Weekly Wrap Up
Benedict A. Cucinella School 1/7/2022
Week 18
Thank you all for your patience as we continue to navigate the rise in Covid cases throughout our state and our community. Whether you have experienced the unwanted stress of your child testing positive, that of yourself or another household member testing positive, or your child being identified as a close contact, we at Cucinella greatly appreciate your continued compassion and empathy as we all continue to do our very best to make this transition back as smooth and as positive as possible for our students and staff.
It is safe to assume that we are heading into another tricky week. Please know that we will continue to keep the students safely distanced within the classroom and hallways, remind them of proper mask wearing procedures, provide students with mask breaks outdoors for fresh air, and continue to spread the students out during lunches. But, please keep in mind that our lunch protocols do not fully eliminate ALL close contacts. They do, however, significantly decrease the number of students who are identified as close contacts during lunch time. Bus transportation (depending on length of time on the bus) and after care scenarios can also create other opportunities for children to become close contacts. We do spend a great deal of time looking into all situations where a child has been named as a close contact before confirming their status as such.
There has been some confusion as to the new CDC guidelines and what that means for schools. At this time, the WT School District has not adopted the new guidelines as they were meant for the general public, but not necessarily for schools. Therefore, the following guidelines still apply:
~ If your child tests positive for Covid 19 - he/she will be quarantined for 10 days with no option to test back in early.
~ If your child is deemed a close contact by the school, he/she will be quarantined for 10 days beginning on the day after the last interaction with the Covid + individual. There is an option to test out of quarantine with a negative test on days 5, 6, or 7. Students may then return to school on Day 8.
~ If your child is deemed a close contact due to a household member contracting Covid 19, the child must quarantine for 10 days (if the Covid + individual is isolating) or 10 days plus an additional 10 days if the household member is not isolating away from the child. There is a test back in early option.
~ If a child is fully vaccinated and deemed a close contact, the child may attend school as usual as long as the child remains symptom free.
If you have any questions regarding the Covid protocols, please feel free to reach out to Nurse Ewer at jewer@wtschools.org .
Looking Ahead:
Monday, January 10th - Friday, January 14th - Specials Day 3 - Day 2
Monday, January 10th - PTO Sponsored Spirit Day
Monday, January 10th - PTO General Membership Meeting - 7:00pm - Google Meet
Saturday, January 15th - LVJWC - Spelling Bee - Valley View Chapel - 9AM - Flyer Attached below
Monday, January 17th - No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Thank you for your continued support. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns, or feedback.
Melissa Keiser
Courtyard Garden:
If you cannot dedicate the time to be a part of the committee, but would like to contribute, feel free to check out the Amazon Wishlist for items still needed for the building of our courtyard garden. https://www.cucinellapto.org/courtyardgarden
We cannot wait to watch this project unfold and to see the positive impact it will have on our students!
Kindergarten Registration:
Covid Information:
Please keep in mind that we are working diligently to get virtual instruction up and running for students as soon as possible. As soon as we learn of a child who has tested positive for Covid or who has been identified as a close contact, we work to get virtual learning up and running for him/her. But please allow the teachers 24 hours to prepare work for pick up for those students who have been moved to virtual instruction. The teacher(s) will reach out to you once the work has been prepared for pick up.
Please also understand that virtual instruction is only available for students who are either Covid + or have been identified as a close contact. If your child is experiencing Covid like symptoms and is awaiting the results of a PCR test, we will also ensure that virtual learning is up and running for the child due to the delays in receiving those test results.
We truly appreciate your patience, understanding, and flexibility when we do have to contact you with this information. We recognize that this is not the call that a parent wants to receive, and we are here to support you in any way that we can.
But please understand that if your child is home sick for a normal sick day, he/she is not eligible for virtual learning from home. If children are feeling under the weather, we encourage you to keep them home and allow them to rest and recover before returning to school.
Thank you for your continued cooperation! It is greatly appreciated as we navigate these difficult times.
PTO Happenings:
The Cucinella PTO has some wonderful things happening! Check out the PTO Friday Folder for all of the PTO events.
Friday Folder:
https://www.cucinellapto.org/friday-folder
Please see below for additional updates:
General Membership Meeting
Monday, January 10th @ 7pm
School Spirit Day
Monday, January 10th--wear your BAC spirit wear or red, white and blue!
Courtyard Garden Meeting
Thursday, January 20th @ 7pm
If you are interesting in attending please RSVP to Sarah at Sarah.E.Cipolletti@gmail.com
Meeting Link:
https://meet.google.com/sdn-dezh-oun
The school and Garden Club of Long Valley have begun the process to design the area into a wonderful learning space for our students. Check out the website below for more information, to join the committee or donate through our Amazon Wish List. https://www.cucinellapto.org/courtyardgarden
We are looking forward to bringing our school community together with this fantastic project!
Outdoor Structure Committee Recruitment
Help wanted!
We are recruiting a team of volunteers to begin the planning process of our outdoor structure. Email contact@cucinellapto.org for more information!
Teacher Grant Committee Meeting
Date and time to be announced. Please consider joining us! Email contact@cucinellapto.org for more information.
Teacher Appreciation Committee Sign Up
Reach out to Jen or Courtney at jmorancampbell@gmail.com to join the group and share your thoughts on making things super special for our teachers during this school year!
Teacher Appreciation--Thank You!
Thank you to our generous Cucinella families who supported our collection for holiday treats for the staff as well as donated school supplies to our teachers to kick off the school year. You ROCK!
Board Positions Needing Fulfillment
Fundraising Director and Treasurer, Board positions needed—Help us plan fun events to raise money for our students, staff and school community! Also we are in need of a volunteer who can help us to keep our accounts in check!
Fun Run Chairs Needed
The Fun Run is in need of chairs for the 2022-2023 school year. Are you interested in chairing a fun and exciting event to raise funds for our children? This job is for you! Please email contact@cucinellapto.org with any questions!
Boon Supply
Boon Supply has returned as a favorite fundraiser for kitchen and household items. Please consider shopping using the link below. 40% of every purchase will benefit our organization and merchandise will be shipped to your home for a fee.
Boon Supply Shopping Link:
https://www.boonsupply.com/961301
Happy New Year, Cucinella! We cannot wait to see what the New Year will bring! Cucinella R.O.C.K.S.!
Contact Us:
Email: mkeiser@wtschools.org
Website: https://www.wtschools.org/Domain/8
Location: 470 Naughright Road, Long Valley, NJ, USA
Phone: (908) 850-3161
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WTSchools/
Twitter: @BACucinella