CCM Offers Students Several Options for Taking Classes this Fall

MORRIS COUNTY — County College of Morris (CCM) is providing students with a number of options for how they can take their courses this Fall Semester so they can keep moving forward with their higher education.

The college currently is enrolling students for the fall and has built-in a high level of flexibility to make it easier for them to pursue their goals during these challenging times. It also is implementing a number of health and safety measures, as per federal, state and local guidelines, to protect the well-being of the campus community.

Students enrolling this fall will be able to select courses that are being offered in one of three formats: hybrid, online, and remote.

Hybrid Courses consist of a combination of traditional face-to-face instruction and remote or online sessions. This may include some on-campus labs with remote lectures, reduced in-classroom time, or other instructional designs that meet the needs of the course materials.

Online Courses were designed to be taught in an online setting. Unless otherwise noted, online courses were developed to be taught without specific meeting times.

Remote Courses were designed to be taught in a classroom but are being offered as a form of distance education due to the emergency conditions. Remote classes are completely online but include scheduled virtual meeting times when the class is to meet together.

To limit the number of people on campus, the majority of classes are being offered in the online and remote formats.

Students enrolling this fall also can select from a number of terms, ranging from 2 weeks to 15-week sessions. Students can search for courses and the format they prefer by clicking here.  Use the Advanced Search feature to select one of the terms being offered this fall:

  • 15 Week – September 9 – December 22
  • Early Start 2 Week – September 9 – September 22
  • Early Finish 7 Week – September 9 – October 27
  • Mid Start 2 Week – September 23 – October 6
  • 13 Week – September 23 – December 22
  • Late Start 2 Week – October 7 – October 20
  • Late Start 7 – November 4 – December 22

New students first need to apply to the college before registering for classes. Applications can be submitted by clicking here. Continuing students should talk with their advisor before registering.

Support Services Designed for Student Success
When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck New Jersey, CCM moved its support services online so students could continue to gain assistance to ensure their success. The Academic Success Center was expanded into TascPlus@ccm.edu to provide students with individualized online assistance from updating them on the status of classes, connecting them to a student success specialist or a counselor, to arranging for them to pick up any class materials or technology they may need. Included among the other services the college is offering online are Academic Advisement, Tutoring, and Live Chats with Librarians. To learn more about those services click here.

An Education You Can Afford
Each year, CCM awards approximately $12 million in financial aid and scholarships to its students, allowing them to pursue a high-quality college education at an affordable price. To find out more click here.   All its classes, hybrid, online and remote, are offered at a fraction of the cost of most other online offerings.

Transfer or Gain Employment Upon Graduation
At CCM, students can choose from 50 academic degrees and a wide range of certificate programs. A number of programs, such as those in computer science, engineering, and hospitality and culinary science, are designed so students can seek employment immediately upon graduation. Numerous others are specifically designed so students can transfer their credits to earn a bachelor’s degree. CCM holds more than 125 agreements with colleges and universities across New Jersey and the nation to simplify the transfer process. A listing of those agreements can be found by clicking here.

Czar Alexei Sepe joins Kiwanis Club

PARSIPPANY —  Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany President Frank Cahill welcomed new member, Czar Alexei Sepe, during a Zoom meeting on Thursday, July 16.

Due to COVID-19, Cahill met Czar earlier in the week to give him the membership card, membership plaque, and his pin, then officially inducted him into the club on Thursday.

Cahill said “Kiwanis is something so good that each of us loves to share it. What better way to show our love for our club and our community than to welcome a new member to our club? Today we’re very pleased to welcome Czar Alexei Sepe to our club.”

He is a resident of Lake Parsippany and has lived there his entire life. Currently, Czar is a senior at Boston College, studying Political Science and History. He graduated from Parsippany Hills High School in 2017. At Boston College, he is the leader of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization, as well as Vice President of a service club. Czar is also active at his university’s undergraduate student government as a class Senator. He enjoys traveling and discovering new cultures, most recently living in Beirut, Lebanon, and Dublin, Ireland this past year. In his spare time, he likes to sing, be civically engaged, and ride his bike around the lake.

Recently, Czar and his friends co-created Parsippany College Connect, an online platform for Parsippany high school students to learn from and connect with Parsippany college students, featuring an alumni directory, blog, and college FAQs. Born out of a need to help the community during these challenging times, Parsippany College Connect is a resource for students who are now deprived of the resources they would have as they transition into college. 

In that spirit of helping others and giving back to Parsippany, Czar joined the Kiwanis Club, as he felt it was a natural fit for his personal drive for serving our community, especially the youth. Lastly, Czar hopes that more young adults join the Kiwanis Club, as it is a great opportunity to be part of an international organization dedicated to serving the world, one child at a time.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany is the largest Kiwanis Club in the State of New Jersey with 78 members. New members are always welcome. (Click here for more information on Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany). Kiwanis members dedicate more than 6 million volunteer hours and invest more than $100 million in service projects that strengthen communities and serve children every year. Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany ensures that all children have the opportunity to lead healthy, successful lives. They believe that by helping one child, you help the world.

If you are interested in learning about our club, we currently meet weekly on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. via Zoom. (Join us by clicking here). For more information click here.

N.J. coronavirus deaths increase to 15,684 with 176,551 cases as rate of transmission rises again

MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey on Friday announced 20 more deaths attributed to the coronavirus and 202 more positive cases, while the state’s rate of transmission — a key metric officials are using to measure the virus’ spread and determine how to lift restrictions — increased again, to 1.11.“This means that each new positive case is leading to one more positive case,” Gov. Phil Murphy said during his latest coronavirus in Trenton. “We need to get Rt back down, to where we are actively slowing the rate of spread of this virus.”The Garden State has reported 15,684 total deaths related to COVID-19 — 13,710 confirm…

What will reopening N.J. schools look like? Here’s a preview of plans for 7 districts.

New Jersey public school districts have a few more weeks before they are scheduled to submit their proposals for reopening to state officials and alert students of their back-to-school plans.But several districts have begun notifying the state’s 1.4 million students of their preliminary 2020-2021 plans as parents weigh whether to send their children back to the classroom in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.More than 500 school districts around the state are expected to draft their reopening plans using “The Road Back,” the lengthy state guideline document released last month. At a minimum…

If you didn’t get the 20-week Unemployment Extension, here’s one reason why

MORRIS COUNTY — The N.J. Department of Labor said it has started paying 20 weeks of additional unemployment benefits to those who exhausted their payments. Before the extension, workers would receive 26 weeks of regular benefits and then 13 weeks more from a federal extension under the coronavirus relief law, the CARES Act. Benefits maxed out at 39 weeks. The extra 20 weeks, bringing the total to 59 weeks, was a great relief to workers, but some have reported this week that they haven’t seen the extensions. The Labor Department said every eligible claimant will be automatically enrolled in the extended benefits …

Lionel Chambers Delivers Birthday Gifts with Drone

PARSIPPANY — Parsippany resident Lionel Chambers found a creative way to deliver birthday gifts. Coronavirus isn’t getting in the way of his gift-giving!

Morris County Chiropractor Charged After String of Robberies and Assaults

MORRIS COUNTY — Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of Erick Macias, 35, of Wharton, on charges of Robbery, Assault, and Theft offenses in a number of robberies and assaults in Parsippany, Garfield, Lyndhurst, Paterson, and Wharton.

The arrest is the result of a two-month investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti.

During the beginning of June, several communities in northern New Jersey experienced a series of strong-arm robberies that appeared to have been committed by the same individual. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad conducted an investigation and identified Erick Macias as the primary suspect in the robberies. On Tuesday, July 14, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office along with numerous municipal detectives executed a search warrant at a residence in Wharton and subsequently arrested Erick Macias.

On July 14, Erick Macias was charged with one count of Robbery, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a, a 1st-degree crime; five counts of Robbery, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a, a 2nd-degree crime; two counts of Theft, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3, a 3rd-degree crime; two counts of Aggravated Assault, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b(1), a 3rd-degree crime; one count of Theft, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3a, a 4th-degree crime; three counts of Theft, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3a, a disorderly person offense; and three counts of Simple Assault, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1a, a disorderly person offense. MACIAS was remanded to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack pending a detention hearing scheduled for Monday, July 20, at 9:00 a.m.

Prosecutor Musella would also like to thank the Garfield Police Department, Lyndhurst Police Department, Wood-Ridge Police Department, Paterson Police Department, Parsippany Police Department, and Wharton Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.

Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

A letter from Dr. Barbara Sargent

Dear Families,

We continue to be deeply involved in planning for a Return to School in September.  A full plan will be presented to our Board of Education at the July 29 meeting and communicated to our school community by July 31.  While there are still many decisions to be made, I want to share with you some additional elements to assist you in your decision-making.  Please bear in mind that our district plan is subject to additional input and approval from the local Department of Health and the NJ Department of Education.

The most important elements of our plan for you to be aware of at this time include:

  • The district will follow a Week A/Week B model with Fridays reserved for virtual instruction for most students.  We are working to place students into cohorts, placing a high priority on keeping families on the same schedule.
  • Full day Preschool students will attend split AM/PM sessions Monday through Friday every week.
  • Half-day Preschool will be held, and we are monitoring class sizes to understand whether these students will meet daily or follow a Week A/Week B model.
  • Additional information for parents of special education students and English Language Learners will be forthcoming. Currently, we are planning for elementary Language/Learning Disabled and Multiply Disabled classes to be held as AM/PM split sessions Monday through Friday every week, and for middle and high school self-contained special education classes to meet for a full day Monday through Friday every week.  These schedules are still being discussed.
  • Kindergarten students will begin classes with the Week A/Week B model beginning September 14.  Individual orientation meetings (one parent, child, and Kindergarten teacher) will be scheduled for the week of September 8.

We will implement physical spacing measures in classrooms, hallways, and other common spaces. Additionally, we will build in time during the day for handwashing, age-appropriate mask ‘breaks’ and snack times, and other measures. Although we will strive to create 3-6 feet of social distancing space whenever possible, unless a student has a documented medical condition that precludes the use of face coverings, all students and staff are required wear masks in the buildings or on a bus at all times.

Soon, we will ask parents to identify whether their child will be attending school, learning entirely remotely, and utilizing a school bus so that school principals can prepare their classrooms and buildings. Here are some additional steps you can take now to prepare your family and your child for a return to school.

  1. Purchase a thermometer. We are required to develop a policy regarding daily health screenings for all students. We are working through the particulars of this, and it will likely involve parents confirming each morning that their child is free from all symptoms of illness – including fever.
  2. Purchase or make several well fitted, comfortable, washable cloth face masks. Your child will need a clean face mask daily.
  1. Work on building mask stamina with your children.  Our Saturday morning cartoon super-heroes wear masks, and so will our staff and students.  This is one of the most important steps we can take for everyone’s safety. The more you and your child wear their masks, the more comfortable they will be wearing them for extended periods.
  1. Continue to be positive and reinforce healthy habits with your family.  Our children take their cues on how to handle challenging situations from the adults in their lives.  If you are pragmatic and calm about this, so will your children be.

You will hear from me next week with additional information.  In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend and keep up the terrific parenting!

Sincerely,
Dr. Barbara Sargent
Superintendent of Schools

Parsippany Teenager and Two Juveniles Arrested for CDS in Hanover

PARSIPPANY — Hanover Township Patrol Officer Rich Camasta arrested Mr. Suraj Garah, 19, Parsippany, for possession of CDS on Wednesday, July 15.

Officer Camasta stopped Mr. Garah for a motor vehicle violation and located CDS inside the vehicle. Mr. Garah and two juvenile passengers were all arrested.

They were all charged with possession of CDS, hashish, and drug paraphernalia. Mr. Garah was also issued motor vehicle summonses for speeding and CDS in a motor vehicle.

All parties were released pending court dates.

Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Pennacchio: We Cannot Hand Murphy a $10 Billion Slush Fund

MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Joe Pennacchio slammed the Democrat-sponsored $10 billion borrowing scheme that could cost New Jersey taxpayers tens of billions of dollars throughout the next four decades:

“It is the definition of insanity to blindly approve borrowing $10 billion when the executive branch has not even proposed a budget yet for next year and we have no clue how much we will actually need. We also shouldn’t forget that Governor Murphy has been sitting on $2 billion of unspent federal funds from the CARES Act for months.

“The governor’s borrowing scheme includes $2.7 billion to fund shortfalls that he says exists in the current fiscal year. That frankly does not make any sense. He recently signed a balanced budget extension bill that will get our State through the end of the fiscal year in September, claiming we’ll end the year with a $1 billion surplus.

“It’s increasingly clear that this borrowing scheme is not about actual fiscal need, it’s about giving Governor Murphy a $10 billion slush fund that our grandchildren will be stuck repaying for a generation.”