April 9, 2020

Dear Nutley Staff, Students, and Parents,

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday weekend. It is a heartbreaking time for everyone losing Spring Break travel plans, holidays with family, and so many other cancellations.  There does not appear to be an end in the near future.  Everyone has been working above and beyond to respond to the demands that this new reality has placed on families, staff, students, and communities.  The four-day holiday weekend, and subsequent three-day weekends are designed to provide breaks for a longer term.  The expected outcome is that this will be a positive impact and benefit to your family for what appears to be an extended time. 

I am hopeful that each day you and your children are able to step away from your routines, and that your family has the time to decompress. Time to take a walk, watch a show, play a game, or time to have a backyard picnic is encouraged, and necessary for everyone's mental and physical health. Not only should everyone take a meaningful break from work, but you should also connect with friends and family via phone calls, Google Meet or other means acceptable to your family. It really helps! It is important that everyone keep practicing social distancing in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. That means going out only when essential, and staying six feet away from others when you must be out.

Even though we need to stay home as much as possible, there are some fun virtual places you can go, and some great content you can share.  Drop by the montereybayaquarium.org for live webcams.  You can peek into the aviary for some birdwatching, follow the tropical fishes along a coral reef, watch penguins, otters, or sharks, or maybe just keep calm with the kelp cam. You could get up and get moving at Go Noodle, take a visit to the Nutley firehouse to meet Jackie the Dalmatian, or visit one of the National Parks. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is offering tours or maybe you would rather imitate great art at the Getty Museum. There are plenty of books to read, science experiments to create, and music to listen to, as well!  Whatever you choose to do, we hope it provides you an escape, and a few smiles! There are no assignments, no homework, nothing required. 

Please enjoy the break, and all the best of the holidays! We will look for you Tuesday morning.

Sincerely,

Dr. Julie Glazer