October 2023 Message

As we enter the month of October, we wanted to thank you for all of your support during the first month of school. We hope that your child's 2023-2024 school year has started off as a positive, enriching, and rewarding experience.

Many exciting events await us during the month of October! Glen Meadow Middle School will be celebrating the Week of Respect from October 2nd through October 6th. Each day, students are encouraged to participate in Spirit Days that align with the theme of the day. Also, from October 23rd through October 27th, Glen Meadow Middle School will celebrate Red Ribbon Week with daily spirit days as well. Finally, students are welcome to wear school-appropriate Halloween costumes on Tuesday, October 31st, and are encouraged to donate a canned good for a local food pantry. Please click HERE for the rules and expectations. More information can be found in the information that follows. As always, for a complete list of Glen Meadow happenings, please visit the GMMS/VTSD Calendar HERE.

Please note, the Vernon Township Schools will be closed on Monday, October 9th, for a Teacher In-Service Day.

From Monday, October 16th through Friday, October 20th, VTSD will follow an early dismissal schedule to allow for Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences, which will be held virtually. Sign-ups will begin the week prior (more specific details to follow). The Glen Meadow Middle School virtual conference schedule will be as follows:

• Tuesday, Oct. 17th (4:00 pm - 7:00 pm)
• Monday, Oct. 16th; Wednesday, Oct. 18th; Thursday, Oct. 19th & Friday, Oct. 20th (1:00 pm - 3:00 pm)

As always, we are here to work alongside you and your child(ren) throughout the school year. If you should ever have any questions or concerns about your child's education, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Together, we are stronger! When the school and home collaborate and communicate, we are all working towards one common goal - a successful school year for your child. Thank you for partnering with us throughout the 2023-2024 school year.

Jacquelyn M. Van Orden, Principal

Eric W. Kosek, Assistant Principal

October 2nd - October 6th: Week of Respect

October 9th: Schools Closed for Teacher In-Service Day

October 10th: Mental Health Awareness Day - Wear Green

October 10th: Parent/Guardian Mental Health Awareness Presentation (6:30 - 8:00 pm)

October 11th: Wear Pink! to support Breast Cancer Awareness

October 12th: BOE Work Session at LHS (7:00 pm)

October 16th - October 20th: Early Dismissal - Virtual Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences

October 18th: GMMS SCA Meeting (9:30 am)

October 18th: Wear Pink! to support Breast Cancer Awareness

October 19th: BOE Public Session at LHS (7:00 pm)

October 23rd - October 27th: Red Ribbon Week

October 27th: School Picture Retakes

October 30th: Wear Pink! to Support Breast Cancer Awareness

October 31st: Halloween - Costume or Onesie

The 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) is an after-school program that provides students with academic enrichment opportunities that will offer support beyond the classroom curriculum. Students will receive academic support/enrichment and a nutritional snack each day. The 21st CCLC allows students to explore STEM, Physical Fitness, and Visual and Performing Arts activities, including but not limited to Theatre, Robotics, Engineering, and Culinary Arts. Students will also have the opportunity to attend field trips within the community to work with key stakeholders of this initiative, including The Painted Grape, which has partnered with Glen Meadow Middle School’s 21st CCLC. In addition, there is a Parent University component which will provide workshops for parents/guardians and will also allow students to showcase their learning activities.

During the school year, the program runs Monday through Friday, immediately after school from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm with parent/guardian pick-up. The 21st Century Community Learning Center is available to all 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students residing in Vernon Township and is at no cost to families. Please note that all clubs/activities will run through the 21st CCLC, thus all students must register for the 21st CCLC should they plan to join a club or activity. Click HERE for more information.

Should you have any questions about the program, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Kait Ramirez, Program Director, at Glen Meadow Middle School at (973) 764-4534. We are excited to provide this engaging and enriching learning experience for your child and are looking forward to all of the incredible adventures that await!

Please consider nominating:

• (1) Glen Meadow Middle School teacher for the annual NJDOE's Governor’s Teacher of the Year (GEOY); and

• (1) Glen Meadow Middle School Educational Services Professional for the Governor’s Educational Services Professional (ESP) of the Year.

Last year’s well-deserving recipients were Dr. Christopher Jensen, 8th Grade Science Teacher, and Mrs. Carol Gonzalez, School Counselor.

Each nominee should be someone who:

• inspires students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn;

• serves as an exceptionally skilled and dedicated educator;

• expresses themselves in an engaging and articulate way;

• plays an active role in the community as well as the school;

• demonstrates leadership and innovation in and outside the school; and

• has the respect and admiration of students, parents/guardians, and colleagues.

Please submit the GEOY/ESP form to nominate a Glen Meadow Middle School Educator and/or Educational Services Professional for the 2023-2024 Governor’s Educator of the Year Recognition Program. Nomination letters are due to Mrs. Van Orden (either in hard copy or digital form) no later than Friday, October 20, 2023.

As per NJDOE, Educational Service Professionals include: Associate School Library Media Specialist • Behavior Specialist • Bullying Specialist • Cooperative Education Coordinator • Cooperative Education Coordinator / Hazardous Occupations • Director of School Counseling Services / Child Study Team • Educational Interpreter • Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant • Mathematics Specialist / Mathematics Coach • Paraprofessional (Instructional) • Reading Specialist / Reading Coach • School Athletic Trainer • School Counselor • School Library Media Specialist • School Nurse • School Occupational Therapist • School Physical Therapist • School Psychologist • School Social Worker • Speech-Language Specialist • Student Assistance Coordinator

• If your child missed School Picture Day or would like their picture retaken, picture make-ups/retakes will be on Friday, October 27th.

Especially when things are feeling a bit tough, it can help to set some goals. Making goals achievable and ensuring that you have a few short-term as well as long-term, more ambitious goals helps us feel we're making progress. It doesn't matter if your goal for the day is something really small, the important thing is to give yourself the opportunity to feel like you've achieved something and to celebrate that! This month's calendar is full of ideas to help you think about how you can put this into practice.

~obtained from: https://actionforhappiness.org/

October is a busy month for Glen Meadow students and staff! This month, we are focusing on respecting ourselves and others by being kind and making positive choices.

6th Grade:

• COUNSELOR: Mrs. Carol Gonzalez - cgonzalez@vtsd.com
• CST: Mrs. Kate Harnish-Panfile - kharnishpanfile@vtsd.com

7th Grade:

• COUNSELOR: Mrs. Cynthia Moser - cmoser@vtsd.com

• CST: Dr. Bethany Konopinski - bkonopinski@vtsd.com

8th Grade:

• COUNSELOR: Mrs. Lindsay McAloney - lmcaloney@vtsd.com

• CST: Mrs. Amanda Saxton - asaxton@vtsd.com

• Volunteer to be a Peer Tutor at Glen Meadow. Click HERE for more information.
• Request a Peer Tutor. Click HERE for more information.
• Volunteer at Sussex County Libraries. Click HERE for more information.

Restorative Practices in Education encourage supportive and respectful behaviors and promote self-regulation. Day-to-day encounters impact a school’s climate and culture and ultimately play a large role in a student's social and academic outcomes.

Students thrive in learning environments where they feel supported and heard. A restorative approach focuses on building and maintaining positive relationships across the entire school community. At Glen Meadow Middle School, all faculty and staff aim to create an atmosphere of respect, inclusion, cooperation, accountability, and responsibility.

At Glen Meadow Middle School, we:

• value relationships
• model empathy and respect
• value student voice and utilize collaborative problem solving
• recognize the importance of learning from experience
• use active listening and positive language and tone
• foster self-awareness in our middle school students
• remain future-focused.

Restorative Practices strengthen relationships between individuals as well as one's connections within their learning community.

What are some examples of Restorative Practices?

• Using Affective Statements - Affective statements, referred to as “I” statements tell the listener how the person feels and why it makes them feel that way. They are an effective way to teach students how to express their emotions appropriately.
• Community Circles - A Community Circle is a discussion space in which students and the teacher sit in a circle so that everyone is visible. What distinguishes a Community Circle from an everyday group discussion is that Community Circles are used as an opportunity for students to build community.
• Small Impromptu Conferencing - Bringing students together to resolve a problem/disagreement by discussing the situation and how to resolve it.
• Setting Classroom Agreements/Norms - Some examples of general class norms are: Come prepared to class, respect others and yourself, and be kind.

Families can use circles as a tool to talk further about an array of topics. Circle topics at home might include talking about expectations for behaviors at events/gatherings, developing family values/norms, holding family meetings, goal-setting for the week, and school-related conversations, to name a few. After reading the suggestions, you may be thinking to yourself, "Oh, we already do those things!" So with or without knowing it, you probably are already "doing" restorative practices at your house.

Circles typically involve asking thoughtful questions to hear from everyone. If you are the one asking questions, you can answer them as well. Circles don’t require a lot of time, especially proactive ones that are meant to maintain connection and open communication. They can be short conversations at breakfast, during car rides, or embedded in your nighttime routine. Here are examples of restorative circle questions that can be asked of children and their family members:

1. What is one goal you want to accomplish this week/weekend? Do you need support in accomplishing this goal?

2. What would you like to do for fun this weekend, within reason?

3. After school/work check-in: On a scale of one to five, (1) being low and (5) being high, how was your day? Why did you rate it that way?

4. What was one thing that made you happy, pleased, or proud this week?

5. What can you do in school/at work to show kindness?

Obtained from Boulder Valley School District, Boulder, CO.

On Tuesday, October 10th, Glen Meadow Middle School welcomes two guest speakers from the Mental Health Association to speak with our students about normalizing mental health struggles, identifying feelings, and learning coping skills. In addition, all students will receive a Mental Health Awareness bracelet and will have the opportunity to spend time with two certified therapy dogs, Tyler and Charlie, during recess. We encourage all of our students and staff to wear green on this day, as that is the color for Mental Health Awareness.

Additionally, a parent/guardian-only event will be hosted at GMMS at 6:30 pm with the same presenters from MHA. More information follows on the flier below. We hope you can join us on this evening!

#TheGlenMeadowWay is built on three core principles:

• Respect Yourself and Others
• Take Responsibility for Your Actions
• Reach Your 100%

Here at Glen Meadow, we focus on respect, responsibility, and reaching our goals. We accomplish this by following the 5 Ps. We are Prompt, Prepared, Polite, Positive, and Productive!

On the first day of school, students received their temporary GMMS student ID in homeroom. Student IDs are attached to a lanyard and must be with the student at all times. Students will use their ID to scan into school each day at attendance kiosks, which will be staffed by GMMS faculty in the entryways. Student IDs will be updated after school pictures are taken for the 2023-2024 school year. Please remind your child to bring their student ID each day. Thank you for your assistance and support.

Students at GMMS will arrive at Glen Meadow at approximately 8:05 am daily and buses will depart the school at the end of the day at approximately 3:00 pm. Daily parent/guardian drop-off time will be at 8:05 am and pick-up time will be at 2:50 pm if your child does not take the bus. Please click HERE for Glen Meadow’s daily schedules, as it has changed to accommodate an 8-period day.

On Tuesday, October 24th, Vernon Township High School is hosting an Open House for all current 8th-grade parents/guardians and students at 5:45 pm. Attendees will learn all about Freshman Academy, CTE Programs, Clubs, Activities, Athletic Programs, and much, much more. This is an event that you do not want to miss!

Students may dress up in a school-appropriate Costume or Onesie and TAKE THE SCARE OUT OF HUNGER by bringing in and donating a canned good to a local food pantry. Collection boxes will be located in the front of each office.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS - Please review the costume rules/expectations with your child. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Please help support the VTSD SCAs by participating in our district-wide fundraiser. Gertrude Hawk order forms were distributed this past week. Orders are due to your child's homeroom teacher by Friday, October 13th, for paper-based sales. Orders will be delivered on/around the week of November 13th. additional information will be forthcoming regarding pick-up.

New to Vernon Township School District this year, Maschio's Food Services will be serving our students and staff breakfast and lunch daily. Breakfast will be served upon student arrival and during homeroom from 8:05 am - 8:15 am. Lunch will be served during your child's scheduled lunch period. For information about Maschio's breakfast and lunch pricing, please click HERE.

A very special thank you to the GMMS SCA for the very generous donation of their time as well as refreshments at our annual Back to School Night.

Please consider joining us at the second SCA meeting of the year, on Wednesday, October 18th at 9:30 am. Please click HERE for all of the wonderful happenings and fundraisers on behalf of the GMMS SCA!

We eagerly await the start of the 2023-2024 school year! We are honored and grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside you and your child(ren) this year. If there is anything we can do to assist in making this year a successful one, please do not hesitate to contact us. #TheGlenMeadowWay #GMMSinspirekindness

All our best,

The Faculty and Staff of Glen Meadow Middle School

Email: jvanorden@vtsd.com
Website: vtsd.com
Location: Glen Meadow Middle School, Sammis Road, Vernon Township, NJ, USA
Phone: 973-764-4532
Twitter: @PrincipalJVO

Email: ekosek@vtsd.com
Website: vtsd.com
Location: Glen Meadow Middle School, Sammis Road, Vernon Township, NJ, USA
Phone: 973-764-4697