May 19, 2020
Dear Parents,
I believe spring has finally arrived. I hope everyone had a chance to go outdoors with the family and enjoy some quality time. One of my teachers made mention that last Friday night her family sat on the deck and played board games. Maybe there is a silver lining.
This week our academic days remain the same with Friday’s schedule for Art, Mindful, Gardening Class and Electives. Mrs. Imperatore had a great showing for her reading time in the forts and shared some adorable pictures. This week please join a crafty “Show and Tell” with Mrs. Pompilio. You will have a great opportunity to share with your peers. Come play the game Heads Up with Mrs. Butter. You’ll guess the word on the card that’s on your head from your friends’ clues before the time runs out! The schedule will be attached to this letter but you will receive a Thursday invite with your log ins from Mrs. Pompilio and Mrs. Butter.
Please join in the fun and spend some time with your classmates.
With Memorial Day Holiday approaching I want to remind all of you that Monday we are off but plan academics for Tuesday through Friday of next week. Last time we had a Monday off there was a little confusion with the Tuesday through Friday academic schedule. In the hopes of making the schedule less confusing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays’ schedules will remain the same. Friday which is normally not academic will become Monday’s academic schedule. We will send out a phone reminder as well.
The school year seems to be flying by. This Friday I will be meeting with the teachers to plan Awards’ Day, Graduation and some of the other end of the year activities. We want them to be as special as possible. Don’t forget there is still time to join the virtual talent show. Practices have not yet begun.
Once again thank you for all of your positive support and partnership. It is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Janet M. Cozine
May 12, 2020
Dear Parents,
Thank you for your beautiful responses to Teacher Appreciation Week. You can’t imagine how much your words meant to all of us. The Teacher Appreciation video put tears in all of our eyes. To see our students taking the time to make gratitude posters made everyone feel special. Sadly, the message was bittersweet since we miss being around our Craig kids and long to once again have that opportunity.
As we continue another week of online learning we look to add some fun activities to Friday’s schedule. Last Friday we began gardening class and had a strong, positive showing. Art and Mindful classes continue to be successful.
This Friday we are offering two electives, one will be for our 2nd through 5th-grade students and the other for the 6th through 8th graders. Lower School students: Make a fort, bring a flashlight, and listen to an entertaining story read by Mrs. Imperatore. Mrs. Edwards will be hosting Feelings Bingo for the middle schoolers. I will attach the grade level schedule of times for Friday classes. Thursday, look for information specifically from Mrs. Imperatore and Mrs. Edwards with directions for your logins to their electives. Each Friday we will be offering different electives so I hope as many children as possible will join in the fun.
I would also like to remind everyone to think about your talents. We would love as many of you as possible to consider the virtual talent show. Anyone interested should email Mr. Furlong directly. It continues to be our goal to add classes and activities that our students can look forward to. Their emotional well being is just as important to us as their academic success.
As another week of online learning is upon us I once again want to thank you for your continued support. I hope all of you Mothers enjoyed a wonderful Mother’s Day and your children treated you well.
Sincerely,
Janet M. Cozine
Dear Parents,
Welcome to another week of online learning. This week is special in the sense that it is Teacher Appreciation Week and I for one so appreciate all that my staff has contributed to your children’s education. These past weeks so many of you have emailed wonderful comments of gratitude for what our teachers have done. As one parent so eloquently put it “Virtual learning at Craig has been Amazing. I am in awe at how hard all of you have worked to make this unusual school experience be as close to in person as possible. Thank you to everyone at Craig.” This week please take a moment to have your child reach out to a teacher or teachers to say thank you. We appreciate all that you are doing. I know as an administrator I am extremely grateful and proud to be a part of this team.
This Friday is the last week of Health and Family life. I was so glad to see the high degree of participation. As the weather is finally warming up we would like to add Gardening class with Mr. Furlong for the 2nd through 5th graders. This class is optional but certainly will be a lot of fun. Each grade will have a set half hour time block on Fridays, which will not conflict with Art, Mindfulness, and the other upcoming electives. If any of our middle schoolers are interested please email Mr. Furlong and he will set you up to participate. During Social Studies classes on Thursday Mr. Furlong will go over all log ins for those students interested in participating.
As we look toward the weeks to come we realize that our annual Craig Talent Show may not be possible. What about the idea of a virtual talent show? Is there interest? Mr. Furlong and Mr. Snowdon are diligently working on a virtual premier performance. If your child is interested in being apart of the talent show please email Mr. Furlong directly. There will be practices and we need commitment. Mostly we want to engage in activities with enthusiasm to make the most of our unusual circumstances. I am sure the experience will be rewarding.
Thank you again for all of your support and partnership. This has been a unique experience that I feel everyone has accepted and embraced with grace and appreciation.
Sincerely,
Janet M. Cozine
April 28, 2020
Dear Parents,
It’s time for a virtual field trip to the Everywhere Book Fest! by Anna E Jordan. Readers will have an exciting opportunity to listen to some of their favorite authors this Friday May 1st and Saturday May 2nd either via IRL or via Skype.
On May 1st some of the highlights are Jacqueline Woodson, writer of Brown Girl Rising at 10 am. This has become a beloved library book for so many of your children. Jason Reynolds can be viewed at 11 am. Our Craig students love his track series.
As we all know Craig has so many incredible artists who will enjoy watching or participating in the picture draw off at 12pm. For you history buffs there will be a historical fiction panel at 1pm.
I realize Saturday can be your day of rest but there are some wonderful authors featured. Marie Lu is someone our middle school readers of the Legend Series will enjoy. Nathan Hale will be joining a panel of nonfiction authors at 1pm. These are just a few of the fun and dynamic authors featured May 1st and 2nd. The Everywhere Book Fest is the ideal book field trip for kids. I will provide an attachment so please put aside the time to browse through all of the opportunities to see your favorites.
Along with the attachment for the Everywhere Book Fest I will be including the time schedules for Friday’s classes. Although the schedules will be much the same as last week, the visual may just make it a little easier to follow. There will also be a Peer Leader Lunch scheduled for 12:00. Please remember the importance of attending Health Class. Art and Health are part of your Craig curriculum and report card worthy. Unless there is an excused absence, classes are considered mandatory. In the weeks to come we will be adding electives and clubs to our Friday schedule. Those will be optional but our hope is that all of you will select at least one to attend.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy week. As always thank you for your enthusiasm and continued support.
Sincerely,
Janet M. Cozine
Thursday, November 19th - Girls Basketball Starts - All paperwork must be completed to participate
Monday, November 23rd - Trimester 1 Report Cards emailed to parents & districts
Tuesday, November 24 - School Closed: Thanksgiving Break
* Change in Current School Calendar. Contact Transportation Companies
Wednesday, November 25 to Friday, November 27 - School Closed: Thanksgiving Break
Dear Craig Parents,
Thank you for attending our first ever virtual parent / teacher conferences. I appreciate how prompt and available everyone made themselves. I am happy to report that there were very few technological glitches. I hope that your conference provided you with some valuable insight into your child’s progress at school. Thank you for sharing with us your concerns and for being strong advocates for our students, teachers and school. I find that the fall conferences set a great pattern for success leading into the new trimester. When parents, teachers and students work together for a common goal and then work to achieve that goal great things can occur.
I would also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that our Craig teachers have demonstrated during this unusual start to the school year. We are all involved in a new learning curve and the teachers have needed to put in countless additional hours to help our students become successful.
During the month of November, we often think of things we are grateful for. I am grateful for the great work our teachers and parents do together to help our students reach their potential.
Sincerely,
Janet Cozine
Leadership Council
It was an honor to welcome Gunnery Sergeant Monaco to our Craig stage on November 10. He generously gave of his time so we could provide three socially distanced presentations. Sergeant Monaco shared with the students his funny and heartwarming stories about his experiences in the Marines. He ended each talk by reminding the students that they should strive every day toward a realistic goal. “It won’t be easy , nothing in life worth it ever is , but if you work hard you will succeed, he” he told the students. He reminded us that we live in a great land with numerous freedoms that we should all be proud of.
Stephen Dublanica, Denville Township Social Services Coordinator, came to pick up our coat donations. Thanks to all the families and staff that participated. We had over 35 coats! Go Badgers!
Artist Student Spotlight for October
Noah Popowitz
CONGRATULATIONS NOAH! - STUDENT ARTIST FOR OCTOBER
Welcome to the Artist of the Month Student Spotlight
Are you trying your best and never giving up?
Are you keeping a positive, with an "I can do this mindset"?
Are you always polite and kind to everyone around you?
Mrs. Rosky’s 4th grade reading class has been digging into their non-fiction class book entitled, What Was the by Yona Zeldis McDonough. The children are learning about real brave American heroes and the various modes of transport as well as different routes to freedom that these enslaved people were forced to endure.
The students also read a few related extension books, The Drinking Gourd and Henry’s Freedom Box, for which they completed some hands-on projects. The children created “Freedom Boxes”, like the one Henry Brown mailed himself in, to get to freedom. The students created shipping labels, to Philadelphia Pennsylvania, for the boxes, and enclosed letters, which they wrote from Henry’s perspective. They also mapped out the various routes to freedom from the slave states moving north up to Canada.
We are extending Cross-Country again! The season will continue into next week. Practice Tuesday 11/17 and Thursday 11/19. Go Badgers!
Girls Basketball forms are available for sign-up. Our 1st practice is Thursday November 19th from 3:05 to 4:30.
Homework Help Dates Week of November 16th
Monday, November 16th
Wednesday, November 18th
Thursday, November 19th
If your child is leaving early or not coming to Homework Help, please contact Mrs. Butter by email at bbutter@craigschool.org or via call/text message on the Homework Help hotline 1-862-207-9863. Thanks!
ANNUAL FUND DRIVE
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Today, after many months of change in our world, our mission and core values endure, and the need for The Craig School is greater than ever before. This is why we are encouraging our community members to participate in the Annual Fund in a capacity that is meaningful to you. All gifts received go right back into the school we all love by supporting our teachers and specialists, providing cutting edge technology and programs, a safe and secure campus environment, and continuing growth of all of our students.
Click the donate here button below.
COVID-19 & SCHOOL BREAKS
The Craig School is asking families who choose to travel outside of the state during the Thanksgiving and/or Winter break notify the school of such travel. Per New Jersey state guidelines, if one travels to a state listed as restricted for travel due to COVID-19, a self-quarantine of 14-days is advised. More information regarding out-of-state travel for New Jersey residents may be found here: Travel Advisory. Per medical guidance, testing upon arrival back into the state of New Jersey does not replace self-quarantine as one may spread COVID-19 to other people including family, friends, and community for 14-days after exposure to the virus, regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms. The NJ Department of Health provides a rationale for this: Why can't I test out of COVID-19 quarantine?
NURSE
Daily attendance recording is a vital housekeeping task here that keeps us all organized, communicative and running smoothly. It is imperative that the school be informed and updated on each student in our care. To that end, I’d like to remind parents to please let us know if we are to expect a change in your child’s status: distracting mornings and changes in schedules aside, please remember your child’s welfare matters greatly to us and we need to be informed if they will not be in attendance as expected. Call or e-mail us regarding attendance as follows:
ATTENDANCE:
Goals and Objectives and Report Cards
Trimester Schedule 2020-2021
Marking Period 1 September 3- November 15
Goals and Objectives - November 2
Reports Cards - November 23
Marking Period 2 November 16- March 13
Goals and Objectives - March 8
Report Cards - Friday, March 22
Marking Period 3 March 15- June 17
Goals and Objectives - May 31
Report Cards - June 18
The Craig School Calendars - Weekly/Monthly View
HOMEWORK HELP LETTER FOR PARENTS
April 20, 2020
Dear Craig Families,
Last Thursday, April 16th our Governor shared some unsettling news that all schools in the State of New Jersey will remain closed at least until Friday May 15th.
As our online learning continues we all challenge ourselves to keep our students engaged and upbeat. Although our mission has been to keep our students motivated to learn as a staff we will be coming together remotely to discuss ways to keep our students happy and focus on their mental well-being, amidst rising anxiety and isolation. Unfortunately, even teachers who are use to communicating regularly are forced to meet in totality in Friday group chats.
For the students Friday schedule will be slightly different. This Friday along with Art and Mindfulness we will begin health classes for the 2nd through 5th graders. The classes will run for the next three Fridays. An attachment with log ins and scheduled times will be included. Weekly “Nurse Check Ups” are on the agenda. We need to keep our bodies strong, safe, and healthy not only during online learning but throughout our lifetimes.
Also, on Friday we will begin the Family Life Program for our 6th through 8th grade students. Each grades’ programs are different so an attachment by grade has been emailed ahead. The program contains medically accurate and age appropriate concepts geared for our middle school students. The classes will be led by Melissa Keyes DiGioia, CSE Director of Education at Finding Your Individuality. Mrs. Edwards, our Middle School Clinician and Mrs. Meisenbacher, our School Nurse will also be present and moderating each of the sessions.
As we continue to assess our program not only for academic growth but also emotional well being we will continue to look at ways to help our students feel safe and loved. They have never experienced anything like this and neither have we. I once again thank you for your support and partnership as we remain hopeful that we will soon receive the positive news we have been waiting for and our doors will once again be opened.
Sincerely,
Janet M. Cozine
For more information on ways of giving or to make a donation online you can clicking here.
