Panther News

I hope this message finds you well. As we move through the school year, I’d like to take a moment to remind you of a couple of important school policies and upcoming events.

On Monday, January 20th CGSD will be closed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King's message of peace, equality and justice changed the lives of countless Americans. This national holiday is a time for us to reflect on all of his valuable teachings that are still so meaningful today. Dr. King advocated for nonviolent resistance against racial segregation during his life. He broke boundaries by enhancing the civil rights and liberties for all Americans.

As the year progresses we are seeing more parents/guardians dropping off food and drinks to the main office. Please be reminded that food is not permitted in the classrooms. Students are not allowed to pick up food or coffee during their class periods. We kindly ask that you refrain from dropping off food or beverages during the school day as they will sit in the vestibule until lunch or the end of the school day. Additionally, students are not permitted to have food delivered to CGHS. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

The end of the current marking period is Friday, January 24th. We encourage you to check your child’s grades through the Genesis Parent Portal to monitor their progress and address any concerns. If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or their school counselor.

Please join us this Sunday as CGHS host our first Robotics Tournament. Specific information regarding the details of the day can be found by using this link to the NJ Patch article. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Remember to mark you calendars for the following events:

• 1/19- Robotics Tournament @CGHS, 8:30AM

• 1/20- School Closed, MLK Day

• 1/23- Scholarship Presentation

• 1/24- End of MP 2

• 1/27- Semester 2 Classes Begin

• 1/30- MP 2 Grades Posted @ 4PM

• 2/17 & 2/18- School Closed, President's Day Recess

• 2/25- Early Dismissal @12:30PM- Staff In Service

• 2/27, 2/28 & 3/1- Spring Musical

• 3/20- Early Dismissal @12:30PM- Staff In Service

• 4/18-4/25- Spring Break, School Closed

Mr. Cannella and Ms. Marriott's Global Studies class participated in a fun and engaging activity called The Unraveling of the Soviet Economy. The students were put into brigades of four and were asked to produce 30 cars in five minutes, emulating the quotes system used in the Soviet Union. If the students succeeded, they were rewarded with rubles; if they failed, they were told that they would lose a point on their test (which, of course, was not true). The students had an opportunity to line up and buy "commie candies" after each round. However, there was never enought for all of the students, mirroring the food shortages that Soviet society often faced. Other problems that the students had to overcome included a burdensome bureaucracy when having to get supplies (they had to ask permission from at least two people), and the quality and number of supplies were always issues (the students had to use 20-year-old dried-out markers to paint in their cars). As a follow-up to this activity, the students were asked to document how this impacted them by answering some questions as well as a creative writing component that had them compare life in the US to the Soviet Union.

Congratulations to the Performing Arts Workshop students and Drama students who competed in the STANJ Governor's Theater Awards Competition on Saturday January 11, 2025 at Montclair State University.

On January 23, 2025 Cedar Grove High School will be having Jean O'toole from Connections101. Connections101 is a youth empowerment company specializing in motivational tools for Scholarship searching. During this assembly our Juniors and Seniors will learn helpful strategies in obtaining the money needed for college as well as looking at different ways to reduce college costs. Ms. Jean O'toole will also be providing a parent webinar at 7pm on January 6th to provide this information to our parents and guardians.

Here is the Zoom link for the parent program:

Topic: Cedar Grove Parent Program - "The Truth about Scholarships"

Time: Jan 23, 2025 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82534893959

Meeting ID: 825 3489 3959

Good luck to the United Ice Hockey team tonight as they face off against Wayne Hockey in the Semifinals of the Passaic County Tournament, The team has moved their record to 7-3 on the season with a big 6-5 win over Fair Lawn this week.

Congratulations to the Competition Cheer team who grabbed a 1st place finish at the Hopatcong Chiefs Cheer Challenge this week and were just shy of a Grand Champion win. The team will compete this Sunday in the Rumble in the Jungle at Hackettstown High School.

The Wrestling team had moved their dual meet record to 7-4 with wins this week over Bloomfield, Secaucus, and Millburn High Schools. They remain undefeated in the SEC Liberty Division. Good luck to all the wrestlers as they compete in next week's Essex County Tournament at Codey Arena on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Boy's Basketball team has won five straight games and has a record of 7-3 on the season. The team had wins this week over Newark Lab and a 58-43 win over a 9-1 Nutley team. The boys play in the Jimmy Jandoli Tip-Off Classic against Verona High School on Saturday at noon at Caldwell University.

The Girl's Basketball team grabbed another win this week with a 41-19 win over Paterson Arts & Science High School. The girls travel to Irvington HS for an SEC crossover game on Saturday at 11:30 am.

Just a reminder that all Cedar Grove High School Athletic schedules, event locations, and live streams can always be found at: https://www.secconference.org/public/genie/282/school/6/

This summer, give high school girls and non-binary students a chance to jumpstart their futures, find a supportive community, and dive into tech with Girls Who Code’s Summer Programs! Our Summer Programs are open to all skill levels–novice to advanced coders can choose their own adventure with two rewarding program options.

The Summer Immersion Program (SIP) provides students with two weeks of learning, connection, and growth in live virtual classrooms. SIP participants will design their own computer games and get practical college and career advice from mentors at leading tech companies.

Pathways offers six weeks of flexible, self-paced learning where students can dive into exciting tech topics like artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, and web development, with the freedom to balance other commitments.

There are no fees for either program, and past Summer Programs participants are welcome to apply!

The Summer Programs Application is open from January 9th through April 11th, 2025. Applications submitted by February 26th will receive priority consideration!

https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?