August 2021
Dear Students and Parents of the Class of 2025,
Welcome to Voorhees High School! In a few short weeks, you will begin a very exciting and rewarding high school career. In the next four years, you will have many and varied opportunities for growth and success in academics, co-curricular activities, and student government. I encourage you to get involved right from the start. You will find that participation in one or more of these areas will add to your high school experience. The weeks and months ahead will be challenging, but please be assured that we will provide you with encouragement and support in every way possible.
We have scheduled an orientation program for freshmen on Wednesday, August 25, beginning at 9:45AM in our auditorium. On that day, a bus will pick you up at your bus stop exactly two hours later than the time indicated in the transportation tab on ASPEN (bus routes will be published next week). Lunch will be available in the cafeteria. Traditional lunches are offered at $3.75 and Featured Favorite lunches, including Boar’s Head deli sandwiches and salads, at $4.50. You must establish a MySchoolBucks account for cafeteria purchases as we are a cashless cafeteria. MySchoolBucks information will be sent to you soon. Students may also bring lunch from home on orientation day. Drinks will be available for sale. The orientation program will conclude at 3:10 PM, at which time a bus will take you home.
Each grade level has an assigned assistant principal. Mrs. Kieffer is the assistant principal for the Class of 2025 and will remain with the class until graduation. Please feel free to contact her with any of your questions or concerns.
COVID-19 Safe Return Plan
Per Governor’s Executive Order 251, starting on August 9, 2021, it is mandatory that face masks be worn indoors in all district and school buildings by all students, employees, parents/visitors, no matter your vaccination status. Exceptions include the following as noted in the Order:
- When doing so would inhibit the individual’s health, such as when the individual is exposed to extreme heat indoors;
- When the individual has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face masks without assistance;
- When a student’s documented medical condition or disability, as reflected in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Educational Plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, precludes use of a face mask;
- When the individual is under two (2) years of age;
- When the individual is engaged in activity that cannot physically be performed while wearing a mask, such as eating or drinking, or playing a musical instrument that would be obstructed by a face mask;
- When the individual is engaged in high-intensity aerobic or anaerobic activity;
- When a student is participating in high-intensity physical activities during a physical education class in a well-ventilated location and able to maintain a physical distance of six feet from all other individuals; or
- When wearing a face mask creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task
Masks are also required for all individuals while on a school bus no matter your vaccination status as they are still required on public transportation and this requirement is also noted in the New Jersey Department of Education’s recent “The Road Forward” document.
Following the guidance we received from the Hunterdon County Department of Health in September 2020, bandanas, gaiters and masks with vents are not acceptable face coverings; only surgical, cloth or clear masks will be allowed in schools.
Since the Governor eliminated virtual instruction as an option for students, those students who need to be on quarantine will have to check their classes’ Google Classrooms to keep up with schoolwork. Teachers will post assignments and materials covered in class in their Google Classroom and can schedule virtual meetings during their prep period or office hours with any student in quarantine who needs assistance.
Please click here to review the full Safe Return Plan for 2021-2022 school year.
Student IDs
Students at Voorhees are required to carry their photo identification badges. You will be photographed early in the school year and provided with an ID as soon as they are processed.
PTSO
The Parent Teacher Student Organization plays a vital role at Voorhees. One of its most important functions is Project Graduation. Through a series of fundraisers throughout the year, the PTSO provides a substance-free night of celebration for our seniors following graduation. Please join and lend your support to this very important organization.
Parent/Student Handbook
The Parent-Student Handbook and school calendar are available on the Voorhees website. We encourage you to become familiar with the information contained in this reference and mark the dates of important school events throughout the year. Of particular note, please read over the attendance policy, the dress code, and the electronic devices policy. These areas raise many questions every year for freshmen and their parents.
Access to the Student Information System (Aspen)
Freshmen parents/guardians should have received login information to access Aspen, our student information system. This system will allow you to view your student’s schedule, assignments, attendance, locker information, and fees. In addition, your student’s bus route and pick-up time will be available in Aspen next week. (Please note, the transportation department will not be mailing home bus cards.) If you already have an account in Aspen from last year, please note that your freshman will be automatically added to your account. Freshmen will receive their own login for Aspen during orientation. If you have any problems with your parent Aspen account, please contact our database operations manager, Sherri DiMarcello, at sdimarcello@nhvweb.net.
Chromebooks and School Network Access
Our school district has a 1:1 initiative that provides a Chromebook and a school Google email account to every student. Chromebooks will be distributed to freshmen at orientation on August 25th. In order to receive a district-issued Chromebook, a parent must have completed the agreement form in Aspen prior to orientation day. Form is located under Page Directory, then Technology Forms.
Students also have the option to bring their own device to school. For more information on accepted devices and things to consider, please visit our technology services website (click here). If your student would like to bring his/her own device, we have a separate agreement form that must be completed in Aspen. The student’s device will need to be registered on our school server, which can be done at orientation, or the student can bring his/her device to the Technology Resource Center on the second floor during the regular school day.
To access the school’s network, all students must agree to the district’s technology acceptable use policy. This is an additional form to be completed in Aspen under Technology Forms. If this form is not completed by a parent/guardian, the student will be unable to log into the school’s network or internet.
Back to School Night
The Freshman Back to School Night will be held on Wednesday, September 1 at 6:30pm.
Random Substance Testing
The North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional School District Board of Education has adopted a random substance testing policy. All students who participate in a co-curricular activity not required for graduation are subject to random substance testing. Any student planning to participate in a co-curricular activity must submit a consent form signed by his or her parent or guardian to be eligible for participation. This form must be returned to the school on or before the first day of participation in an activity. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at (908) 638-6116.
Bullying and Harassment
Bullying and harassment of any kind are not tolerated at Voorhees High School. The complete Board of Education policy on bullying and harassment can be found on the Voorhees and district websites.
Again, on behalf of the faculty and staff, I welcome you to Voorhees High School. I look forward to meeting you on August 25. Until then, enjoy the remainder of your summer.
Sincerely,
Ronald J. Peterson
Principal
