Author: haddonfieldtoday

The Haddonfield School District posted this “thank you” on its Facebook page today:

UNSUNG HEROES PART I

It is of paramount importance that we take some time to thank the unsung heroes of the last 10 days.

We had a successful opening that enabled us to get our students back in school for the first time in six months. Tim McFerren (Director of Facilities) and his crew along with Lisa Chadwell and the Prichard (custodial) staff worked frantically, efficiently, and effectively to get the schools ready. They had to be problem-solvers, focused and forward-thinking, as they anticipated issues that might arise. They worked long hours and came in on days off to make sure that the buildings were ready. This often back-breaking work made it possible for teachers and students to walk into safe and clean buildings.

We heartily thank Tim and his team of Kenny Lambert, Rick Sparks, William Fisher, Klaus Henkel, Stephen Kocher, Jeff Lee, Matt Soulliard, Rob Wisnewski, Steve Hale, Patrick Mickles, and Merced Valenzuela.

Job well done!

This message, from the Board of Education, was posted on Monday, September 7.

As the sun sets on the Summer of 2020, we wanted to take a moment to recognize our staff who have
been on the job under extraordinary uncertainty to plan for this very different school year.

Simply put, our administrators completed a staggering amount of work to prepare for the many possible
eventualities as months flew by and the guidance repeatedly changed. They worked into the nights and
over weekends, postponing personal time to ensure that our system would be as close to ready for
tomorrow as possible.

We would also like to recognize our teachers and staff who were integral to the process of finding
solutions and paths forward. Our fine educators make the crucial leap from planning to engaging our
children with the highest level of integrity.

Tomorrow we will open schools in a new and unprecedented way. Some changes will be inconvenient
and difficult, others will result in a new way to view education and may result in wonderful
advancements for our future.

Please take a moment to say thank you to your teachers and administrators for being ready for this
challenge, and let’s start this extraordinary school year …

• with a positive attitude,
• with a growth mindset,
• with appreciation,
• and with patience.

Good luck to all in the 2020-21 school year.

I would like to first welcome all families, students and teachers to the 2020-21 school year at Haddonfield School District.
We are now a week away from our return to school for the fall of 2020. It would certainly be an understatement to say this is a different opening than those we have experienced in the past.

I am sure all of us could rattle off a litany of differences as well as things we wish were different! Notably, some of these challenges have required our administration team and teacher leaders to spend countless summer hours to develop, revise, publish, and republish our return to school model.

Sometimes I feel as though we have spent the last six months talking about the changes caused by the “new normal,” but today I’d like to take a moment to look at how many things are still the same.

As a school district, we continue to uphold our commitment to providing high-quality education to your children. We maintain high expectations for our students, teachers, and administrators. We anticipate a year that – in spite of opening with 50% capacity – will close with all of our students in school all day. These are our goals, and we believe that a prudent start will help us to achieve them.

As in every summer, a great deal of focus was placed on growth and improvement. What may have gotten lost in the shuffle this summer are the many accomplishments of the last 10 weeks not connected to COVID-19.

• Curriculum has been rewritten and revised. HSD continually invests in improving and modifying curriculum in all areas. Among other revisions, two main areas of focus are improving the middle school Gifted and Talented program and adding mandated LGBTQIA+ standards. Additionally, we invested a great deal of work in designing professional development specifically connected to distance and virtual instruction based on what we learned in the spring.
• The vestibule projects at Elizabeth Haddon and J.F. Tatem Elementary Schools are 95% complete and 100% functional. We are waiting for delivery of a few final items before we can call them complete.
• Cameras have been installed in the interior and exterior of all district buildings. This adds an additional level of safety.
• With the help of the Haddonfield Educational Trust, the area behind the stadium has been upgraded. What was once an expanse of blacktop is now a showpiece for spectators to experience at school events.
• Work has started on a new air-handling unit tower at the high school. Connected to this project will be the addition of an outdoor classroom and a garden seating area providing an outdoor extension to the cafeteria.

We also continue to work on our three strategic plans. We will nurture our students and teachers by providing social-emotional training and support. We will continue to empower by investing time and training into innovative teaching strategies and learning environments. Finally we work to inspire everyone to embrace cultural competency and pursue social justice as we build on lessons learned at our June Town Hall meeting. The target date for our next open forum is early October.

Last, please take a look at our website. If you have any questions at any time during the school year, please look at the top middle of the web page under “Contact Us” where there is an “Ask a Question” tab that you simply click on and ask us any question(s) you wish. We will get you an answer as quickly as we can. Have a wonderful school year, everyone. Welcome back!