South Jersey Observer
The 2020 General Election results are official as of November 20, 2020.
In Bellmawr, incumbent Jim D’Angelo and running mate Johann Fina prevailed and won two council seats.
As for the Board of Education, Lisa Young, Maria Tregear, and Kelly Rosato won the three open seats on the BOE.
To view the complete official 2020 Election results, click here.
The Road Back – Restart and Recovery Plan for Education 2020-2021 Reopening Academic Plan for the Bellmawr School District was presented at the August 5, 2020 Board of Education (BOE) meeting.
Parents/Guardians were recently surveyed.
One survey question asked: “Given the current situation, what do you believe would be the best course of action for the district in September?”
Parents/Guardians also responded about having their child/ children return to school physically at half capacity following social distancing guidelines.
Parents/Guardians also responded about how they felt about the various precautions being put in place.
The district has comprehensive cleaning procedures for all buildings that are being expanded in response to COVID-19.
Until February 1, 2021, field trips, extra curricular activities and clubs have been cancelled. There will be no assemblies.
First day of school for students is Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Plans are still fluid until the final number of students is ascertained.
Parents/Guardians should be prepared to pivot in the event of school closure.
To view the entire Power Point Presentation, click the image below:
At their August 5, 2020 meeting, the Bellmawr Board of Education (BOE) accepted the resignation of long-time board member, Jody Mangus, who recently moved out of state.
The BOE also voted Lisa Young as president and Kelly Rosato as vice-president.
To fill the vacant seat left by Ms. Mangus, a notice has been advertised for the vacancy, which is to be filled by a resident of Bellmawr Borough, for the remainder of the term of a seat up for election in November 2021.
The appointee shall serve from the date of appointment until the reorganization meeting in January 2022 following the election, and therefore anyone interested in filling the seat beyond January 2022 must also register separately to run in the November 2021 election.
Those eligible residents of Bellmawr Borough having an interest in filling this position should send a letter providing information about themselves and summarizing their interest in the position, as well as information relative to their place of address, telephone number, and email address.
All letters must be received by 4:00 pm on Monday, August 24, 2020.
Interviews will be held by the Board of Education on Wednesday, August 26, 2020.
Interested persons will be notified as to the time if they are chosen for an interview.
The letter should be mailed or scanned to:
Mr. Patrick Doyle, School Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Bellmawr Board of Education
256 Anderson Ave
Bellmawr, NJ 08031
Email: pdoyle@bellmawrschools.org
The Bellmawr Board of Education will be holding a Special Meeting on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 5:00 pm in the Bell Oaks Gymnasium to present the Restart and Recovery Plan for the 2020-2021 School Year. Formal action may take place.
Public attendees will be limited to one person per household, masks will be required, and no children will be admitted to ensure the health and safety of all present.
Individual seating will be socially distant. In the event that attendance reaches the maximum allowed under the Governor’s indoor event guidelines, further admission into the building will be closed.
The meeting will be streamed remotely for those who do not attend; details will be posted on the public agenda prior to the meeting, which is available via the district website www.bellmawrschools.org
We are working to find out if there is a truth to the rumor that there will be an open seat on the BOE due to a member having recently moved. We emailed the Bellmawr School District’s Board Secretary/Business Administrator on July 29, 2020 to ask and will provide an update once that information is received.
We received the following email response from Patrick Doyle on July 30 at 11:31 a.m.
Hi Anne,
We actually just received Ms. [Jody] Mangus’ resignation letter effective 7/31/2020, so we will add it to the agenda for Wednesday’s special meeting; the board doesn’t have to accept the resignation but we’ll add it anyway just to memorialize everything.
Patrick Doyle
School Business Administrator
Bellmawr Public Schools
The Bellmawr Board of Education is proud to announce the appointment of Danielle Sochor as the school district’s next superintendent. Mrs. Sochor was unanimously approved at the regular board meeting held on April 29, 2020 and will assume the position on July 1, 2020.
The search began after current superintendent, Annette Castiglione, stated her intention to retire at the end of her contract, which will be on June 30, 2020.
Ms. Castiglione has dedicated herself to Bellmawr since she became superintendent in 2007, leading the district in achieving a new level of educational excellence. The district is so thankful for her years of service, and therefore knew how important it would be to pick just the right person to be the next great leader of the district, building upon the accomplishments of Superintendent Castiglione.
Step one in that process began in December, when the Board held open door community meetings in all three schools to allow parents, teachers, and community members to provide their input with regard to the qualities the next superintendent needed to possess. Additionally, a survey yielded hundreds of responses from community members all across Bellmawr. The Board was able to use both the survey and the in-person responses to create an advertisement for the position; one that would produce not only qualified candidates, but candidates that also fit the needs and personality of the district.
This advertisement brought in 47 applicants during January and February, which was gradually whittled down to four final candidates by March. It was then during the final round of interviews that it became clear that Danielle Sochor possessed all of the critical components the next superintendent of Bellmawr would need in order to lead the district into a new era. While all of the candidates were well-qualified, Mrs. Sochor rose above as the perfect fit. She joins us following her tenure of 10 years with Glassboro Public Schools, where she is currently the Chief Academic Officer for the district and is also serving as the principal for J. Harvey Rodgers Elementary School.
Prior to that, she served as a special education supervisor and curriculum coordinator with the Hainesport Board of Education.
“I am truly honored to be selected as the new superintendent of the Bellmawr School District. I look forward to working collaboratively with the school board, staff, parents, and community. I am committed to providing all students with an exceptional educational experience which will assist them with becoming productive members of an ever-changing global society,” says Mrs. Sochor.
The district will be working on a welcome video to introduce her to the Bellmawr Learning Community in the near future, as a formal in-person meet and greet is not yet permitted under the current conditions of the
Governor’s Executive Orders regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, as soon as we are legally able, we will be sure to invite students, staff, parents, and all members of the Bellmawr community to formally welcome Mrs. Sochor to our district in-person.
Post updated on May 6, 2020 at 11:40 a.m. to include Ms. Sochor’s letter.
