The Bridge is Archway Programs' bi-monthly newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! To subscribe, see the latest and previous editions of this publication, please visit our website at
www.ArchwayPrograms.org/newsletter
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A Message From the CEO
I would like to start by congratulating all eighteen graduates from both the Archway Upper and Lower Schools. You did it! I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces at both of the drive-through graduation ceremonies last month. A big thank you to our school staff for going above and beyond in making both events special for or graduates and their families. Everyone did an exceptional job. I hope to see the Class of 2020 at future Archway events. I encourage each of our graduates (and their parents) to stay in touch, you will always be part of the Archway family.
We know that parents face a hard decision regarding whether or not to send their child back for in-school learning. Whatever your choice may be, Archway is here for you and ready to help support you and your child every step of the way.
Following the Governor's mandate, we decided to move forward with our summer Extended School Year (ESY) Program. Archway has appropriate CDC procedures in place and is taking additional safety precautions to ensure the health and safety of our staff and our students. This year's ESY program began July 6th, and will run through August 19th. For more details, click
here
. I am confident in our staff and their ability to make this a success. I am also proud of the level of dedication our Education staff has shown as they prepared for this year's hybrid ESY Program.
Our
Just Kids Program
has been working diligently to navigate through these unprecedented times. This includes planning for the Just Kids Summer Camp located in Barrington, Collingwood and Waterford. As an organization, we are committed to safety and quality of care. After extensive review of the new guidelines, we have made the very difficult decision to forgo camp this summer. We know that this is disappointing news for many of you and appreciate your support and understanding. To read the official announcement, click
here
. The Just Kids Program ended the 2019-2020 school year with an improved parent satisfaction survey, with an average of 3.61 out of 4.0. Just Kids has exemplified a high level of teamwork and dedication and I am proud of their collaboration and hard work.
Several programs continue to provide services via telehealth such as: Step by Step (early intervention), and all three partial care programs. Both partial care youth programs, HOPE/DISCOVER, will reopen on Monday, July 20th. Blue Violet reopened its doors for in-store purchases as of June 15th and has been doing an incredible job following new safety measures that our social enterprise rolled out upon reopening. Thank you to the local community and our employees for your support during the last few months. Throughout the remainder of July, Blue Violet is offering specials on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more details, make sure to check out the update below.
A reminder that any program updates can be found on our
COVID-19 page
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Although the world is in a different place right now, the work we do each day at Archway Programs has been proven to be
essential
in driving our communities forward. I am confident that we will not only get through these unprecedented times but come out of it more resilient, and stronger than ever.
Sincerely,
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"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
-Maya Angelou
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Our Reopening Plan and
Pledge to Employees
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In compliance with federal and state guidelines, Archway has developed a phased approach to protect the health and safety of its employees, clients and students in an effort to minimize exposure to the COVID-19 virus and ensure a safe return for all persons to its programs and the workplace. Employees/clients will be brought back on a program by program basis. However, there will be some standardized protocols which are outlined in the
"Archway Programs' Reopening Fact Sheet"
which can be found by clicking on the graphic above or by clicking
here.
Archway Programs supports the Governor's pledge and strives to create the safest workplace possible for when we reopen. To read
"Our Pledge to Employees"
click
here
or below.
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Archway Forms Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
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We recently
announced
that Archway is forming a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
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The members of the DEI Committee will be dedicated to identified areas of action and will be hosting opportunities for our Archway community to come together, either virtually or in person, and will soon be sharing resources to our website to help our community navigate these challenging times so we can continue to work on change. Archway’s DEI Committee will meet frequently and share input and valuable insight that will be incorporated into the organization-wide strategic plan, and assist with internal training and workshops for staff and clients. Archway is currently seeking employees and/or board members that are interested in joining. For more information, please click
here
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Employee Spotlight On: Paula Gormley
Education Department
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This month Archway’s Employee Spotlight goes to Mrs. Paula Gormley, Head of Transportation at the Lower School and SEMI Tracking Coordinator. Transportation Coordinator of the Education Department. Paula has been with the
#ArchwayFamily
for nearly 50 years! She started working at Archway Programs right out of high school at the age of 17. Yes, go-go boots were in style then! She has worked in both the Archway Upper School and the Archway Lower School as a Gym Instructor and a Water Safety Instructor. During her time at Archway, Paula has worn (and continues to wear) many hats. Paula has served as Gym Instructor, Summer Camp Lifeguard/Swim Instructor, Teaching Assistant, and she started an Inter-mural Sports League and traveling basketball team. She's presently Head of Transportation at the Lower School, SEMI Tracking Coordinator of the Archway Schools.
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“Her compassion for the students we serve is outstanding. She currently works at making sure our students are transported to and from school safely, as well as providing semi tracking forms for the districts. This job is probably the hardest of all mentioned as she begins as early as 5:30 a.m. on many days and ends her day around 6:00 p.m., tracking bus aides, behaviors, no one being home at some residence and other random incidents. She also organizes and runs the annual Santa Workshop and Food drive in the Lower School, which she started many years ago. Paula does all of this without complaint and loves what she does. Being an Archway mom and longtime employee, she also is a mentor, a counselor and a friend to many colleagues. She is well deserving of the Employee Spotlight,” said Susan Lafferty, Executive Director of Education. Paula and Susan are both pictured above during their early days at Archway!
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Here's to you, Paula! We are proud to call you part of the Archway family. Thank you for everything that you do for our organization!
#ArchwayProud
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Archway Schools Revamp Graduation Amid Pandemic
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A total of eighteen students graduated this year from the Archway Schools. Archway's Upper and Lower Schools celebrated during two separate drive-through graduation ceremonies held in early June.
Graduates and their families were loaded into family vehicles, many of which were decorated in school colors and had photos, posters and banners of the graduates taped to the outside. Horns were blaring, balloons were flying from the top of cars, teachers, school administrators and administrative staff lined the procession line and the 2020 graduates were dressed in caps and gowns.
After both ceremonies, many families drove to a billboard a few miles from the main campus that Archway Programs had produced in honor of the Class of 2020. The first names of the students are all listed on the billboard for everyone to see located across from Lucien's Manor on the White Horse Pike in Berlin
(pictured above).
CONGRATS to
the Class of 2020! YOU DID IT!! We are all incredibly proud of you. We would like to give a special shout out to all of our school staff for all of the hard work and dedication that went into making both events a success! These are unusual times and that didn't stop you from making our students feel special on their graduation day.
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Just Kids Recognition 2019-2020
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Although this isn’t quite how
Just Kids
imagined the school year ending, our staff still wanted to recognize everyone's hard work and accomplishments throughout the year. Since everyone cannot be together in-person, Just Kids management created a video highlighting staff and the programs that scored highest on this year's parent satisfaction surveys. Just Kids also registered a record breaking number of enrollments, with 100 students greater than last year. Parent satisfaction surveys were outstanding this year! The average rating was 3.61 out of a 4.0. The winners for the highest parent satisfaction survey by location were announced in a video that Just Kids Management created. Click
here
or on t
he video on the right to watch. BIG shout out to our
Just Kids staff for offering parents a safe, reliable and fun before and after school care program that they can always count on!
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Congratulations Amy Miller on 20 Years!
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There is NO doubt that Amy Miller is a staple to the
ACT Program
.
Her knowledge of the job, relationships with those in the community and tireless effort have no equal and prove to be an immense asset to the program. Her commitment to the consumers and her staff shine through in all that she does. She approaches each day with the same tenacity, compassion, empathy and quality driven aptitude as she has for the past 20 years. Amy goes above and beyond to ensure the consumers receive everything that they need to thrive that is within her power and beyond. Due to Amy’s love of her work and care for the consumers she can tell you without checking a consumer’s interests, allergies and strengths. Congratulations Amy on reaching this milestone!
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Special Shout Out to Our Maintenance Crew
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We would like to give a well-deserved special shout out to
one of the many behind-the-scenes essential crews at Archway Programs! Our essential Maintenance team has continued working throughout these uncertain times to ensure the health and safety of our employees, clients, students and families to prepare for the reopening throughout various programs. This includes but is not limited to: updates to our main campus pool, work to ensure everyone can follow safe social distancing throughout our schools, partial care programs, our social enterprise (Blue Violet), Residential Community Homes and Administration offices, in addition to roof repairs, and much more! Please join us in recognizing our Maintenance team and the exceptional job they do to keep us safe and support Archway. Pictured above is some of the pool renovations/prep. for social distancing next to a picture of students getting to enjoy the pool during ESY 2020 thanks to our amazing Maintenance team!
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#ArchwayProud #ArchwayFamily
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Extended School Year is Off to a Great Start!
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Thanks to our dedicated staff, Extended School Year (ESY) is off to a great start! A lot of planning and effort went into our reopening plan for ESY 2020 to ensure the safety and health of our students, staff and families. We'd like to give a special shoutout to our essential workers, Administration team, Maintenance crew, school staff, students and families - you are our true superheroes! To learn more about this year's ESY program at the Archway Schools, please visit
https://bit.ly/3fi38mp
. Thank you to all of our parents too. We know that changes in routine can be challenging. It truly takes a village, and Archway is so grateful to be part of yours. As we continue navigating the “new normal” please know that our staff is always here to help however we can to make this transition as smooth as possible for parents and families.
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Celebrating Milestone Birthdays
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Two of our residents recently celebrated some pretty special birthdays. Molinda
(pictured below, top left)
celebrated 75 years young and Julia
(pictured below, bottom left/right)
celebrated 29 years young.
Our DSPs and residents celebrated Molinda's special day by surprising her with presents and baking cookies! Our DSPs and residents celebrated Julia's special day by surprising her with flowers, balloons and they played one of her all-time favorite games, BINGO!
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All Things Grow Better With Love
Thanks to our dedicated staff, our ladies have remained home safe from exposure. Staff have been able to take everyday life skills up a notch since we've had so much more time to focus on what skills our ladies wanted to improve on. Our staff has been amazing practicing universal precautions and following all CDC guidelines to ensure all our clients are safe. We are very grateful for our dedicated staff. With a little help from our DSPs, residents from one of our South Jersey homes started a garden in their backyard. They have enjoyed watching everything grow and take pride in taking care of their new garden. Check it out below. Awesome job, ladies!
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During COVID-19, FaceTime Brings People Together
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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, visitors have not been permitted in community and group homes per the Governor's mandate. This decision was made to protect a more vulnerable population, although that didn't make it any easier for residents or their families. For many of us, technology has kept us connected with friends and loved ones. However, not everyone has access to technology and this can leave them feeling disconnected. When Archway employee Andrew Rohanna, saw how hard it was for Patrick, one of our residents, to not visit in-person with his mom, he knew he had to do something to help. Andrew took it upon himself to reach out to Patrick's mom and coordinated with her so that she could FaceTime with her son, using his own personal cell phone. Thank you Andrew for giving Patrick and his mother a chance to connect during this time!
#ArchwayFamily
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You Don't Stop Caring Because You're Not at Program
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The
ACT Program
has been temporarily closed since March; however Archway staff has continued to meet the individualized needs of clients by in-person visits and via telehealth. We have found that our clients need our services now more than ever as many are experiencing feelings of being socially isolated due to limited access to technology and increased symptoms, confused and afraid due to some of the current world events, safety concerns and a few left with no means to acquire basic needs. Over the past four months partial care staff has heavily continued to implement Archway’s core values of providing safety, possessing compassion and promoting individuality. The ACT Partial Care team has ensured consumers safety by conducting risk assessments via telehealth, contacting emergency personnel and through home visits. Compassion has been conveyed through active listening, dropping off food donations to boarding/group homes, reminding consumers that we are here for them, providing resources and allowing increased access to everyday items with the hope of enhancing their quality of life at this time of world crisis. Archway staff has displayed individuality by using a strengths-based approach and by catering care packages to each individual’s interests and treatment plan. Special shout out to our staff for coming together collaboratively and pitching in whenever and wherever they are needed to provide the best care for our clients!
#ArchwayProud
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Pictured left, ACT Program APN Lisa Field drops off Wawa to some of our clients. Pictured right,
Business Development Manager Eddie Tate surprises some of our ACT clients while practicing safe social distancing.
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Blue Violet Flowers & Gifts Reopens Its Doors
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On June 15th Blue Violet Flowers and Gifts reopened its doors for in-store purchases. Delivery and curbside pick-up is available for any orders placed by phone at 856.336.2548 or online at
www.bluevioletflowers.org
.
Stop in and see the Blue Violet team for all of your floral, garden, special occasion and gift needs!
Face coverings and social distancing of course.
Store hours are Monday through Friday 9AM to 4PM, Saturday 9AM to 1PM, closed Sundays. Celebrate grads, anniversaries, babies, birthdays, teachers, and more! Blue Violet is conveniently located right off the White Horse Pike in Atco
(302 White Horse Pike Suite B-7, Atco, NJ).
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July Specials every Tuesday & Thursday!
- On Tuesdays, Blue Violet will be offering FREE local deliveries to customers.*
- On Thursdays, Blue Violet will be offering a 10% customer discount off your purchase!*
Call the store for more information at 856.336.2548 or visit us at Blue Violet! The store is open Monday through Friday from 9AM to 4PM, Saturday 9AM to 1PM (closed Sunday).
*Local deliveries only (Atco). Cannot be combined with other discounts. Offer is valid throughout the month of July 2020.
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Stay Connected with Blue Violet!
For the latest news, specials, pictures of our work, customer reviews and more, make sure to follow
@BlueVioletFlowersNJ
on
Facebook
and
Instagram
!
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Last Phase of Solar Energy Project is Complete
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ICYMI: Bringing Just Kids to You Every Tuesday and Friday!
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Our
Just Kids Program
is sending out weekly newsletters called, "
Bringing Just Kids to Yo
u
!
”
t
o stay engaged with families and provide support through this period of staying at home. The focus is to enable parents to make positive memories with their children by providing easily accessible tools and ideas. These newsletters include an array of information and links to fun activities parents can do with simple supplies that they have at home.
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Archway is Hiring Across All Programs!
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We have openings across all of our programs. Please visit our
Careers page
for more information and
apply today
!
We are currently looking for people who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of others and in their communities. Archway offers flexible schedules, an excellent work culture that values a healthy work/life balance, a large affiliate network, with unlimited opportunities for growth throughout southern and central NJ.
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ICYMI: Archway In the News
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Welcome to the Archway Family!
We are proud to welcome new employees to the Archway Family as our organization expands, allowing us to help more families throughout the community. Please help us give a warm welcome to the newest members of the Archway Family!
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Residential Community Homes
Taylor Griess, Direct Support Professional
Step by Step Early Intervention
Thomas Price,Physical Therapist
Wendy Witzel, Physical Therapist
The Archway Schools
Kylie Hess, Paraprofessional
Fiona Flynn, Paraprofessional
Jennifer Olaya, Teacher
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Our top priority is to ensure your health and safety. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of our community events, fundraisers, and internal events originally scheduled from March through the end of July have been postponed until further notice. We will be in contact with you as soon as the events have been rescheduled.
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Our team is dedicated to providing resources and information that support the wellbeing of our community. We’ve created a
resource guide webpage
with a list of regularly updated resources that we hope will help you during these uncertain times. They are organized as follows: Critical Resources, Hotlines/Support, Family Resources (all ages/abilities), and ‘Explaining COVID-19’ which consists of helpful tools to use when discussing with your loved ones (all ages/abilities). Although some of our programs are temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, our staff is available during normal business hours to answer any questions you may have.
For Archway specific updates related to the COVID-19, please visit
www.archwayprograms.org/covid19.
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We Want to Hear From You!
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If you have an idea for content you would like to see in The Bridge, and/or have any questions about our e-newsletter, please email our Communications Department at
communications@archwayprograms.org
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We always have a lot of fun and exciting things happening at Archway Programs! Make sure to stay connected and follow @ArchwayPrograms on social media for all of the latest news and events!
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