Rose Sala

Rose Gordon Sala is a mom to three but also a longtime editor and journalist. She's covered all the capital 'P' subjects, including pets, politics, PR, and parenting. She's written for MSNBC.com, TODAY.com, the New York Post, and Mom.com.

Latest posts by Rose

NJ Schools Get New Reopening Rules with Remote Start Option

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Thu, 08/13/2020 - 1:56pm

Many schools are preparing for more remote learning this fall. Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

Updated August 13 - Amid increasing pressure, the governor of New Jersey will allow individual school districts to initially choose 100% remote learning this fall if they are unable to meet health and safety standards. Previous school reopening guidelines from the state had directed all districts to offer some form of in-person learning.

“We recognize for some districts there are legitimate and documentable reasons why some of these core health and safety standards cannot be met on day 1," Murphy said on Wednesday, August 12. "For these districts today, we are reaffirming our commitment for districts to do what’s best for their school community."

The governor has already said that any student or parent that prefers remote learning must be provided that option.

Funny School Memes for All the Back-to-School Feels

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Thu, 08/13/2020 - 12:07pm

Funny memes are our favorite distraction at this time of year.

I'm pretty sure the only way to get through the stress that is back-to-school time is a heaping pile of funny memes.

Whether your kids are going full online learning, hybrid, podding up, or 100% in-person, the return to school seems to be incredibly anxiety-provoking for everyone: our kids, the teachers, and parents. I have a kid headed into the school system for the first time as a kindergartner, so I feel this deeply. The only silver lining I see—OK, maybe there are a couple more if I look really close—are the incredibly funny memes this pandemic is producing. I can't be the only one distracting myself from doomsday scrolling with those coronavirus meme threads, right? 'Cause what else can we do but laugh?

So if you want to just keep cry-laughing along with me through the emotional ups and downs of this pandemic, read on for our favorite funny school memes, from laughable school picture days to all-to-true remote learning takedowns.

Governor Clears New York Schools to Reopen for Fall 2020

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Fri, 08/07/2020 - 12:14pm

New York schools got the OK to reopen for in-person class.

Governor Andrew Cuomo cleared New York's public schools to reopen this fall for in-person classes if they choose given the state's current "low viral infection rate." New York's more than 700 school districts were expected to submit reopening plans to the state by now but were awaiting the governor's final decision on in-person learning.

"If any state can do this, we can do this," said Cuomo on Friday, August 7, 2020. "New Yorkers will decide how they want to do it, school district by school district."

A number of New York school districts also released tentative 2020-2021 school reopening plans to their communities while they awaited the state decision, including New York City, the country’s largest school district. NYC is offering a hybrid schooling model, or a full remote option, to the city’s 1.1 million students.

Top Takeaways from CDC School Reopening Guidelines

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Fri, 07/24/2020 - 11:45am

The CDC issued new reopening guidelines for schools and parents.

Just two weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to defund schools that do not open their doors for in-person learning this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new school reopening guidelines urging schools to reopen classrooms.

While the guidelines repeatedly suggest that individual districts must make reopening decisions based on their local situation, including current coronavirus transmission rates and spread, the director of the CDC made it clear he views a reopening of schools for in-person learning as essential to public health.

“It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall,” Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC director, said in a statement. “School closures have disrupted normal ways of life for children and parents, and they have had negative health consequences on our youth. CDC is prepared to work with K-12 schools to safely reopen while protecting the most vulnerable.”

Read on for the top takeaways from the CDC’s guidelines on how to reopen schools.

Liberty Science Center Sets Reopening Date

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Thu, 07/23/2020 - 11:00am

The Liberty Science Center will reopen to the public September 5, 2020.

New Jersey's largest children's museum, Liberty Science Center, says it will reopen its doors this fall after a five-month temporary closure due to the pandemic. The Jersey City-based science center closed in mid-March, along with the rest of the state, to try to stamp out the growing coronavirus in New Jersey.

But even as the pandemic has eased in the state with cases and deaths plummeting from April highs, the massive, highly interactive science center stayed closed. A number of other New Jersey museums reopened earlier in July when Governor Phil Murphy gave them the OK to do so at a reduced capacity of 25 percent. Indoor venues are considered riskier in terms of transmission for the virus and were some of the last businesses allowed to reopen in New Jersey. (See a full list of NJ reopenings here.)

The science center will reopen September 5 to the general public (members can visit starting September 4) for Labor Day weekend with new social distancing measures in place, including online ticket reservations and some amenity closures.

What's Open in NJ Now for Families: Theme Parks, Museums, Zoos, and More

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Wed, 07/22/2020 - 2:09pm

A number of NJ theme parks and water parks, such as Land of Make Believe, have reopened for summer fun. Photo courtesy the theme park

New Jersey remains stalled in Phase 2 of its reopening plan, but much of the state's top family attractions are in fact open for the summer. However, even as the governor allowed a category of entertainment to reopen, such as theme parks or zoos, not every individual business in that category has opened its doors for summer 2020. Some towns chose to keep local playgrounds shuttered even as the state gave the green light for reopening, and some individual aquariums or museums kept the gates locked out of an abundance of caution given the ongoing public health crisis.

To help families plan a little NJ day trip, we've rounded up what exactly is open now in New Jersey for fun things to do with the kids. The beaches of the Jersey Shore have been open a while now (and with the crowds to prove it), as well as other outdoor entertainment, including most parks and playgrounds, swimming lakes, campgrounds, and some splash pads. Most of the Garden State's farms reopened for pick-your-own fruit and flowers, too. Indoor entertainment started reopening in early July at reduced capacity, including museums, aquariums, and arcades.

Read on for what's open now, or reopening in NJ very soon, for kids and families to do this summer.

Ultimate NJ Staycation Planner: 50 Top Summer Activities for Kids

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Fri, 07/03/2020 - 3:05pm

Pose with the boulders at NJ's Pyramid Mountain.Photo by Anita Gregorio Marsault

Summer activities for New Jersey kids often revolve around the Shore, lakes, and fantastic summer camps and sports leagues. Yet, summer 2020 is the summer of a pandemic. There's no real way to ignore that fact.

It's a summer where families might travel less, go to fewer birthday parties, attend less camp (or none at all), and just generally stay home more. It's a summer where kids may be more underfoot or have less supervision. I'm not ready to call it the summer of boredom just yet, though. New Jersey is actually offering a ton of summer activities for kids. As we've entered Phase 2, the reopenings now include beaches, zoos, amusement parks, water parks, lakes, arcades, and playgrounds. Some NJ museums, libraries, and aquariums are reopening, too—at reduced capacities and with new rules in place.

So while it may be the summer of canceled t-ball tournaments and overseas flights, there are still plenty of fun things to do in New Jersey with kids this summer. Besides, the slowing down of summer life actually opens up new opportunities to explore those top NJ spots you've always meant to in the past. Read on to plot your NJ staycation with an abundance of outdoor summer activities, day trips, and even some at-home indoor activities.

NJ Schools Expect to Reopen This Fall: 7 Things to Know

Submitted by Rose Gordon Sala on Fri, 06/26/2020 - 4:07pm

New Jersey schools are expected to reopen in September 2020. Photo courtesy of Pexels

New Jersey plans to return K-12 students to physical classrooms as much as possible this September. Governor Phil Murphy, along with Education Commissioner Dr. Lamont Repollet, released a 104-page set of guidelines Friday, June 26, aimed at reopening New Jersey schools for 2020-20201 academic year.

“Absent a shift in public health data, school buildings will open in some capacity for in-person instruction and operations in September,” said Repollet. “The reopenings of our schools will include necessary limitations to protect the health of our students and staff.”

The guidelines insist on plenty of social distancing for schools, but also the option for a hybrid education model that would combine in-person instruction with remote-learning, or possibly students attending school on alternating days or weeks. All districts, however, must create a school reopening plan that includes some in-person instruction, the governor and commissioner said Friday. “There’s no one size fits all approach,” noted Murphy.