Mountain View News
October 16, 2020
Upcoming Events
Week of 10/19 Cohort B in person
10/21 Picture Day Cohort B during the school day
10/21 Picture Day Cohort C- 2:20-3:30 (see signup below)
Week of 10/26 Cohort A in person
10/28 Picture Day Cohort A during the school day
10/28 Picture Day Cohort C- 2:30-3:30 (see signup below)
Monday 11/2 Cohort A in person
Tuesday 11/3 All Students are Virtual
Wednesday 11/4 Cohort B in person
Halloween Information
After thoughtful consideration on how we will celebrate Halloween due to the logistics of COVID-19, all K-5 grade levels will hold classroom Halloween celebrations that follow social distance guidelines. Grade level teachers will plan Halloween related activities including songs, crafts, spooky stories, Halloween books/poems for their classrooms.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no food or parades will be allowed this year. Classroom teachers will communicate with parents on how to send in a photo of their child in their Halloween costume. Teachers will use padlet or another program to post student costumes for families to view. On October 30th, all students whether in person or virtual, can wear costumes for the day as changing within the bathrooms will be unavailable.
Costumes
We are asking that parents be involved with their child(ren’s) choice of Halloween costume(s). Students are not allowed to carry anything that serves as a look-a-like weapon or instrument of potential harm to others as part of their Halloween costume. This would include: plastic guns, plastic swords, plastic knives, chains or sickles, etc. If they are part of the costume, please do not allow your child to bring them to school. We are also asking that we avoid costumes that drip fake blood or depict any kind of human suffering. We also ask that students not wear a mask that covers their face as this is a safety concern. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Please help to make sure this year’s Halloween is fun, safe, and considerate to the conditions under which we are living today.
*Approved face coverings must be worn with your costume.
On October 31st, 2020 the 18th Annual Mount Olive PAL Halloween Party at the Mount Olive Middle School. Times and Information will be published by the MOPD
A Developing Sense of Community by Mike Cravotta
Emily Cali and Christine Rogoff’s class, like others is the building, includes students learning in
person and remotely. Keeping students engaged and feeling as if they’re part of one big
classroom family is one of the challenges of the hybrid model, but the two veteran educators
have found success through social emotional learning.
This year, the district has continued its emphasis on SEL to help students develop self-
awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making, and relationship
skills. (Those are the five core areas identified by the state department of education as essential
for positive school climate and healthy social development.) SEL activities that build these
personal/interpersonal abilities have helped Cali and Rogoff transcend both the digital walls
and the relative anonymity spawned from wearing masks in class.
“It’s harder to connect now,” said Rogoff. “It’s hard to connect with remote students and get
them to share. It’s hard to connect when everyone’s wearing a mask; no one can see your
expression and you can’t see theirs. You have to be very verbal. So we always give them every
opportunity we can to share and socialize.”
All elementary classroom teachers in the district are holding morning meetings and end-of-the-
day recaps. Cali and Rogoff have found that these times have become invaluable in building a
sense of community and allowing their third-graders to express their individuality and feelings.
As a part of morning check-ins and afternoon check-outs, students respond to prompts which
ask them to indicate via emojis how they’re feeling at that precise moment. This allows the
teachers to address any concerns that arise.
Formal SEL assignments during the morning and afternoon times are usually based on lessons
from Sanford Harmony, the district’s elementary SEL curriculum, and engage students in
activities on topics such as active listening, appreciating diversity and differences, respect, and
conflict resolution. Often the students will work in pairs or small groups on the assignments,
with the teachers mixing remote students with the ones in school.
However, Cali and Rogoff are quick to incorporate in their planning anything that will allow
students to share their thoughts and feelings. For example, the veteran educators have begun
announcing national days of recognition and spinning them off into short activities that
students can share with the entire class. On National Podcast Day, students were asked to use
Flipgrid to record themselves as if they were doing their own podcasts. National Homemade
Cookie Day served as a springboard to a discussion on baking and favorite cookies.
The teachers have also made use of a digital spinning wheel loaded with questions such as
“If you could meet anyone famous who would you meet,” “What is a talent you have,”
“What is something you like about yourself,” “What is a family tradition you have,” and
“If you could be any animal, what would you be?” The questions serve as conversation
starters that encourage kids to open up. Students will share verbally with entire class and also
spend 15 minutes journaling their responses.
“The very quiet student who don’t want to share during the day are so excited to share with the
wheel,” Cali said. “Their true personalities come out. It’s really brightened the year.”
The teachers also provide an opportunity during snack times for students learning in-person to
chat informally with their friends at home.
“Technology can only go so far, so it’s important that we plan these student interactions that
help bond everyone together,” Cali said. “We have to function as one class. Although we are in
different places, we are one class, a family.”
“The students really enjoy the opportunities to socialize with us and with each other,” added
Rogoff. “We’re still figuring things out and finding new ideas as we go along. We’ve seen it can
make a big difference.”
Join our Friendship Club!
Thank you Flanders FD, for teaching us about Fire Prevention!
Learning is Happening Everywhere!
Message from the Principal
Another great school week! Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate through these unprecedented times. Our students are doing so well with our new school norm. I am really proud of their efforts and work ethic.
Please see the guidelines for Halloween listed above.
Arrival and dismissal is going very well. Just a reminder that making a U-turn on Clover Hill Drive or dropping kids off on Clover Hill Drive is dangerous. Please plan alternate routes or use our drop off line in the Linwood lot. Please also remember to drop off on the passenger side. I love to see our students riding bikes to school. Please make sure your child is wearing a helmet to and from school- on a bike or a scooter. Children under the age of 17 are required to wear a helmet when riding a bike.
I hope you all have a nice weekend!
If you have any questions please contact me at any time.
Enjoy the weekend!
PTA Corner
Spiritwear-LAST CALL: Today is the last day to purchase spiritwear. Show your school spirit! You
can order spiritwear using this link https://mlbcustomcreations.com/collections/mountain-
view-elementary
Tricky Tray: The Feeling Groovy 2020 Outdoor Tricky Tray will be held on 10/24 at the Budd Lake
Fire House. Pre-Registration is required for all attendees. Space is limited - please see the
attached form to register today!
PTA Membership: You are invited to join the Flanders PTA! A PTA Membership Form is
attached. Join online today at flanderspta.memberhub.store
Weis 4 School: Support the Flanders PTA when you shop at Weis! On your next Weis shopping
trip, scan the barcode in the attached flyer to register your Weis Club Card. Once you register,
you are in the program and don’t have to register again. Your everyday purchases will earn
money for our school. Please share the code with friends and relatives, too!
Need a Chromebook or IT Assistance?
Mountain View School
Email: melissa.kolenski@motsd.org
Website: www.motsd.org
Location: 118 Clover Hill Drive, Flanders, NJ, USA
Phone: 973-927-2201
Twitter: @MtView07836