As shared earlier in the month, starting on Monday, March 7th, the Butler School District will progress within our response to the pandemic by making masks optional for all students, staff, and visitors. We are aware that, within this approach, some students and staff will choose to no longer wear a mask; other students and staff will choose to continue to wear a mask; and yet other students and staff will wear a mask on an occasional basis, perhaps in a crowded space: a restroom, the cafe, etc. As a district, we accept and respect everyone’s personal preference and choice, and our schools/staff will continue to work with students so that all understand that “mask optional” means that everyone is free to make their own choice without feeling self-conscious or worried about how others might respond. We ask that you please have this discussion with your child(ren) prior to March 7th in partnership with us and in support of all members within our learning community. We are proud of our social and emotional efforts and the climate and culture that we work to sustain within our schools - your assistance will help us to continue to make our classrooms inclusive and accepting of all.

As of the date of this update, The New Jersey Department of Education has continued to inform us that masks remain a requirement on school buses. If your child utilizes district transportation to and from school, and/or to and from any athletic or extracurricular events, please ensure they have a mask, as they will be required to wear one. We remain hopeful that this will change and that the rules for buses will soon align with the rules for school facilities. If/when this changes, we will notify you of that change.

As we progress within the next phase of "Mask Optional" - it is important to stress that the school district will not assume responsibility for monitoring children whose parents choose for them to wear a mask. If, as a family, you make the decision to have your child(ren) wear a mask at school, then the child will be the one who must fulfill that expectation. We do not have the ability to continually track and correct who should and who should not be in a mask based on parent preferences, as these preferences may change as we progress throughout the Spring.

The Butler School District will require one stipulation in our schools where masks will be required. This stipulation will occur for any child who reports to the nurse's office presenting with symptomatic illness. This will only be for students presenting with symptoms - not for other health issues/concerns. For example, if a student scrapes their knee at recess and reports to the nurse’s office for a bandage, that student would not need to put on a mask. However, if a student is coughing and complaining of chills, that student would be given a mask while the nurse is working with them. This is to help ensure the health of our nursing staff and other children who may be in the nurse’s office.

Insofar as students who have tested positive for COVID, the following protocols will be put in place starting Monday, March 7, 2022:

• For any student/staff testing positive for COVID, the isolation period will be Seven (7) days from the date of symptom onset or the date of the positive test if the student/staff member was asymptomatic. We ask that you continue to work with the nursing staff in your school(s) to keep them updated on any such cases. Our nurses will assist you through the process as they have throughout the year;

• A student/staff member may return to school on Day Eight (8) IF symptoms have resolved or symptoms and the student/staff member has been fever-free for 24 hours;

• A negative test is not required to return to school;

• Due to the nature of this next step, the school will continue to partner with the NJDOH and seek guidance as it relates to medical/science information. If a positive case were to occur in our schools, we will continue to inform close contacts so that families may watch for symptoms. If a student develops symptoms, we would then require them to follow the seven (7) day quarantine outlined above.

Over the past two weeks, we have been fortunate to have only experienced one COVID case in district. We will continue to place emphasis and effort toward moving safely through the pandemic and into coming endemic. We know that our partnership with our community has aided us in these efforts, and we look forward to continuing this positive partnership. When we proudly state that in Butler we are "Collectively Stronger" - it is because, together, we unite for children!

Be Well

Dr. J.

100 Ways To Show We Care Project

ADS celebrated the 100th day of school on Wednesday, February 16, 2022. In celebration of the 100th day of school, ADS is using this as an opportunity to show our children what 100 cents can buy. In partnership with "Connect for Community", we have been asking each child to bring in an item we use everyday that costs $1.00 or less. Please refer to the list below to see what items are being collected per grade level:

Pre-K: Comb or brush

Kindergarten: Toothbrush

First Grade: Deodorant or Box of Tissues

Second Grade: Bar Soap

Third Grade: Toothpaste

Fourth Grade: Shampoo and/or Conditioner

PTA Information/Events

Please click on the link regarding the PTA Shamrock for Grades 3 and 4 PTA Shamrock Dance

ADS Congratulates Ms. Randi Rogers as Bulldog of the Month

We would like to congratulate Randi Rogers as Aaron Decker School's Bulldog of the Month recipient for December. Randi is a hard working professional who truly cares about Aaron Decker School and the students she works with in our MD classroom. She is a team player and is always willing to fill in other positions when needed. Thank you for your efforts everyday!

February is the Month For the Great Kindness Challenge. Every student is invited to participate in the challenge. Students must complete the attached checklist to participate and have a parent sign off on the kind acts. Submit to Ms. Placko, for entry into a chance to win a gift card! The Great Kindness Challenge began on Monday Feb. 14, 2022 and will end Feb. 25, 2022. (Electronic submission accepted- which just requires an email from a parent to jplacko@butlerboe.org that the child has completed the challenge..)

Full of Empathy Recipients

Thanks in part to a truly inspiring visit from Mr. Keith Hawkins, RBS has been doing “better than good!” Mr. Hawkins reminds us that we can always find a way to be grateful no matter our circumstances. He also reinforced that “People don’t follow what you say, they follow what you do.” Our middle schoolers & staff really connected with Mr. Hawkins’ message, and we are so thankful we were able to host him.

National School Counseling Week was February 7-11, and we’d like to offer our deepest gratitude to Ms. Tagariello, Mr. Meyers, and Mr. Ciz, our counseling intern, for all of the support they provide our students! Scheduling for grade 8 is underway as the BHS counselors met with our 8th graders and their families to prepare for their time at the high school. Additionally, We’re already working on end of the year festivities for our 8th graders!

Students in grades 5-8 enjoyed Hot Chocolate Week sponsored by the RBS Student Council. Thank you to Ms. Spellman and our StuCo officers and reps for bringing back this RBS tradition. Congratulations to 7th grader Dylann Davidoff, the winner of the RBS Spelling Bee! The competition was fierce, but Dylann will be the one to represent RBS at the County Bee this spring.

Here’s a GATEways update from Mrs. Krauze: “On Friday, January 28th, 7th grade GATEways students participated in a virtual Model United Nations Conference through the New Jersey Consortium for Gifted and Talented Programs (NJCGTP) hosted by Drew University. RBS sent three delegations representing Somalia, Armenia, and China. During the committee meetings and general assembly sessions they represented their assigned country and worked to form consensus among delegations. Topics discussed included quality education, innovative infrastructure, and responsible consumption and production. In order to prepare, students practiced research, public speaking, and writing skills. They researched both their topic and their assigned country in order to build enough background knowledge to guide their plan of action. To be prepared for a Model UN Conference you need to be prepared for anything! Students dissected a well written position paper in order to learn how to express their plans in a clear and concise manner. To learn the language of parliamentary procedure students participated in a simulation involving climate change. They learned procedures for voting, how to negotiate in a caucus, and how to write resolutions. We are proud to give students the opportunity to discuss and experience these real life conversations that will continue to influence our present and future.”

Drama Club has been rehearsing for the spring production on April 8-9. This year’s production is All I Really Need to Know I Learned by Being in a Bad Murder Mystery by Werner Trieschmann. There are a good number of RBS students involved in the production with a cast of 19 and a crew of 7. We hope you’ll plan to join us for the show in April!

Grade 5 - Isabelle Ingrassia & Jessica Juarez

Grade 6 - Ivonne Herrera & Gianna DePascale

Grade 7 - Aiden Guzman & Chloe Montgomery

Grade 8 - Maddie Durren & Nate Martinka

The RBS Bulldog of the Month is Mr. Richard Brosonski. Richie has been a member of the custodial staff for six years and continues to show us all what going "above and beyond" looks like. His dedication to our school community is truly unparalleled as he comes in early and stays late to help us out with whatever is requested. In addition, Richie usually just finds something that needs fixing or improvement, and he does it all on his own. Thank you, Mr. Richie!

Congratulations to the following students for achieving Top Dawg Awards for BHS MP 2:

• Math - Veronica Brynczka
• Science - Dennis Ackerman
• Social Studies - Sabrina Chen
• World Languages - Jayden DeRaffele
• ELL - Amy Morales
• Language Arts - Andrew Fierro
• Art - Madison Victor
• Music - Katrina Agront
• Foods - Ryan Beck
• Physical Education - Joseph Henderson
• Business - Elizabeth McBride
• MC Shared-Time - Tyler Wagner

• Kaled Lopez
• Julia Sklodowska
• Kinnereth Lopez
• Aricia Stefanakys
• Amy Morales
• Marvin Vasquez
• Daniella Rodriguez Garcia

2022 -2023 Scheduling has begun at Butler High School. Please contact your child’s school counselor with any questions

All Butler Schools will follow an Early Dismissal Schedule on March 4, 2022. Butler High School dismisses at 12:40 pm.

• June 22, 2022 will be the last day of school
• BHS Senior Parade - June 20, 2022 - 6:00 pm
• BHS Graduation - June 22, 2022 - 6:00 pm

Congratulations to BHS ESL Teacher Mrs. Lauren McQueeney for receiving the January Bulldog of the Month Award. Mrs. McQueeney continues to work night and day on providing services and programs for our E.L.L. population, We are lucky to have such a caring teacher who goes out of her way for her students. Congratulations Mrs. McQueeney!

Congratulations to Matthew Moeller and Samantha Lugo for being selected as Butler High School’s 2022 Unsung Heroes