June 2021 Principal's Message

Dear Holman Families:

I want to thank all of the Holman community during this challenging and ever-changing school year. It has been a pleasure working with the staff, students, and parents throughout the year. I would also like to thank H.O.P.E for all of their support and contributions to our school. Next year, I hope that even more parents become active members in this organization. As we approach the final stretch of the school year and begin the summer months ahead, I encourage you to continue to read with your child each evening. Time spent reading with young learners has amazing effects on students’ educational success. Please continue to encourage your child to read. I also encourage you to practice addition/subtraction/multiplication/division math facts with your child to help strengthen math skills over the summer. Have a safe and relaxing summer!

Primary Elections at Holman

As you may be aware, Primary Elections will be held in New Jersey on Tuesday, June 8. The Holman Elementary School will again be a polling place for this election. The county board of elections declined a district request to no longer use the school as a polling place, so for the time being Holman must remain a polling place. Voting will take place in the vestibule outside the gymnasium and voters will enter and exit only through main gymnasium doors. Voters will not have access to the gymnasium itself or to any school areas other than the vestibule. As a precaution, there will also be an increased police presence around our school that day and the voting entrance area will be monitored by police and/or district security at all times during the day.

5th Grade Fun Day

As our Fifth Grade Fun Day is quickly approaching, I would like to outline some guidelines to make each day safe, efficient and fun for all.

No visitors (parents, guardians, high school siblings) will be permitted to participate in the 2021 Fifth Grade Fun Day due to COVID protocols. This day is for students only (with the exception of volunteers that have signed up..see message from HOPE regarding volunteer sign up).
Fun Day T-Shirts were provided by HOPE during the Moving Up ceremony and are to remain “intact” for Game Day. T-Shirts should not be cut or embellished.
Fifth Grade Fun Day will begin promptly at 9:15 am and end promptly at 12:00 pm., at which time your child will have their lunch (***see message below).
All students that have been attending in-person must fill out their Health Safety form on the parent portal, as usual. They should arrive at school and dismiss as they would on a regular day.
All FULL REMOTE STUDENTS must fill out the following Health Safety form: Click here for the link. Full Remote students should be dropped off in the car line area on the side of the school beginning at 9:00 am. Full Remote students may be picked up in the car line area on the side of the school at 1:15 pm. Please have a proper ID ready to pick up your child. Thank you!

Fifth Grade Fun Day – Weather Permitting (dates are subject to change):

Tuesday, June 15 Weather Permitting

Wednesday, June 16 Rain Date

***In addition to a fun-filled day of events, H.O.P.E. will be providing complimentary pizza and ice cream from an ice cream truck for all fifth grade students on their FUN Day. HOPE wishes that this adds to the fun and excitement of the FUN Day experience! If your child(ren) does not wish to participate in this complimentary lunch, they may be provided a grab and lunch from the cafeteria or bring in lunch from home.

6th Grade Orientation Video:

Please click this link McAuliffe 6th Grade Virtual Orientation to view Mrs. Phillips’ video.

Don't forget.....

June 15,16, 17 & 18 will be shortened days. Students will be dismissed from school at 1:15pm. June 18 is the last day of school. Report Cards will be available on the Portal for Parents on JUNE 22.

Chromebook Use and Student School Email Accounts

As a reminder….Even during these stressful times of remote learning, students must comply with all school district policies for the use of a school district provided technology device and school email account. Students should NOT be using district devices and/or their student school email accounts to create unauthorized chats or Google Hangouts. As per District Policy #7523, “a student shall be subject to consequences in the event the pupil violates any school district policy, including the district’s acceptable use policies; pupil code of conduct; any provision of this Policy; or any provision of the School District Provided Technology Device Form.” Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Are you moving?

Whether it’s down the block, across town in Jackson, or to a completely different state, if you are moving, please make sure that you contact the main office to update your records or have your files transferred.

Items from Home

Students may not bring “tradable items”, such as slime, baseball cards, Pokémon cards, action figures, My Little Ponies, collectible stickers, etc. to Holman School. All of these items must be left at home. Thank you very much for your assistance and support with this important matter.

Daily Health Screening

We have not been as successful in receiving a Daily COVID Screening from a majority of our students. Over 100 students DID NOT fill out their Health Screening Form. Please continue to complete your child’s Daily Health Screening. For those that require a reminder, place a post it note by the coffee pot, refrigerator or set the alarm on your cell phone. We cannot stress enough the importance of parents filling out this form on the Parent Portal each morning that their child attends school in person. It must be filled out 30 minutes prior to your child’s arrival at school. Completing the Daily Health Screening will eliminate your child visiting the nurse’s office in the morning.

Please read the questions carefully!

The first question is asking if your child has been FEVER-FREE for 24 hours without the help of fever-reducing medication. So the answer to this question if your child is healthy is YES.
If you answer incorrectly, when your child gets sent to the nurse and we call you, we can reset the form for you to answer it correctly.

Student Dress Code

It is starting to become that time of the year when the warm breezes are blowing and we can soon begin to wear summer clothing. With that said…..It also time to review dress codes with students, especially the excerpt regarding NO FLIP-FLOPS or OPEN TOED Shoes. We have seen several violations which as you know can be a real hazard. Please see the excerpt from the student handbook below. If you have any questions please contact the Main Office.

Restrictions on freedom of students’ dress will be imposed whenever the code of dress in question is unsafe either for the student or for those around him/her or whenever it is disruptive to school operations and the educational process in general. Specifically:

Students will not wear hats, caps, or other head coverings in the building.
No clothing, jewelry, or item that promotes violence, bigotry, profanity or use of a restricted substance, and/or otherwise deemed inappropriate, or interferes with the instructional setting.
Jewelry and clothing should not restrict movement, be distracting or cause a safety hazard to oneself or others.
No micro-mini shorts or skirts will be permitted. Skirts/shorts must be no shorter than mid-thigh in length.
No boxers, spandex shorts or cutoff shorts will be worn.
No torn or tattered clothing.
All students must wear shoes at all times for safety and health reasons. No flip-flops or open-toed footwear are allowed.
Students should not wear outer clothing in the building.
All shirts should cover students’ shoulders, backs and come down to the waistline.
Tank tops and backless shirts are not permitted.

Looking and Planning Ahead:

District Physicals for FALL 2021 Sports Only - June 1 and June 2 - You Must Sign Up in Advance

The Jackson School District strongly encourages families to utilize their personal doctors to get athletic physicals for this school year. We are also offering a limited number of spots for students who will be participating in FALL SPORTS for the next school year and who are unable to see their own physician for a physical.

You will use this form to reserve your appointment time. This sign-up sheet is for FALL sports only. We are planning another district physical session for Winter and Spring seasons at a later date.

NOTE: You will need to be logged in to your CHILD'S JACKSON SCHOOL DISTRICT GOOGLE ACCOUNT in order to complete this form.

To protect all participants, please remember to maintain social distancing and to wear a face covering while waiting for your physical. Parents MUST accompany their child to the physical. Please remain in your car until just before your appointment time.

Please be sure to arrive on time and to bring with you your COMPLETED Pre-Participation Physical Forms. These packets can be downloaded on your school websites or picked up in the nurse's office of each school. Parents must accompany the student to the physical.

Tuesday, June 1 from 2:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Jackson Liberty High School (enter through Door 39).
Wednesday, June 2 from 2:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Jackson Memorial High School (Use Reider Hall Entrance).

LINK TO ATHLETIC PHYSICAL APPOINTMENT FORM

On Wednesday, June 23rd, the Board of Education Meeting will be held at 6:30 pm in the Fine Arts Auditorium at JMHS.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer!

Sincerely,

Rich Karas

Principal, Holman Elementary