NEWS FLASH

Today completes Week 1 of our e-learning/at-home learning and words cannot express how amazing our students, families, teachers, staff & community have come together in this time of unprecedented history! Each and every day we have seen so many go above and beyond for one another and it truly shows what a great community our Florence Twp. School District continues to be!

Sending a HUGE thank you & shout out to Eric Harpell & Lisa Hazel at 207 Main Catering & Events for their extreme generosity to our local families. After experiencing an unexpected event cancellation and not being able to use the food already purchased, their first thought was to donate it to local kids/families in need during this time.

They generously pre-packaged 150+ individual full meals and donated pasta, meatball, chicken breast, vegetables and bread and helped provide food for many our local disadvantaged families. The food was then delivered by various school district members throughout today.

District Staff has stepped up in more ways than we can count! Passing out daily Grab & Go meals for over 50 local families, cleaning the buildings inch by inch, and distributing weekly packets and Chromebooks to hundreds of students. Their hard work and dedication are immeasurable!

So our students don't miss a beat, some of our amazing administrators have been sending out daily morning announcements including the Pledge of Allegiance, birthday wishes, and more. Please be sure to check out our videos on Youtube or check Google Classroom. We have more videos planned for next week! We miss you more than you know!

Our FTSD staff has proven to be the best on any given day; however, they have exceeded all expectations this week with their constant online and interpersonal interaction with our students and families through phone calls, emails, google hangouts, posts from home, videos & more. All grade levels and departments have taken part! #bettertogether

Our students and families have truly stepped up to the challenge during these unprecedented times. We have received dozens of emails, phone calls and posts recording your daily successes. Despite parents poking fun at themselves "homeschooling," you are doing a terrific job guiding your students along as our teachers provide the groundwork for e-learning/at-home learning. Students are working tirelessly to be the best they can be and have proven resilient in so many ways. Thank you for your continued support!

• "My daughter is doing great! Ty guys for all of your hard work to endure that our children continuously stimulate their minds."
• "Communication has been great and my kids have been well prepared on what to expect. Compared to comments I have read about other districts, FTSD was more proactive and better with its communication every step of the way.
  
• "Thank you for the continuous information. Very informative!"
• "Our teachers have blown me away with all their kind messages and support. I never knew they cared about me so much. They are really making me smile during an otherwise sad time."

As we navigate through the next week and beyond, please remember the following:

1. Continually check in with your child’s teacher and keep working. Ask questions if you/they are confused.

2. Call the main office of your child’s school if you are unclear about anything or if you need packets, supplies or Chromebook issues. We’re here to help!

3. Sign up or call by 6:00 pm every evening prior to the meal needed for our Grab & Go program at https://sites.google.com/florence.k12.nj.us/ftsdmeals/home OR 609.499.4647 x2185

4. Stay home, stay healthy & stay safe. We truly miss seeing you but the more we all listen the fastest we can see you again!

5. Please note the importance of social distancing cannot be stressed enough. As this situation progresses and the weather stays warm, cabin fever is going to set in and no matter what your age. While it is preferred that we all remain in our homes during this time, the reality is if you or your child(ren) do feel the need to go out, please limit contact with others, this includes parks and open fields. Please stay six (6) feet apart and avoid groups of more than ten (10) people.
   
   If you need additional information about these mitigations steps, please refer to the CDC website: www.cdc.gov/covid19 or the New Jersey Department of Health website www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.stm/