Superintendent's Monthly Newsletter
Parent & Community Edition 5 ~ December 2022
Holiday Traditions
In my family, we are fortunate to celebrate holiday traditions passed down from one generation to the other. From young cousins to elderly grandparents, family members spend one morning together cutting, filling, and folding pasta dough to make homemade ravioli; a tradition set in place by my husband’s mother and her mother, an immigrant to the United States from Sicily in the early 1900s. It's a tradition I look forward to every December. We are blessed that my 95-year-old mother-in-law, Grandma Mercedes, still places herself at the head of the folding table, often providing rosette folding tips to the younger members of the family.
Grandma Mercedes, in all her spice and glory, still directs each family member on how to cut the dough, tuck in the filling, fold carefully, and place it onto a cornmeal-lined baking sheet. Each family member on the assembly line takes a role: 1) cutting the dough into perfectly-sized squares; 2) filling the square with spinach and meatball mix; or 3) folding the rosette, a flower-shaped flour pocket, quickly, so the dough doesn't become too dry. The last member on the assembly line, usually the youngest member, places the rosette on the baking sheet. A family member that folds too slowly or fills a ravioli with too much filling will hear Grandma Mercedes say, "Maybe you want to stir the sauce or use the spray bottle to moisten the dough." Her suggestions and traditions allow the littlest nieces, nephews, and grandchildren to be involved.
The assembly line is a noisy, fun-filled time with laughter, love, and gentle ribbing about ravioli folding techniques. It reminds me of the intent of the holidays; to enjoy family and friends and time together.
Traditionally, every year one ravioli has a “special ingredient” placed ever-so-carefully into the inside of the ravioli by a member of the folding team. A walnut or Peanut M&M is often the ingredient of choice. The rosette-folding family members usually know just where the bowl of ravioli is located on the table that contains the oddball ravioli. A member of the folding team, usually a younger member of the family who finds delight in the humor of the situation, places the bowl containing the oddball ravioli in just the right spot at the table. Usually, the serving spoon which already holds the walnut-filled or M&M-filled ravioli is set with the spoon handle pointing towards the unsuspecting family member’s seat at the table. (This is never Grandma!)
On Christmas Eve, the lucky recipient of the oddball ravioli usually makes a grimace and announces at the dinner table, “Blech! Yuck! Oh, lucky me…here it is! Who did this? Who served this ravioli to me?” The rest of the table proceeds to clap and laugh, secretly thankful that they are able to enjoy their ravioli without biting into a walnut or peanut M&M—an odd taste to mix together with spinach and meatball mix filling topped with marinara sauce.
Later in the evening family, members exchange gifts and play games together, usually a board game or card game that I've never heard of before brought by one of the 24 grandchildren. Three years ago it was a card game called Ultimate Werewolf. I’m not certain what card game is planned for this year, but I suspect it will be another trendy, millennial game that I’ve never heard of before which will provide the entertainment for the evening.
The seating at our holiday table continues to grow each year with younger cousins growing up and bringing spouses and new babies seated in high chairs adorning a spot at the center of the kid’s table; a blessing we are fortunate to be thankful for every year. As we move into the holidays in December, please accept my warmest wishes for a terrific December and a happy, healthy holiday season. May your holiday tables overflow with a bountiful harvest and provide a space for your loved ones to come together to celebrate the season. Happy holidays!
Introducing...Tanya Dawson, our new Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Weather Notifications & Snow Days
When severe weather is expected, many of us here at FRSD spring into action to be sure we are ready. Our Maintenance team members and our custodians salt our parking lots and walkways. Transportation staff members keep a check on road conditions and their impact on our bus routes. I consultant with emergency management officials, area superintendents and our Transportation team to decide when to close schools, dismiss early or open on a delay.
Our District communicates decisions as early as possible to ensure families and staff members have as much time as possible to plan for any weather-related changes to our daily routines. We use an automated system to call, email and text our families and our employees. This year, you may even hear a special announcement from a student who will be recording our snow messages.
Now is a good time to check your contact information in the Genesis portal and make updates if needed. We want to be sure the system reaches your preferred phone numbers in the event of an emergency.
We have three built-in snow days for this calendar year. If school is closed due to an emergency, days will be made up using the snow contingency days in the following order: May 26, March 20, and April 17. The district may only switch from a snow day to a virtual instruction day after the third day of consecutive school closings. According to the State of New Jersey Department of Education Chapter 27 Emergency Virtual or Remote Instruction Programs, a virtual instruction day will 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. Parents should be prepared for a traditional snow day if the weather necessitates a school closing.
Flu Reminders
Mental Health Awareness
Did you know that prior to the pandemic 1 in 5 students struggled with a mental health disorder? The pandemic exacerbated mental health issues. The global prevalence of mental health in youth during the pandemic has seen youth depression and anxiety rates rise. Depression affects 1 in 4 students and anxiety 1 in 5 students. For students ages 11-21, rates of suicidal ideation increased between 45 and 60%. Emergency room visits for mental health issues increased by 24% for children ages 5-11 and 31% for 12-17 year olds.
According to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, millions of people are affected by mental illness. Diagnosing mental illness isn’t a complete science. Mental illness affects people differently; it is not a straightforward science. Did you know that 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% by age 24? Our educators watch for common warning signs of mental illness and notify building administrators, guidance counselors, and our school nurses so that parents and guardians can be notified.
According to NAMI, there are common warning signs. Parents and those closest to students might notice extreme difficulty concentrating or staying still, feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks, or a drastic change in mood, behavior, and personality or sleeping habits. People with mental illness often report sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, racing heartbeats, physical discomfort, or difficulty breathing. If you’re worried about yourself or someone else, call the helpline at 800-950-NAMI (6264) or talk with a healthcare professional.
Start Strong Assessment Results
The Start Strong assessments were administered to students at the beginning of the school year to assist districts in identifying the most appropriate level of support for students that may be needed to be successful with grade-level content. These assessments were developed in response to the disruption in education caused by the pandemic and were designed to inform instruction going forward. Parents can expect to receive a written copy of their child's results in January.
We know that the pandemic impacted student learning and testing conditions. The District has reviewed our Start Strong assessment data, as well as students’ NWEA data. We continue to plan ways to support students’ whole academics significantly struggled during the pandemic. This month, the District partnered with a tutoring management system called Littera which provides tutoring intervention to students. High-impact tutoring is able to provide individualized care and attention in subject areas for students that are determined to need support.
This week some families received a letter inviting identified children to enroll in high-impact tutoring provided through live instruction tutors hired through Littera. The program is funded by the American Rescue plan and offered at no cost to families. The District used NWEA data to invite the first group of 3rd through 6th grade students who were in need of the greatest level of support for personalized learning in language arts using the online tutoring program.
Additionally, to provide students who need support in mathematics, another group of students, also students in grades 3 through 6, will be invited to participate in after-school, small-group mathematics instruction with Flemington-Raritan teachers. This in-person, small group instruction, titled “Experience Math,” will begin in mid-January. The program is also funded by the American Rescue plan and offered at no cost to families witht the goal To reinforce and deepen students understanding of important mathematical concepts in a small group setting. Students identified for additional mathematics instruction were selected based on NWEA results.
The district anticipates offering additional opportunities throughout the 2023 school year including in April, July, August, and next fall in October.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER
December 23 - Early Dismissal
December 26-January 2: School Closed - Winter Break
January 3: Classes Resume - A Day/Day 1
January 16: School Closed - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 24 - Early Dismissal Day - Staff Development Session
Dr. Kari McGann
Flemington-Raritan Regional School District
Email: kari.mcgann@frsd.us
Website: www.frsd.k12.nj.us
Location: 50 Court Street, Flemington, NJ, USA
Phone: (908) 284-7561
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flemrarschools/
Twitter: @karimcgann