The Board of Commissioners will hold their scheduled May 12, 2020 meeting via video, beginning at 7:30pm.
Members of the public who register HERE may watch, and participate at appropriate times. Those who register will receive instructions and a personal link by email. Instructions also will be provided for those who prefer to listen by phone.
Photo: Susan Baltake
After a traffic-stopping ride through downtown Haddonfield early this morning, a 1,000-pound, 15-foot tall bronze giraffe was installed in the Children’s Sculpture Zoo, within Tatem Memorial Garden, at the corner of Kings Highway East and Evergreen Avenue.
Now all he needs is a name. To suggest a name, enter on the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust’s website, HERE, through May 31.
A CBS-owned website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports has ranked the athletics program at Haddonfield Memorial High School number 1 in New Jersey and number 14 in the United States.
MaxPreps calculates its rankings by assigning points for state championships and runner-up finishes and by factoring in the popularity of each sport, size of each state, state enrollment divisions, and the number of schools in each state enrollment division. Points also are awarded for national rankings, where available.
This school year, Haddonfield athletes brought home state championship trophies for boys’ cross country, girls’ indoor track, boys’ swimming, and girls’ swimming. They were state runners-up in girls’ field hockey and girls’ cross country.
The state rankings are HERE. The national rankings are HERE.
Students in New Jersey will not return to their brick-and-mortar schools any time soon. Governor Phil Murphy today ordered all schools in to remain closed for the remainder of the school year.
Public schools will continue to provide remote learning for students to allow districts to meet the state-required minimum of 180 instruction days.
In a statement released in conjunction with his order, Gov. Murphy said, “This is a difficult decision and I know that many students, parents, and staff would like to be able to return to school. However, I have been unwavering on the message that we need to make decisions based on science, not emotion. And while New Jersey is making great strides in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, science tells us that at this point, we can’t safely re-open our schools.”
The governor’s complete statement is HERE.
Among the 48 new COVID-19-related deaths reported today by the Camden County Department of Health were those of two male residents of Haddonfield: one in his 50s and one in his 90s.
The reporting period covers April 13 to 30 — hence the relatively high daily tally. It is not known how recently these two residents succumbed.
The total number of deaths of Haddonfield residents attributable to the novel coronavirus now stands at 4.
In Camden County, Haddonfield ranks relatively low with respect to cases reported. It is 30th out of 37 municipalities (27 cases vs. 3,542 county-wide), and 13th out of 14 municipalities with population greater than 10,000 (2.33 per 1,000 versus 6.85 county-wide).
The Planning Board will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, May 5, at 7:30pm.
The Borough commissioners will hold work sessions on Monday, May 4 and Wednesday, May 6.
The May 4 meeting, to be held through Zoom at 7pm, will be closed. The commissioners will conduct interviews for an Affordable Housing developer.
The May 6 meeting, at 3pm, will be accessible to members of the public on GoToMeeting. Link HERE. The webinar ID is 559-612-083.
Henry Burk Sullivan, a former longtime Haddonfield resident and member of Christ the King Church, died on April 20, 2020 from complications of coronavirus COVID-19. He was age 90 and had lived in Collingswood for some years.
Click HERE to link to obituary.
Following Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement on Wednesday that state parks will reopen on Saturday, May 2, the Borough commissioners announced on Friday that the walking path and wooded area of Crows Woods will be open for public use from 6am on Saturday.
The park will close at 6pm each day. Parking will be limited to the lot next to the concession stand.
All other fields, playgounds, concession stands, bathrooms, and pavilions in Haddonfield will remain closed.
In their statement, the commissioners noted: “Visitors must practice social distancing and stay six (6) feet apart from others (social distancing is not required for immediate family members, caretakers, household members, or romantic partners). No organized group activities, activities involving contact with others, or sports are permitted. If residents & visitors do not abide by these restrictions, the Commissioners may be forced to close the path and wooded area once again, so we ask for your cooperation and thank you for your understanding. All dogs must be on leash.”
OFFICIAL from Haddonfield School District on May 1, 2020
Haddonfield School District Selects AlphaBEST Education to Deliver Before- and After-School Child Care
After careful consideration, the Haddonfield School District (HSD) voted to end its contract for before- and after-school care with Haddonfield Child Care, a local non-profit organization that has served our community for many years. The community, building leaders, administration, and Board of Education (BOE) are very grateful for their service to our children and greatly appreciate the contribution they have made to the Haddonfield community. As difficult as the decision to change providers is, we must consider multiple factors when making an informed decision, especially during such unprecedented times, such as efficiency of offering, quality and consistency of programming across the district, and the ability to meet the unique needs of all students. The BOE and administration have held ongoing discussions with HCC for several months since the Request for Proposals began.
After a thorough search process, including reviews of proposals, in-person interviews, reference checks, and careful deliberation by a committee of ten members, the District has chosen to award the contract to AlphaBEST Education. AlphaBEST has received exemplary reviews from other contracted districts. They have a well-designed curriculum developed to give students the opportunity for enrichment, with no additional cost to families, as well as the flexibility to enjoy downtime in a safe, relaxed environment.
AlphaBEST’s staff training program is extensive and ensures consistency in programs designed to meet the individual needs of our children. Additionally, they offer the same affordable rates our families are accustomed to while guaranteeing the district a minimum of $55,000 for the use of facilities. In the past, the district has not received any funding for the use of facilities for the child care program. Along with providing better programming at equal or lower cost to families using child care, taxpayers greatly benefit from the expertise and the cost-sharing contract of a national organization that runs child care programs for schools across the nation, including New Jersey. Further, we are pleased that AlphaBEST is committed to hiring staff from our current child care program, HCC, to help make the transition for our children seamless. AlphaBEST, HSD and the BOE are all dedicated to maintaining the strong community connections Haddonfield values while ensuring fiscal responsibility and quality of services.
“We are excited to be working with the Haddonfield community and families,” said Judy Nee, CEO of AlphaBEST. “We also know how difficult change can be, and we are committed to working closely with the school district and community to make this a smooth transition. Our New Jersey locations are some of our most successful sites, according to our families – a tribute to the level of expectation and support our dedicated local teams receive. We will be surveying Haddonfield families soon to learn more about needs, ideas and suggestions.”
Like all changes, the transition to the new before and after-care program will be an adjustment, but we are hopeful and confident that this change will enrich the lives of our students and benefit our families.
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