Mandatory Mask Wearing At Newmark Resumes Fri, May 13

As you are aware, the State of New Jersey along with Newmark has seen an uptick in positive COVID cases among our staff and student body.  We already have several K-8 classes wearing masks to prevent COVID spread  and to keep everyone safe.  As we stated in our February 27, 2022 Parent Alert updating our COVID guidelines,  we follow the New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 Activity Level  - CALI Report.   We stated that we would re-introduce Mandatory mask-wearing in the building again if our regions return to the Orange and/or Red zone as reported by the NJDOH, or we find cases in the school building begin to rise or a spread occurs. 

Unfortunately, the most recent CALI Report shows that our region has turned into the HIGH risk (orange) zone so we will re-introduce mask wearing for both students and staff effective immediately.  All students and staff are required to wear masks beginning Friday, May 13, 2022.

REVISED 2022 COVID-19 Guidelines   

What will change effective immediately:

• Mask-wearing at Newmark will be MANDATORY for students and staff.  
• Masks should be worn on the bus to and from school.   

The masking requirement will remain in effect until the Central East region has returned to the yellow or green level for two consecutive weeks on the COVID-19 Activity Level Report.  We will keep parents informed as we move forward.

Please remember to continue to do the following:

• Daily Screening: Parents are required to complete a Daily Wellness Screening via your Parent Portal.  
  • If your child doesn't feel well, DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL.  We will send your child home and require that they get a COVID test before allowed back at school if they have COVID-like symptoms.
• COVID: If your child has COVID, they will be required to quarantine from school for 5 full days.  They will be eligible for LIVE remote learning during that time.  When they return, they MUST be symptom free and they will be required to wear a KN95 mask for days 6-10 or their 10th day from a positive test.
  • If your child is exposed to COVID at home, please notify the covid@newmarkeducation.com email so we can determine next steps.  At minimum they will be required to wear a KN95 mask in school.
• Attending School: Newmark is NOT requiring testing unless they have symptoms. The test results can be sent to Nurse Carroll at ecarroll@newmarkeducation.com or covid@newmarkeducation.com.   If your child has symptoms, they should not attend school until the test results are confirmed and sent to Nurse Carroll.
• Sanitizing: We will continue with all hand sanitizing routines throughout the day as well as throughout the facility.  
• Distancing: Classroom desks will remain distanced and students will continue to eat lunch in groups of two in the cafe.  
• Vaccination Status: As a reminder,  if your student is fully vaccinated, please send a copy of their Vaccination card to the School Nurse at covid@newmarkeducation.com.    

At this point, wearing a mask is our best effort in mitigating the spread of infection.  This helps avoid any further disruption in our schools.  I remain optimistic that the spread of illness will soon subside and we will be able to be mask-free again soon.  We realize this will be frustrating for some of our students who have struggled with mask wearing.  Our staff will continue to support out students during this change.  We appreciate your cooperation, and that together, we can keep everyone healthy and safe.

As always, continue to reach out to me at rpeter@newmarkeducation.com if you have any questions or to covid@newmarkeducation.com regarding specific  issues.