and efforts.
To that end, all seven schools in Roxbury Township attained Silver certification through Sustainable Jersey for Schools in August 2018. In this section, you will find various green initiatives, events, and tips to live a healthier, greener life.
Click here for more information regarding our sustainability initiative.
Roxbury Clean Communities Spring Clean Up - Cancelled for Apr 25
Due to the spread of the COVID-19 Virus, Roxbury Clean Communities is cancelling their Annual Spring Litter Clean Up scheduled for Saturday, April 25th.
While they are not going to join together to do a cleanup around the Township, you can still use this time to think about what each of us can do within our households for a cleaner and greener future.
In fact, as long as you remain physically distant from others (no groups), you may wish to take some time during the week of Earth Day (April 22) and pick up some litter in your neighborhood.
They would be happy to supply you with bags, vests, and gloves. They would pick up the material once you've completed a clean up.
For more information, contact Kellie Ann Keyes at keyesk@roxburynj.us or call 973-448-2053. Stay safe, stay healthy!
Roxbury Clean Communities Paper Shredding Day - May 2
Roxbury's Community Shredding Event will be Saturday, May 2nd from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Roxbury Recycling Center at 96 N. Dell Avenue in Kenvil. Due to limited capacity, this service will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
For more information, contact Kellie Ann Keyes at
kkeyes@roxburynj.us
or by calling 973-448-2053.
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RHS Athletic Events Calendar
Click here
for the most up-to-date calendar of Roxbury High School sporting events.
RHS Performing Arts Calendar
Click here for the major events in performing arts here in Roxbury!
Specific school related events can be found on their respective website calendars by visiting
www.roxbury.org
and selecting the school from the drop down at the top left of the screen.
RHS Project Graduation
Roxbury Project Graduation is NOT just for senior parents! We need all high school parents to get involved. This group and event benefit all Roxbury students. Don't wait, we need your help now.
Each year on the night of graduation, we host Project Graduation, an all-night, alcohol/drug free event for Roxbury's graduating High School Seniors.
To make this happen each year we need your HELP!
Our meetings are the second Tuesday of each month at 7pm in the RHS guidance conference room. Check us out on our Facebook page, Roxbury Project Graduation or the link for our website on the RHS website.
If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering,
please contact
Alana Hayford or
Audra Sarafin. Click here to read more details about this year's Project Graduation from our Virtual Backpack under the Flyer section.
Roxbury Collects
Box Tops for Education
Roxbury Township Public Schools are continuously collecting "Box Tops for Education" at our K-8 schools.
This is an easy, practically effortless way to raise funds for our schools by purchasing items you buy all the time.
Clipped box tops can be sent to any of our K-8 schools district-wide. School addresses can be found on our website at
www.roxbury.org
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Check out the Virtual Backpack!
Here we will feature events of organizations, clubs, and teams throughout our communities that serve to enrich the lives of our students.
Announcements, upcoming events, documents and forms that were previously sent home via backpacks will now be included in the Virtual Backpack. (On occasion, some paper forms, and flyers and other important information, will come home with your student or be sent to you directly via email.)
This page is updated as flyers are received.
Check the backpack!
Check Your Honeywell Settings!
Don't wait until severe weather hits to check your settings! You may want to change your time settings from Midnight to Midnight and have more than one way of being contacted...i.e., phone call/text message and/or email! This way if the phone lines are down/circuits are busy, etc., you are covered! Log into your Honeywell account
here.
Click here for parent instructions on creating an account.
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Roxbury Alumni In the News
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