New Albany Parent Connection

December 1: Single Session Day for Conference Preparation (early dismissal)

December 5: Report Cards issued

December 5-8: Parent Teacher Conferences/Single Session Days

December 6th: Evening Conferences

December 9th: CEHASA's Winterfest 10:00AM-3:00PM @ CHS

December 10th: Cinnaminson Twp Holiday Festival

December 12th: BOE Meeting 7:00PM @ CMS

December 13th: Session 2 of Clubs begins

December 22nd: Single Session Day (Early dismissal/No SAC)

December 23rd-January 1st: Winter Break

January 2nd: School reopens

December 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 22nd are single session days.

Please note school hours below:

K, MD, T-1, 1st, 2nd: 9:06 - 1:25 pm

AM Bright Eyes & AM Integrated Preschool: 8:55 - 11:05 am

PM Bright Eyes & PM Integrated Preschool: 11:05 am - 1:10 pm

Lunch is served on single session days.

There is NO SAC after care on December 22nd.

Students will take their home bus on this day.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held from Tuesday, December 5th through Friday, December 8th. Evening conferences will be held on Wednesday, December 6th.

If you do not already have an appointment scheduled, please sign up by visiting the Genesis Parent Portal and choosing a meeting time under the conference tab. Please note that the conference tab will close at noon on 12/4. After that time, you will need to contact your child's teacher directly for a meeting time.

Our staff looks forward to discussing your child's progress with you! All four days are SINGLE SESSION days with a 1:25PM dismissal (1:10PM for MEM students).

Hello New Albany families,

The holidays are among us! Between our counselors Ms. Mohler and Mrs. Procida, gratitude is an initiative we always strive to teach students. Through lessons, discussion, and activities, we aim to instill this practice into their lives.

This holiday season, take a moment to have a discussion with your children. There is so much for us to be grateful for every single day.

Check out this article on how to help teach the act of gratitude to your children, not just during the holidays, but every day.

Happy Holidays!

Focus on Gratitude

Reading stories featuring December celebrations are the perfect way to spend a chilly night together. Read to your child and have them read to you. Ask questions about the characters, the setting and what was their favorite part of the story. According to readaloud.org, there are many benefits to sharing a book together. “Your child may learn to read better, think better, imagine more richly, and become a passionate and lifelong reader.”

See pics below for some of our favorites.

Health Guidance

It's the season of colds and flu, and germs can spread quickly. We ask parents to keep their children home if they are sick to reduce the spread of germs.

For detailed information, please refer to the nurse's letter: Guidelines for Illness.

Cold Weather Season

As the weather begins to change, students will need to dress warmly when going outside for PE and recess. Please ensure that your child has a winter coat along with a hat, gloves, and scarf.

If your family is in need of a winter coat, please contact the nurse's office at

(856) 786-2284 ext 6832.

Clothing Donations

The nurse's supply of extra clothing is low. If you are cleaning out your closets, please consider donating gently used clothing (pants, leggings, sweatpants). In addition, our nurse's office will accept donations of new socks and underwear (sizes 4, 5, 6/7, 8, 10) for both girls and boys.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Change of Clothing

Sometimes accidents occur and a change of clothing is needed for our kindergarten students. Please provide a change of clothes, including underwear, in a ziploc bag labeled with your child's name to be kept in their backpack or storage in the classroom. It is common for elementary age students to have bathroom accidents and to ensure proper fit and limited disruption to the day, it is best to have their own change of clothes. It is also helpful to have in the event a child gets soiled during outside play (PE, recess).

We look forward to continuing to partner with you to ensure a healthy, happy school year! Feel free to contact us with any questions. You can reach Nurse Socha at sochac@cinnaminson.com or

Nurse Evans at evanse@cinnaminson.com.

Thank you,

Nurse Socha & Nurse Evans

As the holidays quickly approach, it's time for some festive fun! Students are invited to join in on NAS fun spirit days in December.

• Wednesday, December 13th: Warm & Fuzzy - Wear your favorite plaid, fuzzy socks, or both! Take advantage of feeling oh so comfy!
• Friday, December 15th: Merry & Bright - Wear your merriest attire...sequins, glitter, sparkles, or lights! Be like the north star and shine brightly!
• Tuesday, December 19th: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Wear all green or your favorite Grinch Attire!
• Wednesday, December 20th: Holiday Workshop - Don your best headgear as an elf, reindeer, Santa, Grinch, or other noggin topper. Holiday best right on top!
• Friday, December 22nd: Festive Sweaters - Sport your favorite holiday sweater, the "uglier" the better! There will be a prize for the best sweater!

We continue our practice of honoring a staff member as the "NAS Faculty Member of the Month." Please help us celebrate the influences of someone who may have had a positive impact on a student, a colleague, or our school community.

Please use the form below to nominate a deserving New Albany staff member you feel should be recognized as the NAS Faculty Member of the Month no later than Friday, December 15th. You may nominate a teacher, educational support professional, secretary, custodian, or anyone who works within the school building at New Albany and/or the New Albany Annex at Memorial.

Thank you for your thoughtful response and consideration!

Nomination form

Winterfest

CEHASA is so excited to welcome everyone to the 25th annual Winterfest event. Join us Saturday, December 9th at Cinnaminson High School, 10am-3pm. Support local small businesses as you do your holiday shopping, enjoy some amazing sweet treats, chat with family and friends as you listen to music and dine on some delicious food offerings. Don’t forget to wander through our numerous selfie stations while the kids enjoy Santa’s Workshop and visit with the big guy himself. There is SNOW much to see and do you will not want to miss this CEHASA, community favorite event! We hope to see everyone there!

Winterfest Doorbuster

Peace, Love, Pirates sweatshirt blanket - $25 ($10 discount)

Sale price available at Winterfest from 10am until we sell out!

Spirit Wear Orders

Thank you to all who supported CEHASA’s Winter spirit wear sale! They received an overwhelming response to the fall/winter preorder sale. As you know, orders are now closed. For anyone that placed an order, here is what to expect next:

1) Compilation of all orders received and collection of payment (please check your emails).

2) Once compiled, all orders are submitted to the vendor in bulk—regardless when you ordered this is the start date. It will take a few weeks for everything to come in.

3) Once the merchandise comes in, orders will be sorted & bagged for pickup. CEHASA will notify everyone via email the pick-up instructions once your entire order is ready/in.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send a direct message via the CEHASA FB page or email CEHASA at cehasa@cinnaminson.com.

Thank you again for supporting CEHASA—they work extremely hard to provide all they can for our students and teachers!

The next CEHASA Public Meeting is on February 6, 2024 at 6:00pm in the New Albany School Library.

You can contact CEHASA and find out about current events by:

• Following us on Facebook: Cinnaminson Elementary Home and School
• Following us on Instagram: cinnaminson_elem_cehasa
• Sending us an email cehasa@cinnaminson.com

Come out to Wood Park on December 10th to enjoy the annual tree and menorah lighting ceremony! Festivities begin at 5:30PM and include train rides, character meet & greets, horse & carriage rides, holiday crafts, music, hot chocolate, cookies, and a visit from Santa. We hope you can make it!

Good character is important for students and adults. It is shown through our thoughts, words, and actions. At New Albany, we stress respect, responsibility, and kindness by following our school behavior expectations:

• Take Care of Yourself
• Take Care of Others
• Take Care of New Albany School

Throughout the school year, students and staff will continue to learn ways to display good character traits through counselor and teacher lessons.

We are so excited to announce the November Pirates of the Month!

These students exhibited all five of the New Albany character traits:

~ Kindness ~ Respect ~ Honesty ~ Patience ~ Manners ~

Congratulations on a job well done!

Just a reminder that if you drive your child to school in the morning, they are not permitted out of the car until 8:50AM when a staff member reports for duty. This is for your child's safety as there are still staff members pulling into the parking lots as well as buses arriving. Unsupervised children have a greater possibility of being involved in an accident.

If there is a repeated offense of this procedure, it will be addressed individually.

Because of the numerous holidays celebrated through the fall and winter months, it is an ideal time to discuss how people celebrate around the world – both the uniqueness of traditions and also the many commonalities. I was struck by the number of similar themes and symbols when I did the research for the following world holiday facts. Most notably, the major holidays celebrate light in the darkness, show gratitude for food, family and life and pause for reflection or prayer. I was so enriched by learning about the beautiful traditions of celebrations around the world. I hope you will take a moment to share these with your family. Happy holidays!

Introduce Your Child to Holiday Traditions Around the World

New Albany December Lunch Menu - Click Here

The cost of a student lunch is $2.60 and milk is 0.50 cents. You may send in cash or a check, made payable to Cinnaminson Lunch Program. Please mark the envelope containing the cash or check with your child's full name and homeroom teacher OR you may use our online lunch system to make a credit card payment. You will be able to view your child's lunch purchases, account balance, and amount due on the Lunchtime School Payment Portal.

In order to create your child's Lunchtime School Payment Portal account, you will need their student ID number. You can locate the number on the Genesis Parent Portal or call the main office. For more information on the Lunchtime School Payment Portal, Click Here.

The Lost & Found is overflowing! Please help us reunite items with their owners. If you think your child may be missing an item, please have them visit the Lost & Found, located in the main entrance vestibule. It is always a good idea to label all of your child's items so that we can return them safely to the owner. All unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity organization on December 20th.

The Patel family holiday light display, called Lights On Olmsted Lane, will begin on November 17th at 5:00 PM and will run daily until January 7, 2024 at 5 Olmsted Lane. The show is completely free for everyone to enjoy, all you need to do is park near their address and tune your radio to 91.9FM to hear the show, and maybe pack some snacks and smiles!

If you think you’ve already seen the show last year…just know that there are a couple of new additions this season and of course all the loved favorites of last season!

You can learn more about the light show by going to the website, www.NjXmas.com.

December is Anxiety Disorder Awareness month, which is typically recognized during the month of May, a time to raise awareness about anxiety which is your body's reaction to stress and can occur even if there is no current threat. If anxiety doesn't go away and begins to interfere with your life, it could affect your health.

Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. Many people worry about things such as health, money, or family problems. But anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For people with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.

To learn more, please click the tab below.

If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace can help you quickly find treatment options matched to your needs regardless of the circumstance. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential service provided to students, staff, and their families by Cinnaminson Township School District.

Care Solace's team is available 24/7/365 and can support you in any language.

If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:

• Call 888-515-0595 (available 24/7/365)
• Search on your own OR click 'Book Appointment' for assistance by video chat, email or phone via https://caresolace.com/cinnaminson

Disclaimer: Information on individual treatment providers was gathered by Care Solace based on criteria such as geographic proximity, whether the provider accepts the authorized user's insurance and whether the provider is accepting new patients. The school district does not recommend, endorse, promote or refer to any of the individual treatment providers.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about this program, please reach out to Devon Mohler mohlerd@cinnaminson.com or Emma Procida procidae@cinnaminson.com.

As the holiday season is upon us, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for being part of our New Albany School community. Your presence and involvement make our school a special place, and we are truly thankful for the positive energy and enthusiasm you bring.

May this festive season bring joy, warmth, and precious moments shared with loved ones. May the spirit of giving and gratitude fill your homes with happiness.

We wish you a delightful holiday season and a new year filled with hope, success, and wonderful memories. Enjoy the well-deserved break, and we look forward to creating more educational milestones together in the coming year.

Happy Holidays!

Follow us on Twitter: @NewAlbanySchool

Like us on Facebook: @NAScinnaminson

Follow us on Instagram: newalbanyelementaryschool

Email: nasmainoffice@cinnaminson.com

Website: https://nas.cinnaminson.com/

Location: 2701 New Albany Road, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077

Phone: (856) 786-2284