Merritt Memorial School

Attached is the presentation from last evening to the Cresskill Board of Educaton on the NJGPA and Access for ELLs test results. All are welcome to view the presentation, and should you have questions, we look forward to assisting. https://shorturl.at/FpVCS

Greetings Cresskill Families! We have a quick summer update that we wanted to share with you as we move quickly towards our new school year. Here is the letter outlining some important changes and updates to expect in the upcoming year. https://shorturl.at/2Euye

Dr. Hughes recently spoke as a guest speaker with New Jersey School Boards Association on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in Education. Learn about ways we are incorporating AI in thoughtful ways as a school district. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wOVdSza8YU

Thank you to everyone that came out to celebrate our strategic plan adoption last night. It was a great culmination of a community effort. For those that helped on the committees, please stop into the board office to sign our posters. The best hours to come are between 8-2:30 M-Th, 8-11:30 on Friday this week and next.

Tonight at 6:30 pm is the signing ceremony of our strategic plan, Pathways to Excellence, in the high school student center. All community members are invited, and cake will be served. Those that participated in the plan are welcome to sign the posters that will be hung in all of our buildings.

While July 4th, 1776 is observed as America's independence or freedom from the British, Juneteenth commemorates the first time in history when EVERY American was free! Over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the final vestiges of slavery were finally stamped out when Union soldiers informed the last groups of slaves of their freedom. As Americans, Juneteenth is a time to celebrate freedom for ALL! Happy Juneteenth!

Congratulations to our MMS graduates. We are so proud of the people you are becoming and wish you an amazing time at CMS! Go Mustangs and Cougars!

Come on out this morning for our annual garden tour!

Please be advised that there is currently a phishing scam targeting school athletic teams in northern NJ, including our teams in Cresskill. The scam uses text messages sent to parents and community members that imitate online team fundraisers. Please do not click on any links or texts referring to "NIL" fundraising. This is not a school fundraiser. We do have in place safeguards to ensure that you can know what is a scam and what is a genuine fundraiser as we only approve contributions through our district pay app (PaySchools) or through checks made out directly to our business office for specific teams or activities. If you ever get a different link or request, it is not an approved way to directly donate to our programs. Here is a link to the letter for more information: https://shorturl.at/GY8kI

Today our students learned about and created traditional Korean masks! Then, students learned traditional Korean dances as they wore their masks. A big shout out to our KPA who brought in the instructor, donated their time, organized and supplied all the materials for this very special activity for international day!

Our STEAM Night is going on until 8. Come out and see the amazing robotics, art, and hands-on activities all while supporting our programs.

Our humanities supervisor, Grace Chun, was recently highlighted by News 12 for her work in learning about and promoting Asian American and Pacific Islander history. She is part of a special cohort in the state to ensure visibility and representation of AAIP in our classrooms and schools. In Cresskill, we believe our curriculum should contain "mirrors" where students can see themselves represented and "windows" that allow them to see the experiences of others. We are grateful for the work our entire curriculum department is doing to bring awareness of the diverse world we live in. Here is the article and video: https://newjersey.news12.com/educators-gather-at-fdu-for-program-to-learn-how-to-teach-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-history

The board of education approved our budget submission that will now go to the Executive County Superintendent for approval. Thank you to our BA, Ms. Delasandro, the finance committee of the BOE, and the administrative team for their help in ensuring a financially responsible and balanced budget. Here is the presentation for those interested: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G48qS-4ZioPxPrPtn86rqFcsQqKb5JrB1kUvHJt6hM4/edit?usp=sharing

Our annual STEAM Night is coming on May 15th to CHS. ALL families are invited! Save the date for this exciting evening from 6-8 PM. Proceeds go to our robotics team and help to fund great STEAM learning for everyone!

Our public budget hearing is set for Monday, May 6th at 6 PM in the CHS Student Center. All are welcome to learn about how we fund continuous improvement in Cresskill Public Schools.

Our public budget hearing is set to take place at 6 PM in the CHS Student Center. All are welcome to attend and learn about how we manage continuous improvement priorities in Cresskill Public Schools!

Let’s give it up for Leah! She won Honorable Mention in the “My County Poster Contest” and was a top 20 finalist! Her artwork will be featured in the 2025 County Clerk’s Election Calendar! Congratulations Leah! We are so proud of you!

Did you know that our TV Studio is now completely redone and our first news show is premiering this Friday? Follow here to see all the great work of our students: https://vimeo.com/cresskillvideoproduction #buildbackbetter #cougarpride

Thank you to the Cresskill DPW for helping to improve our high school driveway. A true show of collaboration and support between the town and schools! We are grateful for their help!

To conclude our earth week celebration, we will have a Merritt Walks to School Day on Friday! Wear your Merritt spirit wear and walk to school THIS FRIDAY, April 26th!