April 12, 2020
Dear Ramsey and Saddle River Communities:
For many of us, this week was a very Holy Week that made us rethink many of the traditions we look forward to. Opportunities for families to come together, share and make new happy memories, and enjoy traditional foods, were replaced with Zoom family dinners, live-streamed religious events, and virtual egg hunts. However, what was not, nor cannot be replaced is that of hope. According to author Brene Brown, “Hope is not an emotion; it’s a way of thinking or a cognitive process.” I see hope as being able to visualize the ending before it actually comes. (Especially at this time of year, some people label this as faith.)
With hope in my head and heart, I can see once again smiling students in our hallways, scholar-athletes on our fields, and performers on our stages. I see teachers working with our students and conferring with administrators. I see our PTOs and Education Foundation continuing to provide enrichment activities for our students. So how are you feeling? I feel hopeful during this time because of you. Yes, you. You, our students and staff give me purpose every day to make sure we get through this together and even stronger than when this started. I will use this time to reflect and recognize the importance of family, community, and faith during this crisis. I hope you join me in your own way.
While hope is important, we must realize that many of our family, friends, and neighbors are grieving and hurting. The economic and emotional stress of the past four weeks has been tremendous. That is why organizations such as West Bergen, Ramsey Responds, and Ramsey Strong are so important. This week and this week only, Ramsey Strong will sell t-shirts. Thank you to Ramsey graduate James, from Turn 2 Sports, and our High School Interact Club for creating the online store. For every shirt sold, $10 will go to Ramsey Strong. Please think about helping.
While classes resume tomorrow, it is important to note that Governor Murphy has hinted that he will announce the future of on-site versus virtual schooling on about April 17. In the meantime, we will continue with Phase II of our virtual plan, and thank you for your patience during this unprecedented time. I couldn’t be more proud of our teachers, administrators, and other staff members for putting together such an incredible plan. As a side note, during Spring Break more than 150 students took 500 enrichment classes. A big thank you to all the teachers who led learning experiences. While I am sure other districts did something, I am unaware of any other district that did this!
I am sharing a picture from Easter around 1970 or so. What’s interesting is that my sister and brother are in it, but I am not. Like many “youngest” siblings, there is a dramatic drop-off of any documentation that I even existed. However, I am also sharing a picture of when my children were young – please note all siblings and cousins are accounted for! I love Easter Egg Hunts! For me, this holiday and traditions around it, combined with Spring weather, remind me that hope does spring eternal. We are #RamseyStrong, and we have the shirts to prove it! Better days do lie ahead. Join me in believing this. We can strengthen our hope for the future by recalling the joys of the past, and maybe you took the opportunity to do that this week. If you reminisced over holiday photos, I’d love for you to send it along with a memory and I will post.
Sincerely,
Matthew J. Murphy, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
Ramsey Public Schools
Twitter: @drmatthewmurphy
Facebook: @RamseyNJschools
Instagram: @RamseyNJschools
Cc: Staff
