South Mountain

Emergency Remote or Virtual Instruction Plan For the 2021-22 School Year

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Link:  https://bit.ly/3vUCHMM

South Orange Maplewood School District
Emergency Remote or Virtual Instruction Plan
For the 2021-22 School

This plan would be implemented during a district closure lasting more than three consecutive school days due to a declared state of emergency, declared a public health emergency, or a directive by the appropriate health agency or officer to institute a public health-related closure.

The Plan contains information regarding:

  • Technology
  • School Lunch Distribution
  • The Instructional Model including School Schedules
  • Grades, Assessment & Attendance
  • Teacher Expectations and More…

Read the plan in its entirety.  Link:  https://bit.ly/3vUCHMM

SOMSD Community Fall Break Travel/Quarantine Guidelines & Survey (Submissions Due By: Tues., October 26)

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Download Letter PDF | English Google Doc Version |  Spanish Translation | Haitian Creole Translation

Link to:  Fall Break Travel Survey

(ONLY FAMILIES WHO PLAN TO TRAVEL DOMESTICALLY (OUTSIDE OF PA, NJ, NY, CT, DE) OR INTERNATIONALLY w/ UNVACCINATED CHILDREN SHOULD FILL OUT THIS FORM)

October 21, 2021

Dear SOMSD Community,

The District’s Fall Break is coming up and is scheduled for November 1 – 5, 2021.  All District schools, as well as Central Office, will be closed for this week.  Schools and District offices will reopen on Monday, November 8, 2021. 

This letter is to inform you that if you plan on traveling either domestically (outside of PA, NJ, NY, CT, DE) or outside of the United States, upon reentry to our school district, UNVACCINATED students will be asked to quarantine for a full seven to ten days depending on testing.  Quarantine may be seven full days if students test negative on days 3, 4, or 5 after returning from travel. If you choose not to test, quarantine is ten full days.  This guidance is per our local SOMA Departments of Health as informed by NJDOH and CDC.  Everyone’s compliance is necessary to keep the members of our school community healthy and safe. 

During a student’s quarantine period, they will receive virtual instruction.  Please note while we will strive to minimize the disruption to student learning during the quarantine period by having systems in place for students to receive virtual instructional support, these structures will vary depending on the circumstances.  Therefore, families of UNVACCINATED students who plan to travel during the fall break, outside of the PA, NJ, NY, CT, and DE areas will need to fill out the Fall Break Travel Survey by Tuesday, October 26.  [Link: https://forms.gle/9sUCZVeJ7SZqPQvq8].

  • Elementary Students:   For elementary students who will be traveling, parents/guardians must fill out the Fall Break Travel Survey by Tuesday, October 26, so that they have adequate notice that your child will be in quarantine post-Fall break.   Families who submit their survey by the due date will receive the appropriate details and links for virtual learning from their child’s teacher.
  • Unvaccinated Middle School Students:  For unvaccinated middle school students who will be traveling, parents/guardians must fill out the Fall Break Travel Survey by Tuesday, October 26, to inform the school that their child will need to quarantine due to travel.  Families who submit their survey by the due date will receive the appropriate details and links for virtual learning from their child’s teacher.
  • Unvaccinated CHS Students:  For unvaccinated high school students who will be traveling, parents/guardians must fill out the Fall Break Travel Survey by Tuesday, October 26, to inform the school that their child will need to quarantine due to travel.  Families who submit their survey by the due date will receive the appropriate details and links for virtual learning from their child’s teacher.

Families can receive testing via our partner, MediMobile.  MediMobile is on-site every Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm at the CHS Gymnasium parking lot (in inclement weather, MediMobile will be in the CHS cafeteria – – Parker Avenue entrance).  In addition, you can find additional testing locations for Essex County on our website:  https://bit.ly/C19Test_Vaccine. See below for the travel guidelines quarantine chart.

Grade Levels Travel  Guidelines Outside of PA, NJ, NY, CT, DE

[Guidelines have been in place since 5/2021. The NJDOH refers us to the CDC who recommends delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated]
PreK – 5

And all Unvaccinated individuals

 The day you return from travel is DAY ZERO

7-full-day Quarantine if the negative test is taken on day 3, 4, or 5 after return:

  • PCR or Rapid.  
  • A home-based test result is acceptable in the case of travel as long as the individual is not symptomatic.  If symptomatic, stay home from school and get a laboratory test.  Report positive tests to the principal.

OR

10-full-day Quarantine if choosing not to test and do not have symptoms

  • If symptomatic, stay home from school and get a laboratory test.  Report positive tests to the principal.

For International travel guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
6 – 12 

 
  • Unvaccinated students will be governed by the quarantine guidelines above. 
  • Fully vaccinated individuals do not have to quarantine if they do not have symptoms. Remember, if symptomatic, stay home from school and get a laboratory test. Report positive results to the principal. [Reminder: Parents/guardians of students ages 12 and up are encouraged to upload/share proof of student COVID-19 vaccine, this will help identify students who may NOT have to quarantine*: https://bit.ly/SOMSDSVS]
  • For International travel guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

These actions will further assist the school district in mitigating any health risks to our students, staff, and families. We encourage parents and students to continue following the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention promoted safeguards, such as: 

  • Staying home when you are sick; 
  • Washing hands often with soap for at least 20 seconds; 
  • Covering coughs and sneezes and properly disposing of tissues; 
  • Limiting close contact with people who are sick and not sharing food, drinks, and utensils; 
  • Practicing social distancing; 
  • Wearing a mask and students having an extra mask in their backpack as possible;
  • Continuing to monitor your health for symptoms. 

As always, we appreciate our community’s support and cooperation. You can assist us by remaining vigilant but sensible in your approach to dealing with this health concern. Should you have any questions about this situation, please feel free to contact your building administrators.

South Orange & Maplewood School District

Important SOMSD Update: New School Reopening Date for All Students, Monday, September 13

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September 6, 2021

Dear SOMSD Community,

As we all recover from the impact of Tropical Storm Ida, we sincerely hope this message finds you and your family safe.  As a school district, we suffered significant losses,  and from the evening of the storm throughout the long weekend, our staff has been assessing the damage.   

The purpose of this communication is to share the District's status with you. We suffered damages to our facilities and our transportation vehicles.  Our Facilities Team has worked tirelessly throughout the weekend and done a terrific job of remediating the water damage to our facilities. However, the most pressing concerns for our reopening center around our school buses and transportation vans. We have been working closely with our insurance adjuster and the mechanics that we have an ongoing relationship with to assess the situation. At this time, we have received updates that have made us somewhat optimistic that our transportation fleet will be operational sooner than our original estimates. 

Another significant concern for us is the valuable school and classroom preparation time lost by our educators. We want our Fall Reopening to be a positive experience for all after the challenges presented by the last 18 months. To that end, we will be delaying our first day of school. The new date for all students is tentatively Monday, September 13, 2021. 

All staff will report to their buildings on Thursday, September 9 & Friday, September 10 to finalize their preparation for the return of our students. This delay will allow us to have a clearer picture of the condition of our Transportation Fleet, as well as other ongoing remediation efforts. 

In closing, the school year calendar will be shifting, the first day of school will tentatively be Monday, September 13 for all grade levels Prek-12. Staff will be returning to the buildings on Thursday, September 9.  If this plan is required to change, we will immediately update the community.

South Orange & Maplewood School District

SOMSD Fall 2021 Return to School Guidebook

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We are pleased to share with you the fall 2021 Return to School Guidebook. This guidebook provides an overview of our plans for a safe return to in-person instruction, five days a week, for all students.

All schools will open at full capacity for in-person instruction with a teacher in every classroom, a visionary administrator leading every school, and support staff providing critical wraparound services and support for our students and communities. Schools will return to their pre-pandemic times, class schedules and extracurricular activities.

This guidebook provides more details on: Operations & Logistics; Health & Safety Procedures; Meals; Contingency Plans; What to Expect for Curriculum & Instruction, Technology and Special Education; Chromebook Usage & Distribution by grade levels, and more.  The guide also summarizes the District’s contingency plans should the County’s health conditions require operational and instructional adjustments.

RETURN TO SCHOOL: TRAVEL QUARANTINE GUIDELINES FOR THE UNVACCINATED

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View/Download Letter:  bit.ly/FallTrQuara  |  Spanish Translation:  bit.ly/3sqa1tc  | Haitian Creole Translation:  bit.ly/3sp4kvy

August 17, 2021

Dear Parents / Guardians, Students, and Community Members,

As we begin to prepare for a September 2021 return to school, we know that families have pre-planned vacation trips or may be planning for a final trip with their child(ren) to wrap up the summer break.  As such, we want to share the most recent travel quarantine guidelines for unvaccinated individuals as per CDC guidance, *NJ Department of Health and input from our local Departments of Health.  

A reminder, the first day of school for the District is as follows (revised, Monday, 9/6):

  • Monday, September 13:  For all grade levels (PreK - 12)

For the purpose of this guidance, domestic travel is defined as travel lasting 24 hours or longer to states or US territories other than contiguous states (i.e., Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut).  NOTE:   Fully-vaccinated individuals do not have to quarantine. 

For unvaccinated persons after you travel:

Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days* after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel. (For testing options - covid19.nj.gov)

  • Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
  • If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
  • If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.

Important Note:  The day the family returns is Day Zero. Then count seven or ten full days depending on testing.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR RETURN TO SCHOOL?

Unvaccinated Travelling Student Quarantine Guidelines
Grades PreK - 7 and 9
  • May attend on the first day of school Thurs., September 9 ONLY IF
  1. Student returns from travel on September 1 and tests negative on Day 3, 4 or 5 after return | # of Quarantine Days:  7

(or)

     2. Student returns from travel on August 29 and chooses not to test | # of Quarantine Days:  10
Grades 8 and 10 - 12
  • May attend on the first day of school on Friday, September 10 ONLY IF
  1. Student returns from travel on September 2 and tests negative on Day 3, 4 or 5 after return |  # of Quarantine Days:  7

(or)

    2. Student returns from travel on August 30 and chooses not to test | # of Quarantine Days:  10

HOW WILL STUDENTS ACCESS THEIR CLASSES DURING QUARANTINE?

If your family does not return by the dates above, your unvaccinated students may access their classes virtually during quarantine.  If your student needs a Chromebook to access their classes in the beginning of the school year, parents/guardians must reserve a Chromebook (see below in "Quarantine Chromebook Reservation" section). Chromebooks may be picked up on the following days:

  • Dates: Wednesday  & Thursday, September 1 - 2, 2021
  • Times: 9:30am - 3:30pm
  • Place: Columbia High School (Side Door, Academy Street entrance)
  • Note:  Please make sure that the person picking up the Chromebook is: 1) not exhibiting any symptoms  2) wearing a mask and 3) not supposed to be quarantined due to recent travel or close contact.

Quarantine Chromebook Reservation:

So that our IT department is able to better prepare for distribution, any parent/guardian requesting a Chromebook will need to fill out the attached google form to reserve your Chromebook:

To view full CDC guidance for both domestic and international travel for unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals, view the links below:

*Although NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) no longer issues its OWN travel advisory list, it directs us to CDC guidance, as does our local Departments of Health.

Sincerely,

The South Orange & Maplewood School District

SOMSD Launches Rubicon Atlas, First-Ever Public-Facing Website for the District’s K-12 Curriculum

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Access K-12 Online Curriculum Atlas site:  https://bit.ly/SOMSDAtlas

SOMSD Community,

The South Orange & Maplewood School District’s Curriculum & Instruction Department is proud to announce that the District’s K-12 curriculum will now be available online.  The District has partnered with Rubicon Atlas to build out a digital public-facing platform for the K-12 curriculum which is now open to SOMSD families and the broader community.  

 The District’s partnership with Rubicon Atlas brings to fruition a two-year quest to provide the District community with transparency and access to the curriculum across all grade levels.  Rubicon Atlas is a leading online planning, assessment and reporting platform for independent and international schools worldwide. By providing schools with one unified system on a consistent, modern and mobile-ready interface, Rubicon Atlas via its platform AtlasNext offers a seamless & integrated experience for school leaders, teachers, students, and parents.

In the past, the District’s curriculum has been scattered across multiple portals for documentation and lacked a centralized location to document curriculum in addition to a common language or focus.  It has been a goal of the District for a couple of years to coordinate the curriculum process with a fresh start of curriculum documentation and review. To do this, the District needed to establish a centralized place for curriculum documentation, as well as ensure that teachers/parents are able to view how curricula are aligned and referenced from Common Core NJSLA standards.

Dr. Matthew Friedman, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction, says “We are excited to finally bring to fruition this District goal.” He continued, “The process of transferring our curriculum to an online platform, allowed us to find the crucial gaps and overlaps in our current curriculum, where similar aspects of curriculum were being repeated year to year, while across grades, there was a lack of consistency in curriculum. In transferring curriculum to Rubicon Atlas, we sought to achieve a more cohesive and standard sequence across curricula.” 

Providing access to the District’s curriculum via a user-friendly site not only provides transparency and allows parents to view what their child(ren’s) will learn at their grade level, but it also beneficial to teachers, allowing them to view mapped curricula by subject area, grade-levels and standard alignments on one site and in one-location.  Within Rubicon Atlas, school and District-wide curriculum is one click away for all teachers, spanning all subjects and grade levels.  In addition, teachers will easily be able to apply filters by grade, subject, or course.

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald G. Taylor shared, “We are so excited to add this high-quality tool to our District. During my tenure, I have heard concerns from stakeholders regarding the need to anticipate what students will be learning next or questions regarding the pacing of instruction or even questions about curricular compliance with state mandates.”  Taylor continued, “Rubicon Atlas is a proven platform that offers a user-friendly transparent solution addressing those previously stated concerns, while also significantly increasing the access of instructional resources to our educators. Kudos to our Curriculum and Instruction Team, led by Dr. Friedman and Director Ann Bodnar, who worked many hours with our Academic Content Supervisors to bring this much discussed need to reality.”  

South Orange & Maplewood School Community

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