February 8, 2023: Conley/Hoppock Winter Concert @ Conley 6:30 PM

February 9, 2023: Conley/Hoppock Winter Concert - Snow Date

February 15, 2023: BOE Meeting @ Hoppock Library 7:00 PM

February 17-20, 2023: School Closed - President's Day Weekend

March 15, 2023: BOE Meeting @ Hoppock Library 7:00 PM

March 20, 2023: End of 3rd Marking Period

March 22, 2023: Early dismissal for students; Staff Inservice

Dear Families,

Happy American Heart Month! I hope this message finds you well and that you are staying warm now that winter has finally arrived. There are a lot of exciting things going on in the Bethlehem Township School District! If you did not see or read my "Special Edition" Smore earlier this week, we are getting ready to embark on the Strategic Planning process. Click here to access that Smore newsletter for more important information on this process and how you can get involved. I cannot stress enough how important it is for families, community members, staff, BOE members and students to gather and share thoughts and ideas with one another to allow us to develop a shared vision for our schools. Please be sure to RSVP for each meeting should you be able to attend.

I would also like to take a moment to introduce some new staff to our buildings. First, Raymond Mulvey has joined us as our new Facilities Manager for the district. He comes to us with years of experience within this field as well as school security, general project management and contracting. We are so excited to have him join our team as we continue to improve our buildings and grounds. We also have a new member of the Hoppock family. Nick Scaturro has joined the teaching staff and will be working as a special education teacher. Mr. Scaturro has years of experience teaching at the middle and high school levels and started with us on Friday. We are thrilled to have him join our team.

I look forward to seeing all of you there at our first Strategic Planning Meeting! Stay warm!

Sincerely,

Ed Abato

Chief School Administrator/Hoppock Principal

The members of the Hoppock Student Council have organized and are running a kindness drive and are collecting personal care items that will be donated to the Village Food Pantry. Click here to view a list of the items being collected. It is so heart warming to see our students care so much for those who are in need.

Prevention Resources visited Conley students and taught them about diversity/inclusivity, how important it is and how we benefit as a school by embracing it, through the use of puppets, videos, and group activities. The kids had a great time and it was a really worthwhile experience.

The next two weeks we have the NJCAP Bullying Program for grades K-2 (3-5 will take place in March)

For the past two months, I have been working with a committee of staff members to assist our new web designers in creating our new and improved website. I have been given a sneak peak at the new site and am so excited to launch it soon! We are just finalizing the specific school pages and it will be published. I am hoping to launch the new site by the middle to end of this month.

If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see on our new website, please email me at eabato@btschools.org with the subject line "New Website Suggestion."

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, many view February as the month of love, but it is also American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans, taking the lives of 2,200 people each day. In addition, 103 million adults have high blood pressure and 6.5 million are living with heart failure. While genetic factors do play a part in cardiovascular disease, the good news is 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases may be preventable with education and action. Simple lifestyle changes can make a big impact when it comes to heart health. Show your heart some love with these 10 tips.

• Stop Smoking

• Know Your Numbers

• Cholesterol

• Blood Pressure

• Get screened for Diabetes

• Be More Active

• Build Some Muscle

• Eat Smart

• Limit Junk Foods

• Stress Less

• Sleep More

• Smile More

Students in 6th grade will have the opportunity to participate in the L.E.A.D. program (formerly known as D.A.R.E.) starting next week. We are excited to have Tpr. II. M. Lombardi from the NJ State Police joining us every Tuesday for the next 10 weeks to lead this valuable program for our 6th grade students. Topics include drug use, how to deal with peer pressure, decision making, as well as other important topics. For more information on this program, click here.

We have received some questions pertaining to making up the "snow day" that occurred on Friday, December 23rd. According to the district calendar for the 2022-2023 school year, there are 3 days that have been built into the calendar. If we use exactly three snow days then the calendar will remain as is. If we use fewer than three snow days, then we will gain whatever days we haven't used back, either at the end of the school year or tacked on to an already existing vacation. However, if we use more than three snow days, we will be taking back days that are currently scheduled to be closed. The order of these dates are listed at the bottom of the school calendar. To access the school calendar, click here.

This is a reminder that students are not permitted to utilize their personal technology, i.e. cell phones, tablets, or any other device unless given specific permission by the building administrator. These items, if brought to school, need to remain in the student's backpack and/or locker. If a student uses their device without permission, it will be confiscated and returned to the student at the end of the school day. If it happens a second time, the device will be confiscated and a parent/guardian will be responsible for retrieving it from the main office.

If a student needs to contact home, they are always welcome to use the phone in the main office. If you need to contact your child during the school day, you should do so by calling the school. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Please be sure that your child comes to school dressed appropriately for the weather. Students will go outside for gym and recess as long as the temperature is above freezing and there is no inclement weather.

The Bethlehem Township School District is currently looking to fill the following positions:

F/T Spanish Teacher Grades 6-8

• Approximate start date: ASAP
• Spanish certification required

If interested in any position, please submit your cover letter, resume, and certification(s), along with a completed application to:

Margaret Andrews, Secretary to Mr. Edward Abato, CSA

mandrews@btschools.org

Bethlehem Township School District

280 Asbury West Portal Road

Asbury, NJ 08802

Do you love working with Children? Do you have a day (or four) a week free? Are you looking to make a positive impact in children's lives and help our community? Then come join our family!

The Bethlehem Township School District is looking for dedicated substitute teachers and paraprofessionals to work in our schools. All substitutes are required to apply for and obtain their county substitute certificate.

Requirements & Compensation

Teacher:

• Sixty (60) college credits
• Fingerprinting & background check
• Mantoux test

• $120 per day
• Paid training (half day)

Paraprofessional:

• High school diploma
• Fingerprinting & background check
• Mantoux Test
• $105 per day
• Paid training (half day)

Custodian:

• High school diploma
• Fingerprinting & background check
• Mantoux Test
• $100 per day
• Paid training (half day)

If you are interested in either opportunity, please reach out to Peggy Andrews, Administrative Assistant to the CSA. She can be reached at (908) 479-6336.

It is that time of year again...Flu season! Please click here to access a notice from our school nurses about steps to take in order to keep your child and family healthy as well as guidance as to when to keep your child home from school.

We also have free Covid-19 tests available to families. Click here for more information.

Safety and security of our students and staff are our number one priority. Over the next several months, we will be doing an audit of our safety procedures and protocols and will be making changes, as needed, to them. We will be working with law enforcement throughout this process to understand from their perspective what is needed to ensure the safety of everyone who attends and visits our buildings.

While we are unable to share specifics to our security plan with parents and the community, there are things that you can do to help us keep our schools safe.

• Appointments are required for any visitor to the building. If you need to meet with a staff member, please schedule an appointment with them in order for your name to be added to the appointment sheet that is shared with our office staff.
• When you get to the building, you will need to state the reason for your visit prior to be allowed into the building. PLEASE ONLY USE THE FRONT ENTRANCE NEAR THE OFFICE.
• Once in the building, all visitors are required to sign in & wear a visitor's badge that must be worn for the duration in which you are in the building.
• When you are ready to leave, please return your visitor's badge and be sure to sign out so we know who is still in our building.

Thank you for helping to keep our students and staff safe within our schools!

One of my initiatives as the new Chief School Administrator for the Bethlehem Township School District is to be more visible on our school's social media pages as well as through the use of this newsletter platform. I would like the community to see all of the amazing things that are taking place within the walls of our school. This includes photographs of our students and staff, with no names attached. Currently we have no parents that have requested to not have their child photographed for these purposes and with these parameters. If you would like to request that your child's photograph NOT be used for these purposes, please reach out and let me know. Again, only photos will be used and no names will be posted, unless permission has been given for certain circumstances.