At Union School, the doors open at 7:50 a.m. and the school day begins at 7:55 a.m. with homeroom. You may begin dropping off your child any time after 7:40 a.m. Please follow the procedures below concerning morning drop-off:
- Belford Avenue: The student drop-off area is near the crossroads of Cooper Place and Belford Avenue. Once your child has exited the car, please drive away so the next car can pull forward. The routine repeats itself. Please do not stop at the corner of Union Avenue and Belford Avenue or before the student drop-off zone. This procedure must be followed to ensure the safety of everyone.
- Springfield Avenue: Cars should pull into the cutout area near the curb by the school to drop off their child. As you leave Springfield Avenue, you must turn right on to Union Avenue; no left turns will be allowed. There will be no dropping off of students on Union Avenue.
Your child must report to the following door in the morning:
GRADE ENTER EXIT
Grade 7 A-K (Last name) Door 6: Springfield Ave. Same
Grade 7 L-Z (Last name) Door 5: Springfield Ave. Same
Grade 8 A-K (Last name) Door 1: Belford Ave. Same
Grade 8 L-Z (Last name) Door 2: Belford Ave. Same
*Please note that the number is located above the door.
Every child will be eating lunch in school. Pomptonian lunches will be served on Thursday, September 9th. Please note that there is now a drop-down menu for a beverage choice.
The PTA will post forms online this year with important information concerning membership, pizza ordering, lunch payments, etc.
Union School runs two lunch blocks that allow greater flexibility in maintaining physical distancing between individuals.
Please note students are expected to pre-order lunches or bring a bagged lunch from home. Lunches and homework can be placed in the designated container by the pillars until 10:45 a.m. (student name/grade must be on the lunch and any homework/books left in the containers). Please do not place your child’s chromebook in the container. At 10:45 a.m. the container will be brought into the building and delivered to the cafeteria where the items will be distributed. After 10:45 a.m., no lunches, homework/books will be accepted. We appreciate your anticipated cooperation.
We ask everyone to please review the Union School Curriculum Guidebook for important information on courses, electives, etc. In addition, please review the Student Handbook for important information about Union School.
Advisory program will be running for the third year. Advisory is a 30-minute block of time during which a small group of students will meet with their teacher/advisor. The purpose of this time will be to connect students with staff members, providing social-emotional and academic support, while also fostering a sense of community. Discussions will be focused on age-appropriate topics based on character standards and real-world topics relevant to middle school students.
Positive Behavioral Supports in School (PBSIS) has been an excellent program that will be in its fourth year. To support the development of positive school climate practices, the NJ PBSIS team uses a multi-tiered intervention model, known as School-wide Positive Behavior Support in Schools to address the continuum of behavior, conduct and climate needs present in schools. Through the PBSIS training and technical assistance on school-wide positive behavior support, schools develop an integrated system that:
Promotes and encourages positive social behavior and climate school-wide; Applies function-based problem solving to address the needs of students engaging in repeated behavior problems and engages staff in routine reflection and data-based decision making to guide intervention planning decisions.
The Parent Portal will be open to all parents. The portal allows you to view your child’s grades, attendance, and homeroom. We will remind you in the middle of each quarter to check your child’s progress. We no longer distribute report cards in school. You will be notified of the date quarter grades are finalized. At that point, you may check the Parent Portal for the electronic grade report. Please contact the guidance office if you do not have Internet access and we will mail progress reports and report cards to you.
HOMEROOMS ARE LISTED ON THE PARENT AND STUDENT PORTAL
Looking ahead, please mark your calendars on Thursday, September 23rd for “Back to School Night”. In addition, “Picture Day” will be on Monday, September 27th. More information will follow.
In closing, I assure you that the children of Union School will have an environment that is safe and secure and that they will receive the best education possible. I look forward to working with you in creating a challenging and rewarding educational experience for your child.
Please check the district website for any possible changes which may occur before the opening of the school. Visit us at www.rutherfordschools.org and subscribe to receive updates by email by entering your email address.
Sincerely,
Kurt Schweitzer