There is a change in date and location for our regular board meeting this month. Please see attached.
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Good evening,
For those of you who have yet to be able to return Chromebooks that were loaned for use during the closure, another opportunity to do so will be provided this Monday (the 29th) and Wednesday (the 1st) from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the front of ALJ. Please stop by sometime during those time frames if you are still in possession of one of these devices.
As always, many thanks for your cooperation.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Good evening,
Please remember that tomorrow (Friday the 26th) between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the front of ALJ is the final set of hours for the return of a Chromebook that was loaned for use during the closure. Kindly make certain that any loaned Chromebooks are returned by then.
Many thanks for your cooperation. Enjoy the rest of your night.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our virtual CHK Promotion ceremony took place last evening. A link to this virtual program can now be found on the CHK website. Tomorrow late morning/afternoon will be our drive-through ceremony. Many congratulations to these students and best of luck to them as they begin their high school careers in September. We have every confidence that they will continue to do great things and make us proud. Their parents, family members, teachers, and support staff are deserving of a very special thanks for the strong level of support that they provided.
Please join me in sending congratulations to these incoming high school freshmen. Many thanks and enjoy the rest of the day ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our VRS Promotion ceremony took place this morning. Please visit the VRS website for a link to this virtual program. These students, along with their parents, other family members, teachers, and school support personnel, have earned our immense congratulations. Please join me in sending these congratulations. We are certainly looking forward to the great things that lie ahead for these incoming sixth-graders at CHK.
As always, thank you. Enjoy the evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, June 15, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our virtual FKH Promotion ceremony took place this morning. The link to that ceremony has been posted on the FKH website for your viewing. Many congratulations to these students as they embark on their middle school careers. Please join me in congratulating them, their parents and families, and their teachers and staff members. We have no doubt that these incoming sixth-graders from FKH will continue to demonstrate greatness and make us proud.
Many thanks and enjoy the rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, June 12, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our virtual Senior Awards Ceremony will be this coming Monday evening (the 15th) at 6 p.m. This event is always one of my personal favorites throughout the entire school year. The overwhelming outpouring of support for our students from these great communities of Clark and Garwood is clearly evident. The link to the accompanying video will be posted to the ALJ website upon the conclusion of the ceremony.
Since the State is planning to raise the allowable number of people who can convene outdoors to a workable level as of July 3, we will be holding our more typical graduation ceremony on the ALJ football field on Wednesday, July 8. When the seniors pick up their cap-and-gown bags next week, two tickets for this ceremony along with a placard to be placed in the vehicle's windshield in order to gain access to the ALJ parking lot will be included within each bag. Additional details will be forthcoming by the end of next week.
Please know that a virtual ceremony will still be posted to the ALJ website on the evening of Monday, June 22 at 7 p.m.
As always, thank you for your support. Have a great, Crusader Strong weekend ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, June 11, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our virtual Eighth-Grade Awards Ceremony will take place this evening at 6 p.m. An electronic invitation was sent to the parents of any students receiving an award in addition to the students themselves receiving an invitation through their school email accounts. The video of the ceremony will be posted to the CHK website and kTV social media sites upon the conclusion of the program for everyone to enjoy.
Many congratulations to these award winners. You made us very proud!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Good afternoon,
Please see the below link to our virtual CHK Art Show. The involved students are once again deserving of many congratulations, and Mr. Tommy Peitz, their teacher, is deserving of immense thanks.
https://sites.google.com/clarkschools.org/chkart/home
As a point of clarification, ALJ grade nine one-to-one Chromebooks are not to be returned on June 24 to 26. The students are to keep them over the summer for use in September. Only those devices that were loaned for use during the closure need to be returned now.
Many thanks for your cooperation and have a good rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Good afternoon,
Please see the below links to our virtual ALJ Art Show and World Language Honor Society & Awards Ceremony. Many congratulations to our featured students. Their teachers who helped guide and support them are deserving of a very special thanks.
Art Show:
https://cmarcin0.wixsite.com/aljartshow
World Language Honor Society & Awards Ceremony:
https://www.wevideo.com/view/1738659133
Hope you enjoy!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, June 8, 2020
Friday, June 5, 2020
Good afternoon,
Please see the below letter that gives an overview of our FKH, VRS, and CHK promotion and ALJ graduation ceremonies. As stated in this letter, kindly know that additional information will be shared as soon as doing so is possible.
As always, thank you for your understanding and patience. Have a Crusader Strong weekend ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Dear Parents,
Thank you for your heroic efforts to support your children’s schools and the learning process during closings due to the coronavirus pandemic. The New Jersey Department of Education (Department) continues preparations for the next stages of school opening, and hearing from parents is a Department priority. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at the following link: NJDOE parent survey. We appreciate receiving your responses by Monday, June 8th.
If you have any questions, please contact the Department’s Office of Civic and Social Engagement at civicandsocial@doe.nj.gov.
The New Jersey Department of Education
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Good afternoon,
Please plan to return any loaned Chromebooks (along with their power adapters) "curbside" at the front entrance of Arthur L. Johnson High School on Wednesday, June 24 through Friday, June 26. The returns on Wednesday and Thursday will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday's returns will only be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Parents/guardians may choose any time within these various windows to make the returns. No one should exit the vehicle, and kindly wear a face covering at any time when speaking to a school representative. Immediately upon making the return, please exit the lot as quickly as possible so that the needed social distancing can be adhered to.
Many thanks in advance for your cooperation. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Good afternoon,
Students across the district will be dropping off their school-owned items. At the same time, they will be picking up bags of their personal belongings from their hallway lockers. These drop-offs and pick-ups, however, will occur "curbside" at each school without entry into the building. Schedules have been created so that social distancing will be in place. These schedules and additional details are being communicated by the principals. All loaned Chromebooks will be returned to ALJ through district-wide "office hours" similarly to how they were picked up. That schedule will be sent in a forthcoming Honeywell message.
Thanks for your cooperation and have a good one.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, June 1, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our various parent groups, including the Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), the Booster Club, and Project Graduation, are deserving of a very special thanks. They have gone above and beyond for our students during this time. Immense thanks also go to our local FLAG group. They have been providing lunches for the essential workers in town. In addition, they have been very thoughtful and kind in treating us in the schools to a lunch, and we are most appreciative.
I plan to send a letter by the end of this week outlining each school's plan for a promotion/graduation ceremony. A statewide update was issued as recently as late last Thursday evening, and we need time to incorporate these new guidelines into our planning.
Thank you for your cooperation. Enjoy the evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, May 29, 2020
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Good afternoon,
This is the time of year when the ALJ Alumni Association would typically hold their annual scholarship and induction ceremony. Obviously, this year's dinner and inductions have been postponed. However, the scholarships are still being given to our graduating seniors. A very special thanks goes to Mr. Art Lundgren and his team. They work tirelessly throughout the year so that our students can benefit. Below is a link should you want to learn more about the association.
https://aljalumni.org/
As always, thank you. Enjoy your evening.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Good afternoon,
Hope you enjoyed the long weekend and, in your own special way, were able to thank those individuals in the military who gave their lives for us all to have good, free ones.
Our seventh and eighth-graders at CHK were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society last Thursday evening. Please use the below link to view that virtual program. Many congratulations to these well-deserving students, their families, and their teachers. A very special thanks to CHK Teachers Ms. Suzanne Hamilton and Mr. Matthew Serwedes for all of their behind-the-scenes, hard work that went into the program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYVge9wzJIg&feature=youtu.be
Thanks and enjoy the rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, May 22, 2020
Good afternoon,
I hope that you and your families have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. The unofficial start to summer is here, and let's hope that the summer brings great things for us all. Many thanks again for staying Crusader Strong throughout this entire situation. As a reminder, there will be no remote learning this coming Monday (the 25th) in observance of the holiday. Lunches will also not be available on that day for pick-up. We will, however, look forward to reconnecting on Tuesday.
Have a good, safe one!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Good afternoon,
Today we would like to congratulate Patrick Brennan, our Class of 2020 Student Board of Education Representative. This prestigious position required Patrick to connect with faculty members so that he would be prepared for our monthly Board meetings. While polishing his public speaking skills, he also enjoyed learning about the happenings in our community and neighboring schools. With a consistent spot among the top 15% of his class, it is no wonder that Patrick has been inducted into the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, and Italian Honor Society. Among his many accomplishments, he is most proud of his involvement in our varsity football team where he served as captain and for being a role model to the ALJ student body through his participation in the Peer Leadership and Heroes and Cool Kids programs. We will surely miss Patrick's presence when he attends Lehigh University this coming fall to pursue a major in Business.
Patrick, congratulations on all of your accomplishments!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Good afternoon,
We would like to congratulate our 2020 Salutatorian, Heidi Compton. Heidi's stellar academic efforts at Arthur L. Johnson High School have led her to inductions into the National Honor Society where she serves as Secretary; the Science National Honor Society; the Italian Honor Society; and Tri-M, our Music Honor Society. Heidi also participates in activities that highlight her leadership ability, communication skills, and passions. These activities include our Varsity Field Hockey Team of which she is the Captain, Science League, Concert Band, Italian Club of which she is the President, Core Team at St. Agnes Church, Heroes and Cool Kids, and Peer Leadership. Volunteering occupies much of Heidi's time. This past summer, for example, she created and led an environmental program for children at our local library that included weekly lessons and activities. Her AP Capstone research study also had an environmental focus. We will miss Heidi's dedication and positive impact this coming fall when she attends Vassar College to major in English and Political Science while also playing Division III Field Hockey.
Many congratulations Heidi!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, May 18, 2020
Good afternoon,
I have some great news to share at the beginning of this new week. As you might remember, ALJ was named a State School of Character in January of 2019 by Character.org. The application for the national level of recognition was subsequently submitted, and the site visit took place prior to the school closure. I am thrilled to report that we received notification of ALJ now being a National School of Character. I would like to thank ALJ Assistant Principal Mr. Edward Bucior for leading this initiative and the committee of ALJ staff members who worked so hard to make this recognition possible. Our entire ALJ family is also deserving of a very special congratulations.
Go Crusaders and enjoy the rest of your day!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, May 15, 2020
Good afternoon,
This past Sunday through tomorrow is Special Education Week. I would like to close this school week by recognizing our special needs students, their parents, and our staff members. Their efforts and successes are outstanding, and they continually make us proud. I know that I and many others are personally motivated by them.
Hope that you all have an enjoyable, relaxing, Crusader Strong weekend.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Good afternoon,
The State restrictions in terms of this June's in-person ceremonies that were communicated earlier this week are being adjusted. For example, allowances for gatherings in vehicles are being made under certain circumstances. With that being said, we are awaiting guidance and clarification from the State regarding those needed conditions. Please know that we have created various plans to celebrate our students. However, it is very difficult to commit to any given plan at this time with the ever-changing State guidelines. I could never stress enough how the best interests of our students at the different grade levels and schools has and always will be at the forefront of our planning. Fortunately, the guidelines are seeming to become a bit less restrictive over the course of this week. This process will be a fluid one as we move ahead due to these changing guidelines, but we will be certain to share more information as soon as doing so is possible.
Hope this information is a bit helpful. Thanks again for your patience and understanding, and enjoy your evening.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Good afternoon,
Refund checks for canceled school activities and field trips along with those for our before/after care program are being processed. Please know that this process will take some time due to the volume of checks involved and the need for us, in some cases, to wait for the hosting sites to refund us.
In terms of Maschio's food service refunds, please use the below link to find the associated information.
https://tinyurl.com/yawmevd6
Many thanks and be well and safe!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our CPA Educational Services Professional of the Year is Ms. Kristina Novello. Ms. Novello is a paraprofessional aide. In the below attachment you will find Supervisor Ms. Nicole Viola's virtual speech around Ms. Novello's superior work at CPA. Please join me in sending thanks and congratulations to Ms. Novello for all that she does to help facilitate the learning of our preschoolers.
Have a good rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, May 11, 2020
Good afternoon,
I hope the weekend was relaxing for everyone and that Mother's Day was enjoyable. The below letter was sent from Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, State Director of Emergency Management, on Saturday afternoon. As you will see in the letter, "virtual celebrations and other remote forms of recognition should take the place of any in-person or public ceremonies." Please know that this update came as a great disappointment as the administrators, staff, and I have been working closely with the Board of Education and Township to plan face-to-face events with the needed social distancing and precautions in place. However, all May and June school events have now been cancelled in accordance with this directive. If we are by some chance fortunate enough to see this restriction lifted during the summer, we will look forward to celebrating with our high school graduates face-to-face and in real-time. Being a statewide directive, we are certainly not alone in dealing with this restriction. On the bright side, nothing can change the fact that we have a superior group of kids across our schools and the different grade levels, and we will work tirelessly to provide them with the recognition that they deserve as we are and always will be Crusader Strong!
Many thanks for your ongoing trust, patience, and flexibility. Being with good people like yourselves makes a challenging time like now that much easier. As always, we will be sure to share any possible changes or updates as they arise. Enjoy the evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, May 8, 2020
Good afternoon,
Hope the week was a productive one for everyone. As was communicated in early March prior to the school closure, Friday, May 22; Tuesday, June 2; and Friday, June 12 were going to be our three snow giveback days. However, allowing for an extended Memorial Day Weekend, no school on Primary Election Day, and a long weekend in June does not seem to make as much sense now given the current situation. Ending the school year and remote learning early instead makes more good sense. As a result, these three giveback days will now be Friday, June 19 through Tuesday, June 23.
The last day for students and staff will be Thursday, June 18. Accordingly, our early dismissal days will begin on Tuesday, June 16.
Many thanks for your flexibility and understanding, and best wishes for a great weekend.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Good afternoon,
It is with great pleasure that I am announcing our VRS Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Cecilia Petela. Mrs. Petela is a second-grade teacher. In the below attachment you will find VRS Principal Mr. Joseph Beltramba's virtual speech on Mrs. Petela's instructional talent. I would like to thank Mrs. Petela for all that she does for ours kids and VRS. Please join me in congratulating her on this very well-deserved title.
Many thanks and enjoy the rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Good afternoon,
I am thrilled to recognize our FKH Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Mary Jo Baker. Mrs. Baker teaches third-grade. In the below attachment you will find some words that FKH Principal Mrs. Shirley Bergin prepared regarding Mrs. Baker's immense aptitude towards working with and caring for children. Please join me in congratulating Mrs. Baker on this well-deserved recognition. She is also deserving of a very special thanks for all that she does for our young learners.
Today is National School Nurse Day. Mrs. Kowalski, Mrs. Curti, Mrs. Kircher, and Mrs. McLean help in keeping our students and staff safe and well each and every school day. The importance of their role should never go unnoticed.
Thanks and have a good evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our CHK Educational Services Professional of the Year is Mr. Steven Acosta. Mr. Acosta is a middle school counselor. In the below attachment you will find some words that CHK Principal Mr. Richard Delmonaco prepared with regards to Mr. Acosta's important and impactful role at CHK. Please join me in congratulating and thanking Mr. Acosta. We are very fortunate that he is here in the Clark Schools with us.
On another note, today is Teacher Appreciation Day. Our teachers are always deserving of much gratitude for all that they do for our kids and schools. However, that appreciation is only intensified this year due to the current situation that they are dealing with so very well. Again, please join me in thanking them.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Attached you may listen to the Boe Meeting from today's Google Meet.
Monday, May 4, 2020
Good afternoon,
Hope you had a pleasant weekend and were able to get outside a bit and enjoy the nice weather. As you may know, Governor Murphy made an announcement this afternoon closing all New Jersey schools through the end of the school year. Remote instruction will remain in place during this extended closure. Please know that we have been brainstorming various graduation and end-of-year options and will continue to do so. While today's update from the Governor is helpful, we are still awaiting additional guidance and will need time to think it all through. We want any next steps to be well thought out and will be sure to share our plans as soon as doing so is possible.
Thanks for your consistent cooperation and understanding. Enjoy the evening ahead and be sure to stay Clark Schools Strong!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, May 1, 2020
Good afternoon,
Here we are at May 1st. The more regular warm, pleasant weather is hopefully right around the corner now. Today is School Principal's Day. Our schools operate so very efficiently because of the strong leadership of Mrs. Feeley, Mr. Delmonaco, Mrs. Bergin, Mr. Beltramba, Mr. Bucior, Mrs. Clarke, and Ms. Applebaum. I consider myself beyond fortunate to get to work alongside them.
Below is a link to a music video entitled "Waitin' On A Sunny Day." ALJ 2016 graduate Zachary Sandler is featured in this video. We are obviously very proud of him and the Clark Schools music program of which he is a product.
Hope you enjoy the video and weekend ahead. We will be continuing with our Showcase of Success next week. As always, many thanks for your ongoing support.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Please see attached for updated information on the May 4, 2020 BOE Meeting.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Good afternoon,
It is my immense honor to recognize our CHK Teacher of the Year, Mr. Thomas Peitz. Mr. Peitz is a middle school art teacher. In the below attachment you will find CHK Principal Mr. Richard Delmonaco's virtual speech regarding Mr. Peitz's instructional greatness. Please join me in thanking Mr. Peitz for all of his good, hard work in the classroom with our students. Many congratulations to him on a job beyond well done!
Thanks and have a good evening ahead.
Ed
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Good afternoon,
The other type of Governor's Educator of the Year is that of Educational Services Professional. This title is to recognize individuals in non-classroom teaching roles who have immense impacts on the students with whom they work. The selection process matches the meaningful one for teachers that was described yesterday. Our ALJ Educational Services Professional of the Year is Ms. Molly Cusick. Ms. Cusick is a high school counselor. In the below attachment you will find the views of ALJ Principal Mrs. Jennifer Feeley regarding the significant role that Ms. Cusick fulfills at the high school. Please join me in thanking and congratulating Ms. Cusick. We are very fortunate that she is a part of the Clark Schools family.
As always, many thanks!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Good afternoon,
It is with great pleasure that we recognize our ALJ Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Janice Gossman. Mrs. Gossman is a high school art teacher. In recent years, the State has required all nominations for this award to be in written form and then those written nominations are scored via a rubric by a committee of various stakeholder types throughout the school community. Only the information contained within the written nominations can be considered by the committee. In other words, there is an immense level of rigor behind receiving this honor. In the below attachment you will find some words that ALJ Principal Mrs. Jennifer Feeley prepared on Mrs. Gossman's behalf. Please join me in sending many congratulations and a huge thank you to Mrs. Gossman for her great service to our kids, high school, and district as a whole.
Thanks and have a good rest of your day and evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, April 27, 2020
Hi everyone,
Joe Checorski from our Maintenance Department passed yesterday morning. Joe was in the hospital for a number of weeks fighting COVID-19. He seemed to be doing better, but things took a turn for the worst very recently. Joe was a great worker with many skills and a wonderful person. Let's be sure to keep him, his wife Martha, and the rest of his family in our thoughts and prayers.
Many thanks.
Ed
Friday, April 24, 2020
Good afternoon,
Thanks for a great week back to remote learning. To me, it seems as though it was just Monday morning and here we are headed into the weekend. This past Wednesday was Administrative Professionals’ Day. While we were unable to celebrate as we more typically would have, I want to send a very special thank you to all of our assistants as they make our lives easier through their good efforts. They are a beyond key factor to the smooth functioning of our schools and district as a whole.
Some parents have rightfully so inquired about refunds. The Business Office is in the process of beginning to process refund checks for cancelled activities and field trips. Please understand that this process will take some time due to, for example, the need for us to wait for some of the hosting sites to issue their refunds to us. Refunds for our before/after care program will be addressed after the Governor’s May 15th update.
I am looking forward to reconnecting next week at which time we will begin to honor our most recent Governor’s Educators of the Year. In the meantime, please take time to unplug and recharge this weekend, and continue to stay Crusader Strong!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Good afternoon,
Today we will recognize our students who received the 2020 New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy. These students needed to demonstrate a proficiency level of Intermediate Mid in all four domains of a world language. In addition, they were required to demonstrate proficiency in English by meeting the State high school graduation requirements for English language arts or through attaining the appropriate cut score on the ACCESS for English Language Learners (ELLs) assessment. The attached table contains a list of their names and the world language for which they each earned the Seal. Once again, please join me in congratulating them, their parents, and their teachers for an outstanding job.
Many thanks and enjoy your evening.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Good afternoon,
We were planning to have a Showcase of Success at our April Board of Education meeting as a means of honoring some of our more than well-deserving students and staff members. Since doing so was not possible, we will be recognizing those individuals via our daily Honeywell messages instead.
We will begin today with those students who earned perfect scores on one of last spring's (2019) New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) tests. Given how challenging these tests are, this was no small feat. A list containing their names and the tests for which they each received a perfect score is attached. Please join me in congratulating them, their parents, and their teachers for an outstanding job.
As always, thank you and have a good one.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Good afternoon,
Some virtual reading sessions have been posted on our district website under the "More" tab and then the "Year-Round/Remote Learning" sub-tab towards the top right of the page for our preschool and elementary students to enjoy. A special thanks goes to our ALJ Key Club members who prepared these recordings.
As a reminder, please check the School Counseling Department's Instagram page each week for some fun, engaging activities.
Thanks and be safe!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, April 20, 2020
Good afternoon,
Hope you and your families enjoyed our spring break and found the past week to be a relaxing one. As a reminder, Governor Murphy has closed all New Jersey schools through at least Friday, May 15. As we get closer to that time, he will be making a reevaluation regarding any possible reopening. Regardless of whether or not schools are able to reopen after the 15th, all school-related activities and field trips scheduled for the month of May are being canceled.
ALJ senior Taylor Turek has led the creation of an Instagram posting that highlights the college admissions of the ALJ Class of 2020. This posting can be found on the Instagram account @aljhsseniors2020 and also on the ALJ Facebook page. As you will see, we, as a school community, have a great deal to be proud of!
Thanks for all that you do, and enjoy the rest of the day and evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Good evening,
Thanks for another great week of remote learning. I would be remiss if I did not thank our students and teachers. Their immense effort and success are clearly evident. I would also like to thank our parents, staff members, and administrators for their remarkable support of our virtual classrooms. Spring break will begin tomorrow (Friday, April 10) and run through Friday, April 17. We hope that this break provides much needed restorative time for you and your families. The Governor will not be making a determination as to when schools will reopen or remain closed until April 17th, so our remote learning will be resuming on Monday, April 20 until further notice.
With the exception of tomorrow (Friday the 10th), lunches will still be available for pickup during the break.
We have asked our teachers not to assign work over the break so that our students can have some relaxing "away" time. If you email a teacher, school counselor, or child study team member during the break, please be patient with expecting a response as they too will hopefully be enjoying this time with their families and therefore may not respond until our return to remote learning on the 20th. Kindly extend this same patience to our administrators and support staff since many of them will be using vacation and/or personal days during the break.
Mrs. Lori Kowalski, our school nursing supervisor, will be maintaining a virtual school nurse's office for all of our schools during the break. Should a student, family member, or staff member have a question or concern related to COVID-19 or even one of a more general nature, he/she can initiate contact with Mrs. Kowalski by emailing her at lkowalski@clarkschools.org.
Below you will find a reminder of some good health practices for us all to maintain during this break.
Enjoy the "away" time and your holiday. Most importantly, stay safe and Crusader Strong! We will be sure to reconnect on the 20th.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Good afternoon,
Our School Counseling Department, led by Mr. Andrew Amendola, has been engaging our students in fun activities while they are at home. This week, for example, our high school counselors are collecting pictures of our seniors wearing their college acceptance gear. Our middle school students and staff members are recreating the YMCA song in "CHK Style" while our elementary students are playing Pictionary games between both schools. Please be on the lookout for these types of activities aimed at bringing some recreational-type fun to each week's remote learning.
Many thanks and enjoy the evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, April 6, 2020
Good afternoon,
Hope the weekend was a relaxing one for everyone. We are asking all students, parents, and staff members to consider wearing their favorite team jerseys tomorrow (Tuesday, April 7) as a means of honoring the memory of Michael Baker. Michael is an ALJ graduate who passed last year. He was an avid baseball fan who loved the Yankees. If you choose to participate, please post a picture to the FKH and/or district Facebook page(s). Kindly know that a Michael Baker Scholarship Fund exists, and scholarships will be awarded to three graduating seniors of the ALJ Class of 2020. Should you want to make a donation, a check made payable to "The Michael Baker Scholarship Fund" can be mailed to 33 Deerwood Drive, Clark, NJ 07066.
Thank you for your consideration of tomorrow's jersey day, and enjoy the rest of today.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, April 3, 2020
Good afternoon,
Many thanks for a great third week. I hope that the upcoming weekend will allow everyone to recharge. Below is a link to an uplifting video that will hopefully put a smile on your face.
https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/what-world-needs-now-student-made-video
Until we reconnect on Monday, stay Clark Schools Strong!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Good afternoon,
Below is a link to a number of flyers published by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (NJ DCF) that are related to COVID-19. The hope is that they will be helpful to you or someone whom you know.
https://www.nj.gov/dcf/news/publications/covid19.html
As a reminder, lunches for those students in our free/reduced lunch program are available for pickup each school day at the Main Entrance of ALJ from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Two lunch choices are available to select from on any given day and, on select days, Maschio's, our food services company, will be sending special treats to be distributed with the lunches. Their kind hope is to give our children a nice surprise. Again, please help spread the word so that we can get the needed food to our students. If a parent/guardian is unable to make the pickup, a designated other can do so. If such an arrangement needs to be made, please email me at egrande@clarkschools.org.
Thanks and enjoy the rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Good afternoon,
I just wanted to provide everyone with some information regarding the implications of this spring's cancellation of statewide assessments. Please know that this cancellation will not prevent students from meeting their graduation assessment requirement. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) is continuing to process portfolio appeals for the small percentage of current seniors throughout the state who have not yet met their graduation assessment requirement. Our students who are in need of these portfolios have already submitted the required work.
Current juniors and sophomores will also have access to both the menu of alternate assessments (e.g., the SAT or ACT) and the portfolio appeal process as pathways to complete their graduation assessment requirement. These students are not required to take the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) in order to access the menu of alternate assessments or the portfolio appeal process.
A link to detailed information regarding the graduation assessment requirement is given below.
https://www.state.nj.us/education/assessment/parents/GradReq.pdf
For parents of current fourth and seventh-grade students, we, as a school district, will be looking into the use of an alternate assessment in place of the NJSLA as a factor towards determining placement into middle and high school courses for the 2021-2022 school year (i.e., two years away as we already have the data that we need for next year's placement decisions).
I hope that this information is helpful, and we will be sure to share any additional information as it becomes available. Enjoy your evening.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Good afternoon,
Please go to www.clarkschools.org under "Pride Newsletter" towards the mid-bottom of the page to find a digital copy of the March 2020 Pride district newsletter. Much appreciation goes to those students and staff members who are either featured or made a submission. A very special thanks goes to ALJ English Teacher and Pride Advisor Katrina Poskay for all of her good, hard work in compiling this newsletter.
Many thanks and have a relaxing evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, March 30, 2020
Good afternoon,
I hope that the weekend was a restful one and that your new week is off to a productive start. Parents/guardians in need of child care can contact their County Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCR&R). CCR&Rs will have the most up-to-date information on available child care options and subsidies. Please see the attached flyer that includes a link to by-county CCR&R contact information.
Thanks and enjoy the rest of your day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, March 27, 2020
Good afternoon,
As of yesterday, the closure for schools throughout the State was extended to at least Friday, April 17. Our spring break will still run from Friday, April 10 through Friday, April 17. As a result, the remote learning will be suspended during that time.
Thanks to our entire school community for another great week. I know that a lot of information is being shared, and, as a result, some of you may very understandably be feeling inundated. All of our districtwide Honeywell messages related to the closure are posted at www.clarkschools.org under "News and Announcements" should you or someone whom you know want to refer back to them. In addition, a summary sheet of the key email addresses that have been shared is also posted there. Please know that you can reach out to any of our administrators or me should you have a question. Enjoy the upcoming weekend, and, most importantly, stay safe and Clark Schools Strong!
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Good afternoon,
As we move ahead, if your child is ill and unable to participate remotely on any given school day, please proceed similarly to how you would on a more typical day. In other words, either enter the absence into Genesis or send an email to the appropriate address listed below. The email will take the place of a phone call to the school since the building is closed and no one is there to receive the call.
ALJ: ALJRemoteAttendance@clarkschools.org
CHK: CHKRemoteAttendance@clarkschools.org
FKH: FKHRemoteAttendance@clarkschools.org
VRS: VRSRemoteAttendance@clarkschools.org
CPA: CPARemoteAttendance@clarkschools.org
In addition, kindly err on the side of caution and email your child's teacher if your child is ill and unable to meet a given deadline or participate in a remote meeting.
On another note, the State of New Jersey is canceling this spring's state standardized testing, i.e., the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA), ACCESS for ELLs, and the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) assessment. In addition, the College Board is making modifications to this spring's Advanced Placement (AP) testing program, and related information will be forthcoming from the School Counseling Department to the involved students and their parents.
As always, thank you and have a good one.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Good afternoon,
Regardless of whether or not schools are able to reopen after April 3, all school-related activities scheduled for the month of April (including Band Bonanza on April 7, meetings, field trips, award ceremonies, etc.) are either being canceled or postponed.
Please see attached for a document that gives details regarding donations to Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas (RWJB) Hospital Rahway. Many thanks in advance for giving their most worthwhile of requests your consideration as these donations will assist in treating patients during the coronavirus outbreak.
Enjoy the evening ahead.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Monday, March 23, 2020
Good afternoon,
Hope the weekend was an enjoyable one and that the new week is off to a productive start. As we are continuing with our remote learning approach, an increasing number of our teachers are opting to conduct virtual meetings with their students. Kindly remind your children that each school's code of conduct will still be in place during these virtual meetings, and therefore, they should not be recording the session, each other, or the teacher. We have been fortunate not to have any such issues arise yet but wanted to give this proactive reminder.
On another note, please see attached from the Public Library regarding the obtaining of a library card if your family does not already have one so that online materials can be accessed.
As always, many thanks for your cooperation. Enjoy the rest of the day.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
Friday, March 20, 2020
Good afternoon,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in our school community for a great first week of remote learning. Our students, with assistance from their parents, have been hard at work alongside our teachers, staff, and administrators. In addition, the support from our Board of Education, Mayor Bonaccorso and the Township Offices, and the larger community has been remarkable. While all of this good work was taking place from our homes, the Pritchard staff continued to diligently clean and disinfect our buildings. They too are deserving of a very special thanks.
Please enjoy the well-deserved weekend ahead, and stay healthy and safe. I am looking forward to being energized again next week by all of you.
Ed Grande
Superintendent of Schools
As a reminder, grab-and-go lunches for those students in the free and reduced lunch program are available for pickup each school day at the Main Entrance of Arthur L. Johnson High School from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Kindly help spread the word so that we can get the needed food to our students. If a parent/guardian is unable to make the pickup, a designated other can do so. If such an arrangement needs to be made, please email me at egrande@clarkschools.org.
Many thanks for working together during this time. Your collective efforts are most appreciated.
Ed Grande, Superintendent of Schools
There will be a final opportunity for devices to be picked up this Thursday (March 19) in the ALJ Instructional Media Center (IMC) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. We are adding these final technology "office hours" since our remote learning will have been in place for three days and therefore families may have a better idea of their device needs. Again, this will be our final set of technology "office hours."
As was already communicated by our principals, our buildings will be open during certain time frames tomorrow (Monday, March 16) should a student or staff member have items that they will need to have at home with them during the closure but that are still in the building.
Those time frames by building are as follows:
ALJ: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
CHK: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
FKH: 7:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
VRS: 7:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
CPA: 7:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Please know that, after these time frames, building access will not be granted until further notice with the exception of the technology "office hours" on Monday evening and Tuesday morning in the ALJ Instructional Media Center (IMC).
Thank you for your cooperation
Good afternoon,
Mr. Bryan Lowe
VRS Grade Five Teacher
Many congratulations!!!
There will be a change in date and Location for the June 8th Regular BOE Meeting, please see attached!
The BOE meeting for May 4th, 2020 has a time and location change. Please see attached for details.
Tuesday, June 2, 2020 (if only one snow giveback day); then
Friday, June 12, 2020 (if only two snow giveback days); and then
Friday, May 22, 2020 (if three snow giveback days)
Please note: All incoming grade K students will follow the after redistricting map.
All new students in grades one to five will be assigned to FKH or VRS based on the enrollment counts at the time of registration.
The regular meeting of the Clark Board of Education scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2020 has been rescheduled for Monday, July 13, 2020 as follows:
The meeting will open at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 13, 2020 via Google Meet and immediately convene to Executive Session for confidential matters, collective bargaining, matters of personnel, litigation or contract matters, and/or attorney/client privilege. No action will be taken during the Executive Session.
The Public Session of this meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will also be held via Google Meet. The dial-in number to access the Public Session is (US) +1 574-213-7539 PIN: 632 780 460#. Members of the public are being asked to have their phones on mute at all times other than when asking a question or making a comment. The public will also have the opportunity to submit questions/comments by emailing publiccomments@clarkschools.org. Such an email will need to include the member of the public’s full name and address so that the minutes can eventually reflect that information. To the extent that doing so is possible, please email the questions/comments by 12:00 noon on the day of the meeting. These questions/comments should address the types of issues that would more typically result in attendance at the in-person meeting. The usual means of communication should otherwise be used. This meeting is open to the public and action will be taken.
The Public Session agenda will be available on the district website for the public to review by Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 5:30 p.m., and the recording of the Public Session will be posted to the district website by Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 8:00 a.m.
Board of Education Meeting - This meeting will open at 5:30 p.m. in the Media Center of the Arthur L. Johnson High School located at 365 Westfield Avenue, and immediately go into Executive Session. Public Session will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in the Clark Council Chambers located at 315 Westfield Avenue
For incoming Sixth Graders at CHK; 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Teachers Report (Professional Development for Staff)
Kumpf School - 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Students Return
Schools Closed - Labor Day
Board of Education Meeting - This meeting will open at 5:30 p.m. in the Media Center of the Arthur L. Johnson High School located at 365 Westfield Avenue, and immediately go into Executive Session. Public Session will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in the Clark Council Chambers located at 315 Westfield Avenue
Valley Road School Back-to-School Night
Early Dismissal VRS Students & Staff
Arthur L. Johnson High School Back-to-School Night
Early Dismissal ALJ Students & Staff
