PIONEER ACADEMY
Knowledge - Challenge - Integrity - Diversity
Dear Pioneer Families:
On Monday, May 4th, Governor Murphy announced that all public and private schools across New Jersey will remain closed for the remainder of this school year. Therefore, we will continue with the Cyber Education program through the final day of school, June 10th. All activities and athletics will be canceled.
We hope that everyone is staying healthy and safe during this difficult time.
Our students are not losing any instructional time, and even though it is harder and we miss our students, we are united and strong as we are heading to the end of this academic year. Other schools as you know are facing tremendous difficulties due to the lack of preparation and motivation. Pioneer is resilient and has immediately adjusted to the new temporary structure. Under the circumstances, that is the reason why Pioneer is far more advanced than other schools under the same conditions. As a small student centered private school we ensure that we prevail and succeed even under these challenging circumstances.
While we cannot really make any of this better, we want to say that we are sorry to all students that your time in school this year with your friends and teachers ended abruptly on March 16th. In particular, however, we are so very sorry for our Kindergarten, 8th, and 12th graders who will be missing out on special events during this very important time in their lives.
While a great deal of planning and work is forthcoming on our part and specifics are not yet available, please make note of the following:
- All students (and parents) will be able to come back to Pioneer Academy to retrieve all belongings from hall lockers and classrooms. In addition, textbooks, books, chromebooks, chargers and any other school materials will be able to be dropped off at this time M-F 9 am-3 pm. Please place the items in a bag, marked with the student’s name. More details will be shared with you shortly.
- Masks MUST be worn and we recommend gloves, as well.
- We will be providing an alternative Kindergarten Graduation (June 5th, 2020), 8th Grade Promotion (June 5th, 2020), and Seniors Graduation (June 12th, 2020) for this year. Families will get more information when the details are available. We will do our best to provide a meaningful substitute for the traditional ceremony which cannot happen this year.
- The zoom cyber education is continuing, participation and attendance are crucial to the successful completion of this academic year. Please track your child’s data in Alma. If you need, you may request access or reset your credentials by contacting our enrollment office at admissions@pioneeracademy.org.
Your Pioneer Academy teachers, counselors, and support staff are continuing to meet, plan, and collaborate virtually in order to deliver the best possible distance learning experience as possible. Now more than ever, as we now know officially that we will not be returning to our school building this academic year, we need continued support and help from parents and guardians to help keep our students motivated. It's not going to get easier, we just need to stick together as best we can. Even though we are not physically together, we continue to be an outstanding School Community and even better, a School Family. I am proud of all members of this family.
Please reach out to your child's teachers, counselors, advisors or administrators should you have any questions.
With warm regards,
Owen O. Akman, Principal
Table of Contents
- Upcoming Events in April
- Montessori Events
- Past and Upcoming ES Events
- Past and Upcoming MS Events
- MS Saturday Academy
- College Counseling Corner
- Amazon Smile
- Virtual Open House
- Pioneer Academy Calendar 2020-2021
- Quote of the Week
Upcoming Events In May
May 11-15: AP Exams Week 1
May 18-22: AP Exams Week 2
May 15: Cyber Education Off Day - No School
May 22: Half a day for all students
May 25: Memorial Day - No School
May 26-29: Faculty Meetings - No Afterschool office hours for teachers
May 30: Virtual Open House 10 am to 2 pm.
Montessori Pre-K Events
Pioneer Montessori has been busy with their online Cyber Zoom Classroom! Every day our students are excited to open their computers and see Ms. Devaney and Ms. Hana. We are continuing our studies in Geography, Math, Science, Music, Art and Gym. In Math this month we had a fun lesson about Odd and Even Numbers from 0 to 10. Guess what we used to show the lesson? Green drinking straws! Not only was it fun, but we really grasped the concept of Odd numbers because we can not share all our straws and Even numbers we can share our straws evenly.
In Music class we have begun a unit study in Classical Composers. To start we studied a Russian composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He composed a piece called, "The Flight of the Bumblebee" It was fun to listen to and hear how the violin makes a bee buzzing sound!
In Science we learned how baking soda and vingar make rice dance when you mix them together. That was like magic but really interesting to see the action and reaction.
Although we miss our classroom at Pioneer, we are adjusted to our Zoom Classroom and love every minute of learning this way!
We wish everyone a safe and healthy rest of the month as well as happy Cyber Zoom learning!
Past and Upcoming Elementary School Events
Virtual Spirit Week
Welcome, Spring! Spring is considered a time of change and growth. We all have been challenged to change and grow as we adjust to our new normal of cyber education. Through it all, our elementary team has been providing enriching lessons and activities to keep our youngest learners engaged.
The elementary students participated in a spirit week where they took pictures of themselves in their PJ’s, reading their favorite book, working out, and doing something kind. We finished the week with a virtual Friday field trip.
Virtual Dance Party
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Heroes
The elementary students also made very special cards and messages for our essential workers. The cards were put into a video and sent to all the “heroes” in our communities. Be sure to check out Pioneer Academy’s social media pages to see the beautiful tribute and feel free to share it with all the essential workers you know and love.
Award Ceremony
Past and Upcoming Middle School Events
Cyber Spirit Week
Cultural Day
Trivia Championship
Middle School Saturday Academy
College Counseling Corner
How to Maintain Academic Progress During the COVID-19
There are four things students can do this spring and summer to stay on top of learn-from-home coursework:
- Limit distractions.
- Keep a routine and a planner.
- Use printed resources sometimes.
- Be patient with yourself.
Limit Distractions
The distractions associated with being at home 24 hours a day, seven days a week are quite different from those you normally encounter at school. For instance, you may find yourself distracted by siblings who are playing video games or the temptation of snacks in the kitchen. Add these disruptions to the lure of social media and news channels that promise constant coronavirus stories, and the task of concentrating on schoolwork can seem nearly impossible.
Keep a Routine and a Planner
Psychologists believe that having a daily routine is key to maintaining your mental health. It can be easy to fall out of your routine when all your days feel the same, but keeping a personal planner can help prevent this outcome. Use your planner to note upcoming deadlines and exams, as well as to find time for important nonacademic matters like exercise and video calls with friends.
Use Printed Resources Sometimes
Despite the abundance of high-quality online resources, some students prefer to work with hard copies of their study materials. Printed copies may be less harsh on your eyes and can also be easily manipulated with highlighters and other writing utensils.
Interactive reading processes promote learning and recall, so students who benefit most from hands-on learning are encouraged to work with hard copies of study materials when possible by printing them out or creating handwritten flashcards.
Be Patient With Yourself
For students who are not so tech savvy, there is often a learning curve involved with the switch from in-person to virtual learning.
Staying positive and focused on your academics is feasible this year as long as you make the right modifications. If you are uncertain about where to begin, start with these suggestions.
Amazon Smile
Do you shop on Amazon? If yes, it is easy to support Pioneer Academy with each purchase.
You shop. Amazon gives.
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service.
Support Pioneer Academy by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com
A few minutes to set up is all it takes.If you type in the word 'smile.' before Amazon.com, you will be brought to the same Amazon site, but on the fundraising side.
http://smile.amazon.com/
You can see the sites look almost the same...except for the 'smile'.
The first time you go to the 'Smile' side, you will be asked to choose the organization that you want to support. Search for 'Milkyway Education Center Inc' and choose as your non-profit organization to support. (Pioneer Academy operates as a DBA under Milkyway Education Center)
Then just use Amazon like you always have. Everything is exactly the same. (When you shop with your computer, please make sure that you are on Smile Amazon website. Kindly keep in mind that Amazon gives credit to your non-profit if you order only from the smile.amazon.com )
Do you have family and friends that wouldn't mind taking a minute and choosing Milkyway Education Center? It cost the purchaser nothing but benefits for Pioneer Academy.
A Tip For iPhones if you shop with your smart phone:
Open up Safari and load https://smile.amazon.com/
At the bottom of the screen you’ll see an icon depicting an arrow that looks like it’s trying to get away from a square upwards. Tap this button — It is the “Share” icon.
Scroll down and you’ll now have a few options. The one you want to tap is “Add to Home Screen”.
You’ll be asked to choose a name for the home screen icon. Pick something you’ll remember like ‘Amazon Smile’ and save it. When you’re done it shows up on your home-screen as an app. You are ready for shopping now from 'Smile Amazon'.
However If you want to use Amazon App itself to search for the items you want to buy; Just add the items to the cart and switch back to Amazon Smile. When you switch to Amazon Smile you will be directly seen the same items in the cart. Then proceed to pay for your items.
Every effort made by our alumni, parents, students, and community strengthen Pioneer Academy today while ensuring the promise of tomorrow.
We thank you for your commitment and support.
Stay safe and well.