Warmer weather, more vaccines, and better COVID-19 numbers are the foremost factors New Providence High School is considering when choosing to accommodate all students to return to in-person learning in mid-April, as per the March 12th letter sent out to all parents and students.

Those who are currently in the C group distance learning cohort may remain in that group until the end of the year, including teachers who have been given accommodations to teach virtually thus far. The new updates will also apply to all middle school students. 

As per the guidelines offered by the Westfield Board of Health, for schools wishing to introduce all students into the building, there must be barriers of plexiglass around each individual desk so that any classrooms unable to be socially distanced can have more protective measures to stop the spread of the virus.

Dr. Miceli, Superintendent of Schools, commented on the health concerns and broader district goals by noting that the recent steps taken to introduce full in-person learning in the elementary schools have thus far seen benefits.

“The experience at both the elementary schools has been that students and teachers have had much more achievement,” Miceli said. He emphasized how the improvement to the academic and social aspects of learning in-person was noticeable as soon as students began returning to school.

Additionally, Miceli noted how the minimal in-school transmission of COVID-19 from the elementary schools prompted the District to begin applying the same standards to the middle school and high school. 

He emphasized that the message from the District has remained consistent throughout: flexibility when it comes to recognizing the need for remote and in-person learning based on the needs of the individual student and staff member is key.

“We want to implement a methodical and safe approach to get everyone into the building before the year ends,” Miceli said.

The plan for reintroducing students into the middle school and high school building consists of each grade being integrated into groups every two weeks so that both the A and B cohorts successfully combine as one.

The primary concern is the seniors since they’ve missed a lot over the course of the last few months including the first lockdown that took place in March of last year.

In terms of the timing, Miceli said how the administrators were “mindful of spring break in adopting this decision and despite our success in implementing the fully remote learning after winter break, we want to ensure that the process of introducing full in-person learning isn’t inhibited by anything that may occur after spring break. We recommend that those students who may travel during spring break adhere to the guidelines in place.”

Miceli also noted how the recent CDC guidelines with regards to schools released on March 19 will not be considered due to the New Jersey Department of Health not adopting its new standards as of yet. 

Finally, Miceli said, “I appreciate how students have been able to adapt to the unprecedented circumstances. The district is excited to be implementing the end-of-year activities for our seniors.”

Mr. Henry, NPHS Principal, echoes similar messaging as Miceli on how the end of the year expectations will focus more on the seniors.

“We want to implement fun events as best as possible as we transition towards the end of the year,” said Mr. Henry.

He repeated how throughout the transitioning process the school is “committed to getting our students back into the building more often.”

Mr. Henry pointed out that this year due to the restrictions, the Prom will only consist of seniors, unlike a combined junior and senior prom that has taken place in previous years. He also mentioned how other senior activities such as Project Graduation, Senior Awards Night, and the Senior Breakfast are all slated to be taking place during May and June which all currently have tentative dates in place that are subject to change. National Honor Society and National World Language Honor Society inductions are also both planned to take place later on in the year. Both the high school graduation and middle school promotion dates are set for June 24th and June 23rd respectively.

Additionally, Mr. Henry said how there were “mixed emotions in response to the letter I sent out. Many parents reached out to us saying thank you, and others expressed concerns with the health of their students in transitioning to five days per week in-person learning.” He also stressed how depending on the status of COVID-19, “we may speed up or slow down in introducing in-person learning. The dates set as of this moment are tentative and subject to change.”

Mr. Henry noted how since the release of his letter on the high school transition, there have been more C cohort students requesting to transition to the hybrid model.

More details can be found in the March 12 email from Mr. Henry to the community, which is below.

March 12, 2021

Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,

The recent warm weather and sunshine has us excited for spring and the final months of the school year!  Since the summer of 2020, our goal has always been to work our way back to having our students in school and in person for as much as possible.  We continue to work hard towards that goal of a return to normalcy and maximizing the educational experience for our students.  With this said, I am excited to announce that we will begin transitioning our students into the building five days a week beginning in the 4th marking period.  Our plan involves a staggered roll-in of students to continue to prioritize the health and safety of our students, staff, and community.  Please find below our tentative, targeted dates for our students to return five days a week for in-person instruction:

Monday April 19– 12th Grade Students

Monday May 3– 11th Grade Students

Monday May 17– 10th Grade Students (and Middle School 8th grade students)

Wednesday June 2– 9th Grade Students (and Middle School 7th grade students)

This timeline will be fluid/subject to change as we will continue to monitor the health and safety of our students, staff, and community and make necessary adjustments as needed.  The bell schedule and instructional day will remain unchanged with students being dismissed at 1:04 pm for lunch, professional period, and one virtual class after lunch.  

All parents/guardians of Group C students should have received a communication earlier this week that outlined the next interval date for families to decide if they would like their student to join an in-person group (A or B) for the 4th marking period.  We are exploring adding additional interval dates to allow for more flexibility for a return to an in-person group.  More information will follow in the coming weeks.  

A/B cohorts will remain in place until all students have transitioned into the building five days a week.  For example, once seniors return to five days a week on April 19th, there will be no more A/B cohorts for senior students, but these A/B groupings will continue for the remaining grades.  After each transition period by grade level, the cohort grouping is removed for that grade until the 9th grade students are back five days a week.  

To provide additional safety measures for students and staff as we move forward with this transition, we will be adding plexi-glass barriers on all student desks. 

We are very excited for the final few months of the school year and transitioning our students safely into the building five days a week.  This transition will allow for more in-person, on-contact time to best meet the needs of our students and support their continued growth.  Thank you for your continued support and best wishes to each of you and your families.  

Respectfully,

Brian Henry, NPHS/NPMS Principal