Upper Grades Return To In-Person School This Month

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It has been more than six months since Mt. Olive students in grades six through 12 have been allowed back into their classrooms, and looks like the doors will be reopening later this month to welcome their return. 

Mt. Olive Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Zywicki included the information in his most recent blog shared to the school community on Thursday, Oct. 8.  The blog can be found at https://drzywickimotsd.blogspot.com/2020/10/october-8-2020-update.html. 

Be sure to scroll down on his blog and read the details about the cohorts and grades that are scheduled to report on different dates. Parents with multiple children may want to get out their calendars and mark down the specifics because as of the looks of things family members will be reporting on different days at the beginning of “operation return to schools.”  

“After lots of work we are able to return early in grades six through 12,” Zywicki states during a special announcement on the Mt. Olive School District Facebook page on Thursday, Oct. 8. He says the district is three weeks ahead of its original plan which would have opened the schools to these students at the end of the first marking period or first trimester. 

“We’ve been dealing with staffing issues,” he explains. Some teachers may still be virtual when the schools do open for in-person learning but he “anticipates more staff to be returning” eventually.     

Zywicki’s blog states “Students in grades 6-12 whose families selected in-person instruction will return to in-person instruction according to the following schedule:” 

On Monday, Oct. 19, students in grades 6, 11 and 12 in Cohort B which includes students with last names that begin with letters K through Z will report to school. They will attend in-person-learning all week through Oct. 23.  

The following week, on Monday Oct. 26, students in grades 6, 11 and 12 in Cohort A which includes students with last names that begin with the letter “A” up until letter “K” will report to school for that week through Oct. 30. 

Then on Monday, Nov. 2, students in grades 7,8,9,10 in Cohort A will attend in person school.  

Tuesday, Nov. 3, is election day so all students will attend school virtually that day as per executive order by the N.J. governor. 

“Everyone is virtual that day.”  

On Thursday, Nov. 4, students in grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 in Cohort B will attend school in person. 

On Monday, Nov. 9, all students in grades 6 through 12 in Cohort A will attend school in person through Nov. 13. 

On the following week, Nov. 16 through 20, students in grades 6-12 in Cohort B will attend in person. 

When the students are not reporting for in-person learning, they will be attending school virtually.  

Option To Switch To In-Person 

Before school began in September, parents had the option to choose in-person learning or full remote, which has been designated as Cohort C. 

Zywicki is allowing parents to change their minds by a certain deadline.     

Students in grades 9 through 12 who would like to switch from remote learning to in-person can do so by Monday, Nov. 16. 

The same goes to the younger grades.  

Students in grades pre-K through 8 can switch from remote Cohort C to in-person learning. Classes would begin Dec. 7 and parents must notify the change by the deadline of Nov. 4. 

“The request process to change cohorts will be forthcoming from building principals next week,” Zywicki notes on his blog. 

Zywicki also announced that all the district’s school buildings are now equipped with MERV 13 filters as opposed to the MERV 12. Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value filter is noted for catching 90% of particles for best air quality.  

In another step toward normalcy, Zywicki has announced that in-person on campus student activities and clubs will resume on Tuesday Oct. 27, at Mt. Olive High School and Mt. Olive Middle School. 

More info. to come during Parent University on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. on Facebook Live. 

While she keeps the seat warm for the next candidate elected to serve a three-year term on the Mt. Olive Board of Education, Jen Aquino will make the students her priority and use the next few months as a learning experience.

Aquino of Hackettstown was sworn in during a special BOE meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to fill a vacated seat on the school board. She replaces Dr. Asunta  Beardsley, BOE member whose term was expiring this year; she resigned on Sept. 1 and vacated her seat on Sept. 15 since she was moving outside the district to Allamuchy.

As the first applicant nominated for the position, Aquino received six nods of approval from BOE members. The other two candidates included: Former BOE Member Brian Schaechter, who is rerunning for the BOE this November; and longtime resident and mother of six Jeannie O’Neill.

A resident for 13 years, Aquino is happy to be selected.

“I was and still am elated for being selected to Mt. Olive’s Board of Education,” says Aquino. “I don’t take this role lightly and know there will be a lot of work ahead, but I do love a challenge.” 

Not estranged from education, Aquino works currently as a teacher evaluator in the Morris School District.

“I bring my educational training and professional experience, enthusiasm and communication skills to this Board of Education,” she says. “I look forward to working with each one of them.

“Previously, I’ve been a teacher, supervisor and principal,” says Aquino, who is also a mother of a fourth grader in the district.

“I feel the time is right now that my daughter is a little older, and it allows me to contribute to my community while collaborating with the other board members to bring the best Mt. Olive has to offer,” says Aquino.  

Similar to a student who has an internship before deciding on a career, Aquino gets to see firsthand what it takes to be a BOE member.

“I have always had interest, but this will allow me to better understand the role of a board member and decide if we are a good fit!” says Aquino.

Since Aquino has filled in a BOE seat that would have been vacated at the end of this year, she will hold the seat for three months, until the Jan. 2021 reorganization meeting.

She will be replaced by one of the seven candidates running in the next month’s General Election vying for three, three-year terms on the BOE.

During her time on the BOE, Aquino does have some goals in mind.

“My goals will always be to keep our students a priority and help in any way I can,” says Aquino.

Her main concern: “I would like to get all of our students back to school in a safe environment.”

When asked what she likes most about Mt. Olive School District, Aquino says: “That’s easy…I love the people that work there.”

One of her district involvements is SHSP (Sandshore Home and School Partnership).

“It’s our version of PTA,” she explains. “I am also a member of Sandshore’s School Safety and Climate Team.

“I am honored to fill this role and a proud parent of this district,” concludes Aquino.

BOE Interviews Candidates

Each board member asked the three applicants the same question at the special BOE meeting.

Picked randomly, Schaechter went first, followed by Aquino and then O’Neill.

Following the interviews, the public was invited to comment, but there were none from those in attendance, which was limited to 25 due to N.J.’s executive orders. The meeting was livestreamed for others to watch.

The BOE then went into confidential/closed session to discuss the candidates’ qualifications. When they returned, BOE members nominated two of the three candidates. The first applicant to receive five votes wins the seat.

BOE Member Dr. Antoine Gayles was the first to nominate a candidate, nominating Aquino for the spot. BOE member Anthony Strillaci followed by nominating Schaechter.

Aquino received six votes of approval by the BOE members with Strillaci voting no. Since she only needed five votes, she won the seat before the BOE could even vote for Schaechter.

BOE President Anthony Giordano did not comment as to the reasoning why the BOE selected Aquino. He did say that Schaechter is running in November and suggested to O’Neill to “put your hat in the ring in the next coming cycles.”

BOE Member Liz Ouimet specifies during the meeting her reasoning in selecting Aquino: “Considering all the qualification of every candidate,” she says she chose Aquino.

These are the questions BOE members asked during the interviews with some of the applicant’s comments.  

BOE Member William Robinson asks: “What kind of commitment, and time and energy do you think a board member needs to devote to be an effective board of education member?

Schaechter responds: “It’s easy for me to answer that one because I was a board member for six years. It’s not a one-hour week job. It’s almost full time; commitment is great. There’s committee work; board of education meeting. It is quite extensive. This is not an easy job at all.”

Responds Aquino: “I think it’s all the time. You are going to get phone calls. email; people reaching out when you are not in a meeting. I imagine it will be quite a bit of time that you need to give to the school board and I’m prepared to do that.” 

Ouimet’s question: “How would you handle a concern or complaint about the district that was brought to your attention by a parent, community member, teacher, administrator or other special interest group?”

Responds Aquino: “I don’t know what the protocol is. I need to be schooled and read what the rules are.”

Schaechter says he would go the board president and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Zywicki with any issues.

Gayles asks: “What kind of relationship should a board of education have with its community, with its parents, and families?”

O’neill says it is important to have an “open relationship,” be in touch and out in the community.”  

Strillaci questions: “What do you feel are the three most important responsibilities of a board member?”

Schaechter says a BOE member should be a good listener, fair and a good setter of policy, “and you need to have a level head.”

Responds Aquino: “You need to take your job serious; you need to be a team player.”

Answers O’Neill: To decide on the immediate concerns are of the district, communicate with staff and families and to make sure everyone’s needs are met.

BOE Member John Kehmna asks: “If you can change one thing in our district what would it be and why?”

Schaechter, who serves on the Mt. Olive Planning Board, says that while he is pleased with Zywicki’s increased communication with the community, he would provide more of an understanding “with the public exactly how our tax dollars are being spent.”  

Stumped by that questions, Aquino responds “I had nothing short of a spectacular experience at Sandshore. There’s nothing I can think of at the moment.” 

O’Neill, who has had children in the district since 1999, says she would make sure the district provided more “deaf accessibility,” such as Parent University. Anything that is livestream is difficult.

“For someone who’s deaf like me,” she says she needs to “Wait for someone to translate it.” She suggests more closed caption options.

In the last two questions, Giordano asks: “What involvement have you had with BOE and the district;” and newest BOE Member Nolan Stephens requests the candidates to “Please describe your volunteer activities current and past?”

"We're spreading the word to make Antoine Gayles lucky #7 on November 3rd." This is a paid advertisement by Antoine Gayles. Picture posted with permission. 

Virtual students who have been craving their favorite school pizza or chicken nuggets can satisfy their pallet by picking up lunch daily at the Mt. Olive Middle School.

All students in the Mt. Olive School District, whether attending school virtually or in-person, are invited for free meals every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through December. Provided by Sodexo, the program is fully funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is offered to all school districts in the U.S.

Since the pandemic in March, the Mt. Olive School District “made the choice to continue” to participate in providing these free meals to all students, explains Mt. Olive Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Zywicki. A popular offering to many, Zywicki says the district has been providing about 900 meals per day to students in all grades within the school district.

“There’s a need in our community that no kid is going hungry,” explains Zywicki. Since March 16, when the school shut down, the district has been providing free meals to its students. “People who are taking it, are coming and need it,” he says.

Students who are attending school virtually may not have access to lunch if parents are working so this is a viable option to make sure students are getting their nutrition.

In September, 13,673 meals were served to students in the Mt. Olive School District with 5,000 meals served in school and 8,500 for remote students with meals picked up at Mt. Olive Middle School. 

All Mt. Olive Twp. students attending school remotely are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. Meals can be picked up at MOMS every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Pick up Monday for Monday and Tuesday meals; Wednesday, for Wednesday and Thursday meals; and Friday for Friday’s meal.

Lunches include fruit, vegetable, grain, protein and diary; milk selection of 1%, fat free white, fat free chocolate. Included in every lunch is half cup of fruit and vegetable, milk, appropriate condiment packets, cutlery kit with napkin and straw. The menu also includes an available all week option such as a chef salad, turkey sandwich, Italian sub, pretzel box, pizza box, bagel, chicken Caesar salad.

Some popular choices include pizza, chicken nuggets, chicken patty sandwich, grilled cheese, macaroni-n-cheese, nachos, mozzarella sticks. Vegetarian and diet options are also available.

For more information, visit mtoliveeats on Instagram. It is recommended to pre-order in person meals. The monthly menu, can also be found at https://motsd.sodexomyway.com/%20%20

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