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South Orange-Maplewood School District

A District That Celebrates

Columbia

CHS Provides Updates in Preparation for Fall Sports Season

July 10, 2020 By Communications

July 10, 2020

Dear Parents & Guardians,

I hope that all is well.  As the summer progresses, and as we ramp up for the next school year with Covid-19 still at the forefront of our decision-making, I want to provide you with an update on our Columbia High School athletics program.

Dr. Taylor is leading us on this important task and I have been fortunate to have already started working with district and building personnel on the Rethink-Reopen Taskforce. Mr. Ken Mullen, our Interim Atheltic Director, has done a terrific job meeting with our health personnel, coaches, and the building and grounds team to ensure we can begin our sports program while maintaining the health and safety of our students and staff, which is, of course, our first priority.

After many meetings, much research, surveying CHS parents, equipment purchasing, and conferring with neighboring districts, we are ready to begin a summer conditioning and workout program. Since this is a fluid situation with local and national guidelines continuously being updated, we ask for your patience if we need to make any changes. We will announce any updates as soon as they are decided.

CHS Tentative Athletic Schedule

July 21- July 31 Virtual Conditioning & Team Bonding 

  • Once our coaches are Board approved, they will begin reaching out to students via virtual platforms, Google Meet or Cisco Webex. The focus of this time will be on team bonding and individual conditioning goals. (Captains’ practices are not allowed because medical personnel are not available to conduct temperature checks.)  

August 3 – August 28 (pending state guidelines) Supervised Conditioning & Practices 

  • Starting in early August, our teams will begin with team practices, following the NJSIAA Phase 1 Guidelines. A specific team-by-team schedule will follow from Mr. Mullen and the coaches. By mid-August, our program will shift to the Phase 2 Guidelines that are being released by the NJSIAA on July 10th. 

According to NJSIAA officials, we can expect a shortened season that will begin later in September, so our coaches are comfortable with the time we have to prepare our student-athletes for another successful year. 

Please be on the lookout for more information from Mr. Mullen regarding the forms that your children will need to complete prior to our August start with physical conditioning. This will include physicals for our rising Freshmen students. Currently, the NJ Legislature is considering waiving the annual requirement for physicals for our rising 10th – 12th graders, so we will also update you on that if the guidelines change. 

I hope you are as excited as I am for next year. Throughout the interview process, I heard incredible things about Columbia High School, so I look forward to meeting you all.

Sincerely,

 

Frank Sánchez

CHS Principal

July 10, 2020 Filed Under: Columbia, District News & Announcements

2020 Summer School Programs for Students

July 1, 2020 By Communications

July 1, 2020 Filed Under: Columbia, District News & Announcements, Maplewood Middle School, South Orange Middle School

Tribute Video for CHS Class of 2020 from CHS Class of 1970

June 29, 2020 By Communications

Note from CHS Class of 1970:

Several of us from the CHS Class of 1970, while working on canceling our 50th Reunion started talking about the Class of 2020. We quickly realized that rescheduling a 50th Reunion was nothing like having your graduation ceremony canceled. We wanted to do something for the 2020 graduating class and the following video message is the result of our efforts.  The six of us who worked on this video wanted to let the current graduates know that our thoughts are with them. In fact, if we had the time, we would have had many more people from our graduating class involved. We are confident that everyone who walked across the stage at Underhill Field on June 17, 1970, would want to send their best wishes to the graduates of 2020.
 
The CHS graduates who created this message and video are:
  • Ms. Judi Manning Mason (CHS Class of 1970)
  • Mr. Don Cicchino (CHS Class of 1970)
  • Ms. Jeanne Applegate (CHS Class of 1970)
  • Ms. Cathy Alexis (CHS Class of 1970)
  • Mr. Jack Wagner (CHS Class of 1970)
  • Ms. Alexis Keegan (CHS Class of 2003 – Video Consultant)

June 29, 2020 Filed Under: Columbia, District News & Announcements

2020 District-Wide Virtual Moving Up & Graduation Ceremonies by School

June 11, 2020 By Communications

Please see below for dates for graduation and moving up ceremonies.  All virtual ceremonies will be posted to the South Orange & Maplewood School District YouTube Channel:  https://bit.ly/SOMSDYouTube

SchoolGradeDateTimeCeremony
Preschool Moving Up Ceremony Pre-KFriday, June 12, 202010:00 AMMoving Up Ceremony
Marshall Elementary School 2ndMonday, June 22, 202010:00 AMGrade Clap Out
South Mountain Elementary 5thMonday, June 22, 202010:00 AMMoving Up Ceremony
Clinton Elementary School 5thTuesday, June 23, 20209:00 AMMoving Up Ceremony
Jefferson Elementary School 5thTuesday, June 23, 20209:00 AMMoving Up Ceremony
Seth Boyden School 5thTuesday, June 23, 20209:00 AMMoving Up Ceremony
Tuscan Elementary School 5thTuesday, June 23, 202010:00 AMMoving Up Ceremony
Columbia High School 12thWednesday, June 24, 20206:00 PMMoving Up Ceremony
Maplewood Middle School 8thWednesday, June 24, 20209:00 AMMoving Up Ceremony
South Orange Middle School 8thWednesday, June 24, 20209:00 AMMoving Up Ceremony

June 11, 2020 Filed Under: Clinton, Columbia, District News, District News & Announcements, Jefferson, Maplewood Middle School, Marshall, Montrose, Seth Boyden, South Mountain, South Mountain Annex, South Orange Middle School, Tuscan

Class of 2020 & 2021 Register to Vote: A message from CHS Student Council’s Voter Registration Committee

June 10, 2020 By Communications

Hey, Class of 2020 and Class of 2021!

Are you 17 or older? You can register to vote! There is power seen in the streets of MAPSO, and you have the opportunity to bring that power to the polls when you turn 18.

Remember that primaries are super important for local and state elections, so even if the presidential nominees are already decided, you should still vote in the primary. New Jersey holds a closed primary, so you must register by June 16th with a party affiliation (or as an Independent) in order to vote in either the Democratic or Republican Primary.

Young people are historically those who vote the least, but we have the opportunity to change that. As a community, we are active in so many causes, so let’s make sure we’re heard!

Want to educate yourself on the candidates before you vote? Attached below are the websites for candidates for contested nominations in our area, listed alphabetically.

For House of Representatives:
– Donald Payne Jr. (D)
– Gene Mazo (D)
– John Flora (D)

For Senate:
– Cory Booker (D)
– Eugene Anagnos (R)
– Hirsh Singh (R)
– Lawrence Hamm (D)
– Natalie Rivera (R)
– Rik Mehta (R)
– Tricia Flanagan (R)

Candidates for Board of Freeholders

Now that you have the info, print your registration form so you can vote! If you do not have access to a printer or ink, but would like a form to be delivered contact-free, please send an email to pholtreiss@nullgmail.com.

See you at the polls,

Student Council’s Voter Registration Committee and Students For Justice

June 10, 2020 Filed Under: Columbia, District News & Announcements

Joint Message from SOMSD Concerning Social Justice Crisis Sweeping Across our Country

June 1, 2020 By Communications

On behalf of the South Orange & Maplewood School District Board of Education, Superintendent Taylor, and Administration, the following message is a reflection on the social justice crisis sweeping across our country.

“In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.”
― Toni Morrison

We as community educational leaders are compelled to reiterate our commitment to Equity. However, we must first acknowledge the pain, anger and angst that so many in our district, community and society are currently experiencing. We must not be fearful to make space in our conversations around the genesis of the conflict and uprisings that we are experiencing. We must be intentional. We cannot turn a blind eye to the scourge of racism and bigotry in our country and how its legacy is compounding. Exponentially compounding, not just singular atrocities that reduce people of color to hashtags, but the hard to describe micro-aggressions, privilege, embedded prejudice and intolerance that is a part of our daily lives.

Now is the time to have conversations with our children and communities.  We must discuss not only the images we see on our televisions and social media but more importantly, the complex truth behind the outrage and how it is connected to all of us.   Below are some resources to help in your discussions with your children and/or community.

  • How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism – https://www.parenttoolkit.com/social-and-emotional-development/advice/social-awareness/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-race-and-racism
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture Releases “Talking About Race” – https://nmaahc.si.edu/about/news/national-museum-african-american-history-and-culture-releases-talking-about-race-web
  • Teaching Tolerance: Beyond the Golden Rule –  https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/publications/beyond-the-golden-rule

Also, we are very proud of our commitment to anti-bias, anti-racist, and culturally inclusive education to all we serve.  The district has demonstrated this commitment most recently through our:

  • Deliberate thoughtful progress with regards to our Intentional Integration Initiative (III);
  • Partnership with Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI), for both educator professional development and student counseling in support of equity for our LGBTQ+ community;
  • Restorative Practices & Equity centered job-embedded professional development for our educators, in partnership with renown scholarly experts on this topic; and,
  • Recently approved curriculum revisions to 39 (and counting) curriculum guides, that include connections to the New Jersey Amistad Commission and the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education.

We are proud to be a part of a progressive diverse community where being an advocate and an upstander is widely accepted as the norm.  We are proud to have a positive relationship with our community Police partners. We need each other now more than ever. Please know that your school district is committed to providing our students with an education that prepares the next generation to lead us to a future that not only acknowledges our differences with empathy and dignity but embraces our diversity as the strength that has the power to truly transform our society.

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Ronald G. Taylor

South Orange & Maplewood School District, Board of Education

June 1, 2020 Filed Under: Board of Education, Columbia, District News & Announcements, Superintendent

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South Orange-Maplewood School District

South Orange-Maplewood School District

Address & Contact Info

525 Academy Street
Maplewood, NJ 07040

Main Office: (973) 762-5600

District Title IX Information

Dr. Kevin Gilbert
Asst., Supt., Access & Equity
District Title IX Coordinator
525 Academy Street
Maplewood, NJ 07040
e: kgilbert@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1859

Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB)

Dr. Kevin Gilbert
Asst., Supt., Access & Equity
District HIB Coordinator
e: kgilbert@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1859

Ms. Robin Curry
Confidential Secretary to the Asst. Supt., Access & Equity
e: rcurry@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1822

More HIB Information

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The South Orange & Maplewood School District is committed to making our content accessible to all members of the public, including those with disabilities. This includes parents, students, employees, and all others associated with our district. If you need assistance in accessing materials on the district website or you would like to provide feedback or file a complaint about the website, please email the webmaster.

Our Mission

The mission of the South Orange Maplewood School District is to empower and inspire each student to explore and imagine, to pursue personal passions, and to collectively create a better future by creating a learner-centered environment through multiple pathways; re-imagined structures, systems and supports; innovative teaching; partnering with families; and maximizing community expertise and resources.

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