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Let's Talk TPS

District Communication - September 17, 2021

Let's Talk TPS District Communication - September 17, 2021

Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year

We hope that everyone has had a positive and productive start to the school year. Although we hit a few bumps in the road when preparing for 2021-2022, we were so happy to start on time in all schools.

This year, we are introducing a new format for our weekly communication that is designed to be filled with new information, reminders, and quick links to our website and other resources for those times when you want or need more information. In response to your feedback and comments, we are also changing the day of the week on which we send the newsletter. Starting next week, the newsletter will be sent on Wednesdays. We hope that this meets everyone's needs.


We welcome your feedback and hope that it helps you to stay up-to-date and informed about all things TPS.

Yours in Education,

Shauna C. DeMarco

Superintendent Tenafly Public School

A Little Hurricane Can't Get Us Down

Smith Elementary School
Smith School was one of two TPS schools greatly affected by Hurricane Ida. However, our incredible Buildings and Grounds (B&G) staff and hired service professionals worked tirelessly to clean up debris and get our entire district ready for day one. Hallway decorations were minimal and the library was directly impacted by the storm, but staff and students showed their resilience and creativity. Our pop-up library has been a great success, and we look forward to getting back to our media center in the near future.
Mackay Elementary School
Mackay School saw more than its share of water following the hurricane, with flooding on the first two floors of the school. Again, our B&G staff stepped in with the help of flooding experts to dry out the school and ensure that everything was fully operational for the first day of school. Additional cleanup and preventive measures will continue through the next months to minimize any impact from future storms. Thank you to everyone who pitched in to help our schools open on time and with little impact to our students.

SAVE THE DATE: Back-to-School Nights

Mark your calendars for this school year's Virtual Back-to-School Nights! These events will be held virtually at all school levels. Additional details will be available on the district website calendars and will be sent directly to parents from their respective schools.

Welcome Back Teachers and Staff
Opening Day was filled with excitement, school pride, and planning for the new school year. TPS administrators - and Mayor Zinna! - welcomed our staff with wishes for a fantastic school year.
They've Got Spirit
Our school spirit was overflowing as the THS cheerleaders welcomed each and every one of our staff members back to school with their energy and enthusiasm! Thank you cheerleaders! Your energy was definitely contagious!
Marching to the Beat
We were all moving to the beat as we entered the building and walked through the halls. The THS Marching Band's sound was heard reverberating in the halls, welcoming our teachers and staff back to school. Bravo!

COVID Communications

To keep families and community members up-to-date on COVID news within the district, we will continue to share information via our district's COVID Dashboard. The dashboard provides a visual representation of daily and monthly cases within the district by school. Direct notifications to affected classrooms/student groups/schools will also remain in place as applicable.

Virtual Instruction Guidelines

As per the NJDOE and the NJDOH guidance for K-12 Schools, only those students with COVID-related absences verified by the school nurse, principal, or designee that meet specific criteria, as outlined in COVID-Exclusion Criteria and Timeframes, are eligible for virtual instruction options.

For absences confirmed to be COVID-related, a link to virtual class participation is enabled and shared with the student/parent as soon as possible. Virtual participation may be limited and virtual links may not be available for all courses every day. Students absent due to illness are encouraged to email their teacher(s) with questions and/or for assistance.

The health of our students remains our primary concern. Students absent due to COVID who are not well enough for school participation should be tended to and provided with proper rest and care until they are healthy enough to participate. For any and all other absences, Policy and Regulation 5200 applies.

Daily Symptom Tracker

Thanks to everyone for your continued cooperation with completing the Daily Symptom Tracker on days that you/your child reports to school. The system was updated to meet the most current CDC and state guidelines, particularly those related to testing and exposure. You can find information related to these changes on the TPS COVID-19 Communications page of our website.

Safety First

With school back in session and all of our students and staff onsite, we remind everyone to keep a watchful eye for our students running to cars or crossing streets. For our walking students, parents please plan a walking route with your student to ensure safe crossing at intersections. For a list of corners at which crossing guards are located, visit the Safety Reminders section on our website.


Please follow the car line drop off and pick up procedures for each school and we ask for your patience as our new families learn the process. We encourage parents and students to leave with extra time and ask you to discuss with your children the importance of using sidewalks, staying away from work areas, and following the directions of adults.

Questions/Concerns

Do you have questions or concerns related to your child? Please check the school/teacher websites for helpful information. Not finding what you need? Contact your building principal. They are here to help you and can be reached at:

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CC
Christine Corliss
ccorliss@tenafly.k12.nj.us
Contact Christine
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