Bankbridge Schools

Come and Join the Fun at GCSSSD! We are hiring!

GCSSSD - COME AND JOIN THE FUN! Come and join the fun! We are hiring! www.GCSSSD.org Click on District Office/Employment Opportunities.

Five Fun Friday Ideas for the Classroom:

1. Special Guest Appearance
Invite a special guest to read to your class or play a game. Maybe someone will choose to bring in their four-legged friends? Who knows..

2. Fun Friday Directed Drawings
Your students will love being able to create drawings by following simple step-by-step instructions and then adding in details and coloring.

3. Yoga
Send your students into the weekend relaxed and stretched by doing some yoga exercises at the end of the day.

4. Dance Party
Put on some Kids Bop tunes and boogie down! 🕺 Students love to let loose a little and have a dance party. Maybe even find a dance challenge on YouTube and see who can follow the steps?

5. Spend Your Fun Friday in the Great Outdoors
Take your students outside for those last 15-20 minutes. There are so many different activities and games you can do. Plant flowers, take a nature walk, have an extra recess, or chalk the walk. Set up an obstacle course with hula hoops and cones, using part of the playground as well. The possibilities are endless and everyone gets some fresh air too! ☀️

Today, Ms. Nadia's BDC Class celebrated "Talk Like a Pirate Day!" They learned about pirates, what they do, what they say, and then went on a scavenger hunt! The students were able to find the treasure in the Assistant Principal's office! Well done students! Now, on to the next adventure!

Ms. Holzinger's class celebrated Patriot's Day in true colors! Hats off to Red, White and Blue!

Ms. Alber's class spent Tuesday afternoon gathering sticks. The sticks will be used for a bird feeder project in Ms. Sam's Horticulture class. Stay tuned for the final product!

Calling all GCSSSD parents interested in the "transition" process for their child's last year at Special Services. This three part seminar is for you! See the attached flier for more information!

Throwback Thursday: 2004

Check out these young teachers! Bob Nelms and Peggy Grady at the BBR Special Education Celebration in 2004. That was 20 years ago!

Wonderful Wednesday: Staff, Students and Animals

Animals can be beneficial for staff and students in many ways, including:

Emotional support
Pets can help us feel less lonely and anxious, and can help us develop empathy and relationships with others.

Academic performance
Staff/students who own pets may get better grades and perform better in other activities.

Environmental awareness
Learning about animals can help us develop a connection with the natural world and become more caring and responsible citizens.

Understanding nonverbal communication
Caring for a pet can help children learn to listen to and understand their pet's needs, which can help them develop empathy and understand nonverbal communication in people.

Public speaking anxiety
Teaching with animals can help students overcome public speaking anxiety.

Awareness of others' feelings
Pets can help students become more aware of the feelings and needs of others, both animals and humans.

Understanding the needs of living things
Pets can teach students that all living things need more than just food and water to survive.

Understanding how actions affect others
Students can see how their behavior and actions affect others by caring for a pet.

Soccer practice starts TODAY! Have fun athletes!

Tastefully Tuesday: GCSSSD Dining Options

If you haven't already, staff should check out the dining options on the Gloucester County Educational Campus. Head to the website, click on staff dining and and let your fingers do the walking!

Mindful Monday: Strategies for Effective Listening

Listening is an activity
Listening it is not something we do passively. The skill of active listening must be applied, be there, and stay focused on the person talking without any distractions. It would be best if you practiced active listening daily to get better at it. It requires us to ask questions and give feedback. So here are four primary goals of listening strategies to consider when entering a conversation:

To understand someone
To enjoy someone
To learn something
To give help or solace

Paraphrasing is an essential tool we often use to listen well.
We might use phrases like these:

In other words, did you mean…?
So how you felt about it was…?
Did you mean…?
I think what I am hearing you say is…?
Correct me if I am wrong…?
Are you saying that...?
What I understand from your point is...
In essence, you're stating that...?
So, in your opinion, the situation is...?

Paraphrasing defines common ground, lets the other person know you understand what they are communicating, and helps them feel understood and appreciated. Listening is a leadership skill that should be noticed more.

Listen with empathy
This requires us to recognize, accept, and understand that we are doing the best we can, and so are others. Try to put yourself in the other individual's shoes and give him or her the benefit of the doubt. Try to understand where someone else is coming from and treat him or her with kindness as you take in the message. Ask what difficulties the other person is experiencing, which will help you hear his or her news. Please pay attention to their body language, keep an open mind, and be careful not to jump to conclusions.

Be open as you listen
Be careful not to judge and put on your critical parent hat. Do not make your mind up too quickly as you take in the information. Give yourself some time to think and reflect. Avoid coming to conclusions too quickly and develop a definitive position based on what you hear. Allow yourself to consider different perspectives. Whenever possible, meet face to face or via video conferencing, if in person isn't possible, so that you can better understand their thoughts and feelings being expressed non-verbally.

Listen with awareness
There are two parts to this; compare what is said to your knowledge, history, people, and how the world operates; and secondly, listen and observe for congruence. Please watch for visual cues and determine if they match the information you were hearing. I want you to know that effective communication is a two-way street, so please make sure that you tell them that they are heard and understood before moving to a new topic.

Effective Listening Strategies and Skills:

Maintain good eye contact - while not staring.
Lean in slightly while not encroaching on someone's personal space.
Reinforce by paraphrasing and giving feedback at the right time.
Ask clarifying questions.
Try to eliminate distractions and be in the moment.
Be committed to understanding the other person.
Remember the 5 C's of Leadership Accountability to ensure people do what they say they will do.
Pay attention to facial expressions and other nonverbal communication
Ensure you fully pay attention, not just hearing the words but understanding them and their context.
Let them know you are actively listening by saying words like uh uh, okay, tell me more, let's dive into that, etc.
Put your focus on the speaker, and make sure that you give them your full attention. Don't get distracted by your phone or any other attention-stealing objects!
Use your effective listening skills to build a human relationship with your colleagues and better understand the situation.
Make sure to ask for additional information if you need it or find an especially interesting topic in your conversation to help show your engagement.
Don't try to think about what you will say while the other person is talking; stay fully engaged in what they are saying. You'll have plenty of time to offer input later.

Freaky Friday: 13 Superstitions for Friday the 13th

Find a Penny
Money brings good fortune and luck! So when you find a penny, pick it up. All-day long you’ll have great luck!

Stay Away From the Ladder
Safety First! You wouldn’t want to knock someone off the ladder. This superstition comes from the religious belief that the ladder leaning forms a triangle and breaking it would be horrible.

Black Cats Crossing your path
The black cat superstitions come from the days of witches taking the form of domestic animals.

Bad Things Happen in Threes
Ever wondered why this is a thing? It’s confirmation bias. When something goes wrong we tend to look for patterns. So we are essentially waiting for the next thing to go wrong.

Breaking a Mirror
According to folklore, a mirror holds bits of your soul. However, if you break a mirror, you can take a piece of the mirror to a tombstone and touch it. Or go ahead and grind it into powder, thus counteracting the bad luck.

Knock on Wood
Bring yourself good fortune or ward off bad luck by knocking on wood. Ancient pagans believed that spirits and gods resided in trees. Knocking on the trunks could awaken the spirits to call on for protection or for a stroke of good luck.

Cross your fingers
Originally used in Christianity by two people crossing their index fingers as a symbol of the cross, fingers crossed is a gesture to wish for luck. You can also cross your fingers while lying to someone to excuse it or cross your fingers to promise someone something.

Don’t open your umbrella inside
Bad luck will “rain on you" if you open your umbrella inside. This is because umbrellas were used as protection from the sun and if you opened it inside you were insulting the sun god.

Four-leaf Clovers
While three-leaf clovers are abundant, the four-leaf variety is relatively rare which makes it perfect for a superstition that brings you luck.

Tossing Salt Over Your Shoulder
If you ever spill salt, you need to stop what you’re doing and immediately throw a pinch over your left shoulder. Folklore says the devil attacks from the rear and left throwing salt is basically warding the devil off!

Women on Ships
Legend says that letting a woman on a ship would anger the sea gods.

Break a Leg
Don’t ever even think of saying, “Good luck” to a performer before going on stage. Say break a leg. It’s ironic because if you say good luck you are essentially passing bad luck onto the performer.

Blessing a Sneeze
Have you ever been worried that a sneeze is a sign you’re on your death bed? Well, in 590 A.D. it did. The plague was spreading and those who sneezed would die. So the pope urged others to pray and bless them to health.

Registration deadline for soccer in tomorrow! https://www.gcsssd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=52442&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=68357

Throwback Thursday: Fun in the Sun from 2021

BBE held its 911 tribute today. Josiah Soto read the tribute as everyone listened through the PA system. Teacher, Eric George, began this tradition at BBE in 2012 and is so proud that it continues every year!

BBR Horticulture Mum Sale! IT'S HERE!!!!! Check out the attached link for more! https://www.gcsssd.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=928039&id=0

September 11th Memorial: NY City

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is a memorial and museum that are part of the World Trade Center complex, in New York City, created for remembering the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six.

The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, the former location of the Twin Towers that were destroyed during the September 11 attacks. It is operated by a non-profit institution whose mission is to raise funds to program and operate the memorial and museum at the World Trade Center site.

For more information on the memorial, please visit: https://www.911memorial.org/

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT! NJ Special Services wrote an article about GCSSSD. Click the following link to view the article! https://njspecialservices.org/a-look-inside-gloucester-county-special-services-school-district/

Tastefully Tuesday: Healthy Lunch Ideas for Staff

Here are some healthy lunch ideas for school staff:

Pasta salad:
A great option for using up leftover ingredients, or you can make it ahead of time. Whole-wheat pasta adds fiber to keep you feeling full longer. You can also add vegetables to make it healthier.

Tuna salad sandwich:
Mix canned tuna with Greek yogurt, diced celery, and lemon juice. Serve on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomato.

Veggie and hummus sandwich:
A heart-healthy vegetarian lunch option. You can mix it up with different flavors of hummus and different types of vegetables.

Turkey wrap:
A great way to sneak veggies into lunch. Pair with a side of grapes and a cheese stick to hit all five food groups.

Creamy pesto chicken salad with greens: A cold lunch idea.

Spring green salad with hard-boiled eggs: A cold lunch idea.

Copycat Chick-fil-A kale salad: A cold lunch idea.

Tuna salad with egg: A cold lunch idea.

Cucumber salad, hummus & pita bento box lunch: A cold lunch idea.

Chopped cobb salad: A cold lunch idea.

Deadline for registration is Friday, September 13th. Click on the link to register: https://www.gcsssd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=52442&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=68357

Mindful Monday: Taking a breath

Breathing exercises can help you feel calm and relaxed by slowing your breathing and quieting your sympathetic nervous system. Here are some breathing techniques you can try:

Deep breathing
Inhale gently and regularly through your nose, and exhale gently through your mouth. You can count from 1 to 5 while breathing in and out.

Box breathing
Inhale slowly for four counts, hold your breath for four seconds, and exhale slowly for four seconds. Repeat until you feel re-centered.

4-7-8 breathing
This technique is commonly used to reduce stress and anxiety.

Modified Lion's Breath
Imagine you're a lion, and breathe in through your nose, filling your belly with air. When you can't breathe in any more, open your mouth wide and breathe out with a "HA" sound.

For more information, please visit DeStressMonday.org

Happy Grandparent's Day from GCSSSD!

Fantastic Friday: A couple of great tips for staff, students and parents because it's hard coming back to school after a wonderful summer break!

Welcome Back Students! Staff spent the morning organizing the buses, handing out information and directing everyone where to go! Some staff dressed alike while others danced to the music as the buses arrived. Today was a wonderful first day back! Here we go 2024-2025!

Throwback Thursday: Guess what's back in style? Bell Bottoms!

Bell-bottoms are a revivalist fashion trend that's been seen on runways and in high street collections. They can be worn for both casual and elegant looks. For example, you can pair them with a blazer or blouse for a confident and charming look.

Stretchable bell-bottoms are comfortable and can be worn for active wear. They are a retro shape that originated in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1970s and have been seen in a variety of styles on the runway, including leggings, denim jeans, and suit trousers.

For a dramatic look, you can pair bell-bottoms with a statement top or jacket. You can also create contrast with color and texture by incorporating knits, denim, and leather.

It's that time again! See you tomorrow students!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year for the GCSSSD students.

Some staff spent the day today at meetings, while others began decorating and organizing classrooms. Posters were being hung, goodie bags were being stuffed and books were being organized. Staff logged into laptops for the students, made copies, set up calendars and did their best to organize the cubbies. Will they finish in time? Who knows? But tomorrow morning, the staff will welcome the students with open arms!

Wonderful Wednesday: Back to school tips for staff! FYI, the bell schedule has changed...

And so it begins! The 2024-2025 school year at Gloucester County Special Services School District.

All district staff met at Bankbridge Regional to listen to some amazing speakers today! Those presenting included Superintendent, Jamie Dundee, Principal, Ron Rutter, GCSSSD BOE President, Leona Mather, GCSSSD BOE Vice-President, Sandy Evans, Director of HR, Kelly Tedesco, Business Administrator, Chris Retzbach, School SROs, and Enjoli Stewart (Michael's Mom). In addition, Mary Nicoletto, GCSSEA President, presented "awards of thank you" to past President, Danielle Davis and past Treasurer, Alex Guay in honor of their commitment to the Education Association. Today was a great day to be an educator!

Welcome Back Staff!

GCSSSD - Welcome Back 2425 Welcome Back Video for the 2024-2025 school year!