January Superintendent's Spotlight

Morris-Union Jointure Commission

Developmental Learning Centers

Superintendent Spotlight

January 2022

Superintendent’s Update

Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends. As we start the New Year, please know that the MUJC administration and DLC staff look forward to working with you in 2022 and wish you and your family and friends a wonderful New Year filled with joy, health, and happiness.

COVID – 19 Update

COVID-19 numbers continue to increase. Preventatively, our custodians sanitize the buildings nightly and ensure that our air quality is excellent. Both staff and students wear masks. If a student is unable to wear a mask, that student is on a program to increase tolerance for mask wearing. Social distancing of three feet occurs, if possible. While we are working hard to minimize the impact of COVID-19, parents and staff members can assist us greatly by adhering to the following measures:

1. If you are sick, please do not come to school. Inform the nurse or principal regarding your health status, if you are going to be tested for COVID, and the test results.

2. Masks must be worn securely over the mouth and nose.

3. Wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.

4. If you have any signs or symptoms of possible COVID, alert the school nurse or principal and get tested at a local facility such as a pharmacy or through your healthcare provider. If you use a home test kit, please have the results verified at a testing facility or with a health care provider. Home test results without confirmation by a testing facility or health care provider will not be accepted as proof of positive or negative results.

5. Notify the school principal immediately if you have a positive COVID test result.

6. Socially distance 3 feet away from others with whom you have contact for 15 or more minutes.

I will continue to send staff and parents updates from the New Jersey Department of Health and the New Jersey Department of Education as they become available. Notifications are also immediately posted on our website as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages. We will get through this difficult time and we will get through it so much better because we're all working together! Thank you, as always, for your support and cooperation.

TA to Teacher Program

Coming during the Summer of 2022! The MUJC is excited to announce the “TA to Teacher Program” that is being offered in conjunction with Ramapo College. This is a program for Teacher Assistants who hold a bachelor’s degree in any major. With a bachelor’s degree, TAs may become certified as a Teacher of Students with Disabilities in one year and obtain a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education within two years at a discounted rate at Ramapo College. Please view the following video for details on this new innovative program, and click January 12, 2022 Information Session Flyer, Dual Certifica tion Information, and O verview of the Program.

What’s Happening at the DLCs

Second Spirit Wear Day Set for Tuesday, January 4!

After the resounding success of our first Spirit Day in December, our second Spirit Wear Day is taking place on Tuesday, January 4! All staff and students are encouraged to wear any clothing they feel represents school spirit for the DLCs or MUJC. Wear your school colors of blue and white, your DLC Spirit wear, or clothing that shows school spirit to highlight your school pride!

DLC - New Providence

National Pizza Week

DLC - New Providence students will be following a recipe to make pizzas. It is sure to be a delicious week! Mangia Bene!

Celebrate Diversity

Students will dress in their favorite color on January 13 to celebrate diversity. Teachers will present lessons and activities on diversity.

Picture Day

DLC – New Providence will have picture day on January 14. Marcel Studios does a great job taking students’ pictures. Stay tuned!

Week of Service January 18 – 21

DLC – New Providence students will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during this week of service. Students will be making “no-sew” blankets with Kean University students to donate to the homeless through the “Be the Change Organization.” This is a wonderful project in which students will work together to help people in need.

Compliment Day

Students will be working on lessons during social skills regarding kindness and giving compliments to others. This will surely brighten everyone’s day!

DLC - Warren

PlayStation 5 Makes its Way to DLC-Warren!

The “Wii Room” in DLC-Warren will need a name change because we have recently accepted a very generous donation of a complete PlayStation 5 Gaming System! The system will be available to all classes as part of their weekly scheduled time on our new console. With age-appropriate games included as well as multiple controllers and a screen, it is sure to bring a new level of excitement to all of our students!

Picture Days

DLC - Warren is set to have Picture Days on January 11, 12, and 13. Marcel Studios does a fantastic job each year with our students. Please keep an eye out for further information including a schedule with the date and time for your child’s picture.

Dates Available for Person-Centered Planning Meetings

Are you interested in having a Person-Centered Plan developed for your DLC-Warren child? There are opportunities available! Please contact Kim Spurlock at kspurlock@mujc.org soon to learn more about the commitment needed to make a successful person-centered plan and to schedule a date for the meeting.

Weekly Class Pancake Breakfasts Continue in 2022!

Our staff, students, and families have been enjoying the weekly Pancake Breakfasts for each class. We look forward to continuing our wonderful breakfasts in 2022 and having Secondary 9, 10, 11, and 12 classes scheduled this month. Class invitations were sent out earlier this year! If you have any questions about the date, please contact your classroom teacher.

Technology Tips

Search using “Site” To Find Content like a Ninja

A Google search can return millions of results. Cut that down significantly by searching just a single site with Google’s Site: feature. Open Google in your browser and type “site:” and then the website you wish to search. Like this: “site: disney.com” but leave off the quotation marks.

Tip in a tip: You can enter “site: disney.com search term” in your browser’s address bar and no need to go to Google. Remember, no quotation marks are needed.

Transition Talk

Caring for Our Communities!

The students of the Developmental Learning Centers are continually participating in a variety of community service projects as a way of developing greater community awareness and participation and also as a means to say “thank you” to the communities that so richly support our students and their families. Starting in November, students have participated in the Students Change Hunger Food Drive. They have worked hard sorting, weighing, and packing all donated food items that will be delivered to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. DLC-Warren students have also continued to contribute to Operation Shoebox New Jersey. Operation Shoebox New Jersey is a non-profit organization that creates and delivers care packages to U.S. service people stationed all over the world and in various locations in the United States. Staff and students collect and sort donated items that are used during larger packing events where hundreds of volunteers come together and assemble the care packages. Students also work on breaking down items that are donated in bulk into smaller packaging that will properly fit in the care packages. On December 10^th, students from the DLC - Warren completed the district wide participation in this year’s Jersey Cares Coat Drive by delivering 51 coats to a collection site in Livingston. The organizations supported through these drives greatly appreciate the hard work and effort put forth by all DLC - Warren and New Providence staff, students, and families towards their great community service projects! Congratulations on jobs well done!

Winter Weather

With the winter months ahead of us, I want to remind parents about our inclement weather procedures. You will receive a telephone call and/or text message via School Messenger and an email by 6:30 a.m. if the DLC is closed due to inclement weather or if there is a 2 hour delayed opening. If we have an early dismissal at 12:45 p.m., you will receive a telephone call or text via School Messenger by 11:00 a.m. The DLC notifies all bus companies of our closings, delayed openings, and early dismissals. Please ensure that you have updated your contact information (home telephone number, cell telephone number, and email address) if there have been any changes. This can be done via the MUJC website (www.mujc.org) by clicking on the “Parent” tab at the top of the page. Our school closings and delays are also displayed prominently on our website, Facebook, and Twitter as well as on the voicemail message at the MUJC Central Office number, which is 908-464-7625, or at the telephone numbers of the Developmental Learning Center sites (DLC – New Providence: 908-508-1345; DLC – Warren: 908-762-5600) as well as NBC News Channel 4.

Reminder

DLC schools and MUJC offices will be closed on Monday, January 17, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Thanks for reading the Superintendent Spotlight!

Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Janet L. Fike