Panther News

A reminder that school will be closed on Monday, January 19th, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As we observe this day, we reflect on Dr. King’s profound message of service and justice. He once said, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education." At CGHS, we strive to honor his legacy by fostering an environment where every student feels valued and empowered to use their education to build a better world.

AP School Honor Roll Recognition

We are incredibly proud to share some wonderful news regarding our academic programs. Cedar Grove High School has been named to the Advanced Placement (AP) School Honor Roll! This recognition celebrates schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses and support them on the path to college credit.

An email was sent out yesterday with more details regarding this achievement. If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, you can view the full announcement HERE

Robotics Competition: This Sunday!

We are thrilled to host a massive Robotics Competition this Sunday, January 18th, from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. This is a major event for our school, as 61 teams from all over will be here participating. We invite all families and community members to come out and support our team.

End of the Marking Period & Semester Transition

As we approach the end of the second marking period, please take note of the following schedule updates:

• Thursday, January 22nd: Early Dismissal.

• Friday, January 23rd: Grades close for the 2nd Marking Period.

• Monday, January 26th: The 3rd Marking Period and Second Semester begin.

• Wednesday, January 28th: 2nd Marking Period grades open on the portal @ 4PM.

We encourage all students and parents/guardians to check their portals and ensure all final assignments are submitted by next Friday. Should you have any questions or concerns please reach out to your teacher or counselor.

With support from the Liberty Science Center, Mrs. Muirhead’s AP Biology students experienced an extraordinary learning opportunity: a live, real-time kidney transplant between a husband‑and‑wife donor–recipient pair. Led by transplant surgeon Dr. Geffner, the medical team at Cooperman Barnabas Hospital guided students through each stage of the successful procedure. Throughout the operation, students were able to interact directly with surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists — asking questions, observing the precision and teamwork required, and gaining insight into the complex coordination that defines modern medicine. This rare, behind‑the‑scenes experience brought textbook concepts to life and offered students an inspiring glimpse into potential future careers in health care!

Mrs. Parks class went on a tour at the Dey Mansion in Totowa, N.J.

The students had a wonderful time touring the historic site and learning about its significance during the Revolutionary War. It was a great opportunity for them to engage with local history and practice their active listening and social skills. It was a valuable community learning experience

SAT Prep class begins on Tuesday,

January 20th at 7:10AM. Participating students received their letter with their room assignments last week.

It was a pleasure to host a student and parent Scholarship Presentation on 1/15/26. We hope everyone found the session informative and feels more confident in navigating the scholarship process.

For parents/guardians who were unable to attend the webinar, a recording of the parent presentation is available for your viewing by clicking here. This link will be accessible for the next 30 days.

Additionally, an extensive listing of available scholarships advertised by our Scholarship Expert, Ms. Jean O'Toole, is available for you to review. You have access to Scholarships For High School Students as well as the Complete Scholarship Vault.

Please contact the Office of School counseling if you have any questions.

HOSA is looking for individuals to share their story with students as they migrated into a health career field. Please reach out to Mrs. Gioia Degenaars (degenaars.gioia@cgschools.org) if you would be interested in speaking to our students!

Use this link to order your Cap & Gown by January 31st!

Need a Tutor? The National Honor Society Cedar Grove High School offers Peer Tutoring for all

high-school students (you do not need to be a member of NHS to request a peer tutor).If you

would like to request a peer tutor, please follow the procedure below and check out the peer

tutoring catalog in the attachments for the students name, availability, and subjects they are

offering to teach. We have an amazing group of Senior NHS tutors who are eager to tutor your

student/child.

Procedures:

● Students should contact their teacher for additional assistance.

● Teachers/Counselors may recommend students try the National Honors Society peer

tutoring program.

● Teachers may share this catalog with students in need of tutoring, and the student may

select a tutor that they believe will be a good fit for them. Please keep in mind that many

students tutor in multiple subjects (and many students tutor in the same subject), so try

to find who you feel will be the best fit for your needs.

● Contact Ms.Halawani by email to notify her of your tutor preference BEFORE contacting

the tutor. If a teacher/counselor is contacting Ms. Halawani on behalf of a student,

please include the student in the email.

● After confirming tutor availability with Ms.Halawani copy down your tutor’s contact

information from the catalog.

● Contact your tutor to schedule your sessions.

● Report back to Ms. Halawani informing her of when you are holding tutoring sessions.

Note: Any conflicts/issues should be reported to Ms Halawani: halawani.mirna@cgshools.org

All up-to-date Cedar Grove High School Athletic schedules, event locations, and live streams can always be found at: CGHS Athletic Schedules

Live streams of home athletic events on our CGHS Stadium Field and inside our CGHS Gymnasium can always be found at: CGHS Live Stream Link

As 2025 comes to a close, I’m excited to share information about Pomptonian’s 7th Annual Healthy School Lunch Challenge. This challenge was created to honor National Nutrition Month, inspire students to get involved in the kitchen, and spark excitement around creating healthy meals. And this year, high school students have the chance to win $1,000!

Key details include:
• Recipe Submission Deadline: January 19th
• Categories: Pre-K through 5th grade, 6th through 8th grades, and 9th through 12th grades
• Winners: Each category will have two Grand Prize Winners and one Super Grand Prize Winner
• Prizes: Pre-K through 8th grade Super Grand Prize winners will win a KitchenAid mixer
• High School Cook-Off: The top three high school contestants will compete in a live culinary challenge at Driscoll Foods’ professional kitchen, Kitchen 71, on February 20th from 8:30 AM–2:30 PM

We also created a short video explaining the competition: 7th Annual Healthy School Lunch Challenge, and flyers with full details are attached.

To get a sense of the excitement, here is last year’s High School Lunch Challenge Cook-Off video.