ORANGE TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS



| |Orange Township Public Schools |[pic] |

| |Lincoln Avenue School | |

| |Mr. Frank Iannucci, Principal | |

| | |Gerald Fitzhugh, II, Ed.D. |

| | |Superintendent of Schools |

| |

Mr. Patrick Yearwood, Assistant Principal

Ms. Isabel Colon, Assistant Principal

Mr. Noel Cruz, Dean of Students

August 24, 2020

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers,

First, let me thank you for your continued support and understanding as we, as a nation and community, responded to the unexpected invasion of COVID-19 back in March. I am very proud of the way our Lincoln students, parents, and staff handled the demands we were faced with to protect everyone as we continued to educate and feed our students during the most unusual of circumstances. As you know, there continues to be concerns and questions related to how schools plan to reopen in September. While we are in the business of educating, our first priority is for the safety of our students and staff. Be assured, we have been working diligently with the Superintendent and the Board of Education on the School Reopening Plans.

Secondly, the Board of Education has approved the implementation of “Plan B” from the School Reopening Plan (please review the reopening plan found on the district website). The structure of the plan is as follows:

Phase 1: 100% Virtual Learning - September 8 – October 2 (4 weeks)

In Phase 1, all teaching/learning is done virtually/remotely from home and in a scheduled and synchronous format. During this time, the district is establishing best practices in virtual education. This time allows the following to occur:

✓ Schools are intensifying trainings to staff, parents, and students focused on approved digital platforms

✓ Teachers are revisiting the most critical prerequisite skills and knowledge for each subject area and grade level with students

✓ Teachers are evaluating students’ unfinished learning such to provide acceleration support.

✓ Schools are integrating trauma informed/SEL programming into traditional instructional programs

✓ Schools are disseminating the essential instructional resources teachers must have at home/school based upon grade level

✓ Schools are disseminating the “print” materials students need for at home and on-site instruction

✓ Schools are disseminating individualized materials for student use (manipulatives, art supplies, science/STEM lab materials, goggles); ordering more supplies than normal.

✓ Schools are developing remote synchronous schedules, identifying classroom spaces.

✓ District is installing all safety materials.

Phase II: Remote Synchronous - October 5 – November 25 (7 weeks)

In Phase II, teachers will report onsite for 2 days per week providing virtual synchronous instruction within their designated classroom spaces; support staff (guidance, CST, related service providers, social workers, attendance officers), nurses, TC’s, secretaries are onsite 4 days per week. Webcams are used during instruction for at home learners.

Phase III: Soft Launch - November 30 – December 23 (3.5 weeks)

In Phase 3, a small percentage of pre-identified students (SWD’s, ELLs, Tier III, etc.) are able to return onsite for live, face to face instruction; Pre-identified students report to school following the days and times described on page 36.

Phase IVA-C: Full Reentry - January 4, 2021 – end of year

In Phase IV, all students report to school following the designated days and times. These schedules will be

staggered to ensure the ongoing health and safety for all staff and students.

While many things will seem different with new procedures in place for safety of all, Lincoln will still be an environment that will nurture, inspire, and empower our students. It is our goal to develop the best in our students as we provide them with opportunities to create, explore, and learn. The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is our top priority. The Lincoln Team has worked diligently on redesigning our school to meet the recommended CDC standards for school safety. The following provisions have been put in place to ensure the safety of all:

• Classrooms have been arranged with desks six feet apart from each other and facing in the same direction.

• Desk shields have been purchased and will be installed prior to students returning to school.

• Technology enhancements have been made to teacher’s classrooms to ensure effective virtual instruction will occur.

• Reusable facemasks have been purchased for all students and staff, which are to be worn at all times when in the school building.

• Posters and decals have been added to our classrooms, hallways, and floors to help support students follow all recommended safety protocols.

• Designated entrances have been identified for students to minimize contact and maintain proper social distancing protocols.

• Hand sanitizer stations will be placed at every entrance, within each classroom, cafeteria, gymnasium, and all bathrooms.

Grab-and-Go Breakfast & Lunch Program

The District continues to provide packaged ‘Grab-and-Go’ breakfast and lunch, during all virtual/remote phases at no cost to families, at multiple locations for pick up.  The selected locations are:

• OECC (includes students from Cleveland Street School), located 397 Park Avenue 

• Scholars Academy, located at 268 Capuchin Way 

• Forest Street School, located 651 Forest Street 

• Heywood Avenue School, located at 421 Heywood Avenue 

• Lincoln Avenue School, 216 Lincoln Avenue 

• Oakwood Avenue School, located at 135 Oakwood Avenue 

• Park Avenue School, located at 231 Park Avenue 

• Rosa Parks Community School, located at 369 Main Street 

Please be advised that all locations will host the breakfast/lunch grab and go program from 7:30 AM until 1:30 PM; Monday through Friday.  Students may pick up their meal from any of the locations listed above. Social distancing as well as the wearing of a mask is required when reporting to all locations.  It is important to note, once students receive their breakfast/lunch grab and go bags it is the expectation to return to their respective homes.

As we head in to the first phase of the school year, 100% distance learning, I would like to convey the expectations we have on our students and families:

Student Attendance/Engagement:

• Attendance is expected daily. Students will be engaging in online synchronous instruction on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and asynchronous instruction on Wednesdays. Attendance will be taken each period during synchronous instruction and by submission of work during asynchronous instruction. Parents will be notified when students are absent from their classes.

• Students are expected to actively participate in ALL school activities, instructional and recreational. Simply logging in is not participating. All students should be answering and posing questions, participating in class activities, and submitting all assignments upon their due dates.

• Social/Emotional Learning is an integral part of educating the whole child and to their success in schools. During the 2020-2021 school year, we will be conducting virtual spirit weeks as well as awards assemblies.

• Parents are responsible for reporting daily absences to the Lincoln Avenue School administrative assistants at brownshe@orange.k12.nj.us or davismic@orange.k12.nj.us. The district policy indicates a student must be in attendance for 163 or more school days in order to be considered to have successfully completed the instructional program requirements of the grade/course to which he/she is assigned.

Communication

• All teachers and staff will be connected to our students and families using “Class Dojo.” Please ensure you have connected with your child’s classroom teacher on this platform and check the “school story” daily for any announcements.

• E-mail & phone blasts will also be used to communicate with families. Please ensure you have updated your contact information in genesis. It is imperative that all school personnel have the most update information for your household.

• Lincoln’s social media platforms are a great source for posting updates & important information as well as celebrating and sharing photos of our fun activities. Please follow us on our media platforms:

o Twitter: @LincolnAve216

o Instragram: @LASPanthers

o Facebook: Lincoln Ave Panthers

Curricular resources as well as Chromebooks will be distributed to students in a kiosk fashion. All families will have the opportunity to come to Lincoln Avenue School and safely pick up any resources their students need to successfully engage in their classroom instruction. More information on this will come in the following weeks. All school forms will be distributed during the curriculum distribution kiosks. It is imperative that all forms be returned to Lincoln Avenue by no later than September 14, 2020. Failure to return school forms may result in denial of services, such as the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program (P-EBT).

Should you have any questions regarding the upcoming school year, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at iannucfr@orange.k12.nj.us.

Looking forward to a happy, healthy, and productive school year!

Educationally yours,

Frank Iannucci, Jr., M.Ed.

Principal

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